36 
APPROACH TO EL SANGRE DE CRISTO PASS. 
striking up a valley or plain ten miles from the mouth of the Apishpa, in a course for the Span¬ 
ish Peaks, cross the Cuchara near our camp of August 5th, and continue over to the Huerfano, 
which gives a direct line of travel on a fine plain. But if we undertake to ascend the Apishpa, 
or the Huerfano, by following their valleys, we meet with canones on the former, as we have 
described, and on the latter, as we are informed, eighteen miles above its junction with the 
Arkansas. And the whole country having been under our eye as we travelled on the higher 
land to the south of this indicated route, we can say that no obstruction of any magnitude 
exists, thus far, to the successful construction of a railroad.” 
August 9.—The river here is eighteen feet wide, by one deep, with a rapid current. The soil 
is light, but would produce, if irrigated, fine crops. Stone of a superior quality for bridges and 
building purposes may be readily had. We moved up the river for several miles on its southern 
bank, and then crossed to the north side, and a mile above recrossed by the ford on the Taos 
trail to the southern shore, but only to recross again and again, five or six times, the river here 
coming through a narrow passage formed by the Greenhorn mountains, or Sierra Mojada, on 
the north, and spurs from the Sierra Blanca on the south, of some six hundred feet in width in 
its narrowest part, but still good for a wagon or a rail road, with a little labor. The Taos trail 
of which I have spoken leaves the river at this gorge, leading directly to El Sangre de Cristo 
Pass. Captain Gunnison finding a better route, however, kept up the river, encamping on its 
northern bank, where the hills are covered by small cedars and pines. Day’s march, 14.54 miles. 
August 10.—We crossed the Huerfano this morning, and pursued a fine valley between two 
spurs from the main chain of the Sierra Blanca, luxuriant with grass, from one-half to one mile in 
width, to the base of the mountains five miles to the south; and then turned east by a low depression 
into an adjacent valley, and encamped at its head, as it began to rain, after a march of seven miles. 
Narrow ridges of sand and limestone of considerable height, covered with wide branching cedars, 
suitable only for fuel, and a few dwarfed pines, extend from the base of the mountains north to 
the Huerfano, along the summits of which a road could easily be constructed, diminishing the 
ascent to the pass. Ours was to-day literally a pathway of flowers, among which the helianthus* 
a verbena, a lupine, and the blue flowering flax, were brilliant and showy. Magpies flew 
around us, but escaped our shots uninjured. Bears were seen on the Huerfano and our hunters 
supplied us abundantly with venison. 
August 11.—We left the valley of our camp by ascending a giant mountain spur, along the 
top of which we followed to the south for some distance, ascending as we approached the main 
mountain, and then descended into the next eastern ravine or valley, through which flows a little 
rill entering the Huerfano at the gorge which we passed two days ago. This descent was 
difficult, and so sideling that we were obliged to hold the wagons by hand-ropes to prevent their 
being overturned. By following the rivulet from the river this difficulty would be avoided. We 
ascended it for some distance through waving fields of grass quite up to our saddle-girths; and, 
cutting a road for a short distance through a forest of quaking-asp as we turned to our left, 
encamped, in a shower of rain, amidst luxuriant fields of blue grass (of the mountain men) 
and flowers. Quaking-asp covers the mountains around us, interspersed with small pines. 
Fire, however, swept over these mountains two years ago, destroying much of the timber. 
Sandstone, an impure limestone, and porphyritic rocks, are among the most common of this part 
of the mountains. Distance marched, 5.12 miles. 
August 12.—A working party was engaged during yesterday afternoon in opening a road 
through the forest to the summit of the pass, and much of to-day has been spent in the same 
manner and in working on the opposite side-hill, along which it is necessary to descend from 
the pass. The teams, too, were engaged all day in making the ascent as the road advanced, 
and at dark the most of them had reached the summit, and a few had descended to El Sangre 
de Cristo creek; and all were obliged to encamp where night overtook them, on a line of two 
or three miles, on the summit and either side of the pass. The examination of the various 
