50 
GRAND RIVER. 
of coarse pebbles and boulders, slightly cemented and crumbling, opened into that of Grand 
river, on the opposite side of which are high ledges of red sandstone—the base of the Elk mount¬ 
ains. This valley, for eight miles after we entered it, is from one-half to one mile and a quarter 
wide, covered abundantly with grass, the stream being lined with willow and cotton-wood. The 
bottom is very level, and is evidently annually overflowed at the season of the meliing of the 
mountain snows, the drift of the present season lying scattered in the grass to the base of the hills. 
The Elk mountains tower high above us to the west, the hills immediately along the valley being 
high and more or less of a table character, or what the mountain men, of Spanish descent, term 
mesas—elevated level spaces of land, terminated on one or more sides by precipices and lower 
levels. Grand river is at present a fine, clear stream of cold water, one hundred feet wide and 
three feet deep, flowing rapidly over a paving-stone bed. Our guide states that its main branch 
rises in the Elk mountains to the northwest. This is joined by a large branch from the north 
which rises in the range of mountains to the west of the headwaters of the Arkansas river, and 
drains the western slope of that range, and of the Sahwatch mountains. Following the eastern 
slope of the Elk mountains to their termination, Grand river passes to the south and west of them, 
where it joins the Nah-un-kah-rea., or Blue river of the Indians and mountain men, which rises in 
the Middle Park, and is erroneously called Grand river on some of the most correct maps. 
We encamped in the valley on the west bank of the river, having marched but 14.75 miles, 
with an average descent of over seventeen feet per mile. This fine little valley is terminated a 
short, distance below our camp, by the close proximity of the hills on either side, and a deep 
canon presents its giant mouth to receive the river. 
September 7.—We recrossed the river at our camp, and proceeded down its southern bank 
1.80 mile to the head of the canon, where a small creek enters, which we crossed, and imme¬ 
diately began the ascent of the hills to pass around the deep ravines which enter the canon 
in deep chasms. The hills were very rocky, but we found little difficulty in ascending and pass¬ 
ing them with our wagons, except from the everlasting sage, which was large and rank, and the 
only vegetation on them, although we approached quite close to the base of the tables or mesas, 
which are elevated from 300 to 400 feet above our path, and are separated by deep ravines 
from a few hundred feet to a quarter of a mile in width. The perpendicular rocks at the head of 
the canon are some eighty feet in height, the canon itself increasing to twice that altitude where 
a creek enters it from the northwest half a mile below its head. The course of the river in the 
canon, for the first mile, is south-southwest (magnetic) and south. It then turns abruptly west, 
and continues on broken courses towards the southwestern point of the Elk mountains. The 
rocks are granitic, containing large masses of crystallized quartz, glistening brightly in the sun. 
After making 3.25 miles over the hills, passing the heads of ravines, we came upon a pre¬ 
cipitous descent, the first canon having terminated, and an open grassy valley succeeding for 
two miles. We had ascended, in this short distance, 735 feet above the head of the canon, 
or 715 feet above our morning camp. We had, therefore, to make, in a few hundred yards, a 
descent nearly equal to this ascent, on a natural grade of about one foot in five, full of igneous 
rocks of all sizes, from fragments and projecting masses, to mighty ledges. The loose surface 
stones removed, we attached ropes to the first wagon, which, to prevent accidents, was held by 
a number of men. It arrived safely at the bottom of the hill, 547 feet below, and half a mile 
distant; and we dispensed with ropes, and descended with the remainder of the wagons, sepa¬ 
rated by a few yards, and soon reached and again crossed the river. This valley was succeeded 
by another canon, and we ascended the opposite bank of the river for a similar purpose for which 
we had labored in the early part of the day. For five miles the ascent was easy, but here we 
were obliged to cross a deep ravine, and for this purpose were forced close to the base of the 
mountain to find a practicable descent, which, at best, was very precipitous, as was also the 
ascent, although not exceeding a hundred yards in length. A mile further on, we again de¬ 
scended to the river, where a narrow strip of grass afforded a night’s pasture for our jaded 
