VALLEY OP THE BRAZOS.—VALLEY OF THE COLORADO. 27 
miles from Preston, and exercises a beneficial control over the Indian tribes which inhabit the 
valley. 
The river opposite the fort is seven hundred and thirty-eight feet in width, with a gravelly 
bed; and when we passed, in April, with a depth of only a few inches. In the immediate 
vicinity of the post the bluff banks of the stream approach each other to within six hundred 
yards, and all the material for constructing a bridge is at hand. 
The gently rolling country east and west dips with a gradual slope, in most cases of about 
fifty feet, to the immediate bottom-lands along the river, which do not exceed a mile in width. 
The valley of the Brazos is also being rapidly settled since the establishment of the post, and 
thirty-four miles to the west, in the valley of the Clear fork, we came upon a house and a farm 
of several hundred acres, under cultivation. As we proceed to the west from the Clear fork, the 
oak and ash timber become much scarcer, until, near the last tributary of the Double Mountain 
fork of the river, we lose it entirely. It is then replaced by dense groves of large mezquite, 
which cover at least two-thirds of the country to a point a few miles east of the dividing ridge 
of the waters of the Brazos and those of the Colorado. 
Very extensive fields of bituminous coal crop out along the bluff banks of the main Brazos. 
The coal is of good quality, and is used in the blacksmith shops at Fort Belknap. The abund¬ 
ance of timber of all kinds common to the valley of the river deprives these coal-beds of the 
importance they would otherwise possess; but a settlement of the country and the establishment 
of factories would soon bring them into important notice. 
The water of the river is slightly bitter and salty, in consequence of having cut through the 
immense gypsum region to the west; but ani-mals prefer it to that of the springs of fresh-run¬ 
ning streams. Pure water is found in great abundance in the numerous tributaries of the river 
which intersect its valley at every mile or two, and many springs are found throughout the 
entire country. Water is readily obtained by digging wells at any point of the surface. 
The country drained by the Brazos and its tributaries is more uneven in its surface, and more 
densely timbered than either the Trinity to the east or the Colorado to the west, and with a 
climate in all respects delightful; it is a very fertile region, eminently adapted to agricultural 
purposes. 
Valley of the Colorado .—Passing the dividing ridge, we descend upon the tributaries of the 
Colorado about twenty-seven miles from the main stream. This valley, from the summit of the 
dividing ridge to the eastern base of the “Llano Estacado ,” is about sixty-seven miles in width, 
and is intersected in that distance by many small running streams, tributary to the Colorado, 
and from two to six miles apart. The east side of the valley is about equally divided into 
“prairie” and forests of mezquite timber, and is much less undulating in surface than the 
country to the east. The mezquite becomes less abundant on the west side of the river, probably 
not occupying more than one-fourth of the country, until at the base of the “Staked Plain” it 
disappears altogether. The soil of the valley of the Colorado is good, but less moist and fertile 
than that of the valley of the Brazos. The rain is not so abundant as in the valleys of the 
streams to the east, but falls in sufficient quantity to obviate the necessity of irrigation, as was 
sufficiently evinced in the fact that although we traversed it at the very driest season of the 
year, most of the small tributaries of the river were running streams, and few were without 
water. The Colorado itself was about forty feet in width, and with a rapid current traversed 
its valley from side to side in a very tortuous course. The low and gently sloping ridges on 
each side were faced with red sandstone, and the soil was a rich, red loam, which, although 
light, was very fertile. 
Limestone and other building material, with the exception of timber large enough for joists 
and planking, are readily obtained at any point of the valley; and its agricultural features, 
although not so eminently favorable as those of the country to the east, are nevertheless good. 
The mezquite, a hard and durable wood, grows in extensive forests, is about thirty feet high, 
and from four to ten inches in diameter. 
