6 GAZETTEER OF COLORADO. 
through the Park Eange on its way to join Green River, forming the Colorado. 
Middle Turk consists mainly of secondary ranges of mountains and hills, alternating 
with broad valleys. The altitude differs greatly in different parts, but it is generally 
less than that of North Park. The third is South Park, in the northwestern part 
of which heads South Platte River, which traverses it in a southeasterly direction. 
South Park is the highest of the three, its altitude ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, 
It is generally very level. 
West of South Park and of the southern portion of the Park Range, Arkansas 
River heads in Tennessee l'as<; and beyond, forming the west wall of Arkansas Val-. 
ley, is the Sawatch Range. This is a high, broad and massive range with many 
peaks exceeding 14,000 feet. At the north is the Mountain of the Holy Cross, 
with" a height of 14,17<) feet; then follow Massive, 1.4,424 iVet; Elbert, 14,421 feet; La 
Plata, 14,342 feet; Harvard. 1 i. .'>;:> feel: Vale, 14, 1ST feet; and Princeton, 14,196 
feet. 
Wesl of the Sawatch Range is a succession of high ranges and more or less isolated 
mountains, know n collectively asthe " Elk Mountains" or the "< iunnison Country,' 
and beyond them arc the plateaus. 
Returning to the eastern pari of the mountain region we find facing the plains 
the Sangre de Cristo Range, which stretches from Arkansas River south into New 
Mexico. This is a narrow ridg*e of -rent altitude, with a number of peaks exceeding 
14,000 feet, and only two passes lower than 10,000 feet. On the north near Arkan- 
sas River is a high range know n as the " Wot Mountains," standing as an outlier east 
of the Sangre de < iristo Range. 
West of the Sangre de ('risto Range is the great San Luis Valley, which extends 
nearly from Arkansas River into New Mexico, [ts surface is extremely level and 
ranges in altitude from 7,000 to 8,000 feet. Wesl « if San Luis Valley rise the San Juan 
Mountains in which head Rio< Jrande, flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, the San Juan 
flowing west wa rd to the Colorado, and many blanches of ( irand and ( hinnison rivers. 
In this group are many peaks exceeding L4,000 feet. Among t hem are Bandies, 14,008 
feet; Sneffels, L4, 158 feet; Wilson, 14,250 feet; Eolus, 14,079 feet; Sunlight, 14,053 
feet; Windom, L4, 084 feet; and Uncompahgre, L4, 289 feet. 
The plains rise from an altitude of 3,000 or 4,000 feet at the east boundary of the 
State to 6,000 or 8,000 at the foot of the mountains. Their surface is rolling and 
in some places broken. At the foot of the mountains the' stratified beds are tilted 
up, forming hogbacks, which run in long, regular lines parallel to the base of the 
mountains. 
Within the mountains head North Platte, South I Matte, and Arkansas rivers. The 
first flows northward into Wyoming, while the South Platte and Arkansas, after 
forcing their way through numerous ridges and spurs, enter the plains. The South 
Platte pursues in the plains a course nearly north and then northeast, finally uniting 
with North Platte River at the town of North Platte, in Nebraska. The Arkansas 
after reaching the plains pursues a course nearly east to the eastern boundary of the I 
State. Except near the mountains the plains contain few perennial streams; indeed, 
water is very scarce except immediately after rains. 
From the westernmost of the mountain ranges the country descends in a series of 
plateaus, some of which are horizontal and others inclined at different angles and in 
various directions. Most of the streams, whether perennial or not, are in canyons 
cut to varying depths. This plateau region is drained entirely by tributaries of 
Colorado River. The higher of these plateaus are well watered and covered with 
forests, but as one descends the region become more desert-like, the lowest parts of 
the plateau having all the aspects of a desert. 
Colorado has the highest average elevation of all the States — 6,800 feet. The fol- 
lowing table classifies the areas by altitude: 
