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Show Record 389 There were not many floods in a single year on the San Juan. During my 50 years residence on the San Juan, the floods usually same in July and September. There would not be one good big flood on the San Juan a year as an average. For many years we would not have them at all. In ordinary years we have just regu- 390 lation high and low water, the same as on all streams in the West. I remember two occasions when the San Juan was dry at Bluff - one 25 years ago and the other about 15 years ago. I have never known the San Juan to be dry at any other times during my 50 years residence in that vicinity and 40 years of may residence 391 there was right on the river. It was dry below Chinle Creek. I did not see it myself. I was told it was dry. I do not know whether there is a considerable amount of underground water along the San Juan. I know it seeps along and will come in again as a stream, but not a big stream. Aside from the two years mentioned by me, the San Juan has been in all other years substantially the same as it was during the two years that I saw these two parties 392 going down, and they were not high water years. They were very 395 dry seasons. There were other years when the river was much higher and there may have been seasons when the river was lower than it was during those two years. When I arrived at Bluff with the party of 200 or more the river was confined to a good channel. There were willows, trees and cane brakes, which had the appearance of age and senility. the banks of the stream were well defined at that time. As I had just arrived there to make my home, I made it my business to become familiar with the surrounding country. My first problem was where to build our town. We went up and down the San Juan River for 396 considerable distances on land. Immediately after my arrival I went down some of the side canyons and explored the territory along and adjacent to the San Juan for probably 15 miles west from where Bluff is now located. During the next succeeding two or three years I |