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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY 53 wide, open, grassy glades between these thickets of timber, the whole sloping gradually down to the valleys of the streams. This seems to be a fertile and well- watered valley, with plenty of timber, and a very abundant fall of rain, for it was raining in the valley almost every afternoon. Pass Creek is a stream emptying into the Huerfano from* the south, about six miles above the mouth of Muddy Greek, and rises just west of the Sangre de Cristo Pass. At the head of this creek is a pass more than five hundred feet lower than the Sangre de Cristo, and far better suited for a wagon- road to Fort Garland than the latter, over which the road now passes, and probably much superior to the Veta Pass for a road practicable at all seasons of the year. A good wagon- road could be built over the head of Pass Creek with very little expense. But in view of the probability of the establishing of a military post on the Upper Rio Grande, and probably another in the Cochetopa Pass also, the Musca Pass is the one through which a road should be constructed for the supply of these posts. The Ute Indians always go through this pass in going east or west. I caused a careful barometric section of this pass to be made, which showed that it was about 300 feet lower than the Sangre de Cristo, with approaches very much better than the latter-named pass. A good wagon- road could be constructed through thifif pass at small cost, and would be thirty- five miles shorter in going from Badito to Loma or Del Norte, than by the present traveled road, via Sangre de Cristo and Fort Garland, and a saving of sixty miles to the < 3ochetopa over the present route just mentioned. Received orders this evening to return to Fort Garland at once, which prevented the continuation of our line into the valley of the Huerfano, a, s contemplated. Weather still cloudy. Sunday^ August 17.- Had the wagon taken to pieces and set up preparatory to moving out of the pass the way we had entered; packed our necessary baggage for camping over- night down to the mouth of the pass, and got the wagon, with the remainder of the baggage, down in the morning. The clouds fortunately cleared away this evening, and we obtained azimuth for the first time since leaving Fort Garland. August 18.- Got the wagon out of the pass this morning without further trouble and broke camp at 8.45 a. m., making twenty miles by 3 o'clock p. m., and camping where we made our first camp on our outward march. August 19.- Went into Fort Garland this morning, arriving at 9 o'clock a. m.; reported and went into camp on Ute Creek, half a mile from the post. The usual meteorological observations were made, and all possible time and facilities given to the photographer for executing his work. AH of which is respectfully submitted. JAMES BASSEL, Second Assistant Ute Reconnaissance. H. G. PROUT, Civil Assistant in charge Ute Reconnaissance. FORT GARLAND, COLORADO TERRITORY, October 2,1873. SIR : In compliance with your instructions of the 24th September, 1873, I have the honor to submit the following journal as a report of my operations from the time of the separation of the party at Camp No. 21, |
