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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. 21 the swift current. The general appearance of the valley in its lower course is that of most of these mountain- streams, the mountain slopes being rather softer and more thickly overgrown with spruce, pine, and aspen than usual in this regiou. Tbe mountain- slopes come down to the stream, having slides from 20 to 400 teet high where the stream washed against them, and small, narrow, swampy bottoms, sometimes grassed, sometimes covered with willows, and often with spruce- pine. The sky- Hue on the side opposite the trail is generally seen at a height of from 1,200 to 1,500 feet, the snow- rauge being seen occasionally up the valleys of the tributaries at a distance of from half a mile to two miles. About two miles from the park there is a break in the mountains on the right bank, forming a broken, irregular steep valley, down which come several torrents, on one of which is a fine cascade. In this valley and neighborhood are many mining claims, and thus far there is a faint trail, but beyond we have to make our own. Loug sights were generally obtained, but progress was slow, as traveling was very difficult over the fallen timber on the slopes and iu the marshy bottom. Our Camp No. 2 was at a point five miles above Camp 26, main line, where the timber becomes more scant, exteuding continuously but a short distance up the slope over the stream. About a mile down this camp on the right bank is Maltilda Creek, a small brook on which is the mine of that name, said to be valuable. About three- fourths of a mile beyond this the stream forked, the main body of water coming from the west fork, up which our line was taken. Both forks rise rapidly, and were crossed by numerous snow bridges Juue 19. Above the forks the timber is confined to sheltered places, and on the west fork there is very little. A mile above the fork the snow- swamps were so deep and traveling so difficult the line was stopped, bearings being taken to a mouutain which headed the valley about half a mile beyond. We returned to Camp 26 on June 20, and started line toward Bowlder Creek, the trail up which was found to be too rough for ascent by mules, and it not being of any length, the ascent was deferred. The line was then carried across the Animas just below the mouth of Little Giant Creek, where the river nt the bottom of a canon 100 feet deep was about 100 feet wide, up to the girths of the mules. The line was run to the settlement of the Little Giant Company, ( to be seen from our main trail,) and subsequently up the mountain to nearly its source. Little Giant Gulch may be described as a huge land- slide or bite out of the mountain, down the center of which the creek has worn itself a deep box- canon. Little Giant Creek, a branch, up which the line was run to snow, in no way differs from any of the numerous torrents in the neighborhood. EUREKA GKJLCH. The line up this gulch was started from the extremity of the line previously run up the main valley by Mr. Bassel. The entrance into this gulch is very peculiar. Through a densely timbered cleft in the mountain a large stream issues from a deep caiiou, the eud of which is turned to the main valley. The wall on the left bank of the creek is surrounded by a very deep, rocky slope; that on the right bank by a less steep and densely timbered slope of earth and debris. A point at the mouth of the canon on this side is about 280 feet above the river. From this point a surprising and charming view is obtained; from a point iu the gorge about 200 feet away and 30 feet lowel level the creek plunges in three leaps into a pool 150 feet straight below the |
