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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. 27 passing out up Junction Creek for two and a half miles, then turning to the left over the hills, said to be ten or twelve miles to the La Plata. Lower La Plata and the old Spanish trails most used now. La Plata Mountains are seen through a gorge of Junction Creek. Animas passes down a valley of a quarter of a mile wide, so far as seen, iu a southeasterly course. The La Plata Mountains, as seen from here through the gorge of Junction Creek, are rugged, timberless, snowy peaks. Mineral springs.- In the top of Animas Park, near Camp 32, are several mineral springs of remarkably pleasant taste. Evidently they contain carbonic acid, and perhaps some salt of soda, and certainly sulphur. The odor of sulphur was strong, and flour of sulphur was seen in small quantities about them. The deposit is extensive and of a dirty yellowish white. Many old mounds are seen of now extinct springs. Upon our return to Baker's Park I found that a reported Indian outbreak on the Cucharas had caused an order to be issued for the immediate return of the escort. Origin and beginning o/ Proufs scout to Lake Fork of Gunnison.- As this threatened to prevent our making any examination of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison, I determined to make an effort at this examination by a rapid reconnaissance from Baker's Park over the divide to the head of the Lake Fork and down it, overtaking the party on the Eio Grande. Accordingly I turned the party over to Mr. Bassel, with instructions to complete the survey of Baker's Park, to give Mr. Hine time and facilities for photography, and to try to camp in Antelope Park by the night of the 28th instant, and await me there. Procured rations of Mr. Hamilton; took Frank JSager and Jack Monroe and one pack- mule and started at 10 a. m. up the Animas. Began topographical sketch at Eureka Gulch, rose rapidly between mountains of which the visible crests were 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the river. Now and then a high peak could be seen. Many small streams fall over the cliffs on either side in beautiful cascades; the cliffs seemed to be of trap and basalt, exceedingly wild and rugged. The mountains soon open out and give a valley, narrow and with a few spruce trees; up to this point the trail is very bad with slide rock, but from here to the summit it passes on grassy slopes. In many places the river was still hedged with snow and the land wore the appearance of early spring. Made a noon- camp at the forks of the Animas. Here the trail turns abruptly to the right, and rises very rapidly on a grassy mountain- side, up to the East Fork. The Animas below the forks is about 15 feet wide, 1 to 3 feet deep, rocky and very rapid. The East Fork is 4 or 5 feet wide and carries little water. The western and middle one larger, the western being the largest. These forks all head in snowy mountains, in fair- looking passes, against corresponding tributaries of the Uncompahgre and Grand. The pass of the East Fork from the Animas side is extremely steep but hard and grassy to the top. Little snow on this slope. At tiie summit on either side are immense peaks of ferruginous quartz, trap, porphyry ( red and green) and granite, so mingled that it was impossible to arrive at any general law for the distribution of these rocks. Pass to the Lake Fork.- The mountains northwest of the pass in which the middle fork heads are the Uncompahgres. Those south are a spur of the main range continued from the range which bends around the Rio Grande. From the summit of the pass one looks down the Lake Fork of the Grand for three miles. View from the summit.- The view is supremely grand. On either hand rise close above the stream gigantic peaks far above any vegetation- bare crags with immense bodies of snow in the deep gulches. From |
