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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. 31 I grass, much aspen and spruce up the valleys of the small streams, with plenty of shelter and water. The whole region is one of rolling hills from the mountains on all sides. Pass from Clear Creek to Lake Fork.- Our Camp 43 was on a small branch of Clear Creekr near its head, and the march from this camp to Camp 44 was over the summit of the main divide, approached from the eastern side by probably the easiest grade to the main divide in Southern Colorado. The summit was broad and level, and is the " high park?? seen from the top of Bristol Head. Prom this summit an extensive view is obtained of the valleys heading in the Uncompahgre and main ranges. From this summit a first view of Mount Chauvenet was obtained- so called in honor of the late eminent professor of astronomy at Washington University, Saint Louis. It is probably the highest mouutain in this region and the grandest I had seen. The miners have sometimes called it the " Leaning Tower," and~ sometimes " Capitol" Mountain, from its appearance seen from different points of view. We nowhere saw it as the " Leaning Tower" of the miners^ but our guide assured us that, seen from the west, its appearance is that of an immense tower toppling over. At this time it was covered with snow far down its side. The summit of the pass was quite dry and free from snow at this time, but there were a few patches of snow and swampy places when I crossed it a few days before, returning from my scout to the head of Lake Fork. Our view in the direction of Upper Eio Grande and Lake Canon was cut off by smoke from great fires. The region about the heads of the Eio Grande, Florida, San Miguel, Uncompahgre, Cebolla, Lake Fork and Grand Rivers is of limited extent, perhaps 20 miles square, filled by a mass of snow- peaks in groups connected by crests, more or less high, from which the waters flow radially, and is probably the highest portion of the Eocky Mountains. I t is only by a thorough reconnaissance that one can arrive at the truth regarding the sources and courses of these streams and the position of the peaks and spurs, The vertebral and rib system of putting in a stream and its tributaries is useless, as shown by the extremely erroneous maps of the Grand River and its tributaries. This region, like that of the Yellowstone Lake, seems to be one of the domes of the continent, as is shown by the fact that the same rivers which eventually flow west flow at first east and south, like Grand River and Lake Fork. About a mile and a half beyond the divide we crossed a shallow valley, in which was a stream flowing northeast, one of the heads of Grand River, and at half a mile beyond this we crossed a second divide, on the northern slope of which was a dense growth of spruce and aspens. About a mile below this second summit we made Camp 44, on a small open bench or glade, nearly opposite the southern end of Lake Cristobal. Thence the trail descends rapidly into the valley of Lake Fork, very steep and passing through the densest growth of small aspens yet met i with. About a mile and a half below Camp 44, opposite the upper falls 1 and near the north end of Lake Cristobal, we crossed an enormous land- slide, which extends about a mile along the river by about two rniles up a funnel- shaped gorge in the mountains, on the right bank, on the northern side of which is a tributary of the river. The slide is composed of a bright yellow clay, soft in places, no grass or other vegetation on it except spruce- trees, many of large size and in their natural positions. Below the slide the descent is less rapid, and on a creek about three and one- half miles from Camp 44 we pass the " Scotland" mine, a claim which we were told was sold in Denver for |
