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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. 39 a- re barren, with considerable outcropping rock. The valleys or gulches are so wide, abrupt, and deep, that no practicable railroad- route is found and the grades are heavy even for a wagon- road. We enter the valley of the Cochetopa by a grassy gulch of about two miles. Here we foftnd a fine bottom of one- half to one mile wide with luxuriant grass, a dense fringe of willows along the stream, and scattered clumps of well- grown cotton- wood. Stream about fifty to seventy- five feet wide, and one to three feet deep, beautifully clear, with pebble bottom. A pretty good pole- bridge across both Cochetopa and Quartz Creeks, built for the convenience of agency herdsmen. Camp 10 was in the bottom, about a quarter mile below; Quartz Creek here about 20 feet wide, and 1 to 3 feet deep, perfectly clear, pebble bed. It has a bottom of one- half mile for a distance of perhaps three miles before the mountains close. Cochetopa River.- The Cochetopa bottom extends about ten miles above the junction of Quartz Creek, one- half to three- fourths of a mile wide, and level; fine grass, little cotton- wood, dense friuge of willows along same. The broken mesa country near the river is difficult to distinguish from the foot- hills. All north of the Cochetopa is a mass of these rugged foot- hills. Our trail from Camps 10 and 11 was in the bottom of Cochetopa River. At Camp 11 in Cochetopa Valley, the afternoon storm set in with the most violent burst of hail and rain I ever saw. This continued for an hour, flooding the camp, which had to be moved to high ground. During the evening and night were showers. v Many beautiful trout, weighing from J to 3 pounds, mostly about 2 pounds, were caught in the Cochetopa, and some teal and mallard ducks were shot. Thence, about 9 miles to Camp 12, across the Taylor, on a narrow tongue between the Taylor and the Ohio Creek. Till within about 2 or 3 miles of the junction of Taylor River and Cochetopa Creek, the valley of the Cochetopa is about 1 mile wide, well grassea, with considerable - cotton- wood, altogether a beautiful valley; probably the winters are severe and frosts early and heavy. The lower valley of the Taylor is much the same ip size and character, and at the confluence is a level triangle of fine bottom, containing 5 to 8 square miles. About opposite, where the trail comes into the valley of the Taylor, on the south of the Cochetopa, is seen the butte of the divide next west of Los Pinos Valley. Here it has broken down to low hills but a trifle higher than the general level. Directly opposite on the north is a bluff- head running out into the valley, probably the ancient continuation of this divide and an old lake barrier. Where the river has cut through the divide is about 100 feet above the valley. Ascended hills west of camp, but could make no notes on account of wind. Saw Mount Chauvenet from the trail, and from these hills the bearings were obtained; also high broken country between our old trail and the Grand River. Ascent of Ohio Creek.- The ascent of Ohio Creek was one of the pleasant episodes of t he march. Between the Ohio and the Taylor is a small bottom of triangular shape, 4 miles long and 3 or 4 wide at the base. The Ohio bottom is about 1 mile wide with fine grass and a little cotton- wood timber. For four or five miles the slopes of the foot- hills are covered with tall, thick sage to a height of 50 to 100 feet above the creek. Elsewhere is fine bunch- grass with frequent small aspen thickets. After this portion of the valley is passed, the hills on either side are grassed thickly down to the bottom, and on the left they rise 500 to |