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Show 145 * Cafton has little strong character, being qnite low and heavily timbered, broken up by branches of these canons, as well as oy Hell Cafion and Cedar Canon, with their branches. Traces of copper are found throughout the range. Chilili is the ouly town of the range south of Tijeras within the area to be surveyed by the party, Tesuque lying just south of it. The equinoctial storm, which struck us while in this sectiou on the 21st September, commenced with a cold driving rain, which turned into a snowstorm. East of these mountains extends the plain of Guadalupe, or, as it is sometimes called, the plains of Galisteo. It is a dry expanse of country, with no running streams, and but three springs, these near the mountains. Antelope Spring, the largest, is about 15 miles east of Mosca Creek. Here, as also at Buffalo Spring, &} miles to the north, there is a ranch. The other spring is but a black hole, from which the water does not run. It is known as Stinking Spring, and is situated about 10 miles north of east of Buffalo. The numerous bones of mules and horses bleaching on the plain around the spring show how bad the water is. The plain is unbroken from the mountains to the Pecos divide, excepting by the Cerros de Pedernal, the Cerrito del lx> bo, and the Cerrito del Cuervo. Beyond these, indeed commencing with the Cerros de Pedernal, which are sharp, bare points of porphyritic rock, the divide runs to the northeast, connecting with the low hills south of Canon Blanco. From Pedernal the Cation Piedra Pin tad a runs eastward to the Pecos River, with a very uniform grade of 37 feet to the mile. It wonld be much preferable to the Cafion Blanco route, as a connection with a road running np the Canadian as far as Fort Bascom, thence up Pajarito Creek, crossing over the heads of Arroyo Cuervo and down the Tanques to an easily- bridged crossing, thence up Piedra Pintada, thence over to Abo Pass, thence to the Rio Grande. There is, to be sure, but little water in the canon, but it could easily be obtained by wells. Nor is there more on Cafion Blauco. This for a connection between the proposed road of the thirty- fifth parallel and the Southern Pacific would be a very abort and easily- graded route. The grade in Cafion Blanco is much heavier and not so uniform, the outcome at the head being qnite steep. Between the two cafions the country is gently rolling. The divide west of the Pecos waters is covered with small timber, mainly pifion. At the Lagunas Coloradas, at the head of Cafion Blanco, water can nearly always be found, so also at the water- hole on the south side of the principal point of the Cerro Pedernal, just east of the Anton Chico and Fort Stanton road, about 100 yards and slightly above it. In Cafion Piedra Pintada in the wet season water is always found. Near where the road from Pedernal crosses the Cafion Blanco, at the head of an arroyo running into it, is Agnaje Guajolotes, which almost always has water in it. Near the mouth of Canon Piedra Pintada is the Agua Negra spring of permanent water. In the cafion the grazing is very fine; 15,000 sheep were seen between the Pecos aud the divide. From there to within about 10 miles of the mountains the grass is very poor. Just below the month of the Piedra Pintada Cafion, or, as it is here called, the Canon del Agua Negra Graude, is the town of Puerto de Luna, the most southern of the towns* visited on the Pecos River. With its clean white houses nestling in the canon of the Pecos, it is strikingly pretty. Just north of here, at a little opening in the cafion, down which flowed the Agua Negra Chiquita, are the scattered houses of the town of Santa Rosa. Above this the river passes through a cafion impassable to animals, opening at the deserted plaza of Esteros. Still farther north, where it opens again, are the towns of Colonias and Plaza Abaja, and at the mouth of Galiinas Creek is the town of La Junta. Farther up are La Cuera and Esteritos; immediately above the mouth of Canon Blanco is Montosa, and 2 miles from there Anton Chico, the most important and largest town south of Las Vegas and east of Santa Fe\ This, as Galisteo, is a radiating point for roads. From the north there is the main road from Las Vegas, which is tpe heavy freight- road. West of the Pecos is the San Miguel road, which crosses the stream at La Cuesta. Forking from this road is the Albuquerque road, which runs np over the mesa to the west, coming into Cafion Blanco near the lakes and town of Los Gtiegos, a small, scattered town on the north of the cafion. From this road, about half- way between Anton Chico and Los Griegos, brauches the route via Pedernal to Fort Stanton, kuown as the dry route. Running to the southwest of the stream is the road to Puerto de Luna. East of the stream is the road to La Junta; another to Fort Sumner, branching from which, near Whittemore's ranch, is the route to Fort Bascom. Still farther north is the road over to the towns of Los Torres, Cha-parrito, and Rincon de las Conchas. From Galiesto run the roads to Santa F6 to the north, and Fort Stanton to the south, there being two to the latter place, one by way of Buffalo Spring, the other by Stinking Spring; the former, branching before reaching Buffalo Spring, runs through the Cafion Gutierres to Albuquerque and the Rio Ahajo country, at Buffalo Spring again branching, the western fork running in the foot- hills past Chilili to Fort Stanton, the other going to Antelope Spring or Ojo Baronda, from there to Stanton. The routes to the east and west from Galisteo are the road up tho Arroyo La Java past the Lagunas Coloradas and Los Griegos to Anton Chico, the route up the Arroyo Cristobal over the mesa to San Miguel, thence to San Jose*, 3 miles above. Following a branch- drain of the Cristobal past Los Fuertt'S and Aguage Abrego is the |