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Show 146 ronte to Koslowskeys. Farther west is the route to Bock Corral and that to Santa Fe\ To the west rnn the roads to Real de Dolores and Real San Francisco, and the route down the Galisteo to the Vaca, thence to Santo Domingo. The only roads not already mentioned between the Pecos and Rio Grande of importance within the section to be surveyed by the party and south of Santa Fe* are the routes from Santa Fd* via San Marcos Spring, Old and New Placers, San Pedro, San Antonio, San Antonito, and Tijeras to Albuquerque; or, turning off at the mouth of the canon to Peralta, the route through Cedar Canon from Tijeras to Chilili, that through Hell Cannon, from Peralta and Isleta to the same place, that from Tijeras through Gutierres Cation, past the Lagn-nas Coloradas, joining with the Galisteo and Anton Chico road to the latter place, aod the route from Antelope Spring past Pedernal down Cation Piedra Pintada to the Pecos. For distances on these routes see tables of distances to be published. East of the Pecos, between the two large plateaux, at one time connected, lies the broad rolling plain broken by occasional mesas extending down the Canadian drainage. Along the Conchas are the Corazon, a high wooded dome, the Bareadero, a fiat rectangular mesa, and other minor mesas. To the south of Corazon is £ 1 Cabre Mesa; southeast from there, Mesa del Pino; still farther south, Barejon, Churisco, Cuerro, and Cuerrito; these latter are at the head of Arroyo Cuerro, which rises in Churisco and Cuerro Springs and other small Bprings; running to the northeast, it enters a canon, the mesas of which are much broken by other minor drains; sallying from here, it empties into the Conchas, rarely running water- a supply can always be had in the water- holes. Beyond the mesas of the Cuerro is the Mesa Kiceo, the highest in the section; this divides the drainage of the Conchas from that of the Pajarito, an arroyo running from the south to the east of Mesa Riceo, and emptying into the Canadian near Fort Bascom. Of these isolated mesas, the Rica is the largest; rolling on top, it is 10 or 12 miles long. Three points of it were occupied for secondary triangulation, as were also Mesa del Pino, Mesa Cuerro, Cuerrito, and Corazon. The Cuerro just at the head of Cuerro Arroyo is the sharpest, best- defined point. South of this opening extendi) tbe great wall of the Llano Estacado, across the northern portion of which we worked for some days getting the drainage- lines of the Arroyo Juan de Dios and Alamo Gordo. The main routes of communication in this section east of the Pecos are, first, the road from Los Vegas via Taylor's Ranch and Gallinas Spring to Fort Sumner; the route from Anton Chico past Gallinas Spring to Stone Rauch and Fort Bascom; the Buffalo road, nearly parallel to the northern edge of the Llano Estacado, running from La Junta; the route from Fort Union to Bascom, across the head of the Cafion Largo; and the route from Vegas down the Gallinas Creek. On the road to Fort Sumner, about 8 miles from the crossing of Gallinas Creek, is the Laguna del Alto de Los Esteros, at which there is usually water. At the Esteros, given on maps as Hurrah Creek, from the thirty- fifth parallel surveys, there is water in holes, as also at Los Tanos. Throughout this whole region the grass is wonderfully good, and numerous herds of sheep were seen, although not 1 per cent, of what the couutry would support. There is very little large timber in the whole of this region- almost none. The party reached Stone Ranch November 10. From there they proceeded up the Canadian for two days to the northern limit of the atlas- sheet, or rather a little beyond, to the mouth of the heavy canon of the Canadian. There is a cafiou of about 300 feet deep extending from the mouth of the main cafion. Beyond this is the main cafion, 800 to 1,000 feet' deep. From the mouth of this the mesa wall runs westward to Mesa Chupainis and eastward to Ute Creek. Just north of here, indeed very near the mouth of the canon, the country j « covered with basalt. Below the mouth of the cafion, on the first slope or plateau, is auother basaltic formation. About 2£ miles north of the mouth of the cafion comes iu the Mora, a stream supplying nearly all the water of the Canadian. Also coming from the west, between the Mora and the face of the mesa, is the Cafion Largo, a narrow gorge, impassable in places to men on horseback. Rising the mesa at the mouth of the cafion, we pushed north of east for 58 miles to Tequesquite, on a small drain, branch of Ute Creek from the west. Here we found eu-caiuped the topographer, who had not been with the main party since August 17. The following day we started on our homeward march, running but a traverse line Following up the Ute Creek 22 miles above Tequesquite, we came to where it emerges from the cafion. Entering the same, we still continued up it, till, forced by the undergrowth, we ascended with difficulty to the plateau above. Many sharp volcanic cooes dotted the plain, which, gently rolling, extended far to the east. Wejpushed on to the head of the cafion, which is 20 miles long. The Cerritos del Aire, in which heads the Ute Creek, were in sight. They are a cluster of volcanic cones, with but little running water in the drains. Just to the east of these runs the old Kansas City freight- road, now unused. A short distance beyond them we reached the head of the Dry Cimarron, striking the Fort Union and Las Animas road, which we followed to Las Animas, reaching there November 24. All the country traversed between the Pecos and the head oi the Dry Cimarron was very fine grazing- land. Although still considered danger? 0' on account of roaming bands of Indians, we saw none. From Dry Cimarron to L*" Animas the grass was very poor, probably from the herds of cattle driven from Tex* on this route. |
