May, 1879.
i5o
THE WEST SHORE.
O TUT. UI.KAT CONTINENTAL VIVIUK..
1111 raMMHM at tUt I US or thk mm-
SOI'MI, l M 111 A ANIi I Hi 1 hi hi A ;ti i lull.
W uke the following interesting description
ol tli gn it Yellowstone region l"m a recent
in- 1. . ) the Manny mut Sru-tilijir 're., written
lor that pmrnal I') ('ha. V. Illackburn:
III'' hi,' " nl ttitt greater irtinn of the past
two years priHqtecting in the cnuiilty l)ing
aUiut th head walcre of the Yellowstone anil
the other ureal rivera that have their aoun M 111
tha Wind Hiver uniuuUitia, I aeml herewith
lot publication in the I'nnoi aome haatily pro
l i I reitiarki on the region an traversed ami
' i'il. aihl aome portion which hail probably
not tied. i Im'mi paaacd mi-r l.y any white man.
Though mainly in search ol ineUllilemua de
jmmiU, I found much in the other natural prod
in U n( that Taat wilderness aa well aa in its
geology, scenery ami other physical feature!,
tl. nut. I to uilereat IhiIIi the practical an. I
the acienliflc muni.
1111 mi, Hoax Mot. rains -ukommiv am Torn
unarm .
Touching the geolngj of the country in the
vicinity ol the Hig Horn mountains, it may ho
ohaeried that the umal calcareous and an na
ruus rocks are her (..11ml, van ing in ge..ug
leal a, from the aon- t.. the tertian il.-..il.
Many of theae atrata are highly fn iflfalulll. in
. hiding a groat latiety ej loaaili of aquatic
ngui RO Mill (Mil tli MN near the haae
..I uc rang, hut eaal of the iintaiua 111 the
lignite tertian bed a, the reiiuiua ..( iwtriliivl
mammals Wcr noticed. Tim itralum of the
earhirtiileniua ago nrcura on IhiIIi aides uf the
range near ita I aw, both anthracite an. I l.itu
loin. .in aaal Iwing fuuml 111 ahumlaiici.. Moun
tain limestone i.r the auh carboniferous atrata
uvlna the iintaiua Ui an elevation of '.',(111)1
feel alaiva the luue, where they hrcak .I.. 11
abruptly to the ax.. 1. rocka, IhtU the .1 aUllinc
rocka aiiear al an altituite.il l.tHIU feet al.oc
the MM, wii'i 1 ni....,- the Mfl eiovatml arta
of tha rang. Near Ilia aumuiil a o.nniact,
fin grained gra; nh gramUi predominate, which
la a.i.mall) vain. I by K.u el gneiaa ami
pal. he ..I mica achtat Al theaouth emlof the
range al ita junction wiUi tha Italll.-auak.
rang., mica au.l Ulnar ilate are f.iuu.l tracer,
ing the pmttk l.k. Hut little quarU OCOtfl
iw th wtwtvrn slope, either 1 .( or aa l,i
The aat. 111 l..i, however, almwi cuuanUralile
quart, in will I, lined ledges, usually ( a gray
cilor ami ttru ferrugimuia Some f theae
MM Mfajf ( aiml,,!,,,, ,t lh(1 ,,1,1 M
in Mich mall iuanlitie geiictally a t.. nut i.
Ir.t MMMM( lllllilllg. Ilie'lnghe.i ,.v.
MM m the I tig ll,.rn rang are I'h.ml mk an. I
llaywpeak, win. Ii tea. I, an altituil ..f .W0
(art S.nal ).. ,.,.k. iea.li an altitude
Una l.l.tsai lt Ii.. I. iuth ,. 11,.
rurka. of this rang i. 'Jul nnle, n ,, gi,.ai,.,i
w .tit. a hi. h u alt I. .u I .eh, IwiugXi mi rn
rang it vrd al the north P, ,y the grau.l
.anion of th lltg II. 411 river, winch nrrweiiU a
of raffed gramlvar, with ,u wall aUn.l
ing Vll40jTy lullv IXW tort high I'll I. I,glh
of tkia cnv,.n ta neauly 0 mil, ate I .
nblliaity au.l DrlureiienM .4 Kiouery. it
niaii that .4 th lam.nit gian.l canton of tin-
. .1 .!.. 10 in th. National .aia In Ui Itig
Hunt 10. .11 .u.i.v . ..I..I. ,.( g. 1,1 ,ai. In ..I.Utue.1
(ruaw in an. .11 Ui .in ami aivi.lly Iron. .1,
aJIni ud .UtMwi uf ,,uam wa.h aronn.1 the (.ml
hilla. Tht. liait ahoar lutlaiU attritt.Mt. au.l
I . 1 1 'lent I v .H imligMwu to th crviUJIinr
rook of th llig Horn rang, Thu forvtarn J.
pout in ail oaawa or.oe.1 Uika Mrtforutta, arktch
ta atot alway th caa it h t)Montnl .letawru
froan th rywUlliava tvwk. of Una rangw. Taking
I" lacU into uau.Umtioi I unti at tli
atlllii that la gui.l (oan.l about th lUg
Ham at M all froaw Uat raagw, bat that Moat
of lliaUmel from tin ancieul waaii. wlnuh I
wbjtqimiiljr Irimd tn thi hml of Wind rirar
througu Union iiaaa ami ilown the .Snake. The
idea wna gnncrally eiittiruiue.l by our iiro(iect
Itig miiiera that thu linn uohm of gol.l faattd
aroun.l thu liaau of thu Big Horn ranjje camu
originally from noiiio aurifvruua belt 111 thoau
inoiintaina. Wo am now ill HiHaeaioii (if
geological cvi.lcn. ii, howuver, that iliairoven
tin UMOVy, Gold in amull or even paying
.piantitiua may yet bu (.mini 111 theae inoiiiitaina,
but utteiimve ileHinits can hardly IZiat there
wiiln ml allowing mm IpdloattODI of ita entity.
rnrrai. iiKrowrn or thk ihowi mountains.
In thu Snow MUUiMi between Clark' fork
au.l the Vullowat me, tinlioatiouii are more
favorable for IhiIIi gohl ami ailver. The origi
nal rocka here arc aa follow : Oaajlfl, granite,
ayeuite, trachyte, porphyry, unci au.l talco
alate; while along the a nitliweat baae volaaiiie
tufa occur. At the In .el of Hoda llutte creek
argentiferoiia pin I m fouml, which yinlila a
fair percentage of nlver. Some of these tlepoBita
are being ileveloie.l by Ju.lge Annia ami other.
A 111 ifen.ua orca are found in nilu on Immigrant
and Hear gulche., al.o fair iiulicationa un
Hell Ito.nng creek. Un the northern slope
eiU'ii.ivu ttnofjti of native OOpptt occur near
aome trap dikea. Helow the canyon of Clark',
fork MM interesting fos.iliferou. deposits exist
111 the calcart. mi. sedimenUry rocks. The strata
hen. upturned vertically presents to view the
organic reiiiaina of past ages in such hold relief,
aa .hiiiild make this an untcrtaiiiiug Held for the
geological scientist. Hoth vertebrate and
him it. Iirate remains were noticed here at vnri
011. tH.iula. Several K aka in this Snowy range
reach an altitude of 13,000 feet. I'oiispicious
among theae, towers the Itu.siun Crown, with
Ha anowvcre.t Uannc incipient glaciers, and
veiled in the shroud ol Krietuul congelation ;
a lit Inline for the iee king.
MrXllA laWWOKI MOUNTAINS.
The Sierra RHlathofla range liegiut at tile head
of Si.la llutte creek and extenils south to the
head of Wind river, a distance of about l"0
milea. I'n'tty thorough obaervations and pros
pecting w are made hem. The geological forms-
inn isists pnnciially of volcanic nicks,
lutsaltic and doluntic lava., andeaite and lava
lufaa, or a kind of volcanic conglomerate. On
the South fork of Stinking Water belt of gneis.
...id granite i-viala, containing many ledges of
baae urea, but mi metalliferous deposits of
value. At tl... mouth of the lower canyon
near an otWMsTl MllHl sulphur apring (frum
which the name Stinking Water originated) I
I. .mid aa much aa M ceuU to the pan on bed.
r. k, but . iily in very limited ittantity : origin
evidently in the lower canyon range fnmt
.itarU.e, granitic nwka or adietous granite.
Al th head of the Middle fork of Clark's
fork soma curifcnma ores were obtained in
near an eautict volcano. The deHiaiU are
argeiitifr..ua, and scorned inet..nsive. Ou
lb North fork of Stinking Water colora of gold
MM lU t I . I ... ...
, isaawi 1 oiigm euner innn the trap rocks
or the MjMtlUai nvka, prior Ui the grvat trap
eiuption which baa iuiru.le.1 on or MffMd the
P i' nwka. 1'etnhed was also
I. mn. I ..ii this MM containing grains of mm
I anien. fentc I. In this u.mitv th mount. ,.
iroarnt a unioue and stnkiug acenerv. th.
a rl' "n.n cuniliuug nl trap .like.
! re.ultingfnim a great outllnw of lava which haa
1 hi-rv a.-, umutate.1 it. t...... .t..n aw j
...-.w IM.m.. r nam.
10I waler have aill-.Urntly cut tl r.mgh theae
.....M.He.one. leaving taotatt-d pinnacle,
and U.wer. aUmlnig hke rut acub.ton.1
imagea. Shower. volcanic aan.l cuUining
tin.. I. ..ii.l. ..I ...... 1 ... . . . a
I TT " amni me i..i of the
Itlll. 'r ..I.... I. i . l I . . .
ing high! l,..k like gig.nuc ooluinns sUndiug
ami. lit tl.,. tuiua ..I ......1
I On th. w.Urn ihfM ,4 O..'shoahoo. range
"loanie gla is eoinnitw. this ul.ni... I-.".
MM f.a.l (MMM) 1. th. National i.rk
"."'tr -rnl P-ak. hiving
an Uv.u.m abor. Isooo fwt U UJ
which mo suipiiurous gaaea are yet escaping:
native sulphur lieing abundant in their erateri.
. . 1 . , . ....
Among ine inn.-u cievai ions ui una range are
Index and Pilot iieaks, and Mt. Lansford and
the Waihakee Needle. The Owl Creek range
is a spur of the Shoshong moautaiua, which,
with the l.attlesnake range, connects the Big
Horn with the Shoshone mountains. These two
spurs arc divided by the canyon of Wind river,
their summits being only J,000 feet high. Their
treud is east and west, but the rocks are strati
lied in a northerly and southerly direction. The
formation consists principally of metamorphio
schistose rocks, quartz being also found in
abundance, hi punning the alluvial deposits
colors of gold were obtained ; also garnets, rubies,
rutile, crystals of zircon, fragments of ltacolu
mite and other associated minerals found gener
ally with diamond deposits: none of the latter
crystals were, however, found, though their ex-
i.teiico 111 this vicinity is not a geological
imposihility. Owing to the inclement weather
thorough explorations could not bo made, but I
shall resume operations in this field in the near
1 11 lure.
TUB WIND ntVIR MOUNTAINS.
The Wind Itiver group of mountain! may
pmjierly be termed the American Alps. This
regiuu is one of great interest as illustrating
the marvelous ctl'ects of the dynamical force
when used iu mountain makiug. All along the
range occur sharp spurs narrowing as they rise
till they seem as thin as a knife blade. Isolated
x-aks inaccessible to man; deep chasms filled
with snow and ice which never melt; alpine
night., awe inspiring and wearing their glacial
crowns in iiiatostio silence; huge blocks of
gneiss and granite hills are seen on every hand.
'In il: I . . 1 . . 1 .
1 no cryabiiniuu rocas at. me noriii ciui 01 me
range are composed principally of granite,
gnuiss, trachyte, syenite and feldspar, while at
the south end the slates appear. Here quite an
extensive auriferous belt exists winch has
alT irded fair mining ground for several years.
Hold also occurs on the numorous streams of the
mil Hiver drainage. The water at the head
uf (ireeu river is slightly tinged with a fine
powder produced by the moving glaciers crush
ing the rocks near the summit ol the range. No
gold was found on this stream in the mountains.
The altitude of Union peak is about 13,000 feet
I1HKKN ItlVEH AN KXTKNHIV'K HYDRAULIC GOLD
nm.
Although their elovation is not very great,
thean Wind It.v,. mminl.i.. ' Ik.
- - ..... ii .... no ui.ua. HUM. -i.w
grand divide of all our gnat .-out mental rivers.
1 n.-ir siiiiuicrn snipe is iiratneil by Ureen river,
kit. i r .. ,, 1 .
w.i.iu ii. vituir wtawrii oaae 1110 v.rosvemre iora
of Snake river gathers a great mass of water to
lie carried forward and emptied into the Colum
bia. Their northern ship., is ilnnm-d by Wind
river, which, through the Hig Horn and tha
Vail .n I. 1 Z ....
. oecutiie u unitary 10 the luroiu
Missouri. The greatest elevation in the Wind
Itiver mounUina is a peak lying southeast from
Union, iU hight Iwing a little over 14,000 feet
above the ocean level Several others near this
oue have an altitude nearly aa great Immense
glaciers were discovered here, also perpetual
Irosou lakes, the ice being still firm in the
imiiith of August Between the Urosventr and
BMMM fork of Snake river auriferous gravel
exists, probably in ying quantities. Tha an
of Una aunleroua tract ia -tl miles wide and 40
miles luug, ami extends aa far west aa the
leton range, lieing evidently an ooeanio dav
pJit this waah show inlintta attrition, aven
the iajtilders being polished by long transporta
in.u from their original situation origin un
known, but evntently in th northwest moun
tain range. This waah ia of variable depth
anil is w holly con.rj.ned of quartz. Th nucWo.
or the rocks fmm which this quarU tiriginaUd,
eaiaxially lhat which acoompania th waah,
ha. been re.luce.1 1.. sand by attrition, only th)
quaru having resisted pulverisation. From th
MMi ul.Uionl I,. .. I aaa L t
- - - . J It uia. i.iuvii w.
llui entuiid ... ...l.t .... - ' . 1 t ...
. , " w .....iiwoiy Wllt.DU uj WW
hyilraulK anioa, aa waUr ia plentiful, but it