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F 591 .G84 1916 pt.C

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

3 1197 22123 1878

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2013

http://archive.org/details/guidebookofwesteOOdart

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary

United States Geological Survey

George Otis Smith, Director

Bulletin 613

GUIDEBOOK

OF THE

WESTERN UNITED STATES

Part C. THE SANTA FE ROUTE

WITH A SIDE TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON
OE THE COLORADO

BY

N. H. DARTON AND OTHERS

Reprinted with minor corrections

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1916

Principal Divisions of Geologic Time.''
[A glossary of geologic terms is given on pp. 182-185.]

Era.

Period.

Epoch.

Characteristic life.

Duration, accord-
ing to various
estimates.

Quaternary.

Recent.

Pleistocene
( Great
Ice Age).

'Age of man." Animals and plants of
modem types.

Cenozoic (re-
cent life).

Millions of years.

lto5.

Tertiary.

Pliocene.
Miocene.
Oligocene.
Eocene.

'Age of mammals." Possible first appear-
ance of man. Rise and development of
highest orders of plants.

Cretaceous.

ib)

Mesozoio (in-
termediate
life).

J\u-assic.

(b)

Triassic.

(&)

■Age of reptiles." Rise and culmination
of huge land reptiles (drnosams), of shell-
fish with complexly partitioned coiled
shells (ammonites), and of great flying
reptiles. First appearance (in Jurassic)
of birds and mammals; of cycads, an
order of palmlike plants (in Triassic) ;
and of angiospermous plants, among
which are palms and hardwood trees
(in Cretaceous).

4 to 10.

Permian.

Carbonifer-
ous.

Pennsylva-
nian.

Mississip-
pian.

Age of amphibians." Dominance of club
mosses (lycopods) and plants of horsetail
and fern tj^pes. Primitive flowering
plants and earliest cone-bearing trees.
Beginnings of backboned land animals
(land vertebrates). Insects. Animals
with nautilus-like coiled shells (ammon-
ites) and sharks abundant.

Devonian.

(b)

■ Age of fishes." Shellfish (mollusks) also
abundant. Rise of amphibians and land
plants.

Paleozoic
(old life).

Silurian.

ib)

Shell-forming sea animals dominant, espe-
cially those related to the nautilus (ceph-
alopdds). Rise and culmination of the
marine animals sometimes known as sea
lilies (crinoids) and of giant scorpion-
like cnistaceans (ourypterids). Rise of
fishes and of reef-building corals.

17 to 25.

Ordovician.

(b)

Shell-forming sea animals, especially ceph-
alopods and moUusk-like brachiopods,
abundant. Culmination of the buglike
marine crustaceans known as trilobites.
First trace of insect life.

Cambrian.

(b)

Trilobites and brachiopods most charac-
teristic animals. Seaweeds (algse) abun-
dant. No trace of land animals found .

Proterozoic
(primordial
life).

Algonkian.

(b)

First life that has left distinct record.
Crustaceans, brachiopods, and seaweeds.

Archean.

Crystalline
rocks.

No fossils found.

50-

a The geologic record consists mainly of sedimentary beds— beds deposited in water. Over large areas
long periods of uplift and erosion intervened between periods of deposition. Every such interruption in
deposition m any area produces there what geologists term an unconformity. Many of the time divisions
shown above are separated by such unconformities— that is, the dividing lines in the table represent local
Pr ^despread uplifts or depressions of the earth's surface.

p Epoch names omitted; in less common use than those given.

PREFACE.

By George Otis Smith.

The United States of America comprise an area so vast in extent
and so diverse in natural features as well as in characters due to
human agency that the American citizen who knows thoroughly his
own country must have traveled widely and observed wisely. To
"know America first" is a patriotic obligation, but to meet this obli-
gation the railroad traveler needs to have his eyes directed toward
the more important or essential things within his field of vision and
then to have much that he sees explained by what is unseen in the
swift passage of the train. Indeed, many things that attract his
attention are inexplicable except as the story of the past is available
to enable him to interpret the present. Herein lie the value and the
charm of history, whether human or geologic.

The present stimulus given to travel in the home country will
encourage many thousands of Americans to study geography at first
hand. To make this study most profitable the traveler needs a hand-
book that will answer the questions that come to his mind so readily
along the way. Furthermore, the aim of such a guide should be to
stimulate the eye in the selection of the essentials in the scene that
so rapidly unfolds itself in the crossing of the continent. In recog-
nition of the opportunity afforded in 1915 to render service of this
kind to an unusually large number of American citizens, as well as to
visitors from other countries, the United States Geological Survey lias
prepared a series of guidebooks ^ covering four of the older railroad
routes west of the Mississippi.

These books are educational in purpose, but the method adopted is
to entertain the traveler by making more interesting what he sees
from the car window. The plan of the series is to present authori-
tative information that may enable the reader to realize adequately
the scenic and material resources of the region he is traversing, to
comprehend correctly the basis of its development, and above all to
appreciate keenly the real value of the country he looks out upon,

^ Guidebook of the vs^estern United States: Part A, The Northern Pacific Route, with
a side trip to Yellowstone Park (Bulletin 611); Part B, The Overland Route, with a
side trip to Yellowstone Park (Bulletin 612); Part C, The Santa Fe Route, with a side
trip to Grand Canyon of the Colorado (Bulletin 613); Part D, The Shasta Route and
Coast Line (Bulletin 614).

Ill

IV PBEFACE.

not as so many square miles of territory represented on the map in a
railroad folder by meaningless spaces, but rather as land — real estate,
if you please — varying widely in present appearance because differing
largely in its history and characterized by even greater variation in
values because possessing diversified natural resources. One region
may be such as to afford a livelihood for only a pastoral people;
another may present opportunity for intensive agriculture; still
another may contain hidden stores of mineral wealth that may
attract large industrial development ; and taken together these varied
resources afford the promise of long-continued prosperity for this or
that State.

Items of interest in civic development or references to significant
epochs in the record of discovery and settlement may be interspersed
with explanations of mountain and valley or statements of geologic
history. In a broad way, the story of the West is a unit, and every
chapter should be told in order to meet fully the needs of the tourist
who aims to understand all that he sees. To such a traveler-reader
this series of guidebooks is addressed.

To this interpretation of our own country the United States Geo-
logical Survey brings the accumulated data of decades of pioneering
investigation, and the present contribution is only one type of return
to the public which has supported this scientific work under the
Federal Government.

In preparing the description of the country traversed by the Santa
Fe Route the geographic and geologic information already published
as well as unpublished material in the possession of the Geological
Survey has been utilized, but to supplement this material Mr. Darton
made a field examination of the entire route in 1914. Information
has been furnished by Erasmus Haworth, J. E. Todd, and R. T. Hill,
as well as by others whose writings are listed in the bibliography at
the end of the text. Cooperation has been rendered by the United
States Reclamation Service and by bureaus of the Department of
Agriculture. Railroad officials and other citizens have also gener-
ously given their aid, and other members of the Survey have freely
cooperated in the work.

For the purpose of furnishing the traveler with a graphic presenta-
tion of each part of his route, the accompanying maps, 25 sheets in
all, have been prepared, with a degree of accuracy probably never
before attained in a guidebook, and their arrangement has been
planned to meet the convenience of the reader. The special topo-
graphic surveys necessary to complete these maps of the route were
made by W. O. Tufts.

Guidebook of the Western United States.

PART C. the SANTA FE ROUTE, WITH A SIDE TRIP TO
THE GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO.

By N. H. Darton and others.

INTRODUCTION.

In going from Kansas City to Los Angeles, a distance of nearly 1 ,800
miles, by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway the traveler sees
a wide diversity of geographic and industrial conditions. First he
crosses the Great Plains, which extend for 500 miles, to the foothills
of the Rocky Mountains. In the eastern part of these plains the
rainfall is ample for crops, so that nearly all the land is in farms and
the population is moderately dense. Toward the west the climate
becomes increasingly arid and farms give place to scattered cattle
ranches, except along some of the watercourses where irrigation is
practicable. Running streams and groves of trees are numerous in
the eastern part, but the watercourses in the western part are much
smaller and many of them are dry in summer, and the principal trees
are cottonwoods, which grow along some of the valleys.

The Rocky Mountain province is skirted by the railway from
Trinidad, Colo., to Las Vegas, N. Mex., and is finally passed between
Las Vegas and Lamy. It consists of a succession of high rocky
ridges rising abruptly 4,000 to 6,000 feet above the Great Plains. On
account of their great altitude these mountains receive considerable
precipitation and in large part are forested up to timber line, which is
at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. The rocks are steeply tilted,
and in most of the area the granites and schists of the old earth crust
have been pushed far upward and constitute the high central ranges.
Over the higher parts of the uplift the sandstones and limestones
under which the granites and schists were originally buried have been
largely removed by the elements. Between Las Vegas and Lamy
the railway crosses the north end of the great Corona Plateau, a high
table-land between the Pecos and the Rio Grande which lies south of
the Rocky Mountains and is related to the plateau province west of
the Rio Grande.

Beyond the Rocky Mountains the traveler crosses the Rio Grande
and enters the great Colorado Plateau province, which extends west-
ward across New Mexico and far into Arizona, and many miles to the
north and south. In this province sedimentary rocks predominate, in
large part lying nearly horizontal, so that the harder layers constitute

1

2 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

extensive plateaus. It contains also many grcnit lava flows, some of
wliich form the surface of the plateaus. Most of this province is more
arid than the western part of the Great Plains. Toward the west,
however, about Flagstaff, Ariz., and the Grand Canyon, where the
altitude increases to 7,000 feet or more, the precipitation is much
greater and luxuriant pine forests cover a wide area.

Still farther west this high plateau descends by a succession of great
steps or westward-facing cliffs, and finally, near Colorado Kiver, the
traveler enters another, a very different province — the desert province
of eastern California. This province consists of wide desert valleys,
out of which rise long, narrow mountain ranges, most of them that
lie north of the Santa Fe line trending north and south and some of
them continuous for many miles. These mountains are particularly
rocky and jagged and their meager vegetation is so scattered that
they appear to be bare. The broad desert plains of gravel and
sand likewise have but little soil and scant vegetation, for this
is the most arid province in the whole country. It extends halfway
across southern California to the foot of the San Bernardino Moun-
tains and includes the Mohave Desert, a part of the vast area known
as the Great Basin, whose streams do not reach the ocean but are
lost in the desert. The San Bernardino Mountains and associated
ranges rise as a high barrier on the west side of this basin, intercept-
ing the moist air currents from the Pacific and thus causing the arid
climate of the region to the east. These mountains are uplifted
blocks of tilted rocks, largely granitic and metamorphic (altered).

The coastal-plain part of southern California extends from the
western foot of these ranges to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of about
100 miles. Much of its surface is made up of coast and valley plains;
its climate is mild, and although the precipitation is only moderate
in amount the conditions for plant growth are so favorable that,
with the help of irrigation from the streams that cross it and from
water in the underlying sands and gravels, it has become one of the
most productive agricultural districts in the United States.

Note. — For the convenience of the traveler the sheets of the route map in this bul-
letin are so arranged that he can unfold them one by one and keep each one in view
while he is reading the text relating to it. The contour lines, in brown, represent
lines of equal elevation above sea level. Each line indicates the path that would
be taken by one who walked over the country by a course always at the same level,
curving in and out with the irregularities of the land surface. The lines are drawn
at the vertical distances apart ("contour interval") stated on each map. Where
close together they indicate a steep slope; where far apart, a gentle slope or plain.
A reference is made in the text to each map at the place where it should be
unfolded. The areas covered by these sheets are indicated on Plate I, and a list
of the sheets and the other illustrations is given on pages 187-190. A glossary of
geologic terms is given on pages 182-185, and an index of stations on pages 191-194.

S. GEOLOGICAL SURVXt

RELIEF MAP SHOWING SURFACE FEATURES OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES.
Areas shown on the sheets of the route map are indicated in red.

ITINERARY.

Kansas City, Mo. (see sheet 1, p. 14), is the commercial metropolis

of the large area of fertile prairie plains of Kansas, Missouri, and

Oklahoma. It is also an important railroad and

Kansas City, Mo. manufacturing center and one of the great cities

Elevation 750 feet. ^f ^hc United States, ranking in 1910 twentieth

Population 248,381,1 . , . -^^ ' i ro -i

m population. It covers nearly 58 square miles.
Kansas City, Kans., though a distinct municipality, is reaUy continu-
ous with it, the two forming a single community. Most of Kansas
City, Mo., is built on a roUing plateau on top of a bluff rising about
200 feet abruptly from the bank of Missouri River, but its western
part is on a low flat adjoining the mouth of Kansas River, locally
called the Kaw. The railway station used for many years was on
this flat, at the foot of the bluff which rises steeply to the main part
of the city on the east. The new station, a mile southeast of the old
one, is in a depression, originally an old river channel extending across
the highland.

This station and its approaches, costing $40,000,000, is the largest
railway station west of New York. The building, which cost nearly
$6,000,000, has room for 10,000 passengers, and 260 passenger
trains arrive and depart daily on its 16 tracks.

The location and development of Kansas City were influenced by
various conditions. The builders of the earliest trail found a good
crossing in the big bend of the Missouri just below the mouth of Kan-
sas River, where the bank was stable, and here a settlement, called
Westport Landing, was gradually established. Later, when there
were boats on the river, the deep water at this point made it a most
desirable landing, and so Westport Landing soon became an important
place. Here was fought a battle of the Civil War in which 29,000
men were engaged. Soon outgrowing the flat area, the city climbed
the high bluff to the south, and in later years it has spread widely over
the rocky plateau.

Kansas City has many factories and local industries, employing
about 40,000 persons, with an annual output valued at $250,000,000.
Its sales of agricultural implements aggregate $40,000,000 a year,
and it ranks high in the trade in lumber, mules, hay, cigars, and grain.
Meat packing is one of the important industries, for the stock yards,

^ The figures given for the population
of incorporated places are those of the
United States Census for 1910. For un-
incorporated places the census figures

give the population of the election pre-
cinct, township, or other similar unit,
and such figures are here marked with an
asterisk (*).

3

4 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

which cover an area of 200 acres, handle about 20,000 animals a clay.
The flour mills have an annual output of 4,500,000 barrels.

The high bluffs of Kansas City consist of thick beds of limestone
and shale, about 225 feet in total thickness. The harder layers of
limestone, 130 feet in all, crop out as prominent white or gray ledges.
The beds appear to be horizontal, but in reality they slope (dip) at a
low angle toward the northwest.^ The limestones and shales in the
bluff are part of the widely extended succession of beds which underlie
Kansas, as well as the adjoining region, as shown in the sections on
several sheets of the route map. The materials of which these rocks
are composed were deposited many millions of years ago, at a time
when a large part of central North America was covered by a sea.
The limestone consists of calcium carbonate separated from the sea
water by various chemical reactions, in part through the agency of
sea plants and sea animals, and the shale was a mud which gradually
settled from turbid water. Both kinds of sediment accumulated
very slowly, and the great thickness of the rocks into which they
have been consolidated represents a long period of geologic time.

^ These rocks are a portion of the Penn-
sylvanian series of the Carboniferous
system . ( See table on p . ii . ) As shown i n

formation. In accordance with the general
practice among geologists each of these
formations has been named from a locality

lO'limestone(Plattsburg)
6' shale ,sandy(Lane)

30'limestone (lola)

5 shale, dark ^

5' limestone ]

20' shale and

thin limestonej

9' limestone 1

l' Shale 1

Zl' limestone,

oolitic J

Chonute

Drum

^^=r=7-=p^p-^=f=^::zH= 23' shale (Cherryvale)

IZ' limestone, cherty(Winter5et)
4' shale (Galesburg)
13' limestone(Bethany Falls)
ll' shale (Ladore)

20'limestone(Hertha)
Shale

Section of l)lnff at Kansas City, Mo., showing succession of limestones and shales.

figure 1, they consist mainly of the Kansas
City formation, the upper bed of lime-
stone and the bed of shale underlying it
representing the lower part of the Lansing

where its beds are found in typical char-
acter. Some of the limestones contain
impressions of fossil shells, one having
yielded more than 70 species or varieties.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

On the bluffs of Kansas City there is a thin sheet of sand and
gravelly clay, called till, which was left by the glacier or ice sheet
that once covered this region. This occupation by ice was one of the
most interesting events in the geologic history of the continent.*

The new Union Station in Kansas City is in a marked depression or
valley which lies behind the main bluff all the way from Missouri
River on the east to the slopes descending to Kansas River on the
west. This depression is now followed by most of the railways

^ In the earlier part of the glacial epoch,
called the Kansan stage, the ice sheet
extended from the north halfway across
northeastern Kansas, reaching the present
valley of Kansas River and in places ex-
tending a few miles south of it. Probably
the ice sheet had much to do with deter-
mining the position of the Kansas River
valley, for the river began at that time to
flow in its present general course. This
ice sheet covered about 4,000,000 square
miles in northern North America about
300,000 years ago and endured for a long
time. It was several thousand feet thick,
and it accumulated at a time when the
fall of snow was in excess of melting
and evaporation. Its southern edge was
in the zone where melting kept pace
with the advance of the ice, and appar-
ently in some stages of its existence its
margin remained at the same place for a
long time. Its flow was due mainly to
the thickness of the ice, for the land does
not all slope downward to the south,
which was the direction of the movement.
The flow of a glacier of this character is
illustrated in general by the lateral flow
of a thick mass of pitch lying on a table.

As the glacier moved along it picked
up large quantities of rock and soil.
This material was slowly carried south-
ward and in some areas accumulated at
the southern edge of the ice in a deposit
known as a terminal moraine. When
melting gained on the rate of advance the
glacial front receded and the clay, sand,
gravel, and bowlders which the ice had
contained were left behind in a sheet
covering the rocks of the country. This
deposit is called till or drift. Much of
the material was brought great distances,
and its coarser components, especially the

bowlders, are of such character that their
sources are known by geologists familiar
with the rocks of the country to the north.
Some of the bowlders that were carried
along the bottom of the glacier are
scratched by grinding against rocky
ledges, and in places these ledges also
show scratches and scorings which the
moving rocks have cut in them. Many
of the features indicative of glaciation
are found in northeastern Kansas as far
south as Kansas City and Topeka.

The glacier evidently extended over
the area occupied by Kansas City, for
glacial scratches have been observed on
the surfaces of limestone ledges in the
middle of the city. The scratches trend
somewhat east of south and are clearly
marked, having been preserved by a
covering of the glacial till. This till caps
the ridge in the northern half of the city
but appears to thin out and disappear at
no great distance to the south, indicating
the southern limit of the ice. No clearly
defined moraine is known in this place.
The till is all on the highland, indicating
that the deep river valley now lying a
short distance to the north did not exist
in glacial time.

Other glacial scratches are observed on
the bluffs on the north side of the river 3
miles north of Kansas City, about 100 feet
above the river. One set trends S. 24°
W. and another S." 51° E., indicating two
directions of ice movement, probably at
two different stages of ice advance.
Scratches are also exposed at the deep
cut in the northwestern part of Kansas
City, Kans. These scratches are clear
cut and extend for some distance, so that
they could not have been produced by
bowlders in floating or floe ice.

6

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

entering Kansas City from the east. It has walls of limestone, the
harder beds appearing as ledges and the softer beds as slopes. It is
floored with sand and clay to the height of about 100 feet above the
present river flats. It was the valley of Kansas River at a time
geologically not very remote, probably when the glacial ice extended
southward as far as the city and when the valleys of the region lacked
100 feet of their present depth. The length of time that the Kansas
foUowed this course to the Missouri was not great, but it was sufficient
to cut a channel in the limestone 100 feet or more in depth. Eventu-
ally the water was drawn off by some small affluent of Missouri River
at the time when that stream was cutting in its southern bank the
great concave curve along which the larger part of Kansas City, Kans.,
now lies.

Some of the lower slopes along the Missouri Valley in Kansas City
and elsewhere are covered by a highly characteristic deposit called
loess. ^ This material, accumulated at a time later than the glacial
epoch, is a fine sandy loam, so thick and firm that where it is cut into
by streams it makes prominent bluffs. Some of it can be seen in the
eastern part of Kansas City, extending far up the limestone slopes
and in part covering the glacial drift.

On leaving the Kansas City station the train rapidly descends a
small vaUey leading into the valley of Kansas River. The south
bank of this river is followed to Topeka by the old main line of the
railway, but the trains that go by way of the Ottawa cut-off to
Emporia follow it only to HoUiday, a distance of 13.4 miles. Just
before the river is reached the State line is crossed, at a point 1 J miles
from the station.

Kansas has an area of 82,158 square miles, or nearly double that
of New York, Pennsylvania, or Tennessee. Its length is about 406

miles, but the Santa Fe Route, in crossing it from east
Kansas. to west, covers about 465 miles. The population of

the State, according to the census of 1910, was 1,690,949.
The density of population averages 20.7 to the mile but is much
greater in the eastern part of the State and far less in the western
counties. Kansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and
when Missouri was made a State its eastern boundary was defined,
but for many years the region west of that line was regarded as an
Indian country with no prospect of white settlement. This region
was crossed by the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 and by
Lieut. Pike in 1806.

^ Geologists differ in accounting for the
origin of the deposit known as loess, but
many of them believe that while rivers

may have cooperated in its accumulation,
most of it was at one time or another wind-
blown dust.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 7

In 1854 Kansas was organized as a Territory under the Kansas-
Nebraska act, which left the question of slavery to be settled by vote.
This question caused several years of bitter contention, in which
many persons came from far and near to join. The struggle of the
slavery and antislavery forces finally became a national issue and
was one of the causes of the Civil War. In 1861 Kansas was ad-
mitted as a ''free State." It has been settled by a great variety
of people, some of whom have come in large bodies. After the
Civil War many soldiers settled in the State, taking advantage of
the provision that a person who had given military service could
have his term of service deducted from the five years required for
homesteading.

Kansas has considerable resources in oil, coal, cement rock, and
other minerals, but the principal industry of the State has been
agriculture, and in this she has taken high rank. Kansas produces
about one-tenth of our wheat, ranking first in that crop. Nearly
5,500,000 acres is planted in wheat, and the average annual yield
from 1900 to 1913 was 75,347,000 bushels, but in 1914 the crop was
177,200,000 bushels, valued at $168,340,000, or more than ever before.
The oat crop in that year was 58,960,000 bushels, and the estimated
total value of farm and live-stock products of Kansas for 1914 was
$638,000,000, or nearly double the cost of the Panama Canal. The
average yield of wheat in Kansas for the last 10 years is 14.1 bushels
to the acre, and the State ranks twenty-sixth in that respect. The
average yield of wheat for the United States is 14.8 bushels to the
acre. Indian corn is an important crop in Kansas, the yield in 1913
being 174,225,000 bushels.

The mineral products of Kansas in 1913 had an aggregate value
of $27,312,563. Coal ($12,036,292) was the leading item, and Port-
land cement (3,291,818 barrels, valued at $3,268,861) ranked second.
The zinc produced was valued at $1,129,856; lead, $213,576; clay
products, nearly $2,000,000; salt, nearly 2,700,000 barrels, valued at
$860,000; petroleum, 2,375,029 barrels, valued at $2,248,283.

On the north side of the river is a wide, low flat, on which is
built the southern part of Kansas City, Kans. The flat consists of
sand and gravel deposited by the river and extending to steep
slopes of limestone on the north. The valley of the Kansas is from
2 to 3 miles wide, and the stream meanders across its bottom
in long, swinging bends, skirting the limestone bluff on one side
for a few miles and then crossing to the other side. Features
of this sort are common to all large streams that carry sediment
across a generally flat country, especiaUy to those which vary
greatly in volume at different times in the year. Kansas River is

8 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

noted for its floods, which follow exceptionally heavy or protracted
rains. During their progress the volume of water in the stream is
enormously increased. Overflowing the ordinary channel, the water
extends widely over the lower lands, and as its velocity is also greatly
increased, it does much damage. As the stream is well known to be
subject to floods, many precautions have been taken to make railway
embankments, bridge abutments, and other structures along it suffi-
ciently high and strong to withstand them, but occasionaUy a very
high flood causes great havoc.

The great flood early in June, 1903, was the highest since the flood
of 1844 and was more destructive than that one because of the
greater population in the valley. The water extended from bluff to
bluff at most places, but fortunately there were many localities at
which the current was not strong. At the Union Pacific station, in
Topeka, there was from 7 to 8 feet of water and at the Kansas City
Union Station the water was nearly as deep. There was great loss
of life and property, a large amount of mud was deposited, and the
river's course was changed in places. The flood was caused by ex-
ceptionally heavy rainfall at the end of a long rainy season, which
had saturated the ground and increased the flow of aU the streams in
the region.

West of the Missouri-Kansas State line Kansas River makes a large
bend to the south, cutting into the limestone slope of the vaQey so
that a prominent bluff rises steeply above the stream. This bluff,
which extends to Argentine, is nearly 200 feet high and exposes the
same beds of limestone and shale that are seen in the bluffs farther
downstream. The railway is built on a cut and fill at its foot.

Argentine, the first stopping place in Kansas, was named from the

Latin word for silver (argentum), smelting being the first industry

established there. It is a part of Kansas City, Kans.

Argentine, Kans. y^Tq^i of Argentine for a few miles the railway leaves

Elevation 750 feet. ^^^q immediate river bank and runs near the foot of a

Kansas City 5 miles. iiii/v- i-i pit

wooded bluff, m which may be seen most of the lime-
stone beds that are exposed at Argentine and Kansas City. Chief
among these is a 30-foot bed of the lola limestone, which is used
extensively for the manufacture of Portland cement at lola, in south-
eastern Kansas. Next above is shale (Lane shale), and at the top of
the bluff is a succession of limestones (the Stanton and Plattsburg
limestones) , All the beds descend graduaUy to the west, for the dip
is mostly in that direction, and the land also rises as the valley is
ascended. The grade of Kansas Eiver is low; the rise from its mouth
at Kansas City, where the elevation above sea level is about 720 feet,
to Topeka is only about 150 feet. As the distance is 65 miles, the
slope is less than 2^ feet to the mile.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

9

Near milepost 9 and again from a point west of milepost 1 1 nearly
to Holliday the railway is on the bank of the river. At milepost 13,
east of Holliday, there is a cliff of Drum limestone, a
Holliday. y^^^ which gradually descends toward the west and

Elevation 760 feet. passcs beneath the river near Wilder. Holliday was
named for C. K. Holliday, of Topeka. From this
place the cut-off line leads westward to Emporia. This line is
described on pages 19-22.

Beyond Holliday the main line ^ follows a nearly 'west course for
3 J miles along the southern margin of the Kansas River fiat. At
Wilder siding the valley makes a sharp turn to the
Wilder. southwest along the outcrop of the upper beds of the

Elevation 772 feet. Chaiiutc shalc, whicli Underlies the lola limestone,
ansas i y m es. rpj^^ coursc of the vallcy, liowcvcr, was established
long before these soft beds were cut into at this place. Probably its
position was influenced by the ice sheet of the glacial epoch, the
southern edge of which appears to have projected several miles far-
ther south in this vicinity than in the regions to the east and west.
The ice occupied the highlands north of the river, but it is believed
not to have extended south of the present stream between the west-
ern part of Kansas City and Lawrence.

At Bonner Springs, across the river from Wilder, there are large
quarries of limestone. The hills north of the river, from a point
opposite Wilder to a point beyond Weaver, are capped by till con-
taining scattered bowlders brought from the north by the glacial ice.
One of these bowlders, about 8 miles north of Topeka, is 40 feet long
and 25 feet high and weighs about 1,500 tons. In large quarries on
the north bank of the river opposite milepost 8 the limestones are
worked for ballast, road metal, and concrete material. When the
clay and till were removed from the limestone many glacial scratches
were uncovered. They bear S. 20° E. and give unmistakable evi-
dence that glacial ice moved in that direction across the country
before the present valley was excavated. The rock fragments
carried in the base of the ice scored the limestone surface. Probably
an earlier Kansas River flowed along the south edge of the ice sheet
and received much water from the melting ice.^

^ On this line the mileposts indicate dis-
tance west of Holliday as far as Topeka,
beyond which they indicate distance from
Atchison.

2 At one stage of the excavation of the
valley, probably while the ice extended
to the line of the present valley at Wilder,

the river flowed eastward across the ridge
a mile south of Wilder, for an old high-
level gravel and sand bed is found on the
east slope of this ridge. The river did
not flow long in this course, for it cut
only a small valley through the ridge,
which forms the present divide.

10 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The gentle northwesterly dip which prevails in eastern Kansas
brings the lola limestone almost to river level at De Soto. The south
abutment of a bridge across the river here rests on this limestone,
which shows for a short distance in the bank and finally passes
beneath the alluvial filling of the river flats. About 8 miles farther
west, the next overlying limestones (the Stanton and Plattsburg)
in turn pass beneath the river flat near Eudora. As the formation
above them is soft, easily eroded shale, the bluffs along the vaUey
sides here greatly diminish in height and steepness.

Eudora was named after the daughter of a Kansa chief, Pascal
Fish, from whom the site was purchased. Here the railway crosses
the mouth of Wakarusa Creek, which occupies a wide
Eudora. valley extending far westward. This valley is wide

Elevation 813 feet. mainly bccausc it has been excavated by a good-sized
Ksmsas City 33 miles. Stream in a thick body of soft shales but also because
at one time, probably during the glacial epoch, it
served as a channel for Kansas River. Since that time, however, all
the valleys of the region have been cut about 100 feet deeper.
Another old channel of Kansas River extends across the wide bench
on the north side of the present valley, 4 miles south of Eudora,
about 150 feet above the river. This channel, however, is older than
the one hi Wakarusa Valley, for it is higher and the coarser materials
in it are largely flint of local origui. This channel is believed to be
preglacial, because its deposits show none of the rocks of northern
origin which were later spread over this region by the glacier.

The flat at the junction of the Wakarusa and Kansas valleys is
wide and shows terraces of moderate height, which extend some dis-
tance west of Eudora. The railway passes over this flat, and in
places, as at milepost 23, its course is 2 miles south of Kansas
River.

The wide flats along Kansas River contain a thick mass of sand
and loam deposited by the river. This material affords excellent
soil at most localities, and from Kansas City to and beyond Topeka
it is cultivated for corn, vegetables, and other crops, which are highly
profitable. Unfortunately some parts of this land are not out of the
reach of ordinary freshets, and a large area is subject to flood and
damage when the river is exceptionaUy high. Heavy freshets, how-
ever, are so rare that many farmers take the chances of damage by
high water.

From pomts not far beyond Eudora the highlands south of the
river are visible. Their prominence is due to a thick cap of hard,
massive limestone which protects the soft underlying shale from
erosion. One high butte known as Blue Mound, 5 miles southwest

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

11

of Eudora, is capped by an outlying mass of this limestone, and other
peaks and hills farther southwest present the same feature.^

The thick Oread limestone and the great mass of soft shale below
it form one of the most prominent of the long '^steps'' crossing the
plateaus of eastern Kansas. The formation passes under 90 feet of
Kanwaka shale to the west, and it dips beneath the valley of Kansas
River near Lecompton.

At the east edge of Lawrence the Santa Fe line is crossed by a
branch of the Union Pacific system coming from the north side of
Kansas River.

The State University of Kansas is in the southwestern part of
Lawrence. The group of university buildings on the ridge known
as Mount Oread ^ is about a mile southwest of the
railway station and can be reached by trolley cars.
The university enrollment is about 1,200 students,
mostly residents of Kansas, to whom tuition is free.
Connected with the university is the State Geologi-
cal Survey, which has published many reports on the geology and
mineral resources of Kansas.

Haskell Institute, a Government school for young Indians, estab-
lished in 1884, is situated in the southern part of Lawrence. Most
of these Indians come from the several reservations near by. The
number of students is 800.

Lawrence.

Elevation 822 feet.
Population 12,374.
Kansas City 40 miles

^ The succession of rocks near Eudora
and Lawrence is shown in figure 2, below.
The latan limestone (formerly called the
Kickapoo) is 10 feet thick at the base of

Oread limestone cover a wide area but vary

somewhat in thickness from place to place.

2 This ridge was named by the first

party of settlers in honor of Mount Oread

Lecompton limestone ..
Kanwaka shale

fBuff ls.,cherty20'
Oread Shale lo/

i:,v^.,^+«r,«S Limestone Z,

limestone] shaie 4o'

VBuff limestone 15'

Lawrence shale ZOO

latan limestone lo'

Weston shale 100 '

Stanton limestone . -30'

Figure 2.— Section of rocks exposed near Eudora and Lawrence, Kans.

Blue Mound, and in this vicinity the Law-
rence shales contain a thin bed of coal
that was formerly worked near Lawrence.
The limestone and shales constituting the

Seminary, at Worcester, Mass., which was
founded and owned by Eli Thayer, the
organizer of the New England Emigrant
Aid Society.

12

GUIDEBOOK or THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Lawrence was settled by a colony of New England people who were
ardent advocates of the abolition of slavery. The attempt to make
Kansas a proslavery State was prosecuted with zeal, and vigorous
endeavor was made to keep out settlers who were not in sympathy
with that side. On the other hand the abolitionists of the East
organized companies which established and assisted in maintainhig
'' free-soil colonies." The New England Emigrant Aid Society, of
which Amos A. Lawrence, of Boston, was an active member, was
responsible for the settlement of Lawrence, Kans., in 1854. From
this time to the Civil War the town was the stronghold of the anti-
slavery party. In 1863 Quantrell raided La^vTcnce with a band of
Missourians who killed 288 men, a large proportion of the adult
male population at the time. LawTence was a noted station on the
so-called underground railroad system by which slaves escaped from
Missouri and other States.

At Lawrence brick of various kinds is made from shale, and sand
is dredged from the river for use in making concrete and other build-
ing operations. The dredge is plainly visible from the railway station
(to the north), and the principal brickworks are south of the railway,
a mile west of the station. In the pits the shale is capped by terrace
deposits. A 1,400-foot well just east of Lawrence station furnishes
a smaU flow of saline water that is in considerable demand for the
treatment of rheumatism. The river is dammed at Lawi-ence to
afford power, which is used mainly by a flour mill.

Much stone is quarried from the ledges of Oread limestone west of
Lawrence. About 90 feet of shale (Kanwaka) intervenes between
the Oread and the next higher limestone (the Lecompton),^ which
caps the ridges southwest of Lawrence. The Lecompton limestone
dips west and passes below the alluvium of the valley filling near
Spencer siding. In quarries north of Kansas River it yields large
slabs that are used in Lawrence and other places for curbing, pave-
ments, and trimmings.

Half a mile west of Lawrence station, on the north side of the rail-
way, are the city waterworks. Water from the underflow of the river
is obtained by large pits, in the bottom of which perforated pipes are
sunk deep in the sand. The railway passes along a flat with low

^ The Lecompton limestone consists of
five principal beds; 5 feet of limestone at
the base, 5| feet of shale, 16 inches of blue
limestone, 4 feet of shale, and 10 feet of
light-gray limestone which disintegrates
easily. Great quantities of the peculiar
fossil, Fusulina, occur in the basal part
of the Lecompton limestone. It is a fora-

minifer of elongated oval form, generally
about a quarter of an inch in length,
and is common also in higher limestones.
The shale that overlies the Lecompton
limestone, known as the Tecumseh shale,
is about 75 feet thick and includes two
thin limestone beds which make riffles in
the river.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 13

terraces oii the south side that extend to the foot of a wooded bluff
capped by ledges of limestone.

Near Lakeview several old sections of river channel or oxbows are

conspicuous. They are now abandoned by the main stream, which

passes north of them, but are in part filled with water.

Features of this sort are common along streams flow-

K^tsciiy "smiles, 'ng in a wide aUuvial flat, for in nearly every freshet

sand banks accumulate which dam up an old course

for a few miles while a new channel is scoured out by the strong

current deflected in another direction.

Long ago Kansas River cut its valley about as deep as is possible
with the low grade finally attained, and since that time the flats have
been in process of being built up. The valley is being widened, how-
ever, for every few miles along its course the stream cuts into its banks
and removes more or less of the limestone and shale. This cutting J

shifts in location from time to time, and some of these old cut banks ■

now rise from old channels long ago abandoned. As its banks are
cut back the river valley gradually widens, and if the process con-
tinues sufl&ciently long the side valleys also will be widened in the
same manner and the adjoining highlands disappear.

In the region west of Lawrence the ice sheet of the Kansan glacial
stage extended several miles south of the present Kansas River valley,
for the south margin of the drift covers the greater part of the high
ridge between that river and the valley of Wakarusa Creek. The |
drift margin continues in this position to Topeka and beyond, but it is \

hardly perceptible to the traveler on the railway, which follows the |

relatively recent river bottom. The rolling hills that can be seen on f

the upland in places north of the river consist largely of glacial drift. -

Lecompton (see sheet 2, p. 22) was the capital of Kansas Territory
from 1855 to 1861 and was named from D. S. Lecompte, chief justice
of the Territory. It was a noted proslavery strong-
Lecompton. hold and a rival to Lawrence. The ''Lecompton con-

Eievation 846 feet. stitutiou,'' under which the proslavery party wished
Kamlf Sty 51 miles. Kaiisas to bccomc a State, was drawn up at a consti-
tutional convention called at Lecompton in 1857.
This constitution was overwhelmingly defeated by popular vote.
Toward the end of the free-soil troubles the Territorial legislature was
.accustomed to convene in Lecompton and adjourn at once to Law-
rence. Those days of political turmoil are happily past, and now
Lecompton is a quiet little viUage.

Between mileposts 38 and 39 the Lecompton limestone crops out
in ledges south of the track for some distance, but farther west there
are wooded slopes which show limestone only at intervals. These
slopes continue beyond Grover.

38590°— Bull. 613—16 2

14

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Tecumseh.

Elevation 862 feet.
Population 1,024.*
Kansas City 62 miles.

lecumseh is on a low terraced slope in a sharp bend of the river.
The name is that of a Pawnee chief and means
panther. From Tecumseh low river terraces extend
westward for nearly a mile, to a point at which
they give place to a mde, low flat that extends to
Topeka.
Topeka, the State capital, is one of the largest cities m Kansas. It
has broad, well-paved streets, with parking and shade trees. Its
name is an Omaha Indian word signifying the so-
called Indian potato. It is a division point on the
Santa Fe Railway and the place of convergence of
several branch lines and other railways. The general
offices and extensive shops of the Santa Fe system
are situated here, and there are many factories and local industries
of various kinds, including quarries, brickyards, sand pits, large flour
mills, and what is said to be the largest creamery m the world. It

Topeka.

Elevation 886 feet.
Population 43,684.
Kansas City 66 miles.

Admire shale

Emporia limestone 9'

Willard shale 150 ^^

Burlin^ame limestone
^ 6'-l2

Scranton shale

Howard limestone — 10
p, , , Coal — -,

Severy shale 50

Topeka limestone 20-25^

Calhoun shale 50,

Deer Creek limestone. .25
Tecumseh shale

Figure 3.— Section showing succession of rocks in plateau south of Topeka, Kans.

was from Topeka that the Santa Fe Co. began building a railway
westward in 1869, but it did not reach Santa Fe until 1880.

Topeka was the scene of many riots during the confhct between the
abolitionists and the advocates of slavery. Here in 1856 the Free Soil
legislature, meeting m opposition to the proslavery legislature, was
dispersed by United States troops acting under orders from President
Pierce. Five years later, after numerous elections and conflicts, the
first State legislature assembled in Topeka.

On leaving Topeka ^ the train goes nearly south up the valley of
Shonganunga Creek and then up one of its branches which heads at
the top of the plateau. The ascent is made by a moderate grade,
about 125 feet in 5 miles. This plateau is made up of a succession of
limestones and shales, shown in figure 3. A few ledges of limestone

^ Mileposts from Topeka to Isleta indicate distance from Atchison.

3ULLET1N 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OXrS SMITH. DIRECTOR
D«vid White. Chief Geolofrint R. B. Marsliall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quidrtngh shown on the m*p with a name 'ii parenthesis in the
lower left corner :s mapped in detail on the U. S. C S. Topographic
Sheet of that name.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 15

crop out in the slopes of these valleys. These beds are of late Car-
boniferous age and slope at a very low angle to the west.

A mile south of Pauline the railway crosses the line of the old high
valley through which in glacial time Kansas River flowed across the
divide into the valley of Wakarusa Creek. This
Pauline. deflection of the drainage to the south was probably

Elevation 1,029 feet, caused by the advance of the great ice sheet south-
ward between Lawrence and Topeka. The ice
blocked up the older channel, which was in a general way coincident
with that of the present valley but, as explained on page 10, at a
higher level, for the old channel across the divide is about 150 feet
above the present ri^er. It is marked by a bjoad depression and
especially by deposits of sand and numerous bowlders, some of them
very large and easily recognized as having been brought by the ice
from regions far to the northwest. The relations of this stream
deposit are not well exposed along the railway but are clearly exhib-
ited along the stream and slopes northwest of Pauline station.

At the time when the river passed in this direction it carried the
drainage of the west side of the glacial ice from the Dakotas and
Nebraska far to the north, and its volume was therefore much greater
than at present. It cut a valley toward the east, now occupied by
Wakarusa Creek, which, however, has deepened its channel consider-
ably, leaving remnants of the old deposits on the valley sides.

West of Pauline the land rises abruptly in a step due to the outcrop
of a hard bed of limestone. This step or ridge is a conspicuous
feature for the next 40 miles, the railway skirting the shale slopes and
plains at various distances from its foot. The succession of cliffs
due to the hardness of limestone and of slopes due to the softness of
shale is characteristic of the eastern part of Kansas, especially in the
drift-free area south of Kansas River. The rocks consist of alterna-
tions of beds of hard limestone, mostly from 5 to 25 feet thick, and of
shale, from 25 to 100 feet thick except the Lawrence shale, whose
thickness is 200 feet. The beds all dip at a slight angle to the west,
and as the country is rolling upland, the limestone beds rise in sloping
ledges, usually tenninated on the east by cliffs of varying degrees
of prominence. These cliffs cross the country from north to south
at intervals of 3 to 5 miles, the distance depending on the thick-
ness of the intervening shales and in some places on slight variations
in the dip. From a high point in this area can be seen the long
westward-sloping steps of limestone and the intervening rolling
plains and gentle slopes of shale.

Nearly all of the area is in a high state of cultivation, producing
large crops of grains and vegetables. The soil is rich, and a fair
proportion of the rainfall, which averages 35 inches a year, comes at
the time when crops are growing.

16

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Wakarusa.

Elevation 948 feet.
Kansas City 78 miles.

A short distance south of PauHiie the summit of the divide, which is
on the Scran ton shale, is reached at an altitude of 1,050 feet; thence
there is a down grade to the village of Wakarusa.
Here the railway crosses Wakarusa Creek at a point
where the stream has cut through the shales to the
Topeka limestone, a ledge of which is exposed in the
shallow railway cut a few rods north of the station. South of Wak-
arusa the track rises from the creek valley to a rolling plain, whose
altitude is from 1,000 to 1,075 feet. At milcpost 64 a 4-foot bed of
limestone is crossed by the railway. In the higher portions of the
ridges traversed in the next 3 miles there are several cuts in shales,
some of which expose thin included beds of limestone.

Between Carbondalo and Osage there are many small coal mines
and numerous abandoned pits and long open cuts. Several of the
mines produce a moderate amount of coal for local
use and for shipment to various places in eastern
Kansas. They are from 10 to 140 feet deep, and at
most localities the bed is from 16 to 22 inches thick.
Some of the coal has been mined by stripping off the
soil and debris and more or less shale along the outcrop, but to the
west, as the dip carries the coal deeper, it is reached by shafts.
For many years this field was the principal source of supply of fuel
for the Santa Fe Railway, and several of the mines were worked
by the railway company until other sources of coal were developed.
In 1893 and 1894 the annual output exceeded 200,000 tons. The
coal ^ is bituminous, and although it is not aU of high quality this
thin bed has been worked with considerable profit. It is known to
extend to Lebo and Neosho Rapids, and it is only about 250 feet
deep at Emporia.

About the coal mines from Carbondale to Osage are heaps of gray
shale excavated in sinking shafts and extendmg the coal chambers.
In places where this debris has contained considerable coal waste it
has been ignited at times by spontaneous combustion and the heat
has given it a bright-red color, which makes the piles conspicuous.
The Howard limestone is traversed a short distance north of milepost

Carbondale.

Elevation 1,074 feet.
Population 461.
Kansas City 84 miles

^ Coal consists of carbonaceous mate-
rial, originally trees and other plants of
various kinds, that accumulated in
swamps and was finally covered by mud.
At the time when such material accumu-
lated in this region it was an area of wide-
spread swamps and morasses with rank
vegetation. Later it was covered by the
sea, in which were deposited the materials
now represented by the limestone and
shale. The coal bed is only a few feet

below" the Howard limestone, which is
therefore a guide to the location of the
coal. The limestone and shale in this
region are of the same age (Carboniferous)
as the rocks which contain the great de-
posits of coal in Pennsylvania, West Vir-
ginia, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio. Tennessee,
and Ala])ama. Here, however, deeper
water prevailed for mucli of the time and
conditions favorable to the accumulation
of coal were relatively transient and local.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

17

70, on the descent to Hundred and Ten Mile Creek, which is crossed

1 mile north of Scranton.
The principal industry about Scranton is coal mining, but in the
surrounding country there are also extensive agricul-
tural interests. From Scranton southwest and west

Elevation 1,100 feet. , -r-. i- ,i , i ,i

Population 770. to Burlingame the route crosses a nearly smooth

Kansas City 87 miles, plain of shale which extends far to the east and for

some distance to the west.

At Burlingame the railway crosses the line of the Santa Fe Trail

from Kansas City to Santa Fe, N. Mex.^ This trail followed the top
of the plateau from Olathe and went west from Bur-
lingame 30 miles to Council Grove, which was an
important depot. Quantrell planned to raid the town
of Burlingame in 1863, while the men were absent in
the Army, but the women built a fort of rocks and

held their ground for six weeks until Union soldiers came to their

assistance. This town was named for Anson Burlingame, formerly

United States minister to China.

Burlingame.

Elevation 1,045 feet.
Population 1,422.
Kansas City 92 miles.

* This famous old highway was about
850 miles long. From 1804 to 1821 it had
been traveled by a few trading expedi-
tions using pack animals, but in 1821 it
was formally opened for wagon travel,
and caravans of ''prairie schooners" and
large wagons began to make their trips to
the excellent market of Santa Fe, then
an important Government and commer-
cial distributing city of the northern part
of old Mexico, and a point from which
highways and trails extended down the
valley of the Rio Grande and elsewhere.
Later, after the United States had ac-
quired the region, until the Santa Fe Rail-
way was built, the trail was one of the
great emigrant routes to the Southwest.
At first the traders made only one trip a
year, starting early in summer, as soon
as the pasturage was promising, and arriv-
ing at Santa Fe in July. Early in the
sixties the trade had increased to so great
an extent that the caravans started every
few days, and many were on the road dur-
ing the season favorable for such travel.

The ordinary caravan consisted of 26
wagons, each drawn by five teams of
mules or five yoke of oxen, but often there
were 100 wagons in a caravan, divided
into four divisions, a lieutenant having
charge of each division under the com-

mand of an elected captain of the whole
party. A day's journey was about 15
miles, but varied slightly with the dis-
tances to camping places. At night the
wagons were formed into a hollow square
inside which camp was made and the
horses were corralled. Outposts were
maintained for sentry duty, as the Indians
often attacked such parties just at dawn.
East of Council Grove there was little
to fear from the Indians, who were friendly
to the white men. The Kansa tribe of
Sioux had settled at the mouth of Kan-
sas River but, persuaded by gifts, they
abandoned one settlement after another
as immigration progressed. So accom-

modating a spirit was not found among
the tribes of the central Great Plains.
The earlier trappers and frontiersmen had
found most of these Indians amicable,
but misdeeds by individuals of both
races led to general bad feeling and con-
vinced the Indians that they had nothing
to gain from friendliness. Their hostility
added greatly to the danger of travel on
a trail that was already perilous enough
through its lack of water and its physical
obstacles.

In 1850 there were about 500 wagons

and about 5,000 animals in the service,

I and in 186G there were 3,000 wagons. On

IS

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTl.KX CNITED STATES.

Several coal mines are worked in the vicinity of Burlingame. A
short distance west of the railway rises a prominent ledge of the
Burlingame limestone, of which this is the typo locality.

Beyond Burlingame the railway goes south and cast of south
across an undulating plain, making shallow cuts through the Scran ton
shale, which lies between the Howard limestone and the Burlingame
limestone.

At Osage the Santa Fe crosses the Missouri Pacific Railway. The
city is named from the Osage Indians, a branch of the great Siouan
family, some of whom formerly lived near the Kansa
^sage. Indians, north of the Arkansas. In addition to its

Elevation 1,077 feet, coal-mining iudustrv, it is the center for the sur-
Kan^asn^/ioTmiies. rouudiug farming community. The rolling plain of
shale continues from Osage southwestward to Read-
ing. The highest altitudes attained on the divides are 1,165 feet,
or slightly higher than in the region to the north.

some trips as many as 180 yoke of oxen
would haul two trains of wagons. In 1849
regular coach service carrying mail from
Independence to Santa Fe was started,
and in 1862 the service was daily. The
trip required two weeks. The coaches
carried 11 passengers, who were charged
$250 each for the trip, including meals.
The cost of the trip from Kansas City to
Santa Fe now, including meals and
sleeper, is less than $35 and the time re-
quired is 15 hours. Express charges for
carr^dng money were $1 a pound for gold
or silver.

The Santa Fe Railway follows the old
trail in general, but in places the two are
not very close together. In eastern Kan-
sas there were several lines of travel.
One began at Independence, Mo., a short
distance east of Kansas City, crossed the
river to Westport, passed through the hills
in Kansas City, and then went by Olathe
and Gardner over the plateau southeast-
ward to Council Grove, a famous rendez-
vous 25 miles northwest of the present
city of Emporia. About halfway to
Council Grove it was joined by a route
from Fort Leavenworth, where most of
the Government troops outfitted. The
Santa Fe Railway now crosses this part of
the trail near Olathe and again near Bur-
lingame, about halfway between Topeka
and Emporia . AVest of Council Grove the

trail passed through the southern part of
the city of Lyons, reaching Arkansas
River near Ellin wood, a short distance
east of Great Bend. From this place
westward it followed the north bank of the
river, in greater part within a very short
distance of the course now taken by the
railway, but in Colorado it kept on the
north bank to Bents Fort, above Las
Animas, where it crossed to the south side
of the river. From this point into New
Mexico the trail led southwestward, along
a course very near the line of the present
railway which crosses and recrosses it all
the way to Raton. South of that place
the trail went through Cimarron to Fort
Union, near Watrous, thence to Las Vegas
and across the Glorieta Pass to Canyon-
cito, whence it turned north to Santa Fe.
A short-cut branch crossed the Arkansas
above Dodge and went southwest to the
Cimarron Valley and thence to Wagon
Mound and Fort Union. Along much
of its course the old trail is marked
by granite monuments erected by the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
(See view of typical monument given
in PI. II, A.) The tracks of the trail
are 200 feet wide in many places and con-
sist of old ruts deeply scored into the sand.
Sunflowers spread westward along the
entire length of the trail and now mark its
course at many places.

U, S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE II

A. GRANITE MARKER OF SANTA FE TRAIL.
Blocks like this have been set at intervals along the old trail.

B. RESTORATION OF MAMMOTH.

Elephas imperator, a large elephant that was connnnon in the southwestern United States In Pleistocene time.
From a model in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE III

A. PULPIT ROCK, NEAR ALUM CREEK, SOUTH OF CARNEIRO, KANS.

A hard mass of Dakota sandstone which has resisted erosion better than the
underlying softer bed that forms its pedestal.

IJ. PAWNEE ROCK, SOUTHWEST OF GREAT BEND, KANS.
A cliff of Dakota sandstone.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 19

Just south of Barclay the ledge of Burlingame limestone is promi-
nent to the west, and several small outliers of it cap knolls that stand

east of the railway.

West of Reading the railway turns to the west and
PopTuation68i *^^ ' withiu 2 miles rises over the ledge of Burlingame lime-
Kansas City 106 nuies. stouc, then gocs across 75 feet of the overlying Willard

shale to the Emporia limestone, which begins on a
Reading. divide half a mile beyond milepost 100. This bed is

Elevation 1,074 feet, crosscd again in the next divide to the southwest, and
Population 289. ^Iso ou the dowu grade descendins; to Neosho River,

Kansas City 112 miles. , . . . , , .-, , . P rr^ -xt- i •

which IS reached near milepost 108. The Neosho is a
stream of moderate size carrying the drainage of a wide area of east-
central Kansas. In its north bank are bluffs of the Willard shale.
South of the river is a long, wide flat extending 4 miles to and into
Emporia. A mile east of the station at that place this line is joined by

the Ottawa cut-off from Holliday.
Emporia. Emporia, the county seat of Lyon County, is an

Elevation 1,134 feet, important busiucss center for a wide area of farming
KrS'c%^?7mnes couutry and is^he site of the State Normal School,
by Topeka (112 which has 2,600 students. Emporia is the type
miles by Ottawa). ][Q(,ality of the Emporia limestone, which here passes
underground on its westward dip.

[The itinerary west of Emporia is continued on p. 22.]

HOLLIDAY TO EMPORIA BY WAY OF OTTAWA.^

Some of the trains on the Santa Fe Route now diverge from the old
hne at Holliday and take a more direct line nearly straight southwest
by the Ottawa cut-off. This line runs over the plateau between
Kansas and Osage rivers, then up the valley of the latter for some
distance, and finally across the low but wide divide to Neosho Eiver.
On this line the railway crosses wide areas of shale and gradually
rises from one limestone ledge to another in the great succession of
rocks of later Carboniferous age that constitute the surface of eastern
Kansas. The outcrops of these limestones extend from southwest to
northeast across the country in lines of low cliffs, above some of which
are bare rocky slopes of varying width. As the beds dip to the west,
each bed of limestone passes in succession beneath the overlying
shale, so that the beds which crop out in the bluffs near Kansas City
lie several hundred feet below the surface at Emporia. These rela-
tions are shown in the cross section on sheet 1 (p. 14). On the other
hand, the upper beds of limestone and shale, which crop out at the
surface in the western part of the area, originally extended far to the
east, but they have been removed by erosion down to the general
level of the country

^ The mileposts on this line indicate distance from Kansas City.

20

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNTTP.!) STATES.

Olathe.

Elevation 1,023 feet.
Population 3,272.
Kansas City 26 miles.

There is a vast quantity of limestone in this region, i)art of it in
beds too thin to be useful, but some of it in thick deposits and con-
sisting of nearly pure calcium carbonate. This rock is utilized at
lola. Independence, and other places in Kansas and elsewhere for
the manufacture of Portland cement.^

On leaving Holliday, the train ascends the valley of Mill Creek to
its head at Olathe, a distance of 12 J miles and a rise of about 260
feet. This valley is excavated in the beds that constitute the bluffs
at Kansas City and Argentine. Several beds of shale are exposed,
and many ledges of limestone extend along the valley sides.

Olathe (o-lay'the, th as in thin; Shawnee for beautiful) is on the
summit of the plateau which is traversed by the railway for many
miles toward the southwest. This plateau is mostly
covered by shale. At long intervals the railway
descends into shallow valleys, most of them exposing
ledges of underlying limestones.

At Olathe the railway crosses the line of the Santa
Fe Trail, which is described in the footnote on pages 17-18.

The trail lies a short distance north of the railway from Olathe
through Gardner and Edgerton, but near Edgerton it diverges toward
the west, going through Baldwin, which was formerly
the well-known Palmyra stage station. A short dis-
tance west of Wells ville the railway track crosses a
thin ledge of limestone and enters a broad area of
shale. At Ottawa Junction (North Ottawa) the main
line is crossed by a branch of the Santa Fe system
which extends from Lawrence southward to Tulsa,
Okla. A mile south of the junction is the town of
Ottawa, which has a population of 7,650 and is the
county seat of Franklin County. Ottawa is a locally
important center and has several manufactories, most
of them operated by water power from Osage River,
which passes through the town. In borings at this
place natural gas is obtained from sandstone at
depths of 435, 665, 803, and 1,060 feet. Some years
ago the skeleton of a mammoth was dug up on Main

Gardner.

Elevation 1,065 feet.
Population 514.
Kansas City 34 miles.

Edgerton.

Elevation 966 feet.
Population 443.
Kansas City 40 miles.

Wellsville.

Elevation 1,043 feet.
Population 648.
Kansas City 46 miles.

Ottawa Junction.

Elevation 915 feet.
Kansas City 57 miles.

^ Cement is made by burning a mixture
of ground limestone and shale and grind-
ing the resulting clinker to a very fine
powder. In some places clay or loam is
used instead of shale. Some limestones
contain naturally a suitable admixture of
the clay element for the manufacture of
hydraulic cements, but the term Portland
is generally applied only to cements pro-
duced by burning an artificial mixtiue,
as described. Many of the thick beds of
limestone exposed from Kansas City west-
ward could be utilized for cement manu-

facture, but at present there would be
difficulty in competing with the southern
Kansas product owing to the advantage
afforded by a natural-gas fuel supply to
the plants located farther south. More-
over, the cement market appears to be
amply supplied by plants now in opera-
tion at many places in the United States.
The shale in the region from Kansas City
westward could be utilized more exten-
sively for tile, brick, and other similar
products if fuel were cheaper or if the
local demand were sufficient.

THE RANTA FE ROUTE. 21

Street in Ottawa, and remains of others have been found in the
vicinity. These large animals, which were closely similar in form to
the elephant, were abundant in the United States thousands of
years ago, together with various other species long extinct. A res-
toration of the principal variety of mammoth is shown in Plate II, B
(p. 18). At Ottawa Junction, just south of the railway, is a factory
where tiles, brick, etc., are manufactured from shale.

West of Ottawa Junction the railway follows the low flats on the
north side of the valley of the Osage (see sheet 2, p. 22) to a point 1 J

miles west of Pomona, where it crosses that stream.
Pomona. It recrosses to the north bank just east of Quenemo,

Elevation 923 fe«t. This rivcr was named theMaraisdes Cygnes (swamp
K°£msas*nty^68 miles, ^f the swaus) by the early French trappers, from the

fact that large numbers of swans frequented its
marshy bottom lands during the winter.

At Quenemo the Santa Fe Railway is crossed by one of the lines
of the Missouri Pacific system. This place was named for an Ottawa

Indian who lived among the Sac and Fox tribes near
Quenemo. Melvern. The surface rock of the valley in this

Elevation 941 feet. rcgiou is shale, which is exposed in some of the cuts,
K^sas*St/72 miles. Hotably in oue 20 feet deep a short distance east of

milepost 60. Most of the lower slopes of the valley
are occupied by deposits of sand and gravel laid down by the river.
Near Pomona the slopes on both sides of the valley are surmounted
by low cliffs of Oread limestone in two or three prominent ledges.
These beds, by their slight westward dip and the rise of the valley in
the same direction, are finally brought to water level and crossed by
the railway at Melvern.

At Melvern the railway rises out of the Osage VaUey and the rail-
way cuts expose in close succession a number of limestones and at

several places the intervening shales. At Ridgeton,
Melvern. west of Olivet, the railway regains the summit of the

Elevation 994 feet. platcau at an elevatiou of 1,125 feet, or about 100 feet
Kan^a^ city 80 miles, higher than in the region southwest of Olathe. On

the summit there is a very instructive view to the
Olivet. northwest, showing a succession of steps formed by

Elevation 1,136 feet, the outcrop of the thin but hard ledges of limestones,
Kama?c^ ^86 mil s separated by loug slopcs of the intervening shales.

This entire region is under cultivation, with fields of
various crops and extensive pastures.

From Olivet to Neosho Rapids there is a continuous rolling plain of
shale, interrupted, between milesposts 92 and 93, by a slope formed
by the gently inclined upper surface (dip slope) of the Howard lime-
stone, a relatively hard bed only about 1 foot thick.

22 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The coal bed lying below the Howard limestone has been worked

at mines in the vicinity of Lebo. This coal is the
^^^^' same bed that is worked in the neighborhood of

Elevation 1,155 feet. Scrantoii and Osage. (See pp. 17, 18.) The bed is 14
Kansas City 94 miles, to 16 inchcs thick and is mined by strippmg and

tunneling.
At Neosho Rapids the railway reaches the bank of Neosho River,
a large stream flowing in a wide valley floored with thick beds of

sand and loam it has itself deposited. Neosho is an
Neosho Rapids. JnJian word meaning clear, cold water. This valley
Elevation 1,092 feet, jg followcd as far as Emporia. Near milepost 104
Kansas City 102 miles, the railway crosses Cottonwood River, which in this

vicinity occupies the same wide flat as the Neosho
and which empties into that stream a mile to the east. The thick
accumulation of sand and loam deposited by these streams has re-
duced their slope and compelled them to follow very crooked courses.
Near Emporia the Burlingame limestone, which slopes down from
the east, crosses the valley of the two rivers, but it is covered by the
alluvial deposits so that its precise location underground is not
known. A mile east of Emporia the main line from HoUiday by way
of Topeka joins the Ottawa cut-off. Near this place the Santa Fe is
crossed by a line of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, popularly
known as ''The Katy."

MAIN LINE WEST OF EMPORIA.

West of Emporia the railway passes over the flat bottom lands on
the north side of Cottonwood River to Florence, a distance of 45
miles. The valley is wide near Emporia and as far west as Safford-
viUe, and the shale slopes on the north and south rise gradually to
plateaus capped by limestone.

At SaffordviUe siding the Cottonwood Valley is much narrower and

the limestone caps on the adjacent shale ridges are conspicuous. One

limestone ledge is a short distance above the track;

SaflfordviUe. ^0 to 40 feet higher, with shales intervening, is another

Eievationi, 142 feet, limestone. Thcsc two limestone beds are exposed in

Kansas City 139 miles.i , , ,i • • •. p rri

many promment ledges to the vicmity oi Clements,
a distance of 22 miles. The lower one (the Neva) is from 7 to 8 feet
thick, and in the outcrop breaks out into large blocks with sharp
angles and rough surface of chalky-white color. The Cottonwood
limestone, the upper ledge, is one of the most continuous and best-
marked formations of Carboniferous age in Kansas. It carries
fossil mollusks of numerous species that are characteristic of the

1 Distances by way of Topeka are given for places west of Emporia. To get the
distance traveled by way of the Ottawa cut-off 15 miles should be deducted.

BULLETIN 613

SHEET 2

EXPLANATION
;- Alluvium

96°

Wteford--

Garrison

Cottonwood

/^ River deposits 'stippled pat

Limestone
C Shale and limestone
D Limestone
^ fShale
E -^Lim«itone
(Shale

F Limestone

G Shale with limestone layers
H Limestones separated by shale Emporia
I Shale with thin limestone Willard

J Limestone Burlingame

Scranton
Howard

H y . A J .1 95°3o' I KANSAS

•. [Shale

<-i Limestone and shale
IShale with coal near I

(jjiiuitf wiin coal near lop o»:vcij

L Limestones separated by shale Topeka

fShale and sandstone Calhoun

M -( Limestone and shale Deer Creek

IShalt Tecumseh

N LimeHtones separated by shale Lecompton - — ^\j\,

0 Shale Kanwaka

P Limeetones separated by shale Oread --.„.'"«.,-'"-•-

0 Shale Lawrence zuuj ^ ' '^^

°°ooo°Approximate southern limit of Kansan ice sheet of glacial e|>och. — ^J\ V ,^,...

The lines show the eastern limit of each belt of limestoni, not the full width «^?^*girsj^^^^

outcrop. ^^ • ^' a'/|. «

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 23

Permian series of the Carboniferous system. (See table on p. ii.)
Its upper part consists largely of an aggregate of the fossil f oraminif er
Fusulina cylindrica, which the quarrymen call '^rice" on account of
its general resemblance to grains of wild rice. In the vicinity of
Strong City, Clements, and Cottonwood Falls there are more than
20 large quarries in this limestone, constituting the largest quarrying
industry in the State. The stone is of light color, uniform texture,
and generally so free from joint planes that blocks of almost any
desired length or breadth can be obtained. The two layers of which
the formation consists in most places are only from 2 to 3 feet thick;
locally it is in three layers. The Cottonwood stone is shipped great
distances to places in Kansas and adjoining States.

There is one limestone quarry of considerable size in the northern
part of Strong City (see sheet 3, p. 26), north of the railway, and others

a mile or two distant on the south side of the river, east
Strong City. of Cottonwood Falls. Strong City, named for W. B.

Elevation 1.174 feet. Strong, a former president of the Santa Fe Railway
Kansa^s (my 147 miles. ^^'i ^^ ^^ the uorth side of Cottonwood River, and

the city of Cottonwood Falls is on the south bank of
that stream, IJ miles south of the railway at this point. At Strong
City the Neva limestone is below the surface, and at milepost 133
the Cottonwood limestone also goes under. Within a short distance
to the west, however, both of them are brought up again by doming
of the beds (see glossary, p. 182), so that near Elmdale they are mod-
erately high in the valley slopes. The underlying Eskridge shale also
appears.

A boring recently made on the crest of the dome iiear Elmdale
has found some natural gas, but the amount available has not been

fuUy determined. Petroleum and gas occur in many
Elmdale. places where the beds are domed, because structure

Elevation 1,195 feet, of this kind offcrs a favorable condition for their
Kansas City 154 miles, accumulation. There are, however, numerous domes

in which neither gas nor oil is found, so that this
structure is not always evidence of their presence.

Clements is third in rank among the cattle-shipping towns of
Kansas. A large number of cattle brought from various points west

of this town are wintered here and fattened for
Clements. market. A short distance beyond Clements is a small

Elevation 1,222 feet, quarry in the Cottonwood limestone. In this part

of the valley of Cottonwood River the slopes are
terraced by the projection of hard layers of hmestone as tabular
shelves of considerable extent, each one terminating in a more or less
prominent chfF, as shown in figure 4 (p. 24). In places there are three
or four terraces or steps made by the succession of limestone beds,

24 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

one above the other, sepaiatc^d by softer shales. All these beds dip
to the west and are thus crossed in turi by the railway.^

In this valley there is a notable diff(Tenee in charaetcT Ix^tween tlie
bottom lands, which have a d(H*p, rich soil, and the adjoining slopes,
where the soil is much thinner and is in many places int(^rrupted by
the rock outcrops. The valley lands are nearly all in a high state of
cultivation, yielding a great variety of farm products. At many
farms the traveler will see the round towers, mostly of concrete,
known as silos, in which corn leaves and stalks and other similar green
materials are kept green and moist to serve as wint(T fodder for stock.

Figure 4.— Section across Cottonwood Valley southwest of Elradale, Kans. Shows the terrace or steps
produced by the limestone beds and the gentler slopes composed of shales. Cm, Matfield shale; Cwf,
Wreford limestone; Cg, Garrison formation; Cc, Cottonwood limestone; Ce, Eskridge shale; Cn, Neva
limestone; Ced, Elmdale formation.

Between Clements and Cedar Point there are many shallow cuts in

the shales overlying the Cottonwood limestone. At

Cedar Point. Cedar Point the Wreford limestone is crossed, but it

Elevation 1,239 feet, jg exDoscd oulv in a fcw Icdgcs in the slopes north of

Kansas City IfiG miles, xi. + V

A short distance east of Florence a large crusher north of the rail-
road is working the Florence flint and oviTlying Fort Riley limestone
for road material.

' The following list shows the beds included in the Permian series in central Kansas,
also tlieir character and average thickness near the Santa Fe Railway:

Formations of Permian age in central Kansas.

Sumner group: Feet.

Wellington shale: Red and gray shales 350

Marion formation: Limestone and shale with gypsum and salt

in upper part 160

Chase group:

Winfield formation: Cherty limestone in part and shalo 25

Doyle shale : Shale with thin beds of limestone 60

Fort Riley limestone: Buff limestone 40

Florence flint: Limestone, very cherty 20

Matfield shale : Shale and limestone 65

Wreford limestone : Buff cherty limestf )ne 45

Garrison formation: Shales and limestone 145

Cottonwood limestone: Light-colored massive limestone 8

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

25

Florence.

Elevation 1,262 feet.
Population 1,168.
Kansas City 172 miles

Florence, named for Miss Florence Crawford, of Topeka, is a junc-
tion point at which branches to the north and south leave the main
line. Beyond Florence the railway leaves the Cot-
tonwood Valley and ascends that of Doyle Creek, a
tributary from the southwest. The strata lie nearly
horizontal in this region, but dip slightly to the west,
forming a continuation of the general monocline
wliich exists throughout eastern Kansas.

West of Florence the traveler will note that pasture lands become
more frequent and that cattle raising is an increasingly promi-
nent industry. At many stations there are small stockyards with
special gangways for loading cattle on cars for shipment east.
There are also numerous fields of aKaKa, which is one of the most
important forage crops in the West.^ Some notably large fields of
this plant may be seen just west of milepost 169.

At Peabody, which was named for F. H. Peabody, of Boston, large
numbers of range cattle are received for fattening in the adjoining
region. Here the Santa Fe line is crossed by the
Chicago, Eock Island & Pacific Eailway. West of
Peabody the country is a wide, rolling upland, with
numerous broad fields of grain, mostly wheat, inter-
spersed with pastures. The few railway cuts show
gray shales with some thin layej-s of limestone.

Newton, named for the city in Massachusetts, is a minor railway
center from which a branch line of the Santa Fe leads to Wichita
and other places in southern Kansas and Oklahoma.
Newton. Il^ is also on one of the larger branches of the Missouri

Elevation 1,440 feet. Pacific Eailway. Ycars ago Newton had a very large
Kan"a^s City 2ormiies. cattlc-shippiug busiucss, but most of this has long
ago moved much farther west.

Peabody.

Elevation 1,351 feet.
Population 1,416.
Kansas City 184 miles,

^Alfalfa is generally called lucern in
Europe. It is the oldest known plant to
be cultivated exclusively for forage, as
historians record its introduction into
Greece from Persia as early as the fifth
century before Christ. Its cultivation
was attempted by the early colonists in
America, but not until 1854, when a vari-
ety from Chile was introduced into Cali-
fornia, did its development proceed rap-
idly. Alfalfa is peculiarly adapted to
semiarid regions, for it does not require a
moist climate and does not suffer from
extreme heat or from relatively severe
cold. It thrives best under in-igation,
an occasional flooding being necessary for
its growth. Besides being highly nutri-
tive and palatable, alfalfa is, when well

rooted, of rank growth, long lived, and
hardy. It is said that in the semiarid re-
gions there are alfalfa fields 25 years old.
Tlie best yield is obtained from the thhd
to the seventh year. Its roots vary in
length from 6 to 15 feet. Though alfalfa
fields can be started in some places with
a pound of seed (about 220,000 seeds) to
the acre and good stands are often ob-
tained with 5 pounds, about 15 pounds
are used on irrigated lands. In some
places alfalfa is cut three to five times a
season and therefore produces a higher
yield than any other forage plant in the
western United States. Over 5,000,000
acres were in alfalfa in 1909. Kansas has
the lai^est acreage, with Nebraska and
Colorado next in order.

26 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

In this vicinity and for the next 25 miles to the west there are
many settlements of thrifty Mennonites, who colonized here in 1874.
The railways conducted a campaign of advertising in Europe and
were instrumental in settling large areas of Kansas lands with col-
onies of Swedish, Welsh, Scotch, English, Germans, and Russians.
The Mennonites were Germans of a particular creed who on account
of their thrift and industry had been invited to settle in Russia,
an invitation which they accepted. Some of their special privileges
having been withdrawn, however, they emigrated to this country.
They brought with them many plants and for a long time held their
lands in community ownership. Each family brought over a bushel
or more of Crimean wheat for seed, and from this seed was grown
the first crop of Kansas hard winter wheat. At first this wheat
seemed to be more difficult to mill and bake than the hard spring
wheat, and even Kansas millers for some time either declined to
receive hard winter wheat or paid a lower price for it than for softer
wheats. In 1890 the prices of soft spring and soft winter wheats
exceeded that of hard winter wheat by about 10 cents a bushel. In
July, 1910, for the first time the price of hard winter wheat equaled
that of the softer wheats.

About 4 miles west of Newton is an area of sands and gravels
which fill a broad, moderately deep underground valley in shale,
excavated by a large stream that long ago flowed across the region
from the north and finally deposited the gravel and sand. This
stream was probably an outlet for several rivers of northwestern
Kansas, the Smoky Hill and probably also Solomon and Saline
rivers, now branches of Kansas River. The width of the buried
valley is about 20 miles in the region west of Newton, but a short
distance south of the railway it merges into the vaUey of the Arkansas.
Its western margin is well defined by the steep slopes of the land
rising toward the northwest, but to the north and northeast are valleys
since excavated to a lower level. The underground relations of the
deposit have been explored by well borings, for the large amount of
water which it yields is of great value, especially as there is but little
water available in the shales of Permian age in the adjoining lands
and in the floor under the basin. This resource has been an important
factor in the development of Newton. Wlien that town needed a
city supply deep drilling soon demonstrated that little water was to
be found underground in the city area, even at a great depth. On
the advice of geologists tests were made in the edge of the buried
vaUey a short distance west of the city, with most satisfactory results,
and now this source yields a large volume of water which is piped
to the city.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
£ rC al.g.ment. and profiles supplied by the Atch.son
Topeka and SanU Fe Railway and from additional mformation
collected with the aasistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTTS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David White, Chief Geoloyiat R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Etch qutdnngla s/iou
icw»r It/I oorntr a m.
Sheei 0/ ihtt ntmt.

1 the mtp with a name in paremhesis in the
Id in detail on Ihe U. S. C. S. Topographic

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 27

From a point near Halstead a branch line runs to Sedgwick, con-
necting there with the hne from Newton to Wichita
Halstead. and beyond.

Elevation 1,388 feet. At Burrton (scc shcct 4, p. 30) the Santa Fe line
Karaas^cSy 210 miles, is crossed by a branch of the St. Louis & San Fran-
cisco Railroad C Frisco" line) running from Wichita
to Ellsworth. South of Burrton are wide smooth plains extending
to Arkansas River and forming part of the buried valley referred to
above. A short distance north of Burrton is a range
Burrton. of sand dunes — low, irregular hills composed of loose

Elevation 1,450 feet, sand whicli the wind has blown out of the flats along
Kansa^s c^y 219 miles. Arkansas River. These sand dunes extend north-
westward for some distance past Hutchinson, not far
north of the Santa Fe Railway. Burrton was named for I. T. Burr,
a former vice president of the railway company.

Hutchinson, the third largest city in Kansas, is attractively laid

out, with wide streets, most of which are bordered by several rows

of shade trees and extensive grassy parking. It was

Hutchinson. named for C. C. Hutchinson, its founder. The greater

Elevation 1,527 feet, part of the city is on the north side of Arkansas River,

Population 16,364. i > x* i a xi, tt x i, • • xi

Kansas City 233 miles, ^ut a portiou kiiowu as bouth Hutchmsou IS on the
south side. This river, called the Nepesta by the
Spanish explorers, is one of the largest branches of the Mississippi,
to which it carries an average of 200,000,000 cubic feet of water a
day. It rises in the Rocky Mountains, in central Colorado. At
Hutchinson the river valley is about 8 miles wide and is a broad
expanse of nearly level land underlain by a thick body of sand and
gravel that was deposited by the river and contains a large amount
of water. Below this river deposit are shales containing thick deposits
of salt. This mineral is extensively worked by several plants in
Hutchinson, one of which is the largest in the world. They produce
not only salt, but soda ash, caustic soda, and other chemicals manu-
factured from salt. The salt is obtained from borings about 800
feet deep, containing an outer casing down which water is forced
and an inner casing up which this water, saturated with salt from the
beds below, is pumped into tanks for evaporation. The production
of salt at this place averages 2,000 barrels a day.

The salt occurs in beds about 380 feet thick (depth 430 to 810 feet)
in the midst of red and gray shales of Permian age (see table, p. ii),
where it was deposited long ago by the continued evaporation of
extensive bodies of sea water. These great salt beds may reach
far to the west and they underlie a large area extending southward
to the Oklahoma line, but they appear to thin out toward the north
and east. They are worked at several other places, notably at Lyons,
25 miles northwest of Hutchinson, where they are penetrated by

28 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

a shaft 1,465 feet deep, which exposes more than 400 feet of salt,
of which 275 feet (from 793 to 1,068 feet) is mostly in sohd beds.
There it is mined principally for the production of rock salt. The
total annual production of salt in Kansas averages about 375,000
tons, valued at more than $800,000.

Hutchinson is in the center of the Kansas wheat belt and her
flour mills have a daily product of 3,000 barrels. Electric power is
extensively used in many mills and factories.

In the early days of settlement and travel the Hutchinson region
contained many Indians, notably the Kiowas, who had come in
from the north, and their allies, the Comanches, who controlled a
large country south of Arkansas River. These Indians committed
many massacres along the Santa Fe Trail, which crossed the country
about 6 miles north of Hutchinson. This locality is believed to
have been the scene of a decisive battle in 1778 between the resident
Comanches and a band of Spaniards and Pueblo Indians under
Gov. Anza, in which the Comanches were routed and their chief,
Greenhorn, killed.

Most of the fast trains to the West take the cut-off which goes
from Hutchinson almost due west to Kinsley, a distance of 84 miles,
or about 15 miles less than the distance by the old main line along
the river. On this cut-off the railway crosses to the south side of
Arkansas River in the southwestern part of Hutchinson. Not far
southeast of the bridge will be noted the tall stack of the largest
salt works in the world.

Beyond the river the routs goes nearly due southwest for a few
miles to Partridge, rising by an almost imperceptible grade from
the valley flat to a low plateau covered by sand and
Partridge. gravel which continues far to the west. This upland

Elevation 1,605 feet, is covcrcd by dcposits laid down by Arkansas River
Kansafcrty 244 miles. ^^ i^s prcdcccssor in Tertiary time. It is a great
plain, most of which is occupied by broad fields of
grain, for it is one of the most extensive wheat districts in the country.
The soil is particularly favorable in composition, and in most years
the rainfall is sufficient to give large crops, but occasionally there
is a year too dry to yield satisfactory returns.

West of Abbyville is a region of sand hills. The dunes are mostly

low and covered with soil, which bears crops of wheat or other

grains. They are old dunes and, except for a small

Abbyville. amount of sand that blows during the windy season,

Elevation 1,651 feet, thev are uot advancing materially. The railway

Kansas City 250 miles. / j I, -^i, +1, 1 J J

cuts are shallow and show either the loose dune sand
or the brownish compact sand of Tertiary age, which forms the
surface of the plain.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE IV

A. THE GREAT PLAINS OF V/ESTERN KANSAS.

Smooth and almost level, but sloping upward to the west.

U. BUFFALO— ONE OF THE FEW SURVIVORS.
Photograph by E. L. Bristol, Cheyenne, Wyo.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE

A. MESAS OF TIMPAS LIMESTONE, BLOOM-THATCHER REGION, COLO.

ilow the limestone caps are slopes of shale (Carlile) to a wooded bench of Greenhorn limestone. Dakota
sandstone forms foreground.

B. TYLOSAURUS.

A mososaur, or great nr.arine lizard, from the chalk beds of the Niobrara formation in western Kansas. Restoration

by C. R. Knight.

THE SANTA FE KOUTE.

29

At Stafford, named for Lewis Stafford, a captain in the First

Kansas Regiment, the Santa Fe line is crossed by a branch of the

Missouri Pacific Railway. This region is typical of

Stafford. the Great Plains/ its smooth surface being apparently

Elevation 1,858 feet, level but rising gently toward the west. The sur-

Population 1,927. « j. j.' ' i ^ i j. i •

Kansas City 272 mnes. ^^cc formation IS moderately compact sand, in
places containing concretions or streaks of calcium
carbonate. The thickness of this deposit is not known, but it is
probably about 100 feet. It is supposed to lie on the thin eastern
edge of the Dakota sandstone.

Originally the prairies of the central Kansas region were ahnost
treeless except for the cottonwoods along some of the streams, but
settlers have planted trees around their houses and along many of
their road hedges, so that now some trees appear in every view. It
is believed by some that the presence of vegetation of this kind has
increased the rainfall and diminished the number and violence of
tornadoes, but meteorologists deny that these changes have had
any material effect.

A few miles northeast of Stafford are marshes caused by salt
springs. The salt water was used extensively in the early days for
curing meat, and in 1878 a small salt works was erected to extract
the salt for sale in the surrounding country.

^ The Great Plains are smooth treeless
slopes that extend eastward from the
foot of the Rocky Mountains into central
Kansas as well as into adjoining States
on the north and south. Their western
margin has an altitude of almost 5,000 feet
near the Rocky Mountains, from which
they make a practically continuous de-
scent to an altitude of 2,000 to 2,200 feet
in central Kansas, where they merge into
the rolling prairies that have been de-
scribed on previous pages. The plains
are trenched by the relatively shallow
valleys of many rivers and creeks flowing
to the east, but extensive areas of the re-
markably smooth tabular surfaces remain
between these valleys. One of these is
shown in Plate IV, A.

The major part of the Great Plains is
covered by sands, gravels, and loams of
late Tertiary age, varying in thickness
from 50 to 200 feet in greater part and in
general lying on a relatively smooth sur-
face of the older rocks. The materials
were brought from the Rocky Mountain
region by streams which ran in various
38590°— Bull. 613—16 3

courses across the region, sometimes cut-
ting valleys ])ut mostly depositing sedi-
ments. The time was one of relatively
arid conditions, probably in general simi-
lar to the present, the streams bringing
out of the mountains a larger amount of
sediment than they could carry through
to the great rivers on the east. The
process was long continued, and it is
likely also that at times the stream grades
were somewhat less than they are at
present, so that the deposits were not to
any great extent deeply trenched by small
creeks, as they are now. It is known from
the fossil bones found in the deposits that
the region was inhabited by numerous
land animals of a sort very different from
those of the present era. There were
rhinoceroses, camels, three-toed horses,
elephants and bisons of peculiar types,
as well as a great many species of smaller
animals. At certain places in the region
large numbers of bones of these strange
animals have been found and dug out,
and many of these bones are now care-
fully preserved in museums.

30 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

West of Stafford, notably at milcpost 261, the railway crosses a
small belt of sand dunes, and near milepost 262 there are bare areas
from which the sand is being blown by the wind.

St. John (see sheet 5, p. 36) is on the great smooth
St. John. plain, in the midst of grain fields. It was named for

Elevation 1,908 feet, j^hn P. St. John, govemor of Kansas from 1879 to

Population 1,785. t i- i <• i -i • •

Kansas City 282 miles. 1883 and a lamous aQVocate of prohibition.

The region about Macksville is a gently rolling plain
Macksville. ^rj^}^ y^j-y Jq^ sand hills, which continue to Belpre and

Elevation 2,025 feet, bcyond Lcwis. Macksvillc was named for George
Kansas c'ity 293 miles. Mack, the first postmastcr in Stafford County.

A large sign south of Belpre (bel-pray') station con-
Belpre. tains the statement that $1,250,000 worth of farm

Elevation 2,082 feet, products wcro shipped from that place in 1913. Bel-
Si^saty 300 miles. P^^ IS the Center of a prosperous region in which wheat
and other grains are raised. The name is French for
beautiful prairie.

Lewis is near the eastern edge of a pronounced belt of sand hills,
which extends along the east side of Arkansas River for many miles.
These dunes become prominent a short distance west
Lewis. of Omar siding, where the railway passes through

Elevation 2,142 feet. 20-foot cuts in the loosc, cross-bcddcd dune sand.
iTsasc^tym miles. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^0 surfacc is too ruggcd for much farm-
ing, but there are scattered wheat fields in some of
the depressions between the dunes. About 3 miles west of Omar
Arkansas River is crossed, and a short distance beyond is Kinsley.
Here the Hutchinson branch or cut-off joins the old main line from
Hutchinson by way of Great Bend.

[The itinerary west of Kinsley is continued on p. 35.]

HUTCHINSON TO KINSLEY BY WAY OF GREAT BEND.

From Hutchinson (see sheet 4, p. 30) to Kinsley the old main line
of the Santa Fe Railway follows the north bank of Arkansas River,
but at most places the tracks are a mile or two from the stream.
For the entire distance the route hes along the wide flat or alluvial
bottom land, which ranges from 5 to 8 miles in width. From Hutch-
inson to Great Bend the course is northwest, but from Great Bend to
Kinsley the course is southwest, owing to a remarkable bend in the
valley.

The flat consists of smooth bottom lands elevated but slightly
above the river, and in their lower parts subject to overflow during
the occasional freshets. These lands are formed by a thick body of
sand and gravel deposited by the river and lying in a wide, shallow

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles. California

Base compiled from United States Geological Sun^ey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and SanU Fe Railway ar.d from additional information
collected with the assisUnce of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. I)IRE(T0R
David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geoffrapher

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the
lower left corner :s mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic
Slieei of thai naii-e.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 31

trough which this stream cut in the underlying shales and sandstones
at an earlier stage in its development. The river belongs to the
class of large streams in the west which have excavated wide, shallow
valleys across the country and now, owing to their heavily loaded
condition at times of freshets, are gradually filling them again. The
result is a wide level plain, floored with river-borne materials, through
which the stream meanders with irregular course and very slight
declivity. In the Arkansas Valley from Kinsley, where the altitude
is 2,160 feet, to the bridge at Hutchinson, where the altitude is
1,500 feet, the fall is 660 feet. As the distance between these points
is somewhat less than 100 miles the rate of fall is only about 6.6 feet
to the mile, which is normal for a river of moderate size.

From Hutchinson to Sterling the level alluvial flat is an almost
continuous wheat field. A large amount of broom corn is also raised.
About 5 miles northeast the railway is paralleled by the low ridge of
sand dunes mentioned on page 27.

Nickerson, named for Thomas Nickerson, an official of the Atchison,

Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co., is on the broad flat about a mile

from the river bank. Sterling, the next station, is

Nickerson. about 2 miles north of the river. In the eastern part

Elevation 1,593 feet, ^f Stcrliiis:, nortli of the railway, a large salt refuiery

Population 1,195. • i ^ • • i. i p • . i • i

Kansas City 244 mues. IS obtammg Salt by lorcuig watcr down a pipe sunk
deep into the salt-bearing strata and pumping out the
Sterling. saturated solution, as in the plants at Hutchinson.

Elevation 1,037 feet. Here a line of the Missouri Pacific Railway, which
Ka'rlJaX^^'maes. ™ns parallel to the Santa Fe from Hutchmson,
crosses it and goes northward to Lyons and beyond.
In the vicinity of Alden the valley flat is nearly 15 miles wide,
extending north almost to Lyons. Near Raymond, however, a ridge
of the upland approaches the river from the north
and narrows the valley greatly. At the base of this
^^sCiiyZt^^.s. ridge appear brown ledges of the Dakota sandstone
which extend along the foot of the hills not far
north of the track to a point some distance beyond
Raymond. Raymond. This sandstone is a very porous rock

Elevation 1,723 feet, and whcrcvcr it occurs underground is an important
KirsX'Sfmiies. ^atcr bearer that yields valuable supplies in thou-
sands of wells in the Middle West. The sandstone is
near the surface in a wide area along the Arkansas Valley from the
vicinity of Sterling to Ford, but owing to the covering of sand and
gravel outcrops of the sandstone are rare. Some of those which
occur have fantastic forms such as that shown in Plate III,^ (p. 19).
In this region the beds lie nearly level, for the gentle westward dips
which exist in the region east of Hutchinson gradually give place in

32 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

this portion of central Kansas to equally low eastward dips, which
prevail throughout the western part of the State and beyond to the
Rocky Mountain uplift. The shallow trough resulting from this
change of dip crosses central Kansas in the vicinity of Great Bend?
and it is not improbable that this structural condition was the cause
of the very notable deflection of the Arkansas Valley to the north-
ward in the region between Dodge and Great Bend.

From Raymond to Ellin wood the Valley of the Arkansas widens
again, especially the portion which lies south of the river, where?
however, there is a broad bordering zone of low hills built of sand
blown from the river bed.

Ellinwood is in the center of a wide area of fields of wheat and
Ellinwood. other grains and a large amount of these products are

Elevation 1 TS"? feet shipped from its station. The town was built many
Population 976. ycars bcforc the commg of the railway in 1871, for

Kansas City 275 miles, j^^^.^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ rp^^-j j-^^ached the Arkansas VaUey.

Great Bend (see sheet 5, p. 36) is the seat of Barton County, the
junction with a branch of the Santa Fe running to Scott City, and
the terminus of a branch of the Missouri Pacific Rail-
Great Bend. way from Hoisington. It takes its name from its
Elevation 1,843 feet, situation on the loug curvc in the river from north-
Kansa^s^cuySfmiies ^^^ ^^ ^^'^^ ^^^ finally to thcsouthcast at Ellmwood.
The town was begun in 1870 and is built on the
smooth river flat, which is very wide here owing to the confluence
of the Wahiut Creek valley with that of the Arkansas. Water power
from Walnut Creek is utilized in Great Bend for extensive flour mills,
grain elevators, factories, and salt works.

Great Bend is in the country formerly occupied by the Wichita
Indians. Near by was the mythical city of Quivira (kee-vee'ra), to
which Coronado journeyed in 1541, expecting to obtain a great store
of treasures. He was disappointed in finding instead of a ^'city'*
scattered Indian villages consisting of small groups of conical huts
of poles thatched with grass and contaming no valuables whatever.
To the north of Quivira was the land of the Pawnees, who had per-
manent villages. They made frequent attacks upon individuals and
caravans and treated their captives with appalling cruelty.

The old Santa Fe Trail passes through the courthouse square of
Great Bend, and a short distance east of the city the railway crosses
Walnut Creek at the place of the old ford. Here was Fort Zarah, the
ruins of which are visible a short distance north of the tracks. The
place is marked by a stone cannon. This fort, established by Gen.
S. R. Curtis in 1864 and named for his son, was one of the line of
military posts placed at intervals along the Santa Fe Trail to protect
the traveler. It was garrisoned with soldiers who escorted wagon

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 33

trains through the district west of Great Bend, where the Indians
were especially dangerous. Long before the fort was established the
place was noted for massacres and Indian wars, mainly because of a
grove which afforded the Indians concealment. Moreover, it was
on one of the lines of travel always taken by the buffaloes in their
annual migration and therefore was visited by the Indians on their
summer hunting trips.

The area from Great Bend westward for a hundred miles or so was
a famous hunting ground for all the plains tribes, as its excellent pas-
turage made it the home of vast herds of buffaloes, besides plenty of
antelopes and deer. For this reason it was the scene of innumerable
conflicts between the tribes, none of which could maintain perma-
nent control of it. The big game has been gone for many years, and
now only occasional jack rabbits, squirrels, and nocturnal animals
remain.

Arkansas Kiver from Great Bend to Pueblo, Colo., was foUowed
by Lieut. Zebulon Pike on the trip during which he saw. for the first
time the peak of the Kocky Mountains that bears his name.

In the slopes north of Great Bend and in the stream banks at
intervals up Wahiut Creek there are exposures of the brown ledges
of Dakota sandstone, a formation in which are excavated the valleys
of this general region. In 1887 a boring was made 3 miles north of
Great Bend, in which the great salt bed already mentioned was pene-
trated for 163 feet, proving its extension in this direction from
Hutchinson and Lyons. At a depth of 744 feet a flow of water was
found which ran out of the casing to a height of 30 feet above the
ground.

Near milepost 281, which is about 10 miles southwest of Great Bend,
Pawnee Rock is discernible in the distance, and at milepost 282 it is
plainly in view, rising on the north side of the valley
Pawnee Rock. a short distance north of Pawnee Rock station. The
Elevation 1,941 feet, rock is a high southward-f acing cliff of Dakota sand-
Sa'sX'Ssmaes ^tonc, projecting as a rocky promontory from the
broad ridge that forms the north side of the valley.
Its present appearance is shown in Plate III, B (p. 19). The elements
and the hand of man have made great changes in its size and appear-
ance since the days when the Santa Fe Trail passed along its base.
Here were many encounters between the savages and the whites, and
also between hostile bands of Indians, for the place is noted not only
in pioneer history but in Indian traditions as weU. Names and initials
of many travelers, from the early trappers and the ^^forty-niners" to
the later Army detachments, have been scratched on the smooth faces
of the ledges.

34 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Pawnee Rock was named from the Indian tribe which roamed over
the neighboring plains, menacing the life and property of almost
every passer-by on the trail, as they had menaced the Spaniards for
two centuries. The name Pawnee is supposed to signify horn and to
have been appHed to the tribe on account of a curious custom of
plucking out beard and eyebrows and shaving the head, except a
narrow ridge of hair from forehead to scalp lock; this remnant was
stiffened ^vith fat and paint so that it stood erect and curved like
a horn.

Half a mile beyond milepost 287, or 4J miles southwest of Pawnee
Rock, there may be seen west of the track a granite monument, which
is one of the numerous markers of the line of the Santa Fe Trail.

Larned is at the mouth of Pawnee River, which enters the Arkansas
on the southern edge of the town. On the north bank of the Pawnee,
west of the railway, there are several quarries in the
Larned. Dakota sandstone which are plainly visible from the

Elevation 1,995 feet, viciuity of milcpost 292 and beyond. The rock is of
Si'sX'so/miies. a light-brownish color and occurs in massive beds,
about 40 feet in all, exposed in several quarries. It
has been used to some extent as a building stone and when fresh is
easily sawed or chiseled.

The railway bridge crosses Pawnee River at the old ford of the
Santa Fe Trail. Owing to a twist in the course of the stream the cross-
ing was difficult. Many a thrilling skirmish or frightful massacre has
occurred here, and in 1870 a great battle was fought at this place
between Cheyennes and Arapahoes. This locality should not be con-
founded with Fort Larned, which lies 6| miles due west of it.

On the old trail there was not a bridge from end to end and all
the stream crossings were fords, which at times of high water became
impassable. When the Army of the West crossed Pawnee River on
its long march to take Santa Fe in 1848 that stream was in flood and
could not be forded. However, trunks of trees were thrown across
and over these the men clambered, carrying their baggage, tents, and
supplies, while the horses swam across and the empty wagon boxes
were pulled over with ropes.

In the vicinity of Larned the conditions on the two sides of the
Arkansas present a striking contrast. On the southeast side there is
a wide belt of sand hills composed of sand blown out of the river bed
by the prevailing strong northwest winds. These hills are too rough
and bare for agriculture. On the northwest side of the river, where
the railway is built, there are bottom lands with rich, deep soil, usually
yielding large crops of grain.

Not far northeast of Garfield a ledge of Dakota sandstone rises
above the river flat and is cut by the railway for a short distance.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

35

Garfield.

Elevation 2,069 feet.
Population 333.
Kansas City 318 miles

Near Garfield the Arkansas Valley is much narrower than at most

other places, for a ridge of the upland encroaches from the northwest

and the sand dunes on the southeast side of the river

rise rapidly to the broad plain which borders the

valley on that side. Near Kinsley the ridge on the

north side of the valley trends somewhat northward

and the flat widens to about 4 miles.

At Kinsley, named for W. E. W. Kinsley, of Boston, the old main

line of the Santa Fe by way of Great Bend is joined by the cut-off or

Hutchmson branch, described on pages 28-30. West

Kinsley. of Kinsley the railway continues its nearly direct

Elevation 2,164 feet, coursc wcst, diverging from the valley of the Arkansas,

Si^'s^c^y 3I2 miies.i and thus avoiding the southward bend of the river.

The ascent to the surface of the Great Plains ^ is so

gradual as to be barely noticeable, for the valley slopes west of

Kinsley are very gentle.

At milepost 324, about a mile east of Offerle, is an 8-foot cut show-
ing exposures of brown loam with streaks of gravel, apparently a
part of the deposit of Tertiary age which covers the
Oflferle. Great Plains. The eastern edge of this loam appears

Elevation 2,263 feet, ^q p^gg dowuward toward the east under the higher
terrace deposits of the Arkansas Valley, which are of
later age. Probably both lie on the Dakota sandstone. A short
distance beyond milepost 329 are other small exposures of the
gravelly loam in shallow railway cuts.

West of Belief ont, between mileposts 331 and 332, and for half a
mile west from milepost 332, are cuts in the brown
sand containing white calcium carbonate concretions.
Westward of these cuts the line gradually ascends
on a very smooth surface typical of the Great Plains.
Spearville and Wright (see sheet 6, p. 40) are on.
the plain, which reaches an altitude of 2,570 feet in
the summit a short distance west of Wright. Beyond

Bellefont.

Elevation 2,347 feet.
Kansas City 346 miles

Spearville.

Elevation 2,451 feet.
Population 57

Kansas City 35I miles, this poiut there is a down grade into the valley of the
Arkansas, and the train passes through extensive
cuts, beginning near milepost 347. Brown loams
and fine sands of Tertiary age are exposed in these
cuts, in some places to a depth of 10 feet. South of
the railway, at a point half a mile beyond milepost 349,

there are scattered exposures of a bed of white limestone a few feet

Wright.

Elevation 2,516 feet.
Kansas City 360 miles.

^ The distances given in the side notes
are those by the old main line. To get
the distance traveled by way of the
Ottawa and Hutchinson cut-offs 30 miles
should be deducted from the figures given
for Kinsley and stations beyond; the

distance by way of Topeka and the
Hutchinson branch can be ascertained by
deducting 15 miles.

2 The Great Plains, a part of which is
crossed on the way to Dodge, are de-
scribed in the footnote on page 29.

30

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

thick, which underlies the Tertiary deposits in a wide area in this
vicinity. The river deposits in the valley of the Arkansas ahut
against the lower portion of this limestone at milepost 349 and for
some distance west.^

In approaching Dodge the railway again comes near the Arkansas
River, the north bank of which is followed from Dodge westward.
The wide bottom lands near the river are occupied by fields of grain
and orchards. In this vicinity Coronado in 1541 reached this river,
which he called the River of St. Peter and St. Paul. On the river, 5
miles east of Dodge, is old Fort Dodge, now a soldiers' home, but
formerly an important frontier garrison on the Santa Fe Trail. Some
of the old buildings remaining were headquarters of Gen. Custer and
Gen. Miles in the days when Col. W. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) and
other famous scouts were aiding the United States Army to protect
travelers and to subdue the Indians. The Indians were troublesome
in this part of the West for some years after the Civil War was over,
and there were massacres in western Kansas as late as 1874.

Dodge, formerly known as Dodge City, was named for Gen. Henry
Dodge, governor of Wisconsin Territory. It is now a commercial
center for a wide adjacent region containmg numer-
ous farms and cattle ranches. This was a famous
frontier town, the center of important lines of freight-
ing, and headquarters of the cattle business, which
attained its maximum in 1884, when herds aggre-
gating 800,000 cattle, in charge of 3,000 men, passed through Dodge
from Texas on the way north. Much hunting was done in this
region, for there were immense herds of buffaloes ^ and other game
throughout central Kansas. (See PI. IV, B, p. 28.)

Dodge.

Elevation 2,478 feet.
Population 3,214.
Kansas City 368 miles,

^ In the descent into Duck Creek, a
branch of Sawlog Creek, 7 miles northeast
of Dodge, there are very instructive ex-
posures of this basal limestone, 10 to 15
feet thick, pebbly at the base, lying on
20 feet of Greenhorn limestone. The two

teristic of this formation. The relations
of the rocks here are shown in figure 5.

2 Large circular pits, called buffalo wal-
lows, are common on the plains and are
puzzling to the average traveler. They
were started by buffaloes either in wet

High Plain

7

■'*■ I'. ■ ° ;Te rt i a^ry_"gr i t'- ■•'■'.*.•■ , ^v>v^

C^

P^^^^^^^SIfmiBiM^^^^^^

■,' ','-•,'•/ ;■ .Dakota' sandstone •."•.•.'.

\ ^Alluvium

• • • • .••.•.■.•.•.•.■.• .1

Figure 5.— Section of rocks in Sawlog Valley, northeast of Dodge, Elans.

(&, c in fig. 5) form a white cliff that rims
the valley to the north. The Greenhorn
limestone includes beds of chalky lime-
stone as much as 6 inches thick, and some
layers of it are filled with impressions of
a fossil shell {Inocemmus lahiatus) charac-

spots or at places where there is salt or
alkali, which the animals lick. The
tramping of the hoofs of the heavy animals
wears the sod thin, and then the wind
soon blows out a cavity, or if water col-
lects in it the mud is carried out in large

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THF.

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles. California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEX)RGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David Whit«. Chief Geolopst R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map
lower left corner is mapped in detai
Sheet of that name.

with a name in parenthesis in the
'I on the U. S. C. S. Topographic

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

37

Just across the river from Dodge was, until 1835, the northeast
corner of Mexico, and between 1835 and 1845 the corner of the
Republic of Texas, the boundary of which extended from that point
along the south side of Arkansas River to the Rocky Mountains.
An account of the famous frontier characters formerly known around
Dodge is out of place here, but they figure in many narratives and
romances of earlier days, when it was widely known as the '^wickedest
town in the country." Now it is a model of peacefulness and tran-
quilhty.

Change is made here from Central time to Mountain time, one hour
earher.

A short distance northwest of the station at Dodge are low cliffs of
coarse sandstone and conglomerate of an older river chanael of
Tertiary age, lying on fine buff loam which extends down to the valley
level. The formations underlying Dodge have been explored by a
boring 1,100 feet deep which yielded nothing of value except some
water from the Dakota sandstone that did not have pressure sufficient
to flow.

From Dodge westward to La Junta, Colo., the Santa Fe Railway
follows the Arkansas Valley, continuing along the north side of the
river, in most places within a mile of it. A branch line crosses the
river there and goes southwestward to Elkhart, near the Oklahoma
State line. The Arkansas Valley in this vicinity is from 2 to 3 miles
wide in greater part and is bordered by moderately steep slopes or
bluffs on the north side of the river and by a wide zone of sand hills

amounts in the shaggy coats of the buf-
faloes, who delight to wade or roll in a
water hole. For years during the decline
of the buffaloes, and after they had gone,
their bones were a source of revenue for
many persons, who collected them on the
prairie and shipped them east to manu-
facturers of fertilizers. At some stations
near Dodge the shipments averaged a
carload a day in 1875. Gen. Sheridan
estimated that originally the buffaloes
between Fort Dodge and Camp Supply,
in northwestern Oklahoma, aggregated
100,000,000 head, and in many of the
great hunts some parties killed as many
as 250 a day. After the Santa Fe Railway
reached Dodge over 200,000 buffalo hides,
200 cars of hindquarters, and 2 cars of
buffalo tongues were shipped the first
winter. Buffaloes were so numerous,
even after the railway had been built,
that when they were crossing the track
trains had to wait many hours until the

herd had passed. Their slaughter by the
whites was a cause of bitter dissatisfac-
tion to the Indians and occasioned many
conflicts. Their practical extermination
was effected in about 20 years. Many
were shot wantonly by passengers on the
trains, and thousands were hunted for the
sake of boasting of a great kill. Usually
the white hunter took only the hide or a
small part of the meat (hump or tongue),
while the Indian utilized every part, in-
cluding the intestines. The Indians de-
spised the white man's methods, for the
Indians killed by hunting on horseback
with arrows or long spears, so that the
number slain was small and probably
never in excess of the natural increase.
The Indians knew that when the buffa-
loes were gone their most important re-
source for food and clothing would cease
to be available. The last buffalo in Kan-
sas is said to have been sold at Kingman
in 1888.

38 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

on the south side. For many miles the surface is made up of sand
and loose sandstone or conglomerate of Tertiary age. The valley
has been cut by the river to a depth of 250 feet below the adjoining
great plateau, but it is partly fdled with about 100 feet of sand and
clay (alluvium) deposited by the stream, and these materials are
still in course of deposition. In places the valley is cut through the
Tertiary deposits into underlying shale and limestone of Upper
Cretaceous age, but these do not appear at the surface until they rise
in the valley slopes near Hartland. In ascending the valley the
railway skirts slopes that rise 100 feet or more above the river flat
to a plain of remarkable smoothness which ascends gradually west-
ward at about the same rate as the upgrade of the valley. In these
slopes are widely scattered outcrops of the Tertiary deposits — loam
and sand with interbedded hard layers of coarse sandstone or con-
glomerate of gray color or of white ^^grit" consisting of sand and
gravel cemented with calcium carbonate.

At a point halfway between mileposts 358 and 359, 6 miles west of
Dodge, a small exposure of conglomerate is visible from the train. A
granite marker at this place indicates the former course of the Santa
Fe Trail, which extended up the north or American bank of the river
very near the coiu^e of the present railway line from Dodge to
Bents Fort, Colo.

Several small ledges of conglomerate appear for a short distance

on the north side of the track at HoweU and again just beyond

milepost 363, a mile and a half west of HoweU. At

Howell. milepost 365 the sand hills on the south side of the

Elevation 2,537 feet yaUgy are visiblc, and they extend almost continu-

Kansas City 377 miles. , " n • i i- i •

ously along that side of the river into Colorado.

In places high on the slopes to the north may be seen an irrigation
canal intended to carry water from the river to the high plain north of
Dodge and thence to Wright and SpearviUe. The intake of this canal
is a short distance west of IngaUs, and by f oUowing a grade somewhat
less than that of the fall of the river, the canal finally reaches the level of
the plains at a point 3 miles northwest of Dodge. The Arkansas is a
stream of large annual flow, but as much of its water is carried at times
of freshet and as the volume at other times is exceedingly variable,
there is often considerable difficulty in maintaining a regular supply
in the canal during the growing season. In the future, no doubt,
the freshet waters of this river, as weU as of most other large streams
in the United States, wiU not be allowed to escape but wiU be held
in suitable storage reservoirs to maintain a flow.

It will be noted that west of Dodge the valley contains fewer trees
than it does to the east and that still farther west in the region of
more arid climate the trees along the vaUey diminish greatly in num-
ber. There are also fewer cultivated fields, although some alfalfa

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 39

and wheat are grown. Pastures are much more extensive, for the
raising of cattle increases in importance as the cultivation of the land
becomes more difficult.

The village of Cimarron (sim-ar-rohn') derived its name, which is
Spanish for wild or unruly, from Cimarron Crossing, a ford some

distance to the west, where the short cut or Cimarron
Cimarron. branch of the Santa Fe Trail crQssed Arkansas River.

Elevation 2,618 feet, ^his branch passcd through the sand hills, crossed the
Kansas City 386 miles, plains to Cimarrou River, and went southwest to

Wagon Mound and Fort Union. Cimarron was an
important place in the time of the Santa Fe Trail. In the early days
it was headquarters for many hunters, for buffaloes and other plains
game were especially abundant in this vicinity. Later it was an
important cattle center, but in recent years agriculture by dry farm-
ing and irrigation has become the principal industry, although there
are still many cattle in the region. A large amount of wheat is
raised, but the climate is too arid to assure good crops every year
without the aid of irrigation.

At points 2 and 3 miles west of Cimarron the railway is on the river
bank and passes through cuts showing buff loams of the deposits of
Tertiary age that form the Great Plains.

A mile west of Ingalls are railway cuts exposing hard layers of con-
glomerate, which also crop out in banks extending down to the river.

This conglomerate consists of sand and gravel that
Ingalls. have been cemented by calcium carbonate, which

Elevation 2,665 feet, was in solutiou in watcrs percolating through the
K°^a^s City 393 mnes. dcposits. It marks the course of river channels that

crossed the region in late Tertiary time and deposited
the materials of the Great Plains. There are other exposures of this
conglomerate at intervals farther west nearly to Garden City.

A prominent ledge of this rock that crops out close to the railway
2 miles west of Pierceville is known as Point of Rocks. At this place

there were several Indian fights. Toward Garden
Pierceville. City (see sheet 7, p. 44) the Arkansas Valley widens,

Elevation 2,752 feet, the bluff ou the uorth sidc receding northward and

Population 477.* -i • j. i i t_ • i .• £

Kansas City 405 miles, becommg a gentle slope, which contmues for sev-
eral miles west.
Garden City, the seat of Finney County, has wide streets, with many
shade trees, orchards, and garden plots sustained by irrigation. It is
the center of an extensive beet-sugar industry, and
Garden City. g^ large refinery is prominent in the northern part of
Elevation 2,829 feet, the towu. In 1914 about 50,000 tons of beets were
Kansas City 418 miles, workcd at the refinery, yielding 13,000,000 pounds of
sugar. The pulp is used for cattle feed. Several
canals bring water from Arkansas River, not only for irrigation in the

40

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

town but for many fields and orchards in the surrounding region.
Two electric-power plants furnish power for pumping at a low rate.

At several places in the vaUey individuals and the heet-sugar
company have been pumping water from shallow weUs for irrigating
crops and in general the results are satisfactory. Some of the wells
yield 2,000 gallons a minute, and the supply appears adequate.

Near Garden City an irrigation project of the United States Recla-
mation Service, utilizing the underflow, or water contained in the sands
and gravels of the low lands along the river, has been carried out.
The plant is installed at Deerfield, 15 miles west of Garden City, where
a number of shallow wells sunk in line across the vaUey are pumped
to supply water for a ditch that extends along the north slope of the
vaUey to Garden City and beyond. The cost of pumping is low
because the surface of the water is not far beneath the bottom of
the valley and the volume is large. Of late, however, the persons
for whom the water was provided have found that it costs more
than they desire to pay, so that the operation of the plant has been
suspended.

The people in the Arkansas Valley in western Kansas have been
asserting for many years that since the river water has been used so
extensively for irrigation in Colorado the underflow in Kansas has
greatly diminished. This matter was in a degree involved in the
famous suit in the Supreme Court for an injunction against the State
of Colorado in 1901-1907. Many experts testified for the defense
that the main body of underflow was derived from the slopes adjoining
the valley and that its volume was not closely related to the amount
of water flowing down the river, except possibly for a few rods from
the banks. Detailed observations at the wells at Deerfield and other
test wells sunk by the Government proved that the line of flow in the
vaUey deposits was mainly from the sides toward the middle.^ The

^ A detailed investigation on the under-
flow in the Arkansas River valley in Kan-
sas was made in 1904 by the United States
Geological Survey. It was found that
near Garden City the water table of this
valley slopes downstream, and from the
bluff lands in toward the river during ordi-
nary stages. If, however, the river be-
came flooded by heavy rains to the west
without corresponding rains in the vicin-
ity of Garden City the water table near the
channel was raised and water spread
from the river channel into the sands of
the river valley, but only for a short dis-
tance. It was further ascertained that a
heavy rain at Garden City would mate-
rially raise the water table in the valley

with surprising quickness. The general
results were as follows:

''The underflow of Arkansas River
moves at an average rate of 8 feet per 24
hours in the general direction of the
valley.

"The water plane slopes to the east at
the rate of 7.5 feet per mile and toward
the river at the rate of 2 to 3 feet per
mile.

"The moving ground water extends
several miles north from the river valley.
No north or south limit was found.

"The rate of movement is very uni-
form.

"The underflow has its origin in the
rainfall on the sand hills south of the

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THK

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Alias Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David White. Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Ejc/i quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the
lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U S. G. S. Topographic
Sheet 0/ thai name

100-

EXPLANATION

A Kiver deposits Alluvium

B Sand dune. - - .looj ^"■*'""

C Sand, loam, and white jrit- -- - -— 150 Tertiary

D Limestone, slabby Greenhorn-

E Shale, dark

F Sandstone, gray-- Dakot*- -200.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

41

thickness of the sands and gravels in this region ranges from a few feet
to 400 feet, the thickness found in a boring in Garden City.

West of Garden City the traveler is fairly within the semiarid zone
of the western United States, where there are large areas of pubHc
lands still available for settlement. On the plains and in the valleys
the soil is rich, but in many places there is a lack of the water neces-
sary for irrigation.

The settlers in the western counties of Kansas have had many vicis-
situdes, mainly caused by their constant struggle against the semi-
arid climate. After the terrible drought of 1860 thousands of set-
tlers left the State. Those following the pioneers who failed in
western Kansas have attacked their problems of home making with
no more earnestness but with much greater success, owing to their
better knowledge of the climate, of the available arid-land crops,
and of methods of tillage. The dry and somewhat uncertain climate
has been the greatest obstacle to permanent settlement on millions
of acres of unirrigated land not only in western Kansas but in
adjoining similar regions in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South
Dakota. The grain sorghums, such as Kafir, millo, and feterita,
thrive under conditions of aridity and drought where corn is either
a partial or a total failure. In 1893 the acreage planted to grain
sorghums in Kansas was reported as well under 100,000 acres; in
1914 it was over 1,700,000 acres, and the average return per acre
was several dollars higher than that for corn. In all these States
the grain sorghums are now rapidly supplanting corn. Stock, how-
ever, is the principal resource of this region, for the country is gen-
erally covered with good grass which not only keeps cattle alive
but fattens them for market. It is said that under ordinary condi-
tions each head of stock requires from 5 to 10 acres of grazing land
and usually more or less feeding during the severe portions of the
winter.

river and on the bottom lands and plains
north of the river.

"The sand hills constitute an essential
part of the catchment area.

"The influence of the floods in the river
upon the ground-water level does not ex-
tend one-half mile north or south of the
channel.

"A heavy rain contributes more water
to the underflow than a flood.

"On the sandy bottom lands 60 per cent
of an ordinary rain reaches the water plane
as a permanent contribution.

"The amount of dissolved solids in the
underflow grows less with the depth and
with the distance from the river channel.

"There is no appreciable run-off in the
vicinity of Garden City, Kans. Practi-
cally all of the drainage is underground
through the thick deposits of gravels.

"Carefully constructed wells in Arkan-
sas Valley are capable of yielding very
large amounts of water. Each square foot
of percolating surface of the well strainers
can be relied upon to yield more Ihan 0.25
gallon of water per minute under 1-foot
head.

"There is no indication of a decrease in
the underflow at Garden City in the last
five years. The city well showed the
same specific capacity in 1904 that it had
in 1899. "

42 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

At Holcomb, 7 miles west of Garden City, may be noted on the

north side of the track a loader of the sort in general use for dumping

beets from wagons into the freight cars. The ordinary

crop of beets suitably irrigated is from 10 to 15 tons

Kama?citTl24mLs. ^^ the acre and they bring about $5.50 a ton at the

place of delivery. The tops are also sold for stock feed

at about $3 a ton. The cost of cultivation, harvesting, and handling

is $30 to $40 an acre. One ton of beets yields about 250 pounds of

refined sugar.

In the vicinity of Garden City and farther west the sand hills are
very conspicuous south of the Arkansas, where they cover a district
from 15 to 18 miles wide. This sand has been blown out of the river
bed by the prevailing northwest winds. The sand is in a thick sheet,
but is blown into dunes and dunelike ridges separated by irregular
winding basins. Some of the dunes are 50 to 60 feet high, and many
of them have crater-like holes blown out of their tops. Much of the
sand-hill area contains bunch grass and kindred plants, but other
portions are bare and the sand continues to be blown farther from
the river with every strong wind, while new supplies are added from
the river bed. This process can readily be seen on a windy day.

West of Holcomb the part of the valley north of the river narrows
somewhat, but the slopes are gentle and are mostly covered with
crops, so that there are no exposures of the underly-
Deerfield. ing formations. In this vicinity and at Deerfield

Elevation 2,935 feet, the uorth sido of the vallcy presents a broad second
Kri^'cRy Similes, t^rrace or step, 50 to 100 feet higher than the river
flats, a feature not common along this river. A few
rods east of Deerfield station and just south of the tracks is the
pumping station of the United States Reclamation Service, where
water has been pumped from a series of shallow weUs as already
described. For a mile west of Deerfield the railway is close to the
river, and the banks show thick beds of loam and sand of the later
river deposits. Northwest of Deerfield is Lake McKirmey, a large
reservoir supplied mainly by ditches from the river above Lakin. Its
water is used for irrigation in a wide district south and northeast of
Deerfield.

Near Lakin the higher lands of the plains approach the river from
the north, and in the next 2 miles the steep slopes rising to them are
near the track. These sandy slopes present widely
Lakin. scattered outcrops of a white grit rock of Tertiary

Elevation 2,991 feet. age. One conspicuous outcrop of this rock is north of
Kansisat/440 miles. ^^® track, 5 J miles west of Lakin, where a knoll is
capped by it. In this region there are occasional
shallow railroad cuts in the alluvial materials of the vaUey fill.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 43

Beyond Hartland the valley is narrowed greatly by the encroach-
ments of high lands on the north and of the wide belt of sand hills on

the south. The plain to the north is nearly 200 feet
Hartland. above the valley and is a smooth expanse character-

Elevation 3,049 feet, istic of the Great Plains in general. Southwest of
Si"a?citv 447^miies Hartland the Government set aside a part of the sand

hills as a national forest for the cultivation of trees,
but this area will be open to agricultural settlement after November,
1915. Just west of Hartland is the well-known Chouteaus Island,
at a ford across the Arkansas. Here, in 1817, a French trader named
Chouteau took refuge from the Indians, finally escaping. It was in
this vicinity that Maj. Riley encamped in 1829 with the battalion
that formed the first caravan escort sent out by the United States.
On the other side of the river the battalion was met by a Mexican
escort dispatched by the Mexican Government. In 1828 a party of
travelers cached $10,000 in silver at this place, being too exhausted
to carry it farther. A year later they went back and recovered it.

A short distance west of Hartland shales and limestone of Cre-
taceous age rise above the valley bottom and continue in sight on the
north side of the track far westward into Colorado. The surface
on which the deposits of the Great Plains were laid down was in
places somewhat irregular. In this vicinity there was a hill of Cre-
taceous material to the west and a deep hollow in the region on the
east, as has been disclosed by the excavation of the Arkansas VaUey
by later erosion through the Tertiary gravels into Cretaceous deposits.
Two miles west of Hartland a slight arching up of the beds brings
into view the Dakota sandstone, which crops out in a short line of
low cliffs on the south bank of the river at the edge of the sand hills.
North of the track in this vicinity, near milepost 437, a short distance
east of Sutton siding, the railway is on the steep bank of the river
and passes through deep cuts affording excellent exposures of the
top beds of the Graneros shale, capped by the Greenhorn limestone
at a plane about 20 feet above the tracks. These rocks are of Upper
Cretaceous age. The shale is dark gray and mostly in thin layers.
About 20 feet below its top are two hard layers consisting largely
of shells of a small oyster {Ostrea congesta, a species which also
occurs in large numbers in the Niobrara group). The overlying
Greenhorn limestone, named from Greenhorn Creek, in Colorado,

where it is extensively exposed, is soft and earthy
Kendall. and weathers to a light-yellow tint. It crops out

Elevation 3,123 feet, at intervals to Kendall and beyond, but near Mayline
Kan"at cuy 458 mues. ^^d for a short distance farther west is hidden by

wash on the slopes and the gravel and sand of a
narrow terrace which borders the valley in that vicinity. This gravel
has been dug extensively for baUast for the railway in pits a short

44

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

distance north of the tracks. The Greenhorn limestone is excavated
for building stone in several quarries of considerable size a mile north-
west of Syracuse, all visible from the railway.

Fort Aubrey, near Kendall, was one of the old forts garrisoned with
troops to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.

S3rracuse is one of the larger villages of western Kansas and was
long the center of extensive cattle interests before the range was
broken up by homesteaders. It was settled in 1872
Syracuse. by a colony from Syracuse, N. Y. The Santa Fe

Elevation 3,220 feet. Trail passcs through the village, where a granite
Kansas Sty 469 inues. marker cau be seen at the railway station. S^rracuse
has a picturesque hotel, named after the famous
Cherokee half-breed Sequoyah. This Indian after being crippled in
an accident turned his attention to sedentary pursuits. His great
achievement was the invention of an alphabet founded upon the sylla-
bles of the Cherokee language. This was eagerly adopted by the
chiefs of that tribe, and in a few months thousands of the Indians
could read and write it. Sequoyah took part also in the organization
of the reunited Cherokecs into their new Cherokee Nation in Indian
Territory, now Oklahoma.

At Syracuse the north side of the Arkansas Valley has slopes of
soft impure limestone and shale, mostly covered with grass but in
places exhibiting low cliffs of white Greenhorn limestone. Although
soft and not very thick-bedded, it is useful for building stone, and
it has been burned into lime to some extent. A part of this lime-
stone consists of minute shells, called Foraminifcra, because their
shell coverings are full of pores or small holes. These tiny animals
existed in large numbers in the sea from wliich the material in tliis
limestone was deposited. Shells of extinct sea-living mollusks,
somewhat similar to our oysters and clams, are also included in it,
which indicates that this area was under the water of a sea or arm
of the ocean in later Cretaceous time. This iimndation covered a
large portion of western America, for these limestones and shales
occupy many thousands of square miles in western Kansas, eastern
Colorado, New Mexico, and other States on the north and south,
and it continued for a long time.^

1 Under the Greenhorn limestone is
about 200 feet of dark shale (the Graneros)
which is penetrated by many borings
in the Arkansas Valley. This shale
was clay or mud deposited in the sea
in the earlier stage of the submergence
above referred to, but the material of the
Greenhorn limestone, very largely cal-

cium carbonate, was separated from the
water by animal and chemical processes
at a time when the water was relatively
clear or had ceased depositing clay. This
water remained clear during the long
time required for the accumulation of a
deposit now represented by 50 to 60 feet
of limestone.

BULLETIN 613

SHEET 7

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Gwlogical Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignmente and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and SanU Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assisUnce of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David White. Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief G«0(fTipher

1915

Each qutdnngle ihown on Ihe m»p with a name in pannthasis in the
lower hit corner is mapped :n detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic
Sheet 0/ thai name.

<g/?<7^/vo PfforrLM:

=^rS- gedlb^a

RELATIONS OF ROCKS ALONG SANTA FE RAILWAY BETWEEN GARDEN CITY AND MEOWAY

.^

^<

,^'

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. • 45

A quarry in the Greenhorn limestone is visible from the railway
a short distance west of Syracuse, and low bluffs of the rock appear
at intervals to and beyond Medway siding. The table-land above the
slope on the north side of the valley is capped by the great sheet of
Tertiary deposits already mentioned. The low white chffs appearing
at many points near the top of this slope consist of the characteristic
grit of these deposits. On the south side of the valley is the broad
zone of sand hills which continues to and beyond Coolidge.

East of Coolidge (see sheet 8, p. 48) and for a short distance west
of it there are scattered ledges of Greenhorn limestone along the foot
of the slope on the north side of the valley, but most
Coolidge, Kans. gf the slopes are gentle and grass-covered, as the
Elevation 3,341 feet, rocks are too soft to form prominent bluffs.
xTsi^'s^cuySt miles. CooUdgc was named for T. J. CooUdge, a former
president of the Santa Fe Railway Co. It is near the
eastern limit of the Arkansas Valley artesian area, in which flowing
wells are obtained along the bottom lands nearly as far west as
the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The artesian condition ends on
the east because finally, through leakage of water to the surface, the
head becomes too low to afford a flow.

The State line between Kansas and Colorado is crossed six-tenths
of a mile beyond milepost 470.

Colorado has an area of 103,948 square miles and contains varied
physical features and many natural resources. Its eastern part lies
on the higher portion of the Great Plains, and its
Colorado. Western part includes a broad area in the higher

portion of the Rocky Mountains. Numerous rivers
afford water for irrigation, by which large crops are produced in many
districts; the mountains have productive mines of gold, silver, and
other metals; thick beds of coal occur in several regions; and wide
areas are utilized for stock raising. More than 200 of the moimtain
peaks in central Colorado are higher than 13,000 feet above the sea,
and 40 are over 14,000 feet. The highest are Elbert and Massive
mountains, in Lake County, each of which rises 14,402 feet.

When the early Spanish explorers passed through Colorado they
found no people, but ruins of many habitations. Lieut. Pike dis-
covered the Rocky Mountains in 1806 and Col. Long visited them in
1820. Fremont crossed this range in the northern part of the State
in 1843. Part of the area was included in the Louisiana Purchase,
part was included in the Republic of Texas, and the remainder was
ceded by Mexico in 1848. Settlement began in 1858, when the dis-
covery of gold at Platte River, near the site of Denver, drew a large
tide of immigrants. The Territory of Colorado, which was organized
38590°— Bull. 613—16 i

46

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

in 1861, included portions of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and
Utah. The Civil War and depredations by Indians greatly retarded
its development, but in 1876 the State was admitted to the Union.
In 1910 the population was 799,024 and the density 7.7 to the mile,
or nearly twice as great as in the census of 1890.

HoUy is a center for ranch and cattle interests. Three-quarters of
a mile to the west, on the north side of the track, is a large beet-sugar

factoiy, utilizing the sugar beets which are raised
Holly, Colo. \yy irrigation in adjacent portions of the vaUey. The

Elevation 3,379 feet. Sauta Fe Trail passed through this place and its
Kansas cuy 490 miles, location is marked by a granite monument opposite

the station. A short distance to the south is an old
stone building built in 1873 for protection against Indians. In the
vicinity of Holly, and thence to iVmity, the valley slopes present few
rock outcrops excepting occasional ledges of nearly horizontal beds of
Greenhorn limestone.

The village of Amity was created by the industrial division of the
Salvation Army for the purpose of giving outdoor work to a colony of

250 persons connected with that organization. It
Amity. ^^g started as ''Fort Amity" in 1898, with a tract of

Elevation 3,410 feet. i gQO acrcs. Considerable land has been cultivated,

Kansas City 495 miles. • i /. i i ■ c i i

mainly lor the production oi sugar beets to send to
the factory at HoUy. The broad alluvial flats along the north side
of the river are especially suited to the cultivation of this plant,
which is irrigated by water brought in canals from higher up the
valley. This industry is increasing, and now there are six factories
between Pueblo, Colo., and Garden City, Kans., that have a total
capacity of about 5,000 tons of beets a day.

Just beyond milepost 480 the railway crosses Arkansas River, to
continue on the south bank to La Junta. A branch, however,
intended for local service in the valley, especially in connection with
the sugar-beet industry, leaves the main line at HoUy and follows
the north slope of the valley as far as Rocky Ford, famous for its
cantaloupes. In the Colorado portion of the Arkansas VaUey, which
the railway foUows to La Junta, about 205,000 acres is irrigated from
the river, and there are many ditches for distributing and several
large reservoirs for storing water. ^ Fruit, grain, vegetables (includ-
ing 27,350 acres of sugar beets), and forage crops are the principal
products.

^ The mean discharge of the Arkansas
at La Junta, determined by gagings by
the United States Geological Survey,
is 338 second-feet — that is, cubic feet a

second. In dry times the flow dimin-
ishes to less than 10 second-feet, and at
times of flood it haa exceeded 10,000
second-feet.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE.

47

Granada is built near the site of the great cattle depot of Trail City

in the days of the Santa Fe Trail. Here one of the principal trails

from Texas reached the river and large numbers of

Granada. southern cattle were delivered to herders, who drove

Elevation 3,438 feet, them to the northern ranches. In this vicinity the

Population 359. . . . . , ,, • , i i i n i i

Kansas City 501 miles, rivcr IS HI a Wide vallcy, With Icvcl iloor and long
slopes rising on each side to the table-lands of the
Great Plains. The railway is on the alluvial deposits, only a few feet
higher than the river. In the adjoining slopes are outcrops of
various rocks of the Cretaceous period. The relations of these rocks
are shown in the section on sheet 8 (p. 48). The beds form a basin-
like sag in the vicinity of Granada, so that the Greenhorn limestone
lies several hundred feet deep, and the overlying shales and limestones
constitute the surface. These shales (the Carlile), about 200 feet
thick, together with the overlying limestone (the Timpas), crop out
in low bluffs a short distance south of Granada, as well as in the
slopes on the north side of the vaUey. The limestone is quarried to
some extent for building stone and lime. It is soft and chalky and is
very similar to the Greenhorn limestone in most respects, but occurs
in somewhat thicker beds.^ A 1,000-foot weU at Granada obtains
water from the Dakota sandstone, underlying the Graneros shale,
but the pressure is not great enough to afford a flow, as in the many
borings farther up and down the valley.

West of Granada the rocks rise gradually. In the vicinity of

Grote siding the Greenhorn limestone comes up again, although near

the river it is covered by the alluvial deposits which

Grote. floor the valley. Near milepost 496 the Dakota

Elevation 3,486 feet, saudstouc rcachcs the surface, and except for a short

Kansas City 507 miles. ,. . n i i i

distance at Lamar it appears all along the lower por-
tion of the vaUey slopes to Las Animas and beyond. The structural
relations of the strata which result in the cropping out of the Dakota
sandstone are shown in the section on sheet 8.

1 The Timpas limestone contains im-
pressions of shells and large numbers of
Foraminifera, showing that it was de-
posited by the sea under conditions very
similar to those which prevailed during
the time of the deposition of the Green-
horn limestone.

There is in this succession of limestone
and shale formations an interesting chap-
ter in geologic history, the Graneros and
Carlile shales consisting of deposits from
muddy water and the Greenhorn and
Timpas limestones consisting of deposits
from waters containing but little clay or

sand in suspension. These conditions
were widespread over a great extent of
the plains country east of the Rocky
Mountains, for this repeated alternation
of shale and limestone is general through-
out the area. During this time there
was a great variety of life in the waters,
as shown not only by large numbers of
shells but remains of fish and reptiles,
especially in the Niobrara beds. A
restoration of one of the most remarkable
creatures is shown in Plate Y, B. This
restoration was based on bones found in
the Niobrara rocks in western Kansas.

48 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Between mileposts 495 and 496 there is a long railway cut 5 to 10
feet deep, through loam with interspersed beds of bowlders, gravel,
and sand of the alluvial deposils that floor the valley and constitute a
terrace slightly higher than the river flat to the east and west. The
material was deposited by the river a few thousand years ago, and
the variations in coarseness and texture were caused by alternations
of swifter and slower currents, the former bringing coarse materials
and the latter depositing silt and sand. Changes of channel are fre-
quent in Arkansas River, as in many other large streams. A notable
illustration of such a change is visible halfway between mileposts 496
and 497, where a new channel has been cut by a recent flood.

Lamar, the seat of Prowers County, was named for L. Q. C. Lamar,

a former Secretary of the Interior. It has extensive agricultural

and cattle interests in the surrounding country.

^^^^^- Besides several mills and factories, the to^vn has a large

Elevation 3,577 feet, milk-condensing plant, supplied bv manv dairy farm-

Population 2,977. . ^. . . ^/ ' _,\\ ^ . *^ ... *^. -^

Kansas City 518 mues. ers m the viciuity. In 1914 the milk of 2,000 cows
was being condensed. There is also a beet-sugar fac-
tory here, but of late it has not been in operation because the farmers
in this vicinity have come to the conclusion that beet raising is not
sufficiently profitable for them. Bees are kept in large numbers,
and honey is an important local product.

Very few rocks are visible in the vicinity of Lamar, although
ledges of the Dakota sandstone appear in some of the slopes south-
east of the town and at many places farther west along the valley.
This rock becomes conspicuous in the river bluffs at Prowers and west
of that place on both sides of the stream. It is exposed along or near
the railway from milcpost 509, Ih miles east of Prowers, nearly to
Las Animas. Near milepost 520 the railway cuts expose shale, which
separates some of the beds of Dakota sandstone at most localities.
The predominant features of the formation, however, are the cliffs of
massive coarse gray sandstone. This material is used to some extent
as a building stone, although much of it is too slabby or irregular in
texture or color to be of any great value for that purpose.

Caddo a derives its name from the linguistic family of which the

Pawnee and Wichita Indians of this vicinity were branches. Here

the immediate river vaUey is narrow, bluffs of Dakota

Caddoa. sandstone rising from the alluvial flat near the stream

Elevation 3,758 feet, q^ i^^th sidcs. To the uorth these bluffs are sur-

Population 329.* . j i • i x ^ • 4-1. 1

Kansas City 537 miles, mouuted by an irrcgular terrace covered with gravel
and sand, and to the south they are interrupted by
sandy slopes partly occupied by dunes. A well at Caddoa, bored 582
feet deep, passed through the Dakota sandstone but did not obtain
a very satisfactory water supply in its lower portion, and the water
did not have sufficient pressure to come to the surface.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topek* and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
D«vid White, Chief G«olop»t R. B. Marshall. Chief Geojrrapher

1915

Etch quadrangle shown on ih» map with a name in parenthesis in the
lower le/i corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. 0. S. Topographic

Sheet 0/ that name.

EXPLANATION

A Gravel and sand

B Limestone and limy i

KANSAS - COLORADO

Scale 500.006
Approximately 8 rnile» tc

D Limestone, slabby Greenhori

E Shale, dark Graneros

F Sandstone fstippled pattern) Dakota

Note: Sand and gravel (alluvium)

Cretaceous

(Upper
Cretaceous)

, rMilroad* »r» tpmetd I

Grave/

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

49

Opposite Hilton siding (see sheet 9, p. 54), about three-quarters
of a mile beyond milepost 526, is old Fort Lyon, a well-known mili-
tary post on the Santa Fe Trail, which was an important depot of
supplies. A regiment of soldiers was garrisoned there to give pro-
tection to travelers. The old fort is on the top of the bluff of Dakota
sandstone on the north side of the river, and the few remaining
buildings are plainly visible from the railway. They are now
utilized as a United States naval sanitarium. Seven miles northeast
of this fort a boring was sunk 815 feet by the United States Govern-
ment in 1881 to test the underground-water conditions. It cost
more than $18,000 and obtained only a very small flow of water, but
it gave considerable information as to the succession of strata.

At milepost 534 the railway crosses Purgatoire River, which flows
from the south and drains a large area of the western Great Plains in
southeastern Colorado; the railway reaches it again at Trinidad.
This river was named Rio de las Animas Perdidas (river of lost souls)
by the Spaniards because of the loss of a party of travelers in its
treacherous waters. The French visitors translated this to Pur-
gatoire, which the frontiersmen pronounce and spell '^Picketwire,"
and that name is now in local use.

Las Animas (ahn'ee-mas), the seat of Bent County, derives its
name from the Spanish name for Purgatoire River. It is said
that from this locahty in 1806 Lieut. Zebulon Pike
Las Animas. first saw the peak which now bears his name.^ One
Elevation 3,856 feet, of the principal iudustrics of Las Animas is a large
Kan^S^cityfsfmUes bect-sugar factory, the beets for which are raised at
man}^ places in the vicinity by means of irrigation
from ditches extending along the north side of the vaUey. Besides
beets, of which the yield is 25 tons to the acre, much wheat is pro-
duced here, and aU along the vaUey from Las Animas to Rocky
Ford the famous Rocky Ford cantaloupes are raised.

On the outskirts of Las Animas, not far west of the station, on the
south side of the track, is a small settlement of Mexicans hving in
characteristic adobe houses. This is the first of these settlements
to be observed on the Santa Fe route, but they are very numerous
through southwestern Colorado and New Mexico. The old home of
the noted scout Kit Carson, at Las Animas, is stiU in existence, and
another survivor of the old days is the stage coach in which Horace
Greeley toured the West in 1859.

^ Pike's expedition ascended
River and crossed the country northwest-
ward to the Pawnee Republic, in Republic
County, Kans., where he compelled the

Indians to haul down the Spanish flag.
He then proceeded south westward to Great
Bend, Kans., and ascended the Arkansas
to the foot of the mountains in Colorado.

50

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

A few miles west of Las Animas, on the north bank of the river,
was Bents Fort,^ a noted place on the Santa Fe Trail. This fort was
very prominent in the days when the Army of the West marched
through in 1846, but it was demolished in 1852 because the Govern-
ment would not purchase it at the price asked. The building was a
very large (180 by 135 feet) one-story structure 15 feet high, with
walls 4 feet thick, situated several miles above the junction of Purga-
toire and Arkansas rivers, where the trail crossed Arkansas River.
In early days the Arkansas was the northern boundary of Mexico
westward from a point near Fort Dodge. On crossing the river the
caravans passed from the protection of United States troops to that
of Mexican soldiers.

Five miles west of Las Animas the railway approaches bluffs of
dark Graneros shale capped by the Greenhorn limestone, which extend
along the south bank of the river for some distance to the west. A
slight westerly dip finally carries the shale below the surface of the
alluvial fiUing of the valley, but cHffs or ledges of the hmestone are
almost continuous nearly to La Junta. These ledges consist of
alternating thin beds of limestone and dark shale, a feature which is
highly characteristic of this formation and is shown in Plate VI
(p. 52). In an exposure 20 feet high there may be thirty alterna-
tions of such* beds. This feature indicates that, at the time of their
deposition, there were rapid and repeated changes from muddy
water, depositing dark clay, to clear water, from which the calcium
carbonate, now represented by the limestone, was separated. It is
thought that these changes were due to changes in climatic condi-
tions. As this feature is characteristic of the Greenhorn limestone
in a region more than 2,000 miles from north to south and 500 miles
from east to west in the Great Plains province, it shows that the
conditions of deposition were uniform over a wide area.

On the north side of the river flat west of Las Animas is the edge
of a table-land showing bluffs at intervals, in which are many smaU
outcrops of the Timpas hmestone, a formation about 200 feet higher
in the geologic column than the Greenhorn. Outlying areas of this
table-land some distance south of the tracks may be seen at intervals
for 6 miles. A few rods east of milepost 552 a small canyon south

^ The Bent family was prominent in
frontier history and established succes-
sive trading posts, each known as Bents
Fort, among the Indians. The original
post, up the river toward Pueblo, Colo.,
was built in 1828. The fur- trading firm
of Bent & St. Vrain was next in size to
the American Fur Co. Charles Bent
was appointed Territorial governor of
New Mexico by Gen. Kearney when

the Army of the West took possession
of Santa Fe. William Bent, one of the
brothers, was a *' squaw man," having
married the daughter of a Cheyenne
chief. His son, after receiving a good
education in St. Louis, gathered about
him a band of savage Indians and
became so dangerous an outlaw that
the Government offered $5,000 for his
capture.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

51

of the railway shows the characteristic alternation of shale and lime-
stone beds in the Greenhorn limestone.

La Junta (hoon'ta), the seat of Otero County, is a railway division
point where all trains stop for change of engine and meals are
served. Here also the hne for Colorado Springs and
La Junta. Denver branches off, continuing westward up the

Elevation 4,046 feet. Valley of Arkansas Kiver to Pueblo. La Junta is a
KrlX^^miie. very old town for this part of the country. Seventy
years ago it was an important tradmg center on the
Santa Fe Trail which crossed the river a short distance below and
from La Junta continued southwest near the line of the present rail-
way to Trinidad. A stone monument a block south of the station
marks its location in La Junta. The principal industrial interests
here are the large railway shops, but the city also has the trade of
an extensive adjacent ranch country. The name is a Spanish term,
meaning junction, and refers to the convergence of the old trails at
this place. Much of the water supply of La Junta is obtained from
artesian wells sunk through the limestone and shales to the porous
Dakota sandstone, in which the water is under enough head to afford
a flow.

The long westward journey across the plains terminates a short
distance west of La Junta, and beyond may be seen the eastern
edge of the Rocky Mountain ranges, rising above the western edge
of the plains and extending from north to south, presenting a mag-
nificent panorama. The sight of these mountains cheered the hearts
of the overland wagon-train immigrants after their dreary marches
across the plains, and it still cheers the sons of the West as they
return to their mountain homes and also welcomes the stranger to
the Cordilleran country. These ranges extend 270 miles southward,
to Glorieta Pass, and in order to get around them the railway now
begins to turn in the same direction and will soon enter a region that
presents interesting phenomena along their foothill margin.

A short distance west of La Junta the route leaves the valley of
Arkansas River. It crosses the plains toward the foothills of the
Rockies, following a course nearly due southwest to Trinidad. It is
close to the old Santa Fe Trail all the way. There is a continuous
upgrade, at first on long, gentle slopes of the Timpas limestone,^ a
rock which appears in numerous cuts and small outcrops along the
track to and beyond Timpas siding.

^ The Timpas limestone, which was so
named from its occurrence on Timpas

Creek, is widespread in the central Great
Plains region and constitutes the lower
formation of the Niobrara group. The
principal body of limestone is from 50 to
60 feet thick in most places and grades

upward through 100 feet or more of limy
shales and thin-bedded limestone to the
Apishapa shale, the upper formaticiai of
the Niobrara group. The gray shales of
the Apishapa constitute the hills west of
Timpas siding and they are also crossed
by the railway farther southwest.

52

CUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Timpas.

Elevation 4,409 feet.
Kansas City 588 miles.

I I I

kk^^^^

.M

In this region the strata rise southwostward at a rate slightly
greater than that of the railway grade. This structure is sliown on
the cross section on sheet 9, which represents not only the attitude of
the rocks but also the relative thickness of the formations and facts
revealed by deep borings at intervals.

The old Santa Fe Trail passed 400 feet east of the site of the sta-
tion at Timpas. A short distance beyond this place the Timpas
Hmestone caps mesas ^ or buttes of considerable promi-
nence, especially along the east side of the track, and
a Httle farther southwest it extends southward in
a long hnc of low westward-facing chffs. Below these
cliffs are slopes of CarHle shale, at the foot of which, near Ayer, is
a bench of the Greenhorn Hmestone. Along this portion of the
valley of Timpas Creek, on both sides, are excellent exposures of
long, sloping mesas capped by the Timpas limestone. This rock,
g ^ though soft as rocks

go, is much harder
than the shales and
remains where the
overlying shale is
washed away. The
limestone caps pro-
ject in a chff presenting the greater part of the thickness of the
formation. Most of the mesas slope to the northeast because the
limestone dips in that direction.

From Symons to and beyond Bloom the ordinary features presented
in the Timpas Creek valley are a low, wide bench or shelf of Greenhorn
limestone at or near the bottom and a slope of about
200 feet of CarHle shale, rising to a cliff at the edge of
KaiLl?c\y'Si mnes ^^^ tabular surface of the mesa of Timpas Hmestone.
■ (SeePl.V,^,p. 29, andfig. 6.)
The areas of Timpas and Greenhorn Hmestones carry a smaU growth
of '' cedars" {Juniferus occidentalis), termed sabina by the people of
the country. The cane cactus {Opuntia arhorescens) becomes con-
spicuous in this vicinity and is abundant to the south and west through
Colorado and New Mexico, together with flat-leaved cactuses of
various species. (See footnote on pp. 155-156.)

The Dakota sandstone is exposed a short distance west of the rail-
way at milepost 590, being brought up by a low dome, as shown in the
cross section on sheet 9. The outcrop of this sandstone extends to
Delhi and beyond, with the adjoining higher slopes of shales and
Hmestone in a relation closely similar to those shown in figure 7.

Figure 6.— Section across Timpas Creek valley near Bloom, Colo.,
looking southwest, a, Timpas limestone; h, Carlile shale; c.
Greenhorn limestone; d, draneros shale.

Bloom.

^Mesa (may^sa), a Spanish word mean-
ing table, is applied to a flat-topped butte
or hill, while one that has a sloping tabu-

lar surface is called a cuesta (kways^ta),
from one of the Spanish words for hill.

UJ -
DC ^

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE VII

A. WEST SPANISH PEAK, COLO, FROM THE NORTHEAST.
Dikes of igneous rock in foreground. Flat-lying Tertiary rocks in middle slope of the naountain.

B. DIKE OF IGNEOUS ROCK FORMING NARROW WALL, SPANISH PEAKS, COLO.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 53

At Delhi the raHway crosses the Santa Fe Trail, the old wheel
tracks of which are plainly visible in the slope rising to the west. A
few rods west of Delhi a deep canyon cuts through the
Delhi. Dakota sandstone and exposes the beds of the shales

Elevation 5,042 feet, and sandstoncs of the underlying Purgatoire forma-
Kansas City 607 miles. ^. ^^ ^^^^^^ Crctaccous) . At Wcst siding the Dakota
sandstone again appears in the bottom of the valley west of the rail-
wav, and from a point a few miles south of West to and beyond
*^ Thatcher the rail-

NW.

s^- ^ way runs along the

a 1. j I i.jg^ § top of this sandstone

and the lower edge
of the Graneros
shale is a few rods

Figure 7.-Section across Timpas Creek valley at Thatcher Colo look- ^^^ ^^^^^ rpj^g

ing southwest, a, Tirapas limestone; b,Carlile shale, with sandstone • A i^ a

Tt topTc, Gr;eni;om iLestone; d, Graneros shale; ., Dakota sand- feature IS due tO a

stone; /, Purgatoire formation. shght Upward arch-

ing of the beds that are cut into by the valley. The relations of the
formations in this vicinity are shown in figure 7.

A short distance east of Thatcher is a bench of Greenhorn limestone
with scattered junipers, and at the top of the mesa beyond is the
Timpas hmestone with numerous junipers, ihe old
Thatcher. Santa Fe Trail extends southwestward along the west

Elevation 5,400 feet, slope of tho Valley in this viciuity, its course being
Population 37.* marked by a granite monument a mile west oi

Kansas City 616 miles. ^^^^^^^^^ ^ f ^^ ^l^s farther southwcst the railway

again crosses the trail. i t^ i . j

Southwest of Thatcher the railway passes from the Dakota sand-
stone across the Graneros shale, the bench of Greenhorn limestone
and the slope of Carlile shale, reaching the summit of the plateau ot
Timpas limestone a short distance beyond Simpson siding. (See
sheet 10, p. 62.) The smooth surface of this plateau extends for 10
miles or more southwestward along the railway, rising gradually.
From its summit are visible far to the west the Spanish Peaks (PL
VII, A), two symmetrical cones rising in front of the main range of
the Rocky Mountains, which are conspicuous in the background.
During much of the year the higher summits of aU these peaks and
mountains show considerable snow. _

The Spanish Peaks consist of large masses of igneous rocks which
were intruded in molten condition into the sandstones and shales at
the foot of the Eocky Mountains. (See fig. 8, p. 54.) The east peak
is 12,708 feet high and the west peak 13,623 feet. They were
called Wahatoya by the Indians and Los Dos Hermanos (the two
brothers) by tlie Spanish. It is to be regretted that the distinctive

54 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Indian name has not been retained, especially as there are other
Spanish Peaks in the West. A ri^markahh^ feature of this intrusion is
the large number of narrow dikes of the igneous rocks, mostly branch-
ing from the large masses through cracks in the sedimentary strata
and extending out in every direction for many miles from the. foot
of the peaks. Owing to their hardness they stand above the surface
as narrow walls in many places. One of these is shown in Plate
VII, B. The sandstones and shales adjoining the larg(T igneous
masses are baked and otherwise altered by the heat of the intrusion
and are considerably upturned.

Half a mile north of Tyrone a granite marker just east of the track

indicates the location of the old Santa Fe Trail. Behind the Spanish

Peaks rise the main Rocky Mountains, here called

Tyrone. Sangre de Cristo Range (sahn'gray day cris'to, Span-

Eievation .-5,520 feet. [^]^ f^yj. bi^od of Christ). Fishcrs Peak, east of Trini-

Kansas City 624 miles. , , . n ••tip i i rr^

dad, IS also visible irom the plateau about lyrone, but
is almost straight ahead of the line of railway. Five miles beyond

West Peak East Peak

i=— -SSi=^

y?5:;^^^^^Dike^

i?f;;A';,^;.

^Si=^i-5ii__

;^^^^^g-S^^^^-^^^— ^"

> ?V--~-^^c:^-^-^^^^^=^5::~^^F— -^ ~ ■ —

Figure 8.— Section through Spanish Peaks, west of Tyrone, Colo. , looking north. Underground relations

largely hypothetical.

Tyrone the train enters a wide area of shale (Apishapa) lying nearly
level and extending to Hoehne siding. The shale includes limy
layers, some of them of light color and many of them weathering to
a light-y(dlow tint. One of the best exposures is in a ditch north of
the track, near milepost 620, where the unweathen^d shale is black.
The water of this ditch is brought from Purgatoire River, some dis-
tance to the southwest, and serves to irrigate a small area about the
new village of Poso, which is at milepost 615.

Beyond Earl the route crosses a low ridge of Apishapa shale and

thence southwestward descends into the vaUey of Purgatoire River,

the west side of which is foUowed to Trinidad. This

^^^^* stream, which was passed farther east at Las Animas,

Elevation 5,673 feet, brings considerable water from the mountains west of

Kansas City 634 miles. ™, . . , , , . . ,, , . pi

Irinidad and is especially subject to ireshets, some
of which cause great damage along the lower part of the valley.
The greatest known flood, in 1904, had a volume of 45,000 second-
feet. In 1912 nearly 36,000 acres of land was irrigated by water
from this stream, most of it in the region between Trinidad and Las
Animas.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE.

55

At Hoehne a broad area of the Pierre shale ^ is entered. It extends
to the base of the cHffs of Trinidad sandstone, 10 to 15 miles west
Hoehne. ^^^ south of Hoehne. A short distance beyond

Elevation 5,706 feet. Hidepost 627 is a narrow dike of igneous rock, prob-
popuiation 852.* ably an extension of one of those connected with the
Kansas City 642 miles, ^j^^j-^g^^j^ ^f ^]^^ igncous mass in the Spanish Peaks.

On account of the hardness of the rock, this dike makes a low but
conspicuous ridge a short distance west of the railway.

At Elmoro are extensive ovens in which the coal of the Trinidad
field is made into coke,^ for use in blast furnaces and smelters. Many
Mexicans reside in the vicinity of Elmoro and Trini-
Elmoro. dad. Some of them belong to the order of ''Peni-

Eievation 5,833 feet, tcutes," who from intense religious zeal suffer flagel-
Kami^c^y 64*mnes l^^tiou and othcr forms of bodily punishment, even to
crucifixion. Many Mexicans in southern and central
New Mexico belong to this order.

Trinidad is a railway division point where all trains stop, some of
them for meals at the Hotel Cardenas (car'day-nas), built in the
mission style. The hotel is named in honor of Garcia
Lopez de Cardenas, who accompanied Coronado's ex-
pedition and was sent by him to find the great river
of which the Indians spoke. This was the Colorado
in the Grand Canyon, and Cardenas was the first
wliite man to see it.

Trinidad owes much of its importance to the coal mining in the
surrounding hills. It is also a railway center, and there are many
ranches in the adjoining region which bring considerable trade. It
is the terminus of a branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and

Trinidad.

Elevation 5,967 feet.
Population 10,204.
Kansas City 652 miles

^ The Pierre shale is about 1,200 feet
thick. It consists of a remarkably uni-
form succession of thin layers of compact
dark-gray to black clay, representing a
large part of the later Cretaceous succes-
sion in a wide area of the central Great
Plains. It was deposited while this broad
area continued to be occupied by the sea,
the limy sediments of the Apishapa being
succeeded by the almost pure clay of
which the Pierre shale consists. As the
material was a sediment from muddy
waters, it was undoubtedly deposited
slowly, and therefore a long time was re-
quired for the accumulation of so thick a
body of it. Its marine origin is indicated
by numerous remains of shells of many
kinds which lived only in sea water. The
Pierre shale is not well exposed along the
Santa Fe route, for, owing to its softness.

it has been washed down into gentle
slopes, mostly covered with sod.

2 Coke is the product obtained ]3y the
distillation or partial combustion of cer-
tain grades of bituminous coal in retorts,
or ovens, at high temperatures. WTien
the process is one of partial combustion,
as in ovens, it is accomplished by the
admission of a limited supply of air into
the combustion chamber, the oxygen thus
supplied being sufficient for the com-
bustion of the volatile matter in the
coal only. In retorts the heat is applied
through flues on the outside of the retort
by the combustion of the gases distilled
from the coal. By either process the coal
is changed into the cellular, silvery pro-
duct known as "coke." In the Trinidad
region the former method is the only one
employed.

56 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

is on the line of the Colorado & Southern Railroad from Denver to
Texas.

At Trinidad the plains give place to the high, rugged foothills of
the Rocky Mountains. This change is due to the fact that here the
Pierre shale is overlain by the Trinidad sandstone, which is sur-
mounted by 2,000 feet of shales and sandstones that are resistant to
erosion. The shales and sandstones above the Trinidad sandstone
contain valuable deposits of coal. These coal-bearing rocks extend
along the foot of the mountains for many miles in southern Colorado
and southward for some distance in New Mexico. They are nearly
horizontal in the vicinity of Trinidad. The prominent mountain
mass southeast of Trinidad consists of coal measures and overlying
strata capped by a thick sheet of black lava (basalt), constituting
an extensive plateau with nearly flat top, known as Raton Mesa.
One spur of this mesa projecting northward for some distance is
named Fishers Peak after a German artillery officer who commanded
a battery in the Army of the West that camped at its foot in 1846.

5E.

Fishers Peak

Ry ^

i^Raton

NW.

M^.c^v^'m^^^^rr^-r^jm.

Coa/)

Raton formation ~^^~S^

format/on

b^

^:

==^^^

\ /^^^

Pierre

shale

Pierre shale -=

-^ -:^^^=

Coal

Figure 9.— Section through Trinidad, Colo., showing relations of rocks, looking southwest, a, Vermejo
formation with coal bed; b, Trinidad sandstone.

Its altitude is 9,586 feet, or more than 3,600 feet higher than Trinidad,
so that it is a conspicuous object for many miles north and east. It
is shown in Plate VIII. The mesa or plateau, which extends south
from this peak, has a relatively level top about 20 square miles in
area and is the remnant of a widespread lava flow that was poured
out over the surface prior to the excavation of the valleys that are
now so far below 'the mesa level. A portion of the same mesa,
extending far to the southeastward at nearly the same altitude (8,511
feet), is known as Bartlett Mesa. A section from Trinidad south-
eastward to Fishers Peak and through Raton Mesa is given in figure 9.
It is evident that many years have elapsed since the outflow of the
lava sheet capping these mesas, because an enormous mass of material
has been removed from the surrounding country, especially in the
lower region to the north and east. However, the lava is geologic-
ally of relatively recent age, being considerably later than the middle
of Tertiary time.

In the western part of Trinidad is a high ridge known as Simpsons
Rest. Upon it stands an obelisk marking the grave of George
Simpson, a noted moimtaineer and trapper.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE IX

WALL OF DAKOTA SANDSTONE WEST OF TRINIDAD, COLO.

Outcropping edge of sandstone upturned on east slope of Rocky Mountain uplift, Soft overlying shales to the
left of the ridge and red beds to the right.

THE SANTA FE EOUTE.

57

There are numerous coal mines in all the high hills adjoining
Trinidad. The principal centers are at Gray Creek and Engleville,
to the east; Starkville, Sopris, Cokedale, and Primero, to the south-
west; and Berwin, Hastings, Delagua, and other camps, to the north.
The coal field occupies a long, narrow basin of about 2,000 square
miles along the foot of the Rocky Mountains. This region contains
the largest and best deposits of bituminous coal west of Missouri
River.^

The most extensive coal bed lies just above the Trinidad sand-
stone, which crops out prominently in the bluffs about Trinidad.
This coal averages 6 feet in thickness but varies from place to place.
In some localities there are several other beds within a short vertical
distance. Most of the coal is of high rank and cokes satisfactorily.
The coke is shipped to the smelters at Pueblo and to other places.
Here and there in this coal field igneous rocks have been injected
between the beds, and where coal is near by it has been altered to
^ 'natural coke.'' The yearly output from the general Trinidad region
is given at about 6,000,000 tons of coal and 1,000,000 tons of coke.
Numerous coal beds also occur at intervals in the rocks above the
Trinidad sandstone, but they appear to be less widespread than the
lower coal beds. The coal in this field was discovered in 1821 by the
exploring expedition under Stephen H. Long, but it was not devel-
oped extensively until the Santa Fe Railway was built through and
coal was required for use in the locomotives. This region was the
scene of the long strike of coal miners in 1914, when serious conflicts
occurred between the strikers and the State troops and strike breakers.

At Trinidad two extra locomotives, a helper and a pusher, are
attached to the heavier trains to haul them up the steep grade to the
Raton Pass, 10 miles south of Trinidad. The rise is
1,636 feet and the maximum grade 3^ per cent. The
valley of the Purgatoire is followed for the first 2
miles to Jansen, where the line turns up the valley of
North Raton Creek to begin the mountain climb. To
the east, south, and west are cliffs or steep slopes (see Ph IX) and a
few miles to the southeast is Fishers Peak, In the vaUey occur scat-
tered outcrops of the black upper shales of the Pierre formation, sur-
mounted by cliffs of the massive gray Trinidad sandstone, about 100
feet thick, which underlies the coal measures. About IJ miles west

Jansen.

Elevation 6,058 feet.
Population 373 *
Kansas City 654 miles.

^ The coal-bearing rocks occur in two
formations. The lower one, known as the
Vermejo formation, is generally from 200
to 400 feet thick, and the upper one, the
Raton formation, is nearly 2,000 feet
thick. Both formations contain large
numbers of the remains of plants, those

of the Vermejo being of Cretaceous age
and those of the Raton of Tertiary age.
There was an interval of time between
the deposition of the Vermejo and that of
the Raton, with slight uplift and consid-
erable erosion, during which the lower coal
was removed over a considerable area.

58

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES,

Starkville.

of Jansen this sandstone crosses the valley, causing a cas(;a(le in the

creek just east of the railway. A mile farther along the sandstone is

quarried on the east side of the track.

There are coal mines at intervals in the slopes, especially to the

south, in the vicinity of Starkville, where there are several large
mines and numerous coke ovens. The principal
mmo here is one of the largest and oldest in the field.

Elevation 6,333 feet ^hc main Opening is in a gulch east of the railwav and

Jvansas C ity 657 miles. , . . *^

the mme entries extend eastward under the slopes of
Fishers Peak, emerging at EngleviUe, on the north side of the
mountain, 3 J miles to the northeast. The coal has been removed
from a largo area beneath the mountain. The coke ovens on the
east (left) side of the railway formerly presented a brilhant spec-
tacle at night, but they are no longer in use. At a point a mile
beyond Starkville there is a specially good view of Fishers Peak,
the summit of which is about 3 miles east of the railway. Half a
mile farther south the northern boundary of the Maxwell land grant,
originally the Beaubien and Miranda grant,^ is passed. This boundary
line is marked by a sign east of the railway.

As the train chmbs the slope toward Raton Pass, the landscape
changes greatly, for the high slopes present sandstone cliffs and
clumps of pines grow along many of the ledges. Some of the cliffs
are more than 100 feet high, notably in the vicinity of Gallinas siding.

At Morley a slight upward arching of the beds brings the top of the

Tiinidad sandstone and also the Pierre shale to view in the bottom

of the valley, and the coal bed in the overlying

Morley. Vermejo formation appears at the surface. There is

Elevation 6,748 feot. ouc large mine just east of the railway. Coal beds

Kansls^city Ge'rmues. ^^^P ^^^ ^ ^^^^^ distance bcyoud, on the west side of
the tracks, and also in the south portal of the tunnel
just beyond Wootton siding. Other higher bods crop out at intervals
in the next 2 miles.

^ This grant was one of the many large
concessions made by the Si)anish Govern-
ment to some of the early settlers in what
are now New Mexico and southern Colo-
rado. In the treaty with Mexico it was
provided that the United States should
recognize these grants, but as the bound-
aries were loosely defined and in some
grants were misrepresented by claimants,
there have been many contests over them.
The validity of this grant was contested
for many years, but title was finally estab-
lished by act of Congress. It includes
about 1,750,000 acres, lying mostly in

New Mexico, and it extends for 62 miles
along the Santa Fe Railway. The grant
came to Maxwell through his wife, the
daughter of Beaubien, one of the origi-'
nal holders. Maxwell was a famous figure
in the annals of the Southwest. For a
while he was a trapper, but later as a
scout with Fremont and others he was
the hero of daring episodes. He will
perhaps be remembered longest as the
host of "Maxwell's ranch," at Cimarron,
where he lived in considerable luxury
and entertained many of the passers-by
on the Santa Fe Trail,

TPIE SANTA FE ROUTE. 59

The rocks a few hundred feet north of Wootton have yielded largo
numbers of fossil plants including remains of magnolias and palms.
These indicate that when the formation was laid down the land sur-
faces which existed from time to time were covered by a semitropical
vegetation very different from the pines, junipers, oaks, and other
northern species which grow on the hillsides of this region to-day.

At Wootton was the home of ''Uncle Dick" Wootton, one of the

famous scouts of the early days when emigrants were passing through

the country and Indians were a source of great danger.

Wootton, Colo. rjv^Q Katon Mountains were also a favorite hold-up

Elevation 7,495 feet, place for highwaymen. Wootton was an associate

Kansas City 667 miles. ^„ ^-.., ^-i t -i i j? j.i -tl

of Kit Carson, and guided some oi the military
exploring parties. The portion of the wagon, road passing over the
Raton Pass was constructed by Wootton under charter from the
legislatures of Colorado and New Mexico, and for many years he
collected toll from those who traveled over it. Originally there
was only a mountain trail through the pass, and considerable labor
and expense were required to fit it for the passage of heavy wagons.
In the ascent on the north side of the pass it crossed Raton Creek 53
times. In 1846, when Gen. Kearney and the Army of the West
crossed these mountains on the way to take Santa Fe, it was neces-
sary to draw the wagons up and let them down by ropes. The
soldiers at this time were oU half and third rations. The remains
of Wootton's substantial adobe house, built somewhat like a south-
ern plantation home, are visible on the wagon road west of the track.
A short distance beyond Wootton the train crosses the State line
between Colorado and New Mexico. It was the intention that this
line should foUow the thirty-seventh parallel of latitude, but late
surveys have shown that the line located on the ground was somewhat
south of that parallel.

New Mexico is one of our newest States, having been admitted to
the Union January 6, 1912. It is less developed along industrial lines

than its neighbors to the east and north. The main
New Mexico. line of the Santa Fe Railway runs through it for 430

miles. The area of the State is 122,634 square miles,
or slightly more than that of Colorado. It includes the south end of
the Rocky Mountains and many outlying ranges of that system,
together with wide plateau areas, in large part higher than 5,000 feet
above sea level. Part of it was included in the Republic of Texas
and part in Mexico. It was organized as a separate Territory of the
United States in 1850, and its area was reduced to its present limits
in 1863. In 1910 its population was 327,301, and the density of
population was 2.7 to the square mile, having more than doubled
since 1890. More than half the population are Mexicans, a people

k

60 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

consisting partly of descendants of Mexican settlers of long ago and
partly of descendants of local Indians with whom the Mexicans and
others have intermarried. Spanish is the language of a large pro-
portion of the population, and in many sections it greatly prepon-
derates over English. A large number of Indians hve in the several
reservations in the State.

Of the 78,485,760 acres of New Mexico, nearly hah* is pubhc land,
14,000,000 acres State land, 12,000,000 acres in ranches, 12,000,000
acres in private grants and Indian reservations, and 9,000,000 acres in
national forests. Somewhat less than 2,000,000 acres is cultivated,
and less than 600,000 acres is irrigated. Of the irrigated area
200,000 acres belongs to individuals or partnerships, 50,000 acres to
commercial organizations, 300,000 acres to cooperative or commu-
nity organizations, and 30,000 acres to Indians. The remainder is
irrigated under Government reclamation, and the area so served will
be considerably increased when the lands below the Elephant Butte
Dam are utilized.

Probably the principal mineral resource of New Mexico is coal,
which occurs in the large fields west of Eaton, near Cerrillos, about
GaUup, and in several minor areas. There are also mines of gold,
copper, silver, lead, zinc, and a great variety of other minerals, clays,
and building stones. The State contains also abundant supplies of
underground water.

New Mexico contains many ruins of settlements of aborigines, some
of them of great antiquity. There were large villages at many places
long before the coming of the Spaniards, and irrigation was exten-
sively practiced.

Just beyond the State line the train enters a tunnel half a mile
long which extends under Raton Pass, at an altitude of 7,608 feet.
For 30 years there was only one tunnel at this place, but a few years
ago a second one was built. Tliis pass is on the divide between the
drainage basins of Arkansas River on the north and Canadian River
on the south. The old Santa Fe Trail passed up the same canyon as
the one followed by the railway and crossed through Raton Pass on
the way south.

The mountain which is crossed at Raton Pass is not part of the
main range of the Rocky Mountains, but is a lateral spur which
extends eastward for 30 miles. Its height is due largely to the thick
cap of lava which covers the high mesas east of the railway. This
rock is so hard that it has resisted erosion and so maintained the high
ridge. Doubtless the lava-covered mesa was originally much more
extensive than it is at present, for the removal of the underlying
sandstone and shales undermines the lava sheet, large blocks of
which occasionally fall from the cliffs to the talus slopes below. The
high mesa disappears about 35 miles east of Raton Pass, and the

THE SANTA FE KOUTE. 61

question is often asked, ''Why doesn't the railway build around this
high summit rather than go over it?" The principal reason is that
the line was built to Trinidad to get the local coal, which does not
extend far east of that place, and from Trinidad there is no feasible
course other than that across the mountain. Another line is being
built farther south, leaving the main line at Dodge, Kans., and 180
miles farther south is the Belen cut-off.

As the train emerges from the south portal of the Raton tunnel an
extensive vista is presented. To the east stands the lava-capped
Bartlett Mesa, and farther south are rolling plains lying far below the
point of view and extending to the horizon. Toward the west is a
mesa made up of the coal-bearing rocks, behind which rise the high
peaks of the Culebra (coo-lay'bra) Range, a portion of the Rocky
Mountains, with many lofty summits on which snow remains the
greater part of the year. In the downgrade south to Raton the
train passes rapidly across the coal-bearing rocks, then through a
short gorge in the Trinidad sandstone, and finally out into the plain
of Pierre shale on which the town of Raton is located. Good views
of the lava-capped Bartlett Mesa to the east are presented at mile-
posts 654 and 655, the latter showing the great blocks of lava lying
in a talus at the foot of the cliffs. Near milepost 654 there is an out-
crop of coal on the east side of the track.

A short distance beyond milepost 658 the Pierre shale appears under
a prominent cliff of the heavy Trinidad sandstone extending far to
the east as well as to the southwest. Near milepost 659 there are
extensive exposures of the Pierre shale west of the track, a fine view
of Bartlett Mesa to the northeast, and a more distant view of the
extensive Johnson Mesa, capped by lava, to the east.

Raton, the county seat of Colfax County, N. Mex., is the center of
the mining industry of the coal field on the south side of the Raton
Mountains, although no large mines are located in
Raton, N. Mex. the immediate vicinity. There are several other
Elevation 6,622 feet, iudustrics in the rcgiou, especially stock raising and
K^sascny'm miles *^^ productiou of wool. In the southern edge of the
town brick and other clay products are manufactured
from the Pierre shale. The Santa Fe Trail passed through Raton,
then known as Willow Springs. The name Raton (Spanish pronun-
ciation rah-tone^ locally pronounced rat-toon') is Spanish for mouse.
Goat Hill, which rises precipitously in the western edge of Raton,
consists of Trinidad sandstone. About 6 miles due east is Johnson
Mesa, a lava-capped table-land that rises to an altitude of about 8,000
feet and is similar to the Raton Mesa in structure. It is occupied by
many ranches, for, owing to the high altitude, there is more rain and
snow on this mesa than in the adjoining lowlands, and good crops are
usually obtained.

38590°— Bull. 613—16 5

62 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Branch railways connect Raton with Yankee and Sugarite, two
mining towns to the east, where coal is mined from beds lying a short
distance above the top of the Trinidad sandstone. The mines of Col-
fax County produce about three-fourths of the coal output of New
Mexico, which amounts to more than 3,700,000 tons a year, valued
at nearly $5,000,000. The St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Rail-
way, a part of the Santa Fe system, has a branch running to Raton
from Clifton House, a few miles to the south, parallel to the Santa Fe
main hue.

From Dillon (see sheet 11, p. 66), 3 miles from Raton, a branch

road extends up Dillon Canyon, in the mesa west of Raton, to coal

mines at Blossburg and Brilliant. These mines were

^***®"* developed mainly to supply fuel for the railway and

Kr^citT e'^/^es. ^^^ ^^^y ye^^^ yi^l^e^ ^^e gr^^^^r part of the coal
produced in the Raton field. Coke ovens at Gar-
diner, 3 miles southwest of Raton, still produce a large amount of
coke, used in smelters in the Southwest. From Raton southward for
many miles the mesa of Trinidad sandstone and overlying coal-
bearing rocks is a prominent feature of the view.

Southwest of Otero (o-tay'ro), a siding 5 miles beyond Raton, the

face of the mesa west of the railway is very precipitous, because it is

formed of thick sheets of bard, igneous rock (basalt),

Otero. which were intruded into the coal-bearing rocks in

Elevation 6,378 feet ^ moltcn couditiou. The heat of these intrusions

Kansas City 680 nules. , . .

has changed the coal into graphite m many places
in an area of several square miles.. These highlands culminate in
Red River Peak, a prominent pinnacle 3 miles southwest of Otero,
which in the early days of exploration served as an easily recognized
landmark for the ''prairie schooners" traveling the Santa Fe Trail.
This trail, after passing through Raton Pass, came down the mesa a
short distance north of Red River Peak, passed south near its foot,
and went thence southwestward to Cimarron. The peak owes its
prominence to the presence of a pinnacled mass of hard intrusive
rock forced into the shale in a state of fusion. Beyond Otero the
route crosses the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Railway, a
line 94 miles long that lies wholly in New Mexico.

A mile southeast of Hebron is a large storage reservoir covering
7,000 acres, to supply water to an extensive irrigated area about

Maxwell. East of Hebron and Dorsey there are
Hebron, great masses of volcanic rocks constituting widc-

K^ts'cif'^687^Sies ^prcad platforms of moderate height, surmounted in

places by high ridges and peaks, some of which were
originally active volcanoes. One of the most conspicuous of these
cones is Eagletail Peak, due east of Dorsey. Laughlin and Tinaja
peaks are other prominent summits farther east. The sheet of dark

I

BULLETIN 613

g 8 2 ?

COLORADO - NEW MEXt^CO

EXPLANATION

ThicVntM

in feet

201

A tlravel and sand

B I^va flows (basalt)

C Dikes of various kinds

(-) Sandstone, yellowish, with shale, Raton formation
^ and coal beds

c Sandstone, gray, and shalc.with Vermejo formation 0-200'
coal l)eds .sa«a_xu«»».*to!!M»—

, . Quaternary
' [ and Tertiary

F

Sandstone

Trinidad

G

Shale, dark, of marine origin

Pierre

H

Shale, limy, of marine origin,
weathers yellow

Apishapa

1

Limestone of marine origin

Timpas

J

Shale, gray, of marine origin,
with concretions

Carlile

K

Limestone, slabby. of marine
origin

Greenhorn

I Shale, dark gray, of marine Graneros

origin
M Sandstone 'stippled pattern) Dakota

N Sandstone and shale

L2_

B ditunota from Ktratt City. Mittoiin.

Sheet No.ll^^G 104" 3(f

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 63

lava lies on the soft Pierre shale, and at some places its margin
presents a cliff showing more or less columnar structure. This cliff
exists because in most places the original thin margin of the lava flow
has been removed by erosion and the thick mass of lava, with its
characteristic columnar structure is exposed.

In the region extending from Raton Mesa to these volcanic peaks
there has been prolonged volcanic activity in several separate epochs.
The caps on the high mesas are remnants of the earliest flows, poured
out before the surrounding lowlands had been excavated. After
these outflows ceased erosion progressed, developing valleys and cut-
ting away a portion of the earlier lava sheets. Then followed erup-
tions of lava, mostly from new vents, which spread out over the lower
lands. This was repeated at least three times, and between succes-
sive outflows the valleys were considerably deepened. The last erup-
tions were very recent, for they closed with the building of cinder
cones that are still steep-sided and have central craters apparently as
fresh as if they had just cooled off. Eagletail and other smaller cones
are visible from the railway; others can not be seen, but the largest,
Mount Capulin, is only 20 miles east of Hebron.

From Hebron to and beyond Dorsey the line of cliffs to the west

continues to be a conspicuous feature. As explained

Dorsey. above, these cliffs mark the outcrop of the Trinidad

Elevation 5,885 feet gandstouc at the basc of the coal-bearing rocks. They

Kansas City 691 miles. t=> J

gradually trend away toward the southwest, how-
ever, and near Maxwell are 15 miles from the Santa Fe line.

Several railways that lead to the coal fields beyond the cliffs on the
west leave the Santa Fe line south of Raton. One from Dillon to

Blossburg and another south of Otero have been men-
Maxwell, tioned; a third goes from Hebron to Van Houten, and
Elevation 6,063 feet, the fourth is a branch of the El Paso & Southwestern
K^sas City 701 miles, systcm, which crosscs at French, affording an outlet

from the extensive mines and coke ovens at Dawson.
In the Stag Canyon mine at Dawson, on October 22, 1913, occurred
one of the most disastrous coal-mine explosions ever known in the
West, causing the death of 263 men. This happened in a completely
equipped mine, in which aU precautions had been taken by the man-
agement, but disregard of regulations by the miners caused coal dust
to become ignited, and an extensive explosion followed.

The valley followed by the railway from DiUon to French is that
of Canadian River, which rises in the hiUs west of Raton and flows into

Arkansas River in Oklahoma. This stream was orig-
French. inaUy called Red River, on the supposition that it

Elevation 5,784 feet, ^as the head of the Red River of Louisiana and

Kansas City 706 miles. -inn • r> i t

Arkansas, a mistake linally rectined through explora-
tions by Capt. Marcy, who discovered that the headwaters of the

64

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Springer.

Elevation 5,768 feet.
Population 550.
Kansas City 715 miles

much shorter but so-called main branch of Red River are far to the
southeast, in northwestern Texas.

The Canadian River valley is broad from Otero southward because
it is excavated in the soft Pierre shale, which crops out in a wide zone
across this portion of northern New Mexico. This shale is exposed
in shallow cuts along the railway. South of French the Timpas
limestone is approached, but its outcrop is hardly noticeable from
the trains. From this point southward are shales which probably
represent the upper formation (Apishapa shale) of the Niobrara group.
The town of Springer is built on the north bank of Cimarron Creek,
a running stream of moderate size, which rises in the Rocky Moun-
tains 35 miles west. This creek is an entirely different
stream from Cimarron River, which rises a few miles
east of Raton and flows through Oklahoma. Cimar-
ron Creek passes through the village of Cimarron, on
the Santa Fe Trail 20 miles northeast of Springer, and
empties into Canadian River a few miles east of Springer.

A short distance below the juncture of Cimarron Creek and Cana-
dian River is the beginning of the long, deep canyon which the
Canadian cuts into the Dakota sandstone and underlying red beds.
The water of the Cimarron, which has an average volume of 14 to 25
second-feet, is used for the irrigation of 30,000 acres in the wide
plains from Springer west to Cimarron Village. Formerly this region
was entirely devoted to the cattle industry; now it is producing large
crops of alfalfa, wheat, beans, potatoes, corn, oats, barley, and peas.
Its fruit season begins in July with cherries, continues with apricots,
plums, peaches, and pears, and ends in October with apples.

A short distance south of Springer there are extensive exposures of
the Timpas limestone in stream and railway cuts. Some years ago an
attempt was made to utilize this rock for the manufacture of cement,
but the project was not successful, and the old Idlns are all that
remain of the enterprise. The limestone is in beds mostly from 6 to
20 inches thick, alternating with thin layers of black shale. The
rocks contain marine shells that are distinctive of the deposits of that
period in this part of the intracontinental seas.*

To the south and west of this place are extensive exposures of over-
lying shales supposed to represent the Apishapa shale. They give
rise to low but conspicuous buttes to the west and finally grade up
into well-defined Pierre shale.

^ In this region the Timpas limestone is
underlain by 250 feet of unmistakable
Carlile shale, extending to the top of char-
acteristic Greenhorn limestone, which is
extensively exposed in the banks of

Cimarron Creek a few miles east of
Springer. There are cuts in Timpas lime-
stone at intervals as far south as milepost
704, where 6 feet of beds are exposed in
layers 12 to 18 inches thick.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE X

A. ALLOSAURUS.

A great carnivorous dinosaur or megalosaurian. Restored by Charles R. Knight from bones found in the Morrison

formation, Colorado.

B. STEGOSAURUS.
A huge lizard that lived at the time of the deposition of the Morrison formation. Restoration by Charles R. Knight.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE

A. BRONTOSAURUS.
A great amphibious dinosaur from horizon of Morrison formation, Wyoming. Restoration by Charles R. Knight.

B. SKELETON OF DIADECTES.

A reptile that lived in the Southwest at the time the red beds v^ere deposited. From the Wichita formation
(lower Permian) of Texas. Specimen in American Museum of Natural History, New York City.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 65

At Rayado the front of a high mesa is conspicuous about 8 miles
west of the railway. It is capped by lava (basalt) and is an out-
lying portion of a widespread sheet of lava that caps
Rayado. ^^iq broad mesa or plateau to the south and west.

S^iJation 1^03 *^^*' South of Colmor the Hne gradually approaches the
Kansas City 721 miles, east end of this plateau and at Wagon Mound passes
through a gap in it. The mesas in this vicinity are
Colmor. not as high as those at Raton Pass, but as they rise

Elevation 5,924 feet, several hundred feet above the adjoining plains they
K^sas City 725 miles, ^^c prominent topographic features. Near Wagon
Mound the lava is at two levels, representing two
stages of outflow, but that at the lower level is of small extent.
The lava covering the higher mesas came from vents to the west,
probably in large part from the Ocate (o-cah-tay') volcanic cone, the
location of which is shown on sheet 11 (p. 66).

Wagon Mound is one of the old settlements on the Cimarron branch
of the Santa Fe Trail, which came southwestward from a point near
Dodge, Kans. Two monuments a few rods east of the
Wagon Mound, railway station show the line of the old highway.
Elevation 6,177 feet. This branch of the trail crossed the line of the railway
K^sas c% 741 miles. ^ short distance south of the station and passed
southwestward to Fort Union, where it joined the
other branch, which came through Raton and Cimarron and over the
volcanic mesa west of Cohnor and Wagon Mound. For a long time
there was a Mexican customhouse at this place. Its name is derived
from the resemblance of one of the peaks near by to a wagon top,
when seen from points far to the northeast.

The relations of the two lava sheets are weU exposed about Wagon
Mound. The higher sheet reaches many miles west and northwest,
as well as along the top of the narrow ridge extending 1 1 miles east
of the village. This sheet is about 100 feet thick and lies on a plat-
form of Pierre shale that was originally the floor of the valley down
which the lava flowed. Subsequent erosion has cut away the adjoin-
ing lands to much lower levels and considerably diminished the extent
of the lava sheet by undermining its edges. These edges now presient
steep cliffs, in places exhibiting columnar structure and having at
their bases talus or piles of loose fragments. The softness of the
underlying shale greatly facilitates the breaking down of the edges
of the lava sheets, and in places there are extensive landslides
where huge slivers of the hard lava have been let down in this way.
Leaving Wagon Mound the train passes across a narrow tongue of
the lower lava flow and a short distance farther south crosses a wide
valley from which there are excellent views of the high lava-capped
mesas to the north. The high ridge known as the Turkey Mountains

^^^

ig

M^

.'-' .' .■ • ' .'/^

iil'i'iiliiiVl'jl)^

jj^M-' ' •'_-_l^'— •-•-

WWM

w,i&'^

Wmmm

rRed' beds: '.IrH^r.::^ -! ^ :- '-'-i^J:-'^

66 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEKN UNITED STATES.

is a prominent feature west of Bond. (See sheet 12, p. 72.) It is due
to a dome-shaped uphft of the rocks which in the center exposes an
extensive area of red beds and underl3dng limestones of Carboniferous
age. The hght-gray foothills are the outcrop of the upturned edges
of the Dakota sandstone.

For some distance south of milepost 730 the Greenhorn limestone
is near the track, and finally, as it is crossed by the railway, it is exposed
extensively in cuts, notably between mileposts 732 and 734. A short
distance beyond milepost 734 the route descends from the flat ridge
of the hmestone into a broad area of lava (basalt). This lava came
from the Maxson Crater, an irregular volcanic cone which is visible on
the southeast slope of the Turkey Mountain uphft, 5 miles west of
Optimo (op 'tee-mo). The lava flowed down slopes of Dakota sand-
stone, then across the broad flat which is now traversed by the railway

from Optimo nearly to Shoe-
maker, and finally down the
canyon of Mora River nearly
to its mouth, 20 miles to the
southeast. The flow is mod-
erately recent and exhibits a
variety of features character-
istic of the later basalt flows.

Figure 10.— Section across canyon of Mora River southeast Its SUrfaCO is Considerably
of Optimo, N.Mex., showing relations of lava flow, look- i.]' ^^^^.1 ^^A rnuoh nf fhft
ingeast. The total depth of the canyon is about 700 feet. DUStereQ, aUQ mUCU 01 tUe

rock is vesicular or spongy,
with small cavities due to the escape of steam.

In the broad vaUey south of Optimo the lava spread out widely, but

in flowing down the deep canyon of Mora River it was narrowed to a

few hundred yards. It fiUed this canyon about half-

Optimo. y^^j yp f i^g sides, but the river has since cut a narrow

Elevation 6,365 feet, inner goreo iuto the lava sheet and in places through

Kansas City 751 miles. , , . , i i • i i - n

the lava an to underlymg rocks, as shown m ngure 10.
This lava-fiUed canyon begins 6 miles east of the railway, and its outer
walls of sandstone are plainly visible from the vicinity of milepost 740.
Halfway between mileposts 741 and 742 the southern margin of the
lava sheet abuts against a chff of Dakota sandstone which extends
northwestward. A short distance beyond this place,
Shoemaker. ^^^^j. Shoemaker, the bank of Mora River is reached.

Elevation 6,256 feet, ^ud the railway follows this stream along the north
' side of the deep canyon which it has cut in the Dakota
sandstone and underlying beds. The beds he nearly horizontal and
in places the high chffs of sandstone have at their bases the greenish-
gray shale of the underlying Morrison formation. On the north side
of the track at milepost 748 the Dakota sandstone is extensively
quarried for railway ballast. Two miles beyond there is, on the south

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

base compiled from United States t^lopcal Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topcka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
oollected witli the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEX)RGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
D«vid White. Chief Geokijtist R. B. Marshal:. Chief Geosrrapher

1915

E»ch quadrangle shown on th» map with a nam» in
lower left corner a mapped in detail on the U. S.
Sheet 0/ that name

parenthesis in the
a. S. Topographic

EXPLANATION

Thickn.

*s

A

Dikes ■iKisalt. etc. ■

Quaternary ?

B

Lhv8 tlow.4 basalt, etc. i

Quaternary
and Tertiary

C

Saiidstcncs and shales: coal

Raton fonnation

1!W>±

Tertiary
f Eocene;

D

Sandstone, shale, and coal

Vemicjo fonnation

0 17.V|

Sandstone

Trinidad -— '

100'

Shale, dark, of marine origin

I'ien-e

22,Wj

Limy shale of mRrine orifrin

Apishapa .

500 j

Cr.>taceoiis
^. (Upper
Cretaceous^

Limestone of marine origin

Shale with concretions, of
marine origin

Timpas ■'•-...-'■■'
Carlile

j

Limestone, slabby. of maiine
origin

Greenhorn — -'"^■-

Shale, dark, of marine origin

Graneros

1,50J

Sandstone

Dakota and Purga-
toirc

■m

fCretaccous
land Lower)

M

Shales, mostly pale green

Monison formation

15(1

.Iiirassic or
Cretaceous

N

Shales and sandstone, both red

Red Beds."

1000+

Triassic ? and
Carboniferous

>Yv\'< -1 Di/<oo -mi.'ii.v „.".iri

^S-ton formation

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

67

Watrous.

Elevation 6,398 feet.
Population 336.*
Kansas City 766 miles

bank of the river, a bluff of Purgatoire sandstone, with Morrison
shale ^ at its base.

Watrous is the railway town for extensive cattle, sheep, and other
interests. It dates back to the time of the Santa Fe Trail, the
Cimarron branch of which passed through the western
portion of the village. Eight miles north are the
ruins of Fort Union, one of the most important mili-
tary stations on the Santa Fe Trail, where the two
principal branches of the trail from the north joined.
The place may be seen far to the north from points a short distance
beyond Watrous. The adobe houses are unroofed, most of the walls
are falling into ruins, and the grounds are overgrown with grasses,
but the visitor may see that the fort had accommodations for a large
garrison. This fort served not only as a refuge for the settler and the
traveler, but its storehouse and arsenal carried a large stock of Army
supplies. Its possession was the strategic object in the Civil War in
the far West. To its protection Union volunteers rushed over the
snowy mountains from Denver, while Confederate troops marched a
thousand miles from Texas to take it. Only the defeat of the Texas
soldiers at Glorieta Pass prevented the Confederates from capturing
the Army supplies and ammunition stored in Fort Union.

In the vicinity of Watrous there are wide aUuvial flats that have
long been utilized for farming, mainly by the assistance of irrigation
from Mora River and a branch stream, SapeUo Creek. The Mora
drains a portion of the east slope of the Rocky Mountains. Gagings
by the United States Geological Survey at La Cueva (kwayVa), 15
miles above Watrous, found that its average flow was 29 second-
feet in 1909 and 20.3 second-feet in 1910.

On the south side of the track three-fourths of a mile beyond
Watrous is a large quarry for obtaining massive blocks of Dakota
sandstone, which are used for making embankments along portions
of the railway as a protection from washouts.

East of the railway at milepost 753 is a granite monument marking
the location of the Santa Fe Trail from Fort Union to Las Vegas.
Its course was very nearly the same as that now foUowed by the
railway. A short distance beyond Kroenigs siding the upgrade of

^ During the time of deposition of the
clays constituting the Morrison formation
there existed a great variety of remarkable
reptiles of huge size. Restorations of
some of them are shown in Plates X and
XI (pp. 64, 65), based on bones exhumed
from the formation in southern Colorado.
These bones, which are in places abun-
dant, are the remains of animals that were
mired in the soft clay of which the Morri-

son formation largely consists. Some of
these creatures, such as the Brontosaurus
(PI. XI, J.), were 60 feet long. Many of
them had remarkably small heads, no-
tably the Stegosaurus (PL X, B), which
had such a diminutive brain that it must
have been very stupid. This animal
was undoubtedly very clumsy also, but
its huge size and protective armor aided
in its preservation.

68

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

the railway carries it from tho Dakota sandstono to th(^ Graneros
shale ^ and thence within 2 miles to the summit of an extensive
plateau of Greenhorn limestone, above which to the w(»st rise })uttes
of Carlile shale. This plateau is the divide betw(H^n the drainage
basin of Mississippi River and that of the Rio Grande. A fine vista
of the Rocky Mountains is afforded toward the north and west; due
west is Solitario Peak, a knob of granitic rocks rising to an altitude

SE

NW.

Figure 11. — Section 6 miles north of Las Vegas, N. Mex., looking southwest, a, Carlile shale; h, Timpas
limestone; c, Apishapa (?) and Pierre shales; d, Greenhorn limestone; e, Graneros shale; /, Dakota
sandstone and Purgatoire formation; g, Morrison formation; /», red beds.

of 10,200 feet, and farther northwest are still higher peaks near the
center of the range. The Turkey Mountains and Ocate Crater are
conspicuous toward the northeast.

Onava is a small settlement sustained by irrigation with water
brought through canals from streams and reservoirs a few miles to
the northwest. From Onava southwestward the rail-
way runs on a gentle down grade to Las Vegas, all
the way on the surface of the Greenhorn limestone,
except where it is covered by a thin capping of the
Carlile shale. The bed dips gently to the west and southwest, so
that the surface of the plateau is in greater part a dip slope of the

Onava.

Elevation 6,730 feet.
Kansas City 775 miles

Figure 12.— Section through Las Vegas, N. Me\., looking south, c, Carlile shale; &, Greenhorn lime-
stone; c, Graneros shale; d, Dakota and Purgatoire sandstones; e, Morrison shale; /, massive sand-
stone, capped by thin limestone; g, red shales and sandstones; h, sandstone in middle of red beds;
i, lower red beds; j, Magdalena limestone.

limestone. This rock is exposed in many railway cuts, especially
near Las Vegas, and to the west at varying distances is a line of
buttes of the overlying Carlile shale. The relations of the rocks near
Onava and along a line passing through Las Vegas are shown in
figures 11 and 12.

' A contact of these rocks is well ex-
posed at a point half a mile west of Kroe-
nigs siding. To the south and west of
this place is a low ridge of the Green-

horn limestx)ne, which overlies the Gra-
neros shale. All the beds in this
vicinity lie nearly level or dip at a low

angle to the west.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

69

Las Vegas (vay'gas) is a railway division point where all the trains
stop, most of them for meals at the Castaneda (cas-tahn-yay'da),
a hotel named for the young soldier who accompanied
Las Vegas. Coronado's expedition and wrote the narrative of it.

Elevation 6,384 feet. The Santa Fc Railway reached Las Vegas in 1879
SX'T^'miies. but continued buOding rapidly to the south. The
portion of Las Vegas near the railway is relatively
modern; the "old town/' or original Mexican settlement on the Santa
Fe Trail, is some distance west of the station. The name is Spanish
for the meadows. On the flat roof of a building in Las Vegas Gen.
Kearney stood in 1846 to administer to the Mexican citizens the
oath of allegiance to the United States. Five years before that
the plaza of Las Vegas was the scene of a great celebration over the
surrender of the various detachments of Texans who had entered
New Mexico to induce the inhabitants to join the Texas Republic.
Gallinas Creek, which flows through Las Vegas, is a small stream
draining a portion of the east slope of the Rocky Mountains. Gagings
by the United States Geological Survey have shown that its aver-
age flow is about 23 second-feet. The water is utilized for irrigation.

A branch railway goes northwestward from Las Vegas, 6 miles to
the Montezuma Hot Springs in a gap in the foothills where there is a
large hotel and sanitarium that, in recent years, has not been open.

Most of Las Vegas is built on the Greenhorn limestone, and this
formation also crops out extensively in the high bluff just east of the
railway station, where all its beds may be seen. At the base, near
the stream, is the underlying Graneros shale, passing upward by a
few feet of transition beds into the Greenhorn limestone. This lime-
stone presents its usual characteristic features of an alternation of
many thin beds of nearly pure limestone and dark shale. In some
of the shale and in a few beds of the limestone there are abundant
impressions of the characteristic fossil Inoceramus lahiatus, a mollusk
with oval shell somewhat similar to the oyster. The thickness of the
Greenhorn limestone in these exposures is fully 100 feet, and the top
of the formation constitutes a mesa extending some distance east to
low hills of Carlile shale which rise above it.^

^ A short distance north of Las Vegas
the Greenhorn limestone passes under the
Carlile shale, a formation which carries
numerous round concretions in its upper
portion. This is overlain by a thick body
of shale representing the Niobrara group
and Pierre shale and occupying a basin
wh'ch pitches to the north and the beds
on the western edge of which ara steeply
upturned along the foothills. In these
foothills a short distance west of Las Ve-

gas, and especially in the canyon near the
hot springs, are extensive outcrops of the
succession of rocks underlying the Green-
horn limestone, comprising the Graneros
shale, Dakota and associated sandstones,
Morrison formation, ''Red Beds" of Tri-
assic and Carboniferous age, and older
Carboniferous limestones, all standing
nearly vertical on the east side of the great
mass of granites and schists of the main
Rocky Mountain uplift.

70 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

A few miles east of Las Vegas the plateau or bench of the moun-
tains on which it is situated terminates in a great vertical escarp-
ment of Dakota sandstone, which overlies the Morrison formation.
This escarpment overlooks the Canadian and Pecos valleys, which
lie between the Las Vegas Plateau and the western edge of the
Staked Plains of Texas.

At Las Vegas an extra engine is attached to haul the train up the
heavy grades of the long cHmb over the south end of the main chain
of the Rocky Mountains, which lies between Las Vegas and Lamy.
In order to find suitable grades for crossing this range it was neces-
sary to deflect the railway line far to the south, for in the country
west and northwest of Las Vegas the lowest passes through the moun-
tains are at altitudes greater than 10,000 feet, or more than 2,500
feet higher than Glorieta Pass, the one utilized.

On leaving Las Vegas, the train goes southward, at first over a
rolling plain of the Graneros shale along Gallinas Creek (gahl-yee'nas;
locally gah-yee'nas) . Within 2 miles the base of this shale is reached,
and the underlying Dakota sandstone appears in railway cuts and in
the canyon a short distance east of the track. Half a mile beyond is
a shallow basin of the shale, in which small outliers of the overlying
Greenhorn limestone rise as hills on both sides of the track.

Just west of Romero (ro-may'ro) siding the railway turns west into

a gap through a ''hogback" ridge that constitutes one of the foothills

of the mountains. This hogback consists of Dakota

Romero. sandstone and associated rocks steeply upturned on

Elevation 6,287 feet, ^^^q ^^st side of the Uplift of the main range of the

Kansas City 791 miles, t-, i ■» r • rrM • i • i i i i i

Rocky Mountams. ihe ridge is caused by the hard-
ness of the upturned beds, which resisted to some extent the ele-
ments that eroded to a lower level the soft overlying shale on the
east and the red shales on the west. The hogback ridge extends far
to the north along the foot of the mountains, but toward the south,
where the dips become gentler, it finally merges into a plateau pre-
senting steep cliffs to the west and south, which are visible east of the
railway for several miles.

Beyond the hogback ridge the railway goes southward up a valley
of red shale, but in places it bears westward through gaps in several
smaU ridges caused by layers of sandstone included in the red shale.
The manner in which these sandstones give rise to small ridges is an
instructive illustration of the relation of hard and soft rocks to the
topography. The hard layers vary in thickness, but aU make ridges
of greater or less prominence. To the west of the railway there rises
out of the red shale valley a bed of hard sandstone of considerable
thickness, which constitutes a high ridge extending for many miles
north and south parallel to the hogback ridge. The relations of these
rocks are shown in figure 13, a section across the railway in the vicinity

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

71

of milepost 779, haK a mile beyond Ojita siding. The Spanish word
ojita (o-hee'ta) means little spring.

The sandstone in the ridge west of the railway is thick and hard, and
is a persistent member in the middle of the great succession of red
beds throughout this region. It is crossed by the railway in a sharp
turn to the west at milepost 785, at the bridge over Tecolote (tay-co-
lo'tay) Creek.

From this place, westward the surface of the sandstone is traversed
for some distance. On some of the higher mesas adjoining the track
the overlying red shales remain.

W.

Figure 13.— Section across the east slope of the Rocky Mountain uplift near Ojita, 8 miles southwest of
Las Vegas, N. Mex. a, Limestone of Magdalena group; b, thick, hard buff sandstone; c, beds of hard
sandstone in red shale; d, Jurassic sandstone (?); e, thin limestone; /, gray shale (Morrison); g, Purga-
toire formation and Dakota sandstone.

At Chapelle there are long slopes of the hard sandstone. A mile

beyond Chapelle the old Mexican plaza of Bernal (bare-nahr) is

passed a short distance north of the railway. Near

Chapelle. ]^j^ ^^ Bernal Springs, the Colorado volunteers

Elevation 6,068 feet, camped in 1862 before their successful battle with the

Kansas City 805 miles. ™, , c i c • i -r-i i i

iexans, who were iresh irom victory over the b ederal
troops at Valverde and encouraged by their easy occupation of
Albuquerque and Santa Fe. A mile south of Bernal rises the well-
known landmark Starvation Hill, a butte capped by a thick mass of
the hard sandstone above referred to. This butte was the refuge of
a party of Spaniards pursued by Indians, and it is stated that they
were kept on the hill until they finally starved to death. There is a
cross on the top, erected by the Penitentes, of whom there are many
among the Mexican residents of this region. The butte is an outlier
of a high mesa to the south, which consists of a widely extended
platform capped by the hard sandstone that extends along the rail-
way east of Chapelle, here carried to considerable height by the upward
rise of the strata. Owing to the hardness of the capping rock and
the softness of the underlying red shale the mesa presents a very
precipitous outward slope toward the north.

In passing along the foot of this mesa the railway is on the lower
red beds for a short distance and then from milepost 792 to 794 on the

72

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

still lower limestone of the Magdalena group/ of Pennsylvanian age,
which is exposed in many of the railway cuts.

Just beyond Ribera (ree-bay'ra) the railway crosses Rio Pecos

(pay 'cos), a large stream which rises in the south end of the Rocky

Mountains, flows across eastern New Mexico and the

Ribera. western part of Texas, and finally empties into the

Elevation 6,019 feet, ^[q Grande. This is the first important stream of

Kansas City 815 miles. i-n'/^iT- i- -i

the Kio Grande dramage basin mat in the westward
journey, although Gallinas and Tecolote creeks, above referred to,
are in the Pecos basin. According to gagings by the United States
Geological Survey at Cowles, 20 miles or more to the north, the
flow of this river averages about 100 second-feet. The water is
used for irrigation at many places. There are many Mexican settle-
ments along Rio Pecos. One of these, San Miguel (me-gale'), is a
large plaza plainly visible from Ribera station, about a mile to the
south, and another, San Jose (ho-sayO; formerly an Indian village, is
a short distance east of milepost 802. It was at San Jose that Gen.
Kearny and the Army of the West encamped in 1846, expecting the
next day to have a battle with 2,000 Mexicans under Gov. Armijo
(ar-me'ho), who were reported to be waiting for them in the canyon
beyond the summit. The following day near Pecos they learned that
the Mexicans, after constructing elaborate breastworks, had quar-
reled among themselves, and the governor and his forces had discreetly
retreated, leaving the way to Santa Fe open to the Americans.

It will be noted that most of the houses of the Mexican settlements
are built of adobes (ah-doe'bays), which are large bricks made of
sun-dried earth.^ The roofs and in some houses also the framework
are made of juniper posts, and the better houses are plastered.
Houses of this sort are warm in winter and cool in summer.

South of Sands and Fulton is a high plateau known as Glorieta
Mesa, the northeastern foot of which is followed by the railway to

Glorieta (glo-reeay'ta). This mesa presents toward
Fulton. ^Yie northeast a continuous line of cliffs, with level

Elevation 6,526 feet, crcst, surmouutiug loug slopcs which dcsccud to the

valley of the Pecos. The railway is built along this
slope on an irregular shelf or series of shelves due to various sand-
stone beds in the lower part of the red bed series. Glorieta Mesa is

^ This limestone is a light-colored mas-
sive rock containing numerous impres-
sions of marine shells and is brought up in
a low arch along a prolongation of one of
the axes of the main Rocky Mountain up-
lift. It is about 1,000 feet thick and is
underlain directly by the old granites and
schists Avhich may be seen in the high

ridges beginning 4 or 5 miles north of mile-
post 794, At this milepost the railroad is
on the lower portion of the red beds again,
and these continue for several miles west.
2 In the West the term adobe is com-
monly used both for the material from
which the bricks are made and for a house
built of them.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geolojncal Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Tojieka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, niRECTOR
David White. Chief Geologist R. R Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quidnngle shown on :he nup with i mme in pannihesis in the
lower hfi comer is mapped in detail on ihe U. S C S Topographic
Sheet of that name.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 73

capped by the gray to buff sandstone of the same bed which caps
Starvation Hill and the mesa southwest of Chapelle.

At Pajarita (pah-ha-ree'ta), a small Mexican settlement north of
the railway, 3 miles beyond Gise siding (see sheet 13, p. 88) and for
a mile or two west of that place, the railway is on or near the top of the
Magdalena, the same limestone as that which is exposed between
mileposts 792 and 794. This limestone is deeply trenched by the Rio
Pecos, which flows in a deep canyon 1 to 2 miles north of the railway
in the vicinity of Pajarita and Rowe. The high mesa cuts off the
view to the south, but there is in this region an extended vista to the
north up the valley of the Rio Pecos and along the many rocky ridges
constituting the southern extension of the Rocky Mountains.

A short distance beyond milepost 819, 3 miles north of Rowe, the
remains of Old Pecos Church are visible about 2 miles north of the
railway, and they continue in sight to and beyond
^^^®- Decatur siding, 1 mile beyond milepost 820. They

Elevation 6,805 feet, ^rc showu in Plate XII, A (p. 74). These ruins mark
K^sas City 831 mues. the sitc of the old pueblo of Cicuye (see-koo-yay'),
which occupied a large area on the top and slopes of
a long low ridge of red sandstone.

The traveler is now entering the land of the Pueblo Indians, who
have an interesting history, extending back many centuries. The
name Pueblo (pway'blo) was applied to them by the earliest explorers
because they lived in well-estabhshed permanent villages (pueblos
in Spanish), in marked contrast to the transient camps of the nomadic
tribes to the east and west. With the Spanish conquerors and after
them came many self-sacrificing missionaries and other colonists
from Mexico and Spain, endeavoring to civilize the Pueblo people.
It is not easy to-day to appreciate the heroism of the men who so
bravely entered this strange and isolated country and ruled its
natives for 300 years. There were many struggles and massacres,
and the early chronicles are touching in their evidence of a religious
zeal that overcame severe privations.

At the time of Coronado's march of conquest there were reported
to be 71 pueblos in New Mexico and eastern Arizona, but numerous
remains of habitations of this character show that originally there
were many more of them and that they occupied a much wider
territory in ancient times. In the seventeenth century the mis-
sionaries endeavored to concentrate the Pueblo people into fewer
settlements, not alone to strengthen them against attacks from the
savage nomadic tribes, but also to facilitate their conversion to
Christianity. The revolt of the Pueblo people against Spanish
authority, in 1680 to 1692, caused the abandonment of still more
pueblos. Only about 20 pueblos are now occupied, and of these

74 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

only Acoma and possibly Isleta (ees-lay'ta) are on the same sites as
before the revolt of 1680.

The Pueblo houses are of uniform architecture, built of stone or
adobes in terraces one upon another, the roof of one house being the
yard of the next. Ladders were used both for exterior and interior
climbing. Entrance was effected through a hole in the roof, through
which also the smoke escaped. Doors, chimneys, and the dome-
shaped ovens which seem so characteristic now were all introduced
by the Spaniards. The women built the houses and later the
churches as well.

The Pueblo people have always been weavers and potters, and it
is believed that the ^'Navajo blanket" was introduced to the Navajos
by Pueblo women. They raised cotton prior to the conquest, and
the Spaniards introduced sheep. The Spaniards imposed an annual
tax on the Indians of a yard of cotton cloth and a bushel of corn
from each house.

In general the Spaniards were received with hospitality on their
arrival in 1540, but the lightness with which Coronado viewed his
promises to the Indians caused serious hostihty. Not until Juan de
Onate (ohn-yah'tay) arrived in 1598 were the Pueblo tribes favor-
ably influenced toward civilization. Onate divided the country
into districts, to each of which a priest was assigned. Missionary
work flourished during the seventeenth century until the successful
revolt of the Indians against the civil authorities in 1680. Then for
12 years the Pueblo people were free from Spanish dominion, but as
during this time they were also deprived of Spanish protection, they
suffered from the attacks of their ancient enemies, especially the
Navajos and the Apaches. They were reconquered in 1692 by De
Vargas, probably the greatest of the Spanish governors, and since
then the Pueblo Indians have been at peace with the white men,
both Spaniard and American. They still live in pueblos on their own
land, most of which was covered by vSpanish grants and is now in
Government reservations. Their population has remained for
several centuries at about 8,000.

The ruins of one of the most famous of these historic pueblos is
Pecos, the one above referred to, which lies 3 miles northwest of
Rowe. In Coronado's time Pecos was a weU-estabUshed city, known
as Cicuye, much admired by the Spaniards. At that time it had two
communal structures four stories high, with over 500 rooms on the
ground floor, as well as other buildings, and a population estimated
between 10,000 and 20,000. In 1617 the Indians erected an elaborate
church, with four high towers, and a convent, under the encourage-
ment of the missionaries, who established schools of reading, writing,
and music. These Indians belonged to the Jemez (hay'mace) tribe,
though their isolation led to their being considered a separate nation.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XII

A. RUINS OF OLD PECOS CHURCH, NORTHWEST OF ROWE, N. MEX.

The ruins of a very large pueblo cover a hill near the church.

B. SANTO DOMINGO, N, MEX.
An Indian pueblo on the Rio Grande at the mouth of Galisteo Creek. Rio Grande in the distanc

U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XIII

■{:-' <

A. WEST FRONT

;.S NEAR BERNALILLO, N. MEX.

Granite and schist capped by sandstone and thick beds of linriestone (Magdalena group). Plain of Santa Fe marl

in foreground.

'00^^

^ ;■

B. CRATER OF EXTINCT GEYSER THREE MILES WEST OF SUWANEE, N. MEX.

View northward; railway in distance. The material is silica deposited by hot water, which has built up a low

cone around the crater.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

75

The decline of this stronghold began with its revolts against the
Spaniards. Then followed sanguinary raids of hostile Indians, one
band of Comanches killing nearly every man of the tribe. Epidemics
also devastated their ranks, so that finally only 17 survivors remained.
They were removed to the parent village, Jemez. When Maj.
Emory passed through this region in 1848 he found that the place had
been abandoned only recently and learned that the devotional fire
had been kept burning in the estufa (a sacred ceremonial chamber
found in all the pueblos) until within a very few years. Now only the
low mounds of ruins remain, except for the church, of which the
heavy walls falling into ruins are still a landmark (see PI. XII, A),
as in the days of the Santa Fe Trail. These ruins have recently
been acquired by the Historical Society of New Mexico, which has
made provision for their preservation. Half a mile away was the
favorite eating station on the entire trail, where notably substantial
meals were served, including delicious trout caught in the stream
near by. In this part of his journey the traveler passes picturesque
canyons, cliffs, and mesas of varicolored rocks, among which deep
reds and browns are the prevailing tints.

The train makes a long, steep climb to Glorieta Pass, just west of

Glorieta siding, where the road reaches an altitude of 7,421 feet in

Glorieta ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ deep through the summit.^ This pass

. „ „ , , is at the divide between the waters of the Pecos and

Elevation 7,417 feet. /. i -r, • y-. i m i

Population 349 * thosc of the Rio Graudc. To the north are fine
Kansas City 841 miles, ^-^^g ^f ^^iQ high pcaks of the Rocky Mountains.
One of the higher pinnacles, known as Thompson Peak, 10,546
feet above the sea, is about 7 miles northwest of Glorieta and
plainly in view, and other peaks, some of them 2,000 feet higher,
may be seen farther north. The range which culminates in these
peaks and whose axis is crossed at Glorieta is described as the Santa
Fe Range by some authors and as the Glorieta Mountains by others,
but the entire system of higher ridges constituting the southern
extension of the Rocky Mountains is usually called the Sangre de

1 The rocks at Glorieta station and in
the slopes east and west are the lower
members of the great series of red beds,
in part of Pennsylvanian age, which are
extensively exposed all the way from mile-
post 775. The rocks in the cut are red
shales, including many beds of red, brown,
and gray sandstones. They contain num-
bers of the leafy twigs, branches, and
canes of Walchia, an ancient type of
cone-bearing trees nearest related to the
Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria), now so
common in conservatories. The fossil

plants found in this cut show the age of
the rocks to be Permian. The red beds,
most of which were laid down in fresh
water, extend some distance up the slopes
of the ridge north of the cut, where they
give place to tmderlying limestones (the
Magdalena) rising on a steep dip toward
the east. Not far beyond appear the
granites and schists of the main Rocky
Mountain range. These rocks have been
brought up by arching and faulting, and
they rise rapidly into prominent peaks
that constitute the main ridge.

76 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Cristo Kangc. It extends continuously northward through northern
New Mexico into Colorado. After passing through Glorieta Pass the
railroad turns southwestward and follows a series of canyons and val-
leys, the headwaters of a branch of Galisteo (gah-lis-tay'o) Creek, on
a continuous down grade to the Rio Grande at Santo Domingo. In
40 miles the descent is 2,175 feet, of which the steeper part (963 feet)
is between Glorieta and Lamy.

This portion of the journey takes the traveler over a historic
battle ground, for here occurred a decisive clash between Union and
Confederate forces in 1862. A preliminary skirmish ending in favor
of the northern forces was followed by a battle that lasted nine hours
and ended in a truce. The Confederates, who were from Texas, were
superior in numbers and equipment, but their stores were burned in
a brilliant flanking movement. They returned to Santa Fe and
the northern forces to Fort Union. This is variously known as the
battle of Glorieta, of Apache Canyon, and of Pigeon's ranch, which
was near the scene of battle.

Beyond the big cut at Glorieta there are extensive exposures of
the lower red beds for some distance, extending up to the great cap
of hard sandstone that constitutes the mesa to the east. This is the
western face of Glorieta Mesa, which at Glorieta Pass turns south-
ward. In a cut about 2 miles beyond the summit some thin-bedded
blue clays, included in the red beds, contain the remains of fresh-water
shells and insects, and ferns of Permian age. A short distance below
milepost 829 the sandstone that caps the mesa is brought down below
the track by an abrupt bend of the beds, and at this place it is weU
exposed in cuts and canyon walls. Not far west it is cut off by a
great fault.

On leaving the narrow pass in the canyon the train passes the Uttle
Mexican village of Canyoncito on the right. At this place the Santa
Fe Trail, which the railway has foUowed thus far
Canyoncito. down the canyon, turns to the west to cross the hills

Elevation 6,855 feet, to Santa Fc. Canyoncito was a weU-known point on
K^isaty 846*imies. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ays, whcn its stores, saloons, and
hotels were well patronized. Not all the caravans,
however, used this route, many of them, especially in the earlier days,
leaving the main trail near Cimarron and crossiag the range to the
Indian pueblo of Taos and thence to the city. Santa Fe, the capital
of New Mexico, is 12 miles to the northwest, at the west foot of the
mountain range which is crossed at Glorieta.

Below Canyoncito the railway follows Apache Canyon, in which
there are extensive exposures of the lower red beds on both sides.
Just beyond milepost 832 the train enters a narrow gorge in granite
which has been brought up by a fault. This granite extends for
nearly a mile to another fault that cuts it off on the west. The

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 77

canyon in the granite is very narrow, deep, and winding and presents
many picturesque features carved in hard rock. This is the only
place at which the oldest rock of the Rocky Mountains is crossed by
the railway, and its presence here is due to two faults, or breaks in
the earth's crust, along which a narrow wedge of the granite has been
uplifted in relation to the adjoining red beds. At the mouth of the
granite canyon, just east of the track, are the remains of the Lamy
church and convent, built by the Spanish missionaries several cen-
turies ago. It is now in ruins, but the general character of the build-
ing is evident.

Most trains stop at Lamy, some of them to connect with a branch

that extends north to Santa Fe, 18 miles, and some for meals at the

remarkably pretty little hotel named El Ortiz. Lamy

^^^y- takes its name from the first American archbishop

Elevation 6,460 feet, ^^f g^nta Fc. At Lamy the valley of Galisteo Creek

Kansas City 850 miles. *^. -ii i-n

Widens, and although on its east side there are high
masses of the southern continuation of Glorieta Mesa, the region to
the west and south is mostly a rolling plain. This is part of the
broad basin of the Rio Grande, which is occupied by a widespread
accumulation of sands, gravels, and loams of Tertiary age. This
basin extends far westward to the foot of the mountains, which may
be seen in the distance, and down the Rio Grande valley through all
of central New Mexico. The eastern edge of the Tertiary deposits
lying against the older rocks is exposed in the ridges a short distance
north and west of Lamy.

Eighteen miles north of Lamy and easily accessible by trains on
the branch line is the quaint and interesting town of Santa Fe, one
of the oldest white settlements in the country. It was established in
1605 by Juan de Onate as a seat of the Spanish Government. Many
of the ancient buildings and churches still remain. In the excellent
museum kept by the State Historical Society in the old palace there
are many souvenirs of the early and late history of New Mexico.
This history has been one of extraordinary interest, from the time
when a mere handful of Spaniards made Santa Fe their headquarters
in controlling thousands of hostile Indians to the later days of the
American occupation, beginning in 1846. The first Territorial legis-
lature of New Mexico (then including Arizona) met here June 1, 1851.
The church of San Miguel, the oldest church in the United States, is
in Santa Fe.

To the transcontinental traveler the town is of special interest as
the terminus of the old Santa Fe Trail. Every summer the caravans
found on their arrival that people had come to Santa Fe from all sides,
even frona places as far away as El Paso, to purchase their wares, and
many stores were opened in Santa Fe expressly for the sale of their
goods. The wagons of many of the traders had a capacity equal to
38590°— Bull. 613—16 6

78 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

that of a small canal boat. They carried a load of domestic cottons,
silks, hardware, etc., which they were able to sell at 50 to 100 per
cent profit. This high rate was necessary considering not only the
long and perilous journey of transportation but also the import tax
that was levied upon these merchantmen of the plains by the Mexican
authorities — an exorbitant duty, sometimes as high as 100 per cent.
This entry duty was succeeded by another duty on the money carried
away, so the early traders frequently invested their gains in beaver
skins, which passed through free and yet netted a good profit on sale
in St. Louis.

At the ruins of San Cristobal (cris-toe'bahl), which is only about 7
miles south of Lamy and is easily reached by a good road through the
Pankey ranch, there are sandstone cfiffs marked with many well-
preserved Indian pictographs. They are opposite the site of San
Cristobal pueblo, which has recently been extensively excavated.
The pictographs were apparently traced by a hard-pointed stone or
arrowhead. Pictures were of great importance to the Indians, not

Tertiary

Figure 14.— Section across Galisteo Valley at Lamy, N. Mex.

only those on rocks but the markings on their own bodies. The
body markings often acted as personal badges — of bravery, mar-
riage, freedom, or slavery — and in the same way, it is believed, most
of the rock pictures recorded the achievement of some individual.

Just west of Lamy station shales and limestones of Upper Creta-
ceous age (Mancos) are well exposed, dipping steeply eastward, and
the Dakota sandstone and underlying Morrison shale crop out half a
mile north of the station. On the east side of the flat east of the
viUage these rocks are cut off by a prolongation of the fault which
passes down Apache Canyon. East of this fault rise steep slopes of
the red beds which underlie the high mesa extending southward from
Glorieta Mesa. The relations of the rocks at Lamy are shown in
figure 14.

The prominent butte just south of Lamy, known as Cerro Colorado,
consists of Mesaverde sandstones overlying the Mancos shale. These
sandstones dip southwestward and underlie the country on both
sides of the railway for some distance. They are exposed exten-
sively in railway cuts and form prominent ridges along the railway
at intervals from Lamy to and beyond Kennedy.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 79

A short distance north of Kennedy the Santa Fe line is crossed

by the New Mexico Central Railroad, which extends from Santa

Fe, 25 miles north of Kennedy, to Torrence, on the El

Kennedy. Paso & Southwestern system, 90 miles south. Just

Elevation 6,006 feet, north of Kennedy the railway crosses a vertical dike

Kansas City 859 miles. » i , , i • i , i ■ -, , , i

of basalt which extends east . and west across the
country for a long distance, cutting the sandstone. Its width aver-
ages about 30 feet, and, owing to the great resistance to erosion
offered by the hard igneous rock, its course is marked by a distinct
ridge from 30 to 100 feet high.

Two miles east of Kennedy is the Mexican village of Galisteo,
which was an important settlement two centuries ago. A short dis-
tance north of it are numerous low red mounds with traces of walls
marking the site of the Galisteo pueblo. In 1680, or at the time
of the massacre, it had a population of about a thousand Tanos
Indians under control of the Spaniards, who had erected a hand-
some church. Six miles east, up the creek, was another pueblo,
San Cristobal, now marked by extensive ruins. Galisteo remained
prominent until late in the eighteenth century, when the Tanos,
greatly depleted by smallpox and the depredations of the Comanches,
removed to the village of Santo Domingo, on the Rio Grande, a
little farther west, where their descendants now live, preserving their
language and many customs.

About 5 miles south of Kennedy is a prominent butte, known as
Cerro Pelon (pay-lone', Spanish for bald), which consists of a thick
mass of igneous rock lying on sandstones and shale.

A few rods beyond Ortiz, at milepost 847, is a quarry where a rock
known as breccia is taken out in large blocks to be used in protect-
ing the railway embankment at various places. This
^^'*^* breccia consists of angular masses of volcanic rocks

Elevation 5,820 feet, ^^f yarious kiuds mixcd with more or less sand and

Kansas City 862 miles. . • i i i i i

cemented together mto stone oi considerable hard-
ness. The cementing agent is lime or silica deposited by under-
ground water passing through the deposit. This rock crops out in
extensive cliffs on the north side of the track for some distance on
both sides of Ortiz. It is a member of the Galisteo sandstone
(of probable Tertiary age), which occupies a basin of considerable
area extending northward under the sands and clays known as Santa
Fe marl.

The name Ortiz, applied to various features in central New Mexico,
belongs to a family which has been prominent in the history of the
Southwest since the arrival of its founder with De Vai-gas's expedition
of conquest after the pueblo revolt of 1680-1692.

A mile and a half beyond Ortiz siding the Ortiz Mountains are
visible, 10 miles southwest of the railway. They consist of a thick

80

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

body of igneous rock intruding Mesaverde and older rocks. Consider-
able gold ore has been found here and there along the slopes of these
mountains and also in placer form in the wash of many of the draws
leading out of them. The mining is done mainly by Mexicans; none
of it is on a large scale; but it has been in progress for more than two
centuries and at intervals still yields a small profit. Gold was taken
from the Dolores mine in this district as early as 1830.

At milepost 849 sandstones of the Gahsteo formation rise from
beneath the Tertiary beds and appear in ledges of considerable promi-
nence just north of the railway, the ridge of breccia dropping back
to the north. Halfway between mileposts 849 and 850, this sand-
stone contains numerous petrified logs,^ some of them 50 to 60 feet
long, exposed in a small area a short distance north of the railway.
From this place westward the sandstones are conspicuous in promi-
nent ledges, in which most of the beds dip steeply to the southeast.
Buff is the prevailing color, but some of them are red.

White ash coal.

Peacock coal ^

XooK and White coal>

MillerGulch

Mancos shale

Shale and sandstone

Igneous rock

Horizontal and vertical scale
O 500 1,000 2,000 Feet

Shale and sandstone. Igneous

Figure 15.— Section through Madrid, 3 miles south of Los Cerrillos, N. Mex., showing relations of coal
beds to the sheets of igneous rock.

Just north of the railway, halfway between mileposts 851 and 852,
a large mass of igneous rock cuts across the beds of sandstone and
shale. It was forced up in molten condition through cracks in the
strata. A short distance farther west, where the igneous rock is
quarried extensively, it is exposed cutting across vertical shales.
This is in the eastern part of the village of Los Cerrillos.

Los Cerrillos (sair-reel'yos, locally sair-ree'yos; Spanish for little
hills) is an old village sustained mostly by mining in the adjoining
hills. At Madrid, a few miles south of it, are large
coal mines whose product is taken by a branch rail-
way to Waldo, the next station beyond Los Cerrillos.
The total amount of coal so far mined is more than
2,500,000 tons, and the output in 1913 was approxi-
mately 68,000 tons. Coal was discovered here in 1835. Before the
railway was constructed the output of the mines was small, but
in 1882 the deposits here became a very important source of supply,
and a large area has since been worked out. There are three prin-

Los Cerrillos.

Elevation 5,669 feet.
Population 674.*
Kansas City 868 miles

^ These appear to be the
a forest of early Tertiary age.

remains of
The stems
are largely chalcedonized, but the micro-

structure shows that they were conifers.
(See also the description of the Petrified
Forest, pp. 107-109.)

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

81

oipal beds of coal, ranging from 3 to 5 feet thick m greater part. The
field is about 12 miles long and 3 to 8 miles wide. The coal occurs
in sandstone and shale of the Mesaverde formation. An interesting
feature of this place is that a considerable part of the coal has been
converted into anthracite and some of it into coke by the heat of
two extensive sheets of igneous rock which have been forced in a
molten condition between the beds. A large amount of this anthra-
cite is mined, most of it from a bed which in other parts of the area
yields bituminous coal.

Four miles north of Los CerriUos are the mines from which for
many years our principal supply of turquoise was obtained. The
mineral is found in small veins and other masses in an igneous rock
(diorite porphyry), which cuts the Cretaceous shales and sandstones.
It occurs very irregularly through the decomposed portions of the
rock and also varies greatly in size, color, and suitability for use as a
gem. It is believed that the turquoise has been deposited in cracks
in the igneous rock by percolating waters which brought together, in
solution, its constituents derived from the decomposing diorite por-
phyry. Besides the principal mine there are several small openings
in which small pockets of turquoise have been found from time to
time. The value of the product has risen to $500,000 in some years;
in 1895 one stone obtained was valued at $6,000. The locality has
been known to the Indians for many centuries and was the source of
the material used by them, in large amount, for beads and jewelry.
Some of them regard it as a specific against contagion. When Pedro
de Tovar, one of Coronado's men, visited the Hopis in Arizona they
presented him with specimens of turquoise w^hich undoubtedly came
from this place. Many of the early explorers visited the locality
under the guidance of the Indians, for the place is referred to in the
journals of aU the expeditions which passed m this vicinity. On
the slopes of Mount Chalchihuitl (tchal-tchi-wee'tl, the old Mexican
name for turquoise), one of the minor peaks of the hills caUed Los
CerriUos,^ the earliest observers discovered large pits that had been
long abandoned, for the debris was overgrown with good-sized trees.

^ The hilla north of Los Cerrillos station
are of similar origin to the Ortiz Moun-
tains, on the south — that is, they consist
of masses of igneous rock (diorite por-
phyry) that has been forced up in molten
condition through the Cretaceous shaks
along irregular vents of various sizes.
They constitute a group of six conical
peaks occupying an area of about 12
square miles. The relations of one of
these masses is well exposed a short dis-
tance east of the station, and other contact

phenomena are visible at intervals in the
next mile west. Nearly a mile west of
Los Cerrillos a wall of the igneous rock
rises 150 feet above the railway track and
continues for nearly a quarter of a mile.
At intervals westward past Waldo many
large dikes of the igneous rock cut the
shale, and most of them give rise to low
but conspicuous ridges extending several
miles across the country. Some of these
dikes are plainly visible a short distance
north of the railway.

82

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Waldo.

and found numerous stone hammers. It was evident that the work-
ings were of great antiquity.

The ruins of the old pueblo of San Marcos stand a short distance
north of Los Cerrillos.

At Waldo the branch railway from Madrid joins the main line.
West of Waldo the route crosses a thick body of Mancos shale, dipping
mostly eastward. Near milepost 858, about 4 miles
west of Waldo, the Dakota and associated sandstones
Elevation 5,606 feet, q^^^ shalcs are brought up in resrular succession from

Kansas City 869 miles. i i i i i i n

under the shales, and they present excellent expo-
sures not far from the railway. The main mass of sandstone, which
rises in a ridge of considerable prominence, is underlain by a thick
series of sandstone and light-colored clays, believed to be the Morri-
son formation. These beds are underlain by a 60-foot bed of gypsum,
which comes to the railroad in a high bluff at milepost 859 and con-
tinues in sight to the north for nearly a mile. This thick deposit of
gypsum,^ on account of its snow-white color and the large mass
exposed, is one of the most conspicuous occurrences of the mineral in
the Southwest.

At Rosario siding the chff of gypsum may be seen to bear off to
the northeast, and the country for many miles west of that place is
occupied by the sands, gravels, and loams of the formation known
as the Santa Fe marl, which is of late Tertiary age. There are con-
spicuous exposures of this formation all along the slopes of the valley
of Galisteo Creek, past Domingo station, to the Rio Grande. The
beds lie nearly level and are mostly carved into badland forms. In
some of the mesas in view far to the northeast these marls are over-
lain by some thick sheets of black lava (basalt), which were poured
out over the plain before the vaUeys had been excavated as deep as
they are at present.

By looking up the Rio Grande from the mouth of Galisteo Creek,
which is 2 miles west of Domingo, the traveler may discern White

Rock Canyon, through which the river flows for sev-
Domingo. qyqI miles and in which it is joined on the west by

Pajarita and Frijoles (free-ho'lace) creeks. In the

deep canyons of these creeks are some of the largest
and most remarkable cliff dwellings in the West. The rock of the
canyon walls is a volcanic tuff of very massive structure and only
moderate hardness. This gi'eat body of tuff hes against the east
flank of the Valle Grande (vahFyay grahn'day) Mountains, which rise
prominently 20 miles to the northwest. In the canyon walls this

Elevation 5,248 feet.
Kansas City 881 miles

^ Gypsum consists of calcium sulphate
with about 20 per cent of combined water.
It is the source of plaster of Paris, which
is used extensively in the arts and wliich

is prepared by heating gypsum to a mod-
erately high temperature to drive off the
combined water and grinding the result-
ing mass to a fine powder.

^'HE SANTA FE ROUTE. 83

tuff rises in high diffs, in which thousands of excavations were cut
by the aborigines. These places afforded particularly favorable con-
ditions for dwellings, owing to their inaccessibility to the enemy and
comparative ease of defense.

The cliff dwellings, of which there are many in New Mexico and
Arizona, were occupied by Pueblo Indians and their ancestors, espe-
cially in time of danger frona hostile tribes. Some of them were
located near streams and fields and it is likely that they were occu-
pied as dwelling places and for storage of grain and other property
at times when no danger threatened. In the edge of the Jemez
Plateau, which faces the Rio Grande a few miles north of Santo
Domingo, there are thousands of caves that were thus used. The
early history of the Pueblo people affords many examples of their
willingness to abandon an old home, or even a pueblo, when it suited
their interests to do so. This, in some measure, accounts for the
great number of ruins in the Southwest, and thus it must not be
imagined that cliff dwellings were deserted only because of the exter-
mination of the tribe that had occupied them.

The Rio Grande, the east bank of which is followed by the railway
from the mouth of Galisteo Creek to Albuquerque and beyond, is
one of the longest streams in the United States, draining a wide area
of the central Rocky Mountains in Colorado and northern New
Mexico. Its valley was the natural route for all the exploring parties
and the site of the settlements of many of their colonists. It was
named by Hernando de Alvarado, of the Coronado expedition, Rio
de Nuestra Senora (River of Our Lady). The bottom lands that
extend along the river at most places have been utihzed for many
centuries for agriculture and there are almost continuous settlements
and ranches along both sides. As early as 1680 there were 19 ranches
of Spaniards in the general Albuquerque region.

Many of the present ranches and villages are peopled by Mexicans,
but there are also numerous settlements of Indians. One large Indian
village is at Santo Domingo (see PI. XII, ^, p. 74), not far north of
the railway, half a mile below the mouth of Galisteo Creek. This
pueblo, known to be the third one built on this site, was estabhshed
as Gipuy 200 years ago. Because of its proximity to the Rio Grande
it has suffered disastrously in three great floods. There are at Santo
Domingo now about 800 Indians living in fairly comfortable adobe
houses and cultivating an extensive area of adjoining fields, largely
irrigated from the Rio Grande. These Indians have for a long time
been the chief traders in the turquoise from Los CerriUos. Together
with those at San Felipe (fay-lee 'pay), Cochiti (co-chee-tee'), and sev-
eral other pueblos, they are remnants of the eastern division of the
Keresan tribe, of which the Acoma and Laguna Indians form the
western division. They have a language very different from that of

84 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

other Indians in New Mexico. On their feast day, which is about
August 4 to 7, a great celebration occurs, with dances and other
features. This is attended by a large number of people, who are made
welcome.

Southwestward from Santo Domingo along the east bank of the
Rio Grande there are extensive exposures of the Santa Fe marl in
long slopes, partly of a badland character. In places on the west side
this material constitutes the slopes of mesas of considerable height,
which are capped by lava flows (basalt) .

Opposite milepost 875, 2J miles beyond Elota (ay-lo'ta) siding,
there is another Indian pueblo, known as San Felipe. Although it
is on the west bank of the river it is plainly visible from the trains,
and many of its features may be seen in passing. A conspicuous
building is the large church of curious architecture in the center of the
settlement. As early as 1607 San Felipe had a church. The
present town was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
On top of the mesa a short distance north of San Felipe are ruins of a
still older pueblo built for protection against the Spaniards. At a
still earlier time the Indians had other places of residence, includ-
ing Cubero (koo-bay'ro), all bearing the name Katishtya. These
Indians, like those at Santo Domingo, are of Keresan stock. They
now number about 500.

Behind San Felipe there is a moderately high mesa of Santa Fe
marl capped by a sheet of black lava (basalt). The edge of this
sheet shows the columnar structure characteristic of rocks of this
kind. The lava came out of cracks some distance to the west and
spread over a considerable area at a time when the bottom of the
valley was about 150 feet higher than it is at present. There have
been many of these eruptions at different places in the valley of the
Rio Grande, as weU as on some of the adjoining highlands, and
volcanic activity appears to have continued until very recent time.
The Pueblo Indians have traditions of ''floods of fire," and it is
stated that volcanic ash feU in seven of the twelve years following
their revolt for independence from Spanish rule.

Algodones (ahl-go-doe'nace) is a Mexican village which is an
important center and shipping point for ranches and the sheep
industry. The valley of the Rio Grande in this
Algodones. vicinity contains many large fields of aKaLfa and

Elevation 5,089 feet, other crops irrigated by water supplied by canals
K^sas Sty 894 mues. from the rivcr. The hills on both sides consist of the
gray to pink Santa Fe marl, which extends along
the valley in a belt of considerable width. On the west side of the
river these beds are capped by a lava sheet forming a high mesa.
This material is called marl because it is a fine light-colored silt,
similar to the true marl deposited in ponds. Ridges rising out of

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

85

Ruiz.

Elevation 5,063 feet.
Kansas City 898 miles,

the Santa Fe marl, at a point 6 miles northeast of Algodones, consist
of the Dakota and associated sandstones and the red beds, while
farther south the underlying rocks appear in a ridge of limestone
(the Magdalena) which rises gradually to a high range known as the
Sandia Mountains (sahn-dee'ah, Spanish for watermelon). This
range is a very prominent feature that extends along the east side
of the Rio Grande valley for 7 miles. Its higher summits rise some-
what above an altitude of 10,000 feet — that is, 5,000 feet above the
river.

Ruiz (rwees) is a contraction of the name of the Franciscan friar
Rodriguez, who organized a small expedition from Mexico in 1581.
On an exploring trip through the pueblos, he and
two other Franciscans remained after the departure
of their soldiers. The three friars were murdered
by the Indians, Rodriguez being the last of the three.
He was killed in this neighborhood, and his body was thrown into
the Rio Grande, which was then in flood.

On the west side of the river opposite Ruiz, a small body of black
volcanic rock (basalt) is exposed, cutting across the marls and forming
a small peak. Probably this represents a feeder for the lava flow on
the mesa, which here trends off to the northwest.

Near Bernalillo the steep western front of the Sandia Mountains is
plainly in view (PI. XIII, A, p. 75). The greater part of the slope is
granite and schist, but at the top there is a capping of several hun-
dred feet of limestone, which also dips continuously down the more
moderate eastern slope of the range. This limestone presents to* the
west a light-colored, almost unbroken cliff of considerable height,
which is readily recognized above the darker, rugged, granite slopes.
A cross section of the Sandia Mountains ^ is given in figure 16.

^ This range is the northernmost of a
series of nearly similar ranges which
stretch from north to south east of the
Rio Grande, extending as far south as El
Paso, where they abruptly end. The
limestone capping the Sandia Mountains
is of later Carboniferous age (Magdalena
group), and in the valley east of the
mountains it dips beneath a thick series
of red beds (Pennsylvanian to Triassic),
as shown in the section. It has long
been supposed that the beds on the west
front of these mountains are cut off by
a great fault, or in other words that
they are due to an uplifted block of the
earth's crust broken off along its west
side. There is, however, considerable

evidence afforded by small exposures of
limestone along the west foot of the moun-
tains to show that they are due mainly to
an upward arch of the strata, effected
mostly by bending, but doubtless with
minor local breaks. Most of the lime-
stone and the overlying rocks that extend
along the west foot of the mountains are
covered by a thick sheet of the Santa Fe
marl, which occupies a large part of the
Rio Grande valley. These deposits crop
out at many places in the slopes on both
sides of the river. They are sands and fine
loams, with some layers of reddish tint, all
lying nearly horizontal. The broad basin
or old valley which they occupy is exca-
vated in soft shales of Cretaceous age.

86 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Bernalillo (bare-nah-leel'yo, locally bcr-nah-lee'yo ; Spanish for
little Bernard) was so named because it was settled by descendants

of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who was associated with
Bernalillo. Cortez in the conquest of Mexico. The population

Elevation 5,033 feet, consists mainly of Mcxicans, and the village is one of
Kamls^cit/^miies. ^^^ oldcst Settlements in the valley. The fertility of

the wide valley and the favorable conditions for irri-
gating by use of the water of the Rio Grande have been the principal
factors in sustaining a large settlement at this place. De Vargas,
the Spanish governor who restored Spanish domination after a lapse
of 12 years, died here in 1704. There have been Indian villages on
the same site and in the vicinity for centuries.

A short distance north of Bernalillo began the province of the Tigua
group of Pueblo people, who became famous through the narratives
of the early historians. They comprised three geographic divisions,
of which the one living in the region extending from Bernalillo 35

E. w.

Sandia Mtn

111

Figure 16.— Section through Sandia Mountains, near Bernalillo, N. Mex., looking south, a, Sandstone;
b, Magdalena limestone; c, red sandstone; d, gray sandstone and limestone; e, red shale; /, massive
red sandstone (Wingate); g, gypsum and limestone; ft, Morrison shale; i, Dakota sandstone; j, Mancos
shale; fc, Mesaverde coal measures.

miles south was the middle. The reported population in 1630 was
7,000, living in 15 or 16 pueblos. Their principal settlement,
Puaray (pwa-ryeO, called by the early explorers Tiguex, lies in
ruins at the south end of the present village of Bernalillo. It was
probably here that Coronado spent his first winter and here that he
conducted a 50-day siege during the revolt of the Tigua villages
against him. His success led to the first plundering of the town
by the Spaniards; the last occurred at the time of the general revolt
of the Pueblos against Spanish rule in 1680 and resulted in the final
abandonment of the village by the Indians.

From BernaliUo to Albuquerque, a distance of 16 miles, the railway
continues along the east side of the Rio Grande, but in some places it
is separated from the stream by wide alluvial flats, which at Albu-
querque are more than a mile across. The Tigua pueblo of Sandia is
on the east side of the Rio Grande about 12 miles north of Albu-
querque. It was visited by Coronado and had many vicissitudes of
abandonment and burning, but was reestablished by the missionaries.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 87

Ten miles from Albuquerque is the ruined pueblo of Alameda
(ah-lah-may'da, Spanish for row of cottonwoods). This was a
Tigua village which was built upon the banks of the
Alameda. Rio Grande, but owing to a change in the course of

Elevation 4,980 feet, that Variable Stream, it lies now a mile from the river's
Klsta?y1m miles, ^dge. Here Cardenas had 200 Indians burned at the
stake, a crime for which he was thrown into prison
when he returned to Spain. Like its companion villages of Puaray
(at Bernalillo) and Sandia, Alameda was burned by the Spaniards at
the time of the general uprising in 1680.

To the east there are fine views of the west front of the Sandia
Mountains. (See PI. XIII, A, p. 75.) Near Albuquerque it may be
seen that this range is terminated on the south by a deep gap,
south of which rises another range, of similar structure, known as the
Manzano Mountains.

The portion of Albuquerque (ahl-boo-care'kay) known as ''old
town" extends along the river bank a mile to the west; the part
near the railway is much younger. The city was
Albuquerque. founded in 1701 by Gov. Pedro Rodriguez y Cubero,
Elevation 4,954 feet, who established 30 families there and applied to it
IZTcttymLes. the name of the Duke of Alburquerque, who had
been viceroy of New Spain. The duke, who never
came to America, ordered the name changed to San Felipe de
Alburquerque as a compliment to the reigning king. In the course
of years the name has been reduced to one word and a slight change
has been made in the spelling. Albuquerque was an important
center in the Spanish and Mexican occupation, and Gen. Phil.
Sheridan made it his headquarters until 1870. It is now the
largest city in New Mexico and is an important commercial and
industrial center. It is a railway division point, with large machine
shops and a plant for creosoting railway ties. All the trains stop
for half an hour or longer, close to the large Alvarado Hotel, named
for Hernando de Alvarado, who accompanied Coronado on his
journey of discovery and conquest. In one part of this beautiful
building is an interesting salesroom of Indian goods, which is a
museum of Indian arts. The entire building is in the mission style.
Indians from Isleta frequent the corridor of this building, offering
pottery and other products of their handicraft at low prices.

In the eastern part of the city, about a mile from the station, are
the State University buildings, of Pueblo Indian style, and in the
old town to the west still stands the mission church of San Felipe de
Neri, built in 1735.

From Albuquerque an important branch of the Santa Fe continues
south down the Rio Grande valley to El Paso, and from this branch
another diverges at Rincon to Deming, Silver City, and Lake Valley.

88

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The railway was built through to Albuquerque in 1 880 and the line to
Deming was opened in the spring of 1881. For some time before the
building of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, now the western part of
the Santa Fe system, this line by way of Deming and thence over
the Southern Pacific was the principal outlet to the Pacific coast.

There are but few mines in the vicinity of Albuquerque, although
some small ones are worked for gold and other metals in the moun-
tains to the east. Much of the product of the many ranches is
brought to the city, and the wool from a wide area is received there,
most of it passing through a scouring plant that handles 7,000,000
pounds a year. The gross annual trade in sheep in the vicinity
amounts to about $10,000,000.

On leaving Albuquerque the train goes nearly due south, passing
Abajo (see sheet 14, p. 98) and continuing along the east side of the
Rio Grande valley for about 10 miles. To the west
^^^i^- is a mesa of moderate height, capped by a thin sheet

of lava which appears to have flowed from several
small cones rising above its surface some distance
back on the mesa and in plain view from the trains. This lava lies
on the Santa Fe marl, which occupies the Rio Grande valley through
the greater part of central New Mexico. The railway crosses the
Rio Grande MOJ miles from Albuquerque and follows the west bank
2 miles to Isleta.

Elevation 4, 945 feet.
Kansas City 920 mil'^s.

^ This stream is one of variable volume;
during the dry season it dwindles to a
few small shallow channels and even be-
comes dry at the surface in many places,
but early in the summer and sometimes
at intervals later it carries great floods,
which usually overflow most of the ad-
joining lower lands. For a large part of
the year the flow near Albuquerque aver-
ages about 1,500 cubic feet a second, but
in some years the average flow is less than
500 cubic feet a second . At times of flood
the volume of water is 10,000 to 20,000
cubic feet a second or even more. It is
estimated that the average total yearly
flow is sufficient to cover 400,000 acres
(625 square miles) to a depth of 3 feet,
which is the amount required for most
irrigation in this region.

The great differences in flow are due to
the variations in the amount of rainfall and
in some degree to the nature of .he coun-
try drained by the river. The greater
part of the surface in the Rio Grande
basin has a very scanty cover of vegeta-

tion, so that but little of the rainfall is
absorbed by the soil or pa&ses under-
ground; therefore it runs off rapidly into
draws and creeks and soon reaches the
river. Most of the rainstorms, though
relatively short, are violent, and when
the storm area is large a vast amount of
water is carried into the river.

As a rule, most of the water of river floods
is lost, for the water used for irrigation is
taken out at times when rivers are at the
ordinary stage of flow, and no provision
is made for storing the floods. In the
Rio Grande valley, however, this condi-
tion is soon to be changed, for the United
States Reclamation Service has built a
storage dam near Elephant Butte, about
140 miles below Albuquerque. The dam
is 1,250 feet long, 300 feet high, and 235
feet thick at the base and contains 600,000
cubic yards of masonry. It has created
a lake 45 miles long, extending nearly to
San Marcial with a maximum width of
6 miles, an average depth of 65 feet, and
a capacity of 2,627,700 acre-feet. The

BULLETIN 6!3

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF- THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topek* and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
D«Tid White, Chief Geoloyisl R. B, Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

EmgIi qu*drnngh shown on the mtp with a ntme in ptnmhtsis in the
lower le/l nomer is mtpped in deltil on the US C. S Topographic

i

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

89

Isleta.

Elevation 4,896 feet.
Population 1,085*
Kansas City 930 miles.

other pueblos.

Isleta consists mainly of an Indian pueblo built on the bank of the
river a short distance east of the railway. This pueblo may be seen
best from points a short distance north of Isleta
station.^ Isleta, named thus by the Spaniards on
account of its location on an islet in the Rio Grande,
was discovered by Coronado in 1540. It was a
Tiguex village but has had accessions of Indians from
At the time of the rebellion of 1680 it revolted,
together with the other Tiguex villages of the Bernalillo and Santa
Fe region. The Spanish governor stormed it and captured over 500
natives. These were sent as captives to El Paso and the rest of the
tribe fled for refuge to the Hopi pueblos in Arizona. Early in the
eighteenth century the pueblo was resettled under the name San
Agustin de la Isleta.

From Isleta, on the Rio Grande, which flows into the Gulf of
Mexico, the railway begins its long journey across the interesting
plateau country, which, with its bordering areas, extends almost to
Colorado River, which flows into the Pacific. This vast area of high,
nearly level country lies between the rugged and generally higher
ranges of the Rocky Mountains to the north and the alternating
short ranges and deserts of the lower lying north end of the Mexican
plateau country to the south.

This is a land of interesting landscapes, rocks, and people. In
places the plains and cliffs are vividly colored by natural pigments of
red and vermilion. The rocks of the plateau are surmounted by two
large volcanic piles, which stand far above the general level of the
plain and which were master volcanoes in but comparatively recent
time — ^Mount Taylor on the east and the San Francisco Mountains
on the west. From the immensely thick, almost horizontal sedi-
mentary strata that compose most of the mass of this plateau layer
after layer has been eroded away over wide areas, leaving remnants
of harder strata which make picturesque cliffs and valleys and expos-
ing fossil forests that were long ago buried in the sediments of which
these strata are made. Erosion has also carved many canyons,
notably the majestic Grand Canyon of the Colorado.

shore line of the reservoir is 200 miles
long, and its surface area is 40,000 acres.
This basin will hold the floods of the Rio
Grande and conserve the water for use
when needed for irrigation all along the
river in southern New Mexico and Mex-
ico. Of course this reservoir will not
prevent floods in the Albuquerque re-
gion and higher in the valley, but it will

save the flood water for use in a region
where it can be utilized advantageously
for irrigation.

^ This station is at milepost 915. The
numbering of the mileposts from Atchison
continues south from Isleta along the El
Paso branch line. Mileposts on the main
line west of Isleta indicate distance from
Albuquerque,

90

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Here and there in the rocky cliffs and canyons are the present and
former communal homes of aboriginal peoples, whose arts and reli-
gious ceremonials partly lift the veil of the past and reveal glimpses
of earlier stages of human culture. These vast expanses were long
ago the abode of aboriginal tribes; later they were explored and
dominated by the mounted Spanish conquistadores ; and finally they
have been made accessible to all by the comfortable railway of to-day.
The plateau country and its approaches, in all their aspects — ^geologic,
ethnologic, and historical — ^form a region which will hold the atten-
tion of all passers-by in whom there exists a spark of appreciation of
striking natural phenomena and significant human events.

A short distance beyond Isleta the main line of the Santa Fe begins
its climb out of the valley of the Rio Grande, ascending by a rather
steep grade to the mesa which lies west of the river
Sandia. fl^^ q^j^g crest of this mesa is reached at Sandia

Elevation 5,286 feet, siding.^ In the cuts ou this ascent there* are many
exposures of sands and loams (Santa Fe marl) which
are capped by sheets of lava and volcanic cones on both sides of the
track. The railway reaches the edge of the lava sheet a short dis-
tance beyond milepost 16 and passes over it for 2 miles or more.
There is a group of volcanic cones 2 miles west and another group to
the northwest of milepost 21. From these cones small flows of lava
spread over areas of moderate extent at a time not very remote
geologically, when the river valley was about 200 feet less deep than
at present.

From the top of the mesa just beyond Sandia siding there are
extensive views in every direction. About 15 miles to the east may
be seen the bold western front of the Manzano Range, the high ridge
which constitutes the southern extension of the Sandia Mountains and
which is of similar structure. Far to the south is a prominent peak
known as the Sierra Ladrones (lah-dro'nace, Spanish for thieves), con-
sisting of a large but isolated mass of pre-Cambrian granite overlain
by limestone of the Magdalena group. To the west is a wide region of
high plateaus,^ out of which rises a very prominent peak, known as

^ This place should not be confounded
with the ancient pueblo of Sandia, which
lies 12 miles north of Albuquerque.

2 The region west of the Rio Grande,
well known to geologists as " the plateau
country, " is a province which differs in
its geography and geologic structure from
most of the country to the east. The
width of this plateau province is about
450 miles, its western margin being far to
the west in Arizona. The predominant
type of structure is widespread tabular
surfaces or plateaus consisting of great

sheets of the various sedimentary rocks
lying nearly horizontal or presenting very
wide dip slopes. Most of these plateaus
extend across the country in huge steps
with steep fronts and relatively level or
smooth toj)s. The harder formations con-
stitute the surface of the plateaus; the
softer beds crop out in the slopes. There
are many mesas or portions of these pla-
teaus cut apart from the main area by
erosion.

The rocks are sandstones, limestones,
and shales of Cambrian to earlier Tertiary

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

91

Mount Taylor, 1 1,389 feet high. It will be seen that the mesa or high
plain of Santa Fe marl extends far to the north and south, partly
filling a broad basin between the mountains. Originally its surface
was a continuous plain, but the Rio Grande has cut a wide valley
for itself 200 feet or more deep through the center of the plain, and
now the river flows along the bottom of this valley, with a mesa or
plateau of the '^ marls" forming cliffs or slopes on each side.

After crossing the low divide on the plateau beyond Sandia sid-
ing the train descends by a tortuous route to the valley of the Rio
Puerco (pwair'co, Spanish for dirty). On the way it passes through
many cuts in the Santa Fe marl that exliibit the characteristics of
the deposits, which are mostly sands and loams, in some places
consolidated into loose sandstones.

The Rio Puerco is a long stream draining the mesa country to the
northwest and emptying into the Rio Grande some distance southeast
of the crossing. Its vaUey is excavated mostly in soft beds of the
Santa Fe marl and underlying shales (late Cretaceous). To the west
is the Mesa Lucera (loo-say 'r a), a plateau capped by a thick sheet of
lava (basalt) lying on sandstones and shales. These strata dip
steeply eastward in a low line of foothills extending along the east
side of the mesa, but they are nearly level under the lava cap.

A short distance south of Rio Puerco station there are several
small knobs of volcanic rock rising above the wide valley bottom.
West of Rio Puerco siding the old main line is paral-
Rio Puerco. leled for a few miles by a new track diverging to the

Elevation 5,049 feet, jgf^ f^j. ^]^g wcstbouud traffic and rejoining the old
line a short distance beyond South Garcia (gar-see^ah)
siding. From Rio Puerco to the Continental Divide, a distance of
nearly 100 miles, the railroad ascends the vaUey of the San Jose
(ho-sayO, which empties into the Rio Puerco at Rio Puerco station.

age, capped on some of the plateaus and
mesas by thick sheets of lava. At many
places high cones or necks of older vol-
canic rocks rise above the platforms, and
widely scattered cinder cones mark the
orifices of later eruptions. The province
is markedly different in physiographic
and structural characters from the Rocky
Mountain country on the east and the
region of deserts and long rugged ridges on
the west.

This section of the country is one of
great interest to the student of geology,
for most of its relations are clearly ex-
hibited, and therefore it presents more
striking illustrations of geologic features
than the adjoining provinces. It extends

far to the north of the railway in New
Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and for some
distance to the south through central New
Mexico. It is a region in which the beds
constituting the earth's crust have been
uplifted or depressed in broad waves and
in places dislocated by faults or breaks,
along which great blocks have moved
bodily up or down on one side in rela-
tion to those on the other side. These
peculiar structural conditions, due to a
special kind of stresses in the earth's
crust, are here localized in a zone of rela-
tively great extent, surrounded by regions
in which there is much more intense
tilting and breaking of the strata by folds
and faults.

92

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Near milepost 39 is the termination of a narrow flow of lava, wliich
appears to extend continuously from a source far up the valley. It
widens in some places and narrows in others, and at intervals is covered
in whole or in part by the alluvium or wash laid down by the stream.

Suwanee station is on this lava sheet. A short distance to the

southeast is a small mesa in which an older lava sheet

Suwanee. ^^pg |^y^ sandstone (Dakota), shales (Morrison ?), and

Elevation 5,455 feet, underlying 2Tay and red massive sandstones (Zuni).

Kansas City 968 miles. -^ . ^ , . , . . , /.-,,-,

h arther south is the precipitous edge of the lava sheet
capping the high north end of the Mesa Lucera.^

A fault of considerable magnitude is crossed a short distance west
of Suwanee station and extends far north along the eastern mar-
gin of the high plateau known as Mesa Gigante (he-gahn'tay,
Spanish for gigantic). This fault is a vertical break in the earth's
crust along which the region to the west has been uplifted several

w.

Mesa Gigante

y r-^-

Figure 17.— Section north of Suwanee, N. Mex., looking north, showing relations of faults, a, Dakota
and overlying sandstones and shales; 6, shale probably equivalent to the Morrison formation; c, buff
massive sandstone; d, red sandstone; e, gypsum on thin-bedded limestone; /, massive pink sand-
stone (Wingate); g, red shales and sandstones.

hundred feet, bringing into view a thick mass of red beds. The
relations are as shown in figure 17.

Wbere crossed by the railway this fault is covered l)y lava because
the lava occupies a valley that was excavated long after the earth
movement had taken place. North of the railway and west of the
fault rises the Mesa Gigante, which is capped by massive gray to buff
sandstones (Dakota and overlying Cretaceous). Below the sand-
stone cliffs are banks of shale or clay, in greater part of pale-greenish
tint (probably equivalent to the Morrison formation), descending to
long slopes and extensive cliffs of red sandstones and shales. These
red cliffs are very conspicuous, notably from points near Armijo
(ar-me'ho) siding and for some distance westward.

^ A mile north of Suwanee on the north
side of the valley is a long ridge of mod-
erate height capped by buff sandstones
(Dakota) surmounting slopes of light
greenish-gray clays probably equivalent
to the Morrison formation. These clays
are in turn underlain by a thick layer of

massive buff sandstone, and in the bottom
of the valley, not in view from the train,
the top of a 50-foot bed of the imderlying
gypsum is exposed in a small area. Small
faults which extend northward into the
ridge at this place cut off the gypsum on
the east and west.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

93

Three miles west of Suwanee there is an extinct hot spring or
geyser cone not far south of the tracks. (See PI. XIII, B, p. 75.)
It contains a shallow crater 30 feet in diameter with walls of a hot-
spring deposit, which also constitutes the low cone in which it is situ-
ated. The form of the bowl and cone indicates that at a time not
very remote there was at this place a hot spring, or possibly a geyser,
similar to those now active in the Yellowstone Park. South of
Armijo siding a large valley from the south enters that of the San
Jose. About 10 miles up this valley is a large recent volcanic cone,
Cerro Verde (vair'day), and its lava flow appears to extend down to
the San Jose Valley.

RITO

ROSARIO

Gray massive sandstone
of Laguna and Acoma

Red sandstone

Gypsum 80
Limestone (thin layers)

Massive sandstone
(gray above, red below)
( Win gate)

Red shale

Buff sandstone
( Dakota)

Shale (Morrison)

Gypsum 60
I Limestone (thin layers)

Massive sandstone
(buff above , red below)

Red shale

Rito.

Figure 18.— Sections showing relations of gj'psum bed at Rito and near Rosario, N. Mex.

At Rito (ree'to) the railway passes a small pueblo (El Rito) of
Laguna Indians, built on a low lava-capped plateau a short distance
south of the railway. There are now only a few
Indians at this place, as those living higher up the
Elevation 5,664 feet, vallev cut off the watcr during the irrig-atinp; season.

Kansas City 981 miles, ^itt i-i - - ^ ^ i

Ihese Indians subsist by raismg sheep and goats and
cultivating small crops.

South of Rito there is a high mesa of red and buff sandstone (Zuni)
extending far to the south. To the north is a high cliff capped by
bright-red sandstones, at the base of which is the outcrop of a great
deposit of pure-white gypsum, 50 feet or more thick. As shown in
Plate XIV, B (p. 96), it extends along the north side of the track
for some distance. It is one of the most prominent exposures of
gypsum known, rivaling the one east of Rosario station (see p. 82)
and apparently of the same age. Figure 18 is introduced to show
the succession of rocks in which the gypsum occurs at both places.
This bed of gypsum crops out at several points hi the region between
Rosario and Rito with the same relations to adjoining rocks, so that
there is no doubt as to its continuity. It is the same deposit which
is exposed north of Suwanee, as shown in figure 17. It has been
38590°— Bull. 613—16 7

94

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

removed by erosion over wide areas where the rocks are uplifted,
but, on the other hand, it underlies a district of great extent in
which it has not been sufficiently uplifted to be subjected to erosion.*
West of Rito the San Jose Valley narrows considerably and the
railway follows its very crooked course to Quirk siding. In this
interval there are numerous exposures of the edge of the lava flow
which ran down the San Jose Valley to and beyond Suwanee. Most
of the lava is south of the railway in this vicinity; on the north side
are bluffs of the buff Zuni sandstone above referred to. This sand-
stone is also exposed in deep railway cuts west of Quirk, where it is
overlain by light-colored shales and clays that extend up to a thick
succession of sandstones (Dakota and higher). In the high mesas a
mile or two north of the railway these sandstones are capped by a
sheet of older lava (basalt).

Lagiuia station is nearly a mile north of the Indian pueblo of
Laguna, through which the railway passed prior to a
recent change of course to diminish distance and
grade. This pueblo is one of the most interesting and
accessible along the Santa Fe Railway and is visited
by many tourists, who find accommodations, if neces-
sary, at the houses of some of the American residents of the smaU
settlements adjoining the pueblo.

The Indians at this place are a branch of the Keresan tribe, to
which the Acoma Indians also belong, but according to their own

Laguna.

Elevation T^,l^l feet.
Population 1,5H3.*
Kansas City 98S miles

^ The origin of gypsum deposits of this
character is a problem of considerable in-
terest, for the precise conditions of depo-
sition arc not known. It is believed that
the gypsum was deposited during the
evaporation of an inland sea that prob-
ably occupied a region of considerable
extent in the central United States dur-
ing later Carboniferous and early Meso-
zoic time. The thickness of the deposit
together with its freedom from admixture
with the sand and clays which constitute
the rocks overlying and underlying it is
remarkable, doubtless indicatin ^ that the
area of deposition was remota from streams
that could bring mud and sand into the
sea. For this reason it is believed that
the deposit was laid down at a time of
scanty rainfall, when the waters of the
sea were ev^aporating rapidly. Waters of
this kind were also very salty, but in the
course of their evaporation the gypsum
was first deposited and the salt later, as
the drying up continued. However, no

salt deposits have been discovered in
connection with the gypsum in this por-
tion of New Mexico. Very salty waters
emerge from some of the lower strata of
the underlying red beds at various points,
indicating that deposition of salt went on
dmdng part of the general period, but
most of this salt is in rocks that were laid
down prior to the thick deposit of gypsum
which is so conspicuous at Rito, Rosario,
and other places.

The red sandstones overlying the gyp-
sum at Rito, together with a thick body
of overlying buff sandstone, probably rep-
resents the lower part of the Zuni sand-
stones. This buff, massive sandstone is
conspicuous in the bluffs north and north-
east of Suwanee (see fig. 17), as well as in
extensive railway and stream cuts along
the valley west of R^to, notably near
Laguna station and for some distance
west. The red sandstone becomes very
thin northeast of Suwanee and it also thins
toward the south.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 95

tradition they are of mixed stock from the older pueblos. Their town
is a relatively new settlement, dating back to about 1697, when it
was established with the name San Jose de la Laguna, by Gov. Cubero.
The village is built on ledges of buff sandstone on the north bank of
San Jose River, which the Indians at that time called the Cubero.
This stream affords water for domestic use as well as for the irriga-
tion of small areas of various kinds of crops on which the natives
subsist. The Indians had a Spanish grant of over a quarter of a
million acres, most of which, however, was desert land. Around
their principal pueblo, Laguna, they had many small villages, in
which they lived during the summer. Of late years they have occu-
pied some of these villages (Paguate, Negra, Encino, and Casa Blanca)
permanently. About 1,800 Indians live in or near Laguna.

On both sides of the valley of San Jose River at Laguna, and along
the branch canyons from the north and south, arc high mesas with
cliffs of sandstone. The beds lie nearly horizontal. The mesas are
capped by gray to buff sandstones (Dakota and younger), while the

■n Dakota sandstone a^ ^ rv-.i ^+ j 4. ,-

Ek Qu^i^ . Acoma Dakota sandstone F

Gray sandstone

1 Shale^

/[ ■ '.■'.■'.'.• /.■'.\_ Alluvium _Jy.-'\_\

[■ : :": >"..\\\\-;VymgaLe '.sandstone. (red:beipW)."- [ \ .','■:. ; '. :•;••..' : . ;

Figure 19.— Sketch section through Acoma, N. Mex., looking south.

lower cliffs are of massive buff Zuni sandstone. In the intermediate
slopes there are extensive exposures of the pale greenish-gray clays,
as in other sections east, which extend along the sides of the valley
for some distance west beyond Cubero (koo-bay'ro) siding.

A short distance southwest of Laguna there comes in from the
south a large valley, which heads in the vicinity of Acoma, one of
the most remarkable Indian pueblos in the Southwest. As shown
in Plate XV (p. 97), this place is built on top of a high, isolated mesa
with precipitous waUs of gray sandstone (see fig. 19) and has been
an object of great interest to travelers ever since the first visit of
Coronado. It is notable as the oldest contmuously inhabited settle-
ment in the United States. Unlike most of the other pueblo villages,
Acoma is recorded in the early chronicles as the home of a people
feared by the residents of the whole country around as robbers and
warriors. Its location upon a precipitous white rock (Akome,
'^people of the white rock") rendered it well-nigh impregnable to
native enemies as well as to Spanish conquerors, for the. only means
of approaching it was by climbing up an easily guarded cleft in the
rock. However, one of the Spanish expeditions, with 70 men, suc-
ceeded in killing 1,500 of these Indians — half their total number —
in a three-day battle in 1599. The entrance and stairway in use

96 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

now are the same that were described by Alvarado on his visit with
Coronado's expedition in 1540. The height of the mesa is 350 feet.
The Acoma people are expert makers of pottery, as are also the
Laguna Indians.

A short distance north of Acoma is the famous Mesa Encantada
(enchanted mesa), vshown in Plate XIV, A, on which was located,
according to the tradition of the Acomas, their prehistoric village of
Katzimo.

Acoma is easily reached from Lagnna by a drive of 18 miles, for
which a team and Indian driver can usually be obtained at Laguna.
It will be found that the Indians of Acoma are rather indifferent to
the desire of the tourist to see the sights of the place unless some
remuneration is offered. The large church, built mainly of slabs of
rock, is still in excellent condition, although it was built about 1699.
The New Mexico building at the Panama-California Exposition at
San Diego is patterned after this church, with the portico modified
after the church at Cochiti. The population in 1902 was 566.

West from Laguna the railway continues to ascend the valley of
the San Jose. This stream for part of the year furnishes water for a
small amount of irrigation, mostly by the Indians of the Acoma
tribe, who maintain summer villages at different places.

At Cubero, now a small Mexican village, there was formerly a
pueblo of San Fehpe Indians, who now live near Santo Domingo.
The name Cubero is that of the Spanish governor
Cubero. in office at the end of the seventeenth century. The

Elevation 5,929 feet, real towii of Cubero, a Mexican settlement, is 8 miles
Krslsat/JgVmiies. ^^ ^'^^' uorthcast. There are many Penitentes in
these villages. About 2 miles beyond Cubero, near
mdepost 74, there is a view up the valley in which the pueblo of
Acoma and the Mesa Encantada are situated, about 10 miles to
the south in an air line. On both sides of the San Jose VaUey are
high walls of the Dakota and Mancos sandstones, which lie nearly
horizontal, so that the railway rises to higher and higher beds as it
ascends the valley.

Near milepost 77, 5 miles west of Cubero siding, there is to the
north a fine view of Mount Taylor, a huge cone standing on a high
plateau of sandstone and lava. It was named for President Zachary
Taylor, but this name has not entirely displaced the local name,
Sierra San Mateo. This mountain is an isolated mass consisting
largely of gray lava (andesite) and represents an eruption of con-
siderable antiquity, much older than the sheets of black lava (basalt)
which cap the plateaus or mesas along the north side of the valley.
Since these early lava outflows the valleys have been cut to their
present depths of 1,500 to 2,000 feet and a considerable area of the
plateaus has also been removed, as shown in figure 20. Mount

i

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XIV

.4. MESA ENCANTADA, N. MEX., SEEN FROM THE NORTH.

The mesa is about 350 feet high, and its width is about one-third its length, The rock is buff massive sandstone
of the lovy^er part of the Zuni formation.

S. BED OF GYPSUM AT RITO, N. MEX.

View northward. The bed is 50 feet thick and lies under red sandstone opposite the Indian pueblo just north
of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The base of the gypsum bed (A) rests on limestone.

THE SANTA FE ROTTTE. 97

Taylor is held in great veneration by the Pueblo Indians, who call
it the ''mother of the rain." In the spring a party of them usually
goes to its top for sacred dances to invoke the rain god for a plentiful
harvest.

A short distance south of the track near milepost 77 is the small
pueblo of Acomita, which belongs to the Acoma Indians and serves
as a home for about 200 of them during the summer when they are
cultivating the fields in the bottom of the valley. There is a United
States Indian school here and a good road southward to Acoma.

Mount Taylor is again visible from Alaska siding and west from
that place for a mile or two. The platform from which it rises is cov-
ered by a sheet of black lava (basalt) capping cliffs
Alaska. ^^j^^j ^ong slopes of the later Cretaceous sandstones.

Elevation 6,041 feet. pg^j. ^q ^]^g south rise extcusivc hiffh plateaus occupy-

Kansas City 999 miles. . , . , p *

mg the region west oi Acoma.
Halfway between mileposts 80 and 81, the lava sheet in the bottom
of the valley is plainly visible. The lava flowed out of vents in the

Mt .Taylor c »^

Lava a

?Miiiii:iiii;_ihimimiiniiiiii|||n c

Vp rP^.^ ceo us •; sa n d sto n e ;a n d shaleTJ/y'

Figure 20.— Sketch section showing relations of lava sheets near Mount Taylor, N. Mex. a, b, c, d
Four successive lava flows later than flow in Mount Taylor; e-e, former surface of plateau before
valley of San Jose River was excavated.

region to the west at a time much later than that of the eruption of
the lava sheet which caps the mesa that extends along the north side
of the valley from Laguna westward. At milepost 81 there is an
exceptionally good view of Mount Taylor.

McCartys is a trading center for ranches and the Indians in the San

Jose Valley and adjoining region. At Acoma siding

McCartys. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^J miles west of McCartys,

^Z:^^^^es.^^^ is. an Indian village of moderate size on the
south side of the valley, used as a summer home by
some of the Acoma Indians.

In the bottom of the valley, a short distance beyond Acoma siding,
s the termination of a lava flow that is evidently more recent than
he lava that occupies the vaUey farther east. The railway extends
^ong its northern margin for several miles, affording excellent views
of the rocks which present features characteristic of recent flows
from some of the great volcanoes in various parts of the earth. The
si leet is narrow, for the sandstone walls of the canyon are not far apart
ill this region. The surface of the lava is exceedingly rough, parts of it

98 GUIDEBOOK OF TTTE WESTERN TTNTTED STATES.

having boon shattered into largo fragments by tlie flow movement,
and other parts consisting of great bhsters, mostly broken and show-
ing caverns underneath. Much of the smoother surface of the lava
is black and ropy, very similar to slag from a blast furnace. There
is but little vegetation over its surface, and all its features indicate
that it is a relatively very recent flow. Some of the Pueblo Indians
of the region have a legend, handed down for several generations, of
a river of fire in San Jose Valley, and it seems not unlikely that the
forefathers of those people witnessed this outflow. It is said that the
lava has flowed around the corner of an old stone wall at one point
above McCartys, but on inspection of this wall it appears more likely
that the wall was built into an angular jog in the margin of the sheet.
This lava flow extends 20 miles up the valley, and except for a short
distance near milopost 89 the railway is close to its northern edge.
As the valley widens beyond Horace the lava sheet spreads out to the
south, and probably it came from cones which are visible in that
direction.

Near milepost 90 the beds of rock in the canyon walls begin to rise
gradually toward the west, and the Dakota sandstone and under-
lying beds, including the massive gray sandstone seen
Horace. near Laguna and Acoma, appear again. These rocks

Elevation 6,321 feet, extend aloug the base of the cliffs far to the north and
south of the railway. The rise of the beds continues
past Horace siding for IJ miles to milepost 92, where a sandstone
butte north of the track shows the beds dipping eastward at angles
between 5'' and 10°.

Just north of Horace the sandstone mesa north of the track is 300
or 400 foot high and capped by a thick sheet of older lava (basalt),
which extends for a considerable distance east and west. This mesa
finally bears off to the northwest as the valley widens, and a corre-
sponding cliff extends south. Four miles west of Horace the valley
is several miles wide and the greater part of its bottom is occupied by
the very recent lava flow mentioned above.

Grant is a local center for ranch and stock interests in the adjoining

region. Just north of Grant is a lava-capped mesa which continues

about 5 miles west, gradually bearing off to the north.

^''^^'- In places the edge of the lava shows columnar struc-

Eievation 6,464 feet. ture. Soutli of the track there are good exposures of

Kansas City 1,017 miles. , i ^ i n i . i

the recent lava sheet above reierred to, snowing a
large amount of very rough surface with great broken blister cracks
and much ropy lava.

A few miles west of Grant the Zuni (zoon'ye) Mountains are in sight
to the west. These mountains are the result of an extensive dome-
shaped uplift of the earth's crust. In its higher central part, from
which the sedimentary rocks have been removed, the old granites and

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OK THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geolo^cal Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alijrnments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
David White, Chief Geolor»t R B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Etch qutdrtngit shown on the map with » name in panmhtais in Iht
lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S Topographic
Sheet of that name

A Sand and gravel
Lava flow ibasalti

EXPLANATION

Alluvium-

jCretaceous

I Upper
(Cretaceous)

F Shales, pale green to mai-oon jsss^szz^w^-^"^^ 200 Jurassic or

G Sandstone, gray, massiv

H
I Sandstone, buff and red, massive Wingate- 80j

I07'30'

Sciie 500,000
Approximately 8 miles to I inch

■?■■■■ '9 ■■■■ ■?

aOKilometers

from Kantaa City, .

.351

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 99

schists appear, constituting a group of high summits of considerable
prominence. One of these, Mount Sedgwick, has an altitude of 9,200
feet. The Zuni Mountains extend westward along the south side of
the San Jose Valley and across the Continental Divide nearly to
Gallup, the railway deflecting its course somewhat to the northwest
to pass around their foothills. Many features of the limestone ridge
on the northeast slope of this uplift are visible between Grant and
Bluewater stations, including some deep canyons rimmed with high
cliffs of the white limestone and sandstone of later Carboniferous age.
The northeastward dip is plainly perceptible, and the rough, craggy
ridges of granite of the interior of the uplift may be discerned, culmi-
nating in Mount Sedgwick.

Northeast of the railway a wide valley extends to the foot of low
cliffs of red sandstones and gray sandstones (Dakota), with formations
of later Cretaceous age farther back. From a point near Bluewater
station there are fine views of the west side of Mount Taylor to the
east, showing the high lava-capped plateau on which this mountain
stands.

South of Bluewater is a Mormon settlement using water from Blue-

^rater Canyon to irrigate fruits, alfalfa, and vegetables. Three miles

north by east of Bluewater station there rises on the

luewater. valley slope a round black cone of moderate elevation,

.p^^ation237*^^*' ^^^"^ ^^ ^^ Tiutcro (tiu-tay 'ro, Spanish for ink pot),

K.Tisascity 1,028 miles. from the deep hole or crater in its top. It is shown

in Plate XVI, B (p. 100). The lava flow flooring San

. -se Valley at Horace and Grant extends to this cone, which perhaps

jks a source of the outflow. El Tintero is plainly in view to the

i^th of the track for ^ -^veral miles, or nearly to milepost 110, where

J lava ceases and is succeeded by red and gray shale of Triassic age.
The shale represents some of the red shales and sandstones which
overlie the massive sandstone of the midde of the red beds in the
Glorieta region, between Las Vegas and Lamy.

A short distal^ ^'^ southeast of the railway low knobs mark the out-
crop of sandstone (Shinarump ?) underlying this shale, and a short
distance farther south still lower limestones, of Carboniferous age,
rise gradually on the northeast slope of the Zuni uphft.

From milepost 110 to the Continental Divide at Gonzales and
thence down the west slope for 20 miles farther the railway is built
through a broad valley underlain by the soft red and gray shale above
mentioned. This valley extends northward for 2 or 3 miles to the
foot of walls of bright-red sandstones (Wingate), mostly 300 to 400
feet high, capped by lighter-colored sandstones (the Zuni and Dakota)
which rise as great steps to a ridge of considerable prominence ex-
tending continuously across the Continental Divide. This red wall
is recessed by numerous small canyons, and some of the intervening

]00

nUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN TJNTTED STATES.

buttresses are carved into a great variety of massive forms. These
very conspicuous and beautiful features continue in sight for a long
distance along the north slope of the Zuni uplift.

The strata appear to be horizontal, but they dip at low angle to
the northeast or at right angles to the line of the railway.

Figure 21, a section near the Continental Divide, shows the succes-
sion of beds on the slopes of the Zuni Mountains south of the railway
and in the walls of red sandstone and overlying rocks to the north.

In the region about Thoreau the principal industry is the raising of
sheep, goats, and cattle. Many Navajo Indians, engaged mainly in
goat raising, live in the country to the north. This
Thoreau. jg ^J^p^ place from which the extensive prehistoric ruins

Elevation 7,135 feet, of Chaco Cauyou, 50 milcs to the north, are reached.
K^Ls c"i"y 1,047 miles. ^^^6 of thcsc ruius, uow Called Pueblo Bonito, was a
house of about 1,000 rooms. At Thoreau and for the
next few miles beyond there are especially fine views of the great cliffs
of red Wingate sandstone to the north.

Zuni , .

ivits Limestone

and sandstone

oc

1(0

Dakota sandstone
Srtiale"

Zuni sandston

vertical scale

1,000 500 o

1.000 reet

Figure 21.

-Section from the Zuni Mountains northward across the Santa Fe Railway near Thoreau,
N. Mex., looking northwest.

The climb up to the Continental Divide is made on a very moderate
grade, about 21 feet to the mile. There is no mountain top to be
attained, for the divide is in a broad east-west depres-
sion known as Campbells Pass. The summit, which
Kanstfc'ityl^i'm Tcachcd at Gonzalcs siding, halfway between mile-

posts 130 and 131, is at an altitude of 7,250 feet, or
358 feet lower than Raton Pass. A large sign erected just north of
the track states that the Continental Divide is crossed at this place.
This divide, which crosses the Zuni Mountains to the south and passes
over the high cliffs to the north, separates the waters of San Jose
River and the Rio Puerco, affluents of the Rio Grande, from those of
the Rio Puerco (of the West), a branch of the Little Colorado, which
flows into the Colorado and so empties into the Pacific Ocean.

West of Gonzales there are two lines as far as Perea; the west-
bound trains take the left-hand track and pass through South Guam
siding, halfway between mileposts 136 and 137. In this vicinity the
great red wall to the north is a prominent feature, and to the south
rise the long slopes of sandstone and limestone leading up to the

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XVI

A. PYRAMID ROCK AND RED CLIFF OF WINGATE SANDSTONE NORTH OF ZUNI SIDING, A FEW
MILES EAST OF GALLUP, N. MEX.

View northeastward. Navajo Church at extreme right. Santa Fe Railway in middle distance.

B. ELTINTERO, A VOLCANIC CONE WITH A CRATER IN ITS TOP, THREE MILES NORTHEAST

OF BLUEWATER STATION, N. MEX.

View northeastward over fields of lava ejected from a vent at this place.

4

J*

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XVII

NAVAJO CHURCH, NORTHWEST OF WINGATE, N. MEX.
Carved by rain and wind-blown sand in white Zuni sandstone. Note cross-bedding

THE SANTA FE KOUTE.

101

wooded summit of the Zmii Mountains. A small ridge, constituting
a foothill to these mountains is due to the outcrop of the bed of coarse
Shinarump sandstone which lies beneath the shales of the wide valley
followed by the railway.

The wall of red Wingate sandstone 2 miles north of Perea siding is
broken into numerous massive buttresses, which rise to a high shelf
of moderate width extending back to still higher steps of lighter-
colored sandstones and shale (the Zuni), capped by the Dakota sand-
stone far in the background. These features continue in view to
Wingate station.

Wingate is the station for old Fort Wingate, which is 3 miles due
south of it. Until recently this fort was sustained by the Govern-
ment as a military depot, with several regiments
Wingate. ready for active duty. During part of 1914 the old

Elevation 6,743 feet, buildiugs Were uscd for housing the 4,000 Mexican
ansas i y , . jp^^^j,g^| troops and their families who were forced into

Texas at Eagle Pass. These people were employed in working roads
in the vicmity.

The traveler is here well within the land of the Navajo (nav'a-ho)
Indians, now peaceful blanket makers, herders, and farmers, but for
a long time one of the predatory savage tribes, the terror of the Pueblo
people and their ancestors.^

1 The Navajos were wily warriors, and
usually their raids or other depredations
were victorious. After the acquisition of
the Southwest by the United States, they
killed many citizens, especially when the
frontier troops were withdrawn to partici-
pate in the Civil War. Several attempts
were made to subdue the Navajos, but
none succeeded until 1863, when Col. Kit
Carson drove them into eastern New
Mexico, where they were held as prison-
ers until 1867 . Then they were permitted
to return to their old haunts in western
New Mexico and northeastern Arizona,
where a large reservation was apportioned
to them. Since that time they have been
peaceful and in some ways prosperous.
It is estimated that the warfare against
the Navajos and Apaches from 1849 to
1886 cost the United States 150,000,000.

The Navajo Reservation covers more
than 9,000,000 acres, most of it above an
altitude of 6,000 feet. Its southeastern
corner is 20 miles northeast of Wingate,
its southwest corner is a short distance
west of Canyon Diablo, in Arizona, and
it has a length of about 190 miles. This

is an area of about 15,000 square miles,
which is greater than Massachusetts and
New Jersey together. The Navajos num-
ber about 30,000 . Their number has been
steadily increasing for many years; it was
9,000 when they were counted in 1869.
They were not mentioned by travelers
prior to 1629, and apparently began as
a small offshoot of the Apaches. They
call themselves Dinneh, meaning "the
people." The Spaniards called them
"Apaches de Navajo," from Navahu,
the name of an old Tigua pueblo in
the vicinity of which they lived. Most
of them live in temporary hogans, built
simply of sticks covered by earth and
branches, and they frequently move from
place to place. Usually a few families
live near together, and they congregate
about watering places and trading posts.
The women weave their famous blankets,
which bring them nearly 1500,000 a year,
and men and boys tend their sheep and
goats and raise a few crops. They live a
life closely adjusted to their environ-
ment, and with very few requirements
beyond the simplest necessities. They

102

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

West of Wingate the railway continues along the red shale valley
but gradually approaches much nearer to the foot of the great red
cliffs than in the region farther east, affording particularly good views
of some of then- picturesque features. Due north of milepost 150 a
remarkable rocky pinnacle, known as the Navajo Church (see PL
XVII), may be seen. Its sharp sph-es of white sandstone, about 200
feet high, rise conspicuously above the rocky slopes at the top of the
walls of red sandstone. It is a striking object, fashioned by the
irregular erosion of the massive Zuni sandstone by rain and frost, and
in some measure also by wind-blown sand. A short distance to the
west is Pyramid Rock (shown in PL XVI, A), a conical mass of the
same material.

Not far west of Zuni siding (milepost 152) the axis of the .arch of
the Zuni uphft is crossed, the beds on its crest pitching steeply to the

northwest. West
of the axis the beds
all dip steeply to
the west and south-
west. This feature
may be observed
between mileposts
153 and 155, espe-
cially at the latter,
where the railroad
and creek pass
through a narrow
gap having waUs of nearly vertical beds of the Dakota and overlying
sandstones, as shown in Plate XVIII. This steep dip to the west
carries these sandstones underground within a short distance, beneath
coal-bearing sandstones that occupy a shallow basin to the west. (See
PL XIX, A.) The change of dip from nearly vertical to horizontal
is so rapid as to give the appearance of a fault in the slope north of
the railway, but close scrutiny has shown that there is no appre-
ciable break. The relations of this flexure are shown in figure 22.

The narrow zone of steep dips extends aU along the west side of
the Zuni uplift, and the ridge marking its course may be seen bearing
off to the south from the vicinity of milepost 156. The basin west of

Figure 22.— Section of coal-bearing Mesaverde formation, Dakota sand-
stone, and underlying beds in and near the gap 3 miles east of Cf allup,
N. Mex., looking north.

own about 30,000 cattle, 1,400,000 sheep,
320,000 goats, and 250,000 horses, burros,
and mules. In 1914 they sold 3,375,000
pounds of wool from native sheep, and
293,463 pounds of merino wool, valued in
all at $465,000.

Despite the-r history as predatory sav-
ages, the Navajos are in general jovial,
truthful, intelligent, and, as Indians go.

industrious and capable. They have an
ample vocabulary, a complex grammar,
an elaborate religious system, and hun-
dreds of songs. They have numerous
schools scattered widely over the reserva-
tion, and many of them are eager to have
their children attend. About 10 per cent
have tuberculosis, and 20 per cent have
trachoma, a contagious eye affection.

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U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XIX

A. SHARP BEND IN BOUNDARY OF ZUNI MOUNTAIN UPLIFT AS SEEN FROM SANTA FE RAIL-
WAY THREE MILES EAST OF GALLUP, N. MEX.

View northward Nearly horizontal coal nneasures (Mesaverde formation) at leftof center of view, in background.

£. GREAT ARCH IN THE RED SANDSTONE NORTH OF HOUCK, ARIZ.
View northward.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

103

this uplift contains an extensive area of sandstones and shales of
later Cretaceous age (Mesaverde) , including several beds of excellent
subbituminous coal which are worked at a number of places.

Gallup is a railway division point and meal station. Its principal

industry is coal mining and most of the mines are in the immediate

vicinity of the town.^ There are also two brick kilns

^^^*"P- that make a large output. Many cattle, sheep, and

Elevation 6,503 feet, proats are raised in the adioinins: country. A large

Population 2 204. j o ./ o

Kansas(Mty 1,079 miles, number of Navajo and Zuni Indians come to Gallup
to trade and each year bring in an increasing amount
of wool for sale. Formerly they received their pay in merchandise,
but now the clip of wool is so large that they receive considerable
balances in cash. The Navajo Reservation is a short distance north
of Gallup and 40 miles to the south is Zuni, one of the largest pueblos
in the Southwest. This place is visited by many persons and is easy
of access by vehicles from GaUup over fairly good roads. At Zuni
there are ample facilities for taking care of visitors overnight. A
special occasion is the Shalako dance, usually held in November.

Zuni is one of the famous seven cities of Cibola, the objective
point of the Spanish expedition under Coronado in 1540. The
largest of these seven pueblos contained about 500 rooms. Some
of the ruins of old Cibola are still to be seen. Near Zuni is the pre-
cipitous-sided mesa of Toyalane, to which the Indians of this tribe
fled whenever they feared invasion or punishment, remaining there
sometimes for many years, while their abandoned pueblos fell to
ruins. The present pueblo of Zuni was built 200 years ago, and here
was concentrated what remained of the people of Cibola. The United
States has recently built a dam to hold water for irrigation at Zuni,
an undertaking which is greatly appreciated by these progressive and
prosperous Indians. Their population, which is 1,640, has remained
about the same for the last 30 years.

^ The coal that is extensively mined
about Gallup is a subbituminous coal
(formerly known as black lignite), which
occurs mainly in a bed 5^ feet thick, con-
tained in the Mesaverde formation. It is
used on locomotives and shipped great
distances along the railway for manufac-
turing and domestic use. Its keeping
qualities, however, are not entirely satis-
factory, the coal having a disposition to
break up into fine slivers when exposed
to the air, on account of the large amount
of water it contains. The rapid evapora-
tion of this water from the surface layers
causes them to shrink and curl up or scale
off and to heat spontaneously when stored

for a long time in large quantities. Even-
tually it will be compressed into bri-
quets, a result which will overcome
these unfavorable characteristics. The
average Gallup coal contains about 42
per cent of fixed carbon, 40 per cent of
volatile combustible matter, 11 per cent
of moisture, and 6 per cent of ash. The
heating value is 11,700 British thermal
units. In 1913 the production of coal
from the Gallup region amounted to
nearly 825,000 tons, valued at $1,367,364.
The coal-bearing series consists of an al-
ternation of sandstone and shale. Ledges
of sandstone crop out extensively around
Gallup and for some distance west.

104

OUTDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

At Gallup a large supply of excellent water is obtained from artesian
wells sunk through the coal-bearing rocks into the underlying sand-
stones. Without this underground supply the town would be greatly
hampered, for the surface waters in the vicinity are very small in
volume and mostly of bad quality. The well water is carried in tank
cars to supply many stations along the railway where the local water
is not satisfactory,^

A coal mine, plainly visible a quarter of a mile north of the track a
mile west of Gallup, is one of the large producers of the area. Just
south of a point two-tenths of a mile beyond milepost 163, west of
West Yard siding (see sheet 16, p. 108), is a knob due to a mass of
dark igneous rock (vogesite), cutting the ^oal-bearing rocks, and
another small dike of the same material appears half a mile farther
southwest.

At milepost 163 sandstones below the coal measures appear, and a
short distance north of milepost 166, which is at Defiance siding, they
arch over, forming a well-marked anticline. Beyond this arch the
beds dip west for a short distance at moderately steep angles, into a
shallow syncline, out of which they rise again on an easterly dip at
milepost 167. The easterly dip continues for some distance, bringing
up lower and lower beds of the sandstone in succession toward the
west. Finally at milepost 1 76 appears one of the lower sandstones,
200 feet thick, forming a high wall on both sides of the Rio Puerco
valley, which in consequence becomes a canyon. These cliffs con-
tinue for several miles to the west.

At Manuelito (mahn-way-lee'to) considerable trading is done with
the Navajo Indians who live on the reservation a short distance
north. This place was named for a Navajo who
Manuelito, N. Mex. was elected chief in 1855, when a treaty was
arranged with the Navajos to end their depreda-
tions. This treaty, however, was not ratified by
Congress, and lawlessness continued till the final
subjugation of the tribe eight years later. Subsequently Manuelito
was made head of the native police force and proved loyal to the
Government.

Two- tenths of a mile beyond milepost 1 79 the State line is crossed
and Arizona is entered. The State line is on the thirty-second
meridian west of Washington (about 3 miles west of longitude 109°
west of Greenwich) and was so defined by law at a time when the

Elevation 6,260 feet.
Population 75*
Kansas City 1,095 miles

' The first wells at Gallup were not very
deep and obtained only a moderate vol-
ume of water, but on the advice of a geolo-
gist of the United States Geological Sur-
vey deeper borings were made with great
success. Several other wells have been
sunk at places on this railway on similar

advice and important water supplies
obtained. The study of the conditions
under which waters occur underground is
a branch of geologic investigation requir-
ing the determination of the succession
and structure of the water-bearing rocks
and their associated beds.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United SUtes Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David Whit*. Chi«f Geolopst R. B. Marehall. Chief Geographer

1915

Eaoh qu*dr*ngl» shown on iho m»p with « /Mm* in ptnmhesis in th«
lowr la/i corner « mtpped in dtuil on the U. S C S. Topographic
Sh»l 0/ Ih*! ntmt.

NEW MEXICO

K Limestones and sandstones -

L Granite and schist

5? Coal mine I

linn Carboniferous
""" (Pennsylvanian)

108*

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 105

Government was attempting to establish an initial meridian passing
through the old Naval Observatory at the National Capital. At this
place the canyon walls show very massive gray sandstone with numer-
ous shallow caves, alcoves, and buttresses, capped by dark-gray sand-
stones (probably Dakota).

The area of Arizona is 112,956 square miles. It comprises wide
plateaus, in large part from 5,000 to 8,000 feet in height, numerous
ridges and mountains, and many wide desert valleys.
Arizona. On account of its great variation in altitudes and its

great width from north to south, the State presents
a wide diversity of climate, from that of the hot regions near Fort
Yuma to that of the cold forested mountains and high plateaus.

Arizona leads in copper production in the United States, the output
in 1913 being valued at $63,228,127, or about 90 per cent of the total
mineral production of the State. Gold was produced to the value
of $4,023,911, and silver, which is mostly a by-product obtained in
reducing copper ore, amounted to $2,384,647.

Although the agricultural possibilities of the State are not devel-
oped to their full extent, the cultivated hay crop approached a value
of $4,000,000 in 1914 and wheat $1,085,000. Wool yielded about
$939,000. Range cattle growing is a large industry. Fruit of citrus
and deciduous trees, cotton, and corn are being more and more
cultivated as new lands are brought under irrigation.

The word Arizona is taken from the Papago language, in which
it is said to signify place of small springs. With a population of
204,354, according to the census of 1910, or 1.8 persons to the square
mile, it is one of the more thinly populated of our Western States,
though less so than Wyoming and Nevada. The ratio of males to
females is 138.2 to 100. Of its 72,000,000 acres only 5,000,000 are
privately owned, the remainder being public land, Indian reserva-
tions, or national forests. Originally Arizona was part of New
Mexico, and it continued as such under United States dominion until
1863, when it was made a separate Territory and formally organized
at Navajo Springs. Later the capital was at Fort Whipple, Prescott,
Tucson, again at Prescott, and finally at Phoenix.

The settlement of Arizona has progressed slowly, and up to 1886
the murderous disposition of the Apache Indians greatly retarded its
development. Mainly for this reason there were no white inhabitants
in the large area north of Gila River prior to the treaty of 1848. From
1853 to 1857 several governmental surveys were made across the
region, mainly to find routes for railways. Most of the earliest
visitors were prospectors, and from 1847 to 1860 many mines were
opened under more or less protection by the Government. The with-
drawal of troops for the Civil War gave the Apaches opportunity to

106 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

resume depredations, and about 1,000 settlers were killcHl. Most of
the mining operations were diseontinucd, and the few white people
who remained fortified themselves in Tucson, which was taken by the
Confederates and held until Union troops came from Cahfornia.
After the war also there was much bloodshed by Indians, who killed
about 400 settlers. Gen. Crook subdued the Apaches in 1873 and
concentrated them in a reservation, but there were many serious
outbursts later under A'^ictorio and Gcronimo, with numerous mas-
sacres. Victorio was killed in an engagement in 1863, but it was not
untd 1886 that Gen. Miles forced Geronimo to surrender, and then the
Apaches were removed to other States. The Indians were difficult
to fight, for they avoided open engagements and could travel fast
and far on their ponies.

The Southern Pacific Railroad was built through Arizona in 1880,
and the Atlantic & Pacific (now a part of the Santa Fe system) in
1883.

The history of the aborigines in Arizona is extensive, for on plains,
on mesas, and in the cliffs there are many ruins of places occupied
by the early people. Some of these ruins must be very old. How-
ever, it is believed that the number of people living in the region at
any time may not have been great, for the aborigines frequently
moved from place to place. The early expeditions of the Spanish
explorers found many pueblos. The first Spaniard to enter Arizona
was Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar who crossed its southwest
corner in 1539. A year later Niza led Coronado to the Pueblo
country, and two small expeditions from this great exploring party
visited the Hopi country. The present Indian population of the
State is nearly 42,000.

About a mile west of Lupton the Zuni and Wingate sandstones,

which passed underground 3 miles east of Gallup, rise rapidly in

succession, especially to the north of the railway,

Lupton, Ariz. where the dips are steep for some distance. (See

Elevation 6,165 feet, pi^ XIX, B, p. 103.) South of LuptoH and extending

KansasCity 1,101 miles ■ \ ^.x^ f -i .- ioi lu x.' x. va

to a point south oi mdepost 181 there are high cliffs
of white to pink sandstones (the Zuni and Wingate) showing
many remarkable pinnacles, buttresses, caves, and other features
characteristic of erosion in soft, massive rock. They have been
eroded by the rain, and especially by wind-blown sand, which cuts
rapidly into rocks of this character. One of the most notable
arches in these rocks is shown in Plate XX, B. It is some distance
north of the radway. Beyond the cliffs west of Lupton the rise of
the beds to the west brings up the thick succession of shales which lie
beneath this sandstone. West of milepost 182 the dips are very low,
so that the same rocks continue on both sides of the railway for a

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XX

A. BED OF RIO PUERCO AT NAVAJO SIDING, ARIZ.

View southwestward, A typical arid-land arroyo, which is filled to the brim with a swiftly flowing torrent after a
rain but soon beconnes dry again.

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-C. NATURAL BRIDGE IN MASSIVE SANDSTONE NEAR THE HAYSTACK ROCKS, NORTH OF

MANUELITO, ARIZ.
Shows the work of a small stream which enlarged a crack along a joint plane.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

nULLETIN fl13 PLATE

?^f;fv2'^

I

PETRIFIED LOGS SOUTH OF ADAMANA, ARIZ.
The logs were buried in the clays shown in the views.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 107

considerable distance. They are gray and purple shales with layers
of gray sandstone, some of which are sufficiently thick and hard to
form low mesas that rise at intervals far to the north and south.

A short distance west of Houck siding the train enters a canyon
about 2 miles long, the walls of which consist of the hard, coarse sand-
stone that underlies the shales exposed to the east.
This rock is regarded as the eastward continuation
Kanstscuyf^^^ ^^^ Shiuarump conglomerate, which is conspicuous

in the country to the northwest. The dip to the west
carries this sandstone below the surface west of the canyon, and
rolhng hiUs of red shales with gray sandstone layers continue west-
ward to Winslow and beyond. These rocks are exposed here and there
in shallow cuts along the railway and in the slopes of the adjoining
hills and low mesas. They lie nearly flat.

A 303-foot well at Chambers affords a supply of water rising within
60 feet of the surface.

The first Territorial capital of Arizona was near Navajo, and there
has been an Indian trading post there since 1863. Jacobs Well,
-, , an important water hole, is not far south. Near

J\3.V3.10

milepost 218 the train passes through a shallow

Elevation 5,633 feet. . i i i i • i • 11^1-1

Kansascity 1,134 miles. <^^^yon HI red shalc which IS Capped by a thin deposit
of gray sandstone. These beds have a scarcely per-
ceptible dip and constitute the surface along the slopes of the Rio
Puerco valley past Pinta siding and Adamana, with remarkable uni-
formity over a wide area. The Rio Puerco in this region has a
bed of considerable width and high banks, but most of the time it is
dry or nearly so, as shown in Plate XX, A.

The ^^ Petrified Forest," or series of petrified forests, lies a short dis-
tance south of Adamana, and the trip to it is made from that sta-
tion. A small hotel provides accommodations for
travelers. The distance to the farthest point usually
Kansascityi,i5rmiies. ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^ milcs, and this tour cau be made in a day
or less. In the region south of Adamana there are
four '^forests," the first 6 miles out, the second 8J miles, the third
13 miles, and the fourth, the '^Rainbow Forest," about 2 miles north-
west of the third. They are included in a Government reservation
called ''Petrified Forest National Monument," created by President
Roosevelt in 1906 and placed in charge of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture. The name "forest" is not appropriate, for the petrified tree
trunks are aU prostrate and are broken into sections. (See PL XXI.)
The logs are the remains of trees that grew in Triassic time. The
trees were of several kinds, most of them being related to the Nor-
folk Island pine {Araucaria excelsa), now used for indoor decoration.
These gigantic fossil trees are of later date than those represented
by the cones and twigs in the beds at Glorieta Pass, and, as might
be expected, they resemble the living Araucarias more closely. They

108 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

are probably the Triassic descendants of the Permian progenitors of
the araucarian family. Doubtless they grew in a near-by region
and, after falling, drifted down a watercourse and lodged in some
eddy or a sand bank. Later they, were buried by sand and clay,
finally to a depth of several thousand feet. The conversion to stone
was effected by gradual replacement of the woody material by silica
in the form called chalcedony, deposited by underground water. A
small amount of iron oxides deposited at the same time has given the
beautiful brown, yellow, and red tints which appear in much of the
material.

All the ''forests" present objects of interest, but a visit to the first
and second illustrates most of the features. In places the logs
are scattered over the surface in large numbers. They vary in size
and in length of the trunk sections; in most places the sections are
in no regular order, but some of them lie in line very nearly in their
original positions. In the first forest they are all out of place, having
either roUed down from their original positions in a sandstone layer
at a higher level, or been left on the ground as the clay or sand that
once inclosed them was washed away. In the second • and third
forests the original log-bearing stratum may be seen, with many
logs only partly uncovered by erosion. Some of the tree trunks
are 6 feet in diameter and more than 100 feet in length, but most of
them are about half these dimensions. In the first forest there is a
fine trunk that forms a natural bridge over a small ravine, the water
having fiirst washed away the overlying clay and sand and then,
following a crevice, worked out the channel underneath. The length
of this log is 110 feet, diameter 4 feet at butt and 1^ feet at top.
(See PI, XXI, A.)

The petrified woods are beautiful objects for study. When thin
slices are carefully ground down to a thickness of 0.003 inch or less
and placed under the microscope they show perfectly the original
wood structure, all the cells being distinct, though now they are
replaced by chalcedony. By studying the sections, F, H. Knowlton
has found that most of these araucarian trees were of the species
Araucarioxylon arizonicum, a tree now extinct. It is known to have
lived at the same geologic time also in the east-central part of the
United States, where the remains of some of its associates have also
been found. These included other cone-bearing trees, tree ferns,
cycads, and gigantic horsetails, which indicate that, at that time, the
rainfall was abundant.

The entire area of the ''forests" is included in the Government
reservation^ and visitors are prohibited from carrying away any of
the petrified wood or damaging the logs in any way. Petrified wood
occurs in many other places in these same beds to the north and south,
notably in an area 6 miles north of Adamana or 5 miles north of Aztec

JULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OK Tiu:

SANTA FE ROUTE

om Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe [{ailwav and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this rompany

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

liEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David Whit*. Chief tieoloitist R. B. Marshall. Chief Gcoffrapher

1915

Each quadrangle ahown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the
lower left corner is mapped m detail on the U. S. C. S Topographic
Sheet of that name

,ll'"

qoo

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 109

siding, where there is an interesting ^'forest," known as the North
Forest, of considerable extent. The logs are all in beds not far above
the horizon of the Shinarump conglomerate.

A short distance west of the main Petrified Forest, at the head of a
small valley which joins the valley of Little Colorado River at Wood-
ruff (see sheet 17, p. 112), is a group of prehistoric pueblo ruins which
have been thought to be of Zuni origin.

A boring was made in the red shale at Adamana to obtain a water
supply, but the water, though found with sufficient head to afford a
flow, was too salty for use. This condition is almost universal in the
red shale of the Moencopie formation, w^hich was penetrated in the
boring.

West of Adamana the railway continues down the valley of the Rio
Puerco, which widens somewhat because of the softness of the red
Moencopie shale, in which it is excavated. The conglomerate (Shina-
rump) which hes next above this shale, caps slopes and buttes some
distance to the north and south.

The beds lie almost flat, so that the railway in descending the
valley crosses successively older and lower beds.

A short distance beyond milepost 251 the Rio Puerco empties

into Little Colorado River, which flows from the south but turns

almost due west after its junction with the Puerco.

From this place the railway continues along the

K^stfatyuVrm^^^^ bank of the Little Colorado nearly to Winslow.

The valley is wide and contains extensive flats of

aUuvium, with more or less loose wind-blown sand. In a few places

there are ranches where the river water is utilized for irrigation.

Holbrook is sustained largely by scattered ranches in the sur-
rounding country. One of the principal industries of the region is
„ ., . the raising of stock, sheep, and goats, and it is reported

that 200,000 pounds of wool were shipped from Hol-

Elevation 5,080 feet. . i • ^ mi • • i i i i • i i

Population 609* brooK in 1914. ihcrc IS considerable trade with the

Kansascity 1,174 miles, jj^^jg^j^g here, for the Navajo Indian Reservation is
only a few miles northeast and the Hopi country
begins not far to the northwest. Holbrook is also an outlet for
considerable travel coming down the valley of the Little Colorado
from St. John and other places farther south.

Holbrook is situated on the red shales and sandstones of the Moen-
)ie formation. The beds dip very gently to the north, and within
a few miles in that direction the red rocks pass under the Shinarump
conglomerate, the outcrop of which is marked by low cliffs and
numerous buttes. The red rocks of the Moencopie formation are
prominent aU along the valley from Holbrook to Winslow, crop-
ping out in man}^ low cliffs and mesas. A few miles north of the
38590°— Bull. 613—16 8

110 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

valley are wide areas of badlands, as shown in Plate XXII. These
are developed by erosion in the soft sandy clays in the formation
overlying the Shinarump conglomerate.

North of Joseph City siding is the Mormon settlement of St. Joseph,
where crops are raised by irrigation from the Little Colorado. To
the south is an area of 800 acres irrigated from deep weUs. These
places are conspicuous green oases in a region where the gray desert
aspect prevails. Along the Little Colorado Valley at intervals are
Cottonwood trees, some of them large and clustered in groves of con-
siderable extent.

As the Little Colorado Valley widens near Manila and Hardy

sidings, there appear to the north many mesas and slender pinnacles

of igneous rock which rise high above the general

plain. Far to the north in the Navajo Reservation

Klm^ascity M90mii^^ ^^J ^® disccmcd the cliff at the edge of an extensive

mesa, which contains a large coal field that has not

yet been developed.

About 2 miles east of Winslow the railway crosses the Little Colo-
rado, which here makes an abrupt turn to the north. A few miles
farther west the river bends to the northwest to join Colorado River
in the Grand Canyon at a point about 100 miles northwest of Winslow.
The original name of this stream was Rio Lino (that is. Flax River), a
distinctive name which would be preferable to the present name.

Winslow is a railway division point where many trains stop for
meals. It is the headquarters for a large surrounding stock country
and an important center of trade with Hopi and
Winslow. Navajo Indians (see PI. XXIII) in the reservations

Elevation 4,854 feet, not far uorth. Near Winslow are the ruins of
Kansascity {207 miles. lion^^l^^bi Pucblo, claimod by tho Ilopis to be the
homo of their ancestoi's before the tribe had to flee
to the high cliffs far to the north to bo safe from thoir enemies.

Winslow is at the south end of the Painted Desert, a district of
undulating plains and bright-colored cliffs, which extends far north-
ward into Utah. The Painted Desert lies botwe»en the canyons of
Little Colorado and Colorado rivers on the west and the buttes and
plateaus of the highlands on the east. Its width in general is about
40 miles, comprising the outcrop of sandstones and shales that are
mostly of Triassio age.

Except in the two rivers there is no running water on the Painted
Desert, and springs and water holes are far apart and of small volume.

The Hopi Indian villages of Oraibi (PL XXIV), Walpi, Schimopavi,
Shipauiluvi, Mishonginivi, Sichomivi, and Hano are picturesquely
built on the cliffs which project from a high plateau of sandstone into
the western margin of the Painted Desert, about 60 miles north of

;

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U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXMI

A. NAVAJO INDIANS VISITING THE HOPI INDIANS AT ORAIBI, NORTH OF WINSLOV/, ARIZ.
Photograph furnished by Santa Fe Railway Co.

B. AN EVENING WITH NAVAJO INDIANS ABOUT THE CAMP FIRE, NORTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA.

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ll--,>*

U. S. GFOLOGICAL SURVEY

riJl LFTIN f,n PI ATr yyv

VIEW OF CRATER MOUND, ARIZ., FROM THE S0UTHV7EST. SHOV/ING ENCIRCLING RIM,

;.:.cV^.

yd^^mBk

%

,'jti

^

B. NEAR VIEW OF RIM OF CRATER MOUND.

■'i^.^t-i

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:t^Q^ti!3i^'mk7mmv.^iifj:mi^^>^^

(. V:E// across THE

RATER OF CRATER MOUND, SHOWING UPTURNED LIMESTONE BEDS
IN ITS WALLS.

THE SANTA FE KOUTE.

Ill

Winslow. They are iii a reservation about 50 by 70 miles in extent
which the Government has set aside for the Hopis.^

The first white men to visit the Hopi Indians were the mem-
bers of a party under Pedro do Tovar (toe-vahr'), sent by Coronado.
At that time seven villages constituted the province of Tusayan
(too-sah'yan) , as it was subsequently known. These wore in the
neighborhood of the present Hopi villages, but the Hopi Indians
claim as ancestral homes ruins found as far away as Verde River and
the Rio Grande. The present Hopi villages are the objective point
of many tourists, especially on the occasion of the far-famed snake
dance, which occurs in August.

For centuries the Pueblo people of this arid climate have been
developing the Indian maize, a peculiar corn with wonderful drought-
resisting properties. It is planted from 6 to 12 inches below the
surface, the depth depending on the condition of the soil, and the long
single root goes deep to gather the scant moisture of the sandy soil.
A stem also extends straight to the surface and there concentrates
its energy in seed development, with only a few straggly leaves from
its short stalk. Consequently a field of maize presents a very poor
appearance compared with an eastern cornfield. However, if there
is a little rainfall at the critical part of the growing season, it yields a
fair crop.

The climate of this region is typical of much of the higher portions
of Arizona, with its scanty rainfall and large percentage of cloudless
days (about 60 per cent). The days are dry and hot in summer, but
the night temperatures are usually 40° cooler. At Holbrook the
mean annual precipitation is 9.16 inches and the mean annual tem-
perature 54.2°. At Winslow the precipitation is 7 inches and the
temperature 55°, while Flagstaff, on the plateau 2,000 feet higher,
has nearly 24 inches of rainfall and a much lower temperature, 44.7°.

Winslow is on the red sandstones and shales of the Moencopie
formation. To the northeast these rocks pass under the Shinarump
conglomerate, the outcrop of which extends across the country in
low bluffs that may be observed 6 miles northeast of Winslow.

^ The name Hopi means "peaceful
ones," and the (to them) very unaccept-
able word Moki, sometimes applied to
them by other Indians, is derisive, mean-
ing "dead ones." They are Shoshonean
in language, but are a composite of various
stocks. They are intelligent, thrifty,
tractable, hospitable, and frugal. Their
lives are full of toil to raise crops in an arid
region, and full of prayers and religious
ceremonies largely intended to persuade

their gods to send water for the crops.
They are monogamists and faithful to
marriage ties. Murder is unknown among
them, theft rare, and lying deprecated.
They now number about 2,100, having
diminished considerably in the last 50
years. Escalante reported nearly 7,500
in 1774 and only 798 were recorded in
1780, more than 6,000 having died of
disease. A very large proportion of them
have trachoma.

112

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Beyond this conglomerate is a wide area occupied ])y a thick succes-
sion of hght-colored shales, and in the distance are scattered buttes
of still higher red sandstone (the Wingate), capped by small rem-
nants of old lava sheets. Some of these lava buttes are very promi-
nent features in the landscape far to the northeast of Winslow. The
Moencopie formation extends northwest of Winslow and Moqui siding
in a broad belt down the valley of the Little Colorado, which finally
cuts down into the underlying limestone (the Kaibab). West
of Winslow the train leaves this valley and climbs gradually to
the Arizona Plateau. This extensive table-land rises continuously to
Flagstaff and beyond and also northwestward to the edge of the
Grand Canyon. The greater part of its surface consists of bare lime-
stone (the Kaibab), which dips at a low but nearly uniform angle to
the east and southeast. At Winslow this limestone is some distance
beneath the surface, under the red sandstones of the Moencopie for-
mation, but as it rises to the west at a somewhat more rapid rate
than the ascent of the railway it finally reaches the surface. It first
appears at a point a short distance beyond Dennison siding (see sheet
18, p. 120), but for several miles, to and beyond Sunshine siding,
numerous outlying masses of the basal red sandstone of the Moen-
copie remain on it. Just south of Sunshine this sandstone has been
quarried to a considerable extent for building stone.

About 10 miles south of Sunshine is Crater Mound, long known as
Coon Butte and for a while as Meteorite Mountain, perhaps the most
mysterious geologic feature in the West. Viewed
from the railway, it appears as a low ridge (see PL
Elevation 5,341 feet. XXV, A), but on near approach this ridge is found

Kansas City 1,227 mUes. i-i i.-i ii ,.

to be circular and to mclose a great hole 4,000 feet
in diameter and 600 feet deep.^ (See PL XXV, C.) The encirclmg
ridge is from 100 to 150 feet high and consists of loose fragments

Sunshine.

^ The cause of this great hole in the
ground has not been ascertained. Sev-
eral geologists believe that it was made by
the impact of a great meteor, a view sug-
gested by the occurrence of many small
masses of meteoric iron in the vicinity,
as well as elsewhere in the surrounding
country, but a mining company organized
to find and work the large mass supposed
to be buried in the hole failed to obtain
any evidences of its existence. Many test
borings and a shaft were sunk 200 feet
into the detritus in the floor of the hole,
and a 1,020-foot hole found that the un-
derlying sandstones are not disturbed.
Moreover, a detailed survey with a mag-
netic needle, hung to swing vertically,

failed to show any evidence of the pres-
ence of a body of metallic iron.

Another suggestion is that the hole is
due to an explosion of steam from volcanic
sources below, accumulating in the pores
of the sandstone and finally reaching the
limit of tension. This would account for
the broken sandstone and limestone con-
stituting the encircling rim and for the up-
turned edges of the strata, which doubtless
would bend upward somewhat before
they broke. The large amount of fine
sand produced would result from the
violence of the explosion of steam con-
tained in the interstices of the sandstone.
Such an explosion might not greatly dis-
turb the underlying Supai sandstone if the

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OK THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
navid Whit*-. Chief Geolopst R. B. Marshall, Chief Geoifrapher

1915

Each quadrangle s/iou
lowar left corner is m.
Sheet 0/ that name.

the map with a name in parenthesis in the
' in detail on the U S G. S. Topographic

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

113

of rock and sand blown out of the hole. (See PL XXV, B.) The
beds of rock in the walls of the hole are Kaibab limestone at the
top and Coconino sandstone below, both more or less upturned near
the hole and in part considerably shattered. The relations are shown
in figure 23. The best view of Crater Mound is obtained from points
near mdepost 309.

West of Sunshine there is a nearly continuous exposure of the
Kaibab limestone to Flagstaff, and this rock also extends far to the
north, south, and southwest. As the slope is ascended northwest of
Sunshine siding there is a fine view of the Painted Desert far to the
northeast, and beyond it may be seen dimly the high promontories
or plateaus on which the Hopi villages are built.

Debris/^ S

^-^^

Coconino sandstone •■^:i^^^ir:^K^ar|d.:. - ^^^<<<^0;^^^/:;:':{;^

v>-;-}"s--:'-'^;;

Supai sandstone .red

Figure 23. — Generalized section across Crater Mound, Ariz.

A short distance beyond Canyon Diablo station the railroad

crosses the canyon on a long steel bridge, affording a very good

view of this interesting feature. (See PI. XXVI.)

anyon la o. rpj^^ canyon is steep walled, about 225 feet deep,

Kan7al'aty1!2^^^^^ ^^^ fcct widc, and entirely in the Kaibab hmestone.

The beds, which are thick and massive, are nearly

horizontal and appear as huge steps descending to the bottom of the

canyon.

Just beyond Hibbard siding is another canyon known as Canyon
Padre (pah'dray), not as deep as Canyon Diablo, but of similar shape.
Both of them are excellent illustrations of the results of erosion in
hard limestone by streams of considerable slope. The flow is tran-
sient, for only at times of rainf aU is there any water in them, but then
the current is swift and the water carries much sand, which vigorously
cuts away the limestone.

West of Canyon Padre there may be seen ahead and to the north
many knobs and ridges rising above the plateau surface. They
consist of volcanic rocks which cover a wide area to the northwest

zone of explosion were in the overlying
Coconino sandstone, which is much the
more porous material. The locality is in
the midst of a region of former great vol-
canic activity, for although there are no
lava flows in the immediate vicinity of
the hole there are large outflows and
vents not many miles away in all direc-

tions. A somewhat similar hole or crater
holds the Zuni Salt Lake, 115 miles to the
southeast. From its center rise two very
recent cinder cones, one with a deep cra-
ter in its top. The rim surrounding the
big hole consists of a mixture of volcanic
ejecta and fragments of rocks from far
below the surface.

114

r.UIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

and culminato in the high peaks of the San Francisco Mountains, 25
miles away, which are prominently in view for many miles along the
railway.

At milepost 320 there is a cinder cone a short distance north of tlie
railway, with a lava flow extending from its base to the east and
another to the south, the latter reaching nearly to the track. The
cone is remarkably symmetrical and fresh looking, and the lava flow
is closely similar to that which is exposed near Grant and Horace,
220 miles farther east. A short distance north of the cone is the south-
ern margin of a wide area of lava (basalt), which extends far to the
north as well as to the northeast and northwest. On its rugged sur-
face are many cinder cones which are visible more or less distinctly
from the train. (See PI. XXVII.)

Between mileposts 319 and 320 is a signboard reading '^ Eastern
boundary Coconino National Forest." This forest is one of two
Government reservations which include the great forest of yeUow
pine (Pinus ponderosa) covering the higher part of the Arizona or
Coconino Plateau.^

As the limestone plateau is ascended, the first trees observed are
stunted junipers and pinons; these rapidly increase in size and abun-
dance as the higher altitudes are attained, a feature especially notice-
able between Angell and Winona sidings.

^ These great forests extend northwest-
ward to the Grand Canyon, westward
to and beyond Williams, and southward
to the southern margin of the plateau.
They include about 1,317,000 acres of
western yellow pine. In parts of the
forest and in a broad zone around its mar-
gin are junipers {Juniperus ocddentalis
var. monosperma) and pinons {Pinus
edulis). Tlie pines grow on tlie limestone
and volcanic rocks, and the forest limits
are determined by the moisture, which in
turn is largely controlled by the altitude.
Accordingly the pine growth is nearly all
in the area higher than 6,200 feet, for at
lower altitudes than this the precipitation
is insufficient; in fact, even in some of the
western portions of the high plateau,
where the altitude is slightly above this
amount, the rainfall is too scanty or the
soil too dry to support a forest. The yel-
low pine gives place to other trees, mainly
firs, spruce, and aspen, above 8,500 to
9,000 feet, and the forest ceases at an alti-
tude of 12,000 feet on the San Francisco
Mountains.

The investigations of the Geological
Survey and the Forest Service on the
relation of forests to water supply and soil
waste indicate that forests in mountainous
districts conserve the precipitation for
stream flow and increase the underground
storage of water. The trees break the
violence of the rain, retard snow melting,
and increase absorption by the soil, all of
which diminish erosion of the surface and
rapidity and volume of run-off. Under-
ground seepage is increased, so that a
steady flow is maintained in springs
and streams, and less silt is removed,
hence there is less to obstruct the stream
beds.

Fires have ravaged many parts of the
forests, and one of the principal functions
of the Forest Ser\dce is to prevent or ex-
tinguish them. Lookouts are maintained
on high points. Lightning starts fires and
destroys many trees that do not ignite.
It has been estimated that 40,000 trees
were struck in three years in the high
plateau province of Arizona and adjoining
regions.

o >»

0.0

iii

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV

3ULLETIN en PLATE XXVII

A. RECENT CINDER CONE EAST OF SAN FRANCISCO MOUNTAINS, NORTH OF WINONA, ARIZ.
Rises above broad sheets of lava and marks a vent.

B. CINDER CONES IN COCONINO FOREST EAST OF SAN FRANCISCO MOUNTAINS, ARIZ.
View from edge of a recent cone sliowing large fragments of lava and cinder.

TITE SANTA FE ROUTE.

115

At Angell and for several miles west many cinder cones are visible

on the widespread lava sheet which begins a short distance north of

that siding. Most of these cones are from 150 to 250

Angell. £gg^ high. They consist of piles of loose, dark vol-

Eievation 5,910 feet, canic cindcr or pumice which varies from pieces 2

KansasCity 1,243 miles. , , • t n i rr^i i • •

inches m diameter to fine sand, ihe deposit in-
cludes volcanic bombs, rounded masses of more compact lava, which
were ejected from volcanic vents. This region of lava occupies an
area about 15 miles wide from north to south and 70 miles long from
east to west, with the San Francisco Mountains near the center. It
has been designated the San Franciscan volcanic field. ^

^ Three general periods of volcanic ac-
tivity are indicated in this field. First
came a widespread outflow of basalt,
which issued from numerous cracks in
the limestone and underlying strata in
a very fluid condition and spread widely
over the gently sloping surface of the
plateau. In the second period occurred
the eruption of several large masses of
more viscous lavas (andesite, dacite, and
latite) now constituting San Francisco
Mountain, Kendrick Peak, Elden Moun-
tain, O'Leary Peak, and other high
summits. These lavas, being less fluid
than the earlier basalt, piled up and in
part arched up on it in high mounds of
relatively small extent. As these rocks
are hard and massive they give rise to
very prominent topographic features. It
is probable that there was a considerable
interval of time between the first basalt
eruptions and the outflows of less fluid
lavas, but apparently all of them were
extruded late in Tertiary time. There
are also bodies of intruded rhyolite which
apparently cut across the earlier basalt
at several localities, notably in Sitgreaves
Peak, Government Mountain, and
O'Leary Peak. This rhyolite is a light-
gray or nearly white rock, usually break-
ing into thin slabs.

In the third period of eruption in the
San Francisco volcanic field occurred an
extensive outflow of black lava (basalt)
similar to the first. It came out of nu-
'merous cracks and other orifices, mostly
within the area of the earlier lava sheets.
The lava at many localities ran down
valleys which had been eroded in the

earlier lava sheets or the underlying lime-
stone in the interval between the periods
of eruption. Most of this later lava is
exceedingly fresh in appearance, similar
to that occupying the San Jose Valley at
Grant and McCartys, N. Mex., which is
described on pages 97-98.

At many of the vents the cessation of
lava flow was followed by an outburst of
cinders and ash. This material was
thrown up into the air for some distance
and, settling back about the vent, formed
a cone, as a rule with a central crater.
The building of these cinder cones usually
marked the last stage of activity of the
crater, but in some places a later gush of
lava was poured out from the side or base
of the cone. The lava contained a vast
volume of steam, for much of it is highly
porous, owing to the expansion of the
steam in the cooling rock as it flowed out
over the surface. The cinder consists of
lava filled with small steam holes, so
that most of it is completely porous or
pumaceous. In the cinder cones are
usually included masses of compact lava
probably thrown out as bombs. These
vary in form from perfectly round balls
to elongated and irregular shapes such as
nught be expected in molten material
ejected from a vent. Their surface is
smooth. In places there are flattened
masses of lava several square yards in
extent, in part twisted around some of the
cinder in which they are inclosed. Sev-
eral of the cinder cones doubtless date
back to the earlier basalt eruption, but
most of them appear to belong to the last
period.

niO (ilTIDEBOOK OF THF. WESTERN UNITED STATES.

There are several Imndred cuuler cones in the field, presenting a
great variety in size, height, and stage of preservation. Many have
deep craters or hopper-shaped cavities at the top. The distribution
of most of them is shown in figure 24, which also shows the approxi-
mate extent of the lava fields. Excellent views of cinder cones may
be had to the northwest from mileposts 321, 324, and 325, and at
Winona there are two small cones a short distance south of the track.

At milepost 326 the railway reaches the south edge of the great
basalt flow. It continues along this edge but is built mostly on the
underlying limestone almost as far as Flagstaff. There is a cut in
the basalt on the north side of the track at milepost 326. At mile-
post 328, just east of Winona, the railway enters the basalt area, on

"o .-^

/'' " T'.''

^ X ^/'x r ^

• x\ *%■ xxxx ,* __x OLearyPk -^ ^
" x'-A xx";, ^.Kendric/Pk"^ X *^ ^ x'^ ^Xx X (^

/ ^^ ; ^^ X /", x x'^n Francisco "Vx^ ; . .^'-' <.

-^ xx^x " 'Sitgreaves

'k ^ "Mtn x*" I J \ *\\ ** - — ^

XV -^ " xV.- X ,-t . \

" X It * X

•EldenMtn \ ^x -^' ^

] 'BillWilliamsMtn

^'lagstaff ^-? "^ ^ . . rr

\ * X * "

X X /' .-, r^-^ [

si

x= Cinder cones ^^ -^

^ ifu A^^ " '^^1

mostly recent v_— ^~"

-'--J i • Mormon Mtn { '

30 Miles

Figure 24.— Map of the lava field in the San Francisco Mountain district, Ariz., showing distribution
of cinder cones marking vents of eruption. (After H. H. Robinson.)

which it continues for about a mile, and at many points in the next
few miles the edge of the basalt is a short distance north of the tracks.

Between Winona and Cosnino sidings the San Francisco Mountains
are in plain sight to the northwest, and many minor volcanic peaks
are also visible to the north. In greater part the railroad is built
on the Kaibab limestone, which is well exposed in several cuts.

At Cosnino the pines begin to be numerous and of large size, and

a short distance to the west, at an altitude of about 6,300 feet, the

traveler enters the great pine forest which extends con-

Cosnino. tinuously to Williams. Cosnino is a name formerly

Elevation 6,466 feet. appHed to the Havasupai tribe of Yuman Indians,

Kansas City 1,254 miles. ,,. - r-t , , A r^ i r^

who live in Cataract Canyon, near Crrand Canyon.
They once occupied permanent villages on the Arizona Plateau but

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. "] 1 7

were forced to abandon them owing to the hostihty of tribes hving
farther east.

Two miles beyond Cosnino the train approaches a large cinder
cone which extends for about a mile along the north side of the track,
and halfway between mileposts 336 and 337 there are cuts exposing
some features of the cinder deposits constituting this cone. Most of
the material is fine grained but there are many included masses
consisting of cinder agglomerated together and numerous bombs.

One of the most notable examples of a recent cinder cone is Sunset
Peak, which is visible 10 miles to the north from the vicinity of
milepost 337. This cone is 300 feet high and has steep slopes of loose
cinders, part of which are of a bright-red color, giving the cone the
appearance of being illumined by the setting sun. The crater at
the top is 80 feet deep and
200 feet in diameter, but
the original orifice under
this depression is covered
by the loose material
sliding down the steep
slopes.

Halfway between mile-
posts 338 and 339 is a red figure 25.— section of Elden Mountain, east of Flagstaff, Ariz.,
nir. rloT* nf^r^ a 900 faAf Viio-V. showing relations of beds upturned on its east side, a, Lime-

cmuei cunt; ZUU iceu mgn, ^^^^^ (Kaibab); b, gray sandstone (Coconino); c, red sandstone
half a mile north of the (Supal); d, limestone (Redwall); c, igneous rock. (After H. H.

raUway, with a smaU i^^^^^^^")

tongue of lava extending from its base southward to a point a short

distance east of milepost 339.

At Cliffs the train runs near the south edge of Elden Mountain,
a prominent mass of dark-colored dacite of the second period of vol-
canic activity. The lava is in heavy beds presenting
^^*^^- an arched appearance, suggesting strongly that the

Elevation 6,829 feet, ^g^yg^ ^g^g poured out in thick viscous layers which

Kansas City 1,260 miles. n l^ x. ^ j i xi i • i-

were finally bent upward by the pusmng oi some
central force at or toward the end of the period of eruption. That
this range has been considerably upthrust is further indicated by
the presence of some large uplifted masses of the sedimentary rocks
of the plateau along its east side. In this uplift are exposed the
Redwall limestone, the red sandstone of the Supai formation, the
Coconino sandstone, and the Kaibab limestone, all dipping steeply
eastward with the relations shown in figure 25.

Half a mile south of Cliffs there are some remarkable sink holes in
the bottom of the valley, known as the Bottomless Pits (PI. XXVIII).
They form the entrance to a cavern in the Kaibab limestone made
by the solvent action of water on the limestone in its passage under-
ground through joints and fissures to outlets in the depths of Walnut
Canyon, a few miles south.

118 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATER.

Along the walls of this canyon, 5 miles southeast of Cliffs, is a well-
known group of cliff dwellings, shown in Plate XXIX, A. They be-
longed to Indians of a race that existed many centuries ago and lived
hidden in these canyons. They built stone houses under the over-
hanging ledges of limestone a hundred feet above the stream bed.
These ledges are due to the variations in hardness of the beds of
Kaibab limestone, the soft beds weathering away, leaving the hard
beds in the form of ledges. One soft bed in particular which has
weathered out along both sides of Walnut Canyon for some distance
gave the Indians an excellent site for many houses of this character.
It has been estimated that 1,000 persons lived in these cliff dwell-
ings, which are easily accessible by an excellent carriage road from
Flagstaff, the principal town of this region.

A short distance beyond milepost 342 the railway passes along the
north edge of a small lava field occupying a vaUey, and in slopes north
of the track is an outlying mass of the red Moencopie sandstone, which
extends for a mile and a half, or nearly to Flagstaff. The sandstone
is overlain by an older sheet of lava (basalt), which caps the mesa
northeast of Flagstaff. This sandstone has been extensively quarried
a few rods north of milepost 343, furnishing a beautiful red stone
which has been used at many places in the West, notably in the
Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, and the city hall at Los Angele&.

Flagstaff is a growing city, largely sustained by the lumbering
business and surrounding ranches. It was named from a pole set by
a party of immigrants who camped near by and cele-
FlagstaflF. brated the Fourth of July. Formerly it was the

Elevation 6,896 feet, point of departure for stages for the Grand Canyon,
Kansas cit^y 1,265 mUes.^0 milcs to thc northwcst, but this service has been
mostly superseded by the railway line from WiUiams.
An excellent road, however, has been built to the canyon. It
passes around the east side of the Elden and San Francisco moun-
tains to a point near Sunset Peak and thence north across the vol-
canic field and plateau, reaching the edge of the canyon at Grand-
view. When conditions are favorable this trip can be made in five
or six hours by automobile.

There are large lumber mills at Flagstaff deriving much of their
supply from the pine timber of the Coconino National Forest, which
they purchase '^on the stump" from the Government. In accord-
ance with the regulations of the Forest Service, only the mature
trees are cut. The average age of old pine trees in the Coconino
Forest has been determined to be 348 years, but some have been found
as old as 520 years, dating back a century before the first visit of
Columbus to America. Recent investigations made to ascertain rain-
fall conditions in the past as indicated by variations in rings of growth

1

^ '*

:-'^*^.

#

M

^^R^^ V

• M

4 ■ . i^'^.'&y.Lf.,

■ %

^w^^-^^BM

i6fe&«'.,-- TWW'^-i

_4^-

^^^^

f

m^

Wt^U

I^^^H

r 1

mdm

1^^

^

i

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

119

in trees show marked changes in climate in alternating long cycles of
drier and more rainy periods.

On the edge of the high mesa in the western part of Flagstaff is the
Lowell Observatory, which is equipped with an especially fine tele-
scope through which Dr. Percival Lowell and his assistants have
made their famous observations on the planet Mars. The clear,
steady air of this high altitude is particularly favorable for astronom-
ical work.

The peaks of the San Francisco Mountains^ are prominent from
Flagstaff, and the trip to their summit can easily be made on horse-
back from that place. The region from these mountains to Gila
*River was the domain of the Apaches (Pinal Coyote) until their
final surrender through the efforts of Gen. Crook and Gen. Miles
in 1886. At one time the San Francisco Mountains were the refuge
of the Havasupai Indians, who fled there when driven from their
home on the Little Colorado. These Indians are the only ones
among the Yuman tribes who had a culture similar to that of the
Pueblo people farther east. A number of ruins are ascribed to them
as far south as the Rio Verde, in central Arizona, and the early name
Cosnino, by which this tribe was known, has been applied to many
features in this region. They now live in Cataract Canyon, 60 miles
northwest of WiUiams.

West of Flagstaff the train continues to climb up the plateau slope.
In this vicinity the Kaibab limestone is mostly covered by lavas of
various kinds, but its surface appears for a short distance in a de-
pression just west of Flagstaff. For the first 5 miles west the railroad
passes along the southern foot of a mesa consisting of a light-gray
lava (latite), poured out over the surface in a thick mass during the
second period of volcanic activity.

^ The structure of these mountains is
shown in figure 26. They consist of a

Agassiz Peak

These rocks appear to lie on the limestone
platform of the plateau, but the beds may

Andesite ■

Latite]!**"! J

Dacite ,

«f^rl^^fe'?"M-

■ Coconitib. sandstone :

Early basalt vent?^i/M-Andesite vent "^ Early basalt vent
Dacite vent-^ J

Figure 26.— Generalized section through the San Francisco Mountains, northeast of Flagstaff, Ariz.,
looking north. Dotted portion eroded; broken line hypothetical. (After H. H. Robinson.)

thick pile of latite lying on a sheet of
earlier basalt and overlain by flows of
other lava, mainly dacite and andesite.

be upturned, and possibly some Moen-
copie sandstone may underlie the central
mass of latite.

120 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Just east of Riordan siding, eight-tenths of a mile beyond milepost
350, the Arizona Divide is crossed at an altitude of 7,311 feet, the

highest point reached by the railway on the plateau.

At this place and westward to and beyond Williams
K::ScitI;'"7f^es.the surface is dark lava (basalt) of somewhat irreg-

ular configuration, with many large cinder cones
on every side.

Bellemont is in a wide ^^park" or open space in the forest, near the
southern edge of one of the large lava flows. A short distance to the

south, where the lava lies on limestone, there are
Bellemont. copious springs of exceptionally good water. This

Elevation 7,132 feet, water is derived from rain and melting snow on the
Kansasw^y 1,277 miles, surfacc of the lava. It pcrcolates through the porous

rock to the underlying limestone and flows along the
surface of the limestone to its outcrop. It is pumped to the station
and used on the railway. On a well-watered flat north of this
station is probably the heaviest stand of timber in Arizona or New
Mexico.

At Nevin siding, 2 miles west of BeUemont, a small cinder cone has
afforded the railway company a supply of baUast which has been
used on the tracks for many miles to the east and west. The pit,
which is north of the siding, is large and presents an especially fine
section through the cone. The principal working face, nearly 100 feet
high, shows thick beds of cinders with large numbers of scattered
bombs of various sizes and flattened masses of lava which have been
thrown oUt bodily. The vent from which all this material was ejected
has not been exposed by the excavations. As in many other cones,
much of the material is red, owing to the oxidation of the iron which
the lava contains. This oxidation develops more extensively in the
cinder or bombs than in the solid basalt, for air and water, which
facilitate the oxidation, have more complete access to material that
is in the porous form.

South of Nevin is Volunteer Mountain, a very large pile of cinders
including some hard layers which appear to have been mud flows and
consist of cinders that evidently flowed out mixed with more or less
water and are now cemented into a porous rock. There are other
thick piles of cinders to the north and northwest of Nevin and Maine.
From Bellemont westward at intervals to and beyond Maine (see
sheet 19, p. 122) there are excellent views of Kendrick Peak, which is

12 miles north of BeUemont, and of Mount Sitgreaves,
Maine. which is 8 miles northwest of Maine. These peaks

Elevation 7,084 feet, are duc to thick masscs of lavas of the viscous type

Kansas City 1,283 miles. i i i • j.i j • j r j.- j

poured out during the second period oi eruption and
rising high above the plain of older basalt. The mass culminating in
Mount Sitgreaves consists mainly of rhyolite; the principal rocks in

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, Califomij.

Base compiled from Unite<i States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Ke Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GTORCiE OTIS SMITH. DIKECTOR
David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshal!. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in panmhesis in the
lower left corner :s mapped in detail on the U S. 0. S. Topographic
Sheet of that name

EXPLANATION

8 Uvas. black .basalt)

C Ijuva, light gray (rhyolitei

F Lirnrstono, mas.'sive, light
G Sandstone, gray, massive
H Sandslore a!icl ihalc. red

500 Quatcmarj-

^ Quaternary

25QJ and Tertiary

.5000 Tertiary

Scale 500,0(56
Approximately 8 miles to

. . '?

Kaibab <2^^^^^'700]

Coconino
Supai formatii

Limestone,

bluish

A Carboniferous
.wv» A , Pennsylvania.. )

loooj

r Carbcniforouf
500 < (PennsylvaniR!!
(and Mississippif.n)

The diaunces Irom Kansas City. Mis

1 sAown every 10 miles

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 121

Kendrick Peak are andesite and dacite. Mount Sitgreaves received
its name from an Army officer who explored this country in order to
find a suitable line for a road to the West. He crossed from Zuni
by way of the San Francisco Mountains to the Colorado above
Mohave River.

From Maine to Williams there are to the north and sOuth many
large cinder cones, mostly of red color. To tjie southwest rises Bill
Williams Mountain, named for a noted trapper who was originally a
Methodist preacher in Missouri. He lived with many Indian tribes
and learned their language, an accomplishment which made him
useful as a guide, and he was with Gen. Fremont in his expedition.
He was finally killed by Indians while trading with them.

Bill WiUiams Mountain is a huge isolated pile of andesite and
dacite of the second stage of eruption, forming a prominent landmark
for many miles in aU directions. It is a short distance south of
Williams and rises 'to an altitude of 9,642 feet. Some of the same
kind of rock as that of which the mountain consists is exposed in the
railway cut a short distance east of Williams.

Williams is a growing village sustained very largely by the lumber
industry and numerous neighboring ranches. Several large mills cut
into lumber logs brought from the west side of the
Williams. Tusayan National Forest, a reservation covering the

Elevation 6,762 feet, western part of the great forest beginning east of
xXsasCit^y 1,299 miles. Flagstaff, of which the Coconino National Forest is the
eastern part. The hotel at Williams, the Fray
Marcos, was named from Marcos de Niza, who was the provincial
father of the order of Franciscans in New Spain. He made an
expedition into this unknown country in 1539, guided by the negro
Estevan, who had accompanied Cabeza de Vaca in his earlier expe-
dition from the Gulf of Mexico across what is now the southern
border of the United States and who, on meeting the Spanish con-
quistadores in Sinaloa, aroused their interest in the exploration of
this region. Estevan went ahead into Cibola (Zuni) and was slain,
the Indians doubting his story that white men were following him,
because he was black. On hearing of Estevan 's fate Fray Marcos
retreated to Mexico, but he returned the next year as guide and
spiritual director of Coronado's expedition.

[The itinerary westward from Williams is continued on p. 131.]
WILLIAMS TO GRAND CANYON.

From Williams a branch of the Santa Fe Railway runs nearly due
north 63.8 miles to the Grand Canyon. In the first part of its course
this line passes over a rolling plateau of black lava (basalt) with
numerous cinder cones on all sides. One notably large cone of bright-
red color is 7 miles north of Williams, and there is another one 10

122 GUIDEBOOK OK THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

miles north. Between mileposts 13 and 15 the Kaibab limestone,
which underlies the lava, appears at the surface in several localities,
but the irregular margin of the lava extends to milepost 18. From
several points there are excellent views of Mount Sitgreaves to the
east and Kendrick Peak to the northeast.

Beyond milepost 18 the entire surface is Kaibab limestone, which ,
constitutes most of the great Arizona Plateau. This limestone rises'
gradually northward to the rim of the Grand Canyon and is trenched
at intervals by small valleys opening westward and draining into
Cataract Creek, a stream which flows into the Grand Canyon 60 miles
to the northwest. In this region the plateau does not bear the pine
forest which is so characteristic of it farther east, and even the
junipers and pifions are widely scattered, much of the surface being
covered by small brush. This change is due to diminished rainfall,
for the other conditions are identical with those found farther east,_

I

Lava 1 25 feet »

^^^^60 feet conglomerateCSh.narump) ■

Sandstone -p/ - -^ ■ ___^^

I'-: . ■ • '■: . ■; •■••:■. •••:^ Sandstone

Plateau

Figure 27.— Section through Red Butte, near Grand Canyon, Ariz.

From points near milepost 40 (see sheet 19a, p. 130) Red Butte is a
conspicuous feature, rising about 850 feet above the plateau a few
miles east of the railway. As shown in figure 27, this butte is an
isolated pile of gray and red shales, red sandstone, and conglomerate,
protected by a 125-foot cap of black lava (basalt). The preservation
of these beds in this butte is of great interest, for it shows that
younger rocks formerly covered the Kaibab limestone of the plateau
to a thickness of at least 800 feet. These rocks have been removed
by erosion over the wide area extending to Sunset and Winslow on
the east, and to the Vermilion Cliffs, far north of the Grand Canyon,
as well as for an undetermined distance to the west and south.
The small remnant remaining in Red Butte has been protected by
hard basalt, probably a local outflow of lava of no great extent.

By the presence of this outlier it is possible to recognize some of
the geographic conditions existing at a time when the plateau was
developed on the surface of higher strata than it is at present and
when it may have been as extensive and as level as now. A few
other outliers of these rocks overlying the Kaibab limestone at several
points on the plateau help to show that originally the rocks of which
they consist extended over a wide region south of the Grand Canyon.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
D«vid White. Chief G«ologriit R. B. Marshall. Chief Geojrapher

1915

Etch qutdrangit shown on tho mtp with t nama in pannthasis in tha
lowar lafl comer is mapped in dalail on tha U. S. C. S. Topogrtphio

Sheet of that nama.

Sheet No 19 A,

EXPI^NATION

Lava, black (basalt)
C Lava, light gray (rhyolitc)J ■' "'••»'>■

D Lava, dark gray ' andesite. etc.) -■■■ Tertiary

E Sandstone, red

Contour interval 200 feet

CLCV^TIONi IN rC£T tBOVC U£tN Sf4 LEVEL

The diutnou Inm Ktntu Clly. MItuuri. en thimn every I
The crotuiet en the reilroadi ere toeced I mile eperi

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 123

Aiiita is a small siding from which considerable copper ore was
shipped some years ago. The mines were 4 miles to the northeast.
The copper ore occurs m irregular masses in the Kaibab limestone.
It has been brought by underground solutions and deposited in part
as a replacement of the limestone and in part in crevices and fissures
in that rock.

At milepost 50, near Hopi siding, junipers and pifions appear more
abundantly, and toward the edge of the canyon they constitute a
thick growth at most places and in parts of the region east of the
railway make a forest of considerable extent. From Hopi northward
ledges of Kaibab limestone become conspicuous. The beds dip to the
south at a very low angle, which is hardly perceptible to the eye.
Owing to this tilt in the beds, they rise toward the canyon and
northward. The railway terminus is in a small depression a few rods
south of the brink of the Grand Canyon.

The hotels are built on the edge of a deep alcove that affords a

superb view into the Grand Canyon and across it to the great Kaibab

Plateau on the north side. Few persons can realize

Grand Canyon, q^ a first view of the canyon that it is more than a

Elevation 6,866 feet, mile dccp and from 8 to 10 miles wide. The cliffs

Population 299.* j a- i -j. j J.^ j- • a i

Kansascity 1,363 miles, descendmg to its dcpths lorm a succession 01 huge
steps, each 300 to 500 feet high, with steep rocky
slopes between. The cliffs are the edges of hard beds of limestone
or sandstone ; the intervening slopes mark the outcrops of softer beds.
This series of beds is more than 3,600 feet thick, and the beds lie
nearly horizontal. Far down in the canyon is a broad shelf caused
by the hard sandstone at the base of this series, deeply trenched by a
narrow inner canyon cut a thousand feet or more into the underlying
'^granite." (See PI. XXXIII, p. 127.) The rocks vary in color from
white and buff to red and pale green. They present a marvelous
variety of picturesque forms, mostly on a titanic scale, fashioned
mainly by erosion by running water, the agent which has excavated
the canyon.

The great river which has made its course in this deep canyon is
the Colorado, one of the largest rivers of North America, which rises
in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming and empties into
the Gulf of California. In the Grand Canyon it is a stream about 300
feet wide and 30 feet deep at mean stage and flows with a mean
velocity of about 2 miles an hour; the discharge at this stage is 26,400
cubic feet a second. At flood stages, in May, June, or July, the depth
may reach 100 feet, and the velocity and volume are greatly increased.
In its course of 42 miles through the central part of the canyon the
river falls about 500 feet, or 12 feet to the mile. The water contains
much sediment, and in time of flood not only carries a large quantity
of sand and clay but moves a considerable amount of rock down-

124

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Rocks.

stream.^ Every rain fills the side canyons with rushing torrents,
which carry into the river a heavy load of debris washed from the
adjoining slopes. It has been by this means that the canyon was
excavated, and the deepening and widening process is still in active
operation. It began at the surface of the plateau and it will continue
until the river reaches a grade so low that it can no longer move the
debris; meanwhile the side streams wiU cut away the adjoining slopes
and the canyon will widen until its sides become gentle slopes.
Under present conditions this will require a million years or more.
The formations exposed in the walls of the Grand Canyon are the
rocks which underlie the Arizona Plateau, and most of
them extend far beyond that province. The first 3,600
feet of beds, all of which he nearly horizontal, are as foUows:

Strata above granite, in walls of Grand Canyon {beginning at brink of the canyon).

Feet.
Limestone, light colored, partly cherty, mostly massive (Kaibab). 700

Sandstone, light gray, massive, cross-bedded (Coconino) 300

Sandstones and shales, all red (Siipai formation) 1, 100

Limestone, light blue-gray, massive, surface mostly stained red

(Redwall) 550

Shale, with limestone and sandstone layers y ( 800

Sandstone, hard, dirty gray to buff (on granite)r^"*^ ^^^^^P • • " • I 150

These formations are readily recognized by their color or character,
as they are practically uniform in aspect and relative position from
all points of view. (See PL XXXII, p. 126.) The top limestone,
which caps the great plateaus on both sides of the canyon, has been
removed in whole or in part from some of the promontories and
buttes that project into the canyon; the Coconino, Supai, or Redwall
beds have been removed from the lower-lying features. The out-
cropping edge of the Coconino sandstone^ is marked by a distinct
band of light-gray rock all along the canyon walls 700 to 800 feet
below the top. The red beds of the Supai formation^ everywhere

^ A very large amount of material is
removed from the land and carried to the
oceans by all rivers. Careful estimates
based on analyses of river waters and
measurements of volume of flow have
shown that in a year the rivers of the
United States carry to tidewater 513,000,-
000 tons of sediment in suspension and
270,000,000 tons of dissolved matter.
The total of 783,000,000 tons represents
more than 350,000,000 cubic yards of
rocks, or a cube of about two-fifths of a
mile.

2 This sandstone also caps many buttes
such as Isis, Osiris, and Manu temples.

and Angels Gate, as well as Buddha,
Zoroaster, Brahma, Deva, and Vishnu
temples and other similar features on
which more or less of the overlying lime-
stone remains.

2 Such features as O'Neill Butte, New-
ton Butte, Tower of Set, Tower of Ra,
Horus Temple, Rama Shrine, Lyell
Butte, and Sagittarius Ridge consist of
the Supai formation. It also is con-
spicuous in the slopes of many great
ridges capped by higher beds, such as
Shiva Temple, Wotan's Throne, Brahma
Temple, Osiris Temple, Zoroaster Tem-
ple, and Vishnu Temple.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 125

constitute the middle slopes of the canyon walls, usually presenting a
great series of terrace-like steps of red sandstone. These steps are
caused by the projection of harder layers of sandstone. The Redwall
limestone ^ forms a conspicuous cliff at the foot of the Supai slopes.
The rock is hard and massive, and its resistance to erosion makes
it a prominent feature in the canyon. Its surface is stained red by
wash and drippings from the overlying red shales.

The Redwall and the overlying Supai, Coconino, and Kaibab beds
represent the greater part of the Carboniferous period. (See p. ii.)
The Supai, Coconino, and Kaibab are of about the same age as the
limestones along the Santa Fe Hne from Kansas City to Strong City,
Kans., but there is a marked difference in their character.

The Tonto group, below the Redwall, consists of 800 feet of shales,
largely of greenish color, and a basal sandstone averaging 150 feet
in thickness. This group is very much older than the Kedwall, and
though at their contact the beds of the one are practically parallel to
the beds of the other, there is a hiatus here which represents a very
considerable portion of geologic time not represented by rocks in
this region but recorded by many thousand feet of rocks in other
portions of North America and in other countries. The shales make
a long slope, interrupted by some subordinate ledges of limestone
and sandstone, descending to a pronounced sheff of the sandstone,
called the Tonto Platform. This slope and the wide sheff at its foot
are both very characteristic and easily recognized features extend-
ing along the lower slopes of the Grand Canyon.

For many miles this sheff of sandstone of the Tonto group is cut
through by the steep inner gorge (shown in PL XXXIII, p. 127), which
descends to the river, 800 to 1,000 feet below, and exposes the under-
lying granite and gneiss in very dark rugged ledges. These rocks
are part of the old earth crust, which has been subjected to great heat
and pressure. Later in its history its surface was worn down to a
plane upon which were deposited thick beds of sand, clay, and other
materials. In a wide area the basal sandstone of the Tonto lies
directly on the smooth surface of this schist and granite, but in some
places, notably in the broad part of the canyon northeast of Grand-
view, in Shinumo basin, in part of Bright Angel Canyon, in Ottoman
and Hindu amphitheaters, and in the ridges extending northwest and
southeast from a point near the mouth of Bright Angel Creek other
rocks lie between the granite and the Tonto rocks. These are a
succession known as Grand Canyon series, comprising the Unkar
and Chuar groups, aU named from locaHties in the canyon where they

^ The Red wall limestone projects in
many flat-topped spurs and buttresses
and constitutes outliers isolated by ero-
38590°— Bull. 613—16 9

sion, such as Cheops Temple, Newberry
Butte, and Sheba Temple, which form
striking topographic features.

126

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

are well exposed. Their thickness is 12,000 feet or more and the beds
dip at moderately steep angles. Their surface has also been worn
off to a rolling plain, with many local hills on which he the shales of
the Tonto group. The Unkar group, which is the one exposed from
most points of view, consists of a succession of basal conglomerates,
dark limestone in thick beds, bright-red shales, heavy quartzites, and
brown sandstones.^ This succession of rocks is plainly visible in
Bright Angel Canyon and in the ridge culminating in Cheops Pyramid
(see PI. XXX), also in a wide area along the river in the region
northeast of Grandview Point.

Many interesting features of the geologic history of the plateau
region are recorded in the rocks of the Grand Canyon, and a summary
of these records is given below. ^

^ These rocks have been named Hotauta
conglomerate, Bass limestone, Hakatai
shale, Shinumo quartzite, and Dox sand-
stone.

2 The granite and gneiss at the bottom
of the canyon are part of the oldest group
of rocks constituting the earth's crust.
The gneiss, which is the older, is in nearly
vertical layers. It has been subjected to
great heat and pressure, and into it the
granite was forced in a molten state.
Later the surface of these rocks was eroded
to a plain by running water.

The next event of which there is evi-
dence was the submergence of this plain
and the deposition in water, of varying
depth, of a thick series of sediments now
represented by the 12,000 feet or more of
sa,ndstone, limestone, and shale consti-
tuting the Unkar and Chuar groups.
These strata are believed to represent the
Algonkian period (see p. ii), the earliest
in which remains of life have been found.
Several million years was required for the
accumulation of these sediments. The
materials of the limestone were laid
down in the sea, those of the sandstone
on beaches and along streams, and those
of the shale mostly in estuaries.

Next there was extensive uplifting of
the earth's crust, with tilting and faulting
of the rocks. Erosion then swept away
a large amount of the Unkar and Chuar
sediments, and over wide areas they were
all removed . In figure 28 are shown some
conditions of this sequence of events, as
indicated by the relations of the rocks on

the north side of the river opposite El
Tovar.

"\^Tien the surface was reduced to a roll-
ing plain with a few hills rising in places,
there was another submergence by the
sea, which deposited the sediments of
the Tonto group. First the sand was de-
posited over the smooth granite surface
(as shown by the heavy line in fig. 28, 5),
With deepening waters or diminishing
force of the currents, the clay now repre-
sented by the shale of the Tonto group
was laid down, soon burying the islands
of Unkar and Chuar rocks and accumu-
lating to a thickness of 800 feet or more.
Remains of life in these rocks indicate
that they represent a portion of later
Cambrian time. The conditions in this
region during the next three long and
very important geologic periods are not
known, for their representatives are ab-
sent except a small amount of the De-
vonian rocks found at one or two places.
The sea may have laid down here, during
those periods, deposits of great thickness,
which were later uplifted into land areas,
so that they were removed by streams
and other agents of erosion.

In early Carboniferous time, the period
characterized in other parts of the world
by the accumulation of the older coal-
bearing deposits, the entire region was
submerged by the sea, which deposited
calcium carbonate in nearly pure condi-
tion, now represented by 500 feet or more
of the Red wall limestone. Much calcium
is carried into the sea by streams, and its

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXX

NORTH SIDE OF GRAND CANYON AS VIEWED BY TELESCOPE FROM EL TOVAR HOTEL.

G, Granite and gneiss; U, sandstone, red shale, and limestone (Unkar); T, sandstone of Tonto Platfornn; Sh, shale
of Tonto group lying directly on quartzite of Unkar; R, linnestone (Redwall); S, red sandstone and shale (Supai);
C, gray sandstone (Coconino); K, limestone (Kaibab). The Redwall butte in center is Cheops Pyramid, Beyond
it are Buddha and Manu temples. The background is the Kaibab Plateau.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXXII

SOUTH WALL OF GRAND CANYON EAST OF GRANDVIEW POINT.

View eastward. K, Kaibab limestone; C, base of gray sandstone (Coconino) on 1,100 feet of red shale and red
sandstone (Supai) extending to top of Redwall limestone at D; R, top limestone of Tonto group.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

127

A fairly complete idea of the Grand Canyon can be obtained by
observation for a few hours from the rim near the hotels. It is
much more satisfactory, however, to go to Hopi and
Yavapai points and down to the river, or at least
to the Ton to Platform. A visit to Grandview Point (Pis. XXXI
and XXXII) adds greatly to the completeness of the trip, and

Local features.

separation is effected by organisms of vari-
ous kinds as well as by chemical reactions
not connected with life. This deep sub-
mergence was succeeded by shallow water
in which the red muds and sands now
represented by the Supai formation were
laid down to a thickness of a thousand
feet or more. Where these sediments
came from and the conditions under

coarse gray Coconino sandstone usually
lies directly on the soft red shale at the
top of the Supai formation. The sand of
which it is formed was laid down on
beaches and in places where there were
strong currents, for the grains are clean
and light colored and the extensive cross-
bedding (see PI. XXIX, J5, p. 119) indi-
cates that there were vigorous currents in

Tonto group

Figure 28.— Ideal sections of faulted blocks of Unkar rocks in Grand Canyon, Ariz. A , Uplifted blocks
that have been removed by erosion; B, rocks of Tonto group deposited on surface of Unkar group and
granite.

which they were deposited are not known,
but undoubtedly they were derived from
land surfaces not far away, where gran-
ites, limestones, and other rocks were
decomposing and yielding red muddy
sediments to streams flowing out across
the area of Supai deposition.

The change to the deposition of the Coco-
nino beds was a very decided one, for the

various directions. Such a deposit usu-
ally accumulates rapidly, so probably the
300 feet of sandstone represents a rela-
tively short space of geologic time.

This epoch was terminated abruptly
by deeper submergence due to a long-
continued subsidence of the region, and
in the extensive sea thus formed was laid
down the thick deposit of calcium car-

128

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

the Hermit trail is very interesting. The descent down the trails
to the river is especially helpful in affording a sense of the scale
of the canyon and giving opportunity to inspect the rocks at close
range. There is neither difficulty nor danger in the journey. The
Bright Angel trail descends at El Tovar by a great series of zigzags
following the course of a very old Indian footpath. For the first 700
feet it goes down the irregular ledges of Kaibab limestone, the base
of which is reached at the entrance to a small tunnel through which
the trail passes. At this place there is a fault by which the rocks to
the west are lifted 125 feet higher than they are to the east. The
plane of this fault is at the entrance to the tunnel. The relations
are shown in figure 29.

The character of this massive cross-bedded rock is well shown in
the cHff just west of the fault. Next below are red shales and red
sandstones of the Supai formation, 1,100 feet thick, extending to the
top of a chff of Redwall Hmestone, 550 feet thick, down which the
trail winds in a tortuous course. Thence the trail goes down slopes
of shale of the Tonto group to the Indian Gardens, where a spring has
made an oasis formerly utilized by Indians. Not far beyond is the
platform or broad terrace caused by the basal sandstone of the Tonto
group making a wide shelf through which the main gorge is cut 1 ,000
feet deep into the granite. (See PI. XXXIII.) On the north side
of the river is a great mass of dark sandstone, red shale, and hmestone
of the Unkar group, overlain by shale of the Tonto group farther
back. These Unkar rocks are twisted and faulted but in general dip
to the north at a moderate angle, as shown in figure 30 (p. 130).

From Hopi and Yavapai points, which are within 2 miles of the
hotels, there are superb views up and down the river, showing a great
succession of cUffs, promontories, and buttes in endless variety of form,
with geologic relations most clearly exhibited. They are all shown
on sheet 19a (p. 130) . The cross sections in figure 30 show the general

bonate now represented by the Kaibab
limestone. The numerous shells in this
deposit are those of animals that lived in
the sea. The water probably was mod-
erately deep, and it is believed that the
limy sediments accumulated very slowly
during a long period of gradual subsidence.
The time required for the accumulation
of 700 feet of sediments of this sort must
have been very great, surely several mil-
lion years; it continued for a large part if
not entirely through the later portion of
the Carboniferous period.

Upon the Kaibab limestone, which con-
stitutes the present surface of the high
plateau, there were deposited many thou-

sand feet of sandstones and other rocks
through Permian, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
time. These rocks originally covered the
present plateau area but were in greater
part removed by erosion before the begin-
ning of the excavation of the canyon.
Remnants of them may be seen in Red
Butte, not far south of El Tovar; in
Cedar Mountain, far to the east on the
Coconino Plateau; and in the great line
of the Vermilion Cliffs, far to the north,
beyond the Kaibab Plateau. Their re-
moval required several million years,
and most of it was completed before the
excavation of the present canyon was
begun.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXXIV

MAJOR J. W. POWELL AND THE BOATS IN WHICH HE MADE THE TRIP DOWN THE

GRAND CANYON.

The view is in Marble Canyon.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

129

features. From Grand view Point there is an extended view to the
east and northeast, to the point where the canyon of the Little Colo-
rado comes in. A wide area in the lower part of the canyon in this
district is occupied by rocks of the Chuar and Unkar groups.

If the observer is impressed by the long time required for the exca-
vation of the Grand Canyon in the slowly rising plateau, let him con-
sider also the time required for the accumulation of the sediments in
the many thousands of feet of rocks in the canyon walls. He may
reflect also on their vast area, for they underlie not only the plateau
he sees, but also a large part of our continent. An inch of the lime-

EAST

WEST

Kaibab
limestone <
675 feet

Coconino
gray sandstone
^ 'aiOfeet

^^^r^ ^f^ffa^ ^ ^ B

B.M.6866

and sandstones <
1120 feet

Figure 29.— Section of rocks exposed on Bright Angel trail, Grand Canyon, Ariz., showing relations of
fault, and the position of bench marks of the United States Geological Survey (brass caps with elevation
above sea level) . This fault and the pile of debris from the beds broken by it has made a trail practicable
at this place, for generally the 300-foot cliff of Coconino sandstone is inaccessible.

stone required many years for its deposition, the shale was mud
brought from distant hills by turbid streams and spread in thin
layers, and the sands were deposited by streams or spread on beaches
far from their original sources in the rocky ledges of the higher lands.
It should be noted also that in the canyon section are lacking the
rocks which represent a large part of geologic time in other regions.
A very long time was also required for the deposition of 12,000 feet of
the Unkar and Chuar groups and the planation of their surface and of
the granite surface on which they lie. Probably this required as

A lAva Sow h«<

CanflmMf

^ colored

C Sandstone, irny, era

S SaodstoM and ahsle.

R Ijmest'ine, rTiaJ«sive

kr=^

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

PYom Kansas Gty, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geoitrapher

1915

Each quadrangle sAov
lower left comer is m
Sheet 0/ that name.

1 the map with a name in parenthesis in tlie
Id in detail on the U S. C. S. Topographic

ARIZONA

Scale 500.000
Approximately 8 miles to 1

'? - -

aOKilometers

Th, cross

A CAPE ROYAL
.B CAPE FINAL
Ba BRIGHT ANGtL CANYON
Bu BUDDHA TEMPLE
C WOTANS THRONE
Ca CARDENAS BUTTE
Cb CHUAR BUTTE
Cc CHUAR CREEK
D VISHNU TEMPLE

DRAGON HEA3

DEVA TEMPLE

SHEBA TEMPLE

NEWBERRY BUTTE
'U°'-^ER "^E"'^LE

Contour interval 200 feet

Gc GUNTHER CASTLE
H VENUS TEMPLE
I CAPE SOLITUDE
J COMANCHE POINT
K ZUNI POINT
L THOR TEMPLE
M ANGELS GATE
Ma MANU TEMPLE
N YAVAPAI POINT
Nb NEWTON BUTTE
0 O'NEILL BUTTE
P ISIS TEMPLE
Pc PIPE CREEK
°d °RA""A ■^E"°LE

Pn PHANTOM CREEK

Q HERMIT CREEK

R COCOPA POINT

S MT. HUETHAWALI

Sh SHIVA TEMPLE

T SHINUMO CREEK

U DIANA TEMPLE

V VISHNU CREEK
W OSIRIS TEMPLE
X TOWER OF RA

Y TOWER OF SET
Z CHEOPS PYRAMID
Zo ZOROASTER TEMPLE

130

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

a|daiaLeA)49

9\dai3j_ suiSQ '

ey ^oj3Moxf^ =

much time as is represented by the horizontal rocks in the upper and
middle canyon slopes. Finally, a great period of time before all this
is represented by the granites and associated rocks exposed in the
inner gorge. They underlie the plateau and present a chapter in the

earliest known his-
:|jgi:|j||j||| I I tory of the crust of
our earth.

The first white
men to see the
Grand Canyon
were Cardenas and
his 12 companions,
who were guided
there by Hopi In-
dians from Tusa-
yan. Cardenas was
sent by Coronado
to find the wonder-
ful river of which
DeTovar had heard
from the Indians.
He remained four
days on the rim at
some point now
imknown, looking
in vain for a way
to descend. It is
always interesting
to recall the heroic
trip made by Maj.
J. W. Powell down
the Grand Canyon
in small boats when
practically nothing
was known of its
course or charac-
ter. His journey
began at Green
River, Wyo., May
24, 1869, and was
notably successful.
A portrait of Maj.
Powell and a view of his boats are given in Plate XXXIV (p. 128).
The hotel at Grand Canyon was named for Pedro de Tovar, who was
ensign general of Coronado' s expedition. He and most of his asso-
ciates were men of high social position, De Tovar's father being the

4,_w

O ifi
o «,
Q, >

00 o

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.5 o

— c

O V)
coo

O _ ir.

TO o 3 <u o

S o ra § o

(0 O U QJ o

§1

L Ph

BULLETIN 613

C.i'X)LOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

SANTA P'E ROUTE

Frr.m KarKus City, Missc.

Ta)s Angeles, California

Hutr .«« jiiled from Unite- Survey Atlas Sheets,

fr»»ff. r»ilrnMi alignmentii , ed by the Atchison,

Tnpeka ■nd SanU Fe Railwio <'"i f'"" additional information
oollactM) irith the assisUnc-e oi this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Gf»RGE OTIS SMITH DrKECTOR
n«vid White. Chwf Geolojist R. B. M»n.'.»il. r\„-! 0.«<«n»pher

EXPLANATION

A Lava flow basalt

H Sandstotip, si

a»4v»ob«iw

1

I ^

.,^ -

ARIZONA

Scale

Appro«imifely 8 mil«« to I inch
?■■■ ■«>■■■ '?

A CAPE ROYA

B CAPE FINAL

Ba BRIGHT ANC

8u BUDDHA TE

C WOTANS TH

Ca CARDENAS

Cb CHUAR BUT

Cc CHUAR CRE

D VISHNU TE^

Dr DRAGON HE

Dv DEVA TEMP

E SHEBA TEM

F NFWBFRRY

L CANYON
■'LE
ONE
ITTE

t5c GUNTHER CASTLE
H VENUS TEMPLE
1 CAPE SOLITUDE
J COMANCHE POINT
K ZUNI POINT
L THOR TEMPLE
M ANGELS GATE
Ma MANU TEMPLE
N YAVAPAI POINT
Nb NEWTON BUTTE
0 ONEILL BUTTE
P ISIS TEMPLE
Pc PIPE CREEK
Pd BRAHMA TEMPLE

Pn PHANTOM CREEK

HERMIT CREEK
COCOPA POINT
MT. HUETHAWALI
SHIVA TEMPLE
SHINUMO CREEK
DIANA TEMPLE
VISHNU CREEK
OSIRIS TEMPLE
TOWER OF RA
TOWER OF SET
CHEOPS PYRAMID
ZOROASTER TEMPLF

THE SANTA FE EOUTE. 131

guardian and lord high steward of Doiia Juana, the daughter of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who married Philip the Second. On
no other exploration were there so many distinguished men as accom-
panied Coronado on his dangerous journey from Mexico into this
imknown land.

MAIN LINE WEST OF WILLIAMS.

From Williams (see sheet 19, p. 122) westward for some distance
Bill WiUiams Mountain is a prominent feature south of the railway.
Cinder cones are in view to the north, and one of considerable size also
hes at the foot of Bill Wilhams Mountain a short distance south of the
tracks. After passing Supai siding, 3 miles west of Williams, the
train begins the long descent from the high plateau of lava and Kaibab
Hmestone. From Supai to Corva a new line with an easier grade
has been built for the eastbound trains. The lava (basalt) extends to
the edge of the plateau and for a considerable distance down its west-
ern slope, but the deeper canyons in the slope cut through into the
Kaibab Umestone.

There are deep cuts in the basalt at the entrance to Johnson Can-
yon. This gorge affords an advantageous line of descent for the
westbound trains and exhibits many features of interesting geology
and attractive scenery.

Halfway between mileposts 388 and 389 the Kaibab limestone
appears luider the lava, and the train passes through a tunnel in the
limestone with the lava cap not far above. On leaving the tunnel it
goes over a long trestle, below which are many cliffs of the limestone,
most of them with a capping of lava. In the deep canyon to the
south are some sink holes in the limestone, known as the Bottomless
Pits, into which the water disappears when there has been sufficient
rain to develop a stream in the canyon. They are similar in char-
acter and origin to the pits described on page 117.

A short distance beyond milepost 390 the lava descends over the
limestone ledges to a level somewhat below that of the bottom of
Johnson Canyon, and for several miles west from this place it consti-
tutes a broad bench that extends for some distance north and south
of the canyon. From these relations it appears that the outflow of
lava, probably issuing from a vent on top of the plateau west of Wil-
hams, flowed westward over the plateau surface and down its western
slope. The canyons have been eroded by streams since the time of
this eruption, and some of the deeper ones have been cut through the
lava into the underlying limestone. In part of the slope a few miles
south of Johnson Canyon the grade down which the lava flowed was
very steep, and at this place the igneous rock is very much broken
where it cascaded over the limestone ledges. This outflow occurred
many thousand years ago, as much erosion has taken place since; but

132 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

compared with most of the other events in geologic history it was
very recent.

The broad bench made by the lava at the lower level just men-
tioned is well exhibited near Corva, where the eastbound track
joins the old line. Fairview is a siding on this
airview. bench. A short distance beyond Fairview is a cut in

Elevation 5,935 feet. ^ \qt^ cinder cone that shows that there was a vol-

KansasCity l,315miles. . i • i p i • i i • i

canic vent at this place irom which may have issued
some of the lava on the lower bench. Two miles farther west is a
long cut in cinders, including numerous bombs of various sizes.

About 4 miles west of Fairview there are excellent views of the
edge of the high plateau extending off northwestward. The white
ledges of Kaibab limestone appear in places, capped by the black
lava at the summit of the plateau and underlain by the Coconino
sandstone extending down some distance to the lava-covered bench
above mentioned. The extension of the cliff to the southeast is also
visible but less plainly.

w. E.

"W^liams
Arizona Plateau |

■Limestone (Kaibab)j

"^^"^^^^ _,,,Tl!rTrMTmTTTTTT^^

Figure 31.— Section of the west slope of the Arizona Plateau between Williams and Ash Fork, Ariz.,

looking north.

At milepost 399, 5 miles west of Fairview, there are long cuts in
chulers with bombs, beyond which the railway descends westward in
long sweeping curves that extend nearly to Ash Fork. At the foot of
this down grade there is a wide valley trending northwest and occu-
pied largely by lava which has flowed from many local orifices, in
most places marked by cinder cones. A section showing the general
relations in the descent of the great escarpment east of Ash Fork is
given in figure 31.

This descent is the first in a series of great westward-facing steps
formed by the thick pile of sedimentary rocks constituting the plateau
region of western Arizona. These rocks are shown in cross section in
the Grand Canyon, and in the westboimd journey the traveler sees,
beyond Williams, the same succession that is revealed in the descent
into the canyon from the rim. The first step is the western edge of
the Kaibab limestone which caps the plateau and finally terminates
in the Aubrey Cliffs. The second great step consists of the Grand
Wash escarpment. Music Mountain, and the cliffs south of Peach
Springs, in which the western edges of the lower part oi the RedwaU

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 133

limestone and the underlying shales and sandstones are presented at
the termination of the plateau province.

Ash Fork owes its existence mainly to the fact that it is the junction
of the branch railway to Prescott, 57 miles south, and Phoenix, 194
miles south. Many of the trains stop here for meals
Ash Fork. ^^ ^\^q Escalante, a hotel named in memory of Fran-

Eievation 5,144 feet, cisco S. Vclcz Escalautc, a Spanish missionary who
SrsCHywimnes. traveled through this country in 1775. Ash Fork
has an exceptionally good chmate and is ambitious
to become a winter resort.

A mile west of Ash Fork, in a low cinder cone just south of the
railway, there is a large pit from which material is excavated for
ballast. The exposed face, 50 feet high, exhibits the relations of the
cinders with many included bombs and more or less admixture of
volcanic ash. For some distance westward the train passes over a
plain of lava which floors the wide valley in which Ash Fork is situated.
To the west rises the prominent peak known as Picacho (pee-cah'tcho)
Butte, and to the northwest Mount Floyd, both large masses of the
older igneous rock similar to that in the San Francisco Mountains and
Bill Williams Mountain.

A mile or more beyond Pineveta the eastbound tracks diverge to
the north, crossing over the old line, which is reserved for westbound
traffic and which climbs out of this valley up the steep grade to the
west by numerous large curves, including one notable loop known as
Horseshoe Bend. On these loops there are excellent views to the
east, in which Bill Williams Mountain is a prominent feature, rising
far above the relatively even sky line at the crest of the high plateau.
Farther east on the horizon the peaks of the San Francisco Mountains
are conspicuous, though somewhat dwarfed by distance. The slope
on which the track rises consists of lava (basalt) and toward its higher
portion there are many junipers.

Near Crookton, one-tenth of a mile west of milepost 419, where

the summit of this grade is reached, the two tracks come together

again, with that for the westbound traffic on the

right-hand side. The summit consists of lava (basalt)

Elevation 5,691 feet, g^j^^j ^]^jg rock cxtcuds aloug both sidcs of this divide

KansasCity 1,339 miles. , , , . >»• i t^ •

and down the west slope, ricacho Butte is a promi-
nent feature to the south and Mount Floyd and the surrounding
peaks rise about 8 miles to the north.

From Crookton to Sehgman there is a long descent of 450 feet on
lava-covered slopes into the valley of Chino (chee'no) Wash. The
lava lies on the sloping surface of the limestone which caps the
Aubrey Cliffs to the north. The interruption in these cliffs in this
portion of their course was a fortunate thing for the construction of
the railway. If they had extended continuously across the country

i

(

I

134 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

at a height of 1,200 feet, as to the north and south, there would have
been great difficulty in building the railway down them. The break
in their continuity was developed by erosion or faulting prior to the
time of the volcanic eruptions, and now the sloping surface is covered
by the extensive sheet of lava extending from Crookton to Seligman
and beyond.

Seligman, being a railway division point, is sustained largely by the
railway interests, together with trade from scattered ranches in some

of the adjoining valleys. The railway time changes
Seligman. here from mountain to Pacific time, one hour earlier.

Elevation 5,242 feet. Formerly the branch line to Phoenix joined the main
SlSyMsomiies.line at this place, foUowing a relatively easy grade

up Chino Valley. It was changed to shorten the
distance from Phoenix to the East. There is a road from Sehgman
north 67 miles to Cataract Canyon, a branch of Grand Canyon, which
has high red walls and several picturesque waterfalls. Here live the

^- Aubrey CI Ifft ^'

d

Chino Wash

FiGXjRE 32. — Section through Aubrey Cliffs, northwest of Seligman, Ariz., looking north, c, Limestone
(Redwall); &, red sandstone and shale (Supai); c, gray sandstone (Coconino); d, limestone (Kaibab);
e, lava.

Havasu (Supai) Indians, who cultivate a few acres of rich land by the
water from the great springs that form Cataract Creek.

Railway cuts a short distance west of Seligman show the red sand-
stone and shale of the Supai formation lying on RedwaU limestone.
Three miles west of Sehgman, near Chino, high cliffs of red sandstone
(Supai formation) are conspicuous along the northeast side of the
railway. They extend along the lower slope of the Aubrey Cliffs,
which continue as a long, high wall far to the north. Above the red
sandstones in these cliffs are ledges of light-gray sandstone (Coconino) ,
which is softer and less conspicuous here than in the walls of the
Grand Canyon. At the top of the cliff are Hght-colored ledges of the
cherty Kaibab limestone, forming a plateau that slopes somewhat to
the east. The relations in this cliff are shown in figure 32.

The Aubrey Cliffs extend for many miles across the plateau region
on both sides of the Grand Canyon. As explained above, they are
caused by the western edge of the great sheet of limestone that caps
the Arizona Plateau. The depression at their foot, here known as
Aubrey Valley, is followed by the railway for some distance to the
northwest, past Audley and Pica sidings. The floor of the valley

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 6t3 PLATE XXXV

A. MESCAL, OR MAGUEY.

These plants grow at many places on the ridges in western Arizona

I '

'

^

1 1

I ^ I

^m

' 1 * • ;

ihMhI

■ 1

|g|lfv"^M

m

MR

M

,>.,>, ■-«

, - "j • _

^^^

m3m

i

^^^r

/^

w^^

"^ '■^* ''m.

" '

j

W:-.,

.«*

•

'■'^^.

■j',

rr^-^-'^r*

- ^^^^.^^Z"

- ,.,

^-*-" -. . .„

- -.^^t'^^^M^T^

B. OCOTILLO, A CHARACTERISTIC DESERT PLANT.
In the spring it is tipped with red flowers.

!

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 135

consists in part of the lower red shale of the Supai formation and in
part of the upper surface of the Redwall Hmestone. The railway
foUows the boundary line between these two formations, in some
places on the red shale and in others on the limestone. The Aubrey
Cliffs are prominent in the landscape to the east as the train bears
away northwestward by rising on the gentle slope of the eastward-
dipping beds to the summit of the plateau of Redwall limestone.
This plateau is the next "step" in the descent from the great plateau
of Arizona, a descent which is begun a short distance west of Williams
and continues nearly to Colorado River.

At Pica (see sheet 20, p. 138) there are wells 1,100

feet deep sunk on the recommendation of a Govern-
Kr^atf^/'miies. nient geologist. They furnish water for locomotives

and also for a large number of cattle and sheep.
The summit of the slope of RedwaU limestone is reached at Yampai,
where there are cuts in this limestone. At the summit is a wide

pass, west of which the train enters Yampai Canyon,

ampai. ^^^ ^ ^-^^ Redwall limestone to Peach Springs,

llraTatyl^sVsmiies. ^ ^istancc of about 14 mHes. Below Fields siding the

walls of the canyon show extensive ledges of the lime-
stone, and at Nelson this rock is quarried to a moderate extent for
burning into lime.

Massive beds of hard limestone, weathering to a light dove-gray
color, are highly characteristic of the RedwaU in this region, as also

in places in the Grand Canyon where the rock is not
Nelson. stained red by wash from the overlying red shale.

Elevation 5,106 feet. On some of these limestone walls there may be seen
Population 300.* ^]^^ pcculiar mcscal plant, or maguey (mah-o:ay',

KansasCity 1,380 miles. ^ . n "u • "di . v^Vrr^i AJ-f

Agave amencana) shown m Plate AXXV, A. Alter
several years of growth the plant sends up a tall flower stalk which
develops from a cabbage-like heart greatly prized by the Indians,
who roast it in small pits in the ground. Its juice is sweet and when
fermented and distilled yields the mescal brandy so extensively used
in Mexico and the Southwest.

Near Peach Springs the Yampai Canyon widens into a valley
known as Truxton Wash, which for some distance westward is

occupied by a lava flow (basalt) that is weU exposed
pnngs. £^^ ■|^^2£ ^ ^^1^ ^^ more beyond Cherokee siding. The

KanstscVyl%?m\es. north of the vallcy consists of RedwaU Hme-

stone. On its north side there are canyons descend-
ing into the Grand Canyon of the Colorado at a point only 18
nules north of the Peach Springs station. These smaUer canyons
are cut mainly in sandstone and shales of the Tonto group (see
PI. XXXVI) lying on granite, which is deeply trenched in turn as
Colorado River is approached. A fairly good road extends from

136

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Peach Springs to the bank of the Colorado. The walls of the Grand
Canyon are not as high here as in the region farther east, yet it still
has a deep inner gorge of granite extending up to cliffs and slopes of
sandstones and shales of the Tonto group surmounted by high chffs
of Redwall limestone. The escarpment or cliff of Redwall limestone
is prominent south of Peach Springs, where it gradually attains a
high altitude, and it extends nearly due south for many miles.

From Cherokee nearly to Truxton the valley widens greatly and is
floored by gravel and sand washed from the adjacent mountain slopes.
At Truxton the valley merges into a gorge in which
appears the granite underlying the Tonto group.
KlstfcVy'i%?miies.This granite extends northward to the foot of Music
Mountain, a high cliff and peak which is promi-
nently in view 7 miles to the northwest from the vicinity of mileposts
475 and 476. It is the same rock that is exposed in the lower part of

"'^"v^'^'^^-'^^.^^V

RY

y^v^,.^-v-^^^''-v

- '-.'/'- -''T-'.", "^ ^ \ ~

r^C~> ' - ' ^S^'^^i-^ '/' ' »~ ' »'/

A

Lava (basalt)

Valentine

Truxton

FiGUEE 33. — Sections showing relations of granite and lava in canyon of Truxton Wash between Valentine
and Truxton, Ariz. A , Section across the canyon east of Valentine, looking west; B, section along the
canyon, looking north.

the Grand Canyon. Music Mountain is the southwest corner of the
Grand Wash Cliffs, of which more can be seen from Antares, 18 miles
farther west.

A short distance west of Truxton there appears to be a great
fault crossing the railway, with the uplift on its east side. It is
probably the southern extension of the fault extending along the
west foot of the Grand Wash Cliffs shown in figure 33*. On the
west side of this fault the railway passes into a lava field and for
some distance foUows a narrow canyon in the lava.

On approaching Crozier the train passes below the edge of the lava

cap into a gorge in the underlying granite, which is prominent in the

lower walls of the canyon nearly to Hackberry. The

relations of the lava to the granite are well exposed

Kalstfaty"^^ Crozier and Valentme, as shown in figure 33.

The lava sheet constitutes an extensive elevated shelf

or plateau north and south of Crozier and Valentine. It lies on

Crozier.

THE SANTA FE KOUTE. 137

an exceedingly irregular surface of the granite, filling up valleys
and burying low peaks and ridges, as shown in figure 33. It was
poured out in relatively recent geologic time, but before the valley
of Truxton Wash was cut to the depth which it now has near Crozier
and below.

At Valentine is a school for the Hualpai Indians on a reservation
of 730,000 acres. They are a branch of the Yuman tribe and are
closely aUied to the Supai or Havasu Indians living
Valentine. -^ Cataract Canyon. There are about 500 of these

Klr^MUmnes Hualpai Indians, the renmant of a large tribe wliich
once controlled a wide area in the middle Colorado
Valley. They were famous for their prowess in hunting and their
general enterprise, but are making little progress toward civihzation.

The granite in the gorge from Valentine to Hackberry is character-
istic of much of the granite in the ranges of western Arizona. It is
very massive and coarse-grained and weathers out in typical rounded
forms or huge bowlders. This process is facilitated by numerous
joints,^ which cause the rock to break into large blocks; these
blocks on weathering soon lose their corners, so that the resulting
pinnacles and masses have rounded forms.

Hackberry is sustained mainly by a few smaU mines and ranches
in the adjoining region. Here the train passes northwestward out
of the granite gorge into the wide desert slope or
Hackberry. plain known as Hualpai Valley. (See PI. XXXVII,

Elevation 3,554 feet. ^, p. 140.) The Pcacock Mountains, a granite ridge
SfaJ'yM*iomiies.of Considerable prominence, project out of it on the
west; on its east side are granite slopes surmounted
by the lava-capped plateau. The westward-facing edge of this pla-
teau, extending far south from Hackberry, is known as the Cotton-
wood Chffs.

At Antares the railway reaches the summit of the low northern

extension of the Peacock Moimtains, the granite of which crops out

on both sides of the track. A few miles north and

n ares. northeast are the precipitous slopes of the Grand

Elevation 3,608 feet y^^^^i CUffs, which extend far to the north, crossing

Kansas City 1,4 16 miles. '. . .

Colorado River 75 miles north of this place, at the
western outlet or termination of the Grand Canyon.

These cliffs form the last step in the descent across the great succes-
sion of sedimentary rocks constituting the high plateau of Arizona.
They ai-e capped by the lower part of the RedwaU limestone, lying on

^ Joints in rocks are cracks, gen«?rally j intersect other sets at approximately
not of great length, due to shrinkage ! constant angles. Joints differ from faults
or earth movements. They may run | in being much smaller fractures that show
in various directions or may be arranged j little or no slipping of the rock along
in sets of nearly parallel cracks which the break.

138

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

500 feet or more of sandstones and shale of the Tonto group, and have
a long rugged lower slope of granite descending to the Hualpai
VaUey. The line of the escarpment is nearly straight. Part of its
height is apparently due to a fault passing along its western foot, with
uphft on the east side, as shown in figure 34. This fault probably has
a displacement of 1,000 feet or more, as indicated by the extent to
which the strata are elevated.

At the Grand Wash Chffs the plateau country ends, for although
some of the ridges of volcanic rock to the west have tabular surfaces
the great plateaus of nearly level sandstones and limestones which
occupy a large portion of Arizona and New Mexico cease at these
chffs. In northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, and California
north of the Santa Fe Kailway the desert basins are separated by
ridges that trend northward. The Peacock Mountains, south of
Antares, are the first of these ridges, and many others will be seen in
the journey west to Colorado River and in southeastern California.

Doubtless the sedimentary rocks of the high plateau extended
across most or all of this area in former times, but they have been

Hualpai Valley

■.Saridy.v.--.

/==h=r-L^ZII_I~r — r-L_/j_-~

Redwall

V ^^^^^^^^S

limestone
Tonto

ro ys^^\^^^^r7V7^:^^rr^^^

group

|i J-y\^\^\' ^ "" ^^ ^\ 1 ' I - - ' " " • •'

Figure 34.— Section of the Grand Wash Cliffs, north of Hackberry, Ariz., looking north.

broken into blocks by numerous faults and mostly removed, leaving
the underlying granite bare. In places, however, the granite was
covered later by great masses of volcanic material which are the most
prominent features of the area.

From Antares to Kingman the railway ascends Hualpai (wahl'pie)
Valley, a typical flat-bottomed desert valley, which extends north to
Colorado River. It presents wide areas of smooth land with excellent
soil and mild climate, which would yield large returns to agriculture if
water were available for its reclamation. There is, however, but very
little water underground, and although at the lower part of the vaUey
is Colorado River, which carries a vast quantity of water, this stream
lies more than 2,000 feet lower than the district visible from the rail-
way. Pumping water to that height for irrigation is now regarded
as impracticable.

At the south end of the Hualpai Valley, south of Berry siding and
east of Louise siding, rise the Hualpai Mountains, a high ridge con-
sisting mainly of granite, similar to the Peacock Mountains. On
the west side of Hualpai Valley, as seen from points between Hack-
berry and Louise siding, there is a high ridge known as Black Mesa,

BULLETIN 613

I I

S £

r^

01
9'

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

139

consisting of a succession of sheets of rocks of volcanic origin of a
character not found in the region farther east but occupying large
areas in the country to the west.^

Kingman (see sheet 21, p. 148) is sustained mainly by extensive

mining operations in the adjoining mountains. The mines have been

opened for many years, and some of them have pro-

Kingman. duced a large amount of ore. The principal mines

Elevation 3,336 feet, ^rc in the Cerbat Moimtains, 8 or 10 miles north of

Population 900.* _^. , i i i -i i • i

Kansascity 1,437 miles. Kmgman, and are reached by a railway which
branches from the main line at McConnico. Some
of the ore is brought to Kingman for reduction.

West of Kingman there are railway cuts in the volcanic series which
extends south from Black Mesa. These cuts show that there are
several flows of rhyolite separated by thick beds of fragmental mate-
rials. The lavas issued from vents and flowed more or less widely on
all sides, the earliest one apparently filling the inequalities of an
irregular surface of granite. The tuff consists of coarse volcanic ash

S 2 52 Higher members of

<D volcanic series in

,, , ■■ ^ cir ^/I^- ■ a "c mountain to the north

Volcanic tuff .^ /rnmrmJ^lB^'^e bro\/vn i^ i3 •- -.^^^^^^

2 Volcanic tuff-A-SmiiW

I Massive brown lava,
iGrayagglomeratg.

Figure 35. — Section showing relation of volcanic rocks between Louise and McConnico, Ariz.,

looking northwest.

bJ >wn out of the craters or cracks of eruption at intervals between
th lava flows. Some features of the succession in the canyon
be! ween Kingman and McConnico are shown in figure 35. The beds
lie .learly horizontal, and the railway descends across their edges on
the down grade through the canyon. The granite floor is reached

^ The succession consists of an alterna-
tion of lava flows of various kinds, mostly
rhyolite, with thick beds of light-colored
tuff and volcanic ash, in part capped by
flows of black lava (basalt). These rocks
are in thick sheets, which in Black Mesa
dip at a low angle to the east. They are
much older than the late lava flows
(basalts) of the Ash Fork country and the
San Francisco Mountains, but may be of
the same or nearly the same age as the
older lavas of the San Francisco Moun-
tains, Bill Williams Mountain, Picacho
Peak, and Mount Floyd.

Undoubtedly these lavas were once
very much more extensive than at pres-
ent, for they have been uplifted, tilted,
and in large part removed by erosion.

They were poured out over the surface in
flows, in most places to a thickness of 100
feet or more. The tuff is fine-grained
material, differing from the basalt cinder
in being less coarsely cellular. It is
mostly of light color and consists mainly
of ash and fine-grained pumice blown out
of craters and deposited in great sheets
over the lava flows or other surfaces. In
most places it has in turn been covered
by later lava flows, the eruptions consist-
ing of alternations of lava outflows and
material ejected in fragmental condition.
There were also mud flows consisting of
materials similar to the tuff and ashes but
poured out, mixed with water, and spread
over the surface in plastic condition, in
places to a thickness of 50 feet or more.

140 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

finally, and in the next few miles this rock is seen to extend along
the base of the mountain to the north and south, underlyiQg the
younger volcanic series.

A short distance beyond McConnico is a projecting spur of the
granite which shows in low cuts on both sides of the track. From
Hancock, the next station, the railway goes a little west of due south
across Sacramento Valley, a characteristic southwestern desert con-
sisting of a long, wide, flat-bottomed valley bordered by mountain
chains of very irregular outline and sustaining a very scant vegetation.
The sandy floors of such valleys slope up gradually to the foot of the
mountains, where they give place abruptly to steep rocky slopes, as
shown in Plate XXXVII, B. The valleys are underlain by deposits
of sand, gravel, and other wash from the mountains, and in some
areas well borings show that deposits of this sort attain a thickness of
more than 1,000 feet. The detrital materials partly fill valleys that
were excavated at a time when the region was higher than it is at
present.

At Drake siding (milepost 527) there are excellent views to the
west over a typical desert valley to the foot of Black Mesa, 8 miles
away. This mesa, which rises about 1,500 feet above the valley,
consists of a great succession of alternating lavas and tuffs similar to
those at Kingman, in beds tilted slightly to the west.

At milepost 537 there is a 10-foot cut in the valley filling, showing
the succession of gravel and sands.

Erosion proceeds with considerable rapidity in the desert region,
notwithstanding the scarcity of continuously running water, for
rock disintegration is accelerated by the great daily variations in
temperature. The rocks are heated to 125° or even higher on the
hot summer days and cool off rapidly at night to 70° or less, a differ-
ence of 50° or more; and in spring or autumn, when the sun heat is
less, the night temperatures are relatively lower. In winter there is
frost in the higher lands, but this factor is less effective.

The weather in the deserts of the Southwest is pecuHar, and so far
as plant growth is concerned there are three seasons — ^the warm,
moderately moist spring, from March to May, where growth is rapid;
the long drought of June to November, when plants rest except
during showers ; and the winter, from December to February, when
it is too cool for vegetation to advance materially.

The desert plants present considerable variety and have special
characteristics that adapt them to their environment. The most
conspicuous plant, covering the desert flats from Kingman, Ariz,,
to Hesperia, Cal., is the creosote bush {Covillea tridentata). This
plant grows 2 to 6 feet high and is rather widely spaced, after the
habit of desert plants, which require wide-spreading roots in order to

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXXVII

A. TYPICAL DESERT VALLEY OF NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA.

Vicv/ northv\/ard from north end of Hualpai Mountains near track of Santa Fe Railway. Granite Mountains to
right; Grand Wash Cliffs in the distance.

m^

.^#4^*- ^*^'^9^.

B. EDGE OF DESERT PLAIN ON WEST SIDE OF HUALPAI MOUNTAINS, ARIZ.
The sandy plain gives place abruptly to a slope of granite which is weathered into huge fragnnents.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL vSURVE^

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XXXVIII

A. A WATER BOTTLE IN THE DESERT.
Taking a drink pressed from the pulp that forms the interior of a barrel cactus, or visnaga.

ii^T^ "HI i A^li^if U--A. *• r , *

ir:s:sf^.^tt^i^:s£ai^^2Si»3&*«

4^.

B. BARREL CACTUS, OR VISNAGA.
One of the larger cactuses of the deserts of western Arizona and southeastern Californi

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 141

gather the moisture from an ample area. For most of the year its
leaves are covered with a resin that acts as a protection against
evaporation and also renders them very unpalatable to animals.
The popular name is due to the tarry odor given off when the plant
is burned. On the rocky slopes and less abundantly on the plains
several species of cactuses will be noted, including the barrel cactus
or visnaga (EcJiinocactus wislizeni lecontei; PI. XXXVIII), the smaller
Echinocactus joJinsoni, and clusters of the niggerhead cactus (EcJiino-
cactus polycepJialus) , which bears beautiful deep-red flowers in the
early summer. All these cactuses are covered with large spines and
contain considerable water, which is protected from evaporation by
the thick skins of the trunk. The desert rats gnaw into some of them
and clean out their watery pulp, leaving an empty shell of thorns.
Travelers often obtain a drink of fair water from the barrel cactus.
On some of the desert slopes grow the curious candlewood bushes, or
ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens; PL XXXV, B, p. 134), the tips of which
are brilliant with flame-colored blossoms in the spring. The palo-
verde (Parkinsonia torreyana) , a bush or small tree consisting entirely
of green spikes, grows in many of the valleys, associated with the
una del gato (oon'ya del gah'to), or cat claw (Acacia greggii), a bush
with myriads of little curved thorns and deliciously fragrant yellow
blossoms. On some of the sandy soils are many yuccas or soap weeds
of several species, which in the spring send up slender stalks bearing
clusters of cream-white flowers.

The desert animals are small and are not often in sight. The rats,
which live in large colonies in the sandy areas, are nocturnal, and
most of their companions have the same habit. Various lizards and
the bold little horned toad (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) are abundant,
and in places the variety of rattlesnake known as ^'sidewinder''
(Crotalus cerastes) is found. This common name refers to his side-
long motion both in locomotion and attack. The rare tiger rattler
(Crotalus tigris) lives in the rocks in many out-of-the-way places.
The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) does not often come as far
north as the Santa Fe line, but a few are reported from the Colorado
bottoms near Needles and even along Virgin River in southern Utah.
The larger lizard known as the chuckwaUa (Sauromalus ater) may
be seen here and there, and the Indians find him as palatable as
chicken. The tortoise (GopJierus agassizii) roams widely over the
desert, and his empty shell is a common sight. Most of these tor-
toises are from 8 to 10 inches long; some are larger. They are gener-
ally found far from water holes, and it is a marvel that they can
exist with so little water.

38590°— Bull. 613—16 10

142 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The railway company sank a well 1,004 feet deep at Yucca some

years ago which yields a supply of excellent water rising within 104

feet of the surface.^ The east face of Black Mesa

^"^^^* continues in view beyond Yucca. The general suc-

Eievationi8(^feet. ccssiou of bcds in this facc is shown in figure 36.

Population 138.* • i i i • • .

Kansascity 1,461 miles. J- ne rocKs prcscut Considerable variety, comprising
light-colored lavas (rhyolites) and black lava (basalt)
in widespread sheets of varying thickness, separated by thick de-
posits of light-colored tuffs, which were thrown out of volcanic
vents in fragmentary condition. Extensive cuts in this volcanic
series through a southern projection of the mesa show massive
breccia and tuff capped by a sheet of light-colored lava (rhyolite).
The breccia consists of large fragments of volcanic rocks of various

•'—■' ■'■: ■ ■ t^-.--V--- • —

,i|nillll!uiiiiiilliiiiliiiilliiilliiiiii_iniliiiiiH'li

^,:.^.;:,-....^.^..^.-:.^>.-^...^.^

."-i r'.i'-^.'^ ■^•Agg lo m e r ate ■ f:-. : c^- -. ■:-'/':'w. ■■ «;•.• ^.-^-^^^...rrr
'y■■l■'r/o%■.f'■?:^■:■a:^v:.<J/;.<::c':/^o■.^/^■!^:i■.c:■)!O.Z

Figure 3fi.— Section showing succession of volcanic rocks in east face of Black Mesa, northwest of

Yucca, Ariz.

kinds, and some of the material appears to have flowed out mixed
with hot water. Beyond this point the railway swdngs to the west
aromid the south end of Black Mesa, but it contmues to follow Sacra-
mento Wash to Colorado River at Topock.

A short distance west of Haviland sidhig are low

^^* *" * terraces and hills composed of the valley filling, and

Kl^afat^: Mefmiies. ^t milcpost 547 is a railway cut through one of these,

exposing from 30 to 50 feet of bowlders and sand.

At Powell Colorado River is in sight to the northwest, occupying

a broad valley between typical desert ranges. About 2 miles beyond

Powell there may be seen in the foothills of the

Powell. rugged mountains to the south a hole through a

Elevation 764 feet. peak, which is kiiown as the ''Eye of the Needle."

KansasCity 1,480 miles, i- ^ , i i • • i i i i

It has been eroded m a narrow ridge, largely by
wind-blown sand, which is an effective agent of rock sculpture in the
arid regions.

^ The water comes from a mass of tuff lying at depths of 555 to 805 feet. This tuff
is underlain by 22 feet of dark lava, 78 feet of tuff, and 99 feet of ''granite."

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 148

At Topock (Mohave for bridge) the bank of the Colorado is reached

at a point where the water is only about 480 feet above sea level.

This river marks the boundary between Arizona and

Topoc , nz. California, and a large bridge crosses it to the Cali-

Eievation505feet^ fomia sidc. To the north the river flows in a wide

KansasCity 1,48/ miles.

valley. To the south it passes into a rocky canyon
through a chain of jagged ridges which extends from northwest to
southeast. A group of pinnacles on one of these ranges about 3 miles
southeast of Topock, and plainly visible from that place, is known
as The Needles. The rocks of these mountains are largely of the
younger volcanic series, similar to those constituting Black Mesa, a
jFew miles to the northeast. They form sharp peaks of striking out-
line owing to rapid erosion along joint planes traversing the hard
massive igneous rocks.

Colorado River was reached by two of the early Spanish explorers
from Mexico in 1540; one was Melchior Diaz, who came across
country and went only a short distance above Yuma, and the other
was Alarcon, who came in boats from western Mexico. Owing to
the custom of the natives of carrying firebrands in winter with which
to warm themselves, Diaz named the stream Rio del Tizon (Firebrand
River), a name more distinctive than the present one, which often
causes considerable confusion because no part of the river is in the
State that has the same name.

California, known as the Golden State, is next to the largest State
in the Union. It is 780 miles in length and about 250 miles in average
width, though owing to its shape it covers very nearly
California. as wide a range in longitude as Texas. It has also

great diversity in altitude, for some of its desert
vaUeys are below sea level and in the Sierra Nevada are the highest
peaks south of iUaska. The State has a total area of 156,092 square
miles, being nearly equal in size to New England, New York, and
Pennsylvania combined. The population of California in 1910 was
2,377,549, or about one-tenth that of the Eastern States named.
This was a gain of 60 per cent in 10 years. The number of persons
to the square mile is only slightly more than 15, having doubled since
1890, but the density varies greatly, becoming very low in the desert
regions east of the Sierra Nevada. The ratio of males to females is
125 to 100. The area covered by public-land surveys is 123,910
scpare miles, or nearly 80 per cent of the State, and 21 per cent of the
State was unappropriated and unreserved July 1, 1914.

Along the State's 1,000 miles of bold coast line there are compara-
tively few indentations. The bays of San Diego and San Francisco
are excellent harbors, but they are exceptional.

144 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The climate of California varies greatly from place to place. Along
the coast in northern California it is moist ajid equable. Around
San Francisco Bay a moderate rainfall is confined almost wholly to
the winter, and the range in temperature is comparatively small. In
parts of southern California typical desert conditions prevail. The
great interior valley is characterized by moderate to scant winter
rainfall and hot, dry summers. Snow rarely falls except in the higli
mountains.

Forests cover 22 per cent of the State's area and have been esti-
mated to contain 200,000,000,000 feet of timber. They are notable
for the large size of their trees, especially for the huge dimensions
attained by two species of redwood — Sequoia washingtoniana (or
gigantea), the well-known ''big tree" of the Sierra Nevada, and
Sequoia sempervirens, the ''big tree" of the Coast Ranges. Some of
these giant trees fortunately have been preserved by the Government
or through private generosity against the inroads of the lumberman.

The 21 national forests in California have a total net area of 40,600
square miles, or about one-fourth of the State's area. The national
parks in the State are Yosemite (1,124 square miles), Sequoia (252
square miles), and General Grant (4 square miles).

Agriculture is a large industry in California, and with the intro-
duction of more intensive cultivation its importance is uicreasing
rapidly. In 1914 the grain crops yielded nearly 63,000,000 bushels,
of which two-thirds was barley. The value of the cultivated hay crop
that year was over $43,000,000. In the variety and value of its fruit
crops California has no rival in the United States, if indeed in the world.
Its products range from dates, pineapples, and other semitropical
fruits in the south to pears, peaches, and plums in the north, but it is
to oranges and other citrus fruits and to wine grapes that California
owes its horticultural supremacy. During the season from November
1, 1913, to October 31, 1914, California produced 48,548 carloads of
citrus fruit, 42,473,000 gallons of wine, and 12,450 tons of walnuts
and almonds. The value of the annual crop of citrus fruits is about
$50,000,000, and of olives $2,200,000. Wine and brandy yield to
the grape mdustry $25,500,000 amiuaUy. Some other notable
products are hops, about 20,000,000 pounds; lima beans, 1,150,000
sacks; beet sugar, 162,000 tons; potatoes, 11,000,000 bushels; and
butter, 54,000,000 pounds.

Of its mineral products, petroleum ranks first in total value and
gold next. In 1914 California's output of petroleum was valued at
$48,066,096, about 25 per cent of the world's yield, and its output of
gold at about $21,000,000. In the production of both petroleum and
gold California leads all other States in the Union. Other mineral
products are cement $10,500,000, copper $5,000,000, silver $750,000,
mercury $750,000, and borax $1,500,000.

I

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 145

California's fisheries bring a profit estimated at S3, 000, 000 a year,
the canning of the deUcioiis tuna yielding about $2,000,000. Nearly
11,500,000 pounds of wool was clipped in 1914, estimated to be worth
$1,852,000. In most parts of the State only a small part of the
water available for power or irrigation has been utilized, and large
areas of swamp lands are being reclaimed. Cotton and dates promise
to be important crops in the southeast corner of the State, and rice
production is increasing rapidly.

Sir Francis Drake, who landed on the California coast in 1579,
named the place New Albion, but later the name California was
applied, taken from a Spanish romance. From 1769 to 1823 many
missions were established under the direction of the Franciscan friar
Junipero Serra and other missionaries of his order, and most of them
stiU remain, although some are in ruins. The first overland caravans
to California began in 1827. The discovery of gold by J. W. Marshall
at Sutters Mill in 1848 brought a large crowd of gold seekers and
settlers.

California was formerly a part of Mexico but in 1848 was ceded to
the United States and on September 9, 1850, was admitted to the
Union as a State.

At the California end of the bridge at Topock there is a conspicuous
outcrop of red conglomerate in massive ledges which is part of the
older valley filling. It outcrops at other places farther west, and a
small mass of the same rock also appears on the east bank of the river
just north of the bridge. From the bridge to Needles the railway
follows the west bank of the river, and owing to the many small gul-
lies and terraces there are numerous cuts for the railway grade.
These cuts exhibit materials of the valley filling, which appear to
comprise a younger, high-level gravel and sand, lying on the some-
what irregular surface of an older deposit of silt of pale-buff or green-
ish tint, in large part distinctly bedded. This older material lies 80
to 100 feet above the present river and was laid down at a period of
slack current, during a time when there were no notable freshets for
many years.

Needles is built on a low terrace or higher flood plain of Colorado

River, less than a mile from the river bank. It is a railway division

point with a large hotel at the station, where most

Needles, Cal. trains stop for meals. This hotel is named El Garces

f:ievation 483 feet. after Fraucisco Garces, a Spanish missionary who

Population 3,067.* . i ^i- ^ . , ^^, , ^J^, ,

Kansascity 1,499 miles, journeyed through this country m 17/1-1774 and
visited the Hopis in 1776. Needles is becoming a
winter resort owing to its mild, equable climate and large propor-
tion of sunny days. Many trees have been cultivated here, includ-
ing date palms and the tall, stately palm Neowashingtonia filifera, a

146

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

native of the Colorado Desert, which is extensively utilized for orna-
mental plantings in Los Angeles and other towns in the coastal
region of southern California.

Many Mohave Indians live along the flats at Needles, and they have
a reservation of considerable size extending along the river banksome
distance above the city, where they dwell in small, low buildings
roofed with brush and sand. They cultivate small areas of the fertile
bottom lands along the river and raise grain and vegetables for their
own use and for the local market. Some of them come to the trains,
offering bead trinkets of various kinds for sale to the passengers.
They are a branch of the Yuman stock, numbering about 1,400 and in
general diminishing in number. The name Mohave mo-hah'vay is
Yuman for the three pinnacles of the Needles south of Topock.
Formerly these Indians were warlike, but this would not be inferred
from their present appearance.

In tlie western part of Needles there is a steep ascent to a long,
moderately steep slope which rises to the foot of the Sacramento
Mountains ^ on the west. This slope is the surface of a thick body of
sand, gravel, and bowlders derived from the mountains. It is inter-
sected by many gullies or small valleys which carry large volumes of
water on the rare occasions when there is rain.

Leaving Needles the train begins to climb the slope, running north-
westward toward a pass that separates the Sacramento Mountains on
the south from the Dead Mountains on the north. On this slope
there are many railway cuts that reveal the materials of which it is
composed. Some of the deposits are fine silts; others are cross-
bedded sands containing a large amount of coarse material. All are
of recent geologic age.

Two miles beyond elava tlie rocks of the mountains are exposed in
railway cuts and slopes of Sacramento Wash, the valley of a stream
which has cut the pass through the mountains. The material is
gneiss or mica schist, probably pre-Cambrian, which constitutes the
greater part of the ranges north and south.

Near Klinefelter siding this rock gives place to coarse, massive red
conglomerate, which at several points rises in mounds of moderate
height. This rock is not old, but appears to be a valley filling that
accumulated before the deposition of the gravel and sand which form
most of the slopes of the desert vaUey. The materials were derived

^ The Sacramento Mountains consist of
schists of supposed Archean age. The
highest part of the mountains, 10 miles
southwest of Needles, is capped by a
thick body of latite. From the occur-
rence of fragments of blue limestone in the
slope southwest of Needles it is probable

that some Paleozoic rocks also occur in the
range. Near the foot of the range south-
west of Needles masses of red conglom-
erate in which are included sheets of basalt
appear in small knobs and probably this
material underlies the alluvium of the
slopes.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

147

largely from the adjoining mountains of gneiss, but they include also
some volcanic tuff and agglomerate and old lava (basalt). The beds
are tilted at various angles, the dip being to the southwest in a con-
siderable area west of Klinefelter and almost due west, at angles
approaching the vertical, along the foot of the Dead Mountains,
northeast of that place. A short distance beyond Klinefelter sid-
ing a number of springs issue from this deposit, affording water
which has been extensively utilized by the railway company for its
locomotives. These springs are just west of the track.

A few rods east of the railway, at milepost 590, a mile north of
Klinefelter, the conglomerate stands nearly vertical and includes
between its beds a 6-foot sheet of basalt. At a place just east of the
tracks it includes another sheet of basalt.

At Klinefelter the railway is in a wide desert valley that is drained
through Sacramento Wash, which heads far to the west. To the
east rise the Dead Mountains,^ culminating in Mount Manchester;
to the southwest is Ibis Mountain, which ends southwest of Ibis
siding. The up grade continues past Ibis to the summit, half a mile
east of Goffs. The divide at this place (altitude, 2,584 feet) is in the
wide sand plain of the desert, but there are ridges of granite not far
to the north and south, and doubtless here this rock is at no great
distance beneath the surface. At Goffs, however, in a well 926 feet
deep, from which the railway company obtains water, the first rock
reported was at a depth of 680 feet.

A branch railway leading to BarnweU and Searchlight, two mining
camps to the north, begins at Goffs, which is an old settlement, sup-
ported, mainly by gold, silver, and copper mines in
^^^^- the mountains to the northeast, northwest, and

Elevation 2,584 feet, south.^ The ores occur in part as veins, in part as

KansasCity 1,530 miles. . iit pi ^ i ■, i i

irregular bodies oi shattered altered rocks, somewhat
after the manner of the ore bodies at Goldfield and Tonopah, Nev.

^ The Dead Mountains, northeast of
Ibis, consist of schists, in most of which
the foliation is well defined, dipping in
part at a low angle to the west. The
slopes and ridges south and southwest of
Klinefelter show a variety of rocks. For
the first few miles there is much breccia
and conglomerate that include sheets and
masses of basalt. The ridges farther
southeast are granite and schists. These
pass down to the west under latite or
rhyolite and breccia, which appears first
in knobs and finally rise in prominent
peaks near Eagle Pass, 10 miles south of
Klinefelter. For about 2 miles the gran-
ite and rhyolite are separated by lime-

stone and sandstone, which are of Paleo-
zoic age and contain at one point fossils
that are probably Carboniferous. Six
miles southwest of Klinefelter is the high,
conspicuous Tabletop Mountain, consist-
ing of a cap of basalt on a mass of tuff and
agglomerate lying west of the main body
of rhyolite. The high ridge next north-
west, which extends nearly to Ibis, is
composed of schist and light - colored
granite. The Ibis mine (now idle) is on
its east slope.

2 A short distance south and southeast
of Goffs is the north end of a mountain
range which extends far southward. It
consists largely of granite, partly schistose,

148

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATER.

From Goffs the railway runs iKuirly due soutliwest for many miles
(see sheet 22, p. 158), descending continuous!/ into one of the great
interior basins that are characteristic of a large part of south easteni
California. The slope is covered with a thick mantle of gravel and
sand, constituting a typical desert plain from which detached moun-
tain ranges rise abruptly at intervals. These ranges have steep sides,
are deeply recessed by canyons, and have remarkably ragged or
pinnacled summits. The plain slopes up toward the mountains and
is built of the products of their disintegration. The deposits are
thick, for they have been accumulating for a long time and every rain
causes a local flood that carries the rock waste farther and farther
down the slopes and at the same time adds a new supply Irom the
mountain sides.

There are many instructive illustrations of the relations of these
desert plains from Needles all the way across southern California, but
some of the most impressive ones are in the region southwest of GoflFs.
Rain is infrequent in this region, as the average total precipitation is
considerably less than 6 inches a year. However, much of the rain
falls in remarkably heavy showers, or cloudbursts, which quickly
flood the drainageways with a swiftly flowing body of wat<3r suffi-
ciently powerful to roll large bowlders and to transport a vast amount
of fine material far dowm the slope. These floods are exceedingly

cut by masses of darker rocks. It also
contains some large bodies of diorites
which are cut by the granites. Half a
mile southeast of Goffs, at the foot of the
main mountain mass, there is a con-
spicuous butte, capped by black lava
(basalt). Two miles south of the station
there is a high peak, known as Black Top,
just west of the main mountain slope. Its
tabular top is due to a thick sheet of lava
(basalt), which lies on a thick deposit of
sand and granite bowlders tliat are under-
lain by the coarse granite of the main
mountain slope. This peak is a conspic-
uous feature for many miles to the west.
Three miles north of Goffs several low
hills rise above the desert. They consist
of white granite, a material that also con-
stitutes the higher ridges farther north
to and beyond the Leiser-Ray mine, 8
miles northeast of Goffs, and the Cali-
fornia copper mine, 9 miles northwest of
Goffs. A prominent butte known as
Signal Peak, a short distance southeast of
the Leiser-Ray mine, is capped by black
lava (basalt) similar in relations to the

lava caps south of Goffs and of the same
age. Smaller masses of this rock also rise
from the desert in low buttes 8 miles
northwest of Goffs. They are parts of
lava flows that were poured out over the
desert surface at a time not very remote.
In the high ridges in the region north
and west of Vontrigger (see sheet 22)
the next station on the Barnwell branch,
10 miles northwest of Goffs, there is a
thick series of Tertiary igneous rock of
the same character as that in Black Mesa,
near Kingman, Ariz. It overlies gran-
ite along a line that passes a short dis-
tance west of the California mine. The
series consists of thick sheets of tuff and
agglomerate alternating with extensive
flows of light-colored lavas (rhyolite and
latite). These sheets dip to the east and
southeast, and the harder beds present
great steplike cliffs facing the west and
northwest. These cliffs are conspicuous
far to the north to the traveler from Goffs
to Fenner, and northwest of P'enner abut
against the east flank of the Providence
Mountains.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

Fi-om Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Sur\'ey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplietl by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. OIRECTOR
David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geojrrapher

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name A) parenthesis in the
lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S Topographic
Sheet of thai name.

THE SANTA FE BOUTE. 149

troublesome to the railway company, which must make long deflec-
tion ditches and dikes to prevent serious washouts. Work of this
sort along the Santa Fe lines in the desert region has been as large
an item of expense as flood protection and repair m regions where
there are large rivers subject to freshets. The run-off is very rapid
in the deserts, because the rocks are bare, the soil is hard, and most of
the slopes are steep. Very little water passes underground, and
springs, even in the mountains, are exceedingly rare. Much water,
however, is lost by evaporation.

Fenner is on a desert plain or flat-bottomed valley of consider-
able width. (See PL XXXIX, p. 150.) A few miles to the east rises
the high mountain range which begins at Goffs and
enner. extends far to the south. Its higher part, southeast

ir:fci.^a5Z«es.of Danby, is known as Old Woman Mountain. This
range consists largely of granites but also includes
some limestone which has been mostly altered to marble by the
intrusion of igneous rocks. The heat and pressure of these intrusions
are the agencies which have effected this change. The process is
one of crystallization, the massive or earthy limestone changing into
an aggregation of crystals, usually white, to form marble.

The prominent range known as the Providence Mountains, west
and northwest of Fenner, consists of a thick mass of limestones and
other sedimentary rocks (Cambrian, Devonian, and Carboniferous)
lying on granites and cut by thick bodies of monzonite and rhyolite.
These mountains are the south end of a great north-south divide
which separates the Las Vegas and Colorado valleys on the east from
the deserts on the west and which in general seems to be an impor-
tant but little understood geologic boundary in this region. In its
northern neighbor, known as the Charleston Range, near Good Springs,
there are rich mines of lead and zinc, and a remarkable deposit of
gold, platinum, and palladium ore has recently been discovered. The
range contains many interesting stratified formations not found to
the west in southern California. The southwestern course of the
railway from Needles to Cadiz was determined for the purpose of
paralleling the east side and getting around the south end of this
range, which is reached 2 miles east of Cadiz.

The basin about Fenner is probably underlain by later volcanic
rock^, portions of which protrude above the plain in many small
buttes. One of these is a mile northeast of the station, and a group
of them occurs about 10 miles due west of Fenner. They consist
of rhyolite, a fine-grained brown glassy-looking rock, much of which
contains cmdery fragments and many vesicular cavities caused by the
steam included at the time of outflow. In the midst of these rhyolite
hiUs, 10 miles west of Fenner, there is an outcrop of pure white marble
which some time may have economic importance.

150

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

From Fenner to Danby the railway descends the valley near its
center. A short distance to the west rises a high ridge known as
Clipper Mountain/ which consists mainly of a thick succession of
Tertiary volcanic rocks, which lie on gneiss that crops out extensively
at the north end of the range. This ridge is about 10 miles long and
some of its peaks rise more than 1,500 feet above the surrounding
plain. The rugged slopes of Clipper Mountain present a great variety
of strong colors, mostly yellow and brown, due to the oxidation of
the tuffs and other rocks.

^ The rocks of Clipper Mountain are
principally tuffs and agglomerates, inter-
bedded with many thick flows of light-
colored lava (rhyolite) and penetrated by
a number of thick stocks of this and other
igneous rocks. The tuff and ash beds
near the top are capped by a thick sheet
of black lava (basalt), which dips north-
westward. Small masses of this kind of
lava also appear at several points in the
plain south and southwest of the moun-
tain, but these are probably of later age
than the summit cap. The agglomerate,
tuff, and ash of this succession were
ejected from volcanic vents and probably
accumulated very rapidly, with intervals
in which eruptions of rhyolite and other
lavas flowed over their surface. The
final eruption was the sheet of black lava
(basalt) now capping Clipper Mountain,
which probably flowed out at the same
time as the sheets capping Signal Peak,
north of Goffs, and Black Top, southwest
of Goffs. The same succession also con-
stitutes the high ridge extending through
Vontrigger to the east slope of the Prov-
idence Mountains northwest of Fenner.

Southeastern California presents the
record of a varied succession of events,
mostly of igneous activity on a land sur-
face, during later geologic time. Great
masses of molten rock were intruded
through the various older sedimentary
rocks, followed at intervals by the outflow
of lavas and the ejection of fragmental
volcanic material . Some of these volcanic
outbursts were so recent that they appear
to have been almost within the historic
period. The largest bodies of lava, how-
ever, were accumulated in middle and
later Tertiary time, when a vast amount of

fragmental material was thrown out of
numerous vents of various kinds and
spread over a wide area. These formed
thick deposits of breccias, which consist
mostly of fragments of lava, tuff, or finer-
grained ejected material of the nature of
ash and cinders, in part mixed with large
volumes of fine volcanic ash. Most of
this ejected matter was piled up as it fell,
but in some places water had a part in its
distribution, and from some of the vents
there also came extensive mud flows.
At intervals and from place to place there
were great outflows of lavas of various
kinds, which spread widely over the sur-
face of the deposits of fragmental material,
and subsequently were buried beneath
accumulations of breccia, tuff, and ash.
In general, the order of rocks erupted in
Tertiary time has been latite, rhyolite,
diabase rhyolite, and several varieties of
basalt. The configuration of the region
was probably much smoother at that time
than it is now, for in general the old rock
surface on which the volcanic deposits
lie appears to be smooth at most localities.
In places, however, ridges of older rocks
protruded which were not covered by the
volcanic materials . After the main period
of volcanic action in Tertiary time the
risgion was uplifted and the beds broken
and tilted. It is from the erosion of this
irregular surface by streams and other
agencies that most of the present land
forms are derived. In places the up-
lifted volcanic rocks have been removed,
laying bare the underlying older rocks.
Several times after the uplift there were
extensive eruptions of later lavas, some
of them accompanied by the ejection of
tuff, ash, and other fragmental material.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

151

By the judicious use of a small amount of water and fertilizer,
date palms, cottonwoods, and various other plants have been culti-
vated at Danby, making the place an oasis in the
^" ^* desert. Water is obtained from a well, and an addi-

la^Sa%miies.t^«i^al supply is brought by a pipe from a spring 4
miles to the northwest, where a tunnel has been run
into the hillside in such a w^ay as to gather the water seeping from a
small fissure in the volcanic rocks. Chpper Mount ahi, with its bright-
colored slopes and steep pinnacles of volcanic rocks, is a conspicuous
feature north of Danby station. Five or six miles east of Danby
are the Piute Mountains, and to the southeast rises Old Woman
Mountain, both ranges presenting long, bare slopes and rugged peaks
of granite.

From Danby to Siam, a distance of 7 miles, the railway descends

the broad desert valley on a southwesterly course. Southeast

of milepost 640 several scattered knobs ^ of volcanic

^*^'"* rock rise from the desert a short distance east of

Elevation 1,037 feet, the tracks. These are outliers of Ship Mountain,

KansasCity 1,563 miles, -, , -i , • . i • i ,•

a short but prominent range which continues to a
point 7 or 8 miles southeast of Siam. A deposit of volcanic ash
and some associated tuff in the ridge 3 miles east of Siam is about
100 feet thick, and portions of it are snowy white and sufficiently
pure to be serviceable as polishing powder. Material of this charac-
ter is used in many of the cleansing powders now on the market.

A short distance south of Siam there is considerable limestone,
most of which has been changed to marble by the heat of intruded
granite. This marble constitutes a high ridge 2 miles southeast of
Siam and several outlying knobs west of the foot of the ridge at
intervals southward for 2^ miles. The marble is cut off to the north
as well as to the south and southeast by the granite constituting the
central portion of Ship Mountain. In the Siam mine, 2 miles south-
east of Siam, which was worked for several years, considerable gold
and copper ore was found along or near the contact of the marble and
granite. In places in the altered limestone east of Siam there are
seams and pockets of yellow and red ocher of excellent quality.
This material is extensively used for paints.

North of the railway beyond Siam are the Iron Mountains, a
narrow but prominent range which is in general a southward contin-

^ The knobs just east of milepost 640
consist of rhyolite, but farther back there
is a small knob of basalt, and still farther
southeast rises a prominent tabular mass
in which a thick sheet of lava (basalt) caps
a deposit of volcanic ash, overlying a

thick body of angular fragments of gneiss.
The sheet of basalt dips northeastward
and passes beneath the desert plain, which
is here about 10 miles wide and which
extends to the west foot of Old Woman
Mountain.

152

CJUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Cadiz.

Elevation
Kansas City

nation of the Providence Mountains. To pass the south end of this
range the railway has to be deflected far southward in its course
beyond Goffs.

At milepost 646 the railway passes the south end of the Iron
Mountains* and bears slightly north of west to Cadiz. Along the
west side of the mountains is a westward-facing clifl'
of the sandstone and limestone, surmounting rugged
1 821 feet. slopcs of granite. At a point on the mountain slope

itv 1,569 miles. -ii p /-\ i- ii

2 miles northeast oi Cadiz a quarry has been opened
in dark Cambrian limestone, which yields a material of attractive
appearance, but it has not yet been shipped to any great extent.

At Cadiz the main line is joined by a branch from Phoenix, Ariz.,
which crosses Colorado River at Parker, 60 miles below Needles, and
rises with easy grade over the divide that separates the river valley
from the long basin extending to Cadiz and beyond. One branch of
this basin is followed by the main line of the railway from Goffs to
Cadiz, far down its slope.

From Cadiz westward the course of the track is somewhat north of
west, through the center of a series of wide basins bordered on both
sides by high mountain ranges. The bottom of this basin is reached

1 The Iron Mountains present a con-
siderable variety of rocks, including pre-
Cambrian granite and overlying quartz-
ites, limestones, and shales of Cambrian
to Carboniferous age. These are cut by
masses of intrusive rocks which have
altered most of the limestone to marble.
In places thick deposits of volcanic ash
and tuff lie on the older rocks and are in
turn overlain bv a thick sheet of black

body of overlying limestone and shale,
all dipping steeply to the east. From the
vicinity of milepost 645, which is about
halfway between Siam and Cadiz, the
contact of these sedimentary rocks on the
granite is visible about half a mile north-
west of the track, as shown in figure 37.
The contact and the beds all dip at a
moderate angle to the east. The granite
has a wave-worn surface, and the beds

Figure 37.— Sketch section showing quartzite (hard sandstone) on granite at south end of the Iron
Mountains, southwest of Siam, Cal., looking north.

lava (basalt), capped by a sheet of light-
colored lava (rhyolite). The sheets of
lava cap a succession of high eastward-
sloping ridges on the summit and east side
of the range, 6 to 8 miles north of the rail-
way.

The granite crops out extensively in the
two gaps near the south end of the range.
It is overlain in ridges north and south of
these gaps by rocks of Cambrian age, con-
sisting of a basal quartzite with a thick

were deposited on this surface when it
was a sea bottom, a fact which establishes
the age of the granite as pre-Cambrian.
A small knob a short distance west of
milepost 644 is of rhyolite, like the knobs
east of Siam and others farther north on
the east side of the Iron Mountains.

This is the southernmost place at which
Cambrian fossils have been found and
apparently the southernmost outcrop of
the Paleozoic rocks in this region.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

153

between Bengal and Aniboy, at an elevation of 613 feet, a descent of
1,975 feet from the divide east of Goffs. The origin of this basin has
not been fully ascertained, but as the depression is completely sur-
rounded by a rock rim it can not be due entirely to erosion and prob-
ably has resulted from tilting of a portion of an old stream valley.

The bottom of the general basin consists of a series of broad saucer-
Uke hollows or playas ^ in which lakes usually form when the rainfall
is sufficiently heavy. Because evaporation is fairly rapid and the
precipitation meager, these lakes soon dry, leaving their dissolved
salts, such as sodium chloride and calcium sulphate, together with
more or less fine sediment. These accumulations have been in
progress for a long time, and there is now a thick body of them
forming the floor of the basin. Sodium chloride (common salt)
exists in large amount, and there is also considerable gypsum. These
deposits are quarried extensively east of Amboy. At Saltus siding,
near milepost 657, there is a salt refinery a short distance south of
the railway, which ordinarily produces a car or two of salt a day.
The salt is mined 4 miles farther south, in the lowest part of the
basin, and brought by the company's railway to the works, where
it is refined for market. The mining is done by open pits. The salt
is covered by a few feet of sand, under which the nearly white rock
salt fonns a pavement of wide extent. It is in several layers, sepa-
rated by thin deposits of silt, and from 5 to 7 feet of it is taken out
at most places.

The gypsum occurs in irregular bodies, one of which crops out
along the railway from milepost 657 nearly to Amboy. It forms a
white crusty surface with protruding lumps of harder masses of the
mineral. A short distance north of the track, as well as at Amboy,
it is covered by wash from the mountain slopes. Just south of mile-

'A playa is a shallow, flat-floored de-
pression, characteristic of valleys having
no regular drainage to the sea, in which
storm waters collect and evaporate. It
may be a shallow lake or a salt-incrusted
mild flat.

In his description of the ancient Lake
Lahontan, in Nevada, Russell writes:

"The scenery on the larger playas is
peculiar and is usually desolate in the
extreme but is not without its charm.
In crossing these wastes the traveler may
ride for miles over a perfectly level floor,
with an unbroken sky line before him
and not an object in sight to cast a shadow
on the ocean-like expanse. Mirages,
which may be seen almost every day on
these heated deserts, give strange fanciful

forms to the mountains and sometimes
transfigure them beyond recognition. A
pack train crossing the desert a few miles
distant may appear like some strange
caravan of grotesque beasts fording a
shallow lake, the shores of which advance
as one rides away. The monotony of
midday on the desert is thus broken by
elusive forms that are ever changing and
suggest a thousand fancies which divert
the attention from the fatigues of the
journey. The cool evenings and morn-
ings in these arid regions, when the purple
shadows of distant mountains are thrown
across the plain, have a charm that is
unknown beneath more humid skies,
and the profound stillness of the night in
these solitudes is always impressive."

154 GUI1>EB00K OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

post 659 there are extensive pits 6 to 8 feet deep in which the gypsum
is obtained. It is carried by a small railway to the plaster mill at
Amboy, where it is heated to expel the water and ground to the fine
powder known as plaster of Paris.

Amboy is dependent on the plaster mill and a few mines in the

mountains. A stage line which runs to Dale, a mming camp 45

miles to the south, crosses the lowest part of the

Amboy. basin near the salt deposit and goes through a pass or

Elevation 614 feet. dcprcssiou in the Shccp Hole Mountains, which are

Kansas City 1,583 miles, i , ^ ^ ., t r^i • • <•

about 11 miles distant. Ihese mountains consist of
granite and schist of pre-Cambrian age and form a part of the topo-
graphic barrier of granite and other igneous rocks which borders the
south side of the valleys traversed by the railway as far as Barstow.

The Marble Mountains, constituting the north rim of the basin a
few miles north of Amboy, consist mainly of coarse-grained granites,
mostly light gray, penetrated by large bodies of dark coarse-grained
quartz monzonite. Many masses of limestone altered to white
marble occur north and northeast of Amboy. At one locality 4 miles
north of Amboy considerable iron ore has replaced the limestone near
the igneous contact. In the foothills of this range 2^ miles north of
Amboy there is a low ridge of light-colored lava (rhyoHte), and a
short distance northwest of this a large rounded hill of fine-grained,
dark-colored rock (diorite), probably much older than the lavas.
A mile east of these knobs is a smaU pit in light-colored clay which
has been used for mixing with the plaster at the Amboy mill. This
clay is probably part of the mass of earlier sediments that underlie
the A^alley and are here upturned along the foot of the mountain rim.
A 700-foot well in Amboy is reported to be entirely in sand and
gravel and to have yielded only salt water, which occurred in con-
siderable volumes, especially near the surface. At a depth of 70
feet it penetrated a deposit of gypsum.

Summer temperatures in this part of the desert are very high, those
at Amboy often exceeding 120° F. However, the mean annual tem-
perature at Amboy is much less than that of places at lower altitudes
farther south within our borders, a maximum of 130° having been
recorded at Salton, in the Colorado Desert. The rainfall in the
desert region of southeastern California to Barstow and beyond is
very small, averaging only about 5 inches a year. West of Amboy the
train passes a series of rather recent volcanic cones and lava flows.

In the center of the basin, not far southwest of Amboy, there is a
fine cinder cone on an extensive sheet of black lava (basalt). This
lava is, geologically, very recent and may have flowed out over the
bottom of the basin within the last thousand years. It covers a
nearly circular area about 5 miles in diameter. Its surface is remark-
ably rough, being covered with large blisters, most of them broken,

THE SANTA FE KOUTE.

155

and it has many caverns where the hot lava has run out at lower
levels as it congealed at the surface. All the rock is black, practi-
cally unchanged by weathering, and full of vesicles or small holes,
due to the escape of steam carried by the molten lava. The edge of
the sheet is irregular, just as the lava congealed at the margin of the
flow. At milepost 664 the railway is at the north edge of the lava,
which it follows for a mile or more to the west, affording an excep-
tionally interesting and instructive view of the flow and cone. The
cone, which is near the center of the flow, about 2 miles south of
milepost 664, is about 200 feet high. It consists of a pile of black
or dark-gray cinders or pumice, with a large crater in the center.
In its southwest side there is a deep breach, from which extends a
thin later sheet of lava that flowed out over the main sheet. This
accumulation of cinders marks the later stage of the eruption, when
the vent sputtered out a shower of cinders and fragments of lava
frothing with steam bubbles. At the same time there were ejected

Cinder

Firstflow

Desert floor

Vent^
Figure 38.— Ideal section through a recent lava field and vent.

occasional bombs of more or less completely consolidated lava, which
are now embedded in the cinder. This volcano and the one at Pisgah,
43 miles farther west, are exceptionally good examples of a modern
lava flow, and many features of both are visible from the train. The
structural relations of flows of this character are shown in figure 38.

From Amboy to Bagdad the railway line begins to rise gradually
on the west slope of the basin.

All trains stop at Bagdad for water and fuel oil. The water is
brought daily on a train of 20 tank cars filled from springs at New-
berry, 56 miles to the west. Deep borings at Bag-
dad and at other points in the basin have obtained
Elevation 787 feet. ^nlv Salt watcr.^ A short distance north of Bagdad

KansasCity 1,590 miles. ., ., ,., , ,« , ,, ,i .

is a low ridge wnicn extends tar to the northwest.
It consists of dark massive igneous rock (quartz monzonite), overlain
by volcanic tuffs and sheets of lava (rhyolite). About 9 miles north
of Bagdad are the Marble Mountains, already mentioned. In this
range is located the Orange Blossom mine (in granite aplite), which
has yielded copper ore carrying more or less gold.

Bagdad.

^ In preserving for the traveler the
water supply of this desert country the
cactus plays an interesting part. The
roots of this distinctly American plant
extend widely, for the most part at 2 to 4

inches below the surface, so that they
suck up a quantity of water from the soil
very quickly after a rain. Once stored
in its tissues, this water is retained by
the cactus with great tenacity. Water

156

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

South of Bagdad there is a desert plain 8 miles across, partly filled
on the east with the lava sheet. West of this sheet the flat contains
salty and gypsum-bearing deposits, mixed with more or less fine
sand. This is the west end of the basin which contains the salt and
gypsum cast and south of Amboy but which, just west of Amboy,
is floored with lava. On the south side of the basin rises a prominent
ridge of volcanic rocks of supposed Tertiary age, consisting of agglom-
erate and tuff associated with large bodies of light-colored lavas
(latite and rhyohte). Aji old lead-silver mine in this range has pro-
duced considerable high-grade ore from a vein that is exceptionally
well exposed at the surface. Three miles farther south is the high
range known as the Bullion Mountains, which consists of igneous
rocks of various kinds.

West of Bagdad the train begins to climb rapidl}- out of the basiji
along the slopes of cinder cones and masses of black lava (basalt)
lying on older granitic rocks. Halfway between mileposts 672 and
673 a small black hill south of the railway is evidently the remnant
of a cone or larger mass of basalt. Near milepost 674 there is in view
just north of the track a large cone made up of inclined beds of
reddish cinder.

iinother similar cone is also visible a few miles farther northeast.
As the train ascends the slope to the north it approaches hills and
ridges of volcanic tuff and ash, overlain in places by flows of basalt.
A mile south of milepost 678 several small, low black knobs rise out
of the desert plain, probably the renmants of an old crater or a flow
of lava (basalt), considerably eroded and buried by sand and gravel.
West of Siberia siding the railway makes some long, sweeping horse-
shoe curves in rising on the slope of the basin. These curves give
fine views back into the wide basin, in which the cinder cone near
Amboy is a prominent feature. At Klondike sidmg (milepost 682)

absorbed by plants is evaporated through
their green surface. Most of the cactuses
have leaves, but as a rule the leaves are
minute or even microscopic, and the
structure of their cells is such as to hinder
transpiration and conserve the water
stored. In the walls of the cells are thin
sievelike places which permit the easy
passage of water from one cell to another
throughout the interior. A baiTel cactus
was found to contain 96 per cent of its
weight of water. The water contained
in cactuses is often palatable, but not in-
variably so. It is interesting to note that
those in which the water is nauseous are
less protected by spines than those whose
juice is sweet and tempting. In experi-
menting with desert mice it was found

that they will not drink water, a fact
which suggests that they secure moisture
from the plants they consume, or possibly
they have a special means of separating
moisture from the air. The spines of the
cactus are straight or curved, hairy or
feathery, and grouped in starry clusters
or in rows. They have been used for
fishhooks, needles, and combs and in va-
rious other ingenious ways by the prim-
itive tribes. The flowers of the cactus
vary in form, and most of them are ex-
tremely beautiful. The different species
display brilliant tints of purple, yellow,
orange, and rose. Some open by day;
others by night. Many of the species
bear edible fruits, and the seeds of some
are used by the Indians for food.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE,

157

an altitude of 1,652 feet is attained. To the northeast are hills of
volcanic tuff and ash, and one long butte capped with black lava
(basalt). To the southwest is a group of hills of tuff with bodies of
light-colored lava (rhyolite), which extends for some distance west.

At milepost 684 the railway is just south of hills of volcanic tuff,
capped with basalt, and just south of the track is the end of a lava
flow at a lower level, upon which the train runs within a short dis-
tance. At the next milepost the lava of this flow is exposed in rail-
way cuts. It occupies a saddle or wide valley which extends westward
past Ash Hill siding. Here the train passes over a divide (altitude
1,944 feet) in a depression between the hills, to the north and south,
which rise a hundred feet higher. The entire surface of the divide, as
well as the adjoining slopes, is covered with a lava flow (basalt) of
relatively recent age though not nearly so recent as the one in the
basin near Amboy. The lava extends down the west slope also
nearly to Ludlow; its source was probably in the hills north of Ash
Hill siding, but no evidence of a crater was noted in that area.

The Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad runs north from Ludlow (see

sheet 23, p. 162) to Goldfield, Nev., noted for its rich gold mines, and a

small branch road goes south 10 miles to the Bagdad-

Ludlow. Roosevelt mine. Ludlow is in the south end of

Elevation 1,779 feet, auothcr basin, which extends far to the north. For

K^slSyTeH miles. ^ ^o^g ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^®^ receiving the drainage
of a wide area of surrounding hills, so that the thick
deposit of silt and sand which it contains includes evaporation prod-
ucts as well. A deep boring (1,500 feet) at Ludlow and another (600
feet) 8 miles to the north penetrated many sand beds containing
water, but all the water carried so much salt that it could not be util-
ized. The water for town and railway consumption is brought from
the spring at Newberry by a daily train of tank cars. A short distance
south of Ludlow are buttes and ridges of volcanic agglomerate and
tuff containing sheets and intruded masses of light-colored lava
(rhyolite) }

1 Nine miles south, at the Bagdad-
Roosevelt mine, there are ridges of older
igneous rocks (mainly monzonite por-
phyry and latite). A sheet of breccia of
considerable extent at this place carries
gold and also in places rich copper ores,
which have been extensively mined.
This ore-bearing breccia is a rhyolite por-
phyry crushed into fragments and ce-
mented together by silica. Its relations
are clearly exposed in outcrops and some
of the shallower workings. Northwest of
Ludlow there is a high rugged range

38590°— Bull. 613—16 11

known as the Cady Mountains, consisting
of bright-colored volcanic tuffs and lavas
(rhyolite), in large part of green, brown,
and buff tints. This series also constitutes
the hills and ridges northeast of Ludlow,
but farther north, near Broad well station
on the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad,
high ranges of light-colored granite stand
on both sides of the basin. Thirteen
miles northeast of Ludlow volcanic tuffs
capped by black lava (basalt) are ex-
posed, abutting against granite in the
slope of the higher ridge on the north.

158

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The bottom of the basin a few miles north of Ludlow usually pre-
sents a vast expanse of glistening, mud-cracked surface, but sometimes
it is covered by water. This bare plain is in conspicuous contrast to
the general area of the desert, which is covered with the creosote bush
{Covillea tridentata) .

Ludlow is the outlet for the Death Valley borax, now carried by rail
but formerly by the well-advertised 20-mule team. One of the wagons
used in this transportation is now on exhibition on the north side of
the track a few rods beyond the station. Its capacity is 10 tons.

West of Ludlow the train climbs rapidly along the slopes of buttes
of volcanic rocks (rhyolite and tuff) , which rise to considerable height
in a series of ridges extending far to the south. These rocks are well
exposed at Argos siding, 5 miles west of Ludlow.

At a point 1.4 miles west of Argos, just beyond milepost 700, the
train crosses a low divide and enters another basin. The bottom of
the basin is largely occupied by a very recent sheet of lava,^ the edge
of which is half a mile beyond milepost 701. The railway skirts the
northern edge of this lava flow for 6 miles, or to a point a short dis-
tance beyond Pisgah siding. Near the center of the flow, about 2
miles southeast of Pisgah siding, rises a beautifully symmetrical cinder

^ The lava is black and cellular, and al-
though the sheet Is not very thick it pre-
sents a surface of extreme irregularity,
closely resembling some of the most recent
flows in other portions of the world.

As in the other recent flows, the lava
welled out of an irregular orifice and
spread widely over the bottom of the
basin. As its area widened the surface
congealed, but the hot lava broke out
from underneath, causing tunnels and
irregular caved-in areas which are typical.
That the molten lava was filled with steam
is shown by the scoriaceous or honey-
combed character of the rock. Many of
the details of flow are clearly shown by the
surfaces, which in some places are ropy, as
the lava puckered in congealing, and in
others are glassy and smooth, like slag
from a blast furnace. Many of the tunnels
are extensive, and there are also innumer-
able huge bubbles or blisters, more or less
cracked by deep fissures dae to the con-
traction caused by cooling. The margin
of the flow presents an irregular edge of
low cliffs, in most places consisting of
great masses of broken fragments, formed

as the congealing rock was pushed along
by the advance of the flow.

The cinder cone was built up at the end
of the eruption and undoubtedly marks
the place of the orifice. In its last stages
the action was mainly a violent escape of
steam, which blew out a large amount of
cindery or pumiceous material, together
with occasional hardened masses of lava.
This was all thrown to a considerable
height in the air, and, falling on all sides,
quickly built up a cone. A mass of cinder
lying against the west inner side of the
cone is slightly different in color, and
probably is the product of a final supple-
mental outburst.

The recent date of this cone is indicated
by the fact that the pile of loose material
has not been affected by the powerful
erosive processes of the region, and there
is no perceptible oxidation of the rocks or
cinders. The lava still shows the jagged
edges due to accidents of flow, and there
are many minute stalactites of lava hang-
ing in the roofs of the tunnels. The ma-
terial also overlies and abuts against sand
deposits that are of recent age.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the aMistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
Dtvid White. Chief Geologint R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Etch qu»dnngl» shown on the mtp with t name in pannthesis in the
lower left corner /j mepped in deteil on the U. S. C. S. Topognphic
Sheet 0/ Ihel neme.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

159

cone about 250 feet high, with a large, deep crater in its summit. This
cone, which is usually called Mount Pisgah- is as fine an example of a
recent volcanic outflow as can be seen anywhere. Some of its features
are shown in Plate XL (p. 151).

The mountains which rim the basin north and south of Pisgah siding
consist mostly of granites, the thick mass of volcanic tuffs and lavas
constituting the southeast end of the Cady Mountains northwest of
Ludlow apparently having ended at a point northeast of Pisgah.
From Pisgah to Troy, a distance of 12 miles, there is a down grade of
368 feet into the basin.

North and south of Hector there are low hills of Tertiary volcanic
tuif . The western extension of the lava sheet from Mount Pisgah lies
some distance south of Hector, but it is approached and crossed by
the railway between Hector and Troy.

At Troy siding the basin opens out westward into a broad flat
that extends to Mohave River, about 7 miles to the north. The
plain here is remarkably smooth, and it is covered in part by silt and
in part by low sand dunes. In an area of considerable extent about
Troy there is a large volume of fairly good water only a short distance
below the surface, and it rises within 4 feet of the surface near the
siding. On account of this supply a number of settlers have recently
taken homesteads in this flat, expecting to pump the water for irriga-
tion. At most places here the water does not carry very much salty
material, for this part of the valley drains into Mohave River, and
salts appear not to have accumulated in it.

A short distance northeast of Troy is a range of low hills consisting
of volcanic tuff and lavas (rhyolite and basalt), which bear off north-
westward to Mohave River. These materials probably also underhe
the flat, for they appear in a number of low knobs to the west, south,
and southeast of Troy. The larger mountain mass, 5 miles south of
Troy, however, consists of light-colored granite (quartz monzonite).
A very thick deposit of bowlders and gravel lies against these granite
slopes, constituting high hills of rounded form. In one area of
considerable extent these gravel beds are surmounted by a flow of
black lava (basalt),^ which caps a high mesa clearly discernible south-
southwest of Troy.

^ This lava came from a cinder cone at
high altitude behind the main granite
range and flowed to the north and north-
west down a valley of moderately steep
slope. Its irregular termination 4 miles
southwest of Troy is not very high above

the level of the railway. A portion of the
northern rim of this old valley in the higher
slopes 6 miles south-southwest of Troy has
since been cut away by erosion, so that
part of the black edge of the upper por-
tion of the flow is now visible from Troy.

160 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Newberry siding, 6 miles west of Troy, is notable for the great
spring which issues from the volcanic tuff at the foot of the mountain
a short distance southwest of the station. The water
is piped to the station, pumped into tanks, and used
Kan^IsSty i!647miies. ^^^ railway and residents as far east as Bagdad, an
interval in which no good local water is obtainable.
For this service the operation of a daily train of 20 tank cars, hold-
ing 10,000 gallons each, is required. This spring is supplied by rain
water which sinks underground in crevices on the mountain slope
and finally accumulates in some main joint plane which extends to
an outlet at the foot of the range.

North of Newberry is a wide flat extending to Mohave River, the
course of which is indicated by a line of mesquite trees plainly in
view from the train. These trees are always indicative of the prox-
imity of water, although in some localities the supply is deep under-
ground and in but small volume. They occur in considerable numbers
about the spring at Newberry and on the flat near Troy, where the
water is so near the surface. To the south is Newberry Mountain,
a prominent steep ridge showing a thick succession of volcanic rocks
(tuff, breccia, and rhyolite) dipping at a moderate angle to the south-
west. These beds are probably the ^'Rosamond series," a formation
characteristic of the borders of the Mohave Desert.

The Mohave Desert is a large quadrangular area of arid land lying
north of the San Gabriel Mountains and southeast of the Sierra
Nevada. Its eastern limits have not been exactly defined. The
railway runs close to the southeast border of this desert between
Barstow and Summit.

From Newberry to Daggett the country is nearly level, for the train
traverses the broad river plain and gradually approaches Mohave
River, which is but a short distance north of Daggett station.

The village of Daggett serves as a source of supplies for numerous
mines and a few ranches scattered along the valley. Here trains of
the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad,
coming from the northeast, pass upon the Santa Fe
Kra%'M5rmUes. tracks, which they use to Colton. Two miles north
of Daggett the Calico Mountains, so named because
of the bright variegated color of their slopes, rise abruptly from the
north margin of Mohave Valley. They consist of a thick succes-
sion of beds of ash and other fragmentary materials thrown out of
volcanoes and sheets of light-colored lava (rhyolite), dipping at a
moderately steep angle to the east. On the south slope is the Calico
mine, which has been a large producer of silver. On the east side
of the Calico Mountains the volcanic series includes clays containing

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

161

colemanite/ a crystalline borate of lime. These clays have been
mined extensively for the production of borax. For many years large
amounts of this material were treated at a refinery in Daggett, but
the working of deposits of purer mineral in other areas has forced
this refinery to cease operations. The ^'borax mines" are not visible
from the railway except possibly by a very distant view to the north-
west from Newberry.

South of Daggett is a broad range of rounded hills which rise
steeply from the valley. Canyons among them reveal thick deposits
of gravel and sand, in part cemented into conglomerate. Beds of
volcanic tuff and ash are also included in these deposits. ^

From Daggett to Barstow the train ascends the valley of Mohave
River along its south side and in places follows the bank of that
stream. For much of the year the water does not flow as far down
as Daggett, but sometimes after a heavy rainfall the river bed is
filled from bank to bank. The Mohave is one of the largest of the
so-called lost rivers of the desert provinces. It rises on the north
slope of the San Bernardino Range, flows northward for about 50
miles, to Barstow, and then, east of Daggett, turns eastward into a
stretch where it ceases to flow except at times of high flood, when it
ultimately reaches Soda Lake, or the sink of the Mohave, just south
of the Amargosa drainage basin. Mohave River is in sight of the
railway all the way from a point near Newberry to a point south of
Victorville.

Near milepost 745, about 4 miles west of Nebo siding, the river
valley is narrowed by high buttes of reddish lava (rhyolite) and other
rocks, and bends considerably to the north around a ridge projecting

^ Colemanite contains 50.9 per cent of
boric acid, 27.2 per cent of lime, and 21.9
per cent of water. The deposits near
Daggett are believed to have been formed
by replacement of limy beds that were
laid down locally during the evaporation
of lake waters of Tertiary time, in inter-
vals between some of the great outbursts
of volcanic ejecta, which formed so large
a part of the Tertiary deposits. The boric
acid was undoubtedly derived from fresh
volcanic materials and carried to its
present position by underground waters.
The deposits are in two principal beds,
each 5 feet thick and about 50 feet apart.
These beds dip steeply and have been
mined to a depth of 500 feet. All the
borax produced in the United States is
obtained from California mines, mainly

from Lang, north of Los Angeles and
Death Valley. The value of borate ores
in 1913 is estimated at nearly $1,500,000.
The borax is produced by heating the
pulverized colemanite with a solution of
sodium carbonate, forming the soluble
sodium borate, which crystallizes.

2 At the base of this series is a coarse
breccia which, in the canyon 6 miles
south of Daggett, is underlain by granite.
It contains large fragments of various
igneous rocks and also of the underlying
granite. Farther southeast it includes
many fragments and bowlders of dark
fine-grained rock (basalt), evidently de-
rived from Ord Mountain, a high ridge 14
miles southeast of Daggett. In the north-
western slope of this mountain there are
mines of copper ore carrying gold.

162

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

from the south. Recently a deep cut, a mile in length, has been
excavated through this ridge for the railway. The principal mate-
rials exposed in this cut are gravels and sands deposited by Mohave
Eiver a long time ago. In the central part of the cut a red lava
(rhyolite) is reached, and the gravels and sands are exposed abutting
against slopes of the lava, which rises to the surface in prominent
buttes not far north and also constitutes several small knobs along
the river bank from this place to Barstow.^

Barstow owes its existence mainly to railway and mining trade.
It is a railway division point where the line to San Francisco, by
way of Bakersfield, diverges from the line to San
Barstow. Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego. A spa-

Eievation 2,106 feet, cious hotcl is located here under the title of Casa del
S''scitVi!S'8'mi>es.Desierto (house of the desert). The vaUey of Mohave
River is narrow at Barstow. There are two prom-
inent buttes of red lava (rhyohte) in the southern part of the
town, and ridges consisting of volcanic tuff interstratified with
sheets of lava rise a short distance north of the river. A small
but very prominent butte of red lava (rhyoUte) stands in the center
of the valley just north of Barstow station.

The railway, which has run north of west for 100 miles beyond
Cadiz, here turns southward toward Cajon Pass and San Bernardino.
After leaving Barstow^ the train continues to foUow the south
or east bank of Mohave River past Todd, Hicks, Wild, Helen, and
Bryman to Oro Grande and beyond. The low flat along the stream
is not wide, but most of it is utihzed for irrigation at numerous
ranches. The long slopes adjoining the river flat consist of gravels
and sands apparently underlain at no great depth by volcanic rocks.

^ The sedimentary rocks of this region
comprise about 3,000 feet of beds of mid-
dle Tertiary age. They lie on a some-
what irregular surface of granite and
gneiss and are very much flexed and
faulted. Three general divisions are
recognized. The lowest, 1,200 feet or
more thick, is mostly fine tuff and vol-
canic ash, with thin lava flows and at the
base some sandstones, in large part con-
glomeratic. It weathers into irregular
hills in which brown, gray, greenish-yel-
low, and purplish shades prevail. The
middle division, 1,500 feet or more thick,
is made up of pale-greenish clay, with
thin beds of sandstone, ash, and lime-
stone, and at the base a deposit of coarse
granite fragments in places cemented into
breccia. The top division consists of
loose beds of angular rocks, fine gray ashy

sand, and clay, forming round buff-col-
ored hills. It contains abundant fossil
bones of extinct species of horses, camels,
and other mammals believed to be of later
Miocene age, some of them the same as
the bones found in the Santa Fe marl.
The Tertiary rocks cropping out along the
north side of Mohave River from Daggett
to Barstow are fine sands and clays, with
thin interstratified limestones and vol-
canic rocks. A dark rocky ridge of tuff
and volcanic flows comes to the river a
sfiort distance west of Daggett. The
rocks in the knobs immediately about
Barstow are rhyolite, but clay and lime-
stone appear not far north and granite
and schist crop out to the northwest and
to the northeast.

2 Mileposts to Los Angeles indicate the
distance from Barstow.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Base compiled from United States Geolopca! Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and SanU Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH. DIRECTOR
David Whit*. Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each qtiadnngia shown on tht map with a name in parenthesis in the
lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic
Sheet of that name.

CALIFORNIA

EXPLANATION

Thickness
in feet

A

UvB flow (basalt)

100

Quaternary
(Recent)

B

Sand, gravel, and clay of desert sIoijcs and valleys

1000

Quaternary

C

Lavas (rhyolite and latite) with tuffs, sandstone,
and limestone

2800

Tertiary

D

Granite (including monzonite; intrusive)

Post-Carbonifeious
iD greater part

E

IVe-Coinbi-iau.

W

Mines of silver, gold, and borax

Scale 5ClO,C)0'C)
Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

? ■ . ■ 'P ■ ■ . ■ '^

5 20 25 aOKilwneters

The dulmncts from Ktntf City. M/jMun. are «Aown t«ry 10
The crosaves on tht railroads are tpaad I milt Mnarl

THE SANTA FE EOUTE.

163

South of Hicks (see sheet 24, p. 178) hills of various kinds of rocks

border both sides of the valley. To the west are ridges consisting of

beds of fragmental materials ejected from volcanoes,

Hicks. ^^j^ some lava flows in their higher portions. The

Elevation 2,278 feet. Jq^ ranges southcast of Hicks consist of granites and

Kansas City 1,680 miles, t . ,, <, i . t-,

diorites, the lormer apparently m dikes penetrating
the latter. South of milepost 15 are two prominent buttes of coarse-
grained massive light-gray granite.

Granite is exposed in a smaU cut on the railway near milepost 17,
a few rods north of Wild siding, and a short distance farther west a
small knoU of the same rock rises from the river flat just west of the
tracks. At milepost 18 and for a mile and a half southwest of it
there are cuts in gravels and sands which are part of the alluvial
filUng of the valley, deposited long ago by Mohave River. Beds
of fine-grained material cropping out at the base of these deposits
are probably somewhat older still and mark another period of depo-
sition by a stream flowing across the region. At milepost 20 is another
small cut in dark granite which underlies the gravels along the east
bank of the river.

East of Helen siding a group of buttes and hiUs of moderate eleva-
tion lie a short distance southeast of the railway. They consist of a
pecidiar fine-grained light-colored lava (rhyoHte) intersected by some
small masses of dark rock (hornblende diorite) , either in dikes or in-
clusions. This lava extends several miles to the southeast in hiUs
and ridges of moderate height. Some portions of it are completely
decomposed to white kaolin,^ and material of this sort 4 miles east
of Bryman is worked extensively to supply ^^ chalk" works at Bry-
man. The product, being of pure white color and very fine grain,
is used for various purposes.

At Oro Grande (Spanish for big gold) there is a large Portland
cement plant. Here Mohave Eiver contains water nearly aU the
year, and it is used for the irrigation of various crops
in a narrow strip of bottom land. East of the town
is a high ridge consisting of granite, marble, schist,
and hard sandstone.^ The marble is used in the manu-
facture of cement at the plant in Oro Grande. It is
quarried at several large openings half a mile east of the railway.

Oro Grande.

Elevation 2,635 feet.
Population 70.*
Kansas City 1,699 miles

^ This kaolin results from chemical
changes due to weathering, in the course
of which feldspar, one of the component
minerals of the rhy elite, loses alkali by
leaching, a large proportion of clayUke
aluminum silicate being left behind, to-
gether with more or less quartz and other
minerals which are in the form of hard
grains. After thorough mixing with
water, the fine aluminum silicate or kaolin
is floated off and deposited in tanks, leav-
ing the granular constitrients behind.

2 The structure of the ridge east of Oro
Grande is complex, for the beds are bent
and broken and cut by great masses of
granite (quartz monzonite) which have
been intruded through Limestone, shale,
and sandstone, the resulting heat and
pressure altering these rocks to marble,
mica schist, and quartzite. The high
central peak and several lower ones con-
sist of very hard quartzite, and the hills
on the south side of the range are of
granite.

164 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The plant also uses a small amount of schist and the decomposing
granite. These rocks are ground, mixed in proper proportions, and
melted into a clinker, which, when pulverized finely, forms Portland
cement. Portions of the marble are so nearly pure calcium carbonate
that they are suitable for calcining into lime for use in beet-sugar
manufacture, and a large amount of it has been obtained for that
purpose from quarries about a mile east of Oro Grande.

Granite extends west to the river bank and railway half a mile
beyond milepost 32, or nearly a mile beyond Oro Grande. At the
railway bridge across Mohave River at milepost 34 it constitutes
the walls of a canyon through which the river flows for 2 miles. In
slopes east of the bridge are conspicuous exposures of the granite
cropping out in bare ledges, appearing like a great pile of huge
bowlders and slabs. This rock is quarried extensively for building
stone at several places southeast of Oro Grande. It is a handsome
and durable material, easy to dress, and uniform in color.

For several miles beyond milepost 34 the railway follows the foot
of a high bank of sand and gravel, much of it in regular, horizontal
layers. This material constitutes a fiat-topped river terrace; it was
deposited by Mohave River at an earlier stage of the development of
the valley and of the terrace plain, which extends far to the west.
The sand and gravel continue along the west side of the track for
several miles, but the best exposures of the beds are near milepost 36.
Across the river east of this place are numerous rocky ridges ending
in a small knob near the river. These ridges consist mostly of gran-
ite, but some of the more distant ones include also large masses of
white and variegated marbles which have been quarried for building
stone.

VictorviUe is an old settlement that has grown gradually as head-
quarters for mining, quarrying, and ranch interests in the surround-
ing region. Above and below the town there are many
Victorville. ranches that use the river water for irrigation. A

Elevation 2,716 feet, short distance south of VictorviUe the river passes
SIX wimiies. through a short narrow canyon of the granite, with
walls about 150 feet high. The railway is built
on the west bank of the river, partly on an embankment and
partly on a shelf cut in the rock. The canyon is due to a project-
ing ridge of the granitic rock which slopes down abruptly under
the great sheet of sand and gravel which underlies the wide
plain extending far to the west. The canyon is a gateway to
a wide valley bottom wdth numerous ranches. Possibly some
time a dam wiU be built in the canyon to create a storage reser-
voir that will extend some distance up the valley. Although the
flow of the Mohave in the dry season appears small, a large amount of
water passes through this gap in a year, and heavy freshets some-

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

165

times occur. For several years the United States Geological Survey
gaged the flow in the gap and the stream was found to have an annual
volume of 68,000 acre-feet, or a meau of 95 cubic feet a second. One
freshet carried 13,400 cubic feet a second but was not of long dura-
tion. The water of Mohave River is now used for irrigating about
15,000 acres, mostly in alfalfa, grain, and garden truck.

At milepost 39, 2 miles south of Victorville, the train leaves the
bank of Mohave River and, entering a small valley, begins to climb
the steeper part of the long ascent of about 1,000 feet toward the
high mountain ranges which lie between the Mohave Valley and the
coastal region of southwestern CaHfornia. The course of the railway
continues nearly due south. The slope, which is the southern edge
of the Mohave Desert, consists of a thick succession of sheets of
gravel and sand which extend far up the mountain sides and beyond
the summit at Cajon (cah-hone') Pass. Near milepost 42 the railway
has risen above the bottom lands of the Mohave Valley, and from
this point southwestward for 10 miles or more there are fine views

sw.

NE.

SanGabnel

|-^tS.

E

e

J

1

Old rocks\

.^

-^^-r-.-^,,^.^

..JLJOAB^J'^^-^

r,C9.''.?bif,?.Lj_Cface of rock |

^^^^^^■^■TT-r-r^

Figure 39.— Section through sand and gravel deposits of the sloping plain along the Santa Fe Railway
north of the San Gabriel Mountains, near Victorville, Cal.

of the great mountain ranges ahead. To the southeast and south,
across the upper Mohave Valley, rise the San Bernardino Moun-
tains; the ranges ahead and to the southwest are the San Gabriel
Mountains. These two ranges come near together at Cajon Pass,
which leads into a gap between them. Mohave River and many
other streams deposited the sand and gravel of which the plain is built,
but later they have cut deep valleys across it. The relations of this
detrital deposit are shown in figure 39.

A peculiar yucca, locally known as the Joshua tree {yucca or
Clistoyucca arhorescens) is conspicuous on the grade up the mountains.
(See PI. XLI, J., p. 168.) It begins with a few scattered trees below
Victorville and becomes very abundant in the region about Hesperia
and the slopes above, nearly to Cajon Pass, its upper limit being
closely determined by the altitude and temperature. It is said that
attempts have been made to utilize the fibrous trunk of the yucca
for manufacturing paper, but the tree is now used chiefly in making
souvenirs and trinkets.

166

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Hesperia is a small village that forms a trade center for ranches
along Mohave River a few miles to the east and several ranches and
orchards near by cultivated by irrigation. There are
Hesperia. ^^^ ^f these irrigated orchards just southwest of the

Elevation 3,189 feet, village, and another a mile farther south, on the west
Kansascity|i,7i3 miles, side of the railway. Some grain is also grown on
the adjoining plain. Considerable water, which is
being used for irrigation, is obtained from wells 500 to 800 feet deep.

Near Hesperia the creosote bush gives place to the Joshua tree
and other plants suited to the higher altitudes. Between Hesperia
and Summit there are many cuts in the thick body of gravel and
sand constituting the great sloping plain.^

The traveler will note as he ascends the slopes that the bushes
which are so widely scattered on the desert to the east and north be-
come thicker and larger, and several new plants appear, notably the
manzanita,^ one of the most beautiful of the highland bushes, which
forms a thick growth on the higher mountain slopes of this part of
southern California. A far western variety of juniper (Juniperus
californica utahensis) is also present, together with a pecuhar pinon
{Pinus monophylla) differing from the Arizona tree by bearing larger
nuts and a single leaf. Its nuts have been an important food product
for the Indians. The beautiful Yucca whipplei is conspicuous, with
its straight stalks which in the early summer bear a great cluster of
white flowers.

At Summit the railway reaches the top of the grade necessary to

carry it through Cajon Pass, but the actual divide is in a cut a short

distance west of the station. Cajon Pass is the

great gap through the mountain barrier between the

Kara?cityi!?2f^es. desert and the San Bernardino Valley, a gap occu-

pied and drained by Cajon Creek and its tributaries.

The train enters the pass proper as it descends from the divide on

Summit.

^ Near mileposts 50 and 52, where the
railway ascends along the side of a small
valley, the cuts are 30 feet deep and the
gravels and sands are well exposed.
Between mileposts 52 and 54 some of the
gravel is consolidated into a loose con-
glomerate and the beds show a slight dip
to the south, steeper than the upgrade
of the plain. This feature indicates that
there has been tilting of the crust of the
earth in this region since the material
was deposited. Near the mountains this
dip is noticeable in many of the expo-
sures. Between mileposts 55 and 56 there
are some deep cuts in fine sand of buff

color, with scattered beds and streaks of
gravel.

2 The manzanita {Arctostaphylos pafula)
is a shrub having a smooth bark of rich
chocolate color, small pale-green roundish
leaves, and berries that resemble dimin-
utive apples. It is this resemblance that
gives the shrub its common name, Spanish
for little apple, by which it is known every-
where on the Pacific coast. Bears are very
fond of these berries. The manzanita cov-
ers many of the hills in California with a
stiff, almost impenetrable growth. Its wood
is hard, and the blaze from an old gnarled
root cheers many a western fireplace.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

167

the edge of the desert into the valley of Cajon Creek. Beyond the
summit cut the traveler gets a view of the deep valley of this creek,
which crosses the main range and cuts deeply through its rocky ledges.
Only a small branch of this stream heads near the summit, however,
the valley proper heading a few miles west back of the San Gabriel
Range, in a part of the slope that is considerably higher than the
gap crossed by the railway. An outline map showing these relations
is given in figure 40.

After passing through the deep cut west of Summit, the train fol-
lows a winding course, mainly to the west and southwest, along the
side of steep slopes descending into the canyon of Cajon Creek. Along
the railway grade descending from Summit there are many deep
cuts through projecting spurs. These cuts reveal thick deposits of
sand, gravel, and loose-textured sandstone which extend continu-

FiGUBE 40.— Bird's-eye view of Cajon Pass and vicinity, California, showing the general features of con-
figuration near the Santa Fe Railway, looking north.

ously northward into the Mohave Desert. These materials abut
against the steep slopes of ledges of old rocks in the mountain ranges
on the south, and beds apparently having a thickness of more than
2,000 feet are exposed in the descent from Cajon Summit to Cajon
Creek. Cajon Creek flows east and south with sinuous course, finally
running through a pass ^ between the San Bernardino Range on the

^ This pass has been caused by a great
fault or series of parallel faults of rela-
tively recent age geologically, crossing
the axis of the general mountain range
extending across southern California.
These faults, one of which is the south-
ern extension of the San Francisco earth-
quake rift, extend for many miles along
the south foot of the San Bernardino Range
and on southward into the Colorado Desert.
At the pass their northwesterly course
crosses the mountains diagonally, so that

to the westward they define the north side
of the San Gabriel Range. There were
several planes of movement not far apart
with huge slivers or narrow blocks of
schists and other rocks between them.
The latest uplift apparently was on the
northeast side, for the San Bernardino
Range appears to be the most recently
uplifted. Its central part presents wide,
relatively level areas or remnants of
plains in striking contrast to the eroded
top of the San Gabriel Range.

168

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

east and the San Gabriel Range on the west, which affords an easy-
outlet into the great coastal plain or valley of southwestern California.
It is 40 miles west to the next pass, and to the southeast of this gap
mountains of considerable height extend for 200 miles continuously
to Colorado River. Some of the most notable cuts, 60 feet deep, are
near Dell siding, in one of which will be seen a remarkable framework
several stories in height, designed to prevent the sand from washing
and sliding into the cut.

Toward Gish the principal material is moderately compact, light-
colored massive sandstone with conglomeratic streaks.^ It contains
many fragments of feldspar and quartz, evidently derived from
granite.

Halfway between mileposts 64 and 65 the canyon narrows, turns
south, and passes between steep ledges of hard, older rocks of the
igneous and metamorphic series constituting the mountain ranges to
the east and west.^

The mountain slopes are covered with bushes in considerable
variety, in great contrast to the sparse vegetation on the Mohave
Desert. The difference is due to increased moisture on the ocean
side of the mountains.

Near milepost 69 the canyon of Cajon Creek widens into a vaUey
bordered by mountainous slopes, but with a wide wash in its center
and a broad sloping terrace at the foot of the mountains on the north
side. This terrace is terminated by a steep slope or high bank at its
foot, where Cajon Creek has cut into it, a feature which is con-
spicuous for 2 or 3 miles. As the valley widens, however, the cut
bank ends and the slope blends with the general plain, which rises
gradually to the rocky ledges at the foot of the mountain. These
terraces and slopes consist of sand and gravel washed down from the
mountains and deposited at their foot. On the terrace are several
ranches with orchards of considerable size.

At Verdemont station the west wall of the canyon ceases as the
mountain slope bears away to the west, and the railway is in the

^ Just west of Gish, along Cajon Creek,
are many prominent ledges of this rock
dipping to the northeast at an angle of 20°
or more. As the valley of the stream is
descended (on a southeast course) the
ridges on each side show numerous out-
crops of the lower beds of the sandstone
series about Cajon siding, and for some
distance beyond. In this vicinity the
beds are more and more tilted up until
they dip north, or away from the moun-
tains, at an angle of about 30°. They are
believed to be of Miocene age. The rail-

way and the valley in this locality follow
the line of the faults which cut across the
range.

^ Southward from this place these rocks
appear extensively in the rocky slopes of
the valley and they are cut by the railway
grade at several points. The principal
rocks are schists of greenish color. In
places on the lower slopes of the valley
there are remnants of narrow terrace de-
posits of gravel and sand, notably in cuts
just beyond milepost 67. which is four-
tenths of a mile beyond Keenbrook siding.

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 613 PLATE XLI

A. JOSHUA TREE.
A characteristic desert plant on the grade from Victorville to Cajon Pass, Cal.

B. SAN GABRIEL MISSION, CAL.

Founded by Padres Cambon and Somera under the direction of Fray Junfpero Serra Septennber 8, 1771.
Photograph furnished by Santa Fe Railway Co.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 169

great San Bernardino plain, which is about 15 miles wide and 30
miles long, one of a series of the foothill valleys that border the
southern edge of the San Gabriel Range for 90 miles. These valleys
are filled with debris of unknown thickness, and their surface is made
up of talus and wash from the adjacent ranges. The altitude here
is 1,750 feet, and the distance to the ocean is about 50 miles. The
valleys that extend to the coast lie between low ranges of granitic
and other rocks. The chief of these ranges is the Santa Ana Moun-
tains, which culminate in Santiago Peak, 5,680 feet high, and are
visible on the southwestern horizon. A line of isolated hills of schist
lies east of the railway for some distance beyond Verdemont, and
another, which is crossed near Ono, rises into a ridge of considerable
size north of milepost 78.

From Ono and beyond there is a magnificent view, to the northeast,
of the San Bernardino Range (PI. XLII), which includes many high
summits. One of these, San Gorgonio Mountain, reaches an altitude
of 11,485 feet, and not far west of it is San Bernardino Peak, which
reaches 10,630 feet, or more than 9,000 feet above the valley land at
the foot of the mountains. This high range extends far to the east
but with diminished altitude and finally becomes the north side of
the great desert basin in which Salton Sea is situated. At a time
not far distant there were small glaciers in the higher parts of this
range. From points near milepost 79 and beyond, there may be seen
the remarkable scar, like a huge arrow point, on the mountain slope
at Arrowhead Springs. This feature is not always conspicuous, its
distinctness depending on light and foliage, but it can be discerned
on close scrutiny. It is due to a peculiar-shaped area of bare rock
ledges and thin vegetation. Here there is an interesting group of
hot springs, some of which have temperatures exceeding 180° F. and
about which buildings have been erected to form a popular health
resort.

At Highlands Junction the main line is joined by a branch road
known as the '^high line," on which trains run frequently to Red-
lands and other points east of San Bernardino.

One other transcontinental railway, the San Pedro, Los Angeles
& Salt Lake, passes through San Bernardino over the Santa Fe
tracks, and another, the Southern Pacific, goes through
San Bernardino. Colton, 3 miles to the south. This city is the seat of
Elevation 1,078 feet, g^u Bcmardino County, the largest county in the
Kansatat^y 1,749 miles. United States, haviug an area of slightly more than
20,000 square miles, or almost equal to that of Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut, and Ne^ Jersey combined.

San Bernardino is built over a wide area of the plain, about 5 miles
south of the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. It is an old set-
tlement, dating back to the Spanish occupancy of southwestern

170

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

California, but in the last 20 years or so it has grown into a large
modern city with many industrial interests. About 15,000 acres of
land in the surrounding region within 5 miles is under cultivation,
mostly by irrigation. Much water is obtained from wells, many of
them flowing wells, which draw their supply from the gravel and
sand that constitute the plain.

The first eastern immigrants to settle in the San Bernardino Valley
were a party of Mormons headed by Capt. Hunt, who came through
Cajon Pass in 1851. Before this, however, there had been mission
settlements in the area. One was established in 1810 near Bunker
Hill, but it was destroyed by the Indians. Later a larger one
was begun at old San Bernardino, on the south side of Santa Ana
River. The padres in charge dug ditches, beginning between 1820
and 1830 with one from Mill Creek, which is the oldest ditch in
the valley. In 1837 the mission lands were taken by the Mexican
Government and given to Mexican landholders. It was from one
of these landholders that the Mormons under Capt. Hunt purchased
in 1851 the cultivated areas for $7,500.

At first the old ditches sufficed for the needs of the settlers, but
as population increased other small ditches were dug. It was not
until 1 870 that the Riverside colony, made up mainly of settlers from
New England, began the first large canal, but in the next 20 years
many irrigation projects were developed. These utilized the greater
part of the running water and considerable of the underground
water. Most of the water was used for irrigating oranges and other
citrus fruits. In 1904 an area of about 54,000 acres in the vicinity
of San Bernardino, Redlands, and Riverside was under irrigation by
water derived mainly from the San Bernardino Mountains, either
from surface streams or from the underflow in the gravels at their
foot.

It was soon found that the best conditions for citrus growth were to
be had on the benches, where there was less liability to the low tem-
peratures which sometimes kill the trees in the valley bottoms. The
first orange trees were some seedlings grown in old San Bernardino,
but it was not until the Riverside colony of 1870 was established that
marketing of oranges began. The Bahia navel orange was first intro-
duced at Riverside.^ The principal factor in the orange business was
the building of the railways which could give outlet to eastern mar-
kets ; after this outlet was provided the production increased rapidly
to its present great proportions. As the demand for water increased

^ The original cuttings, from Bahia, the cuttings in Florida died, so that the

Brazil, were sent to Florida from Wash- enormous business in navel oranges has

ington, but some one, whose identity is grown from the slender beginning of a

not now known, took two of these cuttings single cutting. The tree that lived may

to California. One of these two and all still be seen at Riverside.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

171

the methods of irrigation were improved, first by avoiding waste and
then by careful appHcation, so that in ordinary practice the volume
used has diminished from 1 miner's inch ^ for 3 acres to about half as
much. In the region about San Bernardino it is possible to obtain
artesian water which flows under moderate pressure from the weUs.
The drain on this source of supply has somewhat reduced the volume
and head of the water, so that the area in which flows are obtainable
is now less than it was originally, though greater than it was after
the dry period before 1900.

Much of the water is used in the orange groves, but fruits of decid-
uous-leaved trees, small fruits, and vegetables are grown, and there
are many acres of alfalfa. Grapes and barley require less water and
need irrigation only in dry seasons, and these and beans are gener-
ally regarded as '^dry" crops. Sugar beets are a very important
crop, the great refinery near San Bernardino using 40,000 tons a
year.

On leaving San Bernardino the train turns from a southerly to a
due west course and begins its journey through the foothill valleys
along the south side of the San Gabriel Range, first running across
the plain which slopes gently southward to Santa Ana River from
the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains.^

From the rear platform of the train the traveler, on leaving San
Bernardino, can view the great mountain amphitheater, with its
numerous ranges and peaks, which lies north of the east end of the
San Bernardino Valley. Especially fine views may be had of San
Gorgonio (altitude 11,485 feet), the highest pe^k in southern Cali-
fornia; San Jacinto (altitude 10,805 feet), standing like a watch
tower at the north end of the great range which extends southward
for hundreds of miles to the end of Lower California; and San
Antonio (sometimes called Mount Baldy; altitude 10,080 feet). San
Antonio Peak is the highest summit of the San Gabriel Range, but
not the highest mountain in southern California, as many suppose.
All three of these peaks may be embraced in a single view. San
Gorgonio Pass, through which runs the Southern Pacific Co.'s Sunset

^ A miner's inch (in California) is the
amount of water which flows continu-
ously through an orifice 1 inch square
under a head of 4 inches. It equals 9
gallons a minute, -^ second-foot, or 1 foot
deep over 14,478 acres in a year. Citrus
lands require about 1 miner's inch con-
tinuous flow for every 5 acres.

2 The San Gabriel Mountains, like the
San Bernardino Mountains, consist of
granitic rocks of several kinds and a

variety of other crystalline rocks, mainly
schists, which were originally shales and
sandstones, but have been altered by in-
trusions. It is beUeved that the range
was uplifted in greater part in late
Tertiary time. Apparently the uplift
consisted of the rise of a huge block of
the earth's crust along fault lines mostly
trending N. 60° W. The main block
was traversed by minor faults which
have made the structure very complex.

172

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Route to Yuma, Ariz., and beyond, may be seen in the'distance, to
the southeast.

From points west of San Bernardino, Colton, 3 miles to the south,
is visible. Colton has large cement works with a capacity of 3,000
barrels a day, using the marble which constitutes Slover Mountain.
Peaks of granite rise at intervals to the southwest. Riverside, 10
miles to the south, is faintly visible. It is one of the greatest orange-
shipping centers in the world, receiving $4,000,000 yearly for its
output. Riverside is famous for its beauty, the county courthouse
and the high school being examples of notable architectural achieve-
ment. Near Riverside there is a large cement plant, one of the
largest in California.

Rialto, nearly 4 miles west of San Bernardino, is in the midst of a
thriving irrigation district which ships over 1,200 carloads of citrus
fruit annually; her crop for 1914 brought $900,000.
Rialto. From this village a fine view is afforded of the east

Elevation 1,199 feet, end of the Sau Gabriel Mountains,^ to the northwest.
Sa^'satVifv^stmiies.To the southwcst, at a distance of 4 to 6 miles, is a
small range known as the Jurupa Mountains, rising
about 1,000 feet above the plains. They consist of quartzites, schists,
and limestones, or metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, penetrated by
diorite and other igneous rocks. They are in sight to and beyond
Fontana. Some of the plain in this region is not under cultivation
on account of lack of water.

The village of Etiwanda is about 2 J miles north of the railway

station, or halfway across the plain reaching to the

foot of the mountains. There are in this vicinity some

K!ms^asatyf762^miics ^^^S^ viucyards and also a considerable acreage of

fruits of various kinds, notably of lemons, for which

Etiwanda is famous.

Cucamonga is almost in the middle of the wide valley or plain that
slopes southward from the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains to
Santa Ana River. This region is extensively culti-
Cucamonga. vated, in part without irrigation. It specializes in

Elevation 1,113 feet, raisin and table grapes and in wines, of which it
KTsLfSl'ylTeLues.Prod^^ l^^g^ quantities. The largest single vine-
yard in the world is located here. Cucamonga also has
about 2,000 acres of oranges and lemons and 2,000 acres of peaches.
From the railway fine views may be had of the San Gabriel Moun-
tains. One peak, Cucamonga, which has an altitude of 8,911 feet,

Etiwanda.

^ The San Gabriel Range, one of the
most conspicuous and beautiful ranges
of southern California, forms the water-
shed for the irrigation of a large part of
the foothill valleys. Its individual peaks

are more numerous than those of the San
Bernardino plateau, and in its entirety it
is a long uplifted fault block bordered on
the north and south by downthrown

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 173

is conspicuous due north of the station, and other high ones are in
view farther back in the range.

Deep canyons lead out of the mountains at short intervals, and
most of these contain living streams, whose w^ater, if not diverted by
irrigation ditches, sinks immediately at the mouths of the canyons
and passes as a general underflow into the gravel and sand of the
slope beyond. In times of freshet the streams flow greater or less
distances across the slope, carrying much sediment, which is dropped
as the water spreads out on the plain. Occasional great floods cross
the plains, but much of the large volume of water they carry at such
times is absorbed by the porous gravels of the stream beds. The
courses of these ephemeral streams are marked by dry washes, usually
shallow sandy channels, many of them splitting up irregularly and
some of the branches rejoining.

One effective method of conserving water in this region, where
water is so valuable, is to divert the flood waters near the canyon
mouth, causing them to spread out widely over the coarse deposits,
into which they sink, thus adding to the volume of underflow tapped
by the many wells.

At Upland station the railway passes 2 miles north of Ontario, a
city on the Southern Pacific Railroad, surrounded by wide areas of
orange groves and other products of irrigation. Four
Upland. miles to the northwest is the mouth of San Antonio

Elevation 1,210 feet. Cauyou, oue of the large canyons in the San Gabriel
Kansat 0^71,769 miles. Mountains, which fumishes considerable water for
irrigation. On the plain its bed spreads into half a
dozen irregular washes, which are crossed by the train between Upland
and Claremont. From the gravel and sand under this plain a large
amount of water is pumped for irrigation. Water is saved by lining
the canals with concrete and by distributing it in underground pipes,
methods which prevent loss by leakage and by evaporation.

West of Claremont a spur of the San Gabriel Mountains on the
north extends nearer to the railway, and the San Jose Hills, ^ a north-
ern extension of the Santa Ana Mountains, approach
Lordsburg. from the south. Owing to these conditions the valley

Elevation 1,039 feel. . narrows to about 3 miles at Lordsburg. In order to
Kansascity 1,776 miles, pass the San Josc Hills the railway has been de-
flected to the northwest, a course that soon takes it
near the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, which are closely skirted
from San Dimas to Pasadena. Lordsburg was originally a Dunkard
settlement. It has numerous orange and lemon groves.

^ The San Jose Hills consist mainly of a
thick series of sandstones and shales of
the lower part of the Fernando formation
38590°— Bull. 613—16 12

(Miocene), flexed in broad basins and
arches. At their east end, south of
Lordsburg, is an area of granitic rock.

174 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

From Lordsburg to Azusa the irrigated areas are almost continuous,
and many extensive and beautiful orchards may be observed at fre-
quent intervals. Water for irrigation is brought from San Gabriel
Canyon, and large amounts are pumped from wells and distributed
by numerous canals.

North of San Dimas (dee'mas) a mass of sandstones and shales with

interbedded volcanic rocks is exposed at the foot

San Dimas. ^^f ^]^g mountains. The beds dip north toward the

Elevation 939 feet. older rocks of the range, from which they are sepa-

KansasCityl,778miles. i i /. i

rated by a lault.
Near milepost 112, halfway between San Dimas and Glendora, the
train crosses the dry wash of San Dimas Creek, which heads in a
large canyon a few miles to the northeast. It is a good example of a
wash formed by a powerful intermittent stream. Beyond San Dimas
Wash the train skirts the east end and north side of an isolated hill
consisting of Tertiary sandstone and shale and enters the village of
Glendora.

From Glendora to Azusa and in a wide area on the south are

numerous orange groves and other orchards, most of them irrigated

by canals from San Gabriel River, which comes out of

en ora. ^ large canyon a few miles to the northwest. Pump-

^'a"c"ltyt7r2mnes.ing Plants also add to the supply, for there is consid-

erable water in the sand and gravel under the plain.

Near Azusa the railway is within a mile of the foot of the steep

southern front of the San Gabriel Mountains, which has been followed

all the way west from the mouth of Cajon Canyon

^^"s^- and continues to Los Angeles. Two miles west of

Elevation 614 feet. Azusa the train crosses San Gabriel Wash, the bed

Population 1,477. /.n/^i-iT-»- n •

Kansascity 1,785 miles, of San Gabncl Kivcr, the largest stream flowing from
the San Gabriel Mountains. The canyon through
which the San Gabriel emerges from the mountains is in sight about
3 miles northeast of the trestle over the wash. During the rainy
season San Gabriel River is a stream of considerable size, furnishing
water for irrigating many citrus groves and other orchards and fields
on the slope south of the mountains. Durmg the dry periods it
dwindles to a mere brooklet, even within the canyon-. Under ordi-
nary conditions the wash below the canyon is dry between the canyon
mouth and a point 10 or 12 miles to the southwest, where the water
breaks out in springs. Some of it also comes out in Lexington Wash,
near El Monte. In times of freshet a large volume of water passes
down San Gabriel Wash, as may be inferred from the large bowlders
in its bed. These bowlders are crushed for road material and other
uses. The crusher and deep pit are on the south side of the track
and a large amount of material is available in masses convenient to
elevate directly into the crusher.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 175

Monrovia station is in the southern part of Monrovia, an old
settlement lying against the foot of the mountains. West of Mon-
rovia the railway swerves to the northwest for 2
Monrovia. miles and then goes west through the small towns of

Elevation 432 feet. Arcadia, Santa Anita, and Lamanda Park into Pasa-
Kansascity 1,790 miles, dena. There is a gradual ascent in this part of the
line for about 350 feet.

About 3i miles south of Lamanda Park is the San Gabriel Mission,
one of the 21 missions established by the Franciscans between San
Diego and San Francisco. It is in an excellent state of preserva-
tion and is typical of the architecture introduced by the friars. (See
PI. XLI, B, p. 168.)

Pasadena is situated in a '^rincon" or corner between the San

Gabriel Range, which bears off to the northwest, and the San Rafael

Hills,^ which rise as rocky ridges nearly 1,000 feet

Pasadena. hi^ west of northwest of the city. It is undoubtedly

Elevation 850 feet. thcse features which give Pasadena certain climatic

Population 30,291, • p i i • i i t i i

Kansas City 1,800 miles, conditions (protection iT'om cold winds and slightly
greater rainfall than that in some of the regions farther
east and south) that make it particularly attractive as a winter
resort. The name Pasadena is an Indian word meanmg crown of
the valley. Here the railway turns south to reach South Pasadena
and thence- goes southwest for several miles, over a low pass
through the hills separating the Pasadena Plain from the Los Angeles
Valley. The portion of these hills near the railway consists of soft
buff sandstones and shales,^ gently flexed in broad basins and arches.
As the train leaves South Pasadena it enters the valley of the
Arroyo Seco, which it follows to Los Angeles River, in the northern
part of the city of Los Angeles. The city is built on the low river
terraces, on the inner edge of the coastal plain which extends west
and south to the Pacific Ocean, and on the hills of folded and faulted
Tertiary sandstone and shale which rise above the plain and the
terraces. Los Angeles River itself, like other streams of the arid
Southwest, is a river in name only except during the heavy rains of

1 The San Rafael Hills are part of a
low mountain block of granites and
schists believed to have been unlifted
between two faults trending west-north-
wxst, parallel to a great fault here extend-
ing along the south foot of the San Gabriel
Mountains. A part of the southern slope
of these hills between Pasadena and Glen-
dale is made up of heavy sandstone of
Tertiary age. Eagle Rock, a well-known
topographic feature here, is a picturesque

2 The rocks of the Monterey group are of
marine origin and indicate that in Miocene
time (see p. ii) the Coastal Plain region was
submerged by the sea at intervals and tlie
sands and muds w^ere deposited in wide
estuaries and along beaches. There was a
long epoch of general subsidence, and a
great thickness of these materials thus
accumulated. They have since been
uplifted, bent, and faulted, and later
terraces and plains were developed across

outcrop of this sandstone. | the surfac-e.

176

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

winter, when at times it becomes a deep torrent which often does
considerable damage.

Los Angeles (Spanish pronunciation loce ahn'hay-lace) is the
largest city of the Southwest, in area, population, and business.

It was here, in 1846, that Gen. Fremont first raised
Los Angeles. ^^le American flag. The settlement, however, was
Elevation 293 feeL founded in 1781, by a garrison of soldiers from the
Kansascity 1,809 miles, mission 01 San Gabriel, 65 years prior to Fremont's

visit. In 1831 it had a population of 770, and as
late as 1880 it was an easy-going semi-Mexican town of 12,000
inhabitants centered about the old plaza with the mission church
of Nuestra Seiiora la Reina de los Angeles (Our Lady Queen of the
Angels), from which the city takes its name. With the coming of
the Santa Fe Railway in November, 1885, homeseekers began to
arrive, and a great increase in property values and the extent of
the city followed. According to the United States census, Los
Angeles made a greater percentage of increase in population from
1880 to 1900 than any other town hi the United States, and the
figures have shown remarkably rapid increase since 1900. A city
census taken in June, 1915, indicates a population of 528,000. Two
important factors in its growth have been the development of electric
power from mountain streams as much as 240 miles away and the
availability of cheap petroleum fuel.

In the northern part of the city is a belt of oil-producing territory
5i miles long, covering an area of 2 square miles. Here hundreds of
derricks have been erected in close proximity to dwellings.^

^ The following notes are based on a
concise account of the geolog>- and tech-
nology of the California oil fields by
Ralph Arnold and V. R. Garfias:

The production of petroleum in Califor-
nia is the most important mineral indus-
try in the State, the annual value of the
oil output equaling that of all the metals.
Since 1903, with the exception of 1907
and 1908, California has annually pro-
duced more petroleum than any other
State in the Union, and in 1914 the pro-
duction was over 100,000,000 barrels.

The principal oil fields adjacent to Los
Angeles are those of the Los Angeles dis-
trict and the Puente Hills district. The
Los Angeles district includes the City
field, lying in the city of Los Angeles,
and the Salt Lake field immediately
west of the city limits, about 4§ miles
from its business center.

The City field was discovered in 1892,
when a 155-foot shaft was sunk near a
small deposit of brea on Colton Street.
The first successful well was drilled later
in that year on Second Street, and by the
end of 1895 there were more than 300
wells. This field forms a narrow belt
about 5^ miles long running through the
northern part of the city; the total area is
about 2 square miles. The wells are from
500 to 1,200 feet in depth, and the gravity
of the oil ranges from 12° to 19° Baume.
The limits of the field are well defined.
The wells have always been small pro-
ducers, necessitating pumping, and owing
to the great number of wells drilled within
a small area the field has been drained at
a rapid rate and water allowed to enter
the oil sands in many areas.

The first well in the Salt Lake field was
drilled in 1901 by the Salt Lake Oil Co.,

THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

177

One notable feature in the recent development of the city has been
the construction of an aqueduct 226 miles long to bring water from
Owens Valley. The capacity of this line is 250,000,000 gallons a day,
sufficient to supply a population of more than a million. It cost
about $25,000,000. At present (July 1, 1915) the surplus water is
used for the irrigation of about 8,000 acres a few miles north of
the city. Los Angeles County claims to be the richest county in the
United States in value of farm property and agricultural products.
The estimated value of all property in the county January 1, 1915,
was given at $1,500,000,000. General building operations in the
city in 1913 represented an expenditure of more than $31,000,000 for
materials and labor. Los Angeles has many parks, including one
containing 3,000 acres, the largest municipal park in the world.
There are 726 miles of improved streets, and the adjoining region has
many miles of fine roads. About 25 miles south of the main body of
the city is San Pedro, on the ocean, a port from which there is an
extensive coast and trans-Pacific trade.

The Museum of History, Science, and Art is one of the most inter-
esting places in the city. It has fine collections in many branches,

and since 1902 this field has been the
chief producer in the Los Angeles dis-
trict. The wells are deeper than in the
City field, ranging between 1,200 and
3,000 feet, and the average gravity of the
oil is between 16° and 18° Baume. Con-
siderable gas under strong pressure ac-
companies the oil, which causes the wells
to gush during the early part of their life.

The oil in the Los Angeles district is
derived largely from the upper 500 feet
of the Monterey group and the basal beds
of the Fernando formation. During 1914
the district produced about 2,500,000
barrels of oil, and between 1894 and the
end of 1914 it produced over 40,000,000
barrels. At present there are about 700
producing wells in the district. The aver-
age production in the City field is about
2^ barrels a day for each well and in the
Salt Lake field about 23 barrels.

The oils of the City field are uniform in
quality, although they vary considerably
in gravity. They contain considerable
sulphur, and owing to the entire absence
of light products are of little value for
refining, being used almost entirely for
fuel. The oils produced in the Salt
Lake field show a marked similarity in
general properties, being characterized

by a high percentage of sulphur. The
heavy oils are highly viscous, and the
yield of asphalt is considerable.

The Puente Hills district, from 12 to 34
miles southeast of Los Angeles, was the
second oil district discovered in Cali-
fornia. The first producing well in it
was completed in 1880. Until 1893 the
Puente Hills and Santa Clara River
Valley districts yielded practically all
the oil produced in California. The
average depth of the wells in the Puente
Hills district is somewhat more than
1,300 feet and the average Ufe of the
wells about 16 years. The gravity of the
oil varies between 21° and 32° Baume.

The lighter grades of oil are believed
to come from the Monterey groups, the
heavier grades are derived largely from
the coarser sediments of the Fernando.

On December 31, 1912, there were 470
producing wells in the Puente Hills dis-
trict, and the output for the year was
nearly 7,000,000 barrels. The total pro-
duction of the field from 1889 to 1912,
inclusive, was nearly 41,000,000 barrels.
The oil produced varies greatly in com-
position, the greater portion being of light
grade and utilized by refineries near Los
Angeles.

178 (JUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES,

exhibited in an attractive and instructive manner. The museum
authorities control the wonderful bone deposits in the asphalt springs
of Rancho La Brea, about 8 miles directly west of the city. These
springs have been for centuries the most effective natural animal
trap known, and the asphalt has preserved the bones of the thousands
of extinct as well as modern animals caught in its deceptive and
sticky pools. The skeletons of elephants, camels, sloths, saber-
toothed tigei's, bears, and myriads of smaller animals, including many
birds, are being gradually dug out and set up in the museum. Among
the bones has recently been found the skull of a human being who
lived probably not less than 10,000 years ago, contemporaneously
with many animals now extinct.

With the permission of the Museum of History, Science, and Art
the Rancho La Brea may be visited. On the way thither the traveler
passes over a portion of the great alluvial plam of Los Angeles, which
is underlain, at least in part, by three Quaternary formations, the
oldest of which is a marine deposit laid down horizontally on the
beveled edges of a very thick series of tilted Pliocene beds. This
marine Quaternary deposit has a thickness of 100 feet in the north-
western portion of the city, but thins to an edge near the ancient sea
cliff beyond. Los Angeles River excavated a valley about a mile
wide and 100 feet deep in the marine deposit and filled the trench
with river deposits, the second Quaternary formation. This in turn
is covered by the alluvium of the present plain.

BULLETIN 613

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP j

OF THE

SANTA FE ROUTE

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, Califoniia

Base compiled from Ignited States Geological Survey Atlas Sheets,
from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and from additional information
collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR
David Whit*. Chief Geolopst R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer |

1915 I

Each quadrangle shown on the map wich a name in parenthesis in the !

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C S. Topographic \

Sheet of that name. '

EXPLANATION

Sand and gravel (alluvial valley filling, terraces, and
slopes

50 500 Quaternary
and older

Ssnc. soft sindatone, and conglomerate
(in Cajon Canyon, etc.)

1««0 Miocene?

Sandstones,shale. and conglomerate (Fernando fonr.a
tion, lower part)

1500 Pliocene and
late Miocene

Sandstone and shale (Monterey Rioup)

3000

Uva flows and tuffs (rhyolite ■

I Miocene

Lava flows and dikes 'basalt, etc.) (stippled pattern

J

Granite, schisU. etc.
Marble «zJZ2fc

1« Pre- TertJary

J

Scale 5(30,000

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

'9 .?...'?....'?

20Mile«

10 5 10 15 20

25 aOKilometers

CAHFOgNlA

I '/roads «re spaced I mile *osn

*l l,;.>i I IB 'I I l"l"ol ' ■ ' '

RECENT PUBLICATIONS DESCRIBING GEOLOGY ALONG
THE SANTA FE RAILWAY.

EASTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS.

Adams, G. I., Girty, G. H., and White, David, Stratigraphy and paleontology of

the Upper Carboniferous rocks of the Kansas section: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull.

211, 1903.
Beede, J. W., Stratigraphy of Shawnee County: Kansas Acad. Sci. Trans., vol. 15,

pp. 27-31, 1896.

■ McPherson Equus beds: Idem, vol. 15, pp. 104-110, 1898.

Formations of the Marion stage of the Kansas Permian: Idem, vol. 21, pt. 2,

pp. 247-250, 1909. See also Prosser and Beede.
Beede, J. W., and Sellards, E. H., Notes on Permian formations of Kansas: Am.

Geologist, vol. 36, pp. 83-111, 1905.
Gould, C. N., The Dakota-Cretaceous of Kansas and Nebraska: Kansas Acad. Sci.

Trans., vol. 17, pp. 1-64, 1901.
Haworth, Erasmus, Report on field work in Kansas: Kansas Univ. Quart., vol. 2,

pp. 99-142, pis. 4, 5, 1894.

■ McPherson Equus beds: Kansas Geol. Survey Kept., vol. 2, pp. 287-296, 1897.

Kansas Academy of Sciences, Transactions, vols. 1 to 22, 1868-1909.
Kansas University Geological Survey, Reports, vols. 1 to 9, 1896-1908.
Prosser, C. S., Revised classification of upper Paleozoic formations of Kansas: Jour.

Geology, vol. 10, pp. 703-737, 1902.
■ Notes on the Permian formations of Kansas: Am. Geologist, vol. 36, pp. 142-

161, 1905.
Prosser, C. S., and Beede, J. W., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Cottonwood Falls

folio (No. 109), 1904.
Smith, A. J., Geology of Lyon County, Emporia, 1902.

Smyth, B. B., Well boring at Topeka: Kansas Acad. Sci. Trans., vol. 14, p. 207.
Todd, J. E., Drainage of Kansas ice sheet: Kansas Acad. Sci. Trans., vol. 22, pp.

107-112, 1909.
History of Wakarusa Creek: Idem, vol. 24, pp. 211-218, 1910.

WESTERN KANSAS.

Darton, N. H., Geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains:
U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 32, 433 pp., 72 pis., 1905.

Johnson, W. D., The high plains and their utilization: U. S. Geol. Survey Twenty-
first Ann. Rept., pt. 4, pp. 601-741, pis. 113-156, 1900; Twenty-second Ann. Rept.,
pt. 4, pp. 631-669, pis. 51-65, 1901.

SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO.

Darton, N. H., Geology and underground water resources of the Arkansas Valley in
eastern Colorado: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 52, 90 pp., 28 pis., 1906.

Hills, R. C, U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Spanish Peaks and El Moro folios (Nos.
71 and 58).

Richardson, G. B., The Trinidad coal field, Colorado: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 381,
pp. 379^46, 1910.

Stose, G. W., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Apishapa folio (No. 186), 1912.

179

180 GUIDEBOOK OF TFTE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO.

Bryan, Kirk, Geology of vicinity of Albuquerque: New Mexico Univ. Bull. 51.

Geol. ser., vol. 3, No. 1, June, 1909.
Lee, W. T., Stratigraphy of the coal fields of northern-central New Mexico: Geol. Soc.

America Bull., vol. 23, pp. 571-586, 1912.
The Cerrillos coal field, Santa Fe County, N. Mex.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull.

531, pp. 285-312, maps, Washington, 1913.
Lee, W. T., and Girty, G. H., The Manzano group of the Rio Grande valley. New

Mexico: U. 8. Geol. Survey Bull. 389, Washington, 1909.
Johnson, D. W., Geology of Los Cerrillos Hills: Colorado Univ. School of Mines Quart.,

vol. 24, pp. 173-246, 303-350, 456-500; vol. 25, pp. 69-98, 1903.
Sterrett, J). B., Gems and precious stones (Turquoise of Los Cerrillos): U. S. Geol.

Survey Mineral Resources, 1911, pt. 2, pp. 1065-1071, 1912.

western new MEXICO AND ARIZONA.

Darton, N. H., a reconnaissance of parts of northwestern New Mexico and northern

Arizona: U. S. Geol. Surv-ey Bull. 435, 88 pp., 17 pis., 1910.
Button, C. E., Mount Taylor and the Zuni Plateau: U. S. Geol. Survey Sixth Ann.

Rept., pp. 105-198, pis. 11-22, 1886.
Gregory, H. E., The Shinarump conglomerate': Am. Jour. Sci., 4th ser., vol. 35, pp.

424-438, 1913.
Johnson, D. AV., Volcanic necks of the Mount Taylor region: Geol. Soc. America

Bull., vol. 18, pp. 303-324, 1907.
Knowlton, F. H., Fossil forests of Arizona: Am. Forestry, vol. 19, pp. 207-218,

April, 1913.
Merrill, G. P., The petrified forest, 23 pp., 7 pis., Adamana, Ariz.
Robinson, H. H., The San Franciscan volcanic field, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey

Prof. Paper 76, 213 pp., 14 pis., 1913.
Shimer, H. W,, and Blodgett, M. E., Stratigraphy of the Mount Taylor region. New

Mexico: Am. Jour. Sci., 4th ser., vol. 25, pp. 53-67, 1908.

GRAND canyon.

Darton, N. H., A reconnaissance of parts of northwestern New Mexico and northern

Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 435, 88 pp., 17 pis., 1910.
Davis, W. M., Excursion to the Grand Canyon: Harvard Coll. Mns. Comp, Zool. Bull.;

Geol. ser., vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 107-201, 1901.
Noble, L. F., The Shinumo quadrangle. Grand Canyon district, Arizona: U. S.

Geol. Survey Bull. 549, 100 pp., 18 pis., 1914.
Walcott, CD., Pre-Cambrian igneous rocks of the Unkar terrane. Grand Canyon of

the Colorado, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Fourteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp.

497-524, pis. 60-65, 1894.

western ARIZONA.

Lee, W. T., Geologic reconnaissance of a part of western Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey

Bull. 352, 96 pp., 11 pis., 1908.
Schrader, F. C, Mineral deposits of the Cerbat Range, Black Mountains, and Grand

Wash Cliffs, Mohave County, Ariz.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 397, 226 pp., 16

pis., 1909.

southeastern CALIFORNIA.

Arnold, Ralph, and Strong, A.M., Some crystalline rocks of the San Gabriel Moun-
tains, California: Geol. Soc. America Bull., vol. 16, pp. 183-204, 1905.

Baker, C. L., Notes on the later Cenozoic history of the Mojave Desert region in
southeastern California: California Univ. Dept. Geology Bull., vol. 6, pp. 333-383,
pis. 34-43, 1911.

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 181

Campbell, M. R., Reconnaissance of the borax deposits of Deatli Valley and Moliave

Desert, Cal.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 200, 23 pp., 1902.
Darton, N. H., Discovery of Cambrian rocks in southeastern California: Jour. Geol-
ogy, vol. 15, pp. 470-473, 1907.
Eldridge, G. H., and Arnold, Ralph: The Santa Clara Valley, Puente Hills, and

Los Angeles oil districts, southern California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 309, 2()()

pp., 41 pis., 1907.
Hershey, O. H., Some crystalline rocks of soutliern California: Am. Geologist, vol.

29, pp. 273-290, 1902.
— — — The Quaternary of southern California: Univ. California Dept. Geology Bull.,

vol. 3, pp. 21-25, 1902.
Keyes, C. R., Borax deposits of the United States: Am. Inst. Min. Eng. Trans., vol.

34, pp. 867-903, 1909.
Lindgren, Waldemar, The silver mines of Calico, Cal.: Am. Inst. Min. Eng. Trans.,

vol. 15, pp. 717-734, 1887.
Mendenhall, W. C, Hydrology of San Bernardino Valley, Cal.: U. S. Geol. Survey

Water-Supply Paper 142, 83 pp., 5 pis., 1905.
• — ■ — — Two mountain ranges in southern California (San Bernardino and San Gabriel) :

Geol. Soc. America Bull., vol. 19, pp. 660-661, 1908.
■ — ■ — — Ground waters and irrigation enterprises in the foothill belt, soutliern California :

U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 219, 180 pp., 9 pis., 1908.
Pack, R, W., Reconnaissance of the Barstow-Kramer region, Cal.: U. S. Geol. Survey

Bull. 541, pp. 141-154, 1913.
Storms, W. H., Mineral resources of San Bernardino County, Cal.: California State

Min. Bur. Eleventh Ann. Rept., pp. 345-348, 1893.
Yale, C. G., and Gale, H. S., Borax: U. S. Geol. Survey Mineral Resources, 1912,

pt. 2, pp. 839-846, 1913.

GLOSSARY OF GEOLOGIC TERMS.

Alluvial fan. The outsjjread sloping deposit of bowlders, gravel, and eand left by a
stream where it passes from a gorge out upon a plain.

Andesite. A lava of widespread occurrence, usually of dark-gray color and inter-
mediate in chemical composition between rhyolite and basalt.

Anticline. An arch of bedded or layered rock suggestive in form of an overturned
canoe. (See fig. 16, p. 86; fig. 25, p. 117; PI. XIX, B, p. 103.) See also Dome
and Syncline.)

Badlands. A region nearly devoid of vegetation where erosion, instead of carving
hills and valleys of the familiar type, has cut the land into an intricate maze of
narrow ravines and sharp crests and pinnacles. Travel across such a region is
almost impossible, hence the name. (See PI. XXII, p. 110.)

Basalt. A common lava of dark color and of great fluidity when molten. Basalt is
less siliceous than granite and rhyolite, and contains much more iron, calcium,
and magnesium.

Bolson (pronounced bowl -so wn^). A flat-floored desert valley that drains to a central
evaporation pan or playa.

Bomb. See Volcanic bomb.

Breccia (pronounced bretch^ya). A mass of naturally cemented angular rock frag-
ments.

Cross-bedding. Irregular bedding at an angle oblique to the general plane of strat-
ification (see Sedimentary rocks), formed by the action of tides or currents vary-
ing in direction and force. (See PI. XVII, p. 101; PI. XXIX, p. 119.)

Crystalline rock. A rock composed of closely fitting mineral crystals that have
formed in the rock substance, as contrasted with one made up of cemented graina
of sand or other material or with a volcanic glass.

Diabase. A heavy, dark intrusive rock having the same composition as basalt but,
on account of its slower cooling, a more crystalline texture. Its principal con-
stituent minerals are feldspar, augite, and usually olivine. Olivine is easily
changed by weathering; and in many diabases is no longer recognizable. Augite
is a mineral containing iron and magnesium and is similar to hornblende.

Dike. A mass of igneous rock that has solidified in a wide fissure or crack in the
earth's crust. (See fig. 8, p. 54; PI. VII, p. 53.)

Diorite. An even-grained intrusive igneous rock consisting chiefly of the minerals
feldspar, hornblende, and very commonly black mica. If the rock contains
much quartz, it is called quartz diorite. Quartz diorite resembles granite and is
connected with that rock by many intermediate varieties, including monzonite.
The feldspar in diorite differs from that in granite in containing calcium and
sodium instead of potassium. Hornblende is a green or black mineral containing
iron, magnesium, calcium, and other constituents.

Dip. The slope of a rock layer expressed by the angle which the top or bottom of
the layer makes with a horizontal plane. (See fig, 3, p. 14; fig. 13, p. 71; PI,
XVIII, p. 102; PI. XX, B, p. 106.) (See also Strike.)

Dissected. Cut by erosion into hills and valleys. Applicable especially to plains
or peneplains in process of erosion after an uplift.

Dome. As applied to rock layers or beds, a short anticline, suggestive of an inverted
basin,
182

THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 183

Drift. The rock fragments — soil, gravel, and silt — carried by a glacier. Drift in-
cludes the unassorted material known as till and deposits made by streams flow-
ing from a glacier.

Erosion. The wearing away of materials at the earth's surface by the mechanical
action of running water, waves, moving ice, or winds, which use rock fragments
and grains as tools or abrasives. See PL XVII, p. 101; Pis. XXX-XXXIII,
pp. 126-127.) Erosion is aided by weathering. (See Weathering.)

Fault. A fracture in the earth's crust accompanied by movement of the rock on
one side of the break past that on the other. If the fracture is inclined and the
rock on one side appears to have slid down the slope of the fracture the fault is
termed a normal fault. If, on the other hand, the rock on one side appears to
have been shoved up the inclined plane of the break the fault is termed a reverse
fault. (See fig. 14, p. 78; fig. 17, p. 92; fig. 28, p. 127.)

Fault block. A part of the earth's crust bounded wholly or in part by faults.

Fault scarp. The cliff formed by a fault. Most fault scarps have been modified by
erosion since the faulting.

Fauna. The animals that inhabited the world or a certain region at a certain time.

Fissure. A crack, break, or fracture in the earth's crust or in a mass of rock.

Flood plain. The nearly level land that borders a stream and is subject to occasional
overflow. Flood plains are built up by sediment left by such overflows.

Flora. The assemblage of plants growing at a given time or in a given place.

Fold. A bend in rock layers or beds. Anticlines and synclines are the common
types of folds.

Formation. A rock layer, or a series of continuously deposited layers grouped
together, regarded by the geologist as a unit for purposes of description and
mapping, A formation is usually named from some place where it is exposed
in its typical character. For example, Denver formation, Niobrara limestone.

Fossil. The whole or any part of an animal or plant that has been preserved in
the rocks or the impression left by a plant or animal. This preservation is invari-
ably accompanied by change in substance, and from some impressions the original
substance has all been removed. (See PI. XXI, p. 107.)

Gneiss (pronounced nice). A rock resembling granite, but with its mineral con-
stituents so arranged as to give it a banded appearance. Most gneisses are meta-
morphic rocks derived from granite or other igneous rocks.

Granite. A crystalline igneous rock that has solidified slowly deep within the earth.
It consists chiefly of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and one or both of the common
kinds of mica, namely, black mica, or biotite, and white mica, or muscovite.
The feldspar is the kind known as orthoclase, and may be distinguished from
quartz by its pale-reddish tint and its property of breaking with flat shining
surfaces (cleavage), for quartz breaks irregularly. The micas are easily recog-
nized by their cleavage into thin, flexible flakes and their brilliant luster.

Horizon. In geology any distinctive plane traceable from place to place in different
exposures of strata and marking the same period of geologic time. A particular
horizon may be characterized by distinctive fossils.

Igneous rocks. Rocks formed by the cooling and solidification of a hot liquid ma-
terial, known as magma, that has originated at unknown depths within the earth.
Those that have solidified beneath the surface are known as intrusive rocks, or
if the cooling has taken place slowly at great depth, as plutonic intrusive or
plu tonic rocks. Those that have flowed out over the surface are known as effusive
rocks, extrusive rocks, or lavas. The term volcanic rocks includes not only lavas,
but bombs, pumice, tuff, volcanic ash, and other fragmental materials or ejecta
thrown out from volcanoes.

Lithologic. Pertaining to lithology, or the study of rocks. (See also Petrology.)
Pertaining to rock character.

Lode. An ore-bearing vein (see Vein); especially a broad or complex vein.

184 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN TTNITED STATES.

Loess (pronounced liirse with the r obscure). A fine homogeneouH silt or loam
showing usually no division into layers and forming thick and extensive depositn
in the Mississippi Valley and in China. It is generally regarded as in part at
least a deposit of wind-blown dust.

Meander. To flow in serpentine curves. A loop in a stream. The term comes
from the Greek name of a river in Asia Minor, which has a sinuous course. Most
streams in flowing across plains develop meanders.

Metamorphism. Any change in rocks effected in the earth by heat, pressure,
solutions, or gases. A common cause of the metamorphism of rocks is the intru-
sion into them of igneous rocks. Rocks that have been so changed are termed
metamorphic. Marble, for example, is metamorphosed limestone.

Monzonite. An even-grained intrusive igneous rock intermediate in character
between diorite and granite. It resembles granite.

Moraine. A mass of drift deposited by a glacier at its end or along its sides.

Oil pool. An accumulation or body of oil in sedimentary rock that yields petro-
leum on drilling. The oil occurs in the pores of the rock and is not a pool or
pond in the ordinary sense of these words.

Outcrop. That part of a rock that appears at the surface. The appearance of a rock
at the surface or its projection above the soil. (See PL IX, p. 57.)

Paleontology. The study of the world's ancient life, either plant or animal, by
means of fossils.

Peneplain. A region reduced almost to a plain by the long-continued normal
erosion of a land surface. It should be distinguished from a plain produced
by the attack of waves along a coast or the built-up flood plain of a river.

Petrography. The description of rocks, especially of igneous and metamorphic
rocks studied with the aid of the microscope.

Petrology. The study of rocks, especially of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Placer deposit. A mass of gravel, sand, or similar material resulting from the
crumbling and erosion of solid rocks and containing particles or nuggets of gold,
platinum, tin, or other valuable minerals, which have been derived from rocks
or veins.

Playa (pronounced plah''ya). The shallow central basin of a desert plain, in which
water gathers after a rain and is evaporated .

Porphyry. Any igneous rock in which certain crystal constituents are distinctly
visible in contrast with the finer-grained substance of the rock.

Quartzite. A rock composed of sand grains cemented by silica into an extremely
hard mass.

Rhyolite. A lava, usually of light color, corresponding in chemical composition to
granite. The same molten liquid that at great depth within the earth solidifies
as granite would, if it flowed out on the surface, cool more quickly and crystallize
less completely as rhyolite.

Schist. A rock that by subjection to heat and pressure within the earth has under-
gone a change in the character of the particles or minerals that compose it and
has these minerals arranged in such a way that the rock splits more easily in
certain directions than in others. A schist has a crystalline grain roughly com-
parable with the grain of a piece of wood .

Sedimentary rocks. Rocks formed by the accumulation of sediment in water
(aqueous deposits) or from air (eolian deposits). The sediment may consist of
rock fragments or particles of various sizes (conglomerate, sandstone, shale); of
the remains or products of animals or plants (certain limestones and coal); of the
product of chemical action or of evaporation (salt, gypsum, etc.); or of mixtures
of these materials. Some sedimentary deposits (tuffs) are composed of fragments
blown from volcanoes and deposited on land or in water. A characteristic feature
of sedimentary deposits is a layered structure known as bedding or stratifica-
tion. Each layer is a bed or stratum. Sedimentary beds as deposited lie flat or
nearly flat. (See PI. VI, p. 52; PI. XXVI, p. 114; PI. XXXII, p. 126.)

THE SANTA FE EOUTE, 185

Shale. A rock consisting of hardened thin layers of fine mud.

Slate. A rock that by subjection to pressure within the earth has acquired the
property of splitting smoothly into thin plates. The cleavage is smoother and
more regular than the splitting of schist along its grain.

Stratigraphy. The branch of geologic science that deals with the order and rela-
tions of the strata of the earth's crust.

Strike. The direction along which an inclined rock layer would meet the earth's
surface if that surface were level. The outcrop (which see) of a bed on a plain
is coincident with its strike.

Structure. In geology, the forms assumed by sedimentary beds and igneous rocks
that have been moved from their original position by forces within the earth,
or the forms taken by intrusive masses of igneous rock in connection with effects
produced mechanically on neighboring rocks by the intrusion. Folds (anticlines
and synclines) and faults are the principal mechanical effects considered under
structure. Schistosity and cleavage are also structural features.

Syncline. An inverted arch of bedded or layered rock suggestive in form of a canoe.
(See fig. 12, p. 68.)

Talus (pronounced tay^lus). The mass of loose rock fragments that accumulates at
the base of a cliff or steep slope. (See PL XXXVI, p. 135.)

Terrace. A steplike bench on a hillside. Most terraces along rivers are remnants
of valley bottoms formed when the stream flowed at higher levels. Other ter-
races have been formed by waves. Some terraces have been cut in solid rock,
others have been built up of sand and gravel, and still others have been partly
cut and partly built up.

Till. The deposit of mingled bowlders, rock fragments, and soil left behind by a
melting glacier or deposited about its margin.

Tuff. A rock consisting of a layer or layers of lava particles blown from a volcano.
A fine tuff is often called volcanic ash and a coarse tuff is called breccia.

Type locality. The place at which a formation is typically displayed and from
which it is named; also the place at which a fossil or other geologic feature is
displayed in typical form.

Unconformity. A break in the regular succession of sedimentarj^ rocks, indicated
by the fact that one bed rests on the eroded surface of one or more beds which
may have a distinctly different dip from the bed above. An unconformity may
indicate that the beds below it have at some time been raised above the sea
and have been eroded. In some places beds thousands of feet thick have been
washed away before the land again became submerged and the first bed above
the surface of unconformity was deposited. If beds of rock may be regarded as
leaves in the volume of geologic history, an unconformity marks a gap in the
record. (See fig. 28, p. 127; fig. 30, p. 130.)

Vein. A mass of mineral material that has been deposited in or along a fissure in
the rocks. A vein differs from a dike in that the vein material was introduced
gradually by deposition from solution whereas a dike was intruded in a molten
condition.

Volcanic bomb. A rounded mass of lava thrown out while in a hot and pasty con-
dition from a volcano. A bomb, like a raindrop, is rounded in its passage through
the air and may be covered with a cracked crust due to quick cooling.

Volcanic cone. A mountain or hill, usually of characteristic conical form, built
up around a volcanic vent. The more nearly perfect cones are composed princi-
pally of lava fragments and volcanic ashes. (See fig. 38, p. 155; PI. XIV, B,
p. 100; PI. XXVI, p. 115.)

Volcanic glass. Lava that has cooled and solidified before it has had time to crys-
tallize.

186 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Volcanic neck. A plug of lava that congealed in the pipe of a volcano. When
the tuffs and lava flows that make up most of a volcanic cone have been washed
away by erosion the neck may remain as an isolated hill. (See fig. 20, p. 97.)

Volcanic rocks. Igneous rocks erupted at or near the earth's surface, including
lavas, tuffs, volcanic ashes, and like material.

Weathering. The group of processes, such as the chemical action of air and rain
water and of plants and bacteria and the mechanical action of changes of tem-
perature, whereby rocks on exposure to the weather change in character, decay,
and finally crumble into soil. (See PI. XXXVII, p. 140.)

ILLUSTRATIONS.

ROUTE MAP.

For the convenience of the traveler the sheets of the route map are so folded and placed that he can unfold
them one by one and keep each one in view while he is reading the text relating to it. A reference in paren-
theses is given in the text at each point where a new sheet should be unfolded.

Page.

Sheet 1. Kansas City, Mo. , to Lakeview, Kans 14

2. Lecompton to Ellinor, Kans 22

3. Strong City to Halstead, Kans 26

4. Paxton to Stafford, Kans 30

5. St. John to Bellefont, Kans 36

6. Spear\ille to Mansfield, Kans 40

7. Garden City to Medway, Kans 44

8. Coolidge, Kans., to Caddoa, Colo 48

9. Hilton to Thatcher, Colo 54

10. Simpson, Colo., to Raton, N. Mex 62

11. Dillon to Wagon Mound, N. Mex 66

12. Bond to Fulton, X. Mex 72

13. Gise to Albuquerque, X. Mex 88

14. Abajo to McCartys, X. Mex 98

15. Acoma to Gallup, X. Mex 104

16. West Yard, X. Mex., to Adamana, Ariz 108

17. Adamana to Moqui, Ariz 112

18. Dennison to X'e\'in, Ariz 120

19. Maine to Chino, Ariz 122

19a. Anita to Grand Canyon, Ariz 130

20. Audley to Louise, Ariz 138

21. Kingman, Ariz., to Goffs, Cal 148

22. Piute to Ash Hill, Cal 158

23. Ludlow to Todd, Cal 162

24. Hicks to Los Angeles, Cal 178

PLATES.

Page.

Plate I. Relief map showing surface features of the western part of the

United States 2

II. A, Granite marker of Santa Fe Trail; B, Restoration of mammoth. 18

III. A, Pulpit Rock, near Alum Creek, south of Carneiro, Kans.; B,

Pawnee Rock, southwest of Great Bend, Kans 19

IV. A, The Great Plains of western Kansas; B, Buffalo — one of the

few survivors 28

V. A, Mesas of Timpas limestone, Bloom-Thatcher region, Colo.;

B, Tylosaurus 29

YI. Greenhorn limestone near Thatcher, Colo 52

YII. A, West Spanish Peak, Colo., from the northeast; B, Dike of igneous

rock forming narrow wall, Spanish Peaks, Colo 53

VIII. Fishers Peak, near Trinidad, Colo 56

IX. Wall of Dakota sandstone west of Trinidad, Colo 57

187

188

GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Plate X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XV.
XVI.

XVII.
XVIII.

XIX. V

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV
XXV

XXVI.
XXVII.

XXVIII.
XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.
XXXIII.

XXXIV.

XXXV.
XXXVI.

Page.

A, Allosaurus; B, StegosauniH 64

A, Brontosaurus; B, Skeleton of Diadectes 65

A, Ruins of old Pecos Church, northwest of Rowe, N. Mex.; B,

Santo Domingo, N. Mex 74

A, West front of Sandia Mountains, near Bernalillo, N. Mex.; B,

Crater of extinct geyser 3 miles west of Suwanee, N. Mex 75

A, Mesa Encantada, N. Mex., seen from the north; B, Bed of

gypsum at Rito, N . Mex 96

Pueblo of Acoma, N. Mex 97

A, Pyramid Rock and red cliff of Wingate sandstone north of Zuiu
siding, a few miles east of Gallup, N. Mex.; B, El Tiutero, a vol-
canic cone with a crater in its top, 3 miles northeast of Blue-
water station, N. Mex 100

Navajo Church, northwest of Wingate, N. Mex 101

Tilted beds of sandstone dipping west on west slope of Zuni uplift,

3 miles east of Gallup, N. Mex 102

Sharp bend in boundary of Zuni Mountain uplift as seen from
Santa Fe Railways miles east of Gallup, N. Mex.; B, Great

arch in the red sandstone north of Houck, Ariz 103

A, Bed of Rio Puerco at Navajo siding, Ariz.; B, Natural bridge in
massive sandstone near the Haystack Rocks, north of Manuelito,

Ariz 106

Petrified logs south of Adamana, Ariz 107

Badlands north of Holbrook, Anz 110

A, Navajo Indians visiting the Ilopi Indians at Oraibi, north of
Winslow, Ariz.; B, An evening with Navajo Indians about the

camp fire, north-central Arizona 110

Oraibi, a Hopi village on the sandstone promontories east of the

Painted Desert, north of Holbrook, Ariz 110

A, View of Crater Mound, Ariz., from the southwest, showing en-
circling rim; B, Near view of rim of Crater Mound; C, View
across the crater of Crater Mound, showing upturned limestone

beds in its walls Ill

Canyon Diablo, Ariz 114

A, Recent cinder cone east of San Francisco Mountains, north of
Winona, Ariz.; B, Cinder cones in Coconino Forest east of San

Francisco Mountains, Ariz 115

Bottomless pits south of Cliffs, 8 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Ariz. 118
A, Cliff dwellings in Walnut Canyon, southeast of Flagstaff, Ariz.;

j5. Cross-bedding in Coconino sandstone in Walnut Canyon, Ariz. 119
North side of Grand Canyon as viewed by telescope from El ToAar

Hotel 126

View northeastward across the Grand Canyon from Zuni Point,

east of Grandview Point 126

South wall of Grand Canyon ea.st of Grandview Point 126

The Granite Gorge in the Grand Canyon, northwest of Grandview

Point 127

Maj. J. W. Powell and the boats in which he made the trip down

the Grand Canyon 128

A, Mescal, or maguey; B, Ocotillo, a characteristic desert plant 134

Cliffs of sandstone of the Tonto group in canyon 4 miles north of

Peach Springs, Ariz 135

ILLUSTRATIONS. 189

Page.
Plate XXXVII. A, Typical desert valley of northwestern Arizona; B, Edge

of desert plain on west side of Hualpai Mountains, Ariz. . 140

XXXVIII. A, A water bottle in the desert; B, Barrel cactus, or visnaga. 141

XXXIX. Desert at Fenner, Cal 150

XL. Mount Pisgah, between Ludlow and Barstow, Cal 151

XLI. A, Joshua tree; B, San Gabriel Mission, Cal 168

XLII. San Bernardino Mountains, Cal 169

FIGURES.

Page.
Figure 1. Section of bluff at Kansas City, Mo,, showing succession of lime-
stones and shales 4

2. Section of rocks exposed near Eudora and Lawrence, Kans 11

3. Section showing succession of rocks in plateau south of Topeka,

Kans 14

4. Section across Cottonwood Valley southwest of Elmdale, Kans 24

5. Section of rocks in Sawlog Valley northeast of Dodge, Kans 36

6. Section across Timpas Creek valley near Bloom, Colo 52

7. Section across Timpas Creek valley at Thatcher, Colo 53

8. Section through Spanish Peaks west of Tyrone, Colo 54

9. Section through Trinidad, Colo., showing relations of rocks 56

10. Section across canyon of Mora River southeast of Optimo, N. Mex. 66

11. Section 6 miles north of Las Vegas, N. Mex 68

12. Section through Las Vegas, N. Mex 68

13. Section across the east slope of the Rocky Mountain uplift near

Ojita, N. Mex 71

14. Section across Galisteo Valley at Lamy, N. Mex 78

15. Section through Madrid, 3 miles south of Los Cerrillos, N. Mex. . . 80

16. Section through Sandia Mountains, near Bernalillo, N. Mex 86

17. Section north of Suwanee, N. Mex 92

18. Sections showing relations of gypsum bed at Rito and near Rosario,

N. Mex 93

19. Sketch section through Acoma, N. Mex 95

20. Sketch section showing relations of lava sheets near Mount Taylor,

N. Mex 97

21. Section from the Zuni Mountains north across the Santa Fe Rail-

way near Thoreau, N. Mex 100

22. Section of coal-bearing Mesaverde formation, Dakota sandstone,

and underlying beds in and near the gap 3 miles east of Gallup,

N. Mex 102

23. Generalized section across Crater Mound, Ariz 113

24. Map of the lava field in the San Francisco Mountain district, Ariz. 116

25. Section of Elden Mountain, east of Flagstaff, Ariz 117

26. Generalized section through the San Francisco Mountains northeast

of Flagstaff, Ariz 119

27. Section through Red Butte, near Grand Canyon, Ariz 122

28. Ideal sections of faulted blocks of Unkar rocks in Grand Canyon,

Ariz 127

29. Section of rocks exposed on Bright Angel trail, Grand Canyon,

Ariz 129

30. Sections across Grand Canyon, Ariz 130

31. Section of the west slope of the Arizona Plateau between Williams

and Ash Fork, Ariz 132

38590°— Bull. 613—16 13

190 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Page.
Figure 32. Section through Aubrey Cliffs, northwest of Seligman, Ariz 134

33. Sections showing relations of granite and lava in canyon of Truxton

Wash between Valentine and Truxton, Ariz 136

34. Section of the Grand Wash Cliffs north of Ilackberry, Ariz 138

35. Section showing relation of volcanic rocks between Louise and

McConnico, Ariz 139

36. Section showing succession of volcanic rocks in east face of Black

Mesa, northwest of Yucca, Ariz 142

37. Sketch section showing quartzite (hard sandstone) on granite at

south end of the Iron ^lountains, southwest of Siam, Cal 152

38. Ideal section through a recent lava field and vent 155

39. Section through sand and gravel deposits of the sloping plain along

the Santa Fe Railway north of the San Gabriel Mountains, near
Victor\dlle, Cal 165

40. Bird's-eye view of Cajon Pass and vicinity, California 167

INDEX OF RAILKOAD STATIONS.

A. Page.

Abajo,N.Mex 88

Abbyville, Kans 28

Acoma, N. Mex 97

Adamana, Ariz 107

Alameda, N. Mex 87

Alaska, N. Mex 97

Albuquerque, N. Mex 87

Alden, Kans 31

Algodones, N. Mex 84

AUantown, Ariz

Altura, Cal

Amboy, Cal 154

Amity, Colo 46

Angell, Ariz 115

Anita, Ariz 123

Antares, Ariz 137

Apex, Ariz

Arcadia, Cal 175

Ardell, Kans

Argentine, Kans 8

Argos, Cal 158

Arimo, Cal 22

Armijo, N, Mex 92

Ash Fork, Ariz 133

Ash Hill, Cal 157

Athos, Ariz

Audley, Ariz 134

Ayer, Colo 52

Aztec, Ariz 109

Azul, N. Mex

Azusa, Cal 174

B.

Baca, N. Mex

Bader, Kans

Bagdad, Cal 155

Bannock, Cal

Barclay, Kans 19

Barstow, Cal 162

Barton, Colo

Beal, Cal

Bellefont, Kans 35

Bellemont, Ariz 120

Belpre, Kans 30

Bengal, Cal 153

Benton, Colo

Bemal, N, Mex 71

Bernalillo, N. Mex 86

Berry, Ariz 138

Bibo, Ariz

Blanchard, N. Mex

Bloom, Colo 52

Bluewater, N. Mex 99

Bond, N. Mex 6G

Braddock, Kans

Bryman, Cal 163

Burlingame, Kans 17

Burrton, Kans 27

Sheet.
14

4

15
16
13
14
13

4

13
16
22
22

8

18

19A

20

19A

24

5

1
23

14
19

22
21
20
9
17
12
24

C. rage. Sheet.

Caddoa, Colo 48 8

Cadiz, Cal 152 22

Cajon, Cal 24

Canyon Diablo, Ariz 113 18

Canyoncito, N. Mex 76 13

Carbondale, Kans 16 2

Carrizo, Ariz 17

Casa, Colo 9

Cedar Point, Kans 24 3

Chalender, Ariz 19

Chambers, Ariz 107 16

Chapelle, N. Mex 71 12

Charleston, Kans 6

Cherokee, Ariz 136 20

Chmo, Ariz 134 19

Choteau, Kans 1

CimaiTon, Kans 39 6

Ciniza, N. Mex 15

Clare, Kans 1

Claremont, Cal 24

Clarendon, Kans 4

Clements, Kans 23 3

Cliffs,Ariz 117 18

Coconino, Ariz 19A

Colmor, N. Mex 65 11

Coolidge, Kans 45 8

Corliss, Kans 1

Corva, Ariz 132 19

Cosnino, Ariz 116 18

Craig, Kans. (Ottawa cut-off) 1

Craig, Kans. (main line) 2

Crookton, Ariz 133 19

Crozier, Ariz 136 20

Cubero, N. Mex 96 14

Cucamonga, Cal 172 24

D.

Daggett, Cal 160 23

Danby, Cal 151 22

Dartmouth, Kans 5

De Soto, Kans 1

Decatur, N. Mex 73 13

Deerfield, Kans 42 7

Defiance, N. Mex 104 16

Delhi.Colo 53 9

Dell, Cal 168 24

Dennison, Ariz 112 18

Devore, Cal 24

Dillon,N.Mex 62 11

Dillwyn, Kans 5

Dodge,Kans 36 6

Domingo, N. Mex 82 13

Dorsey, N.Mex 63 11

Drake, Ariz 140 21

Duarte, Cal 24

Dimdee, Kans 5

191

192

INDEX OF KAU.KOAD STATIONS.

E. Page.

Earl, Colo 54

Edgerton, Kans 2

Ellinor, Kans

EUinwood, Kans 32

Elmdale, Kans 23

Elmoro, Colo 55

Elota, N. Mex 84

Emporia, Kans 19

Essex, Cal

Etiwanda, Cal 172

Eudora, Kans 10

F.

Fairview, Ariz 132

Fenner, Cal 149

Fields, Ariz 135

Flagstaff, Ariz 118

Florence, Kans 25

Fontana, Cal 172

Fox, N. Mex

Franconia, Ariz

French, N. Mex 63

Frisbie, Kans

Fulton, N. Mex 72

G.

Gale, Cal

Gallinas, Colo

Gallup, N. Mex 103

Garden City, Kans 39

Gardner, Kans 20

Garfield, Kans 35

Garvanza, Cal

Gato, N. Mex

Gise,, N. Mex 73

Gish,Cal 168

Gleed, Ariz

Glendora, Cal 174

Glorieta, N. Mex 75

Goffs, Cal 147

Gonzales, N. Mex 100

Granada, Colo 47

Grand Canyon, Ariz 123

Grant, N. Mex 98

Great Bend, Kans 32

Grote, Colo 47

Grover, Kans 13

H.

Hackberry, Ariz 137

Iladley, Colo

Ilahn, N. Mex

Halstead, Kans 27

Hamburg, Kans

Hancock, Ariz 140

Hardy, Ariz 110

Hartland, Kans 43

Haviland, Ariz 142

Haynes, Cal

Hebron, N. Mex 62

Hector, Cal 159

Helen, Cal 163

Hesperia, Cal 166

Hibbard, Ariz 113

Hicks, Cal 163

Highlands Junction, Cal 169

Hilton, Colo 49

Sheet,
10
10
2
4
3

10
13
2
22
24
1

23

10

15

7

1

5

24

11

13

24

19

24

13

21

15

8

19A

15

5

rage.

Hobson, Ariz

Iloehne, Colo 55

Holbrook, Ariz 109

Holcomb, Kans 42

HoUiday, Kans 9

Holly, Colo 46

Homer, Cal

Hopi, Ariz 123

Horace, N. Mex 98

H omers, Kans

Houck, Ariz 107

Howell, Kans 38

Hualpai, Ariz

Hutchinson, Kans 27

I.

Ibis, Cal 147

Ingalls, Kans 39

Isleta, N. Mex 89

J.

Jansen, Colo 57

Java, Cal 146

Joseph City, Ariz 110

K.

Kadrew, Colo

Kansas City, Mo 3

Kaster, Ariz

Keenbrook, Cal

Keller, Colo

Kendall, Kans 43

Kennedy, N. Mex 79

Kent, Kans

Keota, N. Mex

Khartoum, Cal

Kingman, Ariz 139

Kinsley, Kans 35

Klinefelter, Cal 146

Klondike, Cal 156

Koen, Colo

Kroenigs, N. Mex 67

L.

La Jimta, Colo 51

Laguna, N. Mex 94

Lakeview, Kans 13

Lakin, Kans 42

Lamanda Park, Cal 175

Lamar, Colo 48

Lamy, N. Mex 77

Lang, Kans

Lamed, Kans 34

Las Animas, Colo 49

Las Vegas, N. Mex 69

Lavic, Cal

Lawrence, Kans 11

Le Loup, Kans

Lebo, Kans 22

Lecompton, Kans 13

Levy, N. Mex

Lewis, Kans 30

Lordsburg, Cal 173

Los Angeles, Cal 176

Los Cerrillos, N. Mex 80

Louise, Ariz 138

Ludlow, Cal 157

Lugo, Cal

Sheet
17
10
17

7

8

21

19A

15

3
16

6
20

INDEX OF EAILEOAD STATIONS.

193

Page. Sheet.

Lupton, Ariz 106 16

Lynn, N. Mex 10

M.

Mccartys, N. Mex • 97 14

McConnico, Ariz 139 21

MacksviJle, Kans 30 5

McLellan, Ariz 19

Maine, Ariz 120 19

Manila, Ariz 110 17

Mansfield, Kans 6

Manuelito, N. Mex 104 16

Martin, Colo 8

Maxson, Kans 2

Maxwell, N. Mex 63 11

Mayline, Kans 7

Medway, Kans 45 7

Melvem, Kans 21 2

Mineral Springs, N. Mex 15

Minneola, Cal 23

Mission, Kans 3

Monrovia, Cal 175 24

Moqui, Ariz 112 17

Morley,Colo 58 10

Morris, Kans 1

Morse, Colo 8

N.

Navajo, Ariz 107 16

Nebo, Cal 161 23

Needles, Cal 145 21

Nelson, Ariz 135 20

Neosho Rapids, Kans 22 2

Nettleton, Kans 5

Neva, Kans 3

Nevia, Ariz 120 18

Newberry, Cal 160 23

Newton, Kans 25 3

Nickerson, Kans 31 4

Nolan, N. Mex 11

Noria, Kans 1

North Chaves, N. Mex 15

North Garcia, N. Mex 14

North Guam, N. Mex 15

North Pomona, Cal 24

Nueve, N. Mex 13

O.

Offerle, Kans 35 5

Ojita, N. Mex 71 12

Olathe, Kans 20 1

Olivet, Kans 21 2

Omar, Kans 30

Onava, N. Mex 68 12

Ono,Cal 169 24

Optimo, N. Mex 66 12

Ormega, Colo 9

Oro Grande, Cal 163 24

Ortiz, N. Mex 79 13

Osage, Kans 18 2

Otero, N. Mex 62 11

Ottawa Junction, Kans 20 1

P.

Pan, Ariz 19

Paquita, N. Mex 14

Partridge, Kans 28 4

Pasadena, Cal 175 24

Page.

Pauline, Kans 15

Pawnee Rock, Kans 33

Paxton, Kans

Peabody, Kans 25

Peach Springs, Ariz 135

Penzance, Ariz

Perea, N.Mex lOO

Peterton, Kans

Pica, Ariz 135

Pierceville, Kans 39

Pineveta, Ariz 133

Pinta, Ariz 107

Pisgah, Cal 158

Pitt, Ariz

Piute, Cal

Plevna, Kans

Plymouth, Kans

Pomona, Kans 21

Poso, Colo 54

Powell, Ariz 142

Prowers, Colo 48

Q.

Quenemo, Kans 21

Querino, Ariz

Quirk, N. Mex 94

Quivero, Ariz

R.

Raton, N, Mex 61

Rayado, N. Mex 65

Raymond, Kans 31

Reading, Kans 19

Red Lake, Ariz

Rialto, Cal 172

Ribera, N, Mex 72

Richter, Kans

Ridgeton, Kans 21

Rio Puerco, N. Mex 91

Riordan, Ariz 120

Rito, N. Mex 93

Riverdale, Colo

Romero, N. Mex 70

Rosario, N. Mex 82

Rowe, N. Mex 73

Ruiz, N. Mex 85

S.

Saffordville, Kans 22

St. John, Kans 30

Saltus, Cal 153

San Bernardino, Cal 169

San Dimas, Cal 174

Sanders, Ariz

Sandia, N. Mex 90

Sands, N. Mex 72

Santa Anita, Cal 175

Santa Fe, N. Mex 77

Schomberg, N. Mex

Scranton, Kans 17

Sears, Kans

Seligman, Ariz 134

Sereno, Ariz

Shoemaker, N. Mex 66

Siam, Cal 151

Siberia, Cal 156

Sheet.
2
5
4
3

20
17
15
2
20
6
19
16
23
19
22
4
2
2
10

194

INDEX OF EAILPiOAD STATIONS.

Page.

Simpson, Colo 53

Snow, Kans

South Garcia, N. Mex 91

South Guam, N. Mex 100

South Pasadena, Cal 175

Spearville, Kans 35

Spencer, Kans

Spiess, N. Mex

Springer, N. Mex 64

Stafford, Kans 29

Starkville, Colo 58

Sterling, Kans 31

Strong City, Kans 23

Summit, Cal 166

Sulzbacher, N. Mex

Sunshine, Ariz 112

Supai, Ariz 131

Sutton, Kans 43

Suwanee, N. Mex 92

Sylvia, Kans

Sj' mons, Colo 52

Syracuse, Kans 44

T.

Tauy , Kans

Tecumseh, Kans 14

Thatcher, Colo 53

Thoreau, N. Mex 100

Thorn, Cal

Timpas, Colo 52

Todd, Cal 102

Toltec, N. Mex

Topeka, Kans 14

Topock, Ariz 143

Toril, N. Mex

Trinidad, Colo 55

Troy, Cal 159

Truxton, Ariz 136

Tm-ner, Kans

Tyrone, Colo 54

Sheet.
10

14

15

6

2
13
11

4
10

4

3
24
12
18
19

7
14

4

U. Page. Sheet.

Upland, Cal 173 24

V.

Valentine, Ariz 137 20

Valle, Ariz .' 19

Verdemont, Cal 168 24

Victorville, Cal 164 24

W.

Wade, Cal 24

Wagner, Kans 3

Wagon Mound, N. Mex 65 11

Wakarusa, Kans 16 2

Waldo, N. Mex 82 13

Walton, Kans 3

Watrous, N. Mex 67 12

Weaver, Kans 1

Wellsville, Kans 20 1

West, Colo 53 9

West Yard, N. Mex 104 16

Wettick, Kans 6

Whiteside, Kans 4

Wiggam, Kans 2

Wild,Cal 163 24

Wilder, Kans 9 1

Willaha, Ariz 19

Williams, Ariz 121 19

Wingate, N. Mex 101 15

Winona, Ariz 116 18

Winslow, Ariz 110 17

Wootton, Colo 59 10

Wright, Kans 35 6

Y.

Yaggy, Kans 4

Yampai, Ariz 135 20

Yucca, Ariz 142 21

Z.

Zarah, Kans 1

Zenith, Kans 4

Zuni,N.Mex 102 15

GENEKAL INDEX.

A.

Page.

Acknowledgments to those aiding i v

Acoma Pueblo, N. Mex., description of 95-96

view of 97

Acomita Pueblo, N. Mex., description of 97

Adobe bricks, nature of 72

Alfalfa, cultivation of 25

Alum Creek, Kans., Pulpit Rock near, view

of 19

Alvarado, H. de, hotel named for 87

Anthracite coal, formation of 81

Apache Canyon, N. Mex., description of 76-77

Apaches, wars with 105-106

Aqueduct, Los Angeles, Cal., length of 177

Arid-land crops, cultivation of 41

Arizona, animals of 141

area of 105

climate of Ill, 140

copper of 105

history of 105-106

Indians in 105-106

itinerary in 105-143

maps of route in. . . 108, 112, 120, 122, 130, 138, 148

population of 105

profiles of route in 138

rocks along route in, maps showing 108,

112, 120, 122, 130, 138, 148

vegetation of 140-141

views of 134, 140

Arizona Divide, Ariz., location of 120

Arizona Plateau, Ariz., descent from 132-133

description of 27, 112

forests of 114

rocks of 122

Arkansas River, course of 27, 48

covirse of, maps of 26, 30, 36, 40, 44, 48, 54

discharge of 46

irrigation from 38

name of 27

sand dunes along 30, 34-35, 37-38, 42

underflow of, relation of, to river flow 40-41

valley of 30-51

Arrowhead, natural, on mountain side 169

Arroyo, typical, view of 106

Asphalt, animals trapped in 178

Aubrey Cliffs, Ariz., description of 133-135

B.

Badlands, view of 110

Bartlett Mesa, N. Mex., situation of 61

Basins, interior, deposits in 148-149, 153, 157-159

origin of 153

Beaubien and Miranda grant, Colo.-N. Mex.,

litigation over 58

Beets, sugar. See Sugar beets.

Belpre, meaning of 30

Page.

Bent family, history of 50

Bents Fort, Colo., history of 50

Bernal Springs, N. Mex., battle at 71

Bibliography of Santa Fe Route 179-181

Bfll Williams Mountain, Ariz., description of. 121

Black Mesa, Ariz., description of 138-139, 142

Black Top, Cal., description of 148

Blue Mound, Kans., character of 10-11

Borax, occurrence of 158, 161

Bottomless Pits, Ariz., description of 117, 131

view of lis

Breccia, description of 79, 150, 157

gold and copper in 157

quarry of 79

Bricks, manufacture of 12, 21

Bridge, natiiral, view of 106

Bright Angel trail, Ariz., description of 128

Bryman, Cal., chalk works at 163

Buffalo, extermination of 37

view of 28

Buffalo wallows, explanation of 36-37

Burlingame, Anson, town named for 17

Burr, I. T., town named for 27

C.

Cacti, description of 155-156

growth of 141

views of 141

water in 141, 155-156

Cady Mountains, Cal. , character of 157

Cajon Creek, Cal. , canyon of 167-168

Cajon Pass, Cal. , description of 165, 166-168

Calico Mountains, Cal., description of 160-161

California, area of 143

climate of 144

name of 145

population of 143

products of 144-145

southern, climate of 144, 154

cloudbursts in 148-149

deserts of 2

forests of 144

geologic history of 150, 175

irrigation in 170

itinerary in 145-178

maps of route in 148, 158, 162, 178

missions of 145

rocks alongroutein 162

maps showing 148, 158, 162, 178

Campbells Pass, N. Mex., description of 100

Canadian River, N. Mex., course of 63-64

Cantaloupes, cultivation of 46, 49

Canyon Diablo, Ariz., bridge across, view of. . 114

description of 113

Canyon Padre, Ariz., description of 113

Cardenas, G. L. de, atrocities by 87

195

196

GENERAL INDEX.

Page.

Cardenas, G. L. de, explorations by 55, 130

hotel named for 55

Cameiro, Kans., Pulpit Rock near, view of . . 19

Carson, Kit, home of 49

Castafieda, Pedro de, hotel named for 69

Castillo, B. D. del, town named for 86

Cataract Canyon, Ariz., description of 134

Cattle raising, industry of 23, 25, 36, 39, 41, 47

Cement. See Portland cement.

Cerbat Mountains, Ariz., mines in 139

Cerro Colorado, N. Mex., rocks of 78

Cerro Pelon, N. Mex., rocks of 79

Chaco Canyon, N. Mex., ruins in 100

Chalchihuitl, Mount, N. Mex., turquoise at. . 81-82

Chalk, manufacture of 163

Charleston Range, Cal., mines in 149

Chouteaus Island, Kans., events at 43

Cibola, N. Mex., ruins of 103

Cicuye, N. Mex., description of 74-75

ruins of 73

Cimarron, meaning of 39

Cimarron Creek, N. Mex., description of 64

Cinder cones, ballast from 120, 133

formation of 155, 158

occurrence of 114-121, 131-133, 154-159

views of 115, 151

Cliff dwellings, N. Mex., ruins of 82-83

Clipper Moimtain, Cal., description of 150, 151

Coal, coking ovens for 55, 58, 62

formation of 16

mines of. . . 16, 17, 22, 55^8, 62, 80-81, 103-104, 110

explosions in 63

Coal-bearing rocks, description of 57

view of 103

Coastal plain (California) , character of 2

Coconino National Forest, Ariz., timber

from 118-119

view of 114

Coconino Plateau. See Arizona Plateau.

Coconino sandstone, cappings of 124

Colemanite, nature of 161

Colorado, area and population of 45-46

coal of 55-58

history of 45--16

itinerary in 45-59

maps of route in 48, 54, 62

profiles of route in 48, 54, 62

rocks along route in, maps showing. . . 48, 54, 62
Colorado Plateau, N. Mex.- Ariz., character

of 1-2, 89-91

early inhabitants of 90

Colorado River, description of 123-124, 143

discharge of 123

map of part of 148

Colton, Cal., cement works at 172

Continental Divide, crossing of 100

Contour lines, explanation of 2

Coolidge, T. J., town named for 45

Coon Butte. See Crater Mound.

Copper, occurrence of 123

Coronado, F. V. de, explorations and wars

of 86, 89, 103, 106

Cottonwood ClifEs, Ariz., location of 137

Cottonwood Falls, Kans., limestone quarries

at 23

Cottonwood limestone, description of 22-23

Cottonwood River, Kans., description of 22

Page.

Crater Mound, Ariz., description of 112-113

views of Ill

Crawford , Florence, town named for 25

Creosote bush, habitat of 140-141

Crops, arid land, cultivation of 41

D.

Dakota sandstone , importance of 31

views of 57, 102, 103

Dawson, N. Mex., mine disaster at 63

Dead Mountains, Cal., description of 146,147

Death Valley, Cal., borax of 158

Dell, Cal., railroad cut near, framework in . . . 168
Desert, animals of 141

vegetation in 140-141, 165, 166

views of 134, 140

views of 140, 150

Desert mice, refusal to drink by 156

Desert province (California) , character of 2

Diaz, Melchior, exploration by 143

Dikes, description of 54,79

view of 53

Dinosaurs, fossil, views of. 28, 64, 65

Domes, relation of, to petroleum and gas 23

Drift, glacial, hills of 13

Dunkards, settlement of 173

E.

Elden Mountain, Ariz., rocks of 117

Elephant Buttedam,N.Mex.,constructionof. 88-89

Erosion, rapidity of 140

Escalante, F. V., hotel named for 133

Estevan, fate of 121

Eudora, town named for 10

Eye of the Needle, Ariz., origin of 142

F.

Faulting, examples of 92, 137, 167

Fishers Peak, Colo., description of 56

view of 56

Forests, preservation of 114

Fort Aubrey, Kans., site of 44

Fort Dodge, Kans., historyof 36

Fort Lyon, Colo., sanitarium at 49

Fort Union, N. Mex., ruins of 67

Fort Wingate, N . Mex., prisoners interned at . . 101
Fort Zarah, Kans., ruins of 32-33

Q.

Galisteo Creek, N. Mex., grade of 76

Galisteo Pueblo, N. Mex., history of 79

Gallinas Creek, N. Mex., discharge of 69

rocks along 70

Garc6s , Francisco, explorations by 145

Gas, natural, som-ce of 20, 23

Geologic terms, glossary of 182-185

Geologic time, principal divisions of n

Geyser, extinct, description of 93

view of 75

Gipuy Pueblo, N. Mex., founding of 83

Glaciers, continental, character of 5

Glorieta, N. Mex., battle of 76

Glorieta Mesa, N. Mex., description of 72-73, 76

Glorieta Pass, N. Mex., crossing of 70, 75-76

Glossary of geologic terms 182-185

Gold, occurrence of 80

Grain sorghums, adaptation of, to arid

climates 41

GENERAL INDEX.

197

Page.
Grand Canyon, Ariz, , description of. 123-130, 135-136

excavation of, time required for 124, 128

geologic history of 125-128

history of 130-131

map of 130

rocks of 124-126

map showing 130

section of, plate showing 130

views of 126, 127

walls of, time required for deposition of 129-130

Grand Canyon series, description of 125-126

Grand Wash Cliffs, Ariz., description of.... 137-138

Granite, quarry in 164

railway cuts in 76-77, 164

Grapes, cultivation of 172

Graphite, formation of 62

Great Plains, description of 1, 29

Greenhorn limestone, description of. 36, 43, 44, 50, 69

view of 52

Guidebooks, scope of in, iv

Gypsum, nature of 82

occurrence of 82, 93-94, 153-154

origin of 94

view of 96

H.

Haskell Institute, Kans., situation of 11

Havasupai Indians, history of 116-117, 119, 134

Haystack Rocks, Ariz., natural bridge near,

view of 106

Hogback ridges, origin of 70-71

HoUiday, C, K., town named for 9

Homolobi Pueblo, Ariz., ruins of. 110

Hopi Indians, history of Ill

land of 110-111

snake dance of Ill

towns of, views of 110,111

Horseshoe Bend, Ariz., scenery at 133

Hualpai Indians, condition of 137

Hualpai Valley, Ariz., nature of 138

Hutchinson, C. C, town named for 27

Hutchinson cut-off, Kans ., route by 28

I.

Ice sheet, Kansan. See Kansan ice sheet.

Immigrant travel, methods of 17-18

Index map of western United States 2

Indians, museum and salesroom for 87

pictures by 78

schools for 11, 97, 137

wars with 18-19,28,32-33,36

Indian maize, description of Ill

Iron, occmrence of 154

Iron Mountains, Cal., location of 151-152

Irrigation, beginning of, in California 170

canals for, from Arkansas River 38, 40, 46

flowing wells used for 171

pumping for 40, 42

reservoir for 42, 62

J.

Jacobs Well, Ariz. , location of 107

Jemez Indians, location of 74, 75

Jemez Plateau, N . Mex. , cliff dwellings in 83

Johnson Canyon, Ariz., description of 131

Johnson Mesa, N. Mex., ranches on 61

Page.

Joints in rocks, definition of 137

Joshua tree, description of 165

view of 168

Jurupa Mountains, Cal., description of 172

K.

Kaibab limestone, extent of 122

Kansan ice sheet, character and extent of. . . 5, 9, 13

effect of, on drainage 5, 9, 10, 13

extent of, map showing 14, 22

movement of, evidence of 5, 9

Kansas, area of 6

droughts in 41

great plains of 28

view of 28

history of 7

ice sheet border in, maps showing 14, 22

See also Kansan ice sheet.

itinerary in 3-45

maps of route in 14, 22, 26, 30, 36, 40, 44, 48

natural resources of 7

plateau "steps" in 11,15

population of 6

profiles along route in 14, 22, 26, 30, 40, 44, 48

rocks along route in 24

maps showing 14, 22, 26, 30, 36, 40, 44, 48

tree planting in 29

Kansas City, Kans., site of 7

Kansas River, course of, ancient 5, 9, 10, 13

course of, effect of ice sheet on 5, 9, 15

cutting by 13

floods on 7-8,10

grade of 8

maps of 14,22

Kansas State Normal School, site of 19

Kansas State University, description of 11

Kaolin, deposits of 163

Kearny, Gen. Philip, expedition of 59, 69, 72

Kinsley, W. E. W. , town named for 35

Klinefelter, Cal., rocks near 146-147

L.

La Brea Rancho, Cal., animals mired at 178

Laguna Pueblo, N. Mex., description of 94-95

Lamar, L. Q. C, town named for 48

Lamy Church, N. Mex., ruins of 77

Lava, description of 97-98, 158, 159

occurrence of 56, 62-65, 84, 88, 90-99, 112,

114-122, 131-132, 135-140, 150, 154-163

source of 119

Lava sheet, relations of 56, 65, 66, 115, 150

Lawrence, A. A., Kansan immigration fos-
tered by 12

Lead-silver, mine for 156

Lecompte, D. S., town named for 13

Lecompton limestone, description of. 12

Lignite, black, character of 103

See also Coal.
Limestone, caps of 10

caps of, views of 28

Limestone, quarries of. 9, 12, 23, 45, 47, 152

Literature on Santa Fe Route 179-181

Little Colorado River, Ariz., valley of 109-112

Lizards, existing, description of 141

Lizards, fossil, discovery of 47

views of .i. . . , 28, 64

198

GENEKAL INDEX.

Page.
Loess, character and origin of 6

Los Angeles River, Cal. , description of 175-176

Los Cerrillos Hills, N. Mex., description of 81

Lowell Observatory, Ariz., location of 119

Lyons, Kans., salt mines at 27-28

M.

Mack, George, town named for 30

McKinney, Lake, Kans., irrigation from 42

Magdalena limestone, description of 72

Maguey plant, description of 135

view of 134

Mammoth , restoration of, view of 18

skeletons of 20-21, 178

Manuelito, biography of 104

Manzanita description of 166

Map, relief and index, of western United

States 2

Maps, explanation of 2

Marais des Cygnes River, Kans., name of 21

Marble, occurrence of 149, 151, 154, 163-164

Marble Mountains, Cal., description of 154

Marcy, Capt., exploration by 63-64

Maxson Crater, N. Mex., lava from 66

Maxwell, — , sketch of 58

Mennonites, settlements of 26

Mesa, definition of 52

Mesa Encantada, N. Mex., description of 69

view of 96

Mesa Gigante, N. Mex., faulting at 92

Mesa Lucera, N. Mex. , description of 91

Mescal plant, description of 135

view of 134

Mice, desert, prohibition among 156

Mill Creek, Kans., valley of 20

Miner's inch, definition of 171

Mohave Desert, Cal., location of 160

Mohave Indians, settlements of 146

Mohave River, Cal., discharge of. 165

irrigation from 162-164, 166

valley of, description of 161-166

map of 178

Moki, meaning of Ill

See also Hopi.
Mora River, N . Mex. , canyon of. 66-67

discharge of 67

Mormons, settlements of 99, 1 10, 170

Morrison formation, fossil reptiles in 67

fossil reptiles in, views of 64, 65

Moimt Oread, Kansas State University at. . . 11

name of 11

N.

Navajo blanket, origin of 74

value of 101

Navajo Church, N. Mex., description of 102

views of 100, 101

Navajo Indians, history 101-102

views of Ill

Navel orange, Bahia, cultivation of 170

Needles, appearance of 143

Neosho River, Kans. , character of 19, 22

Newberry Mountain, Cal., location of 160

New Mexico, area of 59-60

coal of 61-63,103-104

history of 59

Page.

New Mexico, irrigation in 60,62,103

itinerary in 59-105

maps of route in 62, 66, 72, 88, 98, 104, 108

population of 59-60

profiles of route in 62, 66

rocks along route in 69

maps showing 62, 66, 72, 88, 98, 104, 108

New Mexico State University, situation of. . . 87

Nickerson, Thomas, to\vn named for 31

Niza, Marcos de, explorations by 106, 121

hotel named for 121

O,

Ocher, occurrence of 151

Ocotillo plant, description of 141

view of 134

Oil. See Petroleum.

Ojita, meaning of 71

Olathe, meaning of 20

Old Pecos Church, N. Max., remains of 73, 75

remains of, view of 74

Omar siding, Kans., sand dunes at 30

Onate, Juan de, government by 74, 77

Ontario, Cal., cultivation at 173

Oraibi Pueblo, Ariz., views of 110, 111

Oranges, irrigation of 170-171, 172

Ortiz family, places named for 79

Ortiz Mountains,N. Mex., rocks of 79-80

Ottawa cut-off, Kans., route by 1^22

O wens Valley , Cal . , aqueduct from 177

P.

Painted Desert, Ariz., description of 110

Pajarita, N. Mex., rocks at 73

Pasadena, meaning of 175

Pawnee, meaning of 34

Pawnee River, Kans., fording of 34

Pawnee Rock, Kans., character of 33-34

view of 19

Peabody, F. H.,to\sTi named for.. 25

Peacock Mountains, Ariz., location of 137 •

Pecos. See Cicuye.

Penitentes, settlements of 55, 71, 99

Petrified Forest, Ariz., description of 107-106

views in 107

Petrified trees , occurrence of 80, 107-109

Petroleum , production of 176-177

Picacho Butte, Ariz., location of 133

Pictographs, preser\-ation of 78

Pierre shale, description of 55

Pike, Zebulon, explorations by 33, 49

Pisgah, Mount, Cal., view of 151

Piute Mountains , Cal. , description of 149

view of 150

Plaster of Paris, manufacture of 82, 154

Plateau country. See Colorado Plateau.

Playa, definition of 153

Point of Rocks, Kans., Indian fights at 39

Portland cement, manufacture of 8,

20,64,163-164,172
Powell, J. W. , explorations by 130

portrait of 128

Providence Mountains, Cal., description of... 149

Puaray Pueblo, N. Mex., ruins of 86

Pueblo Bonito, N. Mex., ruins of 100

GENEKAL INDEX.

199

Page.

Pueblo Indians, history of 73-75

land, of 73

migrations of 83

revolt of 73,74,75

towns of 73-74

Pulpit Rock, Kans., view of 19

Purgatoire River, Colo., character of 49, 54

floods on 54

name of 49

Pyramid Rock, N. Mex., description of 102

view of 100

Q.

Quantrell, raids by 12,17

Quenemo, town named for 21

Quivira, mythical city of 32

R.

Railway stations, index of 191

Raton, meaning of 01

Raton Mesa, Colo., description of 56

Raton Mountains, Colo.-N. Hex., crossing

of 59, 60-61

Raton Pass, C0I0.-N. Mex., ascent to 57-58

tunnels at 60-61

Red beds, description of 75-76

Red Butte, Ariz,, description of 122

Red River Peak, N. Mex., prominence of 62

Redwall limestone, description of 125

Relief map of western United States 2

Reptiles, fossil, restorations of, views of. . . 28, 64, 68
Rio Grande, description of 83-84

discharge of 88

irrigation from 88-89

valley of 83-90

maps of 88,98

Rio Pecos, N. Mex., discharge of 72

nature of 72

Rio Puerco (Colorado River basin), descrip-
tion of 107

view of bed of 106

Rio Puerco (Rio Grande basin), descrip-
tion of. 91

Riverside, Cal. , orangec grown at 172

Rocky Mountains, character of 1

first view of 51

Rodriguez, Agustin, town named for 85

Russell, I. C, on playa scenery 153

S.

Sacramento Mountains, Cal., description of. , 146

Sacramento Valley, Ariz., description of 140

St. John, J. P., town named for 30

St. Joseph, Ariz., irrigation at 110

Salt, mines of 27-28,29,31,153

Salvation Army, settlement of 46

San Antonio Canyon, Cal., water from 173

San Antonio Mountain, Cal., height of, 171

San Bernardino Mountains, Cal., aridity due

to 2

description of. 169

view of 169

San Bernardino plain, Cal., description of. . 168-169

San Cristobal Pueblo, N. Mex., ruins of 78

Sand dunes, origin and distribution of 27,

28,30,37-38,42

Page.
Sandia Mountains, N. Mex., description of. . . 85

view of 75

Sandia Pueblo, N. Mex., history of 86

San Dimas Wash, Cal. , location of 174

Sandstone, caps of 31

caps of, view of 19

hogback ridges due to 70-71

quarries of 34, 67, 118

San Felipe de Neri Church, N. Mex., situa-
tion of 87

San Felipe Pueblo, N. Mex., description of . . . 84

San Francisco Mountains, Ariz., rocks of 119

visit to 119

volcanism at 115-116

views of 115

San Gabriel Mission, Cal., description of 175

view of 168

San Gabriel Mountains, Cal., description of.. 171, 172

streams from 172-173

San Gabriel River, Cal. , irrigation from 174

San Gorgonio Mountain, Cal., height of 171

Sangre de Cristo Range, N. Mex., name of. . . 75-76

San JaciQto Mountain, Cal., height of 171

San Jose Hills, Cal., nature of 173

San Jose Valley, N. Mex., description of 92-99

mapsof 98,104

San Marcos Pueblo, N. Mex., ruins of 82

San Miguel Church (oldest in United States),

N. Mex., situation of 77

San Rafael Hills, Cal., description of 175

Santa Ana River, Cal. , irrigation from 170

Santa Fe, N. Mex., description of 77-78

Santa Fe marl, description of 82, 84

Santa Fe Route, map of 2

Santa Fe Trail, fords on 34

history of 17-18

marker for, view of 18

route of 1^»

20, 32, 38, 39, 44, 46, 49-54, 60-62, 65, 67, 76, 77
maps of. . . 14, 22, 30, 36, 40, 48, 54, 62, 66, 72, 88

Santo Domingo, N. Mex., festival at 84

history of 83-84

population of 79, 83

view of 74

Sea, inland, extent of 44

rocks laid down in 47

Sequoyah, alphabet invented by 44

Sheep, traffic in 88,103,109

Sheep Hole Mountains, Cal., character of 154

Ship Mountain, Cal., character of 151

Shonganunga Creek, Kans., grade of 14-15

Silos, appearance of 24

Silver, mining of 160

smelting works for 8

Simpsons Rest, Colo., tomb on 56

Sitgreaves, Mount, Ariz., description of 120-121

Slavery, Kansas and 7,12

Smith, G. O., preface by m-rv

Snake dance, time of HI

Solitario Peak, N. Mex., situation of 68

Spanish grants, litigation over 58

Spanish Peaks, Colo., description of 53-54

views of 53

Stafford, Lewis, towTi named for 29

Starvation Hill, N. Mex., history of 71

Streams, material canied by 124

200

GENERAL INDEX.

Page.

Strong, W. B., town named for 23

Sugar beets, raising of 39-40, 42, 46, 48, 49, 171

Sunset Peak, Ariz., crater in 117

Supai formation, erosional carving of 124-125

Swans, former abundance of 21

Tanos Indians, history of 79

Taylor, Mount, N. Max., description of... 89,96-97

Tecumseh, town named for 14

Thompson Peak, N. Mex., height of 75

Tigua Indians, land of 86

Tiguex. See Puaray.

Time, changes of 37, 134

Timpas limestone, description of 47, 51, 52, 64

Tintero, El, N. Mex., description of 99

view of 100

Tonto group of rocks, description of 125

view of 135

Topeka, meaning of 14

Tovar, Pedro de, exploration by 130

hotel named for 130

Toj^alane Mesa, N. Mex. , refuge on 103

Trinidad region, Colo., coal of 55-58

Tropical plants, fossils of 59

Troy, Cal., artesian water near 159

TufE,cliiTsof 82-83

Turkey Mountains, N. Mex., origin of 65-66

Turquoise, mining of 81-82

Tusayan National Forest, N. Mex., timber

from 121

V.

Valley, buried, water from 26

Volcanic ash, occurrence of 151

Page.

Volcanic rocks , cliffs of 62-63, 65

Volcanism , evidences of 115, 149, 150

traditions of 84, 98

Volvmteer Mountain, N. Mex,, description of. . 120
Vontrigger , Cal., rocks near 148

W.

Wakarusa Creek , Kans., character of 10, 15, 16

Walnut Canyon, Ariz., ruins in 117-118

Water, conserv^ation of 173

conveyance of, by train 155, 157, 160

Water, artesian, supply of ; 104, 171

Wells, irrigation from 40, 42, 171

Wheat, hard winter, cultivation of 26

White Rock Canj-on, N. Mex., cliff dwellings

in 82-83

Williams, Bill, history of 121

Wingate sandstone, description of 99-100, 106

views of 100, 106

Women , Amazonian defense by 17

Wool raismg, industry of 88, 103, 109

Wooten," Uncle Dick," history of 59

Y.
Yucca, description of 165-166

Z.

Zarah, Fort, Kans., ruins of 32-33

Zuni Mountains, N. Mex., description of 98-100

views of 100,103

Zuni Pueblo, N. Mex., visits to 103

Zimi Salt Lake, N. Mex., description of 113

Zimi sandstone, description of 99-100, 102, 106

views of 101,102,103,106

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