USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume I > Part 2
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MOUNTAINS
The one hundred and seventh meridian marks the location of the Continental Divide in the extreme northern as well as in the extreme southern part of the state. In the north this watershed is known as the "Park Range"; its course is southward for a short distance, thence easterly to Long's Peak, thence south- westward, forming the eastern boundary of Grand and Summit counties and the northern boundary of Lake County; then the western boundary of Lake and Chaffee counties, where it is known as the Sawatch Range. From the most southerly point in Chaffee County the course of the divide is due southwest to San Juan County, then southeastward to the state line, the Cochetopa Hills being the divide until the San Juan Mountains are reached. For four-fifths of the distance the summit of the divide is above timber line. Though this area above timber line is considerable, it is not nearly so great as is to be found on the de- tached ranges and spurs.
Vol. 1-1
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
The foothills rise a few miles east of a north-and-south line drawn through the center of the state. In the north, high mountains occupy the region to the westward of this line for about seventy-five miles, but farther to the south these ranges widen out west of Pike's Peak to about one hundred and thirty-five miles. At a point not far from the center of the state the Sangre de Cristo Range begins and extends southward beyond the New Mexico line. The San Juan, a range of great altitude, occupies a large area in the southwestern part of the state.
PARKS
A prominent feature of the mountain region is the number of large upland valleys or parks. The principal ones, North, Middle, South, and San Luis, lie nearly in a north-and-south line, just west of the Front Range. Of these only one, Middle Park, is west of the Continental Divide, which forms its northern and eastern boundaries ; its surface is undulating; elevation about eight thousand feet. North Park opens toward the north, elevation generally about eight thous- and feet. South Park lies in the center of the state, elevation eight thousand to ten thousand feet, and is surrounded by very high mountains ; its surface is nearly flat. San Luis Park, the most southerly, is larger than North, Middle, and South parks combined; it is an immense elliptical basin, whose surface is remarkably flat-at one time doubtless the bed of an inland sea. The western fifth of the state is occupied by high plateaus, or mesas-deep gullies, or arroyos, being a feature, with many cliffs and hills.
Of the peaks above 14,000 feet elevation, the altitudes of thirty-two have been determined. Mount Massive, near Leadville, with an altitude of 14,424 feet, is the highest, and Mount Elbert, 14,421 feet, is next. The average height of timber line is 11,526 feet, with extremes of 10,410 feet on Sierra Blanca, and 12,117 feet on Mount Harvard.
A number of important rivers rise in the state. The Rio Grande has its source in the San Juan Mountains, while the Arkansas and the South Platte of the eastern slope, and the Gunnison and the Grand, important branches of the Colorado, rise but a few miles apart near the center of the state.
HUMIDITY
Considering the great distance from the Pacific, and the high mountain ranges which the prevailing westerly winds must cross, it is not surprising that low humidity, attended by a great range of temperature, should be a characteristic feature. Though distant also, the influence of the Gulf of Mexico is appreciable, but only to a varying extent. It is most marked during the summer months, when there is a general stagnation in the movement of northern low-pressure areas, affording sufficient time for moisture to be brought to the eastern slope. That this is true is apparent from the increased precipitation east of the Continental Divide during the warmer half of the year.
With the advance of winter the pressure gradually increases over the Great Basin until an extensive high-pressure area is developed. Remaining practically unchanged for months, it exerts an important influence on the winter climate of Colorado, the character depending on location, whether east or west of the Conti-
Courtesy of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.
VIEW OF LEADVILLE LOOKING WEST Mount Massive (altitude 14,402 feet) in the background.
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nental Divide. To the west of the divide persistent cold for the latitude and altitude prevails, especially in San Luis Park, the upper Gunnison Valley and northwestern counties. Clear skies and a still atmosphere favor rapid radiation, and the topography facilitates a steady flow night after night of the chilled air from the surrounding high slopes into these valleys. On the eastern slope at such times the prevailing winds are westerly, or over the Continental Divide. The air being warmed by compression during the descent to the foothills and plains re- gion, the mean temperature is raised materially, and the capacity of the air for moisture is increased; or, in other words, there prevails in the eastern half of the state a long succession of relatively dry, warm, and bright sunshiny days. For the summer months the normal charts show low pressure over the Great Basin and western Colorado, with little or no precipitation. On the eastern slope the suction exerted by the western depression is sufficient to give to half of the state east of the Continental Divide many periods of easterly winds, and as the air is drawn up the mountain slopes it is chilled by elevation, and there is pre- cipitated during the warmer half of the year practically five-sevenths of the annual amount of moisture.
TEMPERATURE
Considered from the point of mean temperature alone, Colorado may be divided into five zones, as follows:
The zone of 50° or higher, which includes a small area in the valley of the Grand and Gunnison in the extreme western part of the state; the valley of the Arkansas as far west as the foothills ; the southeastern border counties ; a narrow strip bordering on northwestern Kansas, and an area east of the foothills, which includes Denver County and parts of Boulder and Adams counties.
The zone of 45° to 50°, or the valleys of moderate elevation and the upland plains, includes the Arkansas-Platte Divide, a narrow belt running north and south adjacent to the eastern foothills, the middle portions of the Grand and Gunnison valleys, and the valley of the Las Animas in the southwestern part of the state.
The zone of 40° to 45° includes San Luis Park, the foothills region, and the northwestern counties.
The zone of 35° to 40° includes North, Middle, and South parks, and gen- erally the regions between eight thousand and ten thousand feet elevation.
The zone of 35° and lower includes the higher mountain masses, parts of the Continental Divide, and the narrow valleys near the center of the state in Lake and Summit counties.
The mean temperature of winter ranges from 35° at Cañon City to 11º at Gunnison. For the southeastern counties, the Arkansas Valley, including Colo- rado Springs, and for a considerable area in the vicinity of Denver, the mean temperature is slightly above 30°, while the western valleys, the eastern foot- hills, the Arkansas-Platte Divide, and the northeastern counties have means be- tween 25° and 30°. The mean for San Luis Park is slightly above 20°, while in the remainder of the parks and higher mountain districts the means average helow 20°.
The mean maxima for this season range between 40° and 49° throughout
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
the region east of the mountains, and values between 40° and 42° prevail in Costilla, La Plata, and Mesa counties. In the central mountain region, in Summit, and in Gunnison County 29° is the average.
The mean minima range from 12º to 18° east of the mountains, and from 14° to 18° in the lower western valleys. For San Luis Park the values are 4º to 6°, and, taking Breckenridge and Gunnison as representative of the conditions in the mountain regions of the western slope, we find the means for the season to be -1º and -7º, respectively.
For summer the mean temperatures range from 76° in the lower part of the Arkansas Valley to 50° near the Continental Divide in Park County. Means of 70° or higher are common to the valleys of the eastern slope, and also prevail in the lower parts of the Grand and Gunnison valleys. San Luis Park has a mean of 63°, and slightly higher values are common in the northwestern counties. In the valleys of the central mountain region the means are generally between 50° and 55°.
The mean maxima are above 90° only in the extreme southeastern part of the state. From 91°, the highest, the means sink to 68° in the central moun- tain region. Mean maxima above 80° are common to the valleys and plains, and prevail to a considerable extent in the parks and in the mountain district with southern exposures.
The mean minima range between 61° in the lower western valleys and 35° in the central mountain region. East of the mountains they are in the fifties, and similar values obtain in the middle portions of the Grand and Uncompahgre valleys ; in the parks and northwestern counties they range between 41º and 46°, while in the central mountain region they are below 40°.
The mean temperatures for spring and autumn, and also the mean maxima and minima, correspond closely with the annual values that have already been given.
Maximum temperatures above 90° rarely, if ever, occur in the highest valleys and parks, and on the average are noted only three times a year in San Luis Park. Leaving out the Arkansas-Platte Divide, where they are noted nine times a year, the number of days with 90° or higher east of the mountains increases from six at Cheyenne, on the northern border, to sixty-six in the extreme southeastern counties. In the western valleys the number varies from sixteen to fifty, the latter being the value for the lower Grand and Gunnison valleys.
Minimum temperatures below 32° are very common; their occurrence fewer than 150 times a year is confined to the Arkansas Valley and parts of the South Platte, Grand, and Uncompahgre valleys. In the northwestern counties and San Luis Park they occur from 205 to 227 times a year, and more than 250 times in the higher mountain districts. At Breckenridge the average is 283 times.
FROSTS
As might be expected, killing frosts occur every month in the year in the higher valleys contiguous to the Continental Divide. In the agricultural dis- tricts, owing to the varied topography, differences in elevation and location, whether east or west of the Continental Divide, there is an entire absence of
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
uniformity. This will be apparent from a consideration of the following: On the western slope at Grand Junction the average date of the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn is April II and October 28, respectively; and in the northwestern part of the state, at Meeker, the dates are June 7 and September 12, respectively. On the southern slope, at Saguache, in San Luis Park, the average dates are May 24 and September 17; on the eastern slope, at Fort Collins, May 13 and September 21; at Denver, May 7 and October 4, and at Pueblo, April 28 and October 25, respectively.
PRECIPITATION
The greatest annual precipitation occurs in the northern part of Gunnison County at an elevation above 10,000 feet. Between 20 and 25 inches is the average for the western slope of the Continental Divide, in the north-central counties, over the greater part of the San Juan Range, and locally in the south-central counties in the vicinity of the Spanish Peaks. Amounts ranging between 15 and 20 inches, occur on the average in the northern half of the state for some distance west of the mountains, while on the eastern slope this amount occurs in a long narrow belt, stretching north and south, whose eastern limits are the foothills. Somewhat more than 15 inches is also the average in the counties bordering on Kansas and Nebraska. Between this eastern belt and the foothills there is a broad area where the annual precipitation is generally between 11 and 13 inches. Less than 10 inches is the average in the valleys along the western border, thence increasing somewhat up the narrow valley of the Gunnison. The least precipitation, between 6 and 8 inches, occurs in the central part of San Luis Park.
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTIES
Boulder, Jefferson, Park, Fremont, Teller, El Paso, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties include in one group, situated in the 'central part of the state, a greatly varying topography. This may be termed the mineral edge on the eastern side of the Divide.
Topographically Boulder County is naturally divided into three distinct types, viz : mountains, foothills and plains, the foothills flanking the base and an average of twelve miles of the western limit of the Great Plains country. It possesses great natural resources. The mountain section contains the metal mines, mineral springs, timber and water supply; the adjoining foothills, building stones of great variety and clays for manufacture of brick, tile, etc., and the plains section affords a field of operation for the agriculturist and horticulturist, is largely underlaid with a good quality of lignite coal, and late developments demon- strate the presence of oil in paying quantities.
The drainage is through a number of roughly parallel streams that find source near the rugged crest and amphitheaters of the mountains, and have a general eastward course until they make exit through deep-cut canyons on the plains. Here they join with the St. Vrain River, which is one of the main tribu- taries of the South Platte. Locally the main streams are designated as the North, Middle and South forks of the St. Vrain, Left Hand, James Creek, North, Middle, Four Mile and South Boulder creeks.
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
Clear Creek and Gilpin counties are in a rugged mountain section, with intervening narrow valleys or canyons, formed largely by erosion. They embrace a number of prominent mountain peaks, among which may be mentioned Gray's Peak, 14,411 feet; Torrey's Peak, 14,336 feet, near the west boundary; James Peak, 13,281 feet, on the north, and Mount Evans, 14,321 feet above sea level, on the south county boundary.
The main drainage is through Clear Creek. This stream, near the west boundary, divides into the North, Middle and South forks. The main tribu- taries from the north are Mill Creek and Fall River; from the south, Chicago Creek-all of which have a number of smaller tributaries bearing local names. Bear Creek and tributaries afford an outlet for the waters in the southeast part of Clear Creek County.
At Idaho Springs are located some of the most noted mineral springs in the state.
The western limit of El Paso County embraces the summit of Pike's Peak, and the eastern limit is some thirty-five miles from the base of the mountains on the great plains section. The topography is that common to all counties lying on the east slope of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and embracing the adjoining foothills and plains sections.
Jefferson County lies in part on the east slope of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountain system and includes a portion of the Great Plains country. The drainage is to the South Platte River through a series of mountain streams, among which are North Fork, Bear, Turkey, Clear and Ralston creeks. These streams have a general easterly course, cutting their channels through the uplifted and folded strata skirting the mountains and collectively showing a complete geological section.
Within Park County boundaries, and surrounded on all sides by hills or rugged mountains, one of the large plateaus of the mountain systems is located, South Park. This plateau or basin is comparatively level and has an average altitude of about 9,000 feet above sea level. It is about forty miles long by thirty miles wide, and has an area of 1,200 square miles in the park proper. On the east or northeast side the park extends to the west base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountain system, composed of the granite-gneiss complex common to that range. Along the south border of the park is a series of hills, with somewhat isolated peaks, attaining an altitude of 9,000 feet, composed largely of various eruptive rocks in the form of dikes, intrusive masses, and locally the late basalt lavas capping hill tops. On the west are the Trout Pass hills and the Mosquito Mountain Range, and on the north a transverse mountain section connecting the Mosquito and Front ranges. The drainage may be said to be from all sides of it, toward the park center, the tributaries uniting with the North. Middle and South forks of the South Platte River.
TELLER COUNTY
Teller County has been the subject of many papers. The following, by T. A. Rickard, formerly State Geologist of Colorado, is here reproduced in its topographical aspect only :
"The known gold-bearing portion of the district covers an area of about
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
ten square miles, occupying a group of hills which rise from 300 to 1,000 feet above the general surface, and attain an average altitude of 10,500 to 11,000 feet above the sea. The drainage of the district flows into the Arkansas River, whose gateway into the plains is at Canon City. The general slope is southward, and the sunny aspect incident to this configuration of the surface has caused the hillsides to be clad with sufficient grass, and enabled them, at one time, despite the high altitude, to yield good pasturage.
"Few mining camps have so picturesque a situation and Cripple Creek is further notable because the picturesque is not obtained by any sacrifice of accessibility. The beauty of the panoramic view to be obtained from most of the mines is not due to mere ruggedness or to the ordinary grandeur of a mountainous country ; it is traceable to a position upon the slopes flanking Pike's Peak, which permits of an uninterrupted view of snow-clad ranges a hundred miles away. It is a panorama rather than a picture. In front are hills like giants tumbled in troubled sleep, whose feet touch the plateau of the South Park. To the left are the Arkansas Hills that confine the river of the same name to its tumultuous gorge; farther south is the Wet Mountain Valley, and beyond that the long, magnificent, serrated range of the Sangre de Cristo. Turn- ing northward, the valley of the Arkansas can be seen dividing the mountains which overlook Leadville. Farther to the right are the beautiful Kenosha Hills, at the headwaters of the Platte, and beyond them are further peaks ennobled with coronets of snow."
Fremont County, embracing, as it does, a part of the western limit of the Great Plains country in the eastern portion, and its west boundary being outlined by the crest of mountain ranges, flanked with foothills, is topographically divided into three natural divisions-viz: mountains, foothills and plains. The geology has many features in common with that of Boulder and other border counties, differing mainly in the fact that in Boulder the Trias rests directly upon the granite gneiss of the mountain proper, while in Fremont the Paleozoic rocks of the Carboniferous and Silurian periods are exposed and rest upon the granite floor. The uplifted strata are well seen along the Arkansas River from the mouth of Grand Canon eastward.
Conejos, Rio Grande, Costilla, and Alamosa counties together form a notable topographical group.
The west boundary line is the summit of the San Juan Mountains, which at this portion form a part of the Continental Divide. This section is quite rugged. and contains mountain peaks that reach an altitude varying from 11,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level. The San Juan Mountains at this point mark nearly the southern limit of the great andesitic lava flow common to what is generally designated as the San Juan country. This volcanic mass is locally traversed by a series of dikes, the basalt flows being prominent near the mountain base and capping many of the adjoining foothills.
The Rio Grande River courses the center of that section. The eastern portion of Conejos County embraces the southwest part of the San Luis Valley. This valley is unusually level, and has an average altitude of 7,500 feet above sea level.
The drainage is through the Alamosa, La Jara, Conejos, San Antonito and Los Pinos creeks, and through the Rio Costilla, Rio Culebra and Rio Trinchera.
ON THE CRYSTAL PARK AUTO ROAD
LOOKING OUT FROM THE GATEWAY TO CRYSTAL PARK
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
These streams head well back toward the mountain summit, envelop numerous small tributaries, and all unite with the Rio Grande River.
The summits of the Sangre de Cristo and Culebra outline the east boundary line of Costilla County. The mountain ranges on the east rise quite abruptly and contain some of the highest mountain peaks in the state, among which may be named Purgatory, 13,719; Culebra, 14,079; Trinchera, 13,340; Blanca, 14,464; Baldy, 14,176, and Grayback, 12,887 feet, above sea level.
Near the north end of Costilla County are a number of small lakes, the largest being known as the San Luis lakes, and contain several square miles. These lakes are fed by numerous springs around the mountain base near Mosca Pass and San Luis and other small streams coming in from Saguache County. There is no apparent outlet to lakes, and the tendency of all the streams in this section is to sink out of sight and appear only at intervals.
The eastern and major portion of Rio Grande County embraces the flanking foothills and mesas and the western limit of the San Luis Valley, which here has an average altitude of about 7,700 feet. The Rio Grande River passes easterly through the northern portion of that county, and with tributaries affords drainage. The principal tributaries from the south are Park, Abiti, Wolf, Los Pinos, San Francisco and Alamosa; from the north, Beaver, Bear and Embargo creeks.
The topography of Custer County in a general way, is that of a compara. tively level basin or valley, within two mountain ranges. The average altitude of the valley is about 8,000 feet. On the west the Sangre de Cristo Range rises quite abruptly to 12,000 feet, and contains mountain peaks that reach an eleva- tion of over 14,000 feet above sea level. The range front is scarred by deep ravines or gorges, with precipitous cliffs or walls. Rising some 6,000 feet above the valley, the bold, rugged, front and pyramidal peaks present one of the most striking views in the mountains. The main rock of the mountain top is granite, but of somewhat different type to that common to the Front Range. Along and flanking the mountain front Carboniferous sandstones and conglomer- ates predominate.
The valley which bears the same name as the mountain range on the east- viz., Wet Mountain-is about twenty-five miles long and fourteen to twenty miles wide. It is one of the widest mountain valleys in the state.
The Wet Mountains on the east, originally known as the Sierra Majado, is a comparatively low mountain range. The highest points are about 11,000 feet, somewhat irregular and separated by comparatively shallow valleys, with easy slopes. The rock mass composing this range is a coarse-grained granite.
The main drainage of this section is through Grape Creek and its numerous small tributaries, which empty into the Arkansas River.
Huerfano and Las Animas counties border the Great Plains country, the western boundary being the crest of the Sangre de Cristo and Culebra mountain ranges. In the south portion are the Spanish Peaks, and in the north the south- ern extremity of the Wet Mountains. The drainage is through Huerfano and Cuchara, the Purgatorial and Las Animas rivers, the Apishapa and many tribu- taries to the Arkansas River.
The southern boundary of Las Animas County passes over the summit of the Raton Mountains. The mountainous sections are covered with a good
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HISTORY OF COLORADO
growth of pine timber, and interspersed with comparatively broad valleys. Ad- joining the foothills the mesas, or table lands, merge into the level plains on the east.
In Mineral County, in the southwest part of the state, the drainage is through the Rio Grande River and numerous tributaries. The water-shed of the Rio Grande River is a basin-like area of horseshoe shape. On the north edge of Mineral County the La Garita Mountains have a southwesterly course, and near the west boundary of Hinsdale County unite with the San Juan Mountains. This latter range, from point of junction, trends southward, and, gradually turn- ing to southwest, passes through the southern part of Mineral County. The crests of the two ranges form the Continental Divide, which may be said to encircle the county on the north, west and south sides.
Considered as a whole, the topography is unusually rugged. The surround- ing mountain chains rise from 10,000 to over 13,000 feet above sea level. From these occur somewhat detached spurs, culminating in peaks 12,000 feet and over, and occupying the central portion. The intervening valleys are, in the main, quite narrow, but locally widen out into enclosed basins or parks of con- siderable size.
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