Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-06-10
TIE CITIZEN.
iS1yURDtY JUNE 10, 1876
The Colorado River.

ed at this season, and mas Oeen Tor
months. and while the the thirsty
traveller on the far stretching des-
erts which extend for miles on either
side of the Colorado, looks and longs
in vain for Running water, the Col
orado river IS constantly rising and
the waters are rushing in a naddening
food within its banks to the sea.
With these contrasts in view, the
following article condensed by the
Rocky Mountain Presbyterian from
Major Powelrs " Explorations of the
Colorado River" will prove interest
ing reading.
The Colorado River is formed by
the junction Of the Grand and Green
Rivers. The Grand River has its source
in the western slope of Longs Peak,
Middle Park, Col. 1t is born III the
solitary lakes which lie among the
rocky crags high up amid the cold
mountain peaks. Few white men
have ever looked upon these lakes:
but we know that out of their mystic
rious depths, hidden amid the pines
and fir-trees- come the waters of the
Grand River. Green River heads
near Fremont's Peak, in the Wind
River Mountains of Wyoming. This
river. like the last, has its source in
Alpine lakes, fed by everlasting
SHOWS. Thousands of these little
lakes, with Geep, cold, emerald waters,
are embosomed among the crags
of the Rocky Mountains. These
streams, born in the cold, gloomy
solitude of the upper mountain region,
have strange and eventful history
as they pass down through gorges,
and tumbling in cascades and cata-
racts, until they reach the hot, arid
plains of the Lower Colorado, where
the waters that were so clear above,
empty as turbid floods into the Gulf of
California, two thousand miles away.
Besides these two main branches of
the Colorado, there are hundreds of
Others some of them have no names.
The region of country drained by the
Colorado and its tributaries is about
500 miles in length, and from 300 to
500 miles in breadth, covering an area
larger than all the New England
and Middle States with Maryland
and Virginia added.
There are tow distinct portions of
the basin Of the Colorado The lower
third is but little above the level of
the Sea. The upper basin rises from
four TO eight thousand feet above the
sea. This high region on the north,
east and west is set with ranges OF
snow-clad mountains, attaining an
altitude Of from eight to fourteen
thousand feet. All winter long. on
its mountain-crested rim, snow falls,
filling the gorges, half burying the
forests, and covering the crags and
peaks with a mantle of snow. When
the summer sun comes, this snow
melts and tumbles down the noun
tain sides in millions of cascades.
Ten million cascade brooks unite to
from ten thousand torrent creeks.
These III turn unite to form one hun
dred rivers beset with cataracts. A
hundred roaring rivers unite to form
the Colorado, which rolls a mad,
turbid stream 10 the Gulf of Califor-
MIA.
Consider the action of one Of these
streams. It's source IS in the noun
tains, where the snow falls and nelts;
its course through the dry, arid plains.
Now Il the streams were fed by
storms on the plains as well as the
melting SHOWS of the mountains, the
whole country would wash down to-
gether, and the channel Of the river
would be cut but little faster than
the adjacent country would be washed
of; but with no wash of the sur
rounding country, the river but deep
ems its bed, cutting deeper and deeper
year after year, century after cen
tury until their banks are towering
cliffs Of solid rock. These deep ra-
vines or georges are called canyons.
For more than a thousand miles along
It's course the Colorado has cut such
a canyon, in some places more than a
mile deep, and so narrow that at
midday the stars can be seen twink
ling in the strip of blue sky overhead
Every tributary has cut another can
yon every lateral creek has cut
canyon; every brook runs in a can
Won; every rill born of shower, and
living only during The shower, has
cut for itself q canyon, so that the whole
upper portion of the basin of the
Colorado Is traversed by labyrinth
of these deep gorges. The region is
further diversified by short ranges of
eruptive mountains-a vast system of
fissVres-hGge cracks in the rocks 70
the depths below. From these crew
ices floods of lava have flowed,
covering the table-lands with sheets
of black basalt. The expiring ener-
giles Of these volcanic iagencies have
piled up huge cinder cones that stand
along the assures, red, brown and
black, naked of vegetation and con-
spicuous landmarks
Indeed, ell the scenic features of
this canyon land, in the heart of our
country, sre on t. giant scale-terrible
and sublime
II the Senate shall decide it has
jurisdiction III the impeachment of