Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-13
THE COLORADO DESERT.
DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT ARID PLAIN,
some of its Geological Features--Its Eos sils--Once Portion of the Calf of CaIifnrnia---Its mhospitai
 ities, etc.
K (. orcntt in pncihc Rural Press

R. C. orcutt, in Pacific Rural Press.
 The broad alluvial plains lying west of he Colorado river. in San Diego county. California, are generally known under the | name of the Col. Desert. These plans | md the contiguous barren hills and mesas | nave as yet been scarcely explored by . man, and only small portions of this 1 region have yet been ill any way care | fully examined.
 Nearly one half of this arid section of ! the West lies within the Mexican Terri i tory of Lower California. Altogether It exceeds 12,000,000 acres in ex tent. In all probability no portion of the United States is as little known. but in reality of as great value, as IS this great basin the larger portion of whose sur face is below the present sea level, and whose surface is strangely strewn with millions of both fresh-water and marine fossil shells.
 That portion of the desert in San Diego county Is rich in mineral wealth, and not destined to always remain agricuiturally a desert. even in name.
 The Gila desert, in Arizona, is an east ern extension of this arid tract while on the north the Mohave desert Is only sep arated from it by low range of sterile 
 The Colorado desert division of San Diego county lies between the San Ja- cinto range of mountains on the west and the Colorado river on the east, bounded on the south by the Gulf of California and on the north by the eastern extension of the San Bernardino range, which sep arates it from the Mohave Desert section of San Bernardino county. The peak of San Jacinto, at the northern line of the county, is the highest land in California south of Mount San Bernardino, and rises precipitOusly from the plains of the desert to the night of 5000 feet. Its snow-crowned, pine-clad summit appears in strong cont a 1t to the naked heated plains at its eastern base.
 BETWEEN SAN BERNARDINO AND SAN JA-
 CINTo PEAKS
 There lies the low San &orgonio pass through which the Southern Pacific rail way wends its unimpeded way; and at the summit of this pass is located the thriving town of Beaumont A few miles further east Is another lively town Banning. which. with apparently an abundant supply of water, has changed a portion of the desert slope into smiling vineyards and orchards, lnterspersed with fields of grain From Beaumont to Indio, for distance of nearly 50 miles, there Is gradual descent from the fertile lands of San BernaTdino valley to the ash-like bed of the famous Dry lake" This con stitutes the Cahuilla valley, bounded on either hand by an austere mountain range some ten miles in average width and 90 miles in length. The wash or drainage from this valley falls into the Dry lake mentioned, and several peren nlal mountains stream lose themselves very effectually before traversing its powder -strewn plain. The Whitewater river at times forms a broad, turbulent stream, flowing from the San BernardinC range; while Snow creek and numerous other lesser streams run more or les; l spasmodically from the treeless north l eastern slope of Peak San Jacinto. i The Southern Pacific R. R., after tray | ersing the full length of this, maintains about the same general direction south ! easterly-a across the great cheerless plains of the Colorado desert proper to Yuma a total distance of nearly l60 miles, Tht old military post of Fort Yuma was sit uated on commanding bluff on the wes
 bank of the Colorado River and therefor, l lu. lie lOMu Ol l IS OI the opposite bank in Arizona. Fort Yuma was in the extreme southeastern corne of the State, and enjoyed truly tropica climate, thanks to the great desert tha surrounded 1t.
 THE MINERAL BELT
 The mountain spurs along the westerl
 bank of the Colorado river are rich in the
 precious metals, and mining operation
 have been carried on there for man,
 years Besides extensive mines of gol,
 and silver, lead, copper, iron and othe
 valuable metals are known to exist, som
 of them in immense deposits, but as ye
 scarcely 'prospected.'
 aThis rich mineral belt practically ey
 tends westward through the entire rang
 of low desert mountains that divide tn
 Moha7e and Colorado deserts, but owin,
 mainly to the diffidence of capital to ente
 a region bearing the name of desert, bu
 little work of development has as ye
 been accomplished.
 . On most maps issued in late year
 there is given an apparently extensiv river terminating in the Dry lake. Thi
 sometimes appears without a name, bu usually it Is designated as New river sine
 1t has only been known for d few year, dllu lo olpIJoCo bO nave Ildll us OIlRlu l OvertlOws of the Colorado river whic have occurred ill recent years. Twent
 years ago
 THE COLORADO RIVER Was ill habit of annually overhowin t it's banks during the time of summt ? freshets when the snows in the mountain
 around its headwaters melted, This ove ? flow has not occurred since 1884 until tt . present year, I believe. There has thu 2 been formed channel through dec
 and rich alluvial bottom, which receive l. the name of New river from the earlil - pioneers who crossed this desert. y Along the course of this New river Il a Indians planted and raised most magni1 . cent crops on the lands which were ove r flowed, as they still do on the lands ne; - the gulf where they have been compelle
 to retreat. Corn, melons, squashes an [. other vegetables and grain reached u y rankest growth attainable, and those ca t ly pioneers yet speak with wonder of u y success which these Indians met with s their agricultural labors.
 | Not only were the cultivated crol | large but the natural vegetation alor e the New River section was equally ran
 The gI asses and weeds formed an almo
 mpenetrable mass of vegetation
 flowers became ''smali-sized trees"
 grain of mustard-seed truly gave shelt
 to the birds of the air and the count l. very generally belied it's name
 This overflow gradually receded in
 dry lake, situated in the northern part
 the great basin into which New river Il
 turally drained, and there the water di
 appeared into the deep, porous soil al e sand or quickly evaporated before u | heat of tropical sun.
 y The surface of dry lake is of fiji e sedimentary character, combined with Il immense quantity of vegetable matte d consumed by dry rot and forming wh T. may be called dry bog" The lal e forms the lowest portion of the gre T basin, is 250 to 300 feet lower than st u level, and owing to the character of u surface, as above described, cannot 2 traYeFsed
 . FOSSIL SHELLS.
 70 At Salton, a station few miles farth -e east on the railway, the fresh-water she T, are found ln countless numbers, on tl ', surface of the plain, which evidently on # formed the bottom of lake. These fc If sils are all ill a semi-fossi or semi-silit r fled condition, and are often drifted in s- windrows, where they may be scraped | II by the quart. Aprnicoia iongiaq4a phy
 as, planorbis ammon and anodonta Ga
 forniensis the latter the common fires
 water clam of the Pacific Ooast-are u