The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-26
THE LAKE IN THE DESERT:
An Expert Opinion Given by Maj.
Powell Of the Geological
Survey.
The Colorado River Filling the
Basin It Emptied Years
Ago.
Land on Which Only Horned Toads, FRAT
t~lesnakes, Wolves and Gila Mon
sters Can Live.

Especial CORRESPONDENCE Of The INDEPENDENT.
VsYfASHINGTON, JULY 21.-WATER
AIEY2has burst into the desert of Colo
0XgXorado. and you ask me to give some
account of this strange phenomenon, to
which requestI am pleased to reply.
A balm Of zephyr from the Pacific sea
battles the coast of southern California.
When the gentle rain comes in its season,
verdurs and flowers with many beautiful
and gorgeous colors bourgeon and burst
into beauty. When the dry season comes
the hills turn to gold, and the meadows are
brinded until again the rains come and the
flowers once moro burst forth amid the
tawny wreck of the last years's greenery.
But this zone or rscurrent verdure and
blossom is narrow. A hundred miles back
of the coast a desert is reached, the most
desolats portion of North America, In the
midst of this desert there is a Easin where
extreme aridity and torridity combine in
almost Internal desolation. Here %sircccos
sweep the sands in storms of binding death.
From zephyr land to sirocco land the way
Is short. 1t is but a mornings ride as
speeds the iron horse.
This desolate basin forms a portion of
what ls known as the Coloraeo desert, The
Gulf of California is a narrow BODY of
water about 800 miles in length lying paral-
lei with the Pacific coast, from which it is
separated by the narrow but mountainous
peninsula of Lower California. This gulf,
not long, long ago, as geologists speak, but
many centuries ago as historians speak, ex-
tended about POO miles farther to
the northwest, still parallel to the coast,
Rut tho uu1F i$onIf h,, .-u 49,.
ened to its present limitations in com
paratively modern times. The Colorado
river heads in m peak, far to the
north, and is one of the great streams of
the continent. l drains a vast district of
country. much of which is comparatively
ard. and from this dry region it gathers An
enormous body of sand. Tho mouth of the
Colorado is now at the head of the present
gulf OF California, but when the gulf ex-
tended further northward this mouth WAS
nearly two hundred miles below its head.
The river charged with sand poured an i'm
immense load into the Gulf of California
ana built a delta out from it's mouth, which
extending from year to year and century tn
century, ilnally constructed barrier across
the narrow gulf. and thus an illuvial dam
formed by which the waters were divided
into two parts. Then the Colorado found its
way into the lower gulf, while the upper
portion was cut OFT from the salt water and
from a constant supply by the Colorado
river. Lying in n region of country of
great arIdlly where there were but two or
three inches of ~rninfall annually, no small
streams formed about it's margin, SO it was
a small sea out off from the gulf without
tributaries and with no supply of water
other than that falling from infreouent
clouds. This isolated snlt sea extended
over an area of about 1,60O square miles
stretched IN q narrow zone from the foot
of San Bernardino mountain to the dam at