Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-03-22
STUDYING GEOGRAPHY.
+. W. Wientge Reaches COchiti Canon
by the Back DOOr-FOrty Miles
of a TorturOus Journey
on Foot.

To the Editor of the New Mexican
Santa Fe, March 22.-The route from
San Ildefonso, on the west side Of the Rio
Grande, by trail to Cochiti ls very toll
some. Over ridges and along steep
rocky hills, covered with loose stones
scantily clothed with scrub pines. oaks
and cedar, winds the trail, many hundred
years old, made by Indians and wild
beasts.
Everywhere l find ruins of former
towns, also caves of cliff dwellers in the
side OF the canons. Small valleys down
along the river are strewed with scoria
and broken stones of volcanic origin,
and the surrounding rocks are OF like
character.
The Rio Grande winds like snake and
is very rapid in its current, from 100
feet to 200 feet wide. Abount four miles
below the Santa Fe Southern railroad
bridge, which is the end of the old grad
ing for the d. & r. G. railroad, the mouu-
tains approach close on both sides of the
river, which is bordered by stupendous
precipices; some of these are worn by
time and weather 80 as to have the ap-
pearance of ruined fortress, with towers
and battlements beetling high above the
river. About two and half miles further
down the river expands little and forms
basin with island or sandbanks.
At some places the river is damned by
ridges in the center with black rocks:
through this the whole body of the river
roars along, swelling and whirling and
boiling in the widest confusion. At the
distance of q mile and a half from this
point is water fall
The trail on the left bank here comes
down and around bluff $50 feet above
the river and almost looks impossible. 1t
leads into small valley which is the
| mouth OF canon, andst stream which
| flows from this canon ID led 81 warm
hsprings half mile above. Now the trail
winds its way along the river, sometimes
down near the water and then again 500
to 500 feet above over high cliffs. 1t
presents one Of the most beautiful scenes
on the Rio Grande. To tho west range
of hills covered by forests, beyond this
the Vale mountains covered with snow
at this time of the year, and to the south
east the valley Of Santa Fe.
In this way the trail follows the river
in all its turns and torturous bends until
We have travelled about twenty-five miles.
Here the stream makes short bend to
the east and the cliffs are 80 steep that
we must say farewell to the stream, and
climb up about 1000 feet, where we find
the trail again which runs over the top of
the cliffs. About fifteen miles further
down, and we are at Cochiti canon, hav-
ing followed the crooked Rio fully forty
miles to cover an actual distance of about
twenty miles from White Rock canon to
Cochiti canon.
To build a railroad directly south from
White Rock canon to the Cochiti region
the windings of the Rio Grande would
necessarily have to be followed, and, to
my mind, it would cost about four times
as much to construct it as it would
through any ordinary region of the Rocky
mountains, besides as trip over the
country plainly demonstrates, the distance
from White Rock canon to Cochiti, fol-
lowing the windings of the Rio Grande,
is just about twice what 1t is as the crow
flies. Il. W. WIENTGE.