The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-16
C%OLORADO's GLACIERS.

Colorado IS on$ Of the few states IN
the Union that still possesses n few
lingering remnants Of the great ice
sheets that formerly covered the north
ern half Of the United States. Near
Longs Peak and Estes park are sew
eral ice fields showing the Characters
tic signs Of true glaciers. Mr.. Hallett.
one Of the residents of Denver, fell into
one of the c%revasses of the glacier
which now bears his name and with
difficulty escaped with his life. There
are q number Of unexplored glaciers
that await the serious study Of the
biologists Of the American Association
for the Advancenhent Of Science, when
they visit the state in August.
The existing glaciers are but the REM
nants Of the ice streams which former
Iv occupied the canOns Of the higher
mountains IN Colorado. Near Silver
Plume and Georgetown the canon
walls show the gf0Ovlng and polishing
Of glaciers that must have filed the
wiley to a depth Of 1000 feet. These
glacier phenomena are one Of the geo
logical attractions Of the famous Loop
Trip Near the mouth Of Empire
creek may be seen large terminal NOR
aims which choked Clear creek making
Ii act like the waters running on a lev
ell plain rather than like the tOrrential
streams Of this high altitude. Lateral
morains Of this Clear Creek glacier
may be seen near the towns Of Lawson
and DumOnt.
Visitors to the Manitou mineral
| springs will remember the enormous
transported granite boulder brought
from the higher portions Of RuXtons
canon by the glacier which formerly
extended down this canon from the
neighbOrhO0d- or pike MOratne. This
lake is the source lOf the water supply
Of Colorado Springs. The waters come
from the melting Of the 10Y on the
SUBMITS and along the sides Of Pixies
Peak and are imponded In that basin
formed by the curved morains.
At the head Of Rearly every stream
coming from the range we find circular
valleys bounded by PERCEPTIONS cliffs. In
the centers Of these amphitheaters are
beautiful Alpine lakes held In by n OF
more %crescentic curved mOraines, The
circes as they are technically called
were the accommodating basins for the
masses Of snow which fell from the
higher peaks of the mountains in ava
lanches. From these neva fields came
out the ice rivers or glaciers proper
which extended down the mountain
valleys for many miles. Many of the
larger lakes of Colorado, such as the
Twin lakes neal Leadville or Grand
lake in Middle park are held in by
great dams OF rounded rock debris tina
were left by the %retreating glaciers.
The wide valley of the Arkansas be
tween the lofty peaks of the SaguachC
and the Mosquito range Of mountains
was recently filed with n colossal gla
cier, evidences of which cover all the
country near Leadville and Malta. Tit
mOrains from the San Juan mountains
extend far out on the adjoining plains
The glaciers of Colorado are Of thu
Alpine type. They are like the IA
nous glaciers Of Switzerland and Nor
way. They differ from the glaciers o
the Greenland type in occupying onl!
the bottoms of our mountain canoni
instead of covering the whole surfacI
of the surrounding country. New Eng
land and the Lake states on the othe
hand were covered by uniform sheet
Of ice which %enyeloped the entire cOun
try, not even the suACmits of the highe
mountains escaping! like the continent
al ice mass now ensh1Ouding Green
land. The stony soil Of New Englan'
which has been responsible for the dc
velopment of New England character
TO whose infpenGb we "a lrace s
many important events " Alnerical
history is entirely composed Of the ma
%Iterial swept down from northern land
teven from the Canadian highlands ia
beyond the st. Lawrence and the grea
lakes. Plymouth Rock itself is
wanderer from the'nOrthern lands.