New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-09-29

| dreds Of miles from the nearest railroad line,
| that the government purposes to create two new
national parks
| Expanding a cliff dwelling hunt into Z search
| for new natural wonders. a party OF biologists.
archaeoIogfsts and engineers spent six weeks
| last summer in San Juan County, in the south
| eastern corner Of Utah The party carried com
missions from the government to map the IN
charted territory where the natural bridges are
found and TO make a survey Of the country In
cidentaIly the party made arrhseoiogica.
map Of the cliff dwellings found prof1seIy in
the canyon caves and the ruined pueblos that
dot the rnesas-
San Juan County has an area Of 11oOO s4u1~a
miles. and according to the Utah State Board
Of Statistics. there are less than eight hundred
persons in the whole county Not more than
few score Of these citizens live outside the towns
OF Monticello and Bluff city frontier settle
rnents whose population consists of cattle and
sheep owners.
/ The exploring party. led by Professor Byron
/ Cummings. Of the University Of Utah, and Pro
/ fessor Edgar I. Hewett. Of the Department Of
/ the Interior. left Thonpscn's Springs, Utah IN
the Rio Grands Railroad. June H. went by
, stage thi-ty-fve miles south % N5ad gatha-aI
/ an outfit of horses and pack mules and cross
sixty-fve miles Of desert to No-ticeuo ar t.-
/ east base az the Blue N1uuta.rs. From Mont
: cello the party struck of % the east and then
took a southerly course through Nloa-.z--1a
/ canyon q tributary OF the san Juan River.
After spending ten days among The cIr G7va.I
ings and ruined villages OF the canyon the party
reached the san Juan. fifteen miles east Of B.gr
and close TO the Colorado line. E,rG is fifty
five miles south Of Nonticeuo ana seveaty-c7o
I ,fNf .f,a
point
Supplies were taken at Bluff. and the cara
ivan Of nine persons moved westward toward the
Colorado River. across a country that IS seldom
| tr;tversed by white man Ucss and Pai-J--es
| leave their summer wicky-ups near the san Juan
and Colorado rivers for cooler places high Up
| on the Elk Ridge the Blue Mountains. trails
are almost unknown and water is rs scarce a
| trails The guide led the party over = broken
| country. through waterIess canyons and across
desert rocky wastes toward White Canyon
which writhes and twists down from the Elk
Ridge to the Colorado River.
| Near Bears Ears peaks at the summit OF the
| ridge White Canyon springs C-,t Of the pine
| forest. winds through turnbIed rocks and deepens
into an impossible split in the earth In its
course toward the Colorado River White Canyon
| completely sewers one part of the county from
the other. In a straight line II is not more than
seventy-five miles from the source Il the outlet
of the canyon but in its ramble White Canyon
| covers hundred miles. and there is only
one place in the whole distance where entrance
| can be effected without the greatest danger
| This IS through Armstrong Canyon. sTla-l
| tributary. reached after a days ride north OF
| the general course through forest OF scruo
pinon- Following this canyon down few miles
the first camp struck in the shadow OK the
Edwin Natural Bridge. the smallest OF the three
natural wonders
The entire formation OF the splendid arch y
of white sandstone Here and there streak o.
gray and the brown stain Of water lend a weird
effect to the picture Towering 1000 feet arrow
| the canyon either side IS a solid background
OF dark red rock. with dashes OF crimson Inc
red beds were originally part OF the Elk RIDGE
and dip TO the south and west toward the CO'O
RADIO. The water OF another age cut through
the upper formation into the white SANDSTONE
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