The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-10-19
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from which it appears that while yet
among the most picturesque of the
mountains of the continent, the Wa
satch and the Uinta ranges lost much
of their former ruggedness, having
been greatly smoothed and softened
In outline by the securing and carving
of many large glaciers.
The portions of the Uinta range
that rise above these ancient ice
mantles. near the crest line. were lofty
peaks and narrow, rugged divides. Elk
-cepting these, the range appeared as q
long. white arch. rising about 1000
feet above the surrounding country.
and suggesting. In form at least. par
tial restoration of the great Uinta an
ticline. During the ice age there were
30 separate glaciers. or rather glacial
systems. the longest Of which was
over q miles. and each system con-
sisted Of from two to eight glaciers.
Today there are no glaciers and the
outlines of the mountains have been
vastly modified by the action of these
powerful ice streams.
Busy Nature.
Long before the age of the Uinta
glaciers. and In fact before the noun.
tains themselves were pushed upward
through the earth's crust. Nature was
busily engaged storing up vast sup
plies of material of economic value
against this coming of Industrial"
man. First, in the dim. distant car
boniferous age, shocks laid down over
an immense field. slightly to the north.
west of the Uintas. millions of tons
Of phosphate rock, resulting from
countless myriads Of small marine AMI
mails which inhabited this great an.
cient basin. Then came the period of
huge reptilia and other giant forms
the plesiosaurs, the megatheriums and
great winged creatures, half animal.
half bird. Later, in the cretaceous
age there fiourished magnificent veg.
citation. comparable to the oaks and
other hard woods of today. These
grew and matured and died and grew
and died again. in an almost endless
round. each generation contributing
Its mite to the vast coal deposits of
the region. Today all about the Uin-
tas. in many places a mile below the
surface, are found the coal beds, con-
tanning billions Of tons Of fuel of ere
taceous age. far younger than the car
boniferous depositg Of the Appalachian
mountains. but yet excellent coal One
bed stands "a feet thick of solid coal.
one of the greatest coal seams in the
world.
Toward the close OF this coal period
occurred the great uplift which formed
the mountains. Then. following the
uplift, the region enjoyed for a time
almost tropical conditions. the antithe-
sis OF the ice age which was to fol-
low. During this age of warmth many
OF the higher orders of animals -four
ished In and around the Uintas: at
the base Of the mountains have been
found the remains of many monkeys,
camels, the terrible saber-toothed
tigers and other associated jungle
Inhabitants. all now extinct. but their
remains everlastingly preserved In the
volcanic ashes derived from ancient
upheavals. The huge dinosaurs. or
giant sloths roamed the lowlands in
great numbers. feeding upon the lux
urious vegetation and constituting the
natural prey OF the great tigers. Then
followed the ice age and these mon
sters were either driven southwark or
exterminated. There Is no record in
the rocks of the presence Of prehis-
toric man. the earliest nat skulled
cave dweller: but some incline to the
belief that he may have. with his
crude stone implements. disputed. and
even more than held his own with The
great beasts of the period.