, 1923-04-01
BY ALFRED ]. MoKLER

of lakes and rivers. of forest-crowned
hills and treeless deserts, that stretch
away to the distant alluvlal plains of
the Mississippi on the cast and to the
broad expanse Of the Pacific on the
west.
THE first and most obvious feature
Of the landscape. thus spread out Hike
a mai before the eye, is its vast ag-
gregation of mountains. Except far
to the eastward. peaks innumerable
arise on every hand. Some extend in
well'defined ranges like broken ridges
on the surface OF the earth; others
stand detached and alone like solitary
protuberances from its crust. The va
riety of form and aspect is infinite.
Here a pointed spire of primeval rock
stands motionless amoung the shift
ing clouds; there a flat mesa or table.
crowned with grassy sward, termi-
mates in bold escarpments overlooking
the valleys and plains below. Lofty
fields of perennial snow, grey patches
of rock where vegetation never thrives.
broad areas of dark evergreen forest.
widespreading slopes Of native pas
ture-all combine TO produce an effec:
which is different in every detail,
CT aAFaA&1 , ~ II " WV q NH&NAAA<N AZ
formlty of character.
Amid the seemingly purposeless
and accidental distribution Of these
mountains. the eye may trace an ir-
regular line across the country from
north - south. along wh'ch the
land is higher than in the immediate
vicinity on either side. 1t is the Inc
which separates the waters that flow
into the Atlantic from those which
flow into the Pacif.c-the height of
land between the two oceans, or. as II
is commonly called, the Continental
Divide. It is everywhere a line of deep
sentimental interest, for it is not easy
to realize that, from points SO close
together, streams should flow to des-
tinations so widely separated. Little
MS the country may vary in its aspect
on one side from that on the other. the
imagination sees n difference, and the
early traveller always considered him
self across the Rocky Mountains
when he had passed his dividing line.
Here, Hail Oregonr reads an Old itin-
erary of the Oregon Trail, when South
Pass is reached. 1t mattered little that
the greater part of his journey still
lay before him. with mountains 10
cross more difficult n any yet on.
countered; to him It seemed that his
'ahors We're nearly over "hen ne 81"
the first tiny rivu,et flowing to the
very country whittier he was bound.
1.-THE Divide is an extremely slnuous
me whose position may pest pe uh
derstooo by the map IA
general dlreclloh IN passing rum lie
10 the Mexican poruer u +"
httie east OIL south crossing the hprt'i
ern boundary IN the hor'h"es'ern
corner OF Montana n the soutnern
IN the corner OF 10"
Mexico. Its total length is aoont @.ovt
mics in passing through a Ettle les
than l6 negroes OF latltuae' On th'
eastern slope the Mississippi system
drains about 145O miles Of TINS DIS
tahee and the Rio Grande the remain
der while on the western Store Tn
Columbia drains about $50 miles ant
the Colorado system 1870 mics
at might quite naturally be sur
posed that the g~eo'og'cal evolution o
n continent would have left thi
height of and upon the I'M o
the more prominent ranges; n thl
is the case along a portion OF the Bt
Idaho. the Wind River mountains II
Wyoming and several Of the Tort
ranges in the state of Colorado. Gen
orally however, it les on owe
ground. In h vicinity OF Yellow
stone Lake for example, 1t is but
little higher h the lake surface an'
in central wyoming, II extends TO
many mites over a desert plateau q
comparatively low altitude where tn
streams sink into the ground an'
never reach h true drainage OF eithel
ocean.
"As the Divide is not generally or
the crests OF high mountains, passsl
over 1t are rarely difficult, The onl,
characteristic passes are Union ant
Two-gwo-tee at the head of Wine
river n few over the range between
Montana and Idaho, and several with
in the limits of the state of Colorado
In other places they are generally low