Littell's Living Age/Volume 128/Issue 1657/Colorado Geological and Geographical Survey

THE secretary of the interior, in his annual report to the president of the United States, commends in high terms the work of the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, and presents the following brief summary of the results for the season of 1875: — The survey under Dr. Hayden continued its labours of the two preceding years in the territory of Colorado. The field of work during the past season was the southern and western portions of said territory, and including a belt, fifteen miles in width, of the northern border of New Mexico and the eastern border of Utah. The survey was divided into seven parties, four of which were devoted to topographical and geological labours, one to primary triangulation, one to photographic work, and one to the transportation of supplies. The survey of the southern and south-western portions of Colorado has been completed, so as to make six sheets of physical atlas, designed by this department, leaving unexplored only the north-western corner thereof, which can be surveyed by a single party during the coming year. The districts explored in the past season were not so mountainous as those of the previous years, but were quite remote from settlements, and in perhaps the most inaccessible regions of this continent. The total area surveyed is about thirty thousand square miles, portions of which were very rugged. Much of this area is drained by the Colorado River, and is mainly a plateau country cut in every direction by deep gorges or canons, the sides of which show, for geological investigations, admirable sections of the strata forming the earth’s crust. The topography of the district surveyed was elaborated in detail by the aid of the plane-table. The exploration of the remarkable prehistoric ruins of southern Colorado, glimpses of which were obtained the preceding season, was continued with great success. They were traced down the canons to the Colorado River in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona, and their connection established with the cliff cities of the Moquis of the latter territory. Hundreds of cave-dwellings, of curious architecture and many miles from water, were found in the sides of the gorges, and the ruins of extensive towns discovered in the adjacent plains, indicating the former existence of a people far more numerous and advanced in the arts of civilization than their supposed descendants of the present day. Of these ruins many interesting sketches, plans, and photographs were made, and a valuable collection of flint weapons, earthernware and other specimens were gathered. The materials thus obtained will enable the survey to present an exhaustive report on this interesting subject. The photographer of the survey obtained a series of mountain views on plates twenty-four inches long by twenty wide, or larger by several inches than any landscape photographs ever before taken in this country.