Show RAMBLING THOUGHTS OF A reprint rights reserved by frank continued from last week white sandstone surround these little valleys it is not possible to explore some of them without the aid of ropes or ladders as these walls raise abruptly from the valleys to a height of from fifty to five hundred feet one can stand and gaze down at these little wonder valleys vall pys As aa this part of san juan county is very isolated only a few cowboys and rarely a scientist have seen this district here at a point near the elk mountains there is a secret crossing of the colorado river known as ane butler trail and crossing mont butler was the leader of the noted robbers roost bunch that operated in southwestern colorado and a part of san juan county driving stolen cattle across this secret trail and crossing of the colorado river here in a great isolated region these stolen pr or wet cattle were held on virkin virgin graas grass lands then sold too to a southern utah cattle buyer this outlaw rob h bers roost gang operated during the years 1894 to 1899 but quit on account of nearly all cattle being sold and shipped out of san juan juart county and southeastern colorado and sheep taking their place at the end of 1900 this outlaw bunch disbanded and scathe scattered red to the four winds prior to the organ of the so called robbers roost bunch the writer rode with and nd knew the members fairia well they were a jolly bunch and ald had their good qualities as well as their bad mont butler kid jackson al akers butch cassidy kid parker and bert madden were all members of this chia outlaw bunch and to say the least they were all sure enough cowboys and cow hands in company of a companion in 1913 and 14 looking for a cow range prospecting and exploring pl oring we spent several months in the robbers roost district and finally f ouria found the secrecy secret oi or butler buiter crossing near thit crossing we saw some of the small sunken valleys described in part in western san juan county in western central san juan county we find a number of points of interest inte iest to the tourists of nearly all classes we hae liars harts draw indian creek and indian valley cottonwood mormon mesa dark canyon beef basin cataract canyon of the colorado and small sunken valleys indian creek district can be reached by a passable county road for autos but all other points can only be reached by saddle ono and pack horses loaded with provisions bedding and water and one must su sure have a guide as it is a big isola isolated teck country with only a cattle outfit with a few hay bay ranches where human be ings reside wonderful scenery of its kind can be found in this district as well as many prehistoric cliff dael lings and natures wonders supposedly made in the red and white sandstone by the erosion of water and wind for many thousands of years our maps all sc seemingly give gilve the name abajo mountains to what all old timers in western Co colorado barado lind and eastern utah call the blue mountains situated near the center of san juan county abajo peak reaches to an al of feet above sea lovel and is the highest peal peak in those these mountains monticello lies at the east base of the mountain and has an elevation st i feet monticello is the couty seat of san juan county has a ap pop pp and can be reached by route no over ever a good highway on the eastern slope the creeks head near the summit of the mountains and now flow in a terly direction and empty into the san juan river they are called spring creek and north and south montezuma creeks all these streams stream form a junction about eight miles boath southeast ast of monticello and flow through montezuma canyon and empty into the san juan liver about twenty miles easterly of bluff city on the vest aide de of the blues blue we have indian and cottonwood creeks flowing westerly and emptying into the colorado river uv on the south side of the blue mountains cottonwood wash heads high up in in the mountains and s I 1 in a direct director dir ecton on and empties into the san juan river near bliff blaff bl iff city the san juan river headd high up in the mountains above pagosa springs and keeps a westerly avid and continued cont maed on last page RAMBLING THOUGHTS continued from first page southwesterly lc cour oue until it reaches san juan counties southe southeast coiner near the four corners comers here its direction is is in a course until it reaches bluff city at this point it flows in a westerly and empties into the C corrai oora 0 o riar near the rainbow bridge the san juan river in southwestern astern colorado has many large tributaries tributa ries 3 that heild head on the southern slopes of a heavy chain of the rocky mountains so it is the third largest river in the so called colorado basin di tact it its largest branches are thu cidra river florida animas Ani roa la plata plat a a an nl 1 manoos the southern part of our county with the exception of abou arou around nd blanding where their are big bodies of fairly level land the country countr is as a rule a broken up formation of canyons small mesas and rim rocks I 1 the natural bridges the garden of i the gods the rainbow bridge and the goose neck are in this district nature by water and wind erosion have carved out of the sandstones sand sandstone formation many fantastic slopes towering many hundreds of feet above abac their surroundings the formation of the greater part of san juan county is sandstone or the mother formation as prospectors call it with aith the exception of the abe la sal and blue mountains here is a volcanic form aaion and is generally known as granite or quartzite and ages ago seemingly was shot up through the mother formation which is known as sedimentary formation the top for formation illation is called the dakota or conglomerate glo formation and in many places on the surface we find turtle and sea shells showing plainly that all this district was once a great inland sea bulletin N 70 issued by the U S bureau of mines written by S B moore and karl L aithel who made an investigation ium aum vanadium radium bearing ores in 1913 describe this district as a part of the great colorado river basin and at one time it was a great inland sea that finally broke out of bounds at what is now called the colorado river canyon that by the erosion of water and wind wore its way to the gulf of california thus draining this great basin kethel and moores theory that radium bearing ores at a time when this great inland sea was rece eding deposited in a solution in the la plata formation these rare orm ores that through the prospector and chemist lias has given to humanity many blessings san juan county is principally a stock raising district although is some f farming arm around la sal monticello blanding and bluff city under an irrigating system that raises fine alfalfa wheat oats rota potatoes toes and all kinds of vegetables and fruits of various kenil also some non irrigated land landa in the eastern central part of the county there is little or no exports f from fat aim ill products from this county exports of sheep of oil all kinds last year ear was about wool about and cattle about six carloads of vanadium uranium ores were shipped in 1935 from san juan county by howard W balsley of moab utah the six carloads each of fifty tons or a total of bundled tons were shipped by mi air B baloloy I 1 ley to pittsburgh pittsburg pennsylvania to a rc reduction mill the ores brought sixt sixty y dollars per ton or a total of F P 0 B pittsburg about sixty ounces of placer gold was by clive stewart and associates from their colorado river placer mines in san juan county and brought a total of 0 2100 no copper or silver ores were shipped from san I 1 juan c unav in 1935 because of the low price of ahse ores and the distance from smelt eis ets as the nearest shelters smelters sm elters are located near salt lake city a distance aiom the mines mines of about miles all farm products the imports about balance the exports export for a number of years we must import nearly all of our groceries also I 1 clothing and machinery of all kinds into this district |