View near head of Conejos River, Col.

O'Sullivan, Timothy H., 1840-1882 · [1874]

Descriptive legend of view no. 17: Looking up Conejos River from a point four miles above Beaver Lake. Here, also, the valley is populous with beavers, and as far as the eye can reach there are evidences of their work, which has been in progress for ages. In former times this river was a narrow, compact stream, following a direct channel, but, being dammed at various points, the drift-wood was retained, the sediment was deposited, and all of the float of the freshet was collected, forming a succession of marshy terraces of new earth along the course of the current. Through these the river now runs sluggishly, diverging into many side channels and bayous, and embracing many islands of swamp. In this alluvial earth are the tunnels and huts of the beavers, which have undermined the surface until it is too weak to sustain the weight of men who attempt to ride over it, and hence the transit of one of these beaver lands is accompanied with great labor and difficulty.