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<br />,
<br />under date of Apr,il, 28, 1936, to the Secreta,ry of War, fo, l' transmission
<br />to Congrcss. The report, which was unfavorable to a survey at
<br />Federal expense of those portions of the streams in Las Ammas
<br />County, has not been published and Congress has taken no a(ltion
<br />thereon.
<br />3. (jeolJrd1!'hical de8cription.~PurgatoireRiver, locally known as
<br />Picket Wire River, drains an area of 3,390 square miles in Costilla,
<br />Las Anima'!1, 'Ot'CTO, and Bent Counties, Colo., and Colfax ,and Union
<br />Counties, N. Mex., located in southeastern Colorado and northeastern
<br />New, Mexico between longitude 1030 and 1050 and latitude 370 and
<br />380. (See map No.1, appendix A.) The ronghly crescent-shaped
<br />basin is longitudinally alined in a southwest-northeast direction with
<br />the convex portion in the southern part of the drainage area. Along
<br />the western boundary, which is formed by Culebra Range of the Rocky
<br />Mountains, the basin is about 17 miles in width; in the middle portion,
<br />about 36 milcs across; and at the eastern extremity, about 10 miles
<br />between the watersheds. The upper third or westerly part of the
<br />basin. is rugged and mountainous. The remainder, which extends
<br />easterly from the front range, is f!lothills and plains. '
<br />4. North and Middle Forks, which have their sources in Sangre de
<br />C~isto Range or more definitely Culebra R";nge of the Rocky M~un.
<br />tams along the western boundary of the basm, form PurgatOJreRlver
<br />at their conflnence (river mile 186). Fr!lm this p!lillt, the river
<br />traverses the central p!lrti!ln of the drainage basin to its c!lnflnence
<br />with Arkansas River abont 3 miles east of the town of Las Animas,
<br />Colo.
<br />5. The conformation of the drainage basin has developed a stream
<br />pattern in which the tributary drainage areas are comparatively small.
<br />The'mouths of most tributaries are located only a few miles down-
<br />stream from their headwaters. Chacauco Canyon, the largest tribu-
<br />tary, drains an area of 386 square miles on the south side of Purga-
<br />toire River. From its source at the southern divide, just westerly
<br />from Mesa De Maya, Chacauco Canyon flows in a' generally northerly
<br />direction for about 40 miles to its confluence with Purgatoire River at
<br />river mile 66. Numerous tributaries enter the river from the north
<br />and south, the more important ones to the north in order downstream
<br />are Zarcillo, Burro, ,and Reilly Canyons; those to the south, Lorencito,
<br />Long, Raton Canyons, San FranCISCO Creek, and Chacauco Canyon,
<br />Relevant data for the major tributaries are given in table No. 1.
<br />
<br />TABLE No. 1.-Tributaries of Purgatoire River
<br />
<br />TrIbutary
<br />
<br />DlstaDce
<br />above
<br />mouth
<br />
<br />Length of
<br />tributary
<br />
<br />Drainage
<br />areRol
<br />tributary
<br />
<br />Perc!lntof
<br />total
<br />Purgatoire
<br />drainage
<br />.,,'"
<br />
<br />Dralll!lge
<br />awa above
<br />mouth of
<br />tributary
<br />
<br />Wet Canyon___'_.~___'__Uh__.______nn
<br />South Fork___.___._.___.______~h_.__.___.
<br />Lorellr.ltQ OanVOIl..__.__._____.._.__._____
<br />~~r~l~lb~~~%g~:~~~~::::::::::::::::::::::
<br />~~~~: c~~X~~:~::= :~::::::::::::::::::::::
<br />San Francisco Orook._h_____._.~.~n.h.d
<br />Obacauco Oanyon,__.~_~._....~.n____u~~
<br />
<br />'Millll
<br />180
<br />179
<br />176
<br />175
<br />167
<br />165
<br />164
<br />160
<br />12'
<br />60
<br />
<br />Milea
<br />14
<br />23
<br />11
<br />11
<br />13
<br />13
<br />19
<br />13
<br />I.
<br />"
<br />
<br />S(JUart
<br />milts
<br />..
<br />124
<br />7.
<br />36
<br />31
<br />37
<br />110
<br />62
<br />137
<br />386
<br />
<br />8,590
<br />square
<br />miles
<br />1,'
<br />3,7
<br />2.'
<br />1.1
<br />..
<br />1.1
<br />3,2
<br />1.8
<br />4..
<br />11.4
<br />
<br />Sgftart
<br />mile8 .
<br />167
<br />201
<br />3"
<br />420
<br />489
<br />65'
<br />643
<br />70ii
<br />1,226
<br />2,216
<br />
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