three hours brought us to the end of Split Mountain Canyon, and the
last bad water we were to have for some time. Just before leaving the
canyon, we came to some curious grottos, or alcoves, under the rock
walls on the left shore. The river has cut into these until they
overhang, some of them twenty-five feet or over. In one of these was a
beaver lying on a pile of floating sticks. Although we passed quite
close, the beaver never moved, and we did not molest it.

Another shower greeted us as we emerged into the Uinta Valley as it is
called by the Ute Indians. This valley is eighty-seven miles long. It
did not have the fertileness of Brown's Park, being raised in bare
rolling hills, runnelled and gullied by the elements. The water was
quiet here, and hard rowing was necessary to make any progress. We had
gone about seven miles when we spied a large placer dredge close to
the river. To the uninitiated this dredge would look much like a
dredging steamboat out of water, but digging its own channel, which is
what it really does.

Great beds of gravel lay on either side of the river and placer gold
in large or small quantities, but usually the latter is likely to
exist in these beds. When a dredge like the one found here is to be
installed, an opening is made in the river's bank leading to an
excavation which has been made, then a large flatboat is floated in
this. The dredging machinery is on this float, as well as most of the
machinery through which the gravel is passed accompanied by a stream
of water; then with quicksilver and rockers of various designs, the
gold is separated from the gravel and sand.

Numerous small buildings were standing near the dredge, but the
buildings were empty, and the dredge lay idle. We saw many fresh