209 J. A. ALLEN's TRIP to COLLECT in COLORADO, ETC., in 1871 by F. MARTIN BROWN While Preparing the Manuscript for Part III of C

Home , Dawson Butte, Kenosha Pass, Lake Pass, Medicine Bow Mountains, Rampart Range

1956 The Lepidopterists' News 209

J. A. ALLEN'S TRIP TO COLLECT IN COLORADO, ETC., IN 1871

by F. MARTIN BROWN

While preparing the manuscript for Part III of Colorado Butterflies (Brown, 1955). I found it necessary to do a little research into ALLEN'S trip to Colorado. EDWARDS (1873) had stated in his description of Thecla crysaltts that ALLEN collected types at Lake Pass in Colorado. Since there is no Lake Pass in Colorado where crysalus might be found, the problem was to determine what pass ALLEN had so named. The solution to the problem was found in ALLEN'S (1872) report upon his trip. Since SCUDDER, and probably others, have described material brought back to the Museum of Comparative Zoology by this expedition, it may be of assistance to have available the details of travel, especially in Colorado where the terrain is so variable. The following is pieced together from ALLEN'S sketchy review of the trip and the data in a systematic account of the birds he collected. 'The expedition commenced its work at the Missouri River in the vicinity of Fort Leavenworth, [May 2-11, 1871, ALLEN, I.e., p. 122*] and collected at intervals thence westward to the Great Salt Lake Valley. Mr. RICHARD BLISS, JR., of the Museum, accompanied the expedition as ichthyologist; and Mr. C. W . BENNETT of Springfield, Massachusetts, as taxidermist." (p. 113) From Fort Leavenworth the party moved by rail to Topeka, Kansas, where they spent the time between May 11 and 24 (p.I22) collecting in the area. On the 25th they moved to Fort Hayes in central Kansas and collected there for about a week (May 26 - July 3, p.l3l.). The next move, again by rail, was to Denver, Colorado Territory, where they arrived on July 4th and stayed until the 8th. At Denver, the head of rail in 1871, the party organized for its work in the mountains. They travelled by wagon in a circular route to South Park and Colorado City and back to Denver. Like MEAD in 1871 (BROWN, 1956: p.186) they entered the mountains via Turkey Creek and probably spent their first night, that of the 9th-10th, at Junction HOllse on the stage road to Fairplay. For the next few days they proceeded through the rolling pine-dad hills to the South Platte River at Bailey's Ranch, thence along the north bank of the river to Kenosha Pass. From Kenosha Pass they dropped down into the sweeping grasslands of South Park. On the 14th of July they were in camp on Jefferson Creek (p.156) at the west foot of the pass. The exact dates of arrival and departure of the party from Jefferson Creek is not known. They may have arrived as early as the 12th and could have stayed until the morning of the 18th. The next dated locality is Fairplay where the party arrived July 18th (p.lS8). The next eight days were spent in the glacial meadows and spruce-forested slopes of the Platte valley between Fairplay and Hoosier Pass. Apparently the members of the party moved about extensively in this area. On p.lS8 there is a note "July 18 to 23, at Fairplay" and on the following page "a

'Hereafter where solely a page reference is given it refers to this article by ALLEN. 210 BROWN: J. A. ALLEN'S trip Vo1.10: 00.6 week spent 10 the vicinity of Montgomery." Since the party was at Mont gomery on the 24th (p.164) and at Hamilton, a full day's journey away on the 28th (p.159), they must have left Montgomery at the latest on the 27th. This does not allow a week from the last date at Fairplay. The quandry can be resolved if we consider that the party divided at Fairplay to better make use of their limited time in the region. Thus one of the party probably stayed at Fairplay from the 18th to the 23rd while the others moved on to Montgomery on the 19th or 20th. Montgomery is a small mining town, still in existence, in the mouth of Platte Gulch. It lies in a deep glacial valley be tween the sheer north wall of Mount Lincoln and the great rounded ridge that extends westward from Hoosier Pass. The valley floor before it is grassy with a multitude of beaver dams and swamps along the Platte river. Above the grassland is a narrow fringe of alpine forest that soon gives way to the wind-swept barrens above the timber line. Back of Montgomery, up Platte Gulch there is little more than a gallery of willows along the stream and a few hardy alpine conifers scattered on the flanks of the valley. The South Branch of the South Platte has its source in the snow banks at the head of this valley. While here "one excursion was made to the top of Mount Lincoln" (1'.160), where there are "snow fields above timber line" (p.161). Other trips were taken up Platte Gulch and into meadows in the other direction. Next the party turned its back to the "Snowy Range." This must not be confused with the Snowy Range of today that lies west of Laramie, Wyo ming. It is a name applied during the '70's to what we now call the Park Range, which extends from Mount Evans in the Front Range to Mount Lincoln. The trail led back to Jefferson in the northeast corner of SOllth Park and to Hamilton, long since gone. On "July 28th [they were] on the Platte, near the eastern edge of the Park" and visited the brackish lakes near Hamilton (p. 159). By the first of August they had travelled along the Tarryall River, reached Florissant, crossed Hayden's Divide (now simply called Divide) and descended from the mountains via Ute Pass to camp outside of Colorado City near the Garden of the Gods (p. 147). Colorado City now is part of the western section of Colorado Springs that lies across Monument Creek from the center of the city. There they stayed for four days (p.147). While at this camp the party visited Soda Springs, now within the city of Manitou Springs at the mouth of Ute Pass, and collected along the banks of Fontaine-qui-bouit (Jic), today called Fountain Creek. When the camp at the Garden of the Gods was broken the group slowly moved northward to Denver. The first night out was spent on Kettle Creek where it joins Monument Creek. The next day, July 5, they worked their way up Monument Creek with oak chapparal to the west and grasslands to the east to "Summitt Lake (Lake Pass)" (p.152). This placed their camp at what is now called Palmer Lake. Here the east-west ridge of arkose that divides the Arkansas and Platte watersheds joins with the north-south rrending Rampart Range. On the ridge the slopes are clothed with a stiff thicket of scrub oak and a few scattered pines; a few hundred feet to the west on the slopes of the Rampart Range the cover is pine and spruce. Two full days were spent at the lake (p.147). They arrived on the evening of the 5th (p.152) 1956 The Lepidopterists' Nell's 211 and probably left early in the morning on the 8th. 0111 the 7th (EDWARDS, l.c.: p.345) the types of cryJa/us* were taken. Then they went northward along Plum Creek to its junction with the South Platte (p.147). The problem is which Plum Creek, East or West? I have a strong feeling, but that is all, that ALLEN travelled down West Plum Creek. This is es sentially the same route, but in the reverse direction, that was followed by THOMAS SAY on the Long Expedition. The proponents of the East Plum Creek route base their contention on the fact that the tOwn of Castle Rock lies on East Plum Creek and both parties mention Castle Rock. JAMES (1823), in his account of LONG'S Expedition, of which he was botanist, clearly de scribed as "Castle Rocks" what today is known as Dawson Butte. ALLEN (p.151) refers to "Castle Rocks." The present day Castle Rock is singularly single whereas Dawson Butte is rimmed with several castellated formations in the arkose. ALLEN'S route took him past "Blake's Mill on Plum Creek" (p.ISl) and once it is fixed where Blake's Mill once stood the puzzle of West or East Plum Creek will be settled for ALLEN'S itinerary. From Castle Rocks (Dawson Butte ?) the trail of the expedition led to "Bear Creek, about IS miles southwest of Denver, behind the first foot hills" (p.147), Dry Creek, 10 miles south of Denver, and finally the small tOwn of Denver. The expedition reached Denver for the second time on August 13th (p.147) and left for the north by rail on the 16th «), arriving at Cheyenne, Wyoming, the same day. There they spent several days, August 16th to 28th (p.144) and collected in a radius of about 20 miles having visited Crow Creek, about that distance from Cheyenne. During the last days of the month they collected on the "Laramie plains" (p.182). Early in September the party reached Great Salt Lake in Utah. From then until the 8th of October they were in the Salt Lake - Ogden, Utah, area. (p.164) While there they visited and collected specimens around the lake, along Weber River and in Ogden Canyon, climbing "half way up the mountain" near Ogden on the 7th of October (p.169). From the 1st of September onward it is difficult or im possible to assign speci fic dates and localities to the wandering scientists. Someone with time on bis hands and access to the bird skins at the Museum of Comparative Zoology could build a time table from the data tags on the skins. 1 am 2000 miles from that museum or I would have done so. ALLEN and his party headed home on the 8th of October. This they did in a leisurely fashion. Duting October collections were made at Green River, Wyoming, (pp.174-S) and Fort Steele, Wyoming (p.179), about Smiles west of the present town of Wolcott in Carbon County. The old Fort was on the west bank of the North Platte River. Apparemly they spent several weeks in this region for on p.l77 there is a record of Leucosticte tephrocotis Swainson, one of the Rosy Finches, taken in Carbon County in December. Probably it was at this time the party visited the Medicine Bow Mountains (p.178) that lie some miles south and easterly from Wolcott. By December 25th tbe expedition was back in Kansas where for "a period of nearly three weeks, [ they] made . . . a wagon journey of over two hundred and fifty miles.

* Some may consider the date too late for crysalus. I have collected the species at even higher altitude as late as August 30th (BROWN, 1955: p.125). 212 BROWN: J. A. ALLEN'S trip Vo1.10: no.6

The area traversed was nearly fifty miles square, extending westward from Park's Fort Station on the Kansas Pacific Railway, to Grinnell, and from the Smoky River on the south to the headwaters of the Solomon on the north." (December 25, 1871, to January 12, 1872, p.142) The area covered by this reconnaissance today lies in the four central-western counties, Graham, Sheriden, Grove and Trego. This trip closed the field season and the party returned to Boston. The map I drew to accompany my account of MEAD'S travels (BROWN, 1956: p.187) will serve for ALLEN'S route from Denver to Fairplay. The jog in the track just southwest of the symbol for Kenosha Pass is where the road crosses Jefferson Creek, ALLEN'S camp site. The route of the party from Fairplay to Colorado City is today these auto roads: Fairplay to Jefferson, US 285; Jefferson to Lake George, Colo. 77; lake George to Colorado Springs, US 24. The present auto route from Colorado Springs to Denver lies east of ALLEN'S route. State and County tertiary roads follow it more closely. A condensed time table from the data I have at hand which can be greatly enhanced with data on the bird skins at the M. C. Z. follows: May 2 - 11 Fort Leavenworth, Kans. May 11 - 24 Topeka, Kans. May 26 - July 3 Fort Hayes, Kans. July 4 - 8 Denver, Colo. July [9] Turkey Creek, Jefferson Co., Colo. July 14 Jefferson Creek, Park Co.; Colo. July 18 - 23 Fairplay, Colo. July 19 - 24 - [27] Montgomery, Colo. July 28 nr. Hamilton, Colo. August 1 - 4 Colorado City, Colo. August 4 Kettle Creek, EI Paso Co., Colo. August 5 - 7 Lake Pass (Palmer Lake), Colo. August 13 - 16 Denver, Colo. August 16 - 28 vicinity of Cheyenne, Wyo. August [30] Laramie plains, Wyo. September [1]· October 8 vic. of Ogden, Utah. October? - ? Green River, Wyo. October ? - December ? Fort Fred Steele, Carbon Co., Wyo. December 25 - January 12 central west Kansas.

References Allen, J. A., 1872. Notes of an ornithological reconnoisance (sic) of portions of Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Bull. MUJ . Compo Zool. 3: 113-184. Brown, F. M., 1955. Colorado Butterflies, Part Ill, Libytheidre, Riodinidre and Lycrenidre. Proc. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist. 5: 113·1 76. , 1956. Itineraries of the Wheeler Survey Naturalists, 1871 - Theodore 1. Mead. Lepid. News 9: 185·190. Edwards, W. H., 1873. Descriptions of DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA found within the United States. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 4: 343-348 (T. crysalus on pp.344-5). James, Edwin, 1823. Accoll1lt of an Expedition. from Pittsburg to the Rocky Moun taitlS ... from notes of Major Long, Mr. Say, and other gentlemen ... H. C. Carey & 1. Lea, Philadelphia, Penna., in two volumes.

Fountain Valley School, Colorado Springs, Colo., U. S. A.