In 1882, VA Malte-Brun publishes illustrated , France, work in which dozens of pages are devoted to the Hautes-Alpes (history, geography, statistics, administration). In 1887, editor J. Migeon, France publishes a book, also illustrated and aimed at the general public, which are identified in the sights of the various departments.
In these works, the few pages devoted to the Hautes-Alpes are interesting, insofar as they reveal how the high valleys were then collected and presented to readers. Thus, the authors emphasize the isolation of this department, "the less populated" of France and then its consequences: economic development, so there was hampered both by a population too small and especially by the lack of channels communication: "There are five national highways, county roads and 1225 six lanes. None of the rivers are navigable or floatable. " In 1882 the railway line linking Gap Briançon was not yet built. A century later, the isolation of the Hautes-Alpes (which is no longer the least populated department of France) is still not completely broken, although development specialists advocating in vain for years the construction of four-lane roads or highways linking Gap to Briancon and Italy, the valleys of the Romanche, Isère, Rhone.
The main resources of the inhabitants were derived from livestock, mainly of sheep, and operation of some mines. The authors of these works note the reduction of forest areas "The forests there used to have largely disappeared, but the last ten years steps have been taken for afforestation, the main species that compose them are pines, firs, larches and beeches. Among the densest forests, cited the forest and that of Ceillac Marassan, which covers the municipalities of shelter and Needles. According
Malte Brun, there are two curiosities (or scenic spots that attract tourists and recommends a visit) in the Queyras: Hands and Chateau-Ville-Vieille. Needles is "built like an amphitheater on the slope of a hillside foot of which the Guil (...). In front of this town lies the forest Maressant, who was for six centuries (thirteenth to the nineteenth) the subject of a lawsuit between the towns of Needles and shelter. An arbitration award, upheld by the civil court of Briançon and the Court of Appeal of Grenoble has set limits for a stone called Blanchironosus. We still argue about this marker Needle and shelter "(cf." trial between communities "). Château-Ville-Vieille is a "village of 911 inhabitants, divided into two parts. The castle stands on the edge of a cliff that bathes the Guil. Above portal soars high square tower. This castle of feudal origin, is considered the covered way of Briançon.
Sights Queyras, identified in the book by Migeon, are more numerous. This is a Needle "Druid stone known as Peter's profile" in Arvieux "a Benedictine monastery, while ruins and Roman inscription in the hamlet of Escoyères" Château-Ville-Vieille has two cities: "the One, the Château-Queyras, which overlooks the fort of the same name, the other the Old Town, at the confluence of the White and Guil Aquamarine "to Molines en Queyras "a beautiful church, a pilgrimage to the chapel of Saint-Simon, located at 2200 meters, natural needles or scales, terminated by a block marking the height from the ground once" to Ristolas "several lakes unimportant "and" recently unearthed a tomb containing weapons and various objects Celtic "Saint-Veran," the highest village in France, to over 2000 meters elevation. What
hold the authors of these works and partial and approximate what they think need to be communicated to the public, these are curiosities, and the results the work of scholars of the nineteenth century archeology buffs, topography, place names (or the study of place names), epigraphy, inventories. These works form a knowledge dated, which seems to have become obsolete and no longer interested in much of academia today, except as curiosities. The Queyras in , J. Tivollier cites among these scholars A. Albert, JA Chabrand, A. Rochas of Aiglun, J. Novel, Tournier, Fl Valentin.
This beautiful white heron 
