I ' >,/ 

I A, Economic Geology, 45 

hd Irrigation Paper No. 117 Series \ I, Irrigation, 17

I K, Pumping Water, 9

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

ITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

MITE OF NORTH DAKOTA

AND ITS RELATION TO IRRIGATION

BY

A. WILDER

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE 

1905
PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

The publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual Reports; (2) 

Monographs; (3) Professional Papers; (4) Bulletins; (5) Mineral Resources; (6) Water-Supply 

and Irrigation Papers; (7) Topographic Atlas of United States, folios and separate sheets 

thereof; (8) Geologic Atlas of United States, folios thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 

are sold at cost of publication; the others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists 

may be had on application.

The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of subjects 

and the total number issued is large. They have therefore been classified into the following 

series: A, Economic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, Systematic geology and paleontology; 

D, Petrography and mineralogy; E, Chemistry and physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; 

H, Forestry; I, Irrigation; J, Water storage; K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General 

hydrographic investigations; N, Water power; O, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic 

progress reports.

The following Water-Supply Papers are out of stock, and can no longer be supplied: Nos. 

1-16,19, 20, 22, 29-34, 36, 39, 40, 43, 46, 57-65, 75. Complete lists, of papers relating to water supply 

and allied subjects follow. (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS=Water-Supply Paper.)

SBHIBS I IBKIGATION.

WS 2. Irrigation near Phoenix, Ariz., by A. P. Davis. 1897. 98 pp., 31 pis. and maps.

WS 5. Irrigation practice on the Great Plains, by E. B. Cowgill. 1897. 39 pp., 11 pis.

WS 9. Irrigation near Greeley, Colo., by David Boyd. 1897. 90 pp., 21 pis.

WS 10. Irrigation in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, by F. C. Barker. 1898. 51 pp., 11 pis.

WS 13. Irrigation systems in Texas, by W. F. Hutson. 1898. 68 pp., 10 pis.

WS 17. Irrigation near Bakersfleld, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1898. 96 pp., 16 pis.

WS 18. Irrigation near Fresno, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1898. 94 pp., 14 pis.

WS 19. Irrigation near Merced, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1899. 59 pp., 11 pis.

WS 23. Water-right problems of Bighorn Mountains, by Elwood Mead. 1899. 62.pp., 7 pis.

WS 32. Water resources of Porto Rico, by H. M. Wilson. 1899. 48 pp., 17 pis. and maps.

WS 43. Conveyance of water in irrigation canals, flumes, and pipes, by Samuel Fortier. 1901. 

86 pp., 15 pis.

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen Hole quadrangles, Wyoming, 

by G. I. Adams. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis.

WS 71. Irrigation systems of Texas, by T. U. Taylor. 1903. 137 pp., 9 pis.

WS 74. Water resources of the State of Colorado, by A. L. Fellows. 1903. 151 pp., 14 pis.

WS 87. Irrigation in India (second edition), by H. M. Wilson. 1903. 238 pp., 27 pis.

WS 93. Proceedings of first conference of engineers of the reclamation service, with accompanying papers, compiled by F. H. Newell, chief engineer. 1904. 361 pp.

WS 117. The lignite of North Dakota and its relation to irrigation, by F. A. Wilder. 1905.

59 pp., 8 pis. 

The following papers also relate especially to irrigation: Irrigation in India, by H. M. Wilson,

in Twelfth Annual, Part II; two papers on irrigation engineering, by H. M. Wilson, in Thir

teenth Annual, Part III.

SERIES J WATER STORAGE.

WS 33. Storage of water on Gila River, Arizona, by J. B. Lippincott. 1900. 98 pp., 33 pis.

WS 40. The Austin dam, by Thomas U. Taylor. 1900. 51 pp., 16 pis.

WS 45. Water storage on Cache Creek, California, by A. E. Chandler. 1901. 48 pp., 10 pis.

WS 46. Physical characteristics of Kern River, California, by F. H. Olmsted, and reconnaissance 

of Yuba River, California, by Marsden Manson. 1901. 57 pp., 8 pis.

WS 58. Storage of water on Kings River, California, by J. B. Lippincott. 1903. 100 pp., 32 pis.

WS 68. Water storage in Truckee Basin, California-Nevada, by L.H. Taylor. 1902. 90pp., 8 pis.

WS 73. Water storage on Salt River, Arizona, by A. P. Davis. 1903. 54 pp., 25 pis.

WS 86. Storage reservoirs on Stony Creek, California, by Burt Cole. 1903. 62 pp., 16 pis.

WS 89. Water resources of Salinas Valley, California, by Homer Hamlin. 1904. 91 pp., 12 pis.

WS 93. Proceedings of first conference of engineers of the reclamation service, with accompanying papers, compiled by F. H. Newell, chief engineer. 1904. 361 pp.

WS 116. Water resources of Santa Barbara, Cal., by J. B. Lippincott. 1905. pp., 8 pis. 

The following paper also should be noted under this heading: Reservoirs for irrigation, by

J. D. Schuyler, in Eighteenth Annual, Part IV.

[Continued on third page of cover.] 

IER 117 2
(A, Economic Geology, 45 

Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 117 Series« I, Irrigation, 17

I K, Pumping "Water, 9

DEPAETMENT OF THE INTERIOE

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DlEECTOE

THE LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA

AND ITS RELATION TO IRRIGATION

Water Resources Branch,

BY Geological Survey,

Box 3106, Capitol Station

Oklahoma Ciiy, Okla.

F. A. WILDER

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1905
CONTENTS,

Page.

Letter of transmittaL.......--_. ---_-...-. _--._----__---_---------.-.-- 7

Introduction. --.---__.--._.-____.- .__._-__----.-----.----._-----.------- 9

Lignite area in North Dakota --_-.---_----._---_-----------.--_ ......--- 10

Occurrence of the lignite- --___--___----._--__---------.------_--- 11

Thickness of beds._______._____-._.__--..._.....----------.-- 12

Extent of beds.---__-----_-.....--....---_.------------------- 12

Variations in fuel value in a single bed -_.______--__-.__--_-- 12

Variations in fuel value in different beds -._--..----.----.---. 13

Possibility of coal at greater depths ...--..._ ._.--.-.--...-- 13

Popular fallacy in regard to lignite.__-.____---.------_-.-_.- 13

Outputin 1902.--.--..-.---...-......---.-..... ............ . ... 14

Fuel value of North Dakota lignite-. _.-- ..-.-...----.... ... -... ------ 14

Laboratory tests -..-._---.__._____-____._____---__.---.-------------- 15

Chemical properties.- -_..-.--..-_-.-......._--___--._-__-.-- .... 15

Fixed carbon . --...---........--....-... .-.-----...--_....- 15

Volatile matter -....-.........-.._..-.....--..----------..-- 15

Ash ................................................. ....... 15

Sulphur,............ ....................................... 15

Physical properties .--..----.......-......--..--.-..-..-------... 16

Moisture _-.----.--. ..--..-..--..-...-.-.,---...-..----..-- 16

Analyses of samples............. ................................ 17

Deductions _.___-.___.__._..__.___..__ ..................... 19

Practical use ........................ ...........-.,......,.-...-...,- 19

Evaporative tests ... --..--..,---........--..----. -.-.....--,.-. 19

Under natural draft-----.---._--,--------,----.--.-..-- .... 19

Under forced draft .......................................... 21

Methods of burning .----. ,.,......-......--..............,. .... 22

Automatic stokers .......... .______.._.__...____.___ -...,.. 22

Forced draft and arches............. ......... .............. 22

Natural draft........................_........._............. 23

Commercial use ..................... ....................... 23

Pumping water with lignite, by Charles S. Magowan ..................... 24

Duty of water in North Dakota ................................. .. . 24

Centrifugal pumps..................... .............................. 25

Efficiency........................................................ 25

River fiats and lignite---...-.-----.--.-.---.---- ...-..--.-...-.........- 27

Missouri River ........ ................ .._............. ..--....-..... 27

Yellowstone flats .. --..--....--........._....................-.. 27

Area and soil .......... ._____-.____ ........ ._ _ _ _._....... 27

Lignite __________________ ---...-....-.....-...._.....-.-.... 28

Buf ord-Trenton flat ------- ---.--...-....--.......-.---.......... 28

Area and soil __________________________ .........^.......... 28

Lignite --....--.---.----..--.....-...---...-..........-...... 29

Muddy and Missouri River flats at Williston--......'.............. 29

Area and soil ..-.--..---.._.................... ............. 29

Lignite -....--....------..---...-................--...-...... 30

Nesson-Hofflund flats ............_........ .-..-............._... 30

Area and soil -.-----.-.--_-------..-.---...-.....--.......... 30

Water supply...-...,.--..--....-........................,_-. 31

Lignite..----........-........-............................_-. 32

3
 1 CONTENTS.

River flats and lignite Continued. Page. 

Missouri River Continued.

Fort Berthold Agency flats .-._.._.-. _.__ -.......-..--....---- 33

Area and soil___.___ .__.________._____.._____.._._.______.___ 33

Lignite................................ ...................... 33

Old Fort Berthold Agency flat .......... ...-.-......--....-.-... 33

Fort Stevenson flats.........-....'...-.....--.--.--.----....----.. 34

Apple River flats .................................. .............. 34

Big Bend and Shall Creek flats.................... .............. 35

Area and soil ................................................ 35

Lignite .. _____________._._._._____,____---..._--- ._........ 35

Other flats....._..._.............................______________ 36

Little Missouri River ____________.____.__..._____-_.___... .......... 38

Vicinityof Yule ............. ................... .............. 38

Lignite ^ ^............... . __..__ _._._ _.--___-._-..____..... 38

Townships 133 and 138, range 105 _____.__...._... ... - ......... 39

Area .-___.-_..__________.__.__,_._._.__-_._.- -.-....___-... 40

At and below Medora .-.....-....----.-----.------.-.---.----.--. 40

Cherry and South Tobacco Garden creeks -_- __..---...-_--_--. 43

Area and water supply.--...----------.-..---------------..- 43

At and below Fort Berthold..____._._.__.__._____..._--.__.--.... 43

Lignite outcrops. ........................................... .... - 44

Knife River and tributaries ----.-..----..-...--...--...----------.---- 45

Flats-----....-...-..........................-.....-....-....-.-- 45

Knife River ....................................... .-..-.---. 45

Spring Creek .-.----.-....-_...........-._...-------.".--.-..- 45

Farmers Valley-.......--..--_--.... -._------.--.------.---- 45

Lignite outcrops-_..________-____.-.- ...--.----..-.---.---.----- 46

Heart River and tributaries ..-..-..-.--..... ... - - ..-...-..-----.---.- 47

Flats.--.--.-------... .---...--.....--. .-..-.-...-.-.....-.-.. 47

Lignite----______-._________._____--_.____._- -______._.____----- 47

Heart River.....--......--.......-....--..-.....---...------ 47

Green River.--.-------..------.----.--.- -....-.--.-.-.. ... 48

Coalmine Creek _____-...___-._________.-.-_.-. _..-___-._-.. 48

Norwegian Creek ....-...--.-.....-....--.-..--.------------. 48

Cannonball and Cedar rivers and tributaries._----_-__----.--------.-. 48

Cannonball River.--..--....-_..._.---_..------..---.-----...---- 49

Area and soil ---................--....----....-.--------.---- 49

Lignite .................._...............-.-...--. ...... ...... 49

Coalbank Creek.... .......-.........--...---.--..--..----..--.-.- 50

Lignite____-___-__.____.._._____-.___ ......,..------.--..-.- 50

Cedar River --.-.-.-...............---..----.--..--.--------..--- 50

Lignite _._._............. ._ _. .......-----_.--.-...-.-.----- 50

Present status of irrigation in North Dakota._.----..--..-----------..---- 50

Flats partly irrigated ...........-..__.. --...---..-. ..._---_-----.-. 50

Yellowstone flats --.......--....---..-.-...----..--------.-.------ 50

Buford-Trenton flats................--......-.-.-.-..-- .._...... 50

Muddy River flats --.......-...----------..---------.-.---..-.--. 51

Little Knife flats .-........-........-._....---.-.-.-----.-.----.- 52

Nesson-Hofflund flats ......--...----.---.---------..-----..---.-. 52

Hancock flats.--.----..----.--------------.-----.-------------.. 53

Heart River flats .-........-..--------------------.-. -_---.-...-. 53

Recommendations -..._..............._..-..---.--------.---.---..--.-- . 53

Acknowledgments ...............................^........... ............ 54

Index .-.._._._._-.___.____.._.____...__..---._--._------_--------------- 55
ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page

PLATE I. Map of western part of North Dakota,-----....-.-.--.------.--- 9

II. Map of Nesson-Hofflund flats ......... ... ..._-.-..-....--_.--. 30

III. Map of new Fort Berthold Agency flats, Elbowoods, N. Dak...... 32

IV. Map of Fort Stevenson flats. _______.___.___-____-_.._-__._-.- 34

V. A, A 5-foot lignite bed on the Missouri above Coalharbor; B,

Sagebrush flats on the Little Missouri..-..-.-.----..-..-----.- 34

VI. Mapoftheold valley at the Big Bend...................... .... 36

VII. A, An 8-foot lignite bed 8 miles north of Medora; B, An 18-foot

lignite bed 2 miles below Mikkelson.__.__--_.-._. ............ 42

VIII. A, Flats on Little Missouri River near Beaver Creek; B, An 8-foot

bed of lignite on Little Missouri River, above Reed's ranch.... 44 

FIG. 1. Diagram of the lignite beds between Medora and Dickinson, N. Dak. 11

2. Map of flats about old Fort Berthold Agency, N. Dak -....---.-..- 34

3. Section 30 miles south of Medora at 777. ranch, showing lignite

seams..-.-----.--...--.------..-------_----.----.--..--- ...... 41

4. Section showing lignite seams in the bluffs at Medora .. '-........... 42

5. Section at Lehighmine. ..............................--.-.------ 47
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

HYDROGRAPHIC BRANCH, 

Washington, D. C., June 18,1904.

SIR : I have the honor to transmit herewith a report by Prof. F. A. 

Wilder on the lignite of North Dakota and its relation to irrigation, 

and recommend that it be published in the series of Water-Supply 

and Irrigation Papers.

The investigation on which this report was based was carried on 

under the charge of Mr. N. H. Darton as a part of the general 

investigation of the underground-water resources of the western 

portion of the United States. It is thought that the information contained in the paper will be of interest in connection with the underground-water resources of North Dakota.

Very respectfully, F. H. NEWELL.

Chief Engineer. 

Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT,

Director United States Geological Survey.

l
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. I

Scale 

1,0 20 3D 40 50 6.0 miles

102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95 94 93 92 91 90 .89 88 87 8_6 85 84 83, 82.. 81_ 80 79. 78. Jji.JS_ .75

j B\ O T T I \N E A( U

!___ g : l>vT T II N G^E R

101 100 99 98" P7 06 95

 Heavy seams (7 ft. or more) - Dotted lines show old river beds 

LEGEND *Medium seams(4 ft. to 7 ft.) Outlined figures indicate reported seams

 Many seams in one exposure (but less than 4 ft.) ({^Possible locations .for pumping Vi/ plants for irrigation

MAP OF WESTERN PART OF NORTH DAKOTA.
THE LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA AND ITS RELATION

TO IRRIGATION.

By F. A. WILDER.

INTRODUCTION.

The areas most favorably situated for irrigation in North Dakota 

are the broad terraces along the Missouri and its tributaries. These 

streams are deeply intrenched, and it does not seem possible by means 

now available to raise water from them a vertical distance of from 

150 to 400 feet over the bluffs that rather sharply bound the broad 

valleys.

When the Yellowstone enters the State it has a fall per mile of 

only 2.7 feet, while the Missouri's gradient for an equal distance is 

about 2 feet. A fall of 1 foot per mile is necessary to carry water in 

an irrigating ditch, so that to raise water 40 feet above the Missouri 

would require a ditch 40 miles long. The tributaries of the Missouri 

have gradients somewhat higher, but the flats along them are cut up 

by the meandering of the streams, and conditions are not favorable 

for long lateral ditches or extensive reservoirs.

On account of the fertile terraces in the valleys of the streams, 

ranging from 15 to 100 feet in elevation above water level, and the 

abundance of lignite along them, it seemed desirable to consider the 

possibility of irrigating the 250,000 acres included in the stream 

terraces by pumping from the rivers directly, using lignite as fuel. 

The lignite area, therefore, has been studied, and the nature of the 

lignite beds investigated. Practical tests have been made to determine the value of this material as fuel for generating steam, and computations have been made to ascertain, at least in a rough way, the 

cost of irrigating river flats which are less than 100 feet above the 

streams. The Missouri and its tributaries in North Dakota have 

been followed, and the extent and elevation of the river flats and the 

amount and quality of the lignite near them have been noted.

If only a small fraction of the western part of the State is under 

irrigation, the productiveness of the whole region will be greatly 

increased. Every river valley contains land which may be considered 

with reference to irrigation possibilities. With a few acres which 

can be watered at will, and abundant range for cattle in the broken

9
10 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

or rolling land back of the valley, ten families, by combining farming 

with cattle raising, will prosper where one finds a living now. These 

conditions will lay a sure foundation for the dairying industry, which 

should be one of the foremost of the State.

LIGNITE AREA IN NORTH DAKOTA.

While thin beds of lignite have been recognized in the eastern part 

of the State and have been previously described,0 the only workable 

beds east of the center of the State are in the Turtle Mountains and 

at the southern bend of the Sheyenne River, about 25 miles southeast 

of Valley City, the Turtle Mountains being an outlier of the lignite 

area proper. The region in which lignite may reasonably be expected 

to be found, and which is discussed in this bulletin, may be roughly 

bounded on the east by 'a line beginning at the northern boundary of 

the State, 30 miles east of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. 

Marie Railway, and extending southeast to Harvey, thence south 

through Steele to the southern boundary. More careful study, aided 

by well borings, which will doubtless be made as the country is settled, will perhaps shift this line at certain points 30 or 40 miles east 

or west. On the north, south, and west the lignite continues beyond 

the boundaries of the State. This region is of very great extent, 

having an area equal to half of that of the State of Ohio.

It is highly probable that lignite does not exist in beds of workable 

thickness in every part of this region, but it is equally probable that 

the fraction of the area lacking lignite in beds of three or more feet 

in thickness is a small one, not more than one-fifth of the whole. In 

the southeastern portion of the area, about the lower part of Cannonball River, thick beds seem to be lacking. Where heavy beds are 

present, all may not be available, either on account of depth or some 

difficulty in mining, and throughout the eastern portion of the region 

they are so thoroughly concealed by glacial drift that without a 

knowledge of the underlying formations and of the surrounding 

country their existence would be unsuspected.

The restriction of the term lignite area to the region in which 

workable beds of lignite are found greatly simplifies the stratigraphic 

series and limits this section to a consideration of the Laramie and the 

glacial drift.

The Laramie, which is the latest stage of the Cretaceous, contains 

all of the workable lignite in North Dakota. Early students of the 

field referred part of the lignite beds to the " Fort Union " on paleontologic grounds. Reasons for retaining the distinction have not

0 ITpham, Warren, The glacial Lake Agassiz : Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 25, 1895, 

p. 92.
WILDEE.] OCCURRENCE. 11

seemed adequate, and the effort may well be abandoned. The Laramie 

is found over the region previously outlined as the lignite area, 

though its eastern border is buried, often deeply, by glacial drift. 

The difference in elevation of its deposits actually exposed within 

the State is at least 1,400 feet. Its greatest thickness, shown with 

certainty by the well at Medora to. be more than 2,000 feet, occurs in 

the western part of the State, while its vertical extent gradually 

decreases toward the east till at the edge of the Coteau du Missouri 

it drops off sharply, beyond which it continues as a relatively thin 

series. The Laramie consists of clays, sands, sandstone, lignite, and 

thin bands of hematite, clay ironstone, and shaly limestone.

OCCURRENCE OF THE LIGNITE.

The numerous natural exposures of lignite in the driftless area and 

the remarkably fine opportunity to study the Laramie strata given 

by the badlands make it possible to draw, 

even from a preliminary study of the 

region, rather far-reaching conclusions 

in regard to the nature of the lignite 

beds. Five well-developed beds outcrop in the bluffs of the Little Missouri 

at Medora and may be traced for miles 

both north and south of this point. 

Along the Missouri south of Williston 

five or six beds show in a single section 

and can be traced for long distances, 

while on the Fort Berthold Reservation 

nine well-developed beds occur in a single exposure. The wells at Medora and 

Dickinson, a record of which is given in 

fig. 1, show an even greater number of 

beds. Near the eastern edge of the lig 

nite area the number of beds is greatly 

reduced, but even here two or three 

exist at certain points, though generally 

but one is workable.

On account of the nature of the beds, 

considered in a later paragraph, their 

number does not remain constant 

through large areas, and it is possible.

though hardly probable, that at a few localities in the heart of the lignite area a prospect hole might pass completely through the Laramie, 

and not encounter a single lignite bed. This variation in number

ZStf

7'

Depth 945 re

FIG. 1. Diagram of lignite beds between Medora and Dickinson, N. 

Dak., by N. H. Darton.
12 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

and thickness of beds, often within comparatively short distances, 

will be a factor of great practical importance in opening up on a 

large scale a new lignite field. In the first place, it will increase the 

number of prospect holes that must be sunk to determine the amount 

of available coal in a given area. To offset this, however, are a number of conditions which make prospecting unusually easy.

Thickness of beds. The lignite beds in North Dakota vary in thickness from an inch to 40 feet. This maximum thickness, which was 

carefully measured in the summer of 1902, occurs at an outcrop in sec. 

31, T. 135, R. 101, which will be described in connection with the lignite on Little Missouri Eiver. Three beds that reach a thickness of 

25 feet are known, while beds 15 feet thick are not uncommon. In 

the western part of the State beds 2 and 3 feet thick are so common 

that in this report it is not practicable to note them minutely.

Extent of beds. As important from an economic point of view as 

their thickness is the question of their persistence laterally. Attention was directed to this point, and the elevation of beds was noted in 

order to correlate, if possible, the beds exposed at one point with those 

at another. Generally such a correlation of beds distant from one 

another a number of miles was impossible on account of variations in 

thickness and elevation. While a single bed was often traced for 5 

or 6 miles along the banks of the Little Missouri, another seen at the 

same time might thin out and give place to others above or belowT . 

The interrupted bed might begin again farther 011 after a break of 

half a mile or more, the lignite meanwhile being replaced by a 

bituminous or a nearly pure clay. The deduction, which early in the 

work seemed true, that certain horizons in the Laramie are much richer 

in lignite than others was not borne out by later observations. For a 

given locality the statement holds good, but a horizon which 

abounds in lignite at one point may be barren in another. A striking 

instance of the rapid thinning out of a bed is given by the 40-foot 

bed already referred to, which within one-fourth of a mile decreases 

to 17 feet, the top and bottom drawing together like the surfaces of 

a lense. Sufficient work has been done at one point near Minot to 

demonstrate the persistence of a thick bed beneath the greater part 

of a township, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. 

N. II. Darton has suggested a correlation of the beds encountered in 

the wells at Medora and Dickinson, but as the distance between these 

points is 39 miles, and lignite'beds vary so greatly in order and continuity, the identity of the beds can not be established.

Variations in fuel value in a single bed. A majority of the beds 

examined and tested show no great difference in fuel value from top 

to bottom. In some instances, however, the differences in the com-
WILDER.] OCCUERENCE. 13

position of the lignite in a given bed are considerable. Not infrequently the upper foot or two are inferior, and are left for roof in 

mining. The loss in this case is not as great as might be expected, 

for it is often more economical to leave coal for a roof than to timber. 

When the lignite lies directly under the glacial drift, as at the 

Hanchett mine, 10 miles southwest of Velva, the upper portion shows 

deterioration. Shaly layers sometimes occur, which if mixed with 

the coal from the rest of the bed raise the percentage of ash for the 

whole very considerably. Sulphur in any form is present commonly 

only in traces. Iron nodules, which prove so annoying to the operator of mining machines in the East, do not occur in the lignite, 

and there are no hindrances to the use of drills and undercutting 

machinery.

Variations in fuel value in different beds. The chemical analyses 

of TO samples from as many beds, given on pages IT and 18, throw light 

on the fuel value of lignites from as many parts of the State. Samples were not taken from beds that were obviously too thin or too 

impure to be of economic value, but, on the other hand, all analyses 

made are given, whether favorable to the lignite or not. The lignites 

taken as a whole will probably average better than the samples 

analyzed indicate, for in many cases fresh material could not be 

obtained, and the weathering on the surface of a natural exposure is 

sufficient to lessen the carbon values for some feet from the surface. 

In the discussion which follows, lignites which are reported as good 

have between 40 and 50 per cent of fixed carbon and not more than 

8 per cent of ash.

Possibilities of coal at greater depths. There are no theoretical 

considerations to support the rather common notion that at greater 

depths a higher grade of coal exists. The analyses of the coals found 

by the railroads in the deep drillings in the western part of the State 

have not been examined, but as these borings wrere made some years 

ago and no development work has followed, the inference seems fair 

that bituminous coal in significant quantities was not found.

A popular fallacy in regard to lignite. The belief so often expressed that lignite beds outcropping on slopes are certain to thicken 

is hard to account for. While in many cases the beds doubtless thicken 

away from the outcrop, the reverse will as often prove true. The 

lignite beds being in general lens-like, it is impossible without drilling to determine whether the c utcrop represents a ;section near the 

edge of the lens or across the center. If the outcrop represents a 

section near the edge of the lens the lignite will thicken as the drift 

goes into the hill or bank till the center of the lens is reached, while 

if it is across the center the lignite will become thinner.
14 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. 

OUTPUT OF LIGNITE IN 1902.

[NO. 117.

Following is a summary of the output of the lignite of North 

Dakota mines in 1902:

Summary, by counties, of lignite output for 1902.

County.

Billings _ . _ . . _____________

Burleigh _ _ . . ---_.-.________

Emmons _______ ..............

Mercer ........................

Morton --...... _ ...... ...

McLean ....... _. ... .

Oliver.--..---..-......... . .

Stark .........................

Ward.........................

Total....................

Loaded at 

mine for 

shipment.

Short 

tons.

120, 000

30, 000

45, 000

57, 800

Sold to 

local 

trade.

Short 

tons.

5,000

10, 000

1,000

3,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

10, 000

19, 000

3,000

Total 

product.

Short 

tons.

5,000

130, 000

1,003

3,000

35, 000

4,000

3,000

55, 000

76, 800

3,000

315, 800

Total value.

$4, 000

169, 000

2,750

2,400

45, 000

5,200

2,400

66, 000

107, 520

24, 000

428, 270

Average 

spot 

value 

per ton.

$0.80

1.30

2.75

.80

1.30

1.30

.80

1.20

1.40

.80

FUEL VALUE OF NORTH DAKOTA LIGNITE.

The fuel value of a given lignite will vary considerably with the 

conditions under which, and the purpose for which, it is used. In 

one connection it may be esteemed highly and in another have no 

value at all. Out of this fact grows the diversity of opinion in 

regard to a number of well-known lignites of the State. A lignite 

whose value as a steam coal is very high may not prove suitable for 

certain kinds of stoves. An actual case will serve well for illustration. In two localities lignite from seams that are high in ash, 

due to admixture of clay, are highly valued for heating purposes, 

because the clay enables them to stand up well and prevents slacking. Judged by ordinary standards these lignites are very inferior. 

These recognized standards are: The amount of fixed carbon and 

the percentage of ash that the lignite contains, the result given by the 

calorimeter, and the amount of water that a given amount of lignite 

will evaporate. Of the three tests the last is the most satisfactory. 

The lignites have been tested in accordance with these, as well as in 

a variety of practical ways, and a brief statement of results is 

appended.
WILDER.] FUEL VALUE. 15

LABORATORY TESTS. 

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF LIGNITE.

Fixed carbon. The average amount of fixed carbon in 26 samples 

of North Dakota lignite analyzed in 1900, when thoroughly dried, 

was 52 per cent. Sixty samples, after thorough drying, gave 51.21 

per cent of fixed carbon. Compilations of analyses of 41 samples 

of West Virginia bituminous coal show 67.16 per cent of fixed 

carbon; 22 samples of the better grades of semibituminous dry coals 

of Maryland show 75.99 per cent; and 26 samples of dry bituminous 

coal from Pennsylvania show 67.97 per cent. Judged by the fixed 

carbon alone the heating power of North Dakota lignite is 76 per 

cent of that of West Virginia bituminous, 65.9 per cent of that of 

Maryland semibituminous, and 74.4 per cent of that of Pennsylvania bituminous. These figures show that the North Dakota lignites rank far above the coals that are the average representatives of 

this class.

With respect to fixed carbon, the lignite of North Dakota appears 

to be equal to the product of the Western Interior coal field (which 

includes Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas). According to a recent United 

States Geological Survey report," the amount of fixed carbon in 12 

samples from the Western Interior field, computed on a dry basis, 

averages about 50 per cent. These coals, however, have a somewhat 

higher evaporative power than the lignites.

Volatile matter. -The average amount of volatile matter, exclusive 

of water, computed from 60 analyses of different lignite coals, is 

35.63 per cent. When the fixed carbon alone is considered as determining the fuel value of a coal the worth of the volatile matter is 

overlooked. Under proper conditions these gases may be made to 

develop a great deal of heat, and no appliances which aim at an 

economical combustion of lignite can afford to disregard them.

Ash. The percentage of ash in the 60 samples is generally low, 

the average amounting to 8.5 per cent. By deducting 4 inferior 

samples, the average will be lowered to 7.5 per cent. Compared 

with coals of the Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas region, lignites are 

notably purer. In the ash from some North Dakota coals there is a 

tendency to form clinkers, due to the presence of clay, but generally 

the lignite burns like wood, leaving a gray powdery residue.

Sulphur. The percentage of sulphur in the lignites is usually

0 Bain, H. Foster, Western Interior coal field : Twenty-second Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. 

Survey, pt. 3, 1902, pp. 333-366.

IBS 117 05 M 3
16 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. I NO. 117.

low much lower than in most bituminous coals. The following 

samples are fairly representative:

Percentage of sulpJiur in North Dakota Mgnites.

Per cent. 

Lehigh mine ___ _ _ _ _______ __________ _ _ __________ 0. 88

Washburn mine______________________ _______________ . 91

Forty-foot vein, Billings County_________________-_________ 1.10 

Electric mine, Kenmare __________________________.._____ .08

Davis mine (Mouse River Lignite Company)___ _____ ______ .35

The sulphur in these analyses was determined in dry coal, which 

brings the percentage one-fourth higher than for lignite fresh from 

the mine. A yellow powder composed of calcium sulphate and iron 

oxide of ten-occurs in the upper part of lignite seams and in color 

and texture resembles sulphur.

The average of 60 tests shows that the lignite contains 35.66 per 

cent of volatile matter and about 30 per cent of moisture. Several 

service tests of lignite show it to have an evaporative power of 

4.2 pounds of water from and at 212° F. per pound of fuel. This 

amount is below the average test, but it is the amount used in computations for fuel value, and^ is 75 per cent of that of Iowa coal and 70 

per cent of that of the Missouri product.

PHYSICAL PKOPERTTES OF LIGNITE.

Moisture. In a far larger measure than is the case with bituminous coal, the physical properties of lignite must be kept in mind in 

considering its fuel value. A series of analyses subsequently quoted 

shows that lignite fresh from the mine contains 30 per cent of moisture, in which respect samples taken from various parts of the State 

differ but slightly. When shipped under ordinary conditions and 

in the usual manner, the lignite reaches the engine room with nearly 

all of its moisture. Small samples that are more or less exposed to 

the air for two months reach the laboratory with from 10 to 20 per 

cent of moisture, as shown by the following tables, which give analyses of specimens in which no special effort was made to prevent 

drying.

The expense of shipping this moisture and its effect on the heating 

properties of the lignite are points worthy of careful study and experiment. The general opinion of those burning lignite is that if 

the lignite, in drying, did not fall to pieces, becoming so fine that it 

was apt to go through the grates, there would be great economy in 

burning it after drying, and that in those devices where powdered 

or fine coal is used the dry lignite presents a material saving over the 

" green." Theoretically, it would seem that this should be the case, 

for the heat necessary to volatilize the 30 per cent of moisture would 

be saved, and there is no apparent reason for a material loss of the 

volatile gases in drying.
WILDER.] FUEL VALUE. 17

In any case, if the coal could be dried before shipping and economically burned after drying, the freight charges would be reduced 

nearly one-third.

The so-called slacking of lignite is the process of crumbling that 

it undergoes when drying. It probably loses none of its fuel value 

in consequence, and there is probably a gain in this respect due to 

the absence of the moisture. Special conditions are necessary, however, to burn this fine coal advantageously, the danger being that it 

will fall through the grate or be blown out through the stack.

ANALYSES OF SAMPLES OF LIGNITE.

Analyses of lignite fresh from mine. 

[Fixed carbon, volatile matter, and ash computed on dry basis.]

Mine and location.

Mouse River Lignite Co., Burlington: 

4 feet from bottom .......................

Top ..............---..- ................

Lower 20 inches- - .----.--......-----.-.-.

Electric mine, Kenmare: 

4 feet from floor. _________________________

3 feet from floor _ .----.-.............--...

Bottom

Top ---...-..._.........-...-..-.--.----.

Diamond mine, Kenmare: 

Top ..--.-----..-....--.-.------.-......-

Lower 18 inches . . . . . -.-______--._-.__..

Dakota Lignite and Brick Co. , near Burlington .

Smith-Kenmare Dry Coal Co.:

Next to roof ..................... .....^.

Washburn mine, at Wilton ..................

On Heart River, near Dickinson .....-..-.--..

Consolidated Coal Co. , New Salem ._.........

Fixed 

carbon.

51.28

46.42

47.36

52.96

57.95

59.19

56.58

56.87

52.98

56.82

56.97

55.61 

57.66

55.55

52.30

55.25

50.47

51.62

55.89

54.93

46.89

60.49

53.86

Volatile 

matter.

35.83

32.60

42 14

38.93

34.41

36.56

34.44

36.58

37.24

33.77

36.28

40.08 

38.22

36.79

39.90

33.50

39.21

43.18

37.50

38.75

38.23

38.31

41.66

Ash.

11.89

20.98

10.50

8.11

7.64

4.25

6.98

6.55

9.78

9.41

6.75

4.30 

4 12

7.67

7.80

11.25

10.32

5.21

6.61

6.32

14.88

1.20

4.48

Moisture.

32.00

30.00

29.40

34.70

32.90

35.00

34.80

34.80

33.00

33.00

33.60

23.40 

33.60

33. 20

32.00

32.60

30.29

34.30

30.91

31.82

27 82

14.25

27.48
LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Analyses of lignite partly dried. 

[Fixed carbon, volatile matter, and ash computed on dry basis.]

Mine and location.

Sample from Beaver Creek, E.Williams County 

Sample from Dry Fork Creek ................

Outcrops near agency at Elbo woods ... _

Ed Hall's mine, near Fort Berthold Agency. _ _ 

Anderson mine, Stanley _ _ _ _ .-..__--._._----.

Jones mine, 16 miles southwest of Balfour 

Missouri River, west of White Earth River. _- 

Rose Hill mine, 15 miles southwest of Balfour. 

Opening, 8 miles north of White Earth --....

F. F. Alger mine, Stanley. Ward County

Pleasant Valley mine, Shell Creek .... .......

Sikes mine on the Little Knife ..------_-.---.

Badlands, 6 miles east of Fort Berthold _ - _ . _ .

Boyds mine, sec. 17, T. 152, R. 94. ............

Nesson opening . ...... ........ ............

Williams opening, 5 miles south of White 

Earth. ............ .........................

Gille- Miller mine _ . _ _ . - ... -...__-....--...

Sorenson mine. sec. 32, T. 162, R. 92 ..........

Pony Gulch mine, 16 miles southwest of Harvey ........................................

Leigh Ericson, Donny brook . . ......... ...

Lloyd Mining Co ....-.---..... ..... . . . . . .

Scribner's mine... .._....... ...... .... .

Drift, near railroad bridge near Burlington . _ . 

Turtle G-ulch mine, sec. 14, T. 152, R. 81. ......

Wm. Lacy' s land, Coal Harbor -.... --.._ .

Hanchett mine, southwest of Velva. ..........

Coal Canyon, 30 miles south of Medora. . .

J. C. G-amel's ranch, sec. 20, T. 133, R. 104. ... 

Sentinel Butte, Billings County . ............

From 777 ranch on Little Missouri .-.-------..

Forty-foot seam, sec. 31, T. 135, R. 101 _ _....__

Lower vein on Missouri River, 3 miles south 

of Williston. ............ _._.____.____.__

Twelve-foot seam, 3 miles east of Williston.__ 

Heaton's land, sec. 29, T. 145, R. 80. ..........

Coal Lake mine, sec. 22, T. 146, R. 82. ..... . . _

Reiss mine, New England ...... ______________

Average ..... .........................

Fixed 

carbon.

57.97 

48.99

57.29

51.41 

50.95

53.77 

51.60 

53.11 

56.51

49.63

55.09

47.55

47. 38

55.18

60.38

44.49

60.12

60. 95

51.66

59.75

58.23

56.61

56.57

53.78

53.43

53.60

52.47

55.90

48.04

43.47

51.79

50.65

54.38 

54.59

55.73

53.03

56.61

51.21

Volatile 

matter.

38.34 

35.81

37.29

35.16

38.40

37.72 

43.04 

38.81 

36.94

35. 57

39.89

42.68

42.75

37.85

36.09

31.59

34.19

34.12

36.72

35.14

33.13

36.87

38.01 

37.20

39.14

40.14

38.57

37.59 

42.67

34.55

38.69

36.15

36.37 

39.49

38.74

38.39

35.71

35.63

Ash.

3.69 

15.19

4.76

13.43 

16.65

8.51 

5.36 

8.08 

6.55

14.80

5.02

9.77

9.87

6.97

3.53

23.92

5.69

4.93

11.62

5.11

8.64

12.52

5.42 

9.02

7.43

6.16

8.96

6.51 

9.29

21.98

9.52

13.20

9.15 

5.92

5.53

8.58

7.68

8.50

Moisture.

18.13 

16.26

19.97

17.63 

20.36

21.73 

13.33 

18.08 

17.76

16.80

17.06

16.03

14.64

17.63

19.97

17.02

18.39

19.42

19.16

19.50

17.08

16.23

17.46

20.02

18.51

16.69

16.79

18.24 

18'. 99

14.54

13.70

10.56

11.25 

11.04

11.23

24.46

21.56

Number of samples in Tables I and II, 60.
WILDER.]

Wm

FUEL VALUE. 19

Deductions. The method of analysis employed differs from that 

commonly used for lignites, for the percentage of moisture is first 

computed and then, after the moisture has been expelled, the amount 

of the other constituents is determined. The percentage of fixed 

carbon, volatile matter, and ash is made somewhat higher than when 

the undried coal is analyzed. The practical difficulty in bringing the 

lignite to the laboratory without partly drying, however, makes it 

much more desirable to compute composition on a dry basis.

Even when allowance is made for this method of computation the 

percentage of fixed carbon is high enough, if this alone is considered, 

to remove these coals from the lignites and place them with the semibituminous or steam coals. The content of water, however, about 30 

per cent, keeps them in the former class.

PRACTICAL USE.

EVAPORATIVE TESTS.

More satisfactory than either chemical or calorimetric tests are 

practical evaporative tests carried on with boilers of standard patterns. A number of such tests have been made, and in some cases 

eastern coal also has been tested in the same boilers and under practically the same conditions, so that, knowing the price of each coal 

at the point given, it is possible to determine definitely the economy 

resulting from use of lignite.

Tests under natural draft. The following test was made at the 

asylum for the insane at Jamestown by Chief Engineer Thomas Pettigrew, whose careful study of proper methods for burning lignite has 

greatly advanced the lignite industry.

Test of lignite at insane asylum at Jamestown, N. Dak. 

[Date of test: Youghiogheny coal, August 6,1894; lignite coal, August 8,1894.]

Duration of test ______________ .._._....__ . . . _ . _ hours. .

Ash ----..-----.--...--..--.------.--....-.---_ - .per cent. _

Coal burned per square foot of grate per hour- . . . . pounds. _

Water evaporated in pounds per pound of coal actual conBoiler 6 feet in diameter by 16 feet long, with 30 4|-inch 

flues; grate surf ace, 4 feet 5 inches by 5 feet; coal 3 days

Youghiogheny coal.

7i

74

1,400

1,243

11.31

8.29 

8,837

6.312

7.1

510

$1.00

Lignite 

coal.

8

74

3,370

3,170

5.93

18.72 

14, 157

4.2

4.46

510

$0. 665
20 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

The cost of Youghiogheny lump at Jamestown was $6.80 per ton 

and of lignite $2.80.

Test of Lehigh lignite made by the Missouri Valley Milling Company at Mandan,

N. Dak.

Duration of test............ -..-_....--......-......--.....-_...hours.. 11

Kind of furnace....--..-..-...-.....-......---...........-....-. Smith-White.

Grate surface-.-----.-..----._-_................._......-.square feet.. 30

Width of air space in grate _____________________________________ .inch- - i

Water-heating surface ..--....--........-...........--... .square feet.. 1,549

Ratio of water-heating surface to grate surface..------._--.---.----..-- 51 to 1

Average steam pressure_----__.-_____._______________._____._._______-. 104

Average temperature of feed water entering boiler .............._- c F-_ 175

Total coal fed to furnace..-....-.-.-..-.--.-.-..-..--.-----... pounds.. 12,221

Moisture in coal -.------.----.............__-.....-.---....-. per cent.. 23

Coal consumed per square foot of grate per hour.........-..--.pounds.. 37

Cost of coal delivered at mill per ton ................................... $1.60

Total cost of coal...................................................... $9.77

Total weight of water fed to boiler .............-..----..-.....pounds.. 56,350

Water evaporated per hour from and at 212° F...---------......- .do.... 5,554

Horsepower developed ................................................. 163

Cost of fuel for evaporating 1,000 pounds of water...................... $0.1734

Average horsepower of engine -----.....--..-.-.-..--.--..---..--.--..- 190

Cost per horsepower per hour ..........................................^. 0047

The mill has a capacity of 450 barrels of flour per day, and the cost 

of fuel, when lignite is burned, per barrel of flour ground is 4.46 cents.

Test of Wilton lignite coal in the Fargo-Edison Company's plant at Fargo, 

N. Dak., January 9, 1901.

Duration of test___________ __________________hours 12 

Boilers used: Two 16 feet by 72 inches tubular, one 200-horsepower Heine

water tube. 

Total heating surface _____________________square feet_ 4,823

Total grate surface________ __..__________________do__ 88 

Average steam pressure__________.______ ____ pounds 83

Average temperature of feed water____-____________ _ - °F 140

Total weight of coal fired__________-__________pounds 26,400 

Cost of coal per ton of 2,000 pounds at boilers_________________ $2. 60 

Total cost of coal_________-_____________- -__--____ $34.32 

Total weight of water pumped into boilers and apparently evaporated___ ________ _____ __. ______________pounds 97, 500

Water evaporated per pound of coal from average pressure and temperature ___. ___ _ ______________ -___ - __-__pounds 3. 7 

Equivalent evaporation from and at 212° F___ __ do 4.1 

Coal burned per square foot of grate per hour _ do 25 

Cost of fuel to evaporate 1,000 pounds of water $0. 352 

Moisture in coal___________ __-__ per cent 30

Refuse in coal__________ ___ do 3i
Wtn. A, La

WILDER.] FUEL VALUE. 21

Boiler test of lignite at North Dakota Agricultural College, March 8, 1902.

Duration of test___.._______________.____hours_- 8.5

Average atmospheric pressure____________________inches_ 28.5

Gage pressure_______________________ ___________pounds__ 73. 8

Temperature of feed water______________________°F__ 144

Kind of fuel_.._______________________"White ash" lignite.

Moisture in coal____________________________per cent_ 36

Description of boiler: Common fire tubular boiler, with 62 flues, 3 inches

in diameter, 16 feet long; diameter of shell, 60 inches. 

Water-heating surface _________________ ._____square feet_ 962

Ratio of water-heating surface to grate surface________________ . 025

Coal burned ___«_____________________________pounds 3,907

Unburned fuel .___________________ ____________ None.

Average coal burned in fifteen minutes____________pounds_ 144.91

Total refuse from coal_______________________do__ 168

Total combustible___-__________________-_______do____ 2,314.5

Average combustible for fifteen minutes____________do__ 68.05

Quality of steam (saturated stearn taken as unity)____-_per cent_ 0. 97 

Total water pumped into the boiler_________________pounds__ 1,236.5 

Water apparently evaporated per pound of fuel burned__________ 3.16

Water actually evaporated, corrected from moisture________pounds_ 11,994

Equivalent water evaporated into dry steam from and at 212° F_do__ 13, 228 

Equivalent evaporation into dry steam from and at 212° F. per pound of 

dry coal burned__.._______ ____________. ____pounds__ 3.385

Coal burned per square foot of grate surface per hour______do__ 18. 38 

Water evaporated from and at 212° F. per square foot of heating surface _____________________________.pounds 1. 606

Equivalent evaporation into dry steam per pound of combustible. _____ 5. 68 

Average ash____________-___ ____ _____per cent 9. 03

Combustible _________________________________do__ 90. 97

Gas analysis:

CO2 ______________________________________do__ 7 

O______________________________.._______do__ 6 

CO______________________________________do__ 1.05 

Test conducted by Lewis Larson.

In the foregoing tests natural draft only was used.

Test under forced draft. On November 17, 1902, a preliminary 

test of lignite coal from the mine of the Kenmare Coal Company 

was made under boilers No. 1 and No. 3 of the State University 

heating plant. During the winter of 1904 more elaborate tests were 

made under boilers provided with lignite fire-brick arches and under 

boilers without arches, which it is hoped will settle the disputed 

question as to the real worth of these arches. For the test given 

below a steam calorimeter was not available, and the water fed to 

the boiler is assumed to have been evaporated. The boilers are 

tire tubular; diameter of shell, 54 inches. Each contains forty-eight 

1.6-foot flues, with inside diameter of 3-| inches, and each contains 

841.76 square feet of heating surface. They are provided with the
22 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. rNO. 117.

lignite fire-brick arches, and the test was made under forced draft 

from a fan.

Test of lignite at State University.

Duration of test_______________________________hours 12J 

Percentage of moisture as shown by four days' drying- __per cent 10 

Percentage of ash_____________________________do__ 7.828

Evaporated per pound of fuel from and at 212° F.______pounds_ 4.307

Evaporated per pound combustible (coal minus ash and water) from 

and at 212° F_______________________________pounds__ 5.242

With boiler and grate conditions about like those used in the test 

at the asylum for the insane, already quoted, three Iowa coals tested 

at Des Moines gave per pound of coal a water evaporation from and 

at 212° F. of 5.44, 5.21, and 6.52 pounds, respectively. Four standard 

Missouri coals gave 6.84, 6.27, 6.23, and 5.86 pounds, respectively, 

Comparing the results obtained from lignite with these taking the 

evaporative powers of lignite at 4.2 pounds, which is conservative 

the lignite appears to be worth 75 per cent of the Iowa coal and 70 per 

cent of the Missouri.

METHODS OF BURNING.

Automatic stokers. In plants where considerable quantities of 

lignite are used automatic stokers with forced drafts give most satisfactory results. At the Fargo-Edison electric plant at Fargo stokers which burn the refuse from the Washburii mine, which consists 

of the cuttings of the mining machines and the fine coal incidental 

to blasting, are in successful operatic.; and demonstrate clearly the 

ability of lignite to compete with eastern coal in the Red River Valley. The lignite, varying in size from dust to fragments of half a 

pound weight, is shoveled into hoppers and fed into the furnace by 

a screw 8 or 9 inches in diameter, the flanges being 6 inches apart. 

Forced draft is introduced into the ash pit. The cost of firing is 

greatly reduced and the fires are exceedingly uniform. Other forms 

of stokers are doubtless practical.

When an economic method of drying the lignite before shipping 

from the mine is found it will be possible to save 30 per cent of the 

freight. With automatis stokers, the reduction of the lignite to fragments in the process of drying will be advantageous.

Forced draft and arches. On account of the gases, volatile at a 

moderate temperature, that lignite contains, special devices have 

been introduced in furnaces intended for its consumption, by which 

these gases shall be promptly raised to the temperature necessary 

to secure their complete combustion. For this purpose there is often 

built over the front of the fire box an arch of fire brick, which, 

becoming intensely hot, secures the combustion of the gases that come
WILDER.] FUEL VALUE. 23

in contact with it. That it is useful for this purpose there can be 

no question. The question remains as to whether it adds to the efficiency of the coal, since it shuts off a portion of the boiler from direct 

contact with the fire and interferes with firing, when fuel is fed with 

a shovel. To a certain extent the bricks themselves conduct heat 

to the boiler. The value of these arches is not fully demonstrated 

and the cost of their installation is considerable.

Forced draft is convenient if the plant is large, but lignite is giving 

excellent results in a number of plants where natural draft only 

is used. With forced draft a short stack is sufficient, and this saving over the construction of a tall chimney is often enough to pay 

for the installation of the fan. The forced draft is introduced into 

the center of the ash pit and there caused to spread out, so that it 

reaches all parts of the grate uniformly. Induced draft is not recommended for any purpose in connection with lignite, though a combination of forced and induced drafts seems to solve satisfactorily 

certain difficulties in burning brick.

Natural draft. Very satisfactory results are being obtained 'with 

lignite and natural draft at the Minot electric-light plant, the Kenmare roller mill, and similar institutions throughout the State. With 

natural draft a large boiler and grate surface are desirable, though 

not absolutely essential, and more experience in firing lignite is necessary. The fires should not be allowed to fall off, for if green lignite 

is thrown into the furnace when the steam is falling, it acts like a 

blanket, and temporarily smothers the fire. Fuel should be added 

when the fire is high and by the time the steam gage begins to drop 

the fresh lignite has been dried and is ready to burn. It is a good 

plan to fire but one side of the furnace at a time.

Commercial use. Two large flouring mills, at Mandan and Jamestown, use lignite exclusively for fuel. The plant of the Russell-Miller 

Milling Company, at Jamestown, a 500-barrel mill, uses a single 

boiler, 72 inches by 16 feet, with seventy-two 4-inch flues. Shaking 

grates, giving an area of 36 square feet with ^-inch air spaces, are 

used. Forced draft secured by a fan is employed, and 170 horsepower is maintained for twelve hours with the use of 7,600 pounds of 

Washburn lignite. The engine is .a Corliss compound condensing, 

rated at only 165 horsepower. A careful test has shown that 3.73 

pounds of Wilton lignite will maintain 1 horsepower per hour. With 

lignite at $2.45 at the mill, the cost of fuel per barrel of flour is 4.5 

cents.

The Hebron roller mill burns 4 tons of lignite in twenty-four hours, 

with an output of 100 barrels of flour, besides custom work. Natural 

draft and ordinary grates are used. 

IBE 117 05 M 4
24 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

The Kenmare roller mill, using a boiler 66 inches in diameter and 

16 feet long, and grate with f-inch openings, uses 161 pounds of slack 

lignite per hour to generate 40 horsepower, the steam pressure being 

65 pounds.

The Washburn roller mill maintains 30 horsepower for twelve 

hours with 1| tons of lignite. The boiler is 12 feet by 36 inches, and 

the engine small and crowded.

The New Salem Koller Mill Company is operating a 125-barrel 

mill to its full capacity. The boiler is 14 feet by 52 inches, and the 

engine is rated at 75 horsepower. Forced draft is employed. In 

twelve hours 3,700 pounds of lignite are burned.

The electric plant at Dickinson burns lignite under a boiler 72 

inches in diameter and 17 feet long, using ordinary grates and forced 

draft, the fan being driven by a 2-horsepower motor.

The Minot Electric Light Company employs 2 boilers 16 feet long 

and 54 inches in diameter. Fifty horsepower is maintained for ten 

hours with 2 tons of green lignite. Natural draft is used, and the 

engineer does the firing also.

PUMPING WATER WITH LIGNITE.

By CHARLES S. MAGOWAN.

The computations on page 26 indicate the amount of lignite that 

will be required to raise water to the level of the various flats found 

on the streams in western North Dakota.

DUTY OF WATER.

The first question that presents itself is that of the duty of water. 

In the absence of definite data on this point from North Dakota it 

is necessary to rely on the results of irrigators who have worked 

under somewhat similar conditions. Wilson a records that in Montana a second-foot serves about 80 acres, and that from 15 to 18 

inches in depth during an irrigating season is believed to be sufficient. 

Mr. Wilson makes the general statement that 1,000 gallons per minute 

will irrigate from 5 to 10 acres per day, and in the course of a season 

about 100 acres. If water is supplied to a 10-acre tract at the rate 

of 1,000 gallons per minute for twenty-four hours, the depth of the 

water over the whole tract will be 5.58 inches. If water to this 

depth applied five times during the irrigating season is sufficient, a 

plant of this capactiy should care for 200 acres. This statement is 

made because it is desired to use 1,000 gallons per minute and multiples thereof in discussing pump efficiencies. i

a Manual of Irrigation and Engineering, 1903, pp. 55, 56.
WILDER.] PUMPING WATER. 25 

CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS.

Centrifugal pumps only are discussed, since it is believed that in 

view of recent improvements that have been made in their construction no other pump can so economically handle large quantities of 

water under the given conditions, even for the higher lifts. The discussion is based on belt-driven centrifugal pumps, though some reference will be made to steam centrifugal pumping engines that is, 

to machines where engine and pump are directly connected, being 

built on the same base.

The fuel that will be used in the locality under consideration is 

lignite that in service tests has been proved to have an evaporative 

power of 4.2 pounds of water from and at 212° F. per pound of fuel. 

This value will be used in the computations.

It is contemplated that engines will be used which will deliver at 

least 1 horsepower for every 35 pounds of steam furnished. This 

is a low-engine efficiency, and should be realized even under extremely 

adverse circumstances. By using engines of higher grade and 

these should be employed with the larger pumps, where compound, 

condensing, triple-expansion, or even quadruple-expansion engines 

might be economically used the efficiency would be more than 

doubled, the fuel consumption being correspondingly reduced.

EFFICIENCY OF PUMPS.

The accompanying table shows the capacities and efficiencies of 

centrifugal pumps of several sizes, all belt driven, together with the 

amounts of lignite that will probably be required to lift the water 

to various heights.

The per cent of pump efficiency noted in the table is obtained by 

comparing the amount of work realized with the amount of power 

applied to the shaft of the pump, and it is well to note that the efficiency increases as the capacity of the pump increases, thus favoring 

the installation of large plants.

The prices quoted are those furnished by manufacturers' agents, 

and are usually f. o. b. at Chicago or an eastern factory. A considerable range in price is noted, the difference being due to differences 

in weight, construction, and finish.

A new form of centrifugal pump known as the "Volute" is being 

placed upon the market at the present time, for which claims of 

increased efficiency are made, the claim being based on the increased 

care in the manufacture of the wheel and especially in the fitting of 

the runner, thus lessening the loss from "slip" otherwise sustained.
26 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Capacities, efficiencies, and cost of centrifugal pumps, and amounts of lignite 

required to lift water to specified heights.

Number of 

pump 

(diameter in 

inches 

of discharge

opening).

6

8

10

15

18

20

24

36

Capacity in 

gallons 

per minute.

1,050

2,000

3,000

7,000

10,000

12,000

15,000

32,000

Horsepower delivered to 

shaft of pump necessary to 

effect economical discharge 

at elevations of 

20 feet.

11.8

22.0

32.0

70.0

100.0

120.0

130.0

260.0

40 feet.

23.6

44.0

64.0

140.0

200.0

240.0

260.0

580.0

60 feet.

35.4

66.0

96.0

210.0

300.0

360.0

390.0

780.0

80 feet.

47.2

88.0

128.0

280.0

400.0

480.0

520.0

1,040.0

Efficiency 

of 

pump 

(per

cent).

45

46

47

51

52

53

58

62

Tons « of lignite required to

furnish power to operate 

engine and pump 24 hours 

when lifting the economical discharge to an elevation of 

20 feet.

1.2

2.2

3.2

7.0

10.0

12.0

13.0

26.0

40 feet.

2.4

4.4

6.4

14.0

20.0

24.0

26.0

52.0

60 feet.

3.5

6.6

9.6

21.0

30.0

36.0

39.0

78.0

80 feet.

4.7

8.8

12.8

28.0

40.0

48.0

52.0

104.0

Price 

of pumps 

(approximate) f. o. b.

$120-$280

190- 390

240- 570

400- 840

700- 900

900

61,700

a Price of coal in this region varies from 50 cents to $2 per ton. 

&Volute.

With the assumptions made above the computations for the fuel 

consumption become so simple that the tabulation of them seems 

almost unnecessary. For example, consider a No. 15 pump delivering 7,000 gallons of water per minute against a head of 60 feet. From 

the table the number of horsepower required is 210, this multiplied 

by 35, the steam consumption per horsepower per hour, and this by 

24, the number of'hours considered, and the product divided by 4.2

times 2,000, the result is the number of tons of lignite consumed. In

']5 X 24 

the above case the computation is as follows: 210 X 4. o y o ooo = ^®

X JQ = 21.0. Thus, in any case, the number of tons of lignite that

must be supplied to the furnace equals one-tenth of the number of 

horsepower that is required to operate the pump.

It will be noted that the sizes considered are those that give capacities of about 1,000 gallons per minute or multiples thereof. It is also 

well to note that the capacity of any of these pumps can be very materially increased by slightly increasing the number of revolutions, 

but the efficiency will thereby be diminished.

Engines for operating centrifugal pumps must be capable of running at high speed, especially if the pump is operated against a high 

head. For example, a No. 6 pump operating against an 80-foot head 

must make 857 revolutions per minute; a No. 24 pump operating 

against a 20-foot head must make 190 revolutions per minute, and 

the engine, if directly connected, must work at the same rate. Builders of centrifugal pumps also build engines to meet these requirements 

and connect them directly to the pumps, especially for the lower lifts.
r . WILDBB.] RIVER PLATS. " "" "° 27

A No. 6 centrifugal pump capable of working against a 30-foot 

head can be bought for $520 or less, while a No. 8 pump that will 

work against the same head will cost $690. One firm quotes a price of 

$500 on a "30-horse-power, automatic, high-speed engine, and $1,675 

on a 200-horsepower engine. These prices are for engines only. The 

companies will furnish on request prices on the larger sizes of steam 

centrifugal pumps.

Some large plants of this kind have been installed and are reported 

as working successfully. At Albany, N. Y.., two 18-inch pumps operated by direct-connected, vertical, cross-compound engines lift 10,000 

gallons each per minute, with a reported efficiency of pump and 

engine of 66.3 per cent, and with a net efficiency of the pump alone 

of 77 per cent, the lift being 21 feet.

RIYEK FLATS AND LIGNITE.

MISSOURI RIVER. 

YELLOWSTONE FLATS.

Area and soil. On entering North Dakota the course of the Yellowstone is toward the northwest, then north, and just before uniting 

with the Missouri somewhat south of west, its total course in the State 

amounting to about 15 miles. For this distance it keeps close to the 

bluffs at the right bank of the valley, leaving broad benches unbroken by meanders on the left. Above the flood plain, which is 

covered with a dense growth of willows, is a wooded bench from 10 

to 15 feet above high water, where large cotton woods flourish. Its 

extent may equal 4,000 or 5,000 acres. Ten feet above this and 20 

feet above the river at high water is the edge of a beautiful and 

extensive grassed terrace, which rises gradually for 2 miles to the 

foot of the bluffs, and which has an area of about 15,000 acres, 

below a contour line drawn 80 feet above the river. It is not cut up 

by ravines or gullies and a trench can be carried along the 80-foot contour with but few flumes. With such an initial head, water can be 

taken to almost any point on the flat.

The soil is a good loam and the upper terrace is already well 

grassed, though at present it yields hay regularly only where naturally irrigated by water that comes down in Fourmile and Eightmile 

creeks and other coulees and spreads out over its surface. Much of 

the woodland lies high enough above the river to be free from ordinary river floods, and is inundated only at rare intervals by the gorging of the ice. In all, at least 15,000 acres on the left bank of the 

Yellowstone in North Dakota may be regarded as suitable for irrigation if water from the river can be raised 80 feet.
28 LIGNITE OF NOBTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

The area in North Dakota is but part of flats that extend into 

Montana as far as Terry. The fall of the Yellowstone is but 2.7 feet 

per mile, and a slope of 1 foot per mile would probably be needed in 

a lateral ditch. A very long lateral would be necessary to take water 

from the Yellowstone and cover the flats if gravity alone is relied on.

Lignite. Heavy beds of lignite occur near Sidney, Mont., on the 

Yellowstone River, 15 miles west of the North Dakota line. On the 

creeks which empty into the Yellowstone from the south, and notably 

on Charbonneau Creek, heavy beds of lignite are said to outcrop.

BUFORD-TRENTON FLAT.

Area and soil. Extending along the north side of the Missouri 

from the State line to the eastern edge of old Fort Buford Reservation, a distance of 16 miles, is an extensive flat which needs only 

water to become highly productive. At Trenton station, in the middle of this tract, the river swings in abruptly till it is close to the 

bluff, narrowing the flat for one-half mile. Enough remains, however, to provide space for a waterway or a pumping plant, so that if 

water were available and irrigation seemed desirable the level bench 

both east and west of Trenton could be irrigated from a single 

station.

The flat includes about 12,000 acres, divided between an upper 

grassed terrace and a lower wooded bench, the former having about 

twice the area of the latter. The wooded bench is from 20 to 25 feet 

above ordinary high water and is said to have been flooded but twice 

in twenty-eight years, the last time in the spring of 1891. In places 

it is being cleared and cultivated. Although some portions are sandy, 

it has for the most part a good soil. The second or grassed terrace 

rises gradually from the edge of the wooded terrace, where it is about 

30 feet above high water, to the bluffs, at the base of which it is 80 

feet above the river. It has a strong gumbo soil which grows bluejoint or wheat grass, cactus, and sage when unirrigated, while with 

irrigation it produces both grass and grain abundantly, yielding 2^ 

tons of excellent hay to the acre. The Great Northern Railway 

crosses it, running at the foot of the bluffs, giving ready access to 

market for produce raised on it.

The efforts now being made by Mr. Edwin Jack and others to 

irrigate parts of this area are described on pages 50 and 51. It will 

be possible to irrigate a part of it as they are doing by building reservoirs and diversion dams in the draws that cut the bluffs behind the 

flat, but for a large part of it the economy of this method may fairly 

be doubted. For the area as a whole it will be advisable to consider 

the possibility of raising water from Missouri River.
WILDBB.] MISSOURI RIVER. 29

Lignite. Only limited quantities of lignite are known in the 

bluffs just back of this tract, though large beds may sometime be 

discovered. Two miles from Buford, in sec. 31, T. 153, R. 103, a 

4-foot bed of good lignite is mined to some extent by stripping. 

About 75 tons were taken out in the winter of 1902.

On Eightmile Creek, above Jack's ranch, a 3^-foot seam furnishes 

some lignite, while fuel from Buford is in part brought from the 

Yellowstone and in part from the seams in Glass Bluffs, across the 

river. If a pumping station were established at Trenton, where the 

river cuts back nearly to the bluffs and divides the tract into two 

parts, it might be practicable to ship coal from the mines already 

opened near Wil listen, a distance of only 25 miles. In this case 

good lignite, f. o. b. at Trenton, will cost $2.50 per ton. The lift at 

this point, to cover the entire tract of 12,000 acres, will be about TO 

feet, though a large, part of it could be watered with a lift considerably less.

MUDDY AND MISSOURI RIVER FLATS AT WILLISTON.

Area and soil. The Muddy is the main tributary of the Missouri 

from the east and north in North Dakota. Its drainage area includes nearly one-half of Williams County, or TOO square miles. In 

addition to a water supply from direct rainfall, it is fed by a number 

of perennial springs. On June 27, 1903, it had a flow of 18 secondfeet, an amount said to be normal for that season of the year. Its 

valley is broad and, in the main, fertile. The bottom lands are 

often a mile wide, while a strip half a mile wide fit for irrigation 

may be counted on for 20 miles or more from its mouth. There may 

be 10,000 acres along the stream that could be irrigated if water can 

be found for so large an area. Along its tributaries there is much 

land not included in the above estimate, portions of which are already 

irrigated, mainly by diversion dams for spring flooding.

To be taken with the Muddy River flats are 3,000 or 4,000 acres 

on the Missouri between Williston and the mouth of the Muddy. 

It is probable that the amount of water that the Muddy annually 

contributes to the Missouri is more than adequate to water the 15,000 

acres that lie near it, but it has not been demonstrated that a large 

reservoir can be economically located on the stream. Its valley for 

15 miles is broad and seems to offer no point where a short wall can 

retain a considerable amount of water. If a dam were erected above 

this point, the water from some of the principal tributaries which 

empty below would be lost. The Fred Rounsaville dam, which was 

intended for a diversion dam rather than for a reservoir, is described 

on page 51.
30 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Lignite. There is an abundance of lignite on the Muddy and its 

tributaries, and along the Missouri below Williston.

The following banks have been opened up for local use about 

Williston, and on the creeks to the north: } ^.

The Mackersie bank on Sandy Creek, in sec. 6, T. 154, R. 101.

The Holland bank near Muddy River, 6 miles north of Williston, 

where a heavy bed of lignite is exposed.

The Lovejoy mine on Stony Creek, where a considerable bed outcrops near the Great Northern Railway.

The mine of the Pioneer Coal Company, which is more extensively 

developed than any of these, and is shipping lignite in considerable 

quantities. It is located on the railroad, which here follows the 

valley of Stony Creek, in sec. 26, T. 15, R. 100. The bed mined is 

6 feet thick.

The Miller mine, located 4 miles east of Williston on Cedar Coulee, 

a tributary of the Missouri. A 12-foot bed here outcrops and will 

furnish a vast amount of excellent coal.

A number of lignite outcrops 4 to 6 feet thick, which occur along 

Cow Creek, a tributary of the Muddy, arid are mined to some extent 

for local use.

The old Dahl mine, 3 miles southeast of Williston, located on a 

4-foot outcrop in the Missouri River bluffs on the left bank of the 

river.

Eight lignite beds, the heaviest being 4 feet thick, which outcrop 

in a single vertical section a mile farther down the river on the right 

bank.

NESSON-HOFFLTJND FLATS.

The post-offices of Nesson and Hofflund are situated on Missouri 

River about 30 miles east of Williston and 14 miles south of the Great 

Northern Railway, the nearest station being the town of Ray; Hofflund is 6 miles east of Nesson. In this vdcinity the Missouri receives 

a number of tributaries; Tobacco Garden and Clark creeks unite with 

it from the south, and Tobacco and Beaver creeks and White Earth 

River from the north.

Area and soil. Two extensive flats or terraces are developed here, 

one from 20 to 40 feet above high water, extending about 6 miles 

along the river from Nesson to Hofflund, and the other from 80 to 

100 feet high, located back of Nesson. The upper flat includes 7,500 

acres held by more than 30 homesteaders and settlers; the lower 

includes about 6,000 acres. The soil of the upper, excepting a narrow 

gravelly strip along the lower edge, is composed of sandy loam with 

clay subsoil; that of the lower is of 1 to 4 feet of fertile sandy loam, 

with sand for a subsoil. Only a portion of the lower flat is wooded, 

the woodland at this point being confined principally to the flood
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. II

MAP OF NESSON-HOFFLUND FLATS.
WILDER.] s MISSOURI RIVER. 31

plain, which is not here considered ,a part of the lower terrace. A 

portion of this terrace is being carried away by inroads of the river, 

but the loss due to this cause is not serious enough to interfere with 

any scheme for the development of the flat as a whole. The slope of 

the surface of both terraces is favorable to irrigation.

For many reasons the region invites study with reference to the 

possibility of irrigation. The area, especially when both terraces are 

taken together, is considerable, the soil is inviting, and the distance 

from a railroad shipping point in only 14 miles. Heavy seams of 

lignite of good quality outcrop in the immediate vicinity, and a 

pumping station that would furnish water for the lower flat (6,000 

acres) may, it is thought, be placed close to one of these outcrops, and 

the expense of hauling fuel may thus be greatly reduced or wholly 

obviated.

Water supply. On account of the lift it will hardly be practicable 

to irrigate the upper flat with water drawn from the river, but 

Tobacco, Nelson, and Beaver creeks may be considered as possible 

sources of supply.

Tobacco Creek, which unites with the Missouri at Nesson postoffice, has a drainage area of 20 square miles, and is fed by strong 

springs. Cusack Springs, at the source of its west fork, in sec. 12, 

T. 154, R. 98, are perennial and flow 3 second-feet even in midsummer. 

Deer Coulee heads at a spring about as strong as the Cusack and 

unites with Tobacco Creek a few miles above Nesson. During the 

summer the creek suffers some loss of volume because of the porous 

nature of the stream bed at some points. On July 4, 1903, it had a 

floAv of 5 second-feet at its mouth, an amount somewhat less than that 

of its spring sources.

At least two suitable reservoir sites seem to exist on Tobacco Creek, 

one occurring a mile back of the upper Nesson flat, where the creek 

emerges from the bluffs. Another site with apparently a larger 

capacity occurs 5 miles farther up the creek. However, the ability 

of the creek to furnish water enough to fill extensive reservoirs has 

not been demonstrated. Nelson Creek, which drains 40 square miles, 

could also be used, as it is now used in a measure, in irrigating the 

upper flat. It is spring fed, though the springs are weak, and most 

of its available water is due to the melting of snow. In another 

chapter the tracts at present irrigated in this vicinity will be noted.

Beaver Creek drains 120 square miles in the southeastern part of 

Williams County. On reaching the Missouri River flats it turns to 

the east and its bed gradually becomes ill defined, and at last its 

water is spread over the nearly level surface. Six miles above its 

mouth, on July 8, the flow was 18 second-feet, which was considerably more than the flow nearer the mouth. In the spring of an 

ordinary year the discharge is considerable. The descent of the 

IRR 117 05 M 5
32 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

stream is rapid, and it seems possible to utilize the water, if it can be 

properly stored, to irrigate at least a part of the upper terrace.

The water from these three creeks seems sufficient to irrigate the 

7,500 acres on the upper flat, which, on account of their elevation of 

from 80 to 100 feet, may not profit by any scheme to utilize the water 

of the Missouri.

On these creeks bowlders are fairly abundant. Aside from these, 

and beds of soft sandstone, no other stone occurs in the vicinity that 

could be used in reservoir construction.

Lignite. For the lower flat, which includes 6,000 acres, pumping 

from the Missouri may be practical, for fuel is abundant, as shown 

by the following list of lignite outcrops that occur in this region. At 

Spanish Point, on the opposite side of the river and 4 miles farther 

up, four heavy beds outcrop in the bluffs. The aneroid gave the 

following elevations for the beds:

Relative altitudes of lignite beds near Nesson-Hofflnnd flats.

Feet.

Top of bluff _______________________________________ 2,850 

Lignite, 3 feet, at___________________________________ 2,730

Lignite, 6 feet, good, at_______________________________ 2,690

Lignite, 35 feet, good, at___________________-___________ 2,500

Lignite, 8 feet, good, at_____..______.___. ______________ 2,450 

High water of river, about_______. ____ - _____ _______ 2,400

The elevations show merely the relative positions of the beds and 

may vary considerably from the absolute elevations. The bluff is 

one of the highest in the State.

On Deer Coulee, a tributary of Beaver Creek, at the Marmon ranch, 

4 miles from Nesson, a 10-foot seam of good lignite outcrops, from 

which a strong spring issues. A seam of similar thickness is reported 

at a number of points at about the same elevation as this outcrop, and 

the bed may be regarded as rather extensive.

Along Tobacco Creek two seams, 6 and 8 feet thick, outcrop at, a 

number of points, both seams often being exposed in the same vertical 

section. They can furnish large quantities of good lignite.

On Beaver Creek a 4-foot bed outcrops frequently and is used 

locally. Three miles above Hofflund a 10-foot bed is mined somewhat 

more extensively. An entry has been carried in 30 feet; this lies so 

low that in high water it is partly filled from the creek.

In the bluffs across the Missouri Mr. H. A. Carey takes coal from a 

6-foot seam.

Lauchland's bank, located close to the west end of the lower flat, 

is said to show a good bed of lignite about 8 feet thick.

At Stony Point, on the right bank of the river between Nesson and 

Hofflund, two beds of good lignite, each 3 feet thick, were seen, and
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

E

M E

MAP OF NEW FORT BERTHOLD AGENCY FLATS, EL
WILDEE.] . MISSOUEI EIVEE. 33

a heavier bed is said to outcrop at this point. PI. II illustrates the 

two flats and gives the location of some of the lignite outcrops.

FORT BERTHOLD AGENCY FLATS.

Area and soil, The flats about the present agency on the Fort 

Berthold Reservation, which are low enough to justify study with 

reference to irrigation by pumping from the Missouri, include 5,000 

acres. Of this perhaps 1,200 acres, which were formerly woodland 

and have been recently burned over, are now practically clear, while 

800 acres are still covered with large trees. This woodland area is 

but 20 feet above high water, has a sandy loam soil, and is very 

rarely covered by water during ice gorges. Twenty feet above this 

lies a well-grassed flat of 1,200 acres, and still higher, perhaps 80 

feet above the river, is a terrace containing about 2,000 acres.

Lignite. Lignite outcrops frequently in the vicinity. Just across 

the river, at high-water level, a bed of 3^ feet of lignite was exposed; 

the whole bed was reported by the superintendent of the agency to 

be 10 feet thick. It has supplied coal for the agency during the winter when the river has been low and crossing on the ice possible.

In the bluffs 3^ miles below the agency and on the same side of the 

river a 9-foot bed with 1 foot of clay in the middle outcrops 50 feet 

above the low river flat. A half mile farther south the following 

section is exposed:

Section near Fort Bertliolcl Agency, N. Dak.

Feet. 

Lignite, 6 inches of clay in the middle-______________-___ 6

Clay _______________________________________________ 20

Lignite ___________________.____________________ 2

Clay ___________________________________________ 5

Lignite ____________________..____________________ 2

Clay _..____________________________. ______________ 50 

Slope to low river flat_______________________________ 20

All of the lignite in this section seems to be good.

Seven miles below Fort Berthold Agency Mr. W. C. Dean reports 

a 12-foot bed of lignite, from which he hauls coal to the agency.

Lignite in beds of workable thickness outcrops in the bluffs back 

of Elbowoods at a number of points. The flats with lignite in the 

vicinity are shown on PI. III.

OLD FORT BERTHOLD AGENCY FLAT.

This flat, which is about 12 miles below the present agency, contains about 4,000 acres, which are well grassed. Its elevation is 

from 20 to 80 feet above Missouri Kiver, which bounds it on the
34 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

south. In the bluffs just east of the flat a 5-foot bed of good lignite 

is exposed about 50 feet above the river. On the opposite side of the 

river a 5-foot bed is mined by stripping*. A 4-foot and a 3-foot seam 

outcrop in the bluffs a mile south of this mine.

FORT STEVENSON FLATS.

These beautiful flats, which include about 7,000 acres, lie on 

the north side of the river, a few miles northeast of Coalharbor 

(PI. IV, A). Their elevation is from 30 to 70 feet above the Mis-

»^^^ '% Lignit 4 

5V

3 miles

FIG. 2. Map of flats about old Fort Berthold Agency, N. Dak.

souri. The slope from the bluffs to the river is gradual and uniform. 

Coal occurs abundantly in the bluffs just back of the flats. For many 

years lignite was mined here for use at the fort and the Indian school 

formerly located here. The exact location of the mine was SW. % 

sec. 35, T. 148, R. 85. A seam said to be 14 feet thick was mined by 

stripping. On the opposite side of the river seams 3 to 4 feet thick 

are nearly continuous in outcrop for 10 miles.

APPLE RIVER PLATS.

Just south of Bismarck are extensive triangular flats, which lie 

between Missouri River on the west, Apple River on the east, and the
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. IV

M

£

R ESERVATION B O U N D A R Y

Scale 

0______1_______2 3 miles

MAP OF FORT STEVENSON FLATS.
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. V

A. A 5-FOOT LIGNITE BED ON THE MISSOURI ABOVE COALHARBOR.

 B. SAGEBRUSH FLATS ON THE LITTLE MISSOURI.
36 LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 11'..

river in the bluffs at the point marked B, the following section is 

exposed:

Section at Big Bend, Missouri River.

Feel. 

Lignite ______ _______ ____ ___ ____ ___ 5. 5

Clay ___________________________________________________ 5.0

Lignite ______________ ____________________________ 7. 0 

Clay _____________________ _________ ______________ 50. 0

Water level.

One hundred yards farther down, a section partly covered by talus, 

gave:

Section at Big Bend, Missouri River.

Feet.

Lignite____________________________________________ 4.5 

Clay ____________________________________________ 5. 0 

Lignite______.._____________________________________ 3.0 

Clay _____________ ____________________________ 50. 0

Water level.

The quality of the lignite in all of these beds is good.

Just below Shell Creek, at the point C on the map (PL VI), 3| 

feet of good lignite outcrops in a cut bank known as " the slide." 

This same seam probably gives rise to the spring in the bluffs 2 miles 

to the north, where the Indians have dug through 2 feet of lignite to 

give freer vent to the water. It is persistent in outcrop for 3 miles 

to the south, though showing but few good natural exposures. 

Although the exposures noted indicate a great abundance of lignite 

in seams from 4 to 7 or more feet thick, the amount of the lift may 

render pumping from the Missouri out of the question. Shell Creek 

drains more than 125 square miles, and its water may be available at 

least for portions of the area and for areas of 600 to 1,000 acres found 

along its own valley. The flow of water in Shell Creek on July 17, 

1903, was about 6 second-feet.

OTHER FLATS.

Some of the many flats on the Missouri, limited in extent, but not 

so high as to render pumping from the Missouri out of the question, 

should be noted in addition to the more extensive tracts already 

described. Much of the woodland on the upper edge of the flood 

plain can doubtless be cultivated after clearing, since the soil is generally fertile and the value as timber land small. These tracts however are not included in the flats mentioned below.

On the south side of the Missouri, at the edge of the old Fort 

Berthold Reservation, there is a flat of 1,200 acres lying 40 feet above 

the river; no coal appears in the immediate vicinity.

On Muddy River cut-off, about 10 miles below Williston, on the 

north side of the river, are 700 acres, 20 to 40 feet above the river; 

lignite 6 feet thick shows in the bluffs a mile below.
WILDEE.] MISSOURI RIVER. 35

bluffs back of Bismarck on the north. They have an area of about 

5,000 acres, 2,000 acres being only from 20 to 30 feet above the river 

and partly wooded, while the rest are from 80 to 100 feet above river 

level. No coal outcrops in the immediate vicinity, but the expense 

involved in bringing lignite from the thick beds outcropping directly 

on the river 60 miles above, at Mannhaven and Coalharbor, should 

not be great. It may be more practical to control the water of Apple 

River and use it for irrigation purposes, for the stream drains a considerable area and could doubtless furnish all the water needed if it 

could be properly stored.

On account of their situation on the outskirts of a city of considerable size and on the Northern Pacific Railway gardening should 

prove remunerative, and a rather high cost per acre to secure irrigation may be justified.

BIG BEND AND SHELL CREEK FLATS.

Area and soil. The Missouri River receives the waters of the Little 

Knife just before entering the Fort Berthold Reservation. Then, 

instead of pursuing its normal course, it makes a notable bend like 

a great letter U, which is known as the " Big Bend." Throughout this 

portion of its course, and in the valley of Shell Creek, wT hich meets it 

at the lower end of the U, topographic conditions and heavy beds of 

lignite invite a careful study with reference to irrigation possibilities, though the conclusions that may be reached are probably more 

uncertain than in the flats already described. The area, however, is 

large, and as the land lies wholly within the reservation it is still 

completely under Government control.

The river at the " Big Bend " seems to have been diverted from its 

course at some time in the past, perhaps by the Wisconsin ice sheet, 

and compelled to cut a new channel to the west. Its former channel 

seems to connect the two arms of the U, and to form a valley 2 miles 

in width, with its center, a third of a mile wide, sloping very gently 

and unbroken by gullies. Its position with reference to the river and 

Shell Creek is shown on PL VI. At the upper end of the U this 

old valley is 140 feet above the river; its slope is toward the south, 

the upper half draining into a large slough in its center, while the 

lower portion contributes its water to Shell Creek. The area that 

could be irrigated advantageously, if water could be found, is twothirds of a mile wide and 15 miles long and includes about 7,000 acres 

of good soil. In addition to this, on the Missouri at either end of this 

old valley are flats which contain 3,000 acres.

Lignite. At the point marked A in PI. VI, 6| feet of good lignite 

outcrops in the bottom of a draw about 80 feet above the river without revealing the bottom of the seam. One-half mile down the
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. VI

MAP OF THE OLD VALLEY AT THE BIG BEND.
WILDER.] MISSOURI EIVEK. 37

At Barkers Bend is a good flat of 600 acres; 12 feet of lignite 

appears in " sliding bluff " just below.

Opposite Nesson there are flats containing 1,200 to 1,500 acres from 

25 to 50 feet above the river; the heavy beds of lignite in Spanish 

Point, already described, are only 3 miles away.

Opposite the month of White Earth River is an area of 600 acres; 

there are three lignite beds, the thickest 4 feet deep, in the bluffs just 

behind.

Opposite the mouth of the Little Knife are 2,000 acres in two terraces, one 20 the other 40 to 80 feet above the river; one lignite bed 

4. feet thick was found in the bluffs behind this flat.

At the Indian village of Independence are 1,000 acres 80 feet above 

the river; lignite outcrops in a 4-foot bed just across the river.

Five miles below the mouth of the Little Missouri, on the east side, 

is an area of 500 acres in two terraces; lignite outcrops in a 4|-foot 

bed just opposite.

Just below the Fort Berthold Agency, on the opposite side of the 

river, is a long narrow flat containing 2,000 acres, 15 to 25 feet above 

the river, extending to Little Beaver Creek; 4 feet of lignite outcrop 

in the river bluffs at the latter place.

Just above the town of Mannhaven are 1,500 acres 40 to 50 feet 

above the river; 8 feet of good lignite outcrop on the river at Mannhaven, with thinner beds, as shown in the following section:

Section near Mannhaven, N. Dak.

Feet. 

Lignite, good ________________________ __________ 6

Clay _____________________________________________ 2 

Lignite_______-___-________________________________ 1

Clay _ ___________________________________________.. 1 

Lignite, good ____________________ __ ___________ 2

'ciay______________________________________________ 10

Lignite, good ____________________________________ 8

Sand_______________________________________________ 12

Water level.

This section may be seen for 2,000 feet along the river.

At Hancock are 1,500 acres in a series of terraces 15 to 25 feet above 

the river; 4 feet of coal outcrops in the bluffs behind, while across the 

river the heavy beds, once developed and known as the " Plenty " 

mine, outcrop. The beds there exposed show the following section:

Section near Hancock, N. Dak.

Ft. in. 

Lignite _____________ ___________________________ 3

Clay ___________________________..___________ _______.____ 0 6

Lignite ___________________________________ 3

Clay __________________________________________________ 2

Lignite ______ ___-_ ____ ________ 3
38 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Mr. F. G. Mattoon is putting in a pumping plant to irrigate portions 

of these flats.

Two miles above Stanton, on the opposite side of the river, are 1,000 

acres, 15 to 25 feet above water level; a T-foot lignite bed outcrops 

near the water on the edge of the flat.

Opposite Washburn are 3,000 acres in three terraces, portions of 

which are subject to irrigation; 6 lignite exposures, showing from 3 

to 7 feet of coal, occur in the bluffs and coulees behind the flats.

At Painted Woods Lake are flats containing 3,000 acres; there are 

4 feet of lignite in a neighboring draw and a 5-foot bed exposed on a 

creek on the opposite side of the river near Sanger court-house.

At the mouth of Square Butte Creek, 8 miles above Mandan. flats 

occur; 2 feet of lignite are reported 2 miles to the north.

Near Mandan and at a number of points farther down the river 

are extensive flats; no heavy beds of lignite are known to occur near 

them.

LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER FLATS AND LIGNITE.

Terraces are well developed along the Little Missouri at nearly 

every point in its course. In a given locality their number may be 

five or six, and few localities have less than three. Their elevation 

varies from 20 to 200 feet above the river. No single tract is large, on 

account of the meandering of the river, but the total area at an elevation moderate enough to make pumping from the river practicable 

is considerable. A rather careful estimate of the area not more than 

30 feet above the river places it at more than 30,000 acres, cut up into 

tracts ranging in size from 50 to 1,000 acres.

FLATS AND LIGNITE IN THE VICINITY OF YULE.

During the summer of 1902, 9 townships on the upper course of the 

Little Missouri, with Yule post-office as a center, were studied. There 

is much diversification in the topography of the country, which includes Little Missouri Valley and its terraces, the " breaks " in the 

vicinity of the river, and the rolling country back from the river, 

which furnishes an unequaled summer range for cattle.

Lignite. Lignite outcrops almost continuously, even in the shallowest of coulees, as well as along the creeks and on the main stream 

itself. These outcrops are from 6 inches to 40 feet in thickness. 

Kanchmen seldom find it necessary to go far for fuel. Many of them 

consider it easier, however, to go to the river in winter and break up 

the great blocks of coal that the stream has washed out. There are a 

number of small flats on this stream south of Medora which lie well 

for irrigation by pumping. More than half of the area had not been 

surveyed in September, 1902, and it is impossible to cite locations definitely in many cases.
WILDER.] LITTLE MISSOUBI EIVEE. 39 

TOWNSHIPS 133 AND 138, RANGE 105.

In townships 133 and 138, range 105, which includes an area from 

20 to 40 miles south of the Northern Pacific Railway, are the heads of 

a number of coulees, which flow eastward into Little Missouri River. 

In going from north to south, Williams, Garner, Bull Run, Horse, 

Coal Canyon, Cannonball, Boise, and Bacon creeks are .crossed, in 

about the order named. All of these creeks show lignite more or less 

continuously from the time that they cut through the sod till they 

empty into the Little Missouri; their courses vary in length from 10 

to 20 miles. None of them, except Cannonball, are shown on an ordinary map.

On Williams Creek, 6 miles from its mouth, the following section 

is given:

Section on Williams Creek, North Dakota.

Feet. 

Lignite, good ______________________________________ 2

Clay ____._____________________________________ ___ 20 

Lignite, good __________.._____.___________________ 4

Clay ___ _______ ________________________________ 4 

Lignite, 1 foot exposed; bottom of bed not found.

These beds were traced for a mile along the creek. Along the 

lower course of the stream lignite is said to be abundant.

On Garner Creek exposures of lignite are not abundant, though 

springs that probably come from the lignite are common, the lignite 

being concealed by the grassed slopes. A tributary which unites 

with the creek 8 miles above the Little Missouri is said to show a 

4- foot bed.

On Horse Creek for more than 6 miles lignite beds varying in 

thickness from 3 to 6 feet are exposed at various elevations.

On Coal Canyon Creek an abundance of lignite is exposed along 

the deep ravine through which the stream flows. A typical section 

is as follows:

Section on Coal Canyon Creek, North Dakota.

Feet. 

Lignite, fair __________________________________ 5

Clay _________________________________________________________ 1

Lignite, good __________________________________ 7

Clay ____________________________________________ 1 

Lignite, good ___________________.____,___________ 1

Creek bottom.

This exposure occurs 2 miles west of the Little Missouri.

On Cannonball Creek, which empties into the Little Missouri 

about 25 miles south of Medora and is a stream of some importance. 

its valley being nearly a mile wide a mile from its mouth, there are 6 

feet of good lignite outcrop in a single bed. Along the Little Mis-
40 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

souri and its tributary ravines in this vicinity 4 or 5 beds of lignite 

may be seen, ranging up to 4 feet in thickness.

 On Boise Creek, some miles above its mouth, 2 or 3 beds were seen, 

ranging from 2 -to 4 feet in thickness.

On Bacon Creek, at the J. C. Gamel ranch, in sec. 20, T. 133, K. 104, 

a bed 24 feet thick outcrops. Its quality is good.

On Sand Creek a lignite bed 40 feet thick outcrops near the A. E. 

Kussel ranch, in sec. 31, T. 135, K. 101. The exposure is continuous 

along the creek for a quarter of a mile, and much of the coal can be 

obtained by stripping less than 10 feet of earth from the surface. At 

the north end of the exposure the section given was:

Section on Sand Creek, North Dakota.

Feet. 

Sandstone ____________.__________________________ 2

Clay _______________________ ______ ______________ 10 

Lignite ___________________________________________ 2

Clay __.._.__________________________________________ 2 

Lignite ______________________________________________ 15

Clay _______________________.._______________..____:__ 3

Water level.

At the south end of the exposure the lignite reached the remarkable 

thickness shown below:

Section on Sand Creek, North Dakota.

Feet.

Clay _____.___________________________________________ 5 

Lignite ___________________________________________ 3 

Clay ________________________________________________ 2

Lignite ____ _ ___________________________________________ 40

The lignite throughout the bed appeared to be of good quality, except 

that the upper 2 feet were soft. The analysis indicates good quality.

On the Little Missouri near the 777 ranch, a few miles south of 

Yule, some fine beds outcrop. Basing directly from the water's edge 

at one point, the beds of clay and lignite reach a height of 110 feet, 

as shown in fig. 3. The heaviest lignite bed in the section is the 

lowest, which is more than 12 feet thick.

At Yule and at points between it and Medora 2 or 3 beds of fair 

thickness and quality occur.

Area. Well-developed river flats occur along the Little Missouri 

in this vicinity, at times exceeding 500 acres in extent.

FLATS AND LIGNITE AT AND BELOW MEDORA, N. DAK.

In the Little Missouri Bluffs at Medora, on the Northern Pacific 

Railway, the section shown in fig. 4 may be seen. The lignite in all 

the beds is of good quality. It outcrops repeatedly on the west side of
WILDER.] LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER. 41

the river. Both north and south of Medora for a number of miles 

lignite is as abundant as at the points cited. At some points, as 

near the Eaton ranch, it is mined for local use.

The larger flats along this portion of the Little Missouri are noted 

below, with the amount of lignite known to occur in their vicinity. 

The land has not yet been surveyed, and locations are noted by referring to ranches in the vicinity.

Lignite, 3 ft.

Lignite, 3 ft.

Lignite, 5 ft.

Lignite, 12 ft. +

FIG. 3. Section 30 miles south of Medora, at the 

777 ranch, showing lignite seams.

Near the Burgess ranch, 4 miles north of Medora, are several 

flats from 50 to 160 acres in extent; lignite appears in three beds, 

each from ?> to 4 feet thick.

Between Burgess and Parkin's ranch, five miles north of Medora, 

are flats amounting to 400 acres, 100 acres of which are about 25 

feet above the river; two lignite beds 4 to 8 feet thick appear.

Near Young's ranch are flats containing 400 acres; lignite occurs in 

large quantities on Government Creek.

From Young's to Johnson's ranch are flats containing 300 acres.
42

 «* ,. >t' ; 

LIGNITE OF'NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Near Mikkelson are flats containing 250 acres, 25 feet above the 

river, and 100 acres in addition in the vicinity; lignite is present in 

four beds, each from 3 to 5 feet thick; 2 miles below Mikkelson a 

18-foot bed is exposed in a small butte. (PI. VII, B.)

Near Carter's ranch, 3 miles below Mikkelson, are flats containing 

250 acres and on the opposite side of the river 160 acres; lignite is 

abundant in the vicinity, a 9-foot bed outcropping 2 miles below the 

last-named flat.

Between Medora and the mouth of the Little Missouri several small 

flats ranging from 50 to 500 acres occur, which are from 15 to 30 feet 

above the water; lignite is abundant all along this portion of the 

river and is of good quality.

Lignite, 1 ft. m

Lignite, 3 ft.

Lignite, 6 ft.

Lignite, 8 ft. 

Lignite, 3 ft.

FIG. 4. Section showing lignite seams in the bluffs at Medora.

Near President Roosevelt's old ranch are flats which have an area 

of 200 acres; there is a 5-foot lignite bed in the adjacent draw.

Near Clark and Morgan ranches large flats occur at the mouths of 

Blacktail and Whitetail creeks, which here unite with the Little Missouri from the east; they include 400 to 600 acres, with a 10-foot 

lignite bed outcropping just across the river and 3- to 4-foot beds 

showing on the same side.

Near the mouth of Beaver Creek, both on this creek and on the 

Little Missouri, are large flats, the total area practicable for irrigation being more than 600 acres. .(PI. VIII, A.) Lignite in beds 3 

to 4 feet thick may be seen at a number of points in adjacent bluffs.

Near Simpson's ranch and Magpie Creek is an area of 500 acres, 

from 15 to 25 feet above the river, broken into three tracts; two beds 

of lignite are exposed near by, each 3 feet thick.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. VII

A. AN 8-FOOT LIGNITE BED 8 MILES NORTH OF MEDORA.

B. AN 18-FOOT LIGNITE BED 2 MILES BELOW MIKKELSON.
WILDEE.] LITTLE MISSOUKI RIVER. 43

Near Gore brothers' ranch are level flats containing 200 acres 15 to 

25 feet above the river; lignite appears in two 3-foot beds.

Near Martin's ranch and Bolan and Redwing creeks is a 200-acre 

flat; there are lignite beds from 2 to 10 feet thick.

CHERRY AND TOBACCO GARDEN CREEK FLATS.

Area and water supply. From the first permanent eastward bend 

of the Little Missouri northeast to the Missouri there extends an 

ancient river valley, drained by Cherry Creek into the former stream 

and by Tobacco Garden Creek into the latter, and also by the greater 

parts of Redwing and Bolan creeks.

This valley is indicated by broken lines on PL I; it seems to mark 

the course of the Little Missouri during some pre-Glacial period. It 

is about 30 miles long, and from 1 to 5 miles wide.

The highest point of the old valley is Bear Butte, which forms the 

divide between liedwing and Cherry creeks. Numerous tributaries, 

which carry considerable water in the spring, but are dry in the summer, enter both Cherry and Redwing creeks as they flow through the 

old valley. Most of these tributaries head in the divide between the 

Yellowstone and Little Missouri, and attain a maximum length of 4 

or 5 miles. They are significant in connection with the irrigation of 

the valley, for land here is being taken under the desert land act, the 

intention being to irrigate by building reservoirs in the small tributaries to the creeks just named.

The bluffs back of the old valley are very abrupt. Under present 

conditions the most fertile portion of the valley is found on the upper 

part of Cherry Creek. The X ranch, owned by the Converse Cattle 

Company, grazed nearly 5,000 cattle on this portion of the valley during the entire summer of 1902. Irrigation by means of reservoirs in 

the tributary creeks and coulees is practicable to some extent.

FLATS AT AND BELOW FORT BERTHOLD.

After entering the Fort Berthold Reservation the flats on the Little 

Missouri become insignificant.
44 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

LIGNITE OUTCROPS.

A list of the more important lignite outcrops on the Little Missouri, 

and their position with reference to the river and flats, is given in the 

following table:

The more important lignite outcrops on Little Missouri River, North Dakota.

Location.

4 miles from Medora, in 

buttes.

Opposite Burgess's ranch. 

2 miles below Burgess .... 

5 miles blow Burgess

3 miles west of Parser's 

ranch.

3 miles east of Young's 

ranch.

2 miles south of Mikkelson 

2 miles north of Mikkelson

Mouth of Beaver Creek . _

Near Morgan's ranch. .... 

Near Simpson's ranch....

Near southwest corner 

Indian reservation.

Near Manning's ranch. ...

Number of 

beds.

1

{ ;

I ! { j

1 !

! :

4

1

i ; { ;

ii

2

! I

I |

{ i

i

{ !

Thickness in 

feet.

10

3

8 

5 

6 

3 

5 

3 

3 

3 

10 

17 to 18 

16 

8 

10 

3 

8 

3 

7 

10 

6 to 8 

10 to 12 

3 to 4 

10 to 12 

4 

3 to 4 

4 to 5 

4 to 5 

12

12 

5 to 6

Extent of 

outcrop.

20 feet. .......

L do. .......

I-----

10 rods. ......

.....do........

}...._.........

}..............

20 rods ....... 

.....do........

Elevation 

above river.

225 feet-.... 

Eiver level.

 ..do......

--.-.do-.-...

8 and 15 feet

200 and 300 

feet.

Near water 

Water line.

40 feet......

30 to 40 feet.

River level. 

30 to 60 feet. 

30 feet...... 

0 to 60 feet .

100 feet..... 

.... .do......

300 feet... .. 

200 feet.. ...

J10to20feet.

Distance 

from 

river.

2i miles . . 

On river .

.....do..-.

--.-.do....

.....do....

3 miles . . .

On river . 

.....do....

.....do....

..... do_...

.....do.... 

_--_.do....

10 rods - - . 

On river .

li miles . .

fl mile --.- 

J0n river .

1 mile .... 

.....do 

[On river . 

l....do....

Distance from 

flats.

2i miles. 

40 rods.

A few rods. 

1 mile.

3 miles.

1 rod. 

J mile.

f Just across the 

\ river.

Across river.

Edge of flats. 

40 rods. 

80 rods. 

Across river.

2 miles.

4- mile. 

i mile. 

Across river. 

£ mile. 

1 mile. 

A few rods.

40 rods. 

Do.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 117 PL. VIM

A. FLATS ON LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER NEAR BEAVER CREEK.

B. AN 8-FOOT BED OF LIGNITE ON LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER ABOVE REED'S

RANCH.
WILDER.] RIVER FLATS. 45 

FLATS AND LIGNITE ON KNIFE RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES.

FLATS.

Knife River. The Knife River flats are like those along the Little 

Missouri just described, differing mainly in not being so shut in by 

high bluffs and in having the slopes to the uplands comparatively 

gradual.

The flow of water in Knife River even in summer is often considerable. On July 31, 1903, it was too deep to ford near its mouth, and 

when seen again at the same point on August 21 there was a foot of 

swiftly flowing water over the fords, which were 25 feet or more wide.

For 15 miles from its mouth the flats are extensive, often reaching a 

width of a mile and including in all about 4,000 acres, which lie from 

15 to 25 feet above the river. Lignite is found along all the bluffs at 

the mouth and outcrops in nearly every coulee. An 8-foot bed is 

mined 4 miles south of the river on the west bank of Brody Creek.

Below Hazen the river flats within 4 miles embrace 2,500 acres. 

A 4-foot lignite bed is found 4 miles north of Hazen. From Hazen to 

the mouth of Spring Creek, the main tribuary of Knife River, a distance of 10 miles, are flats that lie 20 feet above the river and have an 

area of 2,000 to 3,000 acres.

From Broncho to Rock Springs, on Knife River, the average 

width of the flats is one-half mile, and the total acreage considerable. 

Four feet of lignite outcrop in sec. 14, T. 143, R. 94.

Spring Creek. Flats extend up Spring Creek for a mile, above 

which to Halliday they are cut up into small tracts of 30 to 40 acres. 

Lignite in two beds outcrops near O'Neil's ranch.

From Halliday to Pelton's ranch, on Spring Creek, a distance of 

about 12 miles, flats are extensive and include about 4,000 acres. 

Spring Creek is perennial, and its flow is considerable. At Paulson's 

ranch a 16-foot bed of good lignite outcrops. It is covered by only 10 

to 20 feet of clay, and furnishes fuel for the neighboring ranches. 

There is. much coal in the vicinity of Halliday, as shown by springs 

and outcrops along the creek. At Olafson's ranch two beds of good 

lignite 2 and 3 feet thick outcrop on the north side of the creek. Six 

miles north of Halliday on Hans Creek a spring, which issues from 

a lignite outcrop, is used for irrigation. On the south side of this 

creek a bed said to be 10 feet thick is mined in winter.

Farmers Valley. Farmers Valley, which extends -from Hebron to 

a point north of Gladstone, and then north through Deep Creek Valley to Rock Spring post-office, contains 10,000 acres of land fit for irrigation if water could be found. In sec. 33, T. 141, R. 93, a possible 

reservoir site exists.
LIGNITE OF NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

LIGNITE OUTCROPS.

The following table gives the more important lignite outcrops on 

Knife River and Spring Creek and their position with reference to 

river flats:

Lignite outcrops on Knife River.

Location.

Sec.9,T.144,R.89,G.Weige 

2} miles east of Weige ....

5 miles west of Weige ...- 

Olaf son's at Halliday . _ . . .

Sec. 1"), T.145, R. 92........

Andersen's, sec. 28, T. 146, 

R.92.

Paulson's, sec. 27, T. 145, 

R. 93.

Paulson's, sec. 12, T. 142, 

R. 93.

Beck's, sec. 4, T. 144, R. 97.

Brannen's, sec. 34, T. 144, 

R. 99.

5 miles south of Brannen's.

Sec. 13, T. 141, R. 93, north 

of Richardton.

2|- miles northwest of 

Richardton.

Sec. 33, T. 141, R. 93. ......

Sec. 14, T. 143, R. 94.....

Sec. 13, T. 143, R. 94; O. 

Ziner's.

Sec. 15,T.143, R. 94; Bailey.

Sees. 9 and 2, T. 142, R. 92; 

M. Hanson.

Sees. 5, 7. and 9, T. 140, R. 

90; Crowleys.

Sec. 4, T. 142, R. 90; F. M. 

Smith.

Sec. 14, T. 143, R. 89; Gerechts.

Number of 

beds.

1 

1

1 

2

1 

1 

1

1

1 

1

{ I

1 

1

1 

1

1 

1 

1

1 

1

(i

1 

1

Thickness in 

feet.

5 to 6 

10

5 

2 to 3

5 

4 

a 10

16 

5 to 6

&4

2 to 3 

4 

5

5 

4 

4

4 

4 

3 to 4

4

5 to 8

3 to 4 

3 to 4 

6 to 8 

4 to 5

5 to 6

Extent of 

outcrop.

10 feet. .......

10 rods

Elevation 

above 

stream.

Taken on re 

flat and ac

.....do..... ..............

J20 rods .......

J

40 rods. ......

1 

30 feet......

Distance 

from 

stream.

On creek .

port; said 1 

oessible.

On creek. 

.....do....

1 mile .... 

7 miles . . .

On creek .

This bed is on Little 

Fayette and Bickardt

Jfieds run along creek a 

1 feet; 6-foot bed repor

Placed upon the Little 

Extends along draw foi 

........... ...........

20 feet......

Near 

Knife 

River.

Distance from 

flats.

On edge of flat, 

o be on edge of

Edge of flat.

Edge of 200- 

acre flat.

Faces flat.

Near 400-acre 

flat.

Near 600-acre 

flat.

Knife, between 

on.

; elevation of 10 

;ed 6 miles west.

Missouri divide. 

 several miles.

Near 600-acre 

flat.

Do. 

2i miles.

Nearl,000-acre 

flat.

Near 600-acre 

flat.

Near 200-acre 

flat.

a Reported. &At spring.

On the lower Knife River lignite is obtained at many points on 

the north side of the stream. The bed is 3 to 4 feet thick. Lignite 

may also be obtained from a bank 4 miles south of Hazen, where the 

bed is 8 to 10 feet thick.
WILDER.] KIVER FLATS. 47 

FLATS AND LIGNITE ON HEART RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES.

FLATS.

Attractive flats, each containing a few hundred acres, may be found 

along Heart River, and its tributary, Green Eiver.

LIGNITE.

Heart River. Lignite outcrops are frequent along both the Heart 

and the Green, some of the largest mines in the State being located 

in their vicinity. The New Salem mines, only 12 miles north of 

Heart River, had an output of 17,000 tons during the year 1902-3. 

Other mines at Sims, no farther from the river, are producing extensively. Between New Salem and the river 5-foot beds outcrop at a 

number of points and are mined on the strip-pit plan.

The mine of the Consolidated Coal Company at Lehigh, 3 miles 

cast of Dickinson, has developed a remarkably fine bed of lignite

Lignite, 2-3 ft.

Lignite, 3 ft.

Lignite, 12-16 ft.

FIG. 5. Section at the Lehigh mine.

which varies in thickness from 12 to 16 feet. It outcrops continuously along the river for 3 miles. Thirty feet above this thick 

bed a 3-foot bed is frequently exposed, and above this another and 

more variable bed. (Fig. 5.)

At two points on the outskirts of Dickinson lignite is mined in 

considerable quantities. At the plant of the Dickinson Pressed Brick 

and Fire Clay Company a 5-foot bed is mined by stripping. The 

Lenneville mine, half a mile east of Dickinson, shows a bed varying 

in thickness from 4 to 8 feet. Lignite from this mine ordinarily 

sells for $1.50 per ton at the mine.
48 , LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

Three and 4 miles west of Dickinson, on Heart River, a 4-foot and 

a T-foot bed outcrop frequently. The lignite at the Bird-Stone mine, 

in sec. 6, T. 139, R. 98, outcrops on Heart River, and may be seen from 

the Northern Pacific Railway. The bed is 16 feet thick, the upper 

part being inferior in quality at the outcrop; the lower 8 feet is 

excellent. In section 8 of the same township the bed outcrops again. 

On the south side of the Little Heart, between South Heart and Bellield, a 6-foot bed of excellent coal occurs. It may be seen best in sec. 

16, T. 139, R. 98, U school section.

Green River. North of Dickinson lignite abounds on Green River 

throughout its course. Near its mouth at Gladstone beds of excellent quality, though not exceeding 5 feet in thickness, are found on 

the Rust and A. B. Powers farms in sees. 26 and 27, T. 140, R. 95. 

The exposures are direct!}7 on the river and near water level. Two 

miles farther up the stream, in W. \ sec. 22, T. 140, R. 95, a 3-foot 

bed of good lignite is mined by the owner of the ranch on which it 

occurs. At the Kupper ranch, due north of Dickinson, a 15-foot bed 

of excellent lignite outcrops for a long distance on the edge of Green 

River. This bed is known to be very extensive.

Coalmine Creek. Coalmine Creek, a tributary of Heart River, 

which unites with it a mile east of Belfield, shows great quantities 

of lignite along its course for at least 5 miles. Two good banks were 

examined, one 6 feet thick in sec. 28, T. 140, R. 98, the other 7 feet 

thick in sec. 27, T. 140, R. 98. A number of additional openings have 

been made along this creek from which lignite is taken. In sec. 30, 

T. 140, R. 99, 5 feet of a bed said to be 9 feet thick may be seen.

Norwegian Creek. Three miles south of Belfield, on Norwegian 

Creek, a tributary of the Little Heart, which flows east and unites 

with the Little Heart 8 miles southeast of Belfield, a number of 

beds are exposed and slightly opened. They include the Englehardson bank, in sec. 20, T. 139, R. 99, with lignite 6 feet thick, and the 

Anderson bank in section 19 of the same township, with a bed 12 

feet thick. In the vicinity of all of these lignite outcrops there are 

flats of moderate elevation.

FLATS AND LIGNITE ON CANNONBALL AND CEDAR RIVERS.

Terraces of different elevations^ with a considerable total area, occur 

along the course of the Cannonball below its union with the Cedar 

and along both streams for 60 miles above their junction. On 

account of the meandering of the rivers, and the rather limited width 

of the terraces, more than 600 acres are rarely found in a single tract. 

With the data now at hand it does not seem practicable to irrigate 

areas larger than this by pumping from a single fixed station. It
WILDER.] CANNONBALL AND CEDAR RIVERS. 49

may be, however, that detailed study will show that two or more of 

these tracts may be connected by ditches and treated as one.

CANNONBALL RIVER FLATS.

Area and soil. The elevation of the Cannonball flats varies from 

10 to 80 feet. The soil is generally fertile, and at many points is well 

grassed. In places it appears to be gumbo, while at others it is too 

sandy for agriculture. Taken together these flats have a considerable area, perhaps 30,000 or more acres, with soil and topography 

favorable for irrigation. As on the Missouri, there are opportunities 

to form reservoirs on the tributary streams and divert the water so 

controlled to the flats of the larger stream. The difficulties here, as 

there, wrill be found in constructing at reasonable expense reservoirs 

sufficiently strong to bear the water put upon them by violent storms.

Lignite. Lignite is not abundant on the Cannonball below Wade 

post-office, where the Cedar unites with it. Only the following outcrops were noted:

Three feet of coal, reported in Castle or Palace Butte, about 6 

miles north of Cannonball post-office, at the mouth of the river. 

Samples examined were of fair quality.

A 14-inch bed, mined by stripping, about 18 miles from the mouth 

of the Cannonball, in sec. 21, T. 134, K. 81. The outcrop occurs 

close to the river.

A bed 2| feet thick, reported in a bank 4 miles northwest of 

Shields post-office, and an equal distance from the river.

A bed 18 inches thick, reported 3 miles north of Howe post-office.

A careful search made along the bluffs where good exposures occur 

brought to light only beds a few inches thick, till the upper Cannonball was reached.

Forty miles east of New England post-office heavy lignite beds outcrop, and appear continuously from this point for 50 miles up the 

stream. The following may be briefly tabulated:

Lignite beds on upper Cannonball River, North Dakota.

Feet. 

O. S. Chase bank, sec. 31, T. 134, R. 92____________________ 2-3, good.

E. C. Barry, bank, sec. 4, T. 133, R. 92 ______________.._____ 3, good. 

Sec. 21, T. 134, R. 94______________________________________ 3, good.

NW. i sec. 22, T. 134, R. 94 ___________________________ 3, good. 

Sees. 21 and 22, T. 135, R. 96___________________________ 4, good.

Jacob Reiss bank, sec. 22, T. 136, R. 97____________________ 7, good. 

John Ermintrout bank, 6 miles northeast of New England,.______ 3

Two beds, 5 miles west of New England.-___ _ ______. _ 9, good.
50 LIGNITE OF NORTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

COALBANK CREEK.

Lignite. Coalbank Creek, a tributary of the Cannonball, which 

unites with it near New England, shows good lignite beds frequently; 

one 4-foot bed may be found 4 miles from the mouth of the creek.

CEDAR RIVER.

Lignite. On the upper Cedar River lignite is said to be abundant, 

and judging from observations on the adjacent tributaries of the 

Cannonball the reports are probably correct. The same statement 

can be made for the upper Grand River in South Dakota.

PRESENT STATUS OF IRRIGATION TN NORTH DAKOTA.

A great part of the irrigation in North Dakota is due to the stimulus given by the desert-land act. The application of this law in the 

State seems to have been free from abuse, and a further application 

of it has been prevented by the fact that extensive areas in the semiarid portion of the State are not recognized as desert land by the land 

offices. The only part of the State where desert-land claims may be 

filed is the northwestern, and here there is always some uncertainty as 

to what the ruling of the land office will be till each claim is finally 

inspected.

FLATS PARTLY IRRIGATED. 

YELLOWSTONE FLATS.

On the Yellowstone flat in North Dakota, and just over the line in 

Montana, the folloAving claims have been filed:

Andrew F. Nohle: Reservoir on Fourmile Creek, a tributary of 

the Yellowstone in Montana, near the boundary line. Fourmile 

Creek is said to have a drainage area of 24 square miles. The Nohle 

dam when completed will be 20 feet high in the center, and the reservoir when filled will have a surface area of 388 acres.

A. W. Mann: Claim in SE. \ sec. 31, T. 152, R. 104. He purposes 

to obtain water from draws in the bluffs behind.

Sarah and Kate Mercer: Desert claims on NW. j sec. 32, and NE. \ 

sec. 31, T. 152, R. 1,04. They obtain water from draws. The main 

ditch to control these areas is already constructed.

BUFORD-TRENTON FLATS.

On the Buford-Trenton flats Mr. Edwin Jack (post-office, Trenton) 

lias been foremost in the effort to secure water for irrigation. Associted with him are Carl Wittrneier, Grant Conlev, and Charles Schumaker. A dam on Eightmile Creek, which comes down from the
WILDER.] STATUS OF IRRIGATION. 51

north and spreads out over the Missouri bottom lands 3 miles west of 

Trenton, has been constructed across the creek bed. The reservoir 

so formed has a surface area of 75.4 acres, and a capacity of 521.5 

acre-feet. The dam, which is of earth faced with stone, has a 

suitable flume and waste gate. Its present capacity is regarded 

as sufficient, aided by the rainfall and inflow during the irrigating 

season, to care for 400 acres. The dam has washed out twice and has 

been rebuilt each time in a more substantial manner. Up to the present about $8,000 have been expended on reservoir and ditches, with 

results which have satisfied the owners that the outlay is justified. 

The capacity of this reservoir could be increased considerably without great expense, and it is probable that water from Eightmile 

Creek would still fill it if its capacity were not much above 1,000 

acre-feet.

MUDDY RIVER FLATS.

The most notable attempt to irrigate in the vicinity of Williston 

was made a few years ago by Mr. Fred Rounsaville of that place. 

Ten miles above Williston, in sec. 5, T. 153, R. 100, he constructed a 

dam to divert the water from the stream and throw it into a lateral 

ditch, which would irrigate the flats on the right bank of the Muddy, 

and possibly a portion of the flats at its mouth on the Missouri. No 

attempt to store the water was included in the plan. The dam was 

constructed and a portion of the ditch, when the work was stopped by 

the death of Mr. Rounsaville. The property is now offered for sale.

On the Muddy above Williston and on its tributaries the following 

irrigation work is in progress, the operations for the most part being 

limited to spring flooding for grass:

George Marelius and Stephen A. Marmon have a reservoir in 

T. 151, R. 101, on Blacktail Creek, a tributary of the Muddy from 

the west. They are said to be flooding 1,200 acres for both grass and 

grain.

The Freeman family are constructing a reservoir on the upper 

course of the Muddy, in sees. 20, 23, 29, and 30, T. 158, R. 100, where 

they are planning to irrigate 1,900 acres.

Ellen Adams has a desert-land claim, which is now proved up, in 

sees. 28 and 29, T. 155, R. 98. Water is taken from coulees that are 

dry in summer, and the irrigation is for grass only.

Joseph Langford is irrigating 300 acres in sees. 21 and 27, T. 157, 

R. 100, on the upper Muddy.

F. R. Zahl and his family hold a section, which he irrigates for 

grass, in sees. 24 and 25, T. 159, R. 101, at the mouth of Scoria Creek, 

a tributary of the Muddy.

L. L. and Howard Lampman irrigate two sections on Cow Creek, 

a tributary of the Muddy, in T. 156, R. 102.
52 LIGNITE OF NOKTH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

James Sherry, on Stump Creek, a tributary of the Muddy from the 

west, irrigates a 20-acre garden in sec. 2, T. 156, R. 102, by pumping 

from a reservoir in the creek. During the year 1903 he pumped only 

4- days, this, with the rains, being enough to mature a full crop of 

garden truck. An 8-horsepower gasoline engine lifted 800 barrels 

an hour 20 feet. With gasoline at 30 cents a gallon, the cost of 

operation per day of 10 hours was $3. The owner estimates that 

with the rain of an ordinary year to assist, his plant is capable of 

irrigating 160 acres. The soil is a sandy loam with clay subsoil. 

The cost of pump, pipes, and engine delivered at Williston was $811. 

Mr. Sherry has great faith in the profit to be derived from the 

enterprise,, and next year will extend the area that he irrigates.

Mr. E. A. Sharp, on his farm 2 miles northeast of Williston, in 

sees. 17 and 20, T. 154, R. 100, is installing a 10-horsepower gasoline 

engine and a centrifugal pump, which, for his lift of 10 feet, has a 

claimed capacity of 735 gallons a minute. He intends to irrigate 

for grass and grain. Water will be taken from Stony Creek and 

Muddy River. He estimates that he can irrigate 200 acres with his 

plant, and that 30 days will be a maximum time for operation in an 

ordinary year.

Joseph Langford has 320 acres in sees. 21 and 27, T. 157, R. 100, 

which he irrigates from the Muddy.

The Hedderick ranch (formerly the Voss) irrigates extensively 

for grass at the mouth of Cow Creek, on the Mudcty flats.

R. M. Calderwood, Grant Greenup, Francis Hendrickson, and 

others have filed desert-land claims on Camp Creek, in T. 151, R. 102, 

and have made preparations to irrigate extensively.

LITTLE KNIFE FLATS.

Mr. Black has irrigated with profit for grass at the mouth of 

Little Knife Creek for a number of years.

NESSOOST-HOFFLUND FLATS.

The Nelson ranch, at the mouth of Nelson Creek, on the upper 

terrace at that point, is an illustration of the possibility of irrigating 

like land at a moderate cost from the creeks coming down from 

the upland. An earth dam at the mouth of Nelson Creek diverts 

the water and laterals spread it over a considerable area so that 600 

acres or more are flooded in the spring. The ground is thoroughly 

soaked to a depth of 2 feet and is then allowed to stand a week 

before cultivation. On land so prepared oats often yield 60 bushels 

to the acre and wheat 25, while the surrounding country, as favorably 

located except for the flooding, yields from nothing to 10 bushels.
WILDEK.] RECOMMENDATIONS. 53

One of the earliest attempts at irrigation in North Dakota was 

made at the old Grinnell ranch, at the mouth of Beaver Creek, 

where by dams and ditches the water from the creek was spread over 

several hundred acres of the lower Hofflund flat. Part of the same 

area is irrigated in the same Avay by H. A. Carey. Carey's dam is 

20 feet high and is not intended to store water in the creek bed 

back of it to any considerable extent but to divert it to the laterals 

during the abundant water supply of the spring.

Ole Barsted has a dam and ditch on Dry Fork Creek, near its 

junction with the Beaver. Higher up on this creek are the dams 

of Wallender and Manly Anderson.

Nels J. Camp, William Barsted, and George Littlefield are diverting water for irrigation on Beaver Creek above Carey's.

Ward is irrigating the east end of the lower flat at Hofflund, at 

the old Lampman ranch.

HANCOCK FLATS.

Mr. F. G. Mattoon is putting in an extensive pumping plant to irrigate a portion of the fine flats on the Missouri at Hancock.

HEART RIVER FLATS.

Fisher Brothers, on Green River, a small tributary of the Heart, 

1 miles north of Dickinson, have irrigated for two years, pumping 

water from' the river. The lift is 15 feet, and a centrifugal pump 

with a discharge pipe having an inside diameter of 8 inches is used. 

A temporary dam 10 inches high and 30 feet long was thrown across 

the river in 1901 and retained all the water needed to irrigate 40 

acres. In 1902 an abundance of rain made irrigation unnecessary. 

With this pump, which is driven by an ordinary farm engine, 1,500 

gallons per minute are easily raised 15 feet. The cost of the pump 

delivered was $250. Mr. Fisher estimates that even in a dry season 

he would have no difficulty in irrigating 200 acres with his present 

equipment. Two dollars worth of coal wr as burned per day, coal 

costing 50 cents per ton at a neighboring bank.

Mr. A. F. Riley, on Heart River, near Gladstone, last year irrigated 20 acres by means of a dam thrown across a draAA7 . Next year 

he proposes to irrigate 60 acres by means of a centrifugal pump. 

Lignite occurs on his farm, outcropping in a 4-foot seam, and can be 

had for the mere labor of mining.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

Opportunities to reclaim arid lands appear to exist in the larger 

flats on Missouri River. Much of the land in these flats is, however.
54 - LIGNITE OP NOETH DAKOTA. [NO. 117.

already in private ownership, that lying within the Fort Berthold 

Eeservation forming the only exception.

In choosing among the Missouri River flats for one where reclamation by pumping may be tried under most favorable conditions, a 

number of factors must be kept in mind. Nearness to a railroad and 

a market are as essential as an abundance of cheap fuel and good land. 

An active interest on the part of the resident owners is necessary 

where the land is already in part or wholly private property.

With these conditions in mind, the Buford-Trenton flats and the 

Nesson-Hofflund tract deserve first consideration. The former lie 

directly on the railroad, but lignite is not abundant near by and will 

cost about $2 per ton, whether mined in the vicinity or hauled from 

Williston. The Nesson-Hofflund flats are 14 miles from a railroad 

and are wholly in private ownership, but, on the other hand, lignite 

is very abundant near them and should be laid down at the pumping 

plant for $1 per ton; it may even be possible to locate a pumping 

plant within a few hundred yards of an extensive outcrop. From 

an engineering point of view, the Buford-Trenton tract appears so 

offer simpler conditions.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

The writer was assisted in the field by Messrs. Hinds, Holgate, 

Pease, and Goodall, students at the University of North Dakota, 

and by Prof. L. H. Wood, under whose direction much of the work 

along Little Missouri and Heart rivers was carried on.
INDEX.

A.

Adams, Ellen, irrigation by................ 51

Albany, N. Y., pumps at, efficiency of ..... 27

Alger mine, lignite of, analysis of.......... 18

Analyses of lignites........................ 17-18

Anderson, Manly, irrigation by ............ 53

Anderson mine, location of ................ 48

lignite of, analysis of................... 18

Anderson's ranch, lignite on............... 46

Apple River flats, location of, and lignite

near ............................ 34-35

Arches, fire brick, use of ................... 22-23

Ash in coal, percentage of I................. 15

in lignite, percentage of............. 15,17-18

B.

Bacon Creek, location of, and lignite on... 39-40

Badlands, lignite in, analysis of............ 18

Bailey's ranch, lignite on .................. 46

Balfour, lignite near, analysis of........... 18

Barkers Bend, flat and lignite near........ 37

Barsted, Ole, irrigation by ................. 53

Barsted, Wm., irrigation by ............... 53

Barry, E. C., lignite bank of................ 49

Bear Butte, location and character of...... 43

Beaver Creek, flats on...................... 42

irrigation on ........................... 53

lignite near, view of.................... 44

lignite on............................ 32,42,44

analysis of.......................... 18

location of.............................. 30

Beck's ranch, lignite on.................... 46

Belfleld, lignite at, analysis of.............. 18

lignite near............................. 48

Big Bend, flat and lignite at............... 35-36

location of.............................. 35

sections at.............................. 36

valley, (ancient) at, view of............ 36

Billings County, lignite from, data concerning ............................. 14

lignite from, analysis of................ 18

sulphur in, percentage of .......... 16

Blacktail Creek, flats on.................... 42

irrigation on ........................... 51

Boehm's ranch, lignite on.................. 44

Boise Creek, lignite on ..............'...,... 40

location of............................ 39

Bolan Creek, flats and lignite on........... 43-44

location of.............................. 43

Boyd's mine, lignite of, analysis of......... 18

Braunen's ranch,lignite on ................ 46

Brody Creek, lignite on .................... 45

Page. 

Broncho, flats and lignite near............. 45

Buford, lignite near........................ 29

Buford-Trenton flats, lignite on............ 29,54

location and character of.............. 28

reclamation on, recommendations for.. 54 

Bull Run Creek, location of ................ 39

Burgess's ranch, lignite on and near ....... 41,44

Burleigh County, lignite from, data concerning ......................... 14

Burlington, lignite at and near, analyses of. 17,18 

Burning of lignite, methods of............. 22

C.

Calderwood, R. M., irrigation by........... 52

Camp, Nels J., irrigation by................ 53

Camp Creek, irrigation on ................. 52

Cannonball Creek, location of, and lignite

on............................... 39-40

Cannonball River, flats on ................. 48-49

lignite on.* .......... .............. 10,49-50

Carbon in coal, percentage of.............. 15

in lignite, percentage of............. 15,17-18

Carey, H. G., irrigation by ................. 53

mine of................................. 32

Carter's ranch, flats and lignite on......... 42

Castle Butte, lignite in..................... 49

Cedar Coulee, lignite on.................... 30

Cedar River, flats and lignite on ........... 48-50

Charbonneau Creek, lignite on ............ 28

Chase, O.S., lignite bank of................ 49

Chemical properties of lignite ............. 15-16

Cherry Creek, flats and lignite on.......... 43

location of.............................. 43

Clark Creek, location of, and lignite on.... 30

Clark ranch, flats and lignite near ......... 42

Coal, carbon in, percentage of.............. 15

cost of.................................. 20

tests of lignite and, at North Dakota

State University................ 22

Coalbank Creek, lignite on................. 50

Coal Canyon Creek, location of, and section

on. ............................ "39

lignite on............................... 18,39

Coal Harbor, lignite at, analysis of......... 18

lignite beds at, view of................. 34

Coal Lake mine, lignite in, analysis of..... 18

Coalmine Creek, lignite on ................. 48

Composition of lignite...................... 13

Conley, Grant, irrigation by ............... 50

Consolidated Coal Co., mine of............. 47

mine of, lignite in, analysis of ......... 17

Corey's ranch, lignite on................... 4£

55
56 INDEX.

Cost of lignite.............................. 20

Cow Creek, irrigation on................... 51,52

lignite on............................... 30

Cretaceous rocks, lignite in ................ 10-11

Crowley's ranch, lignite on ................ 46

Cusack Springs, location and character of.. 31

D.

Dahl mine, location of...................... 30

Dakota Lignite and Brick Co.'s mine, lignite of, analysis of.............. 17

Barton, N. H., on lignite ................... 12

section by.............................. 11

Davis mine, sulphur in, percentage of...... 16

Dean, W. C., mine of ....................... 33

Deep Creek Valley, location of, and flat in.. 45 

Deer Coulee, lignite on..................... 32

location and character of............... 31

Diamond mine, lignite of, analysis of...... 17

Dickinson, lignite at and near........ 11,12,47,48

use of lignite at......................... 24

well near, rocks in ..................... 11

Dickinson Pressed Brick and Fire Clay Co.,

mine of......................... 47

mine of, lignite of, analysis of.......... 17

Donnybrook, lignite at, analysis of......... 18

Draft, forced, use of ........................ 22-23

Draft, natural, use of....................... 23

Dry Fork Creek, irrigation on.............. 53

lignite on, analysis of.................. 18

Duty of water, estimates of................. 24

E.

Baton's ranch, lignite at.................... 41

Eightmile Creek, lignite on .......... ..... 29

reservoir on ............................ 50-51

Elbowoods, lignite at, analysis of.......... 18

lignite near............................. 33

Electric mine, lignite of, analysis of ....... 17

lignite of, sulphur in, percentage of.... 16

Emmons County, lignite from, data concerning. ........................ 14

Englehardson lignite bank, location of.... 48

Ericson mine, lignite of, analysis of ....... 18

Ermintrout, John, bank of................. 49

Evaporative powers of coal and lignite,

comparison of.................. 16

Extent of lignite beds...................... 12

F.

Fargo, test of lignite at..................... 20

Fargo-Edison Company, test of lignite by.. 20 

Farmers Valley, location of................ 45

Fayette, lignite at.......................... 46

Fisher Brothers, irrigation by.............. 53

Flats, irrigation on......................... 50-54

location of, and lignite on and near.... 27-50

Fort Berthold Agency, flats near.. 33-34,36-37,43 

flats near, map of....................... 32

lignite at and near................11,33-34,37

analysis of.......................... 18

location and character of .............. 33-34

section at............................... 33

Fort Buford, flats near ..................... 28

Fort Stevenson flats, location of, and lignite

on.............................. 34

map of.................................. 34

Page.

Fort Union formation, lignite formerly referred to........................ 10-11

Fourmile Creek, irrigation on.............. 50

Freeman family, irrigation by.............. 51

Fuel, coal as, comparative tests of lignite

and............................. 19-20

lignite as, amount of, required for

pumping....................... 26

use of............................... 9

standards of........................ 14

value of ............................ 14-24

tests of.............................. 15-24

variations in........................ 12

G.

Gamel, J. C., ranch of, lignite on........... 40

ranch of, lignite on, analysis of ........ 18

Garner Creek, location of and lignite on... 39 

Geologic sections. See Sections, geologic.

Gerecht's ranch, lignite on................. 46

Gille-Miller mine, lignite of, analysis of.... 18

Gladstone, irrigation near.................. 53

lignite at............................... 48

Glass Bluffs, lignite in...................... 29

Goodall, , acknowledgments to ........ 54

Gore brothers' ranch, flats near, and lignite

on .............................. 43

Grand River, lignite on .................... 50

Green River, flats and lignite on ........... 47-48

Greenup, Grant, irrigation by.............. 52

Grinnell ranch, irrigation on............... 53

H.

Halliday, flats and lignite near ............ 45,46

Hall's mine, lignite of, analysis of.......... 18

Hanchett mine, lignite of.................. 13

lignite of, analysis of................... 18

Hancock, flat and lignite near ............. 37-38

irrigation on............................ 53

section near ............................ 37

Hans Creek, irrigation from, and lignite on. 45 

Hanson, M., ranch of, lignite on ........... 46

Hazen, flats and lignite near............... 45-46

Heart River, flats on ....................... 47

flats on, irrigation on................... 53

lignite on............................... 47-48

analysis of.......................... 17

section on.............................. 47

Heaton's land, lignite on, analysis of ...... 18

Hebron, use of lignite at.................... 23

Hedderick ranch, irrigation on............. 52

Hendrickson, Francis, irrigation by........ 52

Hinds, , acknowledgments to .......... 54

Hofflund-Nesson flats. See Nesson-Hofflund

flats. 

Holgate, , acknowledgments to......... 54

Holland mine, location of.................. 30

Horse Creek, location of, and lignite on.... 39

Howe, lignite near......................... 49

I.

Independence, flat and lignite near........ 37

Iron nodules, absence of.................... 13

Irrigation in North Dakota, requirements

for.............................. 9

status of................................ 50-54
INDEX. 57

j.

Jack, Edwin, irrigation by................. 28,50

Jamestown, use of lignite at ............... 23

Jamestown Insane Asylum, evaporative

tests of coal and lignite at...... 19-22

Johnson's ranch, flats near................. 41

Jones mine, lignite of, analysis of.......... 18

K.

Kenmare, lignite at, analysis of............ 17

lignite near, sulphur in, percentage of. 16 

use of lignite at ........................ 24

Kenmare Coal Company, lignite of, test of. 21-22 

Knife River, flats and lienite on ........... 45-46

Kupper ranch, lignite on................... 48

L.

Lampman, L. L. and Howard, irrigation by. 51

Langford, Joseph, irrigation by ............ 51,52

Laramie formation, lignite in........... .. 10-11

Larson .Lewis, tests of lignite conducted by. 21

Lauchland, , mine of.............:..... 32

Lehigh, mines at........................... 47

section at............................... 47

Lehigh mine, lignite of, analysis of ........ 17

lignite of, sulphur in, percentage of.... 16

Lenneville mine, location of................ 47

Lignite area, boundaries and extent of .... 10

Littlefleld, George, irrigation by ........... 53

Little Knife River, flats near ............... 37

flats near, irrigation on................. 52

lignite on............................... 37

analysis of.......................... 18

Little Missouri River, flats on .............. 37-44

flats on, view of ........................ 34,44

lignite on............................ 11,37-44

analysis of.......................... 18

view of ............................. 44

Lloyd Mining Company's mine, lignite of,

analysis of...................... 18

Lovejoy mine, location of.................. 30

M.

McLean County, lignite in, data concerning ............................. 14

Mackersie mine, location of................ 30

Magowan, Charles S., on pumping water

with lignite .................... 24-27

Mandan, flats near ......................... 38

test of lignite at........................ 20

use of lignite at......................... 23

Mann, A. W., irrigation by................. 50

Mannhaven, flats and lignite near........ 37

section at............................... 37

Manning's ranch, lignite on ............... 44

Map of ancient valley at Big Bend......... 36

of Fort Berthold Agency flats.......... 32,34

of Fort Stevenson flats ................. 34

of Nesson-Hofflund flats................ 30

of North Dakota, western part of....... 9

Marelius, George, irrigation by ............ 51

Marmon, S. A., irrigation by............... 51

ranch of, lignite on..................... 32

Martin's ranch, flats and lignite near...... 43

Mattoon, F. G., irrigation by............... 38,53

Mercer, Kate and Sarah, irrigation by ..... 50

Mercer County, lignite from, data concfe.-iiing ............................. 14

Medora, flats near....................... 38,40-43

lignite at and near ............... 11,12,40-44

lignite near, analysis of ................ 18

view of ............................. 42

sections at and near.................... 41,42

well at, rocks in ........................ 11

Mikkelson, flats and lignite near........... 42,44

lignite beds near, view of............... 42

Miller mine, location of.................... 30

Minot, lignite at, analysis of................ 17

Minot Electric Light Co., use of lignite by. 24 

Missouri River, fall of ...................... 9

flats on ................................. 27-38

irrigation on...................... 9,50-54

lignite on............................... 28-38

analysis of.......................... 18

Missouri Valley Milling -Co., test of lignite*

by .............................. 20

Moisture in lignite, percentage and effects

of............................... 16-18

Montana, flats and lignite in............... 28

Morgan ranch, flats and lignite on and near. 42,44 

Morton County, lignite from, data concerning ............................. 14

Mouse River Lignite Co.'s mine, lignite of,

analysis of...................... 17

Muddy River, flats and lignite on....... 29-30,36

irrigation on............................ 51,52

Nelson Creek, irrigation on ................ 52-53

water from ............................. 31-32

Nelson ranch, irrigation on ................ 52

Nesson-Hofflund flats, irrigation on........ 52-53

lignite on and near.................. 32-33,37

location and character of ........... 30-33,37

map of.................................. 30

reclamation of ......................... 54

Nesson mine, lignite in, analysis of........ 18

Newell, F. H., letter of transmittal by ..... 7

New Era mine, lignite of, analysis of....... 17

New England, lignite near................. 49,50

lignite near, analysis of................ 18

New Salem, lignite at, anaylsis of.......... 17

mines at, output of..................... 47

New Salem Roller Mill Company, use of

lignite by....................... 24

Nohle, A. F., irrigation by.................. 50

North Dakota, western part of, map of..... 9

North Dakota Agricultural College, test of

lignite at....................... 21

North Dakota State University, tests of lignite and coal at................ 21

Norwegian Creek, lignite on............... 48

O.

Olafson's ranch, lignite on ................. 45,46

Oliver County, lignite from, data concerning ............................. 14

O'Neil's ranch, lignite near ................ 45

Output of lignite ........................... 14
58 INDEX.

p.

Painted Woods Lake, flats and lignite near. 38 

Palace Butte, lignite in .................... 49

Parker's ranch, lignite on.................. 44

Parkin ranch, flats and lignite on.......... 41

Paulson's ranch, lignite on................. 45,46

Pease, , acknowledgments to........... 64

Pelton's ranch, flats near................... 45

Pioneer Coal Co., mine of, location of...... 30

Pleasant Valley mine, lignite of, analysis of. 18 

Pony Gulch mine, lignite of, analysis of ... 18 

Powers. A. B., farm of, lignite on.......... 48

Price of lignite ............................. 47

Properties, physical, of lignite ............. 16-17

Pumping for irrigation, fuel required for.. 26 

instances of ............................ 52,53

lignite as fuel for....................... 24-27

use of................................... 9

Pumps, cost of.............................. 27

use of................................... 25-27

R.

Ranch 777, lignite on ....................... 40

lignite on, analysis of.................. 18

Reclamation, recommendations for........ 53-54

Redwing Creek, flats and lignite on........ 43,44

location of.............................. 43

Reed's ranch, lignite near.................. 44

lignite near, view of.................... 44

Reiss, Jacob, mine of....................... 49

mine of, lignite in, analysis of .......... 18

Richardton, lignite at...................... 46

Riley, A. F., irrigation by .................. 53

ranch of, lignite on..................... 53

Rock Springs, flats and lignite near........ 45

Roosevelt, Theodore, ranch of, flats and lignite on ......................... 42

Rosehill mine, lignite of, analysis of....... 18

Rounsaville, Fred., irrigation by........... 51

Russell, A. E., ranch of, lignite on ......... 40

Russell-Miller Milling Co., use of lignite by. 23

Rust farm, lignite on....................... 48

S.

Sagebrush flats, view of.................... 34

Sand Creek, lignite on...................... 40

section on .............................. 40

Sandy Creek, lignite on ..........:......... 30

Sander, lignite near ........................ 38

Satterlund mine, lignite of, analysis of..... 17

Schumaker, irrigation by .................. 50

Scoria Creek, irrigation on ................. 51

Scribner's mine, lignite of, analysis of..... 18

Sections, geologic, of lignite beds .......... 32,

33,36,37,39-42,47

of lignite beds, diagrams showing. 11,41,42,47 

Sentinel Butte, lignite at, analysis of ...... 18

Sharp, E. A.,irrigation by.................. 52

Shell Creek, flat on, location and character of ........................... 35-36

lignite on............................... 36-36

analysis of.......................... 18

Sherry, James, irrigation by................ 52

Sheyenne River, lignite on................. 10

Page. 

Shields, lignite near. ....................... 49

Sidney, Mont., lignite near. ................ 28

Sikes mine, lignite of, analysis of .......... 18

Simpson's ranch, flat on. ................... 42

lignite on. .............................. 42, 44

Sims, lignite at .............................

lignite at, analysis of ....................

Slacking of lignite, explanation of .........

Smith, F. M., ranch of, lignite on. .........

Smith-Kenmare Dry Coal Co.'s mine, lignite of, analysis of ..............

Sorenson mine, lignite of, analysis of ......

South Heart, lignite near. ...................

Spanish Point, lignite at. ...................

47

17

17

46

17

18 

48 

37 

Spring Creek, flats and lignite on. ......... 45-46

Square Butte Creek, flats and lignite near. 38 

Squaw Creek, lignite on. ................... 44

Stanley, lignite at, analysis of .............. 18

Stanton, flats and lignite near. ............. 38

Stark County, lignite from, data concerning ......................... 14

Stokers, automatic, use of .................. 12

Stone-Bird mine, lignite of, analysis of .... 18

Stony Creek, irrigation from ............... - 52

lignite on .............................. CO

Stony Point, lignite at ..................... 32-33

Sulphur in lignite, occurrence of .......... 13

percentage of .......................... 16-16

T.

Thickness of lignite beds. .................. 10

Tobacco Creek, lignite on .................. 32

location and character of .............. 30-32

reservoir sites on ....................... 31

Tobacco Garden Creek, flatsand lignite in. 43 

location of .............................. 30, 43

Topography, relations of lignite and. . ..... 13

Trenton, pumping station at............... 29

Turtle Gulch mine, lignite of, analysis of.. 18 

Turtle Mountains, lignite in ............... 10

U. 

Use, commercial, of lignite ................ 23

V.

Velva, lignite near, analysis of ............. 18

Volatile matter in lignite, percentage of. 15,17-18 

Volute, pump, efficiency of ................. 25

W.

Wadeson mine, lignite of, analysis of ...'... 17

Wallender , irrigation by ............... 63

Ward, , irrigation by ................... 53

Ward County, lignite in, analysis of ....... 18

lignite in, data concerning ............ 14

Warren, Upham, on lignite ................ 10

Washburn, flats and lignite near. .......... 38

lignite near, analysis of ................ 17

use of ............................... 24

Washburn mine, lignite of, analysis of. .... 17

lignite of, sulphur in, percentage of. ... 16

Water, duty of ............................. 24

lifting of, fuel required for. ............ 26

Weige, G., ranch of, lignite on and near... 46
.INDEX. 59

Page. 

Williams County, lignite from, analysis of.. 18

lignite from, data concerning.......... 14

Williams Creek, location of, and lignite on. 39

section on .............................. 39

Williams mine, lignite of, analysis of...... 18

Williston, irrigation near................... 51,52

lignite at and near .....................

price of.............................

analysis of..........................

Wilson, , on duty of water..............

Wilton, lignite at, analysis of ..............

Wittemeier, Carl, irrigation by.............

White Earth, lignite near, analysis of......

White Earth Creek, flat and lignite on.....

location of..............................

Whitetail Creek, flats on....................

Wood, L. H., acknowledgments to .........

X.

X ranch, location of.

Page. 

43

Y.

Yellowstone River, fall of.................. 9

flata on, irrigation on................... 50

lignite on........................... 28

location and character of .......... 27-28

Young's ranch, flats and lignite on ........ 41

Yule, flats near............................. 38

lignite near............................. 38,40

Z.

Zahl, F. R., irrigation by......

Ziner, O., ranch of, lignite on.

O