Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1858-08-19

home. Their Indignation was great at oul
intrusion among them, and they were ear
nest in declaring that white men shoult
never dispossess them while they lived
To the agricuiturist this section has, low
ever, comparatively little attraction, ana
that between longitude 99o 20< aud tat
mouth, an extent Of about 90 miles, !.
perhaps far more valuable. Hera the bot
toms viii probably average width Of 4
quarter Of a mile, are susceptible of cult
walton, and cotton wood, oak, walnut, and
ash will furnish settlements with all ths
timber and fuel they will need. The rivel
banks seem to present no good building
stone, nor did we, though searching dill
gently, discover any sign Of valuable Goa
| or other minerals.
In describing the tributaries to the Nj
obrara, l shall begin at the mouth and
take the north side first. The Ponka river
which has q very fine, well wooded, and
fertile valley runs into the Missouri about
five miles north of the Niobrara, in lati
tude 420 4s> north. Its course is parable
and near to that Of the Niobrara, as fal
up as the mouth Of Turtle Hill river
Turtle Hill river (keha Paha) is the main
branch Of the Niobrara, and is about l2(
miles long. ] crossed it in 1856, 60 miles
above its mouth, and it has very fine
valley /! to of a mile wide, with good
soil and limited quantity of fine cotton
wood timber. The bed Of the stream il
sandy, and its waters are clear and sweet
width at the mouth fifty yards. The first
20 miles of the space between this branch
and the main river is occupied by sand
hills.
The next northern branch which Joins
the Niobrara, in long. lO00 23/, is na1led
Mini-cha-duza-Wakpa, or Rapid creek
At its mouth it is about yards wide, witt
valley about to J mile wide, and sol
quite fertile, the banks are scantily fringed
with small trees. 1t forms about the cas-
tern border Of the Sand hills on the north
side Of the Niobrara, as far as we could
see. Its length is about 80 miles.
The mouth of the next stream is in
long. l0l0 Is; it has scarcely any appre-
ciable valley, flows between high rocky
bluffs difficult to ascend and descend it is
about 5 yards wide, with clear, deep, swift
running water, and is probably about 30
miles long.
The mouth of the next northern trbu.
tary is in longitude l0lo so, and is called
White Earth creek; il is about thrce-fourths
the ''.. "' '..-r'. ~ so", "...-.- ..---.a@-
bles in every particular, and is about 2j
miles long. The next, in long. lO2', is a
small spring rivulet about % miles long,
and above this the branches are all small
runs coming from the bluffs, generally dry
except after rains, with scarcely any val
leys to speak Of.
On the south side Of the Niobrara there
are numerous small branches coming in
between its junction with the Missouri and
the point where it receives the waters oil
the Turtle Hill river. Three of these are
Of considerable size, probably 35 miles
long, the bluffs along nearly all of them
being more or less covered with scattered
pine, and theirvalleys occupiedwith clumps
Of cotton wood, oak, ash, &c.
From the mouth of Turtle Hill river to
that Of the Wazihonska there are still Q
greater number of short southern branch
es, all containing springs of water, anG
abounding in pineand beautiful O. groves
Wazihonska means in Dakota tongu,
1.-THE place where the pine extends far out;
and this stream, whose mouth is in long
lo0o, is probably 40 miles long, and all it,
bluffs and side ravines are green with pine
Its valley, though not SO wide. is very sim
liar to that of the Niobrara in this part
which has been described.
Snake river, whose mouth is in long 100
45, is quite large stream, some 80 yard.
wide, its bluffs covered with pine with 4
narrow valley like the Wazihonska.
Above this there is scarcely any brancl
coming in from the south deserving men
ton,
Niobrara is very shallow and swif
flowing stream" as the Canadians sa,
81 eau qui court" abounding in rapid.
two thirds Of its upper course, and in ii
middle portion filed with small islands
In the lower portion its width exceeds lha
Of the Missouri river, and is spread ou
over sand bars. The bed in the broat
portions is quicksand and difficult to ford
1t waters rapidly increase in volume thro
its middle portion, from the multitude o
springs and streamlets that constantly flow
into it from the foot of the bluffs and ou
Of the ravines. 1t furnishes no navigation
except it might be for light fat boats du
ring floods, and probably might be uset
for rafting. Logs could be driven if tn,
timber should be found Of quality, quan
tity, and accessibility to defray the cxpen
ses. ! cannot, however, look upon it al
capable Of furnishing timber for the coun
try ON the Missouri, for the reason tha
much Of the pine is too small, crooked
and knotty, and grows in places Difficult
to transport it from. The species is wha
is called the Rocky mountain pine, has I
yellowish white appearance, and abound
in resin. The distance on the Niobrar,
| over which lLesn nine raxinna exinnd |.