The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-11-23
THE EAsTERN YELLOWSTONE
EXPEDITION.
Return or the Advance Guard Of Cen.
Rosser's Party.

q \
4 Good Railroad Route Csaimsd 10 have
q been Found across the Bad Lands-ln.
feresting Particulars Of the Tr1p
From the st. Paul Press Of Nov. 2d.
ySomeof the members ofthe exploring ex-E
pedition acfoss the country from the Mis-
souri, to the I Yellowstone sent out BY the i
Northern Pacific Railroad Company, to sur /
vey route for their road have returned 10
this city. From Mr.. David r. Livingston, /
connected with the citizens train Of this ex- /
ploring party, the particulars are obtained
which are given below.
General Rosser and his party OF engineers
left Fort Rice on the 9Th day Of September
accompanied by seven companies OF lnIantry
and two Gatlin guns, under the command OF
Oeneral Whistler. Messrs. n. 2. Clark, OF
ST. Cloud, and Mayall and Wilder Of St.
Paul. furnished tile transportation for the
expedition, having sixty-iiye men ana ABOUT
as many teams in their employ.
After leaving Folt Rice, this expedition
virtuallv followed General Sully's tran OF
1854, shortening it in many places, anu
crossing and Tecrossing it many times pc
fore the bad lands were reached. When
these wonderful breaks in the prairie or
pulehes. we're suddenly encountered, It was
precisely where General sully struck lhem'
General Rosser's party encamped on Inc
same elevated horseshoe plateau where zen.
Sully made his camp the first inght ne en-
tered 1.-THE Mauvaises Terres. The Littie
Missouri was also crossed where Suliy foraeu
# and the same narrow ravine was fol-
lowed IN out Of tile fearful chasIl. After
the bioh rolling country was reached, on the
opposite side of the bad lands, the route 10
the Yellowstone was very nearly the same as
sulIv,s. and the river itself-Whlch was
reached on the third day OF October-Was
probably approached from the summit OF
the cliffs by the same broad, grassy, lieilleu
nlae which was discovered by General
Sully's Blackfoot guide.
General Rosser found that the aistahce
from Fort Rice to the Yellowstone ninety
miles above the mouth, was about tiiree
hundred and fifty miles, measured py an
| odometer. Returning, the distance was
shortened to two hundred seyenty-fiye miles
| qhe Little Missouri having been reerosseu at
| the same point with prospect that more
| careful surveys will reduce the distance
somewhat below this figure
| General Rosser has not yet retnrhea' p'i'
he is said to have given it as his opinion tilas
tba whole route is feasible for a railroad, ana
being i competent engineer, MS Juus'iien'
can be relied on. ~
rrba engineers. citizens and soldiers all de-
clare the trip to have been one Oh extreme
hardship. and the nnnber OF ahaeheiiias
hurled at the locality generally is saiu "
have been irlnumerable as well as extremely
strong in point of emphasis. Gen. W l'ls'iei'
i himself is said TO have exhibited some co'i-
siderable scarcity of piety,s especially ~neh
be had no water for drinking purposes, con
s;darino that his wants in this respecs Weie
i limited. Successful attempts were hlaue g -
4 various places in boring for water. ne par
-, ware more fortunate than Sully's eSpeur
Ia n the matter of wood, the teansters
loading their empty wagons with fuel 30 pe
used in emergencies. thereby ayo'dlhs VI.
,ecessitv of using buffalo CHIPS. "hici
showed eommendable foresight, for the con
bustable chips were unusually scarce Oh Az
co1nt OF the prairie fires which hao feeeh.i'
s,,ent over the country. Forage was afss
ao,rea and the horses were limited TO sever
on,ds q day. which was severe on morse
flesh. and many animals died on the 1fip'
Mr. livingston says, that on the lss .
.,eto,mr. willie the expedition Was enJoyihs
. lis sundays rest on the CottohWoou n,'ei
shouf twenty-five miles east OF the enc"
stone Young man named Walters starte'
, ont prospecting for gold, and Wneil apo''
, thraa miles from camp he sunk hoie' ah'
! after getting down about four feet, 1ouh'
!, en,erditl diggings, and the gold quite coarse
! On the third day, two days aftef, Mr' Lis
ingston and John Crandall found golo pes'l
. ing quartz on the low bars OF the ieiio"
n stone. esrB.
! Mr. T., afterwards procured PICK an
Y shavel and found fine float gold LII hnefeA
i nlaees close to the waters edge. LlVlhgsto
: and Walters are both old miners. Coions
8 lntlan, who is 4 great fasofile Will Tug -.
zens. was very successful in securing plee
Of gold-bearing quartz, as Wen as q gfea
:. number OF agates.
aY caa, is said to have been found in apun'
i ance on the Heart river. when cofrespo'..
;t,, tha statements made by others WI
! have nrospected up that beautiful valley.
B No Indians. were seen during the VINO
! time this party were on their journey an ~
= t,,era we're numbers Of old Indian nlntel
alono with them, there is reason 20 Delle'
% thev knew nothing of the movements oi Cd
! .rneil;tion. ~, as no signs whatever Of the
4 ,rasenee could be discovered When u
= = broad broad and fertile plateau which TANKS tl =
= Yellowstone was reached, fresh indian Irai
! we're seen. ali pointing up the valley. me
! 4 likelihood, therefore, that II any .
! tamnts were to be made by the saYages
X ohstruct the passage of railroad engineers
= wo,,l.l be TO throw themselves u tne way
q caloncl Minor Roberts party, when Is 81
: : q lhe on it's way eastward over the keci
- Mountaius. When General Rosser staro
& out on this survey, il was with the presun
lion that he would form a Junction WIN a
ID nor Roberts on the Yellowstone, Dut he y
. probably not got along as rapidly tnrou'
n Montana as he expected. At all even
Il notl,ing was seen or heard Of him by hosse S'
~ party. =. +,,,o i,a
- x<xff no