Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-08-28
DAKOTA.
Letter from Chief-Engineer Roberts
Railroad Trafflc-Charaeter OF Da-
kOta LandS-An excellent Country
Indian Matters.


: Railroad Traffic Character OF Da
kOta LandS-An excellent Country
Indian Matters.
. Chief Engineer w. MilnOr Roberts
who has recently July 18th, 1872,
; completed a tour of inspection aloni
the line of the Northern Pacific Rail
road in Minnesota, and as far west a
the valley of Heart river in Western
, Dakota, writes as follows ofthe result
ofhis professional observations:
A heavy business is constantly
passing over the completed section o
the Road through Minnesota-con
sistipg of the local carTying-trade o
the country traversed by the line
the business of the Hudson's Bay
Company and the British settlement:
in the lower Red River Valley: the
trasportation of railroad iron, eros
ties, materials and supplies for the
large amount of track now being laid
by the st. Paul and Pacific Company
in Western Minnesota, and similar
mater rial for the Dakota division oi
the Northern Pacific Road. passed
across Dakota, between the Red river
and the Missouri, going and return
ing in a wagon. travelling only by
day and camping at night, so that
had a full view of every portion Oi
the railroad line, and of the country
through which it is located. l care,
fully observed not only the grading
and construction, but also the char
acter of the country and soil. The
distance across is about 200 miles, and
we were seldom out of our engineers
and contractors camps.
There has been no difficulty what
ever in obtaining at all points good
water for men and stock, either from
natural springs or from excavations
of eight to ten feet in depth. This
settles cne important question relat-
ing to the early settlement and sue
cessful cultivation of this section.
This is entirely prairie region, in
terseeted by a few streams, such as
the Rush, Maple, Sheyenne and
James rivers. The valleys Of these
contain what timber there is.
After much careful exploratory
work and preliminary location, the
assistant engineers have secured an
admirable line with generally very
light grades and easy curvature.
Even in passing into and out of the
larger valleys-the Sheyenne and the
James-we were not compelled to ex-
ceed (and only for very short distan-
ces to reachl our maximum of sixty
feet per mile ascending westward, f,
and fifty per mile ascending eastward,
The whole country is gently undu-
lating plain, affording ample drainage
interspersed with occasional lakes.
some of which are brackish and the
Others Of fresh water. The rainfall
the present season, through all this
region, has been abundant, and at all
times superabundant.
The aduudis terTe, or bad lands, so
called. of the great valley Of the Mis-
sOuri. are not met JCith on the line Of
mis- Road. About thirty miles east
of the Missouri our line enters the
wide and beautiful valley OF Apple
Creek, down which it passes by
gentle grade, over excellent soil all
the way TO the river. The entire re-
gion, from the Red river 20 the Mis-
souri, and beyond, at the time l Iass-
ed over it, was clothed with a nutri-
tious grass, affording fine pasture,
without any exception, along the
whole 200 miles. For large portion
of the distance the soil is very super
ior. equal to the best of any land. 1t
is safe to saw that at least nine-tenths
of the country that saw IS good, ara
BILE land. constituting one OF the most
fertile and attractive prairie regions /
have anywhere seen,
Some of our exploratory lines were
traced through what is called the
HaauUdis terre. These sO-called "bad
lands" are designated thus on ac-
count of their soil, but more on ae-
count of their shape, being water
worn, or broken, so that they are not
adapted to cultivation, while they
would also increase, materially, the
cost of railroad construction through
them. The "CotteauX" thillocks)
through this portion of Dakota are by
no means formidable. They are
rounded, gently sloPing and covered
with good grass. Within recent
period this whole region has been
vast pasture-land for the buffalo and
the antelope, which no longer roam
here.
Ofthe productive qualities of the
soil, saw sufficient evidence IN the
superb appearance Ofa garden fseve-
raj acres at the second Sheyenne eros
sing Sc miles west of Red river. The
potatoes, corn, peas, beans, radishes.
&c. were among the finest l have
anywhere seen, and it was no fault Of
the soil or the climate that, ten days
later, that occasional scourge OF all
new prarie regions, the grasshOpper,
had appropriated the growing crop TO
his private use. i
The valleys of the Sheyenne and
the James, where our line crosses, are
lovely, having abundant
water. trees enough to relieve the eye, |
and a rich soil. The Missouri IS
noble river where the Road strikes I
it-wide and deep, with a swift cur
rent. and heavily wooded along its /
shores and islands. 1t is navigable |
for a thousand miles above, to Fort
Benton, and quite a number oi large
steamers, heavily laden with mer
chandize for Montana, had recently
passed up. tits the opinion OF an ex-
perienced Missouri river steamboat
man. that on the completion OF the
Northern Pacific Road to the Missou-
ri. the business will be done over this
Road, not merely to ali points on the
river above, but also to points several
hundred miles below.
1 spent a day, on horseback, west OF
The Missouri river, along Buck creek
and Heart river valleys, and found
good grass everywhere. The valley
1f Heart river, which our line follows
some distance towards the Yellow
stone. comes fully up to, and even
exceeds the expectations l had formed
rom Division Engineer Rosser's
previous reports, maps ana pronIes,
md his verbal explanations. 1t is
,ource of much qualification to me to
know that oCr assistant engineers
lave been very cautious in their state
nents respecting all the country west
# Minnesota-k knowing, as l DO, the
lesIre of the Company to have all
heir published representations un- :
lerstate, rather than Overstate the q,
advantages of the region through
which the Road is building. Fortu- :
lately. our final and critical surveys {
re proving that the facts may be 8
understated, ana Tet '
make a perfectly satisfactory SHOW
ng.
The newspaper stories about In :
ians and dangers from them to the {
abroad across Dakota, have no solid d
1nndation in fact. The Indian stu
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