The daily gazette., 1874-08-21


ter Official dispatches detailing the Incl
atiOns of his grand expedition to the
Black Hills in Dakota Territory. lie has
carried his cavalry through fair fields
and pastures new, where hitherto the
foot OF the white man had not trOd, nor
The white mans horse struck a spark
from the flinty rock with his iron hoof.
1t but the half he tells MS of this fairy
land be true, it eXcels all others in beau
ty and grandeur, as well as in fertility
and material wealth. The picture he
draws is an enchanting aud enticing one,
and will rot fail to have powei full in
fiuence in stirring our adventurous young
counlrvmen to seek their fortunes in
this new Ell DOrado-this Land or Flow
ers. After stating that on the Goth of
July they had crossed the Belle Fourche
river and moved through very super
ior country, covered with fine timber,
and exc client grazing, he tells us that
the following day they entered valley,
which he thus describes
We here found grass, water and wood
of the hest quality, and III great abun
dance. On the following day we resum
I'd our march up this valley, which had
explored several miles the preceding
evening, and which led US by all easy as
cent almost southeast, After marching
nearly twelve miles we cncamped at an
ea,ly hour in tho same valley. This val
ley In one respect presented the most
wonderful as well as b autlful aspect
Its equal l have never seen, and such,
too, WAS The testimony of ell who be-
held i. Ia no public or private park
have ever seen such prutuse display
of flowers. Every step OF our march that
day was amid flowers of the most eXqui-
site cOlOrs and perfume. So luxuriant in
growth were they that men plucked Them
without dismounting from the saddle.
Some belonged TO new or unclsssitjed
species. 1T was strange sight to glance
back at the advancing columns of caval.
ry, and behold The men with beautiful
bouquets in their hands, while the ht tad
gear of their horses was decorated with
wIeaths of flowers fit to crown queen
Of May. DeemiAg it most fitting APP
pellatlon, named this Floral Valley
| General Forsyth, at one of our hatng
places, chosen at random, plucked seven
teen beautiful flowers belonging to diff
ferent species, and within IL space OF
twenty feet square. The same evening
while sitting at the mess table, one oi
the officers called attention to the carpet
of flowers strewn under our feet, and il
was suggested that it be determined how
many different flowers could be plucked
without leaving Oar seat at the dinner
table. Seven beautiful varieties wert
thus gathered, Professor Donaldson,th,
bOtanist of the expedition, estimated tn,
number of flowers in bloom in Flora
Valley ut fifty, while an equal numbe
of varieties had hloolned or were y.t I,
bloom. The number of trees, shrubs an,
grasses were twenty. five, making TN
total fora of the valley embrace 12
SPECIES.
Through tins beautiful valley mrs,d, Is
stream Cf cnrystal water 81 roid aS Ia reIide
ice undesirable even at Ia 'ouday. lha TEN
peralure ct Two OF the many sprinss toun,
tlowlng into 1t was taken and ascertain d I
be Al and 4il5 deg. respectively.
The next morning, although 10th to lea v
so enchanting II locality, We cout,nlied I
ascend This valley uniit 2fadullly, almos
imperceptibly, we discovered that We wer
on lhe crest oi tho westtrn ridge nt tn
Black Hills; aud Instead of heing anon
ba,ren, rocky peaks, as might be supposed
we found ourselves vending our VA
through n little park who's, natural braat,
|
portions of Central Park. Favored IA W
had been IN having Floral Valley for on
roadway to the west ot Black Hills, we wer
scarccly less fortunate Ia The valley wAiel
seemed to NE to meet us On tho interior s!opt
The ripplng stream ui clear, cold water, th
| Counterpart ot that we had aseBpded the d /
before, flowed at oul ieet and pointed ou
the way before US, while along its bank
grew beautiful flowers, SUR a 'sed bat iilti,
in beauty and protusiou by their sisters wn
had greeted us the day htfo.o. After ed
yancing down tins valley about Iourlce
miles, our course being almost soathea=l
VIC encalnped in the midst q grain, who's
only fault, il auy, was Its great luyulnnct
But this is not all. As the expedite
, proceeded the ondei> o This golden Wee
were still more proliiicly unioIded to thel
pleased vision. in ssconi dispatch, date
our days subsequent to thal from which w
have quoted, aud written IN sight ol Har
ney's Peak, the gol.ten-haired cavalry her
tells us:
Everything indicates abundance OF mos
ture within the space lucics sed by the Blacl
} | Hills. iLe soil = ID that OF il rlcl garden
and composed OF adafk molli ioieAeeeding
fine gram. We have found the country il
many places covered with wild raspberries
both black and red varieties. 1esterIil
and to4day have fcaste,l IN the latter. |
Is no unusual 81 ,lIt TO SEQ huadr'ds oil sol
diers gathering wild berries Nowhere II
the States have tasted cultivated raspbsr
ries Of equal ilavor t" those found growing
! wild here, nor have ever seen them lalS
OF in as greet profussloa, as 1 have see
hundreds OF acres OF them here. WI
. strawberries, wild currants, gooseberre'
two varieties oil pine berries and wild chez
ries arc also found in great proihsion, an
OF exceeding fns quality. Cattle coui