The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-03-12
THE ANCIENT LIFE OF THE WEST.

DIR. f. Y. Hayden, in the letter to the
New York Tribune, descriptive Of tho
result of the scientific expeditions to the
territories with which he was identified
says: For the past twenty years or moro
the various expeditions to the far west
have been aceumulating the materials
that will enable the geologist to recon-
s:ruct the physical history of these now
barren, tracless plains. Numerous eeme-
teries of the ancient inhabitants have
been discovered, whose remains have
been more or less diseBtombed by the
action Of the elements |. is now known
that vas: chain of fresh water lakes
covered this continent TO greater or less
extent, from the Mississippi to the Pacific
% st and from the Arctic sea to Mexico.
Some of these lakes were of enormous
,ze The great ancient lake basin,
known as manvaisses terres, or the "bad
lands" covered large portion of
Nebraska, Dakota and Colorado. an area
Of l00, 900 to 10000 square miles. AS
far back as 1853 the writer visited one of
these far famad bone deposits on the
White Earth river, in Dakota, near the
northeastern base Of the Black hills 1t
is one of the widest and most desolate
regions on this continent. 1t has been
very appropriately named By the Dakota
Indians Ma ko Seetcha," or bad
Fauds," which signifies very difficult
country to travel over, not on y from the
ruggedess Of the surface, but also from
the absence Of auy good water and the
small supply Of wood and game. 1t is
only to tue geologist that this place can
have any permanent attractions. He
wends his way through its wonderful
canous among some of the grandest ruins
in the world. 1t resembles, indeed.
gigantic city fallen to decay. Houses,
towers, muarets and spires may apparently
be seen on every side. These fantastic
piles assume the greatest variety of shapes
when viewed in the distance, aud not
unirequently the rising or the setting
sun Iishts ap these grand old ruins with
i wild, strange beauty. La the summer
the sun pours its rays on tho bare white
walls, which reflect them on the weary
traveller with double Intensity, not only
oppressing him with the heat, but so dazzl
ing his eyes that be IL notuDfrequently at
lected with temporary blindness. 1t is
at the foot Of these ruins that the fossil
treasures are found. In the lower strata
va fnd the teeth aud jaws of a
hyopotanus, river horse much like tbe
hippotamus, which must have lived in
the marshes that bordered this lake.
Here, too the titanothcrium, gigantic
pachyderm, was associated with species
of hornless rhinoceros. Higher up IN
somc of these lake sediments thousands
Of turtles we're imbedded, aud are pre-
served TO the present time with surprising
perfection, their harder portions being as
compIcte as when the animals we're
swimming about 10 the tertiary waters
hundreds Of thousands of years ago. They
vary in size from an inch or two across
the back to three or four feet Assoclat
ed with the remains of turtles are those
of a number of ruminants, all belonging
to extiact genera, and possessing peculiar
characters which ally them TO the deer
aud hog Indeed, Dr. Leidy. calls them
ruminating hogs. Like the domestic
species they were provided with cutting
teeth, aud canies, but the grinding teeth
are constructed after the same pattern as
those of all living ruminants. The feet
of these animals were provided with four
toes, and none Of them possessed horns or
antlers. They appear to have existed 10
immense plumbers, and to have lived 10
great herds like the bison of the west.
Remains OF more than seven hundred
individuals of one species have been
already studied and described BY DR..
Leidy. Their euamies were numerous
among them were wolves, hyenodons
and sabse teothed tigers.
la the sumner of 1857, while the
writer was attached to the exploring
expedition under the commend of Lieut..
Warren, he discovered on the Slebrara
river another of these remarkable grave
Yards, Ia which was entopbed a fauna
closely allied to yet entirely distinct from
that Oh White river, and plainly inter
mediate between that of the latter and Of
the present period. Several species OF