The Benton record., 1875-03-01
FoRr BENTON, Feb. 1o, 1875.


To the Editor Of the Record:
Hearing that efforts are being made to
secure a collection of minerals, curiositles,
&c, for exhibition at the forthcoming
Centennial Exposition, Thought perhaps
la few words regarding the many rare
specimens to be found in Montana would
not be unacceptable to your readers.
Geological curiosities are abundant in
this locality, and I judge from my OWL
experience that If the so-ealled bad lands
which occupy such a wide tract Of country
near this vicinity, we're searched, the
great bone deposits Of Wyoming and
Colorado would find their rivals in this
region, and I also think that inyestiga
tion would lead to the discovery of large
deposits of soda, alum, iron, and possibly
numerous other articles Of great value fol
manufacturing purposes. AS regards
1post-tertiary deposits, Badger Creek has
already yielded remains of the Mastodor
Giganteus, and large unclassifed bones
have been found IN the neighborhood o1
Cow Greek and in the bad-lands Of the
Marias. Specimens of Elphas American
us have been found in the drift of Alder
Gulch, ard in other places, and proper
examination would, doubtless, result II
similar discoveries in this locality. 1
specimens Of these bones were selected
land classified, they might call the atten
tion Of scientific men to the much abused
and underValued bad-lands.
At Cow Creek and at Carroll, In some
places the rocks are one mass of shells
AT Fort Shaw, from one small bed o
Inodulic sllale I found over sixty speciei
OF shells; petrifed fish and snakes are alst
to be found at the places mentioned
South Of the Bear Paw Mountains there
is a cretaceous bed which is probably
1900 feet in thickness. A part Of tbi
bed is composed Of the famous green sand
which, for agricultural purposes, is al
most worth it's weight in gold in New
Jersey and other States this famous ferti
lizer is called mari. It is composed 0
green silicon of iron, potash, and phos
phate Of lime, from the presence Of tn.
the two last it oWes its value to agricul
ture.
AS regards minerals, iron exists in larg
quantitiesaai in the Bear Paw Mountains
Dry Greek, judith River, and possibl,
in the southern part Of the HighWoods
Copper is present on the Judith and tn
western part Of the HighWoods, and leaC
| is found in the vicinity Of Milk River
Coal underlies a large portion of thi
country, and crops out along the Teton
and Missouri Rivers, and Ignite beds .
considerable value abound along tn
Dearborn.
IN this paper have not, Of course
touched upon the mineral wealth Of othe
parts of Montana, otherwise ] should b
compelled, in justice to It's value and in
terest, to make my communication un
reasonably long. I have confined mysel
as near as possible to our locality. Cal
see no reason why this Territory shoult
not send to the Exposition one of tn
most valuable and interesting minera
cabinets the world has yet seen. TIL
materials are at hand, and the resident
Of this and other sections, ought to fee
sufficient pride and interest ii their beau
tiful Montana to make the collection al
urgent personal duty. No one can tel
the effect Of these wonders upon the East
ern people. IF they do not directly in
Auence immigration, they will at leas
promote inquiry regarding a acountry tha
can produce such incontroyertible eyi
dences Of unlimited wealth; and inquir.
is really all we want, to prove that Mon
tana requires nothing but capital ant
railroad communication to deVelOpe rich
es greater than even far-famed Californi
ever dreamed OF.
Yours truly,
OSWALD O. MORRISON
Fort Shaw, n. 7. Feb. 81, 1874.