The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-10-11
THURSDAY, OCTOBER IL, 1877.
Gen. Sheridan's Exploration Of North 'rn
Wyoming.

Gen. Sheridan's Exploration Of North 'rn
Wyoming.
General Sheridan spent about half of
last Summer exploring the Big Horn
and Yellowstone country. He was
accompanied by several members of his
military family and an intimate friend
not connected with the service. His
official report ofthe expedition, made to
Adjutant General Townsend, has just
been published. The main portion of
the accompanying document, relating
to the Typography, botany, geology and
scientific aspects generally of the
region, have not reached the public yet.
They will furnish a great deal of highly
interesting information.
General Sheridan babe adieu to ciyili-
zation at Green River station, on the
Union Pacific Railroad, and when he
next took train it was at Bismarck,
the frontier point of the Northern
Pacific road. The territory embraced
in the circuit he made sis designated
in a general way as ''neary the whole
of the great Big Horn and Yellowstone
valleys, the country occupied by the
hostile Indians during the previous
Summer" The Big Horn river is
described as a ''large, swift stream,
and very crooked; the Yellowstone
as a fine broad river, dotted with
beautiful islands while its valley is a
broad expanse of cultivatable land,
some of the open expanse being twenty
miles in length by ten in width"
The most notable feature of the re-
port is its favorableness. We are ac-
customed to regard that region rs the
Bad Lands, ft only for savages, grass
hoppers and wild game. A distinguish
ed Senator said about n year ago,
''Uncle Sam hasn't good land enough
left to make n county" General
Sheridan seems to have found a great
deal of good land, all of which awaits
personal ownership and cultivation.
Only one locality is described rs unfit
for cultivation, namely, the country
from the junction of the Wind rivers
to the base of the Owl Creek range, 1t
was Ut the head of the Wind river
valley that grasshoppers were first
found by the party, in a young state.
Lieutenant Carpenter, to whom was
intrusted reporting the geology and
natural history Of the country travers-
ed, makes the following general ohser-
vations in regard to the country:
The country from Green river, Union
Pacific Railroad, 10 Camp Stambaugh,
W. T., is n desert region which can
never be utilized for the benefit of man
kind. The soil is dry and sandy, and
often so strongly impregnated with
alkali a. to be unfit for agricultural pur-
poses ever if other more favorable o n
ditions existed. But without wood,
water, or grass, it is difficult to imagine
"a more u%ninviting region than this.
Camp Stambaugh is situated on the
summit of a high ridge at the head of
W J. Il tpil llllollit'C
ward to the junction of the Popoagie
with Wind river the soil is fertile, the
valley well watered and timbered, and
with the exception of its liability to
early frost from its altitude labout
5000 feet, it is n good agricultural
and pastoral locality. From the
mouth of the Popoagie to the south
side of the Owl Creek range the desert
country reappears. The soil is full of
mineral salts, which affect the water
very disagreeably, and produces\but n
scanty crop of grass. After crossing
the Owl Creek range the character of
the country changes remarkably. From
this place northward, on both sides of
Big Horn Mountains and down the
Little Horn river to its mouth. is mag
nificent grazing region. The soil is
also fertile, but on account of the
general high altitude agriculture must
always be precarious; hut as u stock
region there is none superior i'll any
other part Of our Western Territories.
Tongue river and the head of the Little
Big Horn are particularly fine sections;
here may be found five different kinds
of grass and several varieties Of weeds,
which cattle eagerly -devour, all grow
ing in the greatest luxuriance. The
wild rye grows to the height of Il horse
in the valleys, while on the table lands
wild timothy and gramma grass can be
cut by a moving machine over AN I'M
broken stretch of land extending for
many miles. The tall bunch grass
observed gave promise of good Winter
grazing, even if the snow should be IN
usually deep. The winter climate is
not as severe as would be expected from
the latitude; it being very much like
that of Northern Colorado, owing to
the passage of n branch of the Northern
Pacific isotherm through the low
passes at the head of the Missouri
river. The Big Horn mountains are
densely timbered with pine and spruce,
and all the streams fringed with a
thick growth of cottonwood and ash.
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