The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-09-09
UP NORTH.
The Powder River Region Its Attrac-
tons and Its Future. nI

at no distant day. It pos
sesses all the elements of wealth, a fine
soil, and superior building stone, and
great mineral wealth.
Iron is found in many places, and gold
has been discovered by chance prospec-
tors, in quantities to warrant the be-
lief that the Big Horn and Little Wolf
will prove to be rich in pre-
cious metals when they are thoroughly
explored.
Abundant streams of pure water run
through the country, and they will fur
nish more water power than all the
streams of New England when the
time comes to use them. The climate
is much better than would be sup
posed from the latitude, from 40 de-
grees to As degrees; it is about like the
climate on the Pacific railroad, but
from 40 degrees to 40 degrees it is much
milder, being influenced by almost con-
slant westerly winds, which bring to, it
the soft airs of the Pacific. The Indi-
ans call this section medicine ground''
because it is so pleasant and healthful.
Snow falls in small quantities and most
of the winter the weather is delightful
for out-of-door work. The average
temperature OH the Big Horn is about
that of the country bordering the Ohio.
Cattle and all kinds of stock can live
out all winter without shelter, and with
no food but what they pick up; the
grass in this pure air drying on the
ground without losing its nutriment,
and is just as good for food as that cut
and cured in the usual way.
FACILITIES FOR CATTLE RAISING.
For stock raising no country could be
finer than this; for the conditions are
such Us to insure the minimum of FIX
pense and labor, and the fine air and
water insure health to the herds.
The country including and bordering
the Big Horn mountains is particularly
fitted for sheep raising. Sheep like
high land and dry air, and these, with
the fine rich grasses of the mountain
slopes, would produce leeces not ex-
celled in any part of the world. Sheep
husbandry is as yet in its infancy with
us, but the time will come when the
Big Horn country will be as famous for
its fiocks and wool as any part of the
old world, and, perhaps as famous for
its looms and mills too.
GAME.
Game is more abundant in the Pow
der river country thanin any part of our
possessions. Here the buffalo range
in herds of thousands, sometimes black
ening the country for miles with their
huge bodies. But though they are
found in large masses, still all expert
ence of border men show they are rapidly
lessening in numbers, and the sections
in which large herds are found are be-
coming narrower every year. The
tribes in the north subsist almost en-
tirely on buffalo meat, and they proba-
bly, kill a quarter of a million of buffalo
every year. AS they kill COWS mainly,
on account of the better quality of
meat. they reduce the herd much faster
than is needful with proper manage
ment. The elk, the finest of the large
game, is found in large numbers, often
five hundred in a herd. Black tail and
white tail deer, antelope, cinnamon and
grizzly bear. beaver, otter and all the
fur-producing animals are very album
dant. -t
The streams are full of excellent
salmon, trout, catfish and bass, and of
the feathered game, geese and brant
duck are as plentiful as any sportsman
could wish.
FRUITS.
Wild fruits, such as plums, c%urrants,
gooseberries, buffalo berries, service
berries grow almost everywhere, and
are excellent. The Indians make a
good deal of use of them for food, dry
ing large quantities and mixing them
with the marrow of buffalo bones for
WlIlltT use, tut 1Iieu Dcilico thc ooiiC-
times pounded up with buffalo meat
and fat, making a sort of f"pemican,"
which is packed in skin and called
sstowro."
MOUNTAIN SHEET.
The most singular of all the wild
animals in the country is the mountain
which live in the mountain
ranges-the higher and wider the better
and which are seldom seen in the low
country. The mountain sheep is about
the size Of the common deer, weighing
over one hundred pounds; the flesh is
good and very much like venison, hav-
ing no flavor of mutton; the hair is
coarse like the antelope, and perfectly
straight; the only resemblance to sheep
is in the horns; these greatly eclipse
anything ever seen in domestic f1ocks,
being long, spiral and giving the head
massive and imposing look. 1t is
difficult to see what the animal was
such headgear for, unless, as
the hunters say, he uses them to break
his fall when taking dangerous leaps,