Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-07-10
THEIR REPORT.
The Work Of the Road Commission
Reduced to Print.
Ahey arc Decidedly aud Unanim ousIy
In Favor of the FIT. George Route.
YANKToN, Dakota Territory,
June 90, 1877.
HIS ExcE1LEscY.

S1R:-We have the honor to report
that, in pursuance OF your letter of in
structions dated June 4th, 1877, to ex-
anime the Fort George landing and the
country west Of the same, the Fort Pierre
landing and the CHARTER Creek landing
and the present road theretrom, and to
report upon their relative character and
feasibility for the permanent location of
what is officially known as Route No. 2
from the Missouri river to the Black
Hills, We proceeded in company with
1t. Col. F. d. Grant, A. d. G. to Lieut..
Gent Sheridan, upon the steamer Durfee,
leaving Yankton June 9th, 1877.
We derived ali the information obtain
able from various reliable parties CON
corning the routes or portions Of the
country visited by them severally, and
entered upon the active discharge of our
duty al Fort George landing. Before
entering upon a description of the several
localities and routes it is proper to re-
mark that upon the plains, or prairies,
west of the Missouri, it is not always
easy to find an excellent practicable road
way with all the required advantages of
wood, water and grass. To find no diff
iculties was not to be expected, but to
find the route with the slightest and few
est possible obstacles of every kind and
the best advantages, was our aim.
There are four distinct qualities or
characteristics of the best roads in such
a region, viz: 1. Directness of the gen
eral route and the track for the wheels,
with good ground. 2. A good supply of
water at convenient intervals and at all
seasons. 8. Abundant supply of grass
for the grazing and forage CT animals.
4, A reasonable supply of timber for the
necessasy stations and bridges, and for
permanent fuel. These are important in
the order named, and there is a great diff
ference between them relatively. Tim
Der is OF slight Importance as compared
with water, and both would be of little
avail without a direct aud reasonable
roadway. Bearing these features in mind
we have examined the country in ques-
ton and report the facts as found by us
in the order the different places and
routes were visited.
FORT GEORGE
The Fort George landing is on the west
or south side of the Missouri river, near
the middle part of a plateau or bench
some twelve miles or more in length,
very similar to that upon which the city
OF Yankton is located, but more extern
sive. For q part of this distance this ter
race forms a bank from 5 to s feet above
high water, along the river, the general
course of which is south So deg. east. The
current OF the Missouri presses closely
upon this bank in a long curve and the
bank is underlaid with stone, preventing
any serious wash, and rendering it a safe
and permanent landing at all stages of
the water. Below this for six or seven
miles the bench recedes from the river,
leaving a lower bottom, averaging nearly
a mile in width, which is covered with
timber. There is also a like consider
able body of timber above the landing.
The land rises in an easy slope back for
twenty to forty feet from the river bank
forming a high, dry and excellent site
Tor the necessary warehouses and other
buildings. Toward the bluffs the ground
descends somewhat, and they are distant
about one and a half to two miles. The
plateau extends back of the timbered
bottoms, and it is all covered with a
heavy growth of excellent grass which
will afford permanent pasturage and for
age for the animals required, and all
within view of the landing.
The lett bank of the river is easily APP
preached and presents permanent and
good landings directly opposite the Fort
George landing, and has plenty of tim
Der and a wide extent of excellent graz
ing aud hay lands. From the water level
TO the summit of the bluffs on the Fort
George side the elevation is not over one
hundred feet. A creek bed or drain
passes down through the blrfs and
across the plateau or terrace into the
river just below the landing. Viewed
from every point this constitutes one of
the few excellent landings on the Mis-
souri, river, and there Is probably no
other that for advantages and permanencc
equals it.
H ROUTE FROM FOR GEORGE
Starting from the landing we followed
acourse about south % deg. west. across
the terrace and up the broad ravine above
mentioned, bearing more westerly as we
assembled, and in a distance of three or
four miles reached the general level of
the prairie. We met with few difficulties
III the ascent. and with little work in a