The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-06-23
TIVE eReAr ~YeuewsIeME VALLEY.
Its Tributaries and Extent-Homes fol
Thousands of Farmers.

itself is not only the largest in the
United States, but its tributaries are
enormous. The Yellowstone proper is
400 miles in length, extending from the
National Park to the Missouri river at
Buford. Of this immense distance 300
miles of the valley at least is capable of
cultivation. The valley next to the
Park has no settlers and is very noun
famous, but sixty miles down the
ranches begin and extend at intervals
of five, ten and twenty miles for $50
miles. Most of the ranchmen are far
mers and stock raisers. They grow
wheat, oats, rye, corn and all kinds of
vegetables. The cattle run out ali
winter without hay or shelter and are
| always fat and sleek. There are fully
thirty thousand head of cattle grazing
OIL the Upper Yellowstone and two thou
/ sand head of horses and mules. The
soil of the Upper Yellowstone is rich
black loan and well watered by numer-
| Gus streams that flow down from the
! mountains on either side. The valley
has an average width Of five miles in
the first 200 miles, when it suddenly
widens TO ten miles. The first large
tributary of the Yellowstone on the
south bank is the Boulder, u rough,
rocky stream with little agricultural
lands along its banks. Nearly opposite
the Boulder, on the north bank, is the
Big Timber, u stream on which al be
made some fine farms. Below the Big
Timber Il few miles, is SweetgraSS, a
fine stream, and fifty or sixty ranches
a be located on it. The first river
that empties into tie Yellowstone is
Saltwater, about one hundred and fifty
miles long, with Il good valley capable
of accommodating two or three hundred
farmers and stock raisers with homes.
1t is on this stream that the Crow In
dams have their agency, but they will
no doubt soon be removed to the north,
on the Musselshell river, to make room
for the immigrants who are now pour
ing into the Yellowstone from Mon
tana, Dakota and the Black Hills.
Below Saltwater forty miles the
Clark's Fork river comes in from the
north. 1t is deep enough in high water
to permit Il steamer passing up its
channel and, no doubt, can be navigat-
ed for 4 good many miles above its
mouth. Clark's Fork is over 200 miles
long and has a broad, rich valley. At
the mouth of Clark's Fork the Yellow
stone valley reaches the enormous width
of twenty-nine miles from bluff to bluff.
The Clark's Fork bottom on the yell
lowstone is forty miles long and will
hold 5000 farmers and stock raisers.
AT the foot of the great bottom is
Bakers battle field, made memorable
by a contest with the savages in 1873.
1t was one of the few Indian battles
ever fought at night. The Sioux at
tackled four companies of cavalry and
two of infantry under Col. Baker, at
10 O'Clock p. H., and the fight lasted
two hours, resulting in the complete
route of the Indians.
Bakers battle field is supposed to be
the head of. navigation for steamboats,
on the Yellowstone river. Here Il town
is laid out and a settlement founded.
There is already Il fur and dry goods
store, and one or two families have
taken up farms. o.
Sixty miles below Bakers battle field
the Big Horn river empties into the
Yellowstone. This famous stream is
almost as large rs the Yellowstone, and
it is fully $50 to 300 miles long. Near
its mouth it flows through rocky canons;
but ten or fifteen miles up a broad,
green ami beautiful valley opens GU
ten miles wide and forty long. Fifty
miles from its mouth Big Horn receives
the Little Horn river. There Custer
fought and met his death. with lG OIL
GERS and 240 men. 1t is at the mouth
of Little Horn that the new twelve
company post is located. The Big
Horn valley at the post..reaches Il width
of eighteen miles, and is of unsur-
passed beauty and richness. The whole
of the Big Horn valley abounds with
wild fruits. Currants, raspberries,
strawberries, strawberries, buffalober-
ries, plums, grapes and gooseberries
grow along the streams and on the
mountains. The soil of the Big Horn
is black loan seven feet deep. This
valley is thought by many to be the
richest in the West, and some day it is
believed it will be the paradise Of
farmers. Along its banks there is
room for &c, 1000 farmers and stock men
to settle.
The mouth of the Big Horn is be-
leved to be the real head Of steam
boating on the Yellowstone, and here
Big Horn city has been laid out, and
now contains about a dozen houses and
two stores.
Fifty miles below the mouth of the