Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-07-10

a'S - wv o1
small ravines and for plain reasons impos-
slble to be made or kept practicable. Not
enough teams could be used TO pull a load
ed freight wagon around that rough and
steep circular roadway. We were at once
and uavoidably unanimous in the most EN-
phatic ard complete condemnation of this
landing and its approaches. Ii no other
were available, access to the Black Hills
would be PARTIALLY cut of.
THE FORT PIERRE ROAD.
Concerning the present road, we had the
most extensive and detailed information
from many reliable gentlemen who had
Travelled over it, or who were daily using il
with freight and passenger teams. So far
as we examined it, we found this inloIma-
ton fully confirmed. Leaving the Fort
Pierle landing, as described, it follows up
The valley for six or eight miles over what
is now a hard, but in places rough, road,
because the =" gumbo is dry, yet the snow
of What it was in irdescribable mud during
the spring, Was plain. II passes thence
away from the river and over the rolling
and hilly country TO, across and beyond
Willow creek, and is for Il long distance
beyond OF the same general character. The
soil Is largely of the quality heretofore
mentioned as "gumbo," which forms with
the thaw OF spring and RON heavy rains
that lndescribably tenacious mud which
cilngs like paint or putty, and loads down
the whee.s Of vehicles and the feet of stock
or pedestrians. This character of soil con.
unues for about fifty miles, making travel
nearly impossible when The ground is wet.
The road is also hilly, over a large extent
OF Its eastern part, and this is made.exceed-
lngly crooked IN passing over and around
the hills and across the creeks.
The long curves of the road appear, to
some extent, upon the map, but far worse
than these are the innumefable small curves
which follow in almost continuous success
sion, for two or three miles in a place nrac.
ticaiiy doubling the distance travelled by
the wheels over the advance made toward
the terminus of the road. The addition to
The length Of The travelled road, which
these small curves make, is very considera.
bic 10 The aggregate. 1t might be called a
line OF triple curvature; first the great
curves, aud then the continuous and com.
blned series of smaller horizontal and yer.
tical curves, This curvature equals any
other objection ever made TO this route, and
we are satisfied that, though beginning al
d point further east, the route from Fort
George can easily be made from l5 to %
miles shorter to Rapid City than the pres
ent one. The route by land from Yankton
VIII, however, be still more shortened.
we are satisfied that the timber supply
along and near the present road is sufficient,
though 1t may appear scarce in a few places;
but The water supply is not sufficient now,
nor really good, and is rapidly falling.
With care IN lis use travel may be contin.
ued Tor some time without much discom.
tort, but, ii the late summer and the fall
are dry, serious uouble Will be felt.
a really vast amount OF transportation
and large passenger travel are now going
forward over this road, and it is all being
done with safety and reasonable PROMPT
ness. We saw the road in its best condi.
'lon after The mud had all dried uo, and be.
fore the dust had begun. The business
should continue over it without interrup.
tlon until another route shall be opened
Al This season OF the year the disadysnt-
ages OF the road are at a minimum and the
uinetehces between the two routes the least
they Will be. 1t is a practical impossjbiity
TO shortenthe present track upon the Pierre
road IL viii tend rather 10 grow lonper
hach wagon viii follow tie broken tract,
rather man Try to break a new one. On
tue ne" OF proposed route, care Will give
a very direct wheel track. We tried to toI.
low out tue surveyed route from Jhaptjer
creek, but Jailed To ind any marks, and did
not nave the held notes. 1t Is about three
miles north OF the travelled road, at its com.
Increment, and they approach nearer to
each other Westward, and soon become
Substantially The same.
CONCLUSIONS.
/. we, decidedly and unanimously rec.
ommend the Fort George landing and a
route thefefIom, upon a nearly dlftct, line
a little south OF west, to Ramd CT, We
Deg leave to suggest that IT this route he
adopted, reasonable notice of the chance
oe gwen, leaving an interval after the estab.
iishinent OF the new landing before The nse
Oh lhe otner Is prohibited, so that business
may be properly closed there and ,he lss,
trains which go out loaded from Pierre can
return without loads over the aew road
and thus easily break the track.
Z We find the Chantier creek landing
ana the approaches thereto impracticabIe,
iacklng every essential of a good landino
ana mol presenting Ole point of ADVANTAGE
.. The Fort Pierre landing is not salts.
factory IN any feature as compared with
Fort George, but is pow serving a good mr.
DOSE unlil a chan 70 oar ha f4,....l |