Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-07-24
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
Return of Gen. Stark and his-Party.
w hat they Saw Between Man.
dan and the Little NisSOuri.

What they Saw Between Man.
dan and the Little 9fissOuri.
Pioneer Press, 1st inst.
Gen George Stark, vice-President OF tn
Northern Pacific Railroad Company, al
rived in st. Paul yesterday on his retur
from his visit to the Yellowstone country
The expedition was organized for an eA
tended tour as far as the Yellowstone, bu
the Little Missouri and other rivers wer
found SO swollen by the recent rains tha
the party returned after making prett
thorough examination of the "Bad Lands,
as they are called. The expedition wa
provided with cavalry escort, wagons
tents, etc., and had altogether very com
Portable journey.
Gen. Stark's purpose in making thi
western trip was to make personal in
spectiOn OF the road so far as constructed
to examine and report upon the character
OF the country, and to order change O
the surveyed line from the valley of the
Little Missouri to a location On higher
ground northward.
The company has ample means on hand
to push the road forward to the Yellow.
stone without delay. The grading on the
first one hundred miles beyond Bismarck
is already well advanced; the cars are run
ming on ten miles, and the iron and other
materials are coming forward faster than
they can be taken care Of. Over five hun
dred men are now at work, and within a
month three or four. hundred more will be
put on the sub-contracts. The company
intend to put the whole line, through to
the Yellowstone, under contract during
the present season.
An immense transfer vessel, capable of
carrying six loaded cars, will leave Saint
Louis on the lst OF July. 1t is to be used
on the Missouri at Bismarck, and will Sc
cure an uninterrupted connection between
the completed road and the trans-Missouri
section.
The following hasty review of the march
from the Missouri to the Little Missouri
was obtained from Gen. Stark:
On the l6ths.of June. the party started
out from Mandan to the big cut, ten miles,
to which point the track is about laid. The
road is well located to this point The
next day, mounted on Gen. Rosser's buck
board, behind two spirited horses, owned
oy Rosser, Gen. Stark, accompanied by
lis party, in Black Hills stage, four
mules and two baggage wagons, started
on trip along the line, which was found
;arefully located. The work will be push
I'd forward with more vigor, hereafter, one
If the contractors, Mr.. Walker, having
tarted to st. Louis.-.to. purchase ''one. hun
ired mules to expedite the grading that is
low done by wheel-barrows and scrapers.
The Sweet-brier river is small, but the
and in the valisy is of fair quality, the ac-
AGENT country being high rolling and rich
'rairie. As the party went up the valley
he country improved. Twenty-eight !
niles they came to the coal-banks, which
re found in the bluffs near the water level;
ne vein is three feet thick with slight
ip to the south. Near Badger creek an
ther vein crops out above the water level.
! company Of Infantry is. stationed here
} protect the traders.
On the 18th, the party camped on tire
outh fork OF the Curlew, 56 miles out.
he Curlew valley is charming, averaging
yo miles wide, and traversing fine graz
'g region, antelope and other game afford
g abundant sport for the hunter. HaZen's
escriptsn of this country thus far was
und entirely at fault, and instead of an
id desert, there was if anything too much
in, while the rich grasses indicate regular
I'd productive seasons. :.
On the 10Th, a branch of the Big Knife /.
YER was reached, the country being de-
ribed as good, magnificent stretches of
untry being visible from the ''divide"
om which spring the sources of the
cart and the Big Knife rivers. :,
The Goth was devoted to business on the :.
e with view to changing the route in =
me particulars, and the next day the =
lrney was pursued and the s'bad lands'' a '
re reached on the 22nd; these lands bor- -
+ Davis creek. The ''bad lands" though :"
erd and wild in the extreme, were found y y
t to be SO bad as reported, the lands con- - -
ming rich fertilizing material in the shape n n
salts, lime and gypsum. The party tol- =,
we'd the creek down to the Little Mis- " =,
ri bottom, which is here 500 feet deep, y, y,
here the party were..lost in amazement =,
. scene so extraordinary that Gen. Sully =. -
,ned it to hell with the fires put out. os vs.
e river was high and impossible, the g. 9,
rent swift, and the party concluded to fa @
lrn. ~
10 particular events characterized the
neward trip, but it is safe to presume io
/ Gen. Stark collected material enough
make large volume of interesting read an
and yet be didn't get within hundred oe
IS of the Yellowstone, where all he has ev
seen will be found tame compared with 90,
It will strike his view when the North str
Pacific begins its ascent up that mag fin
,ent stream.