Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-07-02
The Cruise Of the Dacotah.
Nearing tho Mountains..A Day with
tho BunalO..RiSo and
Fall Of Carroll.
Through the Canon Of the Missouri
with a Glimpse Of Ma
lures Statuary.
A nav at tho Coal Banks and Arrival at
Fort Benton.
Editorial Correspondence. j

Editorial Correspondence
BUFFALO.
SUNDAY, June 15.-To-day brought 10
new and exciting experience. While W
were passing through . range Of bad land
hills, during the earlier hours of tho eve
ming, our pilots. pointed out the crest Of
Round butte, many miles away and told .
that if there were buffalo anywhere on the
Missouri that was the place to look for
them. Az We nearsd the neighborhoed Of
the butte . wood chopper told US that
herd Of ten thousand buffalo had crossed
the river just above his cabin that morning.
1t seemed to us that ten thousand would be
all We would need. AL the rifles, muskets
and revolvers on the boat were put in read
iness for use. Soon We came in sight Of our
first buffalo. They we're grazing Oh a hill
side about a mile away. Everybody who
had q shooting iron fred at them, but l DO
not believe they have yet found it out.
After this buffalo were very plentiful. On
the hillsidee, hill tops and bottoms they
were grazing continually. Sometimes a
rife shot would startls a herd and they
would rush down to the river and plunge in
just ahead Of the boat and swim across and
roll their unwieldy bodies up the slope on
the other side. Occasionally n would
drop by the wsyside as a rife ball struck q
vital part. But most Of them got away.
During the day We saw not less than two
thousand buffalo and as night closes We
seem to have passed the limits Of the herd.
Most Of our tourists are disappointed in the
animal and have already reached the con-
clusion that buffalo hunting must be very
tame sport. A herd Of lively Texas steers
would furnish vastly more diversion. This
has been q field day for the sad hearted
humanitarians ON board the Dacotah who
forgot to bring their guns with them. How
their hearts have bled for the poor buffalo +;
hew they have deplored the blood-thirsty
cruelty Of their fellow passengers, with
euns) and how they have gone of into dark
corners behind freight piles and swore at
themselves because they neglected to bring
any shooting irons with them. Some good
ness most always crops out extensively
when there is no chance to be wicked. The
day has been one of new experiences tc
NEST of US and We have enjoyed it. may
as we'll add that very few buffalo we're
injured.
MONDAY, June 16.-At seven this morn.
ing We passed the Muscle Shell river. Al
its mouth it is about one-half the size Of the
Missouri, Of which it is an important tri.
butary.
A broken rudder compelled the Dacotah
to lie against the bank five or six hours,
near old Fort Hawley, to-day. This is an
abandoned trading post Of small dinen-
aiona, oonsisting Of a log house and stockade.
We found . plentiful supply Of game on
shore, and gathered some venison.
At nine this evening We tied up at Car
roll, in the midst Of q vigorous wind, rain
and electrical storm. A half q dozen houses
comprise the collection designated as Car
roll, the balance Of the village having fallen
int the river. Carroll was originally de-
signed as a place Of importance. 1t was to
become the head Of navigation on the Mis-
seuri, particularly during the season of low
water which comes after the mountain
foods subside. The distance from Carroll
to the mining towns is not much greater
than from Fort Benton, and two or three
hundred miles of difficult river navigation
was to be saved. It was q scheme which
had within it all the elements of success,
but it so happened that Carroll was begun
at = time when Wild Indians roamed
over all this region and were filled with
bloodthirsty ~opposition to the advance Of
civilization. The Carroll route was q
, dangerous one, the Fsrt Benton influence
was opposed to it. and finally the Missouri
encroached upon the town site and little by
little it dropped into the river until nov
only a few houses remain. It will never
recover. In TIVE or three years the North
ern Pacific railroad will penetrate the coun
try which was to have been supplied from
Carroll, and the daye of big freixhtine o,
the upper Missouri river will be over. B!
that time the catfish of the Missouri vii
people the remnant Of it's townsite.
Along our route to-day the hills hav'
been high and rocky and the benches AM
bottoms marrow. The river flows over
gravel bed and the channel is we'll defined
and not 20 cbaugeable Is below.
SUNDAY, June 17.-During a portion O
the day We have been traversing the canon
of the Missouri. On either side the rocky
bluffs rise to q height of from 300 to 60(
feet. The scenery is beautifully pictures.
que. Numerous mountain sheep have thei,
homes among the crags overhead, from