The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-12-31
THE BIG HORN.
0meiai Report % N E~xpisr.lis.
ThrsaEh the F.As.s mig mes.
Ms.saaia cesafry.
Deep. and Heights with rerpet-
uall Whistler.


The Indians call II, u not very VIDE.
There are no good hay lands, but the
grazing Is nne. and the grass, though
short, being tick and nutritious Near
Fort Mckinney, by 6 OF irriga-
ton. some hay has been cut. There
are ranches on Clear fork down - far
as thirty miles from Fort Mckinney,
and one firm was making the necessary
arrangements for putting $1,000 head
OF cattle at the forks OF Piney and Clsar
fork. The bluffs neal the latter have
no pine or other timber visible, and
there Is but little cottonwood ON the
stream. In fact for miles there are
neither trees nor shrubs. Tho water Il
clear and cold.
We reached Fort Mckinney ut ! p.
m, July I. and calculated the distance
from Fort Keogh nj one hundred and
forty eight miles.
by taking n more westerly course
from the forks OF Hanging Woman's
creek, I believe n direct and
better route could he found, and In all
probability a fair wagon route could be
easily made. IL rained slightly on the
night Of tho 10th. and steadily though
not heavily during-the morning OF the
3Oth, Some OF the rangers In the val
ley have vegetable gardens which look
thrifty. The most Of them are irrigated
and little could BIO done were they not.
On July 81 sent three Of tho Chey-
emo scouts TO the Arnppahoe agency to
establish communication and perfect
understanding with these Indians who
had given me such glowing accounts Of
the mineral wealth Of portions Of tho
Big Horn range TO meet me on No
Wood creek.
Having had such animals rs needed
IL re-shod, and having drawn rations
and generally re-outntted, We left Fort
Mckinney on July z. and, skirting the
foot hills In n direction little west TO
south, VIZ proceeded TO the point where
tho main fork OF Crazy Woman do
houchcs from the lower range Of noun
uiihs 70 u plains, or fa'ne. Ion.ns
country below. Taking an old Indian
trail which had been converted into .
rough wagon Gao, we INC
lower range Oh . Dig iioin noun
tains. The road leads straight up the
side OF the mountain, which 's Ut times
NJ ABOUT an angie OF 70 aegrees' SoiL'
men were ~ Work hhuiing teiesrapn
poles down TINS ROAD. An empty
wagon would be q heavy ono going up.
Reaching the top rolling mesa plateau
stretches away 70 the snarp rage OF the
higher or snow range. nj pack-pone
a q general direction Oh ABOUT 10 ue-
grees east OF south. Cloud peak u
about the center, and mere II Is haru 70
distinguish from d rest This ridge
Is above all vegetation, and NJ many OF
It's points there Is perpetual winter.
After our climbing the view Alone
would have richly repaid the enort-
Tho country drained by the Powder
river n Its tributaries was spread our
at u feet, and the blum, and loot bills
were softencd and toned down oy DIS
lance. The treams were siivered by
tho morning sunlight, and Tho tall
cottenwoods which fringed their banks
looked ike small bushes
This mesa Is well watered w small
streams oil old clear water from melted
snow, and Is thickiy studded with
groves Of pine and spruce. The open
parks al his Time were carpeted win
nutritious grass n many varieties OF
lower oil rare richness OF color, -
purple crimson ana white. These
parks must be covered with deep now
In winter and the atmosphere has even
In The hottest weather q touch and tone
OF u, AZ though tho air had fingered
over the huge hanks only few miles
distant
osr course, after ascending INC
p'a.eau, was toward the oase OF the lass
peak OF The sharp, high ridge which !
nave described. we Kept IN 2 sou.h.