The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-08-25
H. G.. HOWARD
Gives More Information Concern
ing the Northwest.

LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER, ID. T.,
August IS, 1882.
EDIToRs FREE PRESS 1T took one
hour to transfer the train from Bismarck
to Mandan. The Northern Pacific road
runs long trains of eight to ten passen-
ger coaches, and they were not crowded
We had plenty of room.
Mandan is not quite rs large rs its
rival, Bismarck, but they haye great
expectations for the future, claiming
that the Union Pacific will make it u
division headquarters and build large
shops there. The high water last year
has caused the sidewalks to be built
four feet above the level of the streets,
and it is proposed to raise the streets
and buildings. The country is high
and rolling west of Mandan; a thin,
light-co!Ored soil, six to ten inches
deep, and clay sub.soil, is the general
average, which will raise good wheat
and oats when the season is not too dry.
This season they had more rain than
usual, yet the wheat had short straw.
l saw none over 30 inches high, and it
was thin on the ground; heads short,
but we'll filed, and will probably yield
Is to IL bushels per acre. Last season
was dry. and grain around Bismarck
and west of the river was not worth
harvesting, except in a very few fields.
Settlements are few and far between
west of Mandan. After crossing Knife
river l saw the prairie burning in sew
eral places, the grass being only four or
five inches high. The crops of grain on
Knife river and Green river are limited
to a few fields of wheat. Grass tall
enough to cut for hay was very scarce.
1 saw parties cutting hay that would
not go over 800 pounds to the acre.
Gladstone, on Green River, is new
place settled by people from Ripon,
Wis. The Northern Pacific has u pretty
little depot here. The leaders of the
colony are trying to make it temper.
ance settlement, but in spite of begging
and threats "scab" has put up tent
near the station, and with keg of
"4O-rod" whisky has started saloon
They talked OF riding him on rail,
but he still held the fort when left.
The mosquitoes seemed very ferociOus
in this vicinity, several passengers on
the train having their faces badly
swollen, and one man had his eyes
nearly closed from their bites.
As we went west the land continued
to present more dried appearance, the
grass being short and dry-burning in
many places. No settlers or improve
ments are seen, the stations consisting
of shsnty IN which the section men
board. At one station I saw about
two cords of buffalo hides, waiting to
be shipped. There being no hair on
them at this time of the year, hunters
get only SO each for them. As we near
the Little Missouri river we enter the
famous maYpdis terres pour trauerse, or
bad lands. These lands have been de-
scribed so often that will not attempt
to do so here; in fact, I cannot do them
Justice; they must be seen to be appre-
ciated. There are some of the grandest
sights for the tourist here that can be
found in the world. I had supposed the
bad lands were worthless, but l find
them to be good grazing lands; and
they arc claimed by stock men here to
be the best in the west. The "buttes, "
or hills, are generally naked pile of
clay from one to five hundred feet high,
} but in the valleys or canyons, several
; rods wide, there is good grass, and the
rough nature of the country protects
cattle in the winter. I stopped one day
at the crossing Of the Little Missouri
} and visited the famous burning coal
: mine, six miles southwest of there,
The road was very winding, running
around buttes and ravines, sometimes
climbing a ridge and then descending
so steep an incline that the ponies
seemed to walk on their fore feet only
This is the land of buffalo grass and
: sage brush. Buffalo, elk, deer, antelope
Rocky Mountain sheep and rattle.
, snakes make this region their home
3 Sitting Bull always wintered his ponies
: in the bad LANDS, and no still urges the
. Government to allow him to live there
On arriving at the burning mine
T discovered the cause of the extraOrdi
D nary formation of the country. The
&, coal seam that is burning is over twenty
! feet thick. 1t is burning from west tt
east, at the rate of six rods year
Large cracks in the ground above thu
fire showed the clay red hot within three
l. feet of the surface. As the coal burn
1 away the earth falls into the pit, excep
in places where the heat bakes the ella!
r hard like a brick, when 1t stands erec
h and is called asbutte. The rain rum