The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-09
THE BAD LANDS OF DAKOTA.
How They Appear to the Eyes of the
Associated Press Excursionists.
The Town of Little Missouri and the Mar
quis de MOres-What the So-Called
Bad Lands Really Are.
rrnnn stnff cnrresnnndent OF the journal,

LITTLE MISSOURI d. l., aug. 4-1ne AS
socated Press excursion, thirty eight in num-
Der, has the following roster, here for the
first time correctly reported:
INDIANA.-Oscar C. McCulloch, Sentinel; A ".
Bra yton, Journal; A. H. Young. Courier, MadI'
son; John s. Reilly, Courier Evansville; "n' Y.
Ball, Gazette, Terre Haute
ILiIoIs.-Frances T. Brown, DIAL Chicago;
Delavan Smith, Associated Press, Chicago;
CHARLES E. Nixon, Inter Ocean, Chicago; Martin
j. Russell, Times Chicago; COL Gll' fearce,
Daily News, Chicago; John X Wilson, Evening
Journal Chicago Paul Selby, State Journal,
Springfield.
oHIo.-Wm. d. Bickham, Journal, Dayton;
Lewis H. Cowles, Leader, Cleveland; B. r.
CoweD, Journal, Columbus; l.. Marknreif, NoiKs-
batt, Cincinnati; Marshall Halsted and f. b
Plimpton. Commercial Gazette, CINCINNATI; NJ.
Maneold and Henry Haaoke Volksfreund, Gin
oinnati; John T. Mack sandusky Register
MIcHIGAN-wm. P Fuller and H. E. Baker,
Post and Tribune, Detroit; Joseph Greusel, De-
troit Free Press, Detroit.
WIsooNsIN,-H Horace Rublee, Sentinel, Milwau-
kee; Herman Bleyer, Evening Wisconsin, Mill
waukee; L. NJ Fay, Democrat, Madison.
MISNEsOTA.-GeOrg K. Shaw. Evening Jour
nal, Minneapolis; Albert Shaw, Daily tribune
Minneapolis; David Blakely, Pioneer Press, MIN
eapolis.
MIsseURI-H. Kinner westliehe Post, st.
Louis; Rudolph Tomann, Anzeiger des Westerns,
St. Louis.
PENNsYLvASIA-o. Phillips. Dispatch, Pitts
burg; Henry Phillips, Gazette. Pittsburg
Charles r Williams, World, New York city.
A. ". Campbell, Wheeling intelligencer' Wheel-
ing W. Va.
Bruce Hademan, Louisville Courier, Ky.
The excursionists are now with scarcely
single exception, writing up the weeks do
ings. Even the old ones, who knew too much
for the States, have seen too much to resist,
and are pushing their pencils vigorously.
Thirty men on the sleepers Fargo and Man
dan have just returned from a ten-mile
wagon and horseback excursion into the
''bad lands of Dakota, seeing the sights of
Pyramid Park by the courtesy of the citi-
zens of Little Missouri. This town shipped
last year 100000 pounds of game-mainly
elk, mountain sheep antelope and black
tailed deer. To the north two days ride, are
the buffalo ranges. Jerome Marble, of Bos-
ton, comes to this point every year in a spe-
cial csr, and returns with freight load of
game. The buffalo are within thirty-ive
miles now, and an old bull occasionally comes
near the town. The meat is of no use now,
but they are occasionally killed for sport"
although it requires neither science nor skill
when one comes up with the herd.
Little Missouri, where the special train is
stopping to-day, to give the journalists an
opportunity to visit the bad lands and
of the same name, snusly tucked away in the
valley of Pyramid Park. 1t is on the trail
of various Indian tribes travelling
north and south, to or from
the buffalo ranges. and has barracks
for the wintering of United States troops
1t is on the line of Clusters fatal march.
Here is mined the Ignite coal which, though
of poor quality. is the main dependence for
fuel. Like Mandan and Bismarck, Little
Missouri is town of great expectations and
great possibilities. Bismarck lacks both wood
and water; its most abundant commodity is
real estate. Town lots on the fine principal
160-sell for from So, 900 to
$1,000, and sites for the new capital, soon to
be built are held at fabulous prices. Water
sells for twenty five cents barrel; cord of
cottonwood fuel is worth S.; good farm
horses 5000; labor, 50; house rents. $15 TO $40.
and store fronts, $50 to 500 a month. But
1t is full of business, has four lines of
steamers down the Missouri, and is one of
the most prominent points or the Northern
Pacific.
The press excursionists were, on Aug. 3,
taken in carriages by the citizens of Bismarck
and shown the town, the capital site, the
great MisSOuririver bridge, costing ST.
100000, Fert Abraham Lincoln, and
an isunequaled view from the bluffs
extending up and down the river
The river is navisable In high water to
Fort Benton. Montana, 1000 miles above
Bismarck. Water is forced in pipes from the
river two miles to the town, and has not
been struck by artesian wells 1,500 feet deep
Studebaker WAGONS and Eastern agricultural
implements fill the sale sheds. Wheat is
ripe, and two weeks earlier than in the re-
gion of Fargo and Moorhead. Corn is not
raised at the latter places, or at least does not
ripen, although it is hoped that some of the
earlier varieties may be educated" to ripen
in seventy or eighty days. Some corn is
raised in the Missouri valley at Bismarck.
LITTLE MISSOURI.
But to return to Little Missouri This
town is not capital; it has less than hun
bred inhabitants a dozen houses as many
tents, the barracks before mentioned, and the
Pyramid Park Hotel 1t has more Little
Missouri has marquis, a genuine French
marquis of Italian extraction, the son of the
Duke of Valambrosa. He is military man;
has 'seen service in Algers;" has bought a
large ranch near here, employs fifty
men. and has large stock outfit
He took dinner to-day with the excursion
lists in the dinning car, and was armed to the
teeth, belt revolver, knife and carbne
The Marquis de Mores has made his mark,
has in fact shot his man, or cowboy rather,
and is no longer regarded as a tenderfoot-
he has come to stay, and only shoots in self
defense. He is affable and polite bears no
nance, ana ID tne late uuel between HIM
self and the cowboys his course is vindcat-
ed both by the better people and the Bis
marck courts. The crackers and cowboys are
jealous of anyone who has capital and can
buy up their game lands and drive off the
elk and deer. But our Marquis can hold his
own; he has recently married New York
girl, and she comes on to-day and together
they will hold the ranch. Though having
Marquis Little Missouri has no newspaper:
the first town we have struck without
paper. Col. Gil Pearce, of the Chicago News
threatens to omen a newspaper Office here