St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-19
ST. PAUL TO HELENA.
The Indescribable Bad Lands, the Cow
Boys and Indians.
To the Editor ~ Tho cloho.

table of the Northern Pacific railroad compelled /
your correspondent to rise at the unearthly |
hour of 3 100 a. m. in order to take the fast |
train at Fargo for the west. It was the |
morning after the Fargo municipal election
and the streets were yet full of excited citi
zens who were discussing the holly contested
issue OF the day before. Mandan and Bis
marck too, had just voted, so that local poll
ties were the main subjects of conversation
all the way to the Missouri. As we crossed
the long bridge at Mandan we saw evil
diences of the huge ice jam, which delayed
the trains, still remaining, IN the shape of
mammoth cakes of ice piled in every fantas-
tic shape imaginable and suggesting to the
fanciful mind, tower and bastion, scarp and
breastwork, and all the paraphernalia of icy
warfare.
The scenery along the line of roadis singu-
larly dull and uninteresting until we reach
the neighborhood of the Dakota bad lands,
where the prairie becomes broken into the
strange mounds so often, and yet so made
quately described in travellers letters. The
fact is such scenery cannot be described.
The nearest approach ever had to an idea
of it was after shrimps, salad and quail, and
drinking extra dry before retiring. The
whole country of the bad lands, which
stretches for over hundred miles in Dakota
and Montana, is disturbed dream. If the
ancients had known of the district they
would have made it the abode of the malevo-
lent gods, and Homer would have added an
other book to the Had for the sake of de-
scribing it.
In the midst of the Nagaises Terres sits
Medora, the town which the Marquis de
Mores has built. The train reached here at
about 80 p. m, and here for the first time
we saw the genus cowboy in all his glory.
1t was motley and yet a genial and good
humored crowd which greeted the train as
we drew up to the little station. The boys
had finished their work for the day and were
ready for the evening frolic. Two sturdy
and bronzed herders led each young griz-
Fly bear by long chain and the others paid
no more attention to the unmuzzled brutes
than they did to tame antelope, which, by
sharp contrast, neatly dressed little girl
was holding by sillken line. The grizzlies
were evidently accustomed to the trains,
for they fearlessly approached the
car steps and begged for bread and
bon bons from the passengers. Many fair
hand tossed candies into their glistening
jaws, and were rewarded by growl Of salts
faction as the brutes tasted the delicacies.
The little faWn, too, was not. forgotten, but
received her share of the gifts. Most of the
COW boys were armed with revolver and knife,
and one handsome young fellow carried
lariat, which he threw with unerring accura-
cy. 1t was phase of life, such as can be
seen nowhere but in America, and there on
ly in the far famed cattle district.
On through the bad lands, passing ''Blind
Charlie,'' the sentinel of the bluffs; the
swatch Dog Of the Mauvaises Terres''-a
huge piece of rock that bears a fancied re-
semblance to mastiff sitting upon his
launches; "Bloody Valley" the scene of
many a sanguinary conflict between
rival bands of COW boys, and near
the spot where the Marquis de Mores ''shot
his man" last year; past mounds and bluffs
which have been burning since the memory
of man, and whose consumption forms the
sco,ia with which the road is ballasted. 1t is
weird, wild land, which holds the attention
of the observer and arouses romantic fancies
as one recalls its views.
At Little Missouri we were joined by one
of the most noted hunters of the northwest,
Paul Anders by name. Under the benign
influence of fragrant Havana his lips were
opened, and many tale did he tell of buff
falo hunts full Of danger and excitement.
His days are numbered, however, for the
depredations of unskillful hunters, who
slaughter the young buffalo, have broken the
herds and nearly exterminated the ami
mails. Anders himself will trap
beaver this summer in the upper Missouri
and never again return to buffalo hunting.
The Yellowstone country is by no means as
romantic as we expected. The road runs
near the river for long distance, and occa-
sionally fine view is obtained, but for the
most part the country is barren, the river in
significant and the scenery tame. Custer
and Big Horn recall the great massacre of a
few years ago, and one involuntarily shud-
ders as he passes near the scene of so much
bloodshed. Nature, which often seems mex
orably harsh, is tender and compassionate in
this, that she soon obliterates and covers with
a mantle of beauty the evidences of mans
cruelty and lust. On the very
spot where Sitting Bull and his band
of warriors carried on their destructive work
the green grass is springing and the
birds are carroling in this spring morning as
if such things as danger and loss of life
could never be. I remember that l stood
once were the great Concord fight of our
revolutionary war took place. 1t was lovely
summer day, and poet could have written
an idyl on the serene and calm beauty of the
spot. Not a trace remained in flowing
stream or springing flower or singing bird of
the day when the Puritan yeomen were
Chasing the red-coats down the lane.
Crossing the fields to emerge again
to fresh hloodshed and slaughter, and yet the
annals of history are craven deep and rugged
with the memory of that terrible day. Would
it not be better for the end if the historian
and the newspaper scribe were to cease per-
petuating the memory of cruelty and vice
and cover the bloody spots in time with the
mantle of sweetness and fragance and
beauty.
At Billings a party Of eleven jolly young
government surveyors, who had accompanied
US all the way, left the train. We were visit
ed here by the first Indians we had seen on
the road, and as they were in the full glory of
their summer equipment they presented a
picturesque appearance. The squaws were
gorgeous in their many hued blankets and
fancy leggings, which latter they seemed de-
sirous to display as frequently and as totally
as possible. The rule seemed to be that the
more hideous the squaw the more gaudy
would be her blanket and leggings. We
offered one of them silver quarter to kiss
the dude member of our party and she would
have carried out the design had he not re-
treated ANONYMOUSLY to the sleeper. He flew
with look of disgust upon his face and she