The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-09-18
The Bad Lands Of Dakota.

mere Ii DuC UtJle uOuDC tnat tne
Bad Lands were, in remote ages, the
bed of some great lake or pond that
covered the country for miles around
about, for among the fossil remains are
oysters, clans and crustaceans. Be-
fore or afterwards a stately forest
grew in the bed of this lake. Nam
moth tree trunks turned to stone crop
out from the sides of the conglomerate
mounds and appear all through the
valleys. Petrifications are to be found
on all sides that are susceptible of a
finer polish than marble while others
have the appearance Of being made of
heavy yellowish clay. Some hunters
tell story of finding in the depths of
the Bad Lands an unexplored canyon
upon riding into which they saw
prairie dog village, and at the mouth
of each mound one of the little ami
mails sitting on its launches with paws
folded across the breast in perfectly
natural manner. Contrary to their
usual custom the dogs did not dive
into their houses at the appearance of
the strange visitors. To the great
surprise of the latter they remained
motionless. Investigation showed that
every one of them was stone dead.
The whole village of dogs had been
evidently killed at the same moment
by some unknown power ages ago and
then petrifed. Stranger still, the
hunters found scattered among the
dogs and in the same condition the
owls and snakes which are known to
share their home.
The petritications found 10 the Bad
Lands are marvellous. Signs of petri-
fications can be seen hours before
reaching the wonderful place. When
the rough lands begin to break away
from the prairie in small buttes and
hillocks, almost at every step small
pieces of detached limbs and larger
stumps of trees may be seen, and in
fact whole trees, some of them four,
five and even six feet in diameter, lying
on the sides turned into solid, heavy
stones. These trees are partly as
opaque as obsidian and partly as trans
lucent as rock crystal.
| MARVELLOUS MONUMENTS.
The buttes themselves, varying In
height from fifty to two hundred and
fifty feet, are beautiful objects to con
template either at distance or shor,
range. When viewed from afar of
they appear to be crowded closely TO
gether, and as Mr.. Winser 80 happily
remarks-''in the hazy distance seen
like ocean pillows stiffened and a
rest" Their tops are of variegatet
colors and their sides are striped will
broad bands of different shapes, tn,
coloring of which is very rich. Th,
submits of the buttes are on a leve
with the general praire, while tn,
whole valley of the Bad Lands is som,
hundreds of feet below. This fac
corroberates to some extent the Geo
logical idea that the Bad Lands bot
toms were at some remote period tn
bed of great lake. When examine,
closely the buttes present a most fan
tastic and gorgeous array of color tina
is positively dazzling to look at. TIL
spectator viewing these strange freak
of nature for the first time is almos
struck dumb with awe and astonishmer
at the utter lavishness and waste O
delicate shades and tints of all color
that are here so profusely distribute
over miles and miles of natures cal
. vas.
In some cases the whole side of
butte is plastered thick with a riC
crimson that would be the delight of
painters heart could he but behold
Others are striped with alternate blac
!. and brown, while again others are
blue or brown or gray or else val
:, from dazzling white at their SUNNI
to sober dark gray at their bas
The writer observed number of butte
d the tops of which were fry red, Il
It intermediate being girdles of pu
k white and the bases distinct and pc
q tive yellow. Some again were cor
e pletely red, but of different shsd
d from top to bottom. There are
o great many bare clay and sand butt,
3 aud also a number that are compos
a of very hard vitrious or pottery-li
stag, either green or brown
a else dark reddish color like ir
9. stains.
ACRES OF BURNING COAL.
it While the actual composition of I
lie buttes appear to be a crumbling, v
@. cauic scoria, yet there is little dor
n but that their present condition "
II brought about by fires which rag
IN through the country in days gone
p ! In fact, some fires are Il burning