The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-07-25
THE BAD LANDS.
Correspondence Philadelphia Times,

Correspondence Philadelphia Times.
Some of the strangest and most inter-
esting scenes on the North American con-
tinent are to be found insthe wonderful
Bad Lands of Dakota Iquestion whether
the marvels of the Yellowstone National
Park are equal, and they certainly are not
superior, to the wonders of this romantic
region of the peculiar butte formations,
Here for ages past the mighty forces of
water and fire, aercely battling, have
wrought scene Of strange confusion.
This chaos of buttes, SO curious and fan
tastic in form, so beautiful and varied in
color, lies almost entirely in Dakota, near
the boundary line of Montana, on both
sides of the Little Missouri river, wEich
flows through it from south to north. The
district is about twenty-five miles wide
from east to west, but has length
in the opposite direction of nearly three
times its width. The early French s'Yoy,
ageurs," who came into the country during
the last century on hunting or trapping
expeditions to trade with the natives for
furs, pelts and skins, described the region
as ''mauvaises terres." With our happy
go-lucky carelessness, Americans translated
this to mean "Bad Lands" and the North
erp Pacific Railroad Company have since
named it Pyramid BARK. phe name chad
Lands is certainly a misnomer, for Ryra-
mid Park is really one Of the most fertile
spots in the Northwest, and was at one
time the home of thousands of buffalo and
other herbiverous game animals. There is
legend of the Bad Lands told by Red
Bird, an old chief Of the Mandan Indians
| (whose tribe, it is said, afterwards lived
among the pile of wonderful huttes COM
posing this section, which has been handed
down from chief to chief, until we find it
to-day part of the unwritten history of
this once powerful and great nation
THE LEGEND.
HMany hundred years ago what Is now
the Bad Lands was high plain OF table
land, covered with rich pastures and
forests abounding in all kinds Of game.
They were the favorite hunting grounds
of all the tribes who annually came to par
ticipate in the chase and procure the winter
supply of meat-the calumet grounds,
where all could meet in common, and the
blood hatehet was buried, as in the famous
Bipestoae Valley in Minnesota, where all
nations of the red men could meet, with no
enemy to molest OF make them afraid.
But finally fierce mountain tribe of many
thousands took possession of these famed
hunting grounds, driving and keeping all
other people out. Many futile attempts
were made to dislodge them without avail,
Many lives being lost in the numerous
battles for their recovery, a grand council
of all the tribes on the plains was called,
and their medicine men ordered to invoke
the Great Spirit in their behalf. After
fasting many days and suffering self-in-
aicted tortures, as directed by the medicine
men, the Great Spirit heard their cry and
shook the earth with his wrath The earth
became darkened, smoke and fire belched
forth from the ground, vivid lightning
flashed and terrible thunder rolled, the
mountains sank and the valleys upheaved
to the sky. The earth rose and fell like
the heaving of storm-tossed ocean, bury
ing all in one common grave. Towering
buttes and desolation marked the spot
where once stood the fertile plains. Not
one buck, squaw or pappOose was left to
tell the tale of the naughty tribe of tht
mountains who had incurred the anger OF
the Great Spirit, leaving these Bad Lands
a monument of His wrath.
/ There is little doubt but that the Bad