West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-07-24

ocks' almost at every step small pieces
OF detached limbs aud larger stumns
OF trees may be seen, and in fact whole
trees, some of them four, tive and even
SN feet in diam ter, lying on their sides
turned INTO solid, heavy stone. These
trees are partly as opaque rs obSidian
and partly as translucent aS rock crys-
tai
The buttes themselves. VARYING in.
height from fifty to two hundred and
fifty feet. are beautiful objects To con.
template either at a distance or at short
range. When viewed from afar oil they
appear TO be crowded closely together.
and as Mr.. WinSer so happily remark 5
I'm the hazy distance seem like ocean
pillows stitlcned and at rest" Their
tops are of varicgatcd colors and their
sides are striped with broad bands 0i
Giilercne shapes, the coloring of which
Is very rich. The SUBMITS OF the buttcs
are on level with the general prairie.
while the whole valley of the Bad Lands
Is some hundreds of feet below. This
fact corroborates to some extent the ge-
illogical idea that the Bad Lands bot
toms were at some remote period the
bed of great lake. When examined
closely, the buttes present most fan
tastc and gorgeous array of color that
is positively dazzling TO look at The
spectator viewing these strange freaks
OF nature for the first time is almost
struck dumb with awe and aStoniSh-
ment at the utter lavishness and waste
OF delicate shades and tints of all colors
that are here so profusely distributed
over miles and miles of nature 5 canvas.
In some cases the whole side of "A
butte is plastered thick with rich Grim.
son that would be the delight of
painters heart could he but behold it,
Others are striped with alternate black
and brown, while again others are OF
blue or brown or gray or else vary from
dazzling white at their summit TO a
sober dark gray at their base. Tho
writer observed a number of buttrS, the
tops of which were fiery red. the in
termcdiato being girdles of pure white
and the bases d stinct and positive vel
low. Some again were completely red,
but of different sha les from TOP to bot
tom. There are great many bare clay
and sand buttes, and also number that
are composed of very hard vtreous or
pottery-like Stag either green OF
brown or else dark reddish color like
iron stains
While the actual composition Of the
buttes appears to be "A crumblng. vol
canic scoria, yet there is little doubt but
that their present condition wa,
brought about by fires which ragged
throughout the country i'm days gone bv
In fact, some fires are still burning I'm
the Bad Lands; one of which. wncn
seen at night, has the appearance Of a
volcano i'm violent eruption. There is
another fire farther back i'm the Bad
Lands which has been smolderinp ever
nee the country was known TO the
whites, and according TO Indian tradi-
ton from the time when the Great
Spirit upheavcd the land with an earth
quake. The truth of the matter is. tho
Bad Lands are one vast bed of Ignite
coal which runs through the luttcs and
hills in solid veins from four to ten feet
thick. This Ignite was probably ig-
nltcd by fires that sometimes prevailed
over the plains, set by Indians, and the
coal being in continuous veins. has been
burning, no doubt, unintcrruptedly be
meath the surface for years Perhaps
long ago dense forests existed i'm these
Bad Lands, which accounts for the ex-
censive beds of Ignite found here
There are certainly evidences OF
prlmeval growth in the endless petri.
factions of the stumps, and Mr. WisneI
speaks Of fine specimens OF fossil leaves
OF the Pliocene age, changed by the heat
of the burning Ignite into a brilliant
scarlet, but retaining their reticulations
perfect
The various round topped mounds
made up of ink black CLAY, argillaceous.
friable or pulverized sand
stones, raw and pottery clay and vein,
of impure lgnitcs. the burning OF VIII On
has fused and mixed their materials i'm
one confused Stag. are TO be seen ON
every hand in every conceivable form
Between the mounds are rayines.
gulches and meadows, many of the lat
ter carpcted with the rich nutr tious
bunch grass so much sought out bv the
bison when they dwelt among the buttes
and rOamed over the valley. The soil
OF the Bad Lands possesses fertiiI.nV
properties in excess. As before re
marked the name Bad Lands is "a mis-
nOmer. for the country is well watcrcd
by numerous streams although barren
OF trout and tainted with alkali- grows
numerous and luxurant grasses { ON,
thirty-threc varieties have been classi-
fed and is a veritable paradise for
stock-raising and sheep growing Cat
tlcmen were not long i'm finding ont the
true worth Of the Bad Lands a. "a graz
ing region Soon after the conquest of
Sitting Bull aud the opening up OF the
country TO the whites. it. began tOdawn
on the minds Of the stoCkmeu that "a
section once sought by the buffalo as "a
tayOritc stamping ground must be- good
pasture fields for herd Of cattle and
sheep.
The Marquis de Moros. 70 young and
cnterprising French nobloman. was tho
first TO seize the opportunity by turning
loose thousands Of cattle and sheen
among the multitude of butte. border
ing the Little Missouri. and his example
and success has caused many other wise
and learned stOckmCn 20 do likewise
The cattle shifting for themselves have
done well (the alkali answering fhc
purpose Of ,alD and without care or
feeding have come ont each season in
line. fat condition. ready for market
Thus we sec Pyramid Park. the GRAND.
est and sublimest spot ON the American
continent not excepting The Yellow
stone National Park, turned into "a praz
ing field for the raising # cattle and
hcrdiug Of sheep u Is 70 great pity
that the Government has never taken
steps 90 preserve this region of natural
wonders from destruction COR phiIq
0e'phia Times.
Afoaae Dow fbe f,,,,,d.r - a.. H.