, 1886-06-16
VALLEYS Or THE GOOSE CREEKS
Thirty Thousand Acres Ready for the
Piow--The Traditions of Heart CIin.

leys, aggregatlng thirty thousand acres of
fine farming lands, comprising both bench
and bottom. The valley of Big Goose
creek is some thirty miles in length, and
averages half a mile in bottom width. The
stream is vigorous and carries a heavy
water volume. The lands comprise fine
second and third bench areas, all suscepti-
BILE of irrigation. Little Goose creek val
ley, however. contains the widest ard
most valuable lands of the aggregation of
the twin streams. Rich meadows, and
fertile bench areas succeed each other in
abundant promise from the source to the
mouth, a distance of twenty five miles.
The bottoms, natural hay lands, will aver
age half a mile in width, while the bench
lands reach far towards the mountains on
each side.
A company of Colorado capitalists
chiefly represented in Boulder, have this
spring finished ditch covering the broad
lands of this valley. Two years steady
work has been required to complete this
ditch. 1t is fifteen miles in length, eleven
feet on the bottom, and carries two thou.
sand inches of water. 1t has cost over
$40, 900, and covers 20. 900 acres of land,
with a prospective lateral system embrac-
ing some thousand more acres.
The soil of these lands embraces several
varieties, all rich. The black loan pre-
dominates. with its oat yield of forty five
to 100 bushels per acre. The oat posi-
oilities of this soil seem limitless, l26
bushels having been raised per acre.
These oats are OF extraordinary weight,
and bring much more in open market
than the Eastern product. Closely allied
to the black loan is the sandy loan, which
is prolific in vegetable outputs. Potatoes,
beets, carrots, cabbage, etc. etc return
large yields both in quantity and weight.
Then comes the clay lands. These pro-
duce fine wheat, and are also rich in veg
etable capabilities. The ''gumbo' soil fur
nishes good wheat lands and when irriga-
ted make magnificent meadows, taking
most kindly to tame grasses.
On the heads Of both the Goose creeks
are far reaching forests of splendid timber.
These contain red, white and yellow pine,
in their own proper varieties. while what
is called in local parlance. the bastard
pine, a mixture of all three, grows in great
abundance. The entire heads of the
creeks, and for several miles down their
courses, comprise one immense coal bed.
Coal here is gathered from the surface,
and burned, making excellent fuel for
both cooking and heating purposes.
In the mountains that overlook the val
leys, are found magnificent mineral indi-
cations. These have as yet only received
the most superficial and crude attention
from local sources. However, they have
now attracted the attention of Eastern
capital, and it is loudly whispered that
this season will see large developments in
the mines of the Goose creek sections.
Only the bottom lands Of the Goose
creek valleys have as yet been taken up.
The wide and fertile bench area is still
u~noccupied and open to settlement. The
irrigation facilities are abundant and per-
feet; the timber supply is inexhaustible,
the mines are rich with certain promise,
the streams are full Of the finest trout and
white fish, the soil ofthe valleys can not
be surpassed for fertility and adoption,
the surrounding mountains offer magnifi-
cent summer stock ranges, thus making
dairy possibilities limitless, and the eli
mate is beyond reproach. The valleys Of
the Goose creeks must therefore, by the
logic of nature, be the early home of a
community prosperous and happy.
The region has its tales and traditions
as well as the other mountain dominated
regions of Central and Northwestern
Wyoming. On the head of one of the
creeks OF the section is Heart Cliff" 1t
rises sheer and solitary in the center of a
narrow water shed and beans a startling
resemblance to a human heart. At its
base is a pool Of ice cold water, clear as
crystal. This Is fathomless, and from its
hidden depths beneath the huge rock
heart. comes ever a loud t~hrobbing sound,
a perfect heart beat. The Indians say that
in the twilight Of certain evenings, duly
designated in their traditionary records,
the Heart Cliff itself moves with gigantic
pulses and throbs.
The Indian legend Of the Heart Cliff
and the throbbing pool is still reverently
told about their camp fires, and in their
wigwams, and is as follows 1t times past
when from the mists of the long ago was
stretched forth the mighty hand of the
Manitou, great spirit hunters traversed
the mountains OF the Big Horn and
claimed the top-most heights of the dir
ricst peaks, and the beautiful hooks of the
lowliest valleys, alike as their patrimony.
Two of these mighty hunters spoke words
of anger to each other, and one severed
the sacred sinew which bent the others
bow. This severance carried degradation
to him whose weapon of the chase was thus
mutilated. He fell from his high estate
and became a mere mortal hunter.
But the anger of the Manitou was
kindled toward him who had thus doomed
his brother, and he transformed him into
the Heart Cliff" His life blood, clear,
cold and pure, as it came from the Mani
tou's sacred fountain of life, was gathered
Mt the base of the rock heart, and fed by