The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-12
BAD LANDS OF DAKOTA.
Tre GREAT pam fGoiCi. AND ITS
GEOLOGICAL FORMATION.
The BCms Vi Po.vfful Indian Tribes and
Coanfie.s iierd. Vi BuGsio Origin oi
tho Term Bad LaLis"- What Science
IeSclf-

lEe bCD1s u fD.NfiUl lIdidn lriDt- anu
Counties, iierd. VI BuGsio- Origin %
tho Term "B.i Lsris"-wha Science
Teaches.
Imagine, II YOU will, vast aid seemingly
endless plsins. over which yon mas travel
even 10y rail = DAYS without leaving tbem,
md il by stage or WAGON for weeks Gently
uudulatsns, like tidal swell, upon a quiet
OCEAN. without tree or bush. the surface
eIeeni-h yellow, or golden brown, or dull
purple with sun cured grasses. The cool
air, cloudless sky On September aud you
have DaLota-at least four-ffthsof the whole
surface oft And this description applies not
only ~ Dakota bu. 10 the by far tAs largest
portion OF our northwestern territory our
side the mountain regions. Ili, boundles'
prairie averages above the sea about Z, 100
feet It, drainage and that Of tho mountains
tehnd IL i, by the Missouri, which flows
sodtheasterly fully 60 mile, within Da
kota The Big CHEYENNE. made up 81 tno
forks, one taking the water shed & th- BlacE
Hills Il the north aud west AMI the other
from tho south AMI east, torn, fhe principal
ahiuent Of the Missouri river I'D Dakota Al
fine clays held in suspension.
This great plain region Of Dakota is wholly
made UP Of level strata Of vast deposits of
the chalk and other periods formed when q
great inland SEA covered this AMI other like
regions OF the northwest. After tAelFsinage
OF this sea is bed has since been CIT Through
ty the Missouri, tho Cheyenne ana Other
rivers deep into the level strata. showing
where you look from the top OF the bluff
bounding the rivers, a thread OF duh yellow
water, finding is winding way perhaps a
hundred feet or more below You through y
food plain OF shifting sand aud clay. which
varies from hall a mile Oh fve miles vide be
tween the biu'fs Ih- nloI plain 90 high
water j, covered many Gee. deep, but at this
season j, dry and frr-uiriy covered With
cott0n~O Od poplar, aspen like in their silver
and bright green leaves The descent % the
food plains may be toid or geltly si1ping
Hero and there at frequent intervals tn-
water she'd Of tue plains tadi It's way 10 tic
rivers W gentle sl0piug valley or draw. -
it is called. down which teams and loaded
wagons can easily follow.
BELIEVED 10 DE WORTHLESS.
Il is curious d note that these great plains
were belieged until very recently o. be worth
Jess for any purpose u agriculture. tnas the,
were arid and desert Ike and that no crops
could be raised upon them except Dy costly
irrigation. This, however was tue home 90
the powerful Lacotahs Dakota-l and here
roaIned the countless herds " buffalo, an anl.
mai without WHICH the Indian cOul not i've
whose skin gave MIN shelter and clothing. q,
body fool
An animal that reckless slaughter has made
extinct an animal whose extinction ha, made
the red man dependent upon tue whites foi
support. an animal which could have been
doubtless easily dome,ticated ami which
would have formed a source Of food and labor
service Of great value 10 this region ia 81 ieA
Il was indigenous. an animal slaughtered for
the mere pleasure Of killing; its meat and it.
hide abandoned It's extinction is blot upon
tne-prsvcntion Of cruelty u animals-clvili-
cation or upon the legislation Of people
which permitted Il.
Notwithstanding the belief that thee plains
were worthless. they were and are covered
with hardy Wild grasses, those including tie
buffalo CT gTamma grass consisting u los
tuits Of curling blades, holding Up here an1
tnero a seed stem, looking for All the world
Ike an ordinary bristls counter brush ~
miniature A. stated before, these grasses
cure on the ground. AMI furnish food more
nutritious than tame hay. AMI one which
cattle can be turned out upon TIE winter
through aud come out IN the spring fatieT
than they were IN the beginning OK winter
These wild grasses ore now cut by the farm
80. ss.. .r.ff
keep good in stack for seven OF eight years
Tuis hay crop forms = source Oh cash income
10 the settlers until such time as they ca -
close their lands aud get other crops.
WHY CALLED BAD LANES
The Bad Lands are 50 called not because
they were useless OF sterile but because tney
were bad lands 70 travel through, accord
ing to the accounts u the early French vCy-
ageurs W fhe Missouri. Tho Bad Lands form
d prehistoric cemetery in which the remains
If extinct animals are abundant. and many
of which We're giants Ia their way-rep.ilcs
from ten. 20 seventy feet long sea animals
reaching eighty feet II length, turtles whose
Clippers reached fifteen fest, and biri-Ake
creatures whose wings spread twenty-five
feet.
These plastic clays, smoothly leveled, the
streaks Of differing strata clearly defined be
long 70 the later rretaceous deposits, and are
zoo feet thick aud stretch from Pierre, Oh I'll,
Missouri. westward along the Cheyenne aud
White river regions The geologic age
which produced tnis deposit was tho
age Of mammals. and j. sp.rniidly de-
veloped IN this region Quantities Il re-
mains exist Oh extinct creatures typical Of
the elephant. rhinocero,. camel, hon, tiger
etc. Nowhere does the erosion o. tue ancient
rocks ty ice and food seem more wonderful
such q ya,t accumulation Of dE.tI material,
clays, sands and gravel, in places hundreds
u feet Ia depth and covering hundreds Vi
thousands Of equare miles ia area
Science shows c0nclusively that our CONT
nent is ono Of the Oldest in its uplift-tlai
many portions Of it were prepared Tor Tue
existence Of man at time when Europe and
the east was slowly forming under the sea
The extent Of the fossil remains Of gigantic
but extinct animals shows that tie region Of
tue Bad Lands VAS den5eiy crowded by
living creatures, which though how extinct
existed long before the allied types u" found
ia tbs newer regions VI Africa aud ASA -
Frederick Ste4rus il Detroit Free Press