The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1889-08-15
watCEn Of the White river the Bad Ian. IL be-
gin, q strange Formations OF hills. bare
OF vegetation, interspeTsed with deep
CANYONS md ravfnAA fhrnnOh ~ hic}1 IN u

watcrn Of the White river the Bad Ian. ds be
gin, strange formation Of hills, pare
OF vegetation, interspeFBed with dc ep
CANYONS md ravfnes through which IN. =
small streams, the water strongly impreg-
mated with alkall. Cattle feeding upon tie
grass along the margin OF these streams are
frequently stricken with mysterious dis
ease which causes death veYy soon after at
tack. Dissection shows the inner coating
Of the stomach burned OUT by the action Gf
tne alkali Stock men arc careful not to
have ther cattle range through this region
unless there are some preventiyes at hand in
the shape OF salt ltcks, salt having been
found preventive of alkali poisoning by
nentrAlizing the. effect Of the poison and
making the alkali salts distasteful.
MANY FERTILE STRETCHES.
Taken as q whole the White river presents
these features to the settler. For hundred
miles Or more following the valley from the
land OF perhapsa mile In extent, by half
that distance in width. These bottom lands,
SO lar as tried, produce splendid crops of
corn and oats. Back Of the valley are ranges
OF hills more or less elevated, well
covered t%g sas however ~ .n with grass. Beyond
hundred miles, the same condition exists,
though the bluffs are here much more pre-
cipitous and the valleys narrower The
country back from the river on the north is
mucn broken, being series OF table lands
furroWed by ravines and separated from
each other by deep gulches In the bends OF
the river may be found timber in small guam
titles Further from the mouth the timber
becomes heavier and In greater abundance
In the Bad Lands the:prevailing kind is pine
ana cedar. with an occasional elm and cot
tonwood. Water is found in the valley at
depth varying from SO to $50 feet, and is
usually pure and wholesome. The water in
the White river ia clear and pure. but
slightly impregnated with alkali below the
mouth OF the South fork. Stock drink this
water with impunity and with seeming
relish.
An old timer in the Black Hills. who has
roamed over the reservation thoroughly, in
formed the writer that he had discovered
traces OF silver and lead ore IN the hills on
the White river, neai the western boundary
OF the reservation, and from all indications
in paying quantities. He announced bis in.
tention OF making thorough search through
this region as soon as it should be thrown
open.
One popularity of the White river is that
all the principal tributaries flow into the
river from the south side, thus making the
most extensive bottoms on that side. which
remains still in the reservation. Bad river
rises in the extreme western part of the res
ervation and flows in an easuerlY direction
through the middle of the land thrown open.
emptying into the Missouri river directly op-
posite Pierre. The sam general description
applies to Bad river, which has been given
OF the White river, though in some
important particulars it differs The
most essential difference seems
to be in the larger number. of tributaries