The Forrest City times., 1891-04-17
CAUSED Bv GLACIERS.
Mature and Location sf Dakota Da<
 I.aads-

Mature and Location se Dahoss Dad | IAads-
 The peculiar formation of tho bad lands undoubtedly dates back to the glacial period. for to no other cause can scientists attribute the immense buttes and wonderful depressions that are salient features of tho country. Tho buttes or hills of which the bad lands are mainly composed arc of ir- regular size varying from one acre to 1000 acres on tho summit and from 100 to $50 feet in height Tho tops of these buttes arc on level with the prairie to tho east and west. Here the soil IS good and tho grass excellent
 belt along the sides and in tho depres- slons the soil is a mixture of clay and
 sand. with occasional outcroppings of sandstone. For q long time people thought that the bad lands were just what their name implied, but there
 nsver existed more erroneous impres- sion.
 Tho cattlemen wcre the first to make
 tue discovery. They argued that If
 tho bad lands afforded good winter
 shelter for the deer. elk. mountain
 sheep, antelope and bear that every
 where abounded, then the hardy Texan
 cattle could certainly find subsistence
 there also. Tho experiment was tried
 and proved an unqualified success, and
 from that time on tho bad lands of
 Dakota were bad to them in name only. In point of fact there is no b,t- ter country in the west for tho fatten- ing of cattle than out in the famous bad lands, which to-day have nation al reputation among stockmen.
 The bad lands are full of lignito, which, as everybody knows, is the crudest formation of coal. I used to work mine n mile or so from Medora and supplied the town with fuel q. g a ton; it cost mo 90 cents to mine it. This Ignite coal makes good fro and burns to q white ash as wood does. There arc no clinkers in it unless ono strikes a vein impregnated with sel- phar. One of the chief points of inter- est in tho bad lands is what is known as the burning coal mine, situated about eight miles southwest of Medora. This mine has been burning for over a century, if the reports of tho Indians arc to be believed. They used to toll the trappers that the old men of their tribe said the mine was b,Hning whom they first came into the country, and those who were with Lewis and Clark report seeing it. The vein is of extra ordinary thickness and burns so slowly that it may last another hundred years yet. I used to work mine that was on fire at the opposite end, but 1 had every aperture well banked. and the vcin burned so slowly that it never bothered me in the least How these deposits catch fro it is difficult to tell. unless perhaps by stroke of lightning or by some fire left by careless cam- camper.
 General Sheridan once said tho bad lands looked like hcll with the fro put cut but Little Phil" had very faint conception of the beautiful and roman tic scenery in the interior. About four miles south of Medora there are whole acics of petriied tree, that arc prone on the ground. where they have undoubtedly been lying for centuries. Tho work of forming new buttes is constantly going on as tho rains wash away the soft, spongy soil thnt rolls down into the Little Missouri and Is carried of to find . Judgement else where.
 In the spring, especially. there is series of constant washouts that vory Quickly change the whole aspect of the bad lands. Sometimes an immense ravine will form during ths night directly across a road which has been in continual use with the hunters and rannhers. It may be fifty feet wide and fifty feet deep and may nocessi- tate n detour Of several miles in orler to reach one's destination.
 Buffalo berries and wild plums grow in abundance along the Little Missouri and l have seen tho game so thick that 1t has been Il common occurrence for me to shoot four deer in ono afternoon. In fact. tho country is q hunters para dise. The buttes of which tho bad lands arc largely composed arc placed in no more order than if shot out of a gun One might just as well attempt to follow the trail of bullet through tho air as the ono loft by man who took the slightest pains to cover lis tracks through tho country. It was this that made the locality so popular among horse thieves between 1882 and lsss. At that timc Little Missouri wus morely collection of shanties buy the place bore the reputation of being tho toughes. town in the United States.