West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-02-23
"sTAKED-DowN CANON
And Notes on a Journey Through
the Bad Lands"
Written Specially for tse AnoUs.

hundred miles IN length by one
hundred In width, called the "Bad
Lands" The name was given to it
on account of the extremely irregu-
lar and peculiar formation of the
surface.
The whole country consists of an
immense alluvial deposit, Of great
depth, and so loose and yielding
that 1t has been eroded and washed
out into the most wonderful and
fantastic shapes imaginable. There
are deep gulches, called Goodies"
running and intersectiug each other
IN all directions. These are some
times quite deep and are cut through
the soil where 1T is loose and most
easily eroded. Where the earth was
harder and more compact. it was
not so easily eroded, consequently
1T has left standing little hills, call
ed Butts" of all sizes and shapes.
Some of the butts are small and
conical in shape, having only a
few acres of surface, while others
are oblong and Of the most irregular
shape. These butts often rise to
an elevation of several hundred feet
above the gulchs or Goodies" be-
low, and have on top plateaus con.
tanning hundreds of acres, and as
level as a floor. The coolies are
filed with sage brush and grass,
the latter being the finest grazing
grass in the world. On account Of
the protection which the bntts afford
cattle aud stock from the severe
storms and billiards. of the north
west, this part of Dakota is espe-
cially preferred by the ranchmeu of
that country.
This is the home of the "Bron-
cho,' and great numbers of these
hardy Montana horses are raised in
this section.
The writer. few years ago, spent
several months in this country at a
typical COW boys ranch, and had
the painful experience of being
"bucked Off by broncho." How
ever, after becoming accustomed to
these ponies, person would prefer
to ride them in that country to our
eastern horse, as they are more
cure footed, besides being exceed
ingly strong and hardy. / remem-
Der one especially, a little bay, full
of fire and ambition, that / have
ridden many mile myself, and
have yet the first time to see him
show signs of fatigue. His owner
told me that he was the best little
horse he had ever backed, and said
he had ridden him three hundred
miles in three days. This seems
wonderful, rs the rider was man
weighing fully two hundred pounds;
and this with his heavy Mexican
saddle and aeconterments made
more than two hundred and fifty
pounds that was on this ponies
back for more than fourteen hours
ont Of the twenty-four.
The following sad story was re-
lated to me by an old ranchman, of
the tragic fate Of an early settler in
this country
a few years before the "Custer
Massacre, in which Gen. Custer
and every man Of his heroic little
band lost their lives, being am
pushed by the Indians, a man by
the name Of Jones had built his
"Shack" few miles back from the
Little Missouri River in a pretty
little valley or "cooly," which was
protected IN almost every direction
l,Y the surrounding butts, from the
cold winds and billiards.. His
horses and cattle were loose on the
range, as is the custom Of the coun-
try, and the owner had been absent
from his ranch for few days hunt
ing up ard locating some horses
which he was afraid would stray too
far away. On his return to his
shack, as their cabins are called
he found q small band Of Indians,
in fall war paint in possession Of
his home. re was almost imme-
diately discovered By the bostiles,
but having a feet horse, attempted
TO escape. All would have gone
well, az he was rapidly gaining on
his pursueYs, ii it had not been for
two Indians who had ridden rapidly
up one Of the numerous coolies,