Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-24
THE DAKOTA BADyLANDs.
Discoveries of Scientific Expedition
In TINT uaufna


In that Region.
The strangest OF all earthly spots is the
bad Lands" OF the west, says the New
York Herald. Until now 1t has never been
known. But with the return Of success
full expedition, composed oi scientists, Il will
be recognized as a place where prehistoric
nature lies disclosed and where wonders Of
the past are associated with the picturesque
ness of the present.
These important finds are the result OF a
carefully planned geological exploration OF
the bad Lands" made by Prof J. Il.
Todd, state geologist of South Dakota, and
five scientists OF the State university-E. G.
Eckert r. w. Ellis, I a. Jordan, B. S.
Payne and e. ]. Wallace These explorers
followed the valleys of the White, Chey-
enne and Bad rivers, crossed their divides
and covered the famous trail between the
Black Hills and Chamberlain. From Rose
Bud. Porcupine creek and the noted fossil
ground of Indian Draw they collected above
ton Of many rare and several new speci-
mems, which they shipped from Hermosa to
Vermillion.
First and foremost, that much discussed
| animal, the great American hog has been
found at last. For Prof Todd and his
! associates unearthed its remains in the fos-
sill beds of the BAD Lands" 1t bears in
general outline resemblance to Its descend
| ant common to this country. There the re-
semblance ceases, for II is almost as large
as medium sized elephant and is armed
with two horns, several inches in length
| one on each side of it's long flexible nose.
Scientists recognize this interesting brute
as the brontotherium, compromise between
the elephant and tapir on one side and the
rhnoceros and hog on the other Skulls
were dug up which measured two and half
feet in length and nearly as much in breadth
| They are saddle shaped, much like that OF
| the rhnoceros, the back Of each rising in a
| prominent transverse crest.
Fortunately for prehistoric man. the bron-
| totherium was almost exclusively a vege-
| tartan. II was a powerful beast and must
| have been a hard fighter. Had 1t been
carnivorous it would have discouraged inn
| migration and interfered largely with the
census. 1t abounded in the White River
| region, and was very quick breeder The
| scientists say its habits we're mostly those
| OF the rhinoceros of today but they unite
| in classifying 1t as the common ancestor OF
| the wild and domestic hogs.
Above the brontotherium beds, Prof Todd
| and the others found plenty of fossils OF
oreodons and turtles. most OF the latter OF
enormous size, though SOME were only few
| inches in lepgth. Many skeletons of the
| oreodon, a prehistoric animal combining the
| characteristics of the hog and deer were as
large as a sheep.
Four or five species d rodents and as
many of carnivora were unearthed, none Of
| the latter being larger than a dog. The
professor found complete specimen OF that
size. but II was in very small fragments
They also discovered inconiplete specimens Of
| a species OF rhinoceros, camel and one oi
the ancestors OF the horse, the miohippus
which was no bigger than a Southdowr
sheep. In the Loup Fork beds, overlying the
White river, they dug up specimens OF water
| plants and freshwater shells, and few OF
the large bones Of the mammoth and masto-
| don. most of which were very much under
| the weather.
"0f the picturesque features of the Bad
| Lands, said Prof. Todd, to the writer
there can scarcely be an .exaggeration In
| language. Words fail to convey the con.
| tinual change OF outlines both beautiful
| and grotesque, which meet the eye of the
| traveller as he passes through this strange
region. - ~,
Every one. as he passes through mile
! after mile OF these startling forms" con-
| tinued the professor, asks what could have
| caused this region to be so different from
those which bound II Oh every side. The
question is answered as follows:
THE country is largely barren, because
the formations are nearly impervious tc
water, so that most OF the surface quickly
becomes dIy: and, although some species
have evidently in certain seasons succeeded
In establishing themselves upon these bar
rem surfaces, yet the usually prevailing dry
| ness OF the region almost completely pre-
vents vegetation, except on the lower fats
where moisture is retained for longer
time"
Speaking OF the enormous fossil beds
Prof Todd went on: THE thickness
OF these beds is from three hundred to five
hundred feet, and they were deposited by
the waters OF a vast fresh water lake. A
natural explanation of the occurrence OF
fossils near the margin OF the lake, es-
pecially on the Black Hills side, would
seem to be that herds OF animals at times
were overwhelmed on its shores during Sc
we're storms. The rarer remains OF other
species may be accounted for by the sup
position that tributary streams occasionally
carried their bodies into the lake"