The Opelousas courier., 1897-10-09
CURIOUS ROCKS.
Strange Formations Found on the
Kansas Prairies.
Great Stones With the Marks Of
Waves on Their Sides.

One OF the curious Thugs that i'm
press tho traveller over the prairies of
northwest Kansas is the prevalence OF
strange rock formations that are as
wild and weird as any found in the
mountain regions. Separated, as
they arc, from tho ranges Of hills
hundreds Of miles to the west, they
arc the 1aore surprising, and few are
aware of their existence. The state
of Kansas, SO far from beinga plain,
is really an inclined parallelogram set
on a steep grade. The western end is
1000 feet higher in the air than the
eastern, and the traveller finds thas
he is ell the time getting further
from the vegetation OF the lower rec
gions as he goes wes1until he hascome
to the foothills of tN Rockies. That
this section was at one time the bed OF
an ancient sea is probable; indeed, it
is manifest from the appearance of
great basins that are not connected
with any other depressions on the
plains. Scattered among these are
the rock formations that have been
the awe-inspiring features Of the land
scape for the Indians and q never fail
ing source Of interest to the white
man. So strange are they that it al
most seems that they must have been
the work of the Titans Of old, rather
than the forces OF nature working in
a simple and ordinary manner. Take
Castle Rock, out in Cove County, ON
the very outskirts of the plains, where
the rock rises over 100 feet from the
dead level of the prairie and is q land
mark for miles. The settlers go there
for miles to spend the day climbing
the smooth sides. "It seems like
being back in the old mountain
regions of the East" said one OF the
residents of this strange section, "and
I like to go and look at it, just to see
something different from the ever!ast-
ing level lands" The rock is the only
one for scores of miles, and is almost
the only portion OF land in the
country that is above the level of the
plain, It is said that the Indians had
it rs a council rock, and that many OF
the desperate deeds done by the Apa-
ches were planned under its shadow
Biologists say that this is one Of the
peaks of a mountain range that once
was in existence in this part of the
west
But what shall they say OF Rock
City, in the edge Of Ottawa County?
This is probably the most curious ar
rangement of stones to be found in the
whole prairie region. If one APP
proaches it in the evening he would
feel sure that it was the home OF
race of gnomes that had fashioned fol
themselves the mound-like structures
that are the semblance of dwellings.
Set among gently s!oping hills, they
are scattered in a quaint disorder over
several acres, and are in size from the
small blocks the shape OF a busheI
measure to the round, tent-like masses
as large as the huts of the Icelander.
They arc all water-washed, and have
the marks of waves on their sides. ON
of the illusions of their position is the
n that they have dropped dowr
from the sky, and have not beer
formed from the usual course O.
events. Twenty miles southeast, il
the edge Of this county (Dickinson)
are a similar series Of rocks set on thu
tops Of two hills. The hills are tn
tallest in the vicinity, and after on
climbs them it is passing strange tx
find in the tops the large rocks tina
have no connection with the surround
ing sections landscape. Curious feat
nres of these rocks are the depres
sions that are found in them, Us i
great drops of rain had fallen in th'
: soft mass OF molten Stag and left thei
empress. Correspondence ST. Loui
Globe Democrat.
4 MethuseIah Among Terrapins.