The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-09-09

time to look the town over. 1t is
some eight years old, has a good
hotel, park, buildings and large pre-
tensions. 1t has stone qnarries, a
wooden mill and a smelter is now be-
ing erected. 1t is on the prairie. But
little can be raised in the way of farm
produce without irrigation. Some
cattle r shipped from here.
Next morning we left edgemont over
the Burlington for Billings. 1t is a
fourteen hour run, mostly int daylight,
so we had an opportunity of seeing
the country. We were soon running
through Wyoming, on our right the
Black Hills in the distance. We pass
the DEVILS Tower, a huge perpendcu-
lar rock, rising to a height of over
three hundred feet in the air. It is
thirty-five miles from the line of rail-
road, but is easily just what
his Satanic majesty has or had to do
with it we are not Informed. We did
not stop to inquire whether or not he
was at home, but kept on our way.
He is said to be an ardent advocate of
Free Silver
We next arrived at Newcastle, wy.
a considerable place a the Wyom-
ing coal fields, from which a very good
quality of soft coal is obtained in
large qualities. Perhaps the finding
OF coal in such close proximity to the
"Devils Tower" has some significance
Leaving Newcastle we passed through
a dry, billy and uneven country. One
wonders if it ever rained here. 1t is
however, we'll adapted for grazing
purposes, although there is little grass
in sight, still the cattle which are here
in millions almost, see to be in excel
lent condition. This is the country of
the Wyoming cattle king.
The next important place on our
line of road is Sheridan. We stopped
here for supper, having had dinner at
Gillette. Sheridan is a town of consid-
cradle size, not over six years old, is
located in a beautiful valley, has ex-
~cellent water and is on a beautiful
stream.
Leaving Sheridan we run the valley
of the Little Big Horn. Here we find
considerable farming land, which is
cropped by the Indians in a slip-shod
manner, who raise wheat, oats and
alfalfa, The latter grows luxuriantly
and affords two or three crops of hay
each season. Soon the Big Horn
mountains loomHp On the left, look
ing like clouds pills one above another
rising grand and majestic. They are
many miles away but appear close at
hand.
The next point of interest on our
right is the Custer battle field, where
General Custer and his command, a
part of the It'll U. S. cavalry were all
killed in battle by the Sioux in June
1879. The trains run close to the
field, and the cemetery in which the
dead soldiers sleep can easily be seen.
There are many tombstones, and a
monument is erected near the spot
where Custer fell, or within ten feet of
it, and over all "Old Glory" waves
from a tall flag staff.
Three hundred and fifteen privates
and thirteen commissioned officers
persisted here at the hands of the dead
ly Sioux. Farther on is Fort Custer
and here we find soldiers stationed,
and the Indian looks on and says
nothing. We now have been for some
time in the state of Montana, and the
country puts on a much better appear
ance than in Wyoming, and after
leaving Fort Custer night shuts out
the view. At ten O'Clock we arrive at
Billings, on the Northern Pacific
railroad, and the terminus of the Bur-
lington system in Montana. From
Deadwood to Billings, AIS miles, the
Burlington has a most excellent road
bed, very satisfactory passenger serv-
ice and a large and splendid class of
travel.
Billings the county seat of Yellow
stone county and the metropolis of
eastern Montana, is situate on the left
bank of the Yellowstone river in the
most beautiful part of the famous
Yellowstone valley, 800 miles from
St. Paul 1t is an Incorporated city
of some 1000 inhabitants, governed by
a mayor and a board of aldermen. 1t
is the receiving and distributing point
for the cattle and sheep ranges of
eastern Montana and northeastern
Wyoming. An idea of the business
transacted here may be gathered from
the fact that in 1896 the Northern Pa
ci6c shipped 528 cars of cattle, sheep
and horses, and with the shipments of
the Burlington in the same lines ag-
create nearly 1000 car loads. Over
1000, 600 pounds of wool were shipped
from this station during the same year
The city is situate in the entire of a
farming valley, extending over fifty
miles along the Yellowstone. Wheat,
oats and other rOp are raised. tt