The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-18
BUFFALO BILLS RANCH
JOHN H.. MARTIN DESCRIBES
BEAUTIES OF BIG HORN BASIN.
He Has Just Returned from a Visit
to Col. ody Western Home
Irrigation Plans.

Park, said john Henry Mdrtln, the We'll
known theatrical manager. at his home last
| night. land. as you can see, the sojourn did
me good physically. 1 went out there for my
health primarily. and weigh thirty pounds
more than when I left Indianapolis. / have
also been looking after the large interests
of Colonel Cody buffalo Bid in that part
of wyoming.
THAT is a great country continued Mr..
Martin. 1T is in the northwest corner of
the State of Wyoming. The county is called
Big Horn county, and gets its name from
the Big Horn basin, in which it is situated.
Big Horn basin is a body of land about the
size of the State of Connecticut, entirely
surrounded by mountains. On the east are
the Big Horn mountains, on the north and
west the Wapitis and the Absorkas. on the
south the Ishawooas, the Mud river and
Owl ranges. All of these belong to the
Rocky mountain range. The Ishawooa and
Wapiti ranges are a part of the continental
divide from which the waters flow from
there through the Snake and Columbia riv-
ers TO the Pacific ocean,, and through the
Yellowstone river and the Missouri and the
Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico.
The particular part of the coun-
try in which Colonel Cody's interests are
located is drained by a continent of the Big
Horn river, which is itself a continent of
the Yellowstone, hence the Big Horn basin
lies on the Atlantic side of the continental
divide. TIL Ishawooa and Wapiti noun
tains are within Yellowstone Park, and
also within that addition to the park which
was made by President Harrison's prccla-
nation creating a timber reserve.
THE TOWN OF CODY.
THE town of Cody is situated upon the
Shoshone river in the Big Horn basin and
is now the metropolis of that part of the
country. The spot was first seen by a
white man named Colson, a trapper, who
was a membe of Lewis & Clarke's expedi-
ton in 1905 q believe it was.) Mr.. Colson
came through Yellowstone Park, passing
from the headwaters of the Snake TO the
headwaters of the Yellowstone. He saw
the hot springs n the famous spouting
geysers. of which he talked without cessa-
ton on his return to st. Louis. Colson's
tales aroused the curiosity of two other
trappers, who concluded that they would
make a trip to this wonderful place. They
followed up the Missouri and
and Big Horn and Shoshone rivers to the
@SNotAOA VI SOdss WUtIe they lOuUu
the hot springs and numerous
extinct gysers. and concluded these were
what had been seen by Colson.
To-day the same springs seen by those
trappers are pouring forth an immense
volume OF hot water and constitute a
Mecca for the sick for hundreds and hun
dreds of miles around. The hot springs
gush from a cliff which stands perpendicu-
Ia I--- $500.
The waters come out in such volume
that their mineral coloring matter is
clearly visible for miles along the course
of the Shoshone river. The odors of the
minerals in the springs can be detected ten
miles away. In fact, the Indians gave the
waters a name which signifies in plain
English THE Sinking Water" After one
has been at the place a short time, how
ever, the disagreeable smell is not noticed
The water is good for all diseases which
have their origin in a disordered state OF
the stomach and blood. Such ailments
yield quickly and enectually to the healing
properties of the minerals in the water.
The Big Horn basin attracted no par
ticular attention from the outside world
until the early '10s, because no great mines
were found there. Then the stockmen be.
gan to come In to find here fine pasture fol
their herds.
AN OLD HERO.
Old Colonel Pickett. who IS the hero o.
Seton Thompson's Autobiography of Z
Grizzly Bear resides on his ranch in tn,
basin. He gets his mail at a postoffc,
called Four Bears, named after an inciden
in Thompson's story. Otto Frank, a
character in the book. is another rancher O
the basin. A. A. Anderson, the celebrated
artist, who is also a character in Mr.
Thompson's interesting story. lives OF
his own beautiful Palette ranch.
But the greatest fame of that section.
continued Mr.. Martin, and surely the mos
extensive effort to bring it to the attention
of the world has been and is being made b,
Colonel Cody. Among the colonel's en-,
terprises are large irrigation plants. som,
OF which are finished and others still unde
construction. He is president of the Sho
shone Irrigation Company. and another
great irrigation canal is being con
structed by Colonel Cody and his part
ner, Nate salisbury. 1t will cover
when completed, about 200. 900 acre,
of the finest land in the West, upon which
by irrigation can be grown any crop know
to the State of Indiana. Colonel Cody own
managed and edited by John III. Peak. ant
is doing good work in making known tn
advantages of the Big Horn basin to home
seekers. Incidentally, It strikes some val
liant blows in defense of the administratio
at Washington, which 1 observe is being at
tackled by a few men who are scarcely o
large enough caliber to be designated a
traitors
But to return to our mutton" said Mr.
Martin. who, being an ardent Republican
could not resist the temptation to men
ton politics. another enterprise of Col
| Cody's is what is known as the Carte
ranch, one of the best i'm the Wester,
country. Upon this immense farm ar
raised each year over 300 tons of excellen
timothy hay. Adjoining the Carter is an
other ranch controlled by the colonel
called the Lease. which obtains it's nam
from the fact that he has leased from tn
State of Wyoming 5000 acres of land, 4
be used as a game preserve and as a graz
ing headquarters for more than a thousan,
range horses, which he owns. Colone
Cody also has the II. E. ranch, fort,
miles from the town of Cody, where h
has a herd of over 500 Hereford cattle
AS soon as his show season ends, tn
colonel HES himself TO his Western posses
sions at top speed, and remains there unit
the very last minute before the opening o
the next tour.
ACTED AS GUIDE.
Colonel Cody's attention was first draw
to this part OF the country in an interest
ing manner. In 1872 he was acting as guild
for a couple of college professors name
Marsh and Powell, who were in the Vel
lowstone country hunting for curious fos
sill specimens. At that time the colonel ha
no thought that he would ever be anythin
more than a scout and Indian lighter. Wit
occasional side ventures as a tourist guide
D-z.o~ Nforcb rorno tbo, 81. -.