The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-12
PARTICIPANTS
THAT ARE
SLOWLY GOING
Beauty of the Great CaddQ
Buttes of Oklahoma.
HON THEY ORIGINATED
Their Size From a Distance
Is Deceptive.
HON THEY ORIGINATED

Norman. o. T.. Nay i2-The following
article describing the buttes OF the wich-
ita reservation or "Caddo country ap-
1 peared in the April number OF Twin
Territories" It was written by Prot.
Charles \. Gould. OF the University OF
| Oklahoma.
II you have never seen the Caddo coun-
try buttes you have missed one of the
finest sights in Oklahoma While they
are not perhaps more unique than other
erosion forms of the plains, stin their
peculiar environment as well as the way
in which they are grouped constitutes
them particularly picturesque
You should cross the South Canadian
at Bridgeport. From the hills near
Geary, away and away to the south
west you can see some mounds futtipg
their jagged edges along the horizon. Tn
less you are trained to see with a plains
mans eye you are liable 10 imagine that
they are perhaps five miles away Be
fore you reach them, however, if the
day be as hot as 1t was when I visited
the region. you wiz give full credeace
to the natives when they tell you that
the buttes are twenty miles from Geary.
South Of Bridgeport the sandy bottom
Of the South Canadian is a mile wide
Then you climb the low bluffs ont of
the valley and go through gate into
the valley and so through a gate into
country means one that contains any
where from ten thousand 10 & few
hundred thousand acres. Five miles
further is another gate. Then the tran
winds down across an arroyo and you
come to an old camping ground. The
grass is often eaten off short. straw and
litter cover the ground, and dozens of
little holes half full Of charcoal and
ashes mark the cite Of camp-fires Of
freighters and boomers. All over the
plains a camping ground means water
somewhere near. In a little canyon to the
north there is timber and 6 spring. The
water seeps out of the red sandstone
and runs of down the smooth rock bot
tom. Some charitable cowboy or freight
er has followed out little basin in the
red rock and in it the red water sccu-
mulates. This is the last water on the
road for twenty miles except what may
have collected in a few muddy buffalo
wallows.
From the spring the trail wanders OF
southwest There are no houses. no fen
ces, no trees even; nothing but prairie
grass and cattle. Occasionally a white
topped prairie schooner comes into view
er has followed out little basin IN the
slowly fades out into the hazy distance. |
A patch of sunhowers marks the site
of an old stage station from which a
streak OF prairie grass taller than the /
rest, winding across the prairie marks /
the course of an old deserted trail.
All this time the buttes have been /
looming up larger and larger. The tran /
crawls along the horizon miles away and /
enabled to see them from all sides What /
strikes you most forcibly on a near view /
is their magnitude. Instead Of being little /
mounds as the first view would seem to /
Indicate they are veritable buttes OF /
mile across at the base. The tops are /
all level and instead OF being round are 4
square shouldered with often projecting /
lodges OF hard rock on the summit.
The prairie here is comparatively fat /
and the buttes rise directly from the i
levels. There are rarely smaller mounds
or hillocks around their bases. The /
slopes are steep and are composed
Of red sandstone. often they
are grass-covered but frequently barren
Of vegetation. Sometimes the buttes are
in groups. occasionally two are side by
side. silent and rugged as an Indian war
rior
Along the sides the erosion forms are
sufficiently striking to attract
notice. Castles. forts towers. chimneys
and other forms fantastic
and unique, stand out IN bold relief. In
not more than three feet in diameter has
been carved from the sandstone, and
near by is one twenty feet high and
sight feet across.
Untold ages ago the level q the whole
country was an hundred feet or more
higher than It is al 1he present time, or
n other words as high as the level OF
he tops Of the buttes. The rock consist
ID OF the rather soft sandstone capped
- a harder ledge. Into this compare
lively level plateau the small streams
tributary TO the South Canadian and the
Nashita began 10 cut their way The
softer rock above the upper ledge which
low forms the caps OF The buttes has I
,een eroded away uutn II has nearly .
m disappeared and the general level q
he country has reached its present posi- :
ion. Il IS along the divide that separates !
he headwaters q the streams flowing Q
outh Into the Washita from those which s
mpty into the Canadian that these cas-
enated remnants Of the Cd plateau re- g
main. 4 few narrow ridges winding &
nake-ifke across the prairie ~ an oc- g
asional solitary butte or % may he @
luster a bgttes stl stand Ike giants q
harding the CID regime The sln. wind. q
r0st and rain are doing valiant battle s
ear BY year. ard slowly blt surely By q
eason OF this war 81 the elements. these .
iauts are Swing way % Tire new order.
( ls but a question 81 years when tie p
lst u these landmarks 81 THE piataa 2
hail have DISAPPEARED
,uAsurrA cniINrNns NEW SEAL.