Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-11-20
PARTICULARLY BAD LAND IN
THE BIG HORN BASIN.
AN AWFUL ALEKlI BOG
roundings the Worst Place in
World in Which to Get Lost
A Little Sermon by the
Way.

There's a piece OF badland in the Big
Horn basin. between the Big Horn
river an the mountains, called the
Devils Blowouts, ant is well named
had helped ter refund up some OF
the most impossible country in the
west, an had begun ter think that
there wus no place under the sun
where badlands, washouts, rocky
canyons, an alkali bog-holes he'd been
piled together thick enough ter cor
raj me er head me off roundup, an
he'd felt fer sumtime that es fur es
personal experience wus concerned
wus qualified ter take the bench agin
any cow-chaser in the United States
when it cum down to a case OF bad
country by one who'd been there, an
up ter the time | saw the Deil's Blow
outs I'd have sent in er verdict in
favor of er certain place erlong the
Big Cheyenne river, where Jack Con-
way lost that bunch of government
packs, way back in the seventies;
since then | say the Devils Blowouts
again the world, an here's ter prove
it.
We hadn't been in them Blowouts
morn an hour arter the OF man sent
us in ter round EN- up, till we cum
ter the conclusion that the devil had
sure 'nuff had hand in orderin' that
particular piece of creation, an that
he had designed it as a sort of man
trap for ketchn' unfortunate cow
punchers. Two of the boys went
down In er bog before we split up ter
do the circle, an If it hadn't teen
that sum of us were quick and handy
they'd been there yet.
The Devils Blowouts is a rendyvoo
fer all the outlaw cattle an horses
for miles aroun. They are about
seven or eight miles across in any
direction, and are pretty well covered
with little hills Of about $50 feet I'm
heit. These little hills are so near
the same heit and shape that yer ken
hardly tell one from another. The
general lay of the country is level, so
that ter look across the hills from
the top they have the appearance of
an old-fashioned hay meadow. all
punched an ready fer the stock-yard.
Not one hill in the hull track that
will serve as landmark, er point fer
observation. So, If by chance yer
should git lost, there is not one single
point yer ken fasten yer eye on that
will guide yer out. You'd simply be
lost in a sea of hills, an this isn't the
worst. either. cause the valleys be-
tween the hills er completely cut up
by badlands, washouts, rocky can
yons an aikali bog holes that'll
swamp err saddle blanket.
One time an Irishman, in writin'
ter his brother In the old country
about the west said: Say, Pat, / tell
yer this county is all level but the
hills, an they say it's level under
them too" Well. the DEVILS Blow
outs er jest like that, only different
instead Of the country bein' "all level
under the hills, too it's all level on
top of the hills, too, err that is the
levelest part.
The hull Blowouts is covered with
trails. Trails in every canyon, trails
around every HILL trails across every
fiat trails runnin together from
every direction like the threads of a
spiders web; trails. trails, trails, till
you couldn't tell one from another.
No matter in which way you travel
you'll find ere trail goin' that way.
too, and yet there's only one trail in
the hull hizness that win dodge the
alkali boys, clear the canyon an lead
yer out, an 1t runs straight across
from north ter south If yer git of
this trail yer lost, an If yer any dis
lance in the Blowouts yer done, be-
cause once yer git bewildered yer
might cross. the straight trail 100
times an not know ii, If yer have no
one ter tell yer. No use of climbing
er hill ter take points. fer they are
look alike. All yer ken see is hill
arter Hill runnin' away in all dire,.
tons, with impossible canyons be
tween. Worse than bein' lost on the
desert.
Take trail. Yer find we'll
beaten. welldehned trail. runnin
round the hill ter the right. Ii looks
Ter ali tue WOEiu like tnS StfaiGll
trail, but in few minutes IL brings
you up ter the brink of an awful
canyon. One more step an yer'll be
dashed to pieces on the rocks below
AS yer looks across yer see the trail
continued on the opposite side. but
the great canyon is between. An as
yer git Cow. on yer knees ter peer
over the edge. in the hope of finding
some way across, yer notice how deer
it is; an when yer think what er fal
over its edge would mean yer gil
skert an hurry away.
Soon yer strike another trail goin
straight down the valley parallel with
the canyon. II turns ter the right
leads yer around err narrow shelf, cts
yer down over sum slidin' rock
around sum great giant bolders, down
inter the canyon below. an yer begin
ter think yer have found the crossin'
an that yer on the streight trail fer
sure, en- yer start ter find yer way
out ct the other side, but everywhere
yer go yer find great impassibia
wall OF rock, an yer turn back time
af.ar time fili finally yer reach the