The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1905-11-04
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA
Rich ia Ignite and High Grade Fire and
Pottery Clay.
Work Of the Past Season on the Lignite and
Clay Of North Dakota by two Parties
From the State University

have been investigating the Ignite and
clay deposits Of North Dakota. The !
United States Geological Survey party !;
was in charge of the state geologist, DR.. !.
A. G. Leonard, who with two student
assistants from the University spent
four months in a study of the great
North Dakota Montana Ignite field.
The second party, which was in the
employ Of the North Dakota Geological !;
Survey, was in charge of Mr.. G. H.
Clapp, a graduate of the Massachusetts
Institute Of Technology. He made
careful examination of the extensive
and valuable clay deposits of the western
part of the state, collecting many sam
pies for analysis and testing.
DR.. Leonard's party left Dickinson in
June and went southwest along the
Little Missouri river and its tributaries
as far as Camp Crook, South Dakota.
Here the party turned east and followed
for 60 miles the south fork of the Grand
river, visiting the interesting Slim Buttes
and Cave Hills; then north across North
Dakota by way of Dickinson and the
Kildeer mountains to Williston and
Buford; from the latter point the Yellow
stone river was followed for 175 miles to
Miles City, Montana. From there the
party returned to Dickinson, reaching
there about the middle of October.
The region within which the Ignite
occurs was found to have greater ex-
4 tent than previously supposed, covering
most Of the western half of North Da-
kota, extending west into Montana as
far ;as the Grow Indian reservation and
/ the mouth Of the Milk river, and south
into northeastern Wyoming and north
western South Dakota. 1t measures
about $50 miles from east to west and
north to south and comprises an area OF
some 10000 square miles.
The coal seams vary in thickness
from few inches to thirty-three feet
and there are usually several of them
within vertical distance of 200 or 3oe
fleet. At one point on the Little Missouri
fifteen coal seams were counted in q
bluff 400 feet high and at another locality
twelve seams were found within verti
cal range of $50 feet.
The investigations show that the lig
mite beds are not confined to any parti
cular horizon in the Laramie formation
81 but are distributed through the clay'
and sands from top to bottom. Ths
thickest seam found during the summe
was one which outcrops thirty miles
south of Medora at the Russell ranch OF
i Sand Creek, tributary of the Little
Missouri. Another thick seam, ais.
occurring in Billings county, lies nea
. the base Of Sentinel Butte, three mile
south of the town of the same name
where twenty-one and a half feet Q
I Ignite are exposed. Southern Billing
county contains many thick seams Q
coal which appear in almost every Gu
bank and bluff along the Little Missoul
and the creeks flowing into it.
4 The Ignite undergoes change il
character as it is followed west int
Montana. In the eastern part of tn
field, in North Dakota, it is brown AM
woody. retaining the grain and tough
@ ness of the original wood from which
is formed. This is characteristic Q
nearly all the Ignite found in this state
Farther west, in. Montana, on the. othe
hand, the Ignite is black, lustrous an,