The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-31
TWO RAILROADS WILL
RUN THRU BAD LAND
on 0 Rosebud RGsrDai Recntb
for SeHhunmt Bring R nt Pioneer o der" Il
Territory of Strange Rock Forma-
lions to Be Made Access
sible to Public.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Bismarck, N. D., Dec. 30.-Tha,
section of the Dakotas lying west
of the Missouri river, which at this
time is attracting wide interest by
reason of the projection Of two
great railway systems thru it, pos
sesses many natural objects Of great in /
terest, which for the first time will be- /
come conveniently accessible to the pub I
lie. The more interesting of these nat |,
ural curiosities are the fantastic, fossil !
bearing bad lands, whence have come
the greater portion of the fossils Of
hideous, prehistoric animals, which fill
the scientific museums, and the unique
rock concretions which abound thruout
the region but particularly in the Fox
hills and in the North Dakota sections.
These eoncretions are of greatly
varying sizes and forms. Some are
globular, and range from the size of
marble to immense globes FIVE feet in
diameter. From the abundance of these
globular concretions found upon its
banks the Cannonbal river in North
Dakota takes its name. Some are log
like in form and of great length; some
times reaching 100 feet OF more, and
resemble in shape, size and color, saw
logs stripped Of their bark; others are
Of complex and often surprisingly irni-
tative forms, as of tubers, riyeted
plates, and grotesque limitations Of
fruits, roots, part of animals or various
utensils, and among the ignorant are
regarded with superstition, and believed
| to be of miraculous origin.
These connections, unless exposed by
erosion of the rock about them are
always found embedded. It is not easy
to inform the layman the manner Of
their growth. In brief, they owe their
existence to the natural attraction Of
matter to a central object. At that Pc
Rod when all of the rock matter of tho
earth s surface was in solution, the
solidifying processes began by the
crystalization Of atoms, and owing to
the peculiar conditions existing in the
Dakota region these crystalized atoms
became the nucleus which attracted
about it the rock material in a wide
area Of the mineralized sea. When
these nuclei were held in suspension
the formation became globular in obedi-
ence to law of nature exemplifed in
the formation Of shot, by dropping
molted metal from an elevation, but
when the nucleus was at rest the form
was modified by the environment. These
connections are found chiefly, probably
only, in the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic.
In turn these connections have be-
come the nuclei of the many buttes
which stud the region. Some of these
buttes are in conical form sometimes
two or three hundred feet in height.
At the center Of these are found pill
lar Of giant concretions piled one on
top Of another. Again the buttes are
: broad and fiat topped, these tops FIRE.
, quently being an acre or more in ex'
tent. In these cases a stratum Of these
! concretions is found which protected
. the area from the erosion that reduced
the surrounding region. Again they
form natural revetments, bounding and
limiting the size of lakes. DR.. Todd
eminent in northwestern geology, hai
, observed many modifying effects in the
! geography and topography Of the re
r gion due to the presence OF these
: curious products Of capricious nature