Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-10-19

More Goal Lands to Be Withdrawn
from Entry. st,tsEossa's: -
Grand Forks Herald: DR.. A. G.
Leonard, state Geologist, has returned
from Montana to assume his duties as
head of the department of geology at
the university. During the summer
he has had charge of United States
geological surveying party, studying
the "lignite area" of Montana. This
work was a continuation of that be-
gun by. DR.. Leonard for the federal
survey last year. -
The party QUILTED at Dickinson, fol-
lowed the Northern Pacific through
the bad Land region" of North Da-
kota to Glendive, Mont. From this
point their route lay along the north
side of the river through a rich graz
ing country to Fallon, a great cattle
shipping point. Then they struck
north, visiting the Big Sheep noun
E,tains, the divide between the Missouri
and Yellowstone rivers. From this
point they made their way to Miles
City, the metropolis of eastern Mon
tana, with. it's thousands of acres Of
irrigated land to the south and a vast
grazing country to the north. The
party now pierced the vast territory
| between the Northern Pacific and the
| Great Northern unn1apped, I unexplored
| and unknown except to the roaming
cowboy and sheep-herder. After con-
siderable time spent in exploring this
region they pulled into Glasgow,
Mont, and disbanded for the season.
During the summer the party drove
| over 700 miles, collected and shipped
I to Washington over 1000 pounds OF
fine fossils from widely separated
localities and different horizons, To-
Gated many heavy coal seams, sent
samples to the fuel testing plant at St.
Louis for analysis, and gained much
valuable information as to the general
geology of the region. -,
The fossils collected and geological
observation made WIFI do much toward
settling the celebrated "Larimie-
Fort Union" controversy. For years
the ablest biologists have differed as
to the age of certain formations in the
west, especially in North Dakota and
Montana. The surface formation OF
the western part Of this state Is gen.
| orally spoken of as Laramie, but sonly
flast summer one OF the ablest paleon-
biologists writing DR.. Leonard said:
Is II do not believe you have foot Of
Laramie In North Dakota" \ a.
Merrill in his History of American
Geology" devotes a whole chapter to
this question, an honor accorded to
few other problems.
The work of locating the Ignite coal
deposits is of great Importance. The
coal lands in North Dakota and Mon
tana, withdrawn from entry under
President Roosevelt's orders, were
largely those located by DR.. Leonard
last year and on his arrival at Grand
Forks few days ago he found tele.
gram requesting that he report at
once all coal deposits located so, that
! the land might be withdrawn from en-.
try.
/ Much of the work done this summer
especially that of determining the age
of certain formations is of as great
value to North Dakota as to Montana
The wider acquaintance with the for
imations Of this region which his work
! on the United States survey enabled
him to make will prove very valuable
In working out North Dakota prob
lens. In the meantime it has beer
possible to keep an assistant at worl
under the state geologist On the "clays
of North Dakota" a report on which
will be published the coming winter.