Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-05-03
n. D. bad LANDS"
ARE RIGHTLY NAMED
COL. SWIFT WRITES OF SEC
TON OF BILLINGS co.
Must Have Been the Last Created
and Where All Refuse Was
Dumped-ViSit to MedOrd, Made
Historic as Headquarters OF Pres
ident Roosevelt.
Dickinson N. D., April %, 1907.


Editor Daily Leader Last week
business took the writer into Bllliugs
Co. N. ID. which contains the greater
part of what is known as the "Bad
Lands" which must have been the last
created and where all the refuse
material was dumped in furnishing the
creative job. The surface is covered
by what are called "buttes'' arising
from the plains to height of from
100 to $50 feet, around which are
level lands only fit for grazing, as they
cannot be proitably cultivated because
OF the prevailing arid conditions but
short bunchy grass grows which is
good for stock. The land, which
extends from the Little Missouri
river on the north to the Big Mis-
souri, river on the south, distance
of eighty miles with breath of
thirty miles, is dotted with cattle
ranches, where thousands of head
of cattle are raised each year for
the eastern market and big money
realized. The ranches are often
several miles apart which is not con-
duclve Of sociability, but distance
cuts no figure as the rancher considers
20 to 80 miles "near by
While on the trip visit was made
to Medora, the county seat, made
historic by having the headquarters
of President Roosevelt during the ff-
teen years uf his cow punching ex-
perience. 1t is a little dilapidated
hamlet of about seventyfive inhabi-
tants, it's only claim to notice being
the fact that it was here that "Teddy'
labored and regained his impaired
health that he in after years might
give the people president whose back
bone is worth a million dollars an inch
to his countrymen.
1t was at this point, that visionary
and impractical t'renchman by the
name of Comte De Mores, who had
married wealthy American woman,
erected mansion, which was elegantly
furnished and packing house
which cost several hundred thous-
and dollars and which proved an ele-
plant and was never operated. Today
| all that remains of it is the mammoth
chimney, monument to the folly of
the man, who did not know a little
bit about the ordinary things of life
The mansion still remains and is
occupied by a tenant, who is given
free rent for caring for the property.
The shadow of greatness yet rests
upon the place, for the hotel Gan
Apology proprietor could take fifty
cents for an indifferent meal such as
could not be sold in Gods country at
any price. At this place the writer
was shown the Presidents old saddle
horse "Eam' who is now twenty-seven
years old and a pensioner relieved
from work and his "keep' paid an
nually by his master the chief ex-cu-
tive IF the nation which demonstrates
that he has a heart as large as his
'big stick.
There are many in this vicinity
personally acquainted with the Presi-
dent and all entertain for him a re-
gard bordering On idoIatry which
shows that he must have been All
all around good fellow. He has
remembered his friends, which always
testifes of man s nobility of charac-
ter. The register of the United States
land office at Dickinson, S. J. Ferris,
was his foreman for fifteen years and
knows him from the ground up and
says that he is man in all the world
implies.
This country is filing up rapidly
with hardy industrious class of people
many from across the ocean, there
being large contingent of Russian
Germans, who make good citizens
peaceful, industrious and thrifty.
Yours truly,