Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-01-16

Edison photograph with dozens of records,
fine pictures and the latest dailies. Our
hostess was lady of rare conversational
ability and no one was allowed to grow
lonesome while guest under her roof.
She informed US that they had been for
n,erly located north of Sentinel Butte and
! only three years ago moved their sheep
and effects to Cannon Ball Creek, their
! present location. She also recounted sew.
eral thrilling experiences during their va
ried life as ranchers. which in themselves
would make an interesting article.
Being somewhat fatigued with our days
journey we retired early and slept soundly
till the break of day. After partaking OF a
hearty breakfast we again set forth on our
journey. While recounting to Mrs. Thayer
our trials and tribulations in travelling the
! :ortuous trails by the light of the stars she
very kindly told US not to be discouraged
as the worst was yet to come. and right
she was! Talk about the rocky road to
Dublin or the road to the Golden river,
it was not in it compared with this high
way thru the Cannon Ball brakes Of the
Bad Lands and We we're led more than
once to comment on how the first human
being ever found his way thru and staked
out the trail without being hopelessly lost.
Heavy spring freshets had cut the old trail
in places so it was difficult at times to pick
our way thru in broad daylight. lttwined
and twisted thru the gullies and ravines
and amongst the buttes so there was seldom
more than ten rods of road to be seen at
once. And we were only on the edge of
the Bad Lands From slight opening
among the hills we could see the broken
landscape far to the east where the Little
Missouri winds its way. After travelling
five or six miles we came to "a gradual rise
and the country was less broken and the
curiously formed buttes that reminded one
of hay stacks became more numerous.
The formation of those buttes is a phe-
nomenon to biologists and scientists. They
are composed of crumbly stone called
scorio and are Of all conceivable sizes and
shapes giving the country in general the
appearance of having dropped down in
wide areas and left these buttes standing
like tombstones. In one instance we noted
an area of sixty or eighty feet square that
had recently settled leaving big jagged
hole ten or dozen feet deep. 1t had
very much the appearance of the abandoned
. mines at Evelyth, Mimi. where the tagging
had been pulled out and the surface set
tied down. Our road now was in good
shape and aside from the times we stopped
to admire the scenery. Brinton showed on
the ribbons and chirruped to the long geared
cayuses to the effect that we made good
progress and at 80 we arrived at Kim
kade's camp on the Milwaukee grade. We
we're now sixty miles south OF Beach and
Judged we must have travelled strong
hundred, counting the crooks and turns in
the road. Here were the first signs of
agriculture since entering the hill country.
1t was an undulating prairie, free from
rock and the buffalo grass grew fine and
|luxuriously. Here was our Eldorado and
we decided to locate.
Our object was now accomplished aud
we were more than pleased with the results.
Tho we met with considerable inconven.
fence never the less it was interesting and
we enjoyed every bit of it. Game did not
appear to be very plentiful tho we saw a
few grouse and sage hens and the only
wild animals were the prairie dogs and
rabbit or two. On the 2oth of October we
bid good bye to our friend Brinton and left
for Bismarck and thence to Manfred Ex.