The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1908-08-13
Bad Lands of Dakota
Wokama, S. y. July 20. l9


markable impression upon all the
members OF our party that felt
it we'll worth writing about. To
begin with, a short description Of
the Lands, and if | can do some
thing to dispel the false ideas most
people have concerning them I
4 will feel that ! have done Old
Mother Nature real service.
The Bad Lands lie in the south
western part Of South Dakota and
comprise four thousand square
miles. The entire north side of
them, a strip 100 miles long, be-
ginning few miles west of Kado-
ka and extending as far west as
Wall, S. D., is composed of a high
wall or drop from the level of the
prairie to the level of the Bad
Lands which is perhaps 500 feet
lower. This wall is only passable
for wagons at few known points
and it was at one of these points,
Chamberlain Pass, about 25 miles
south of Philip, that we entered.
Here the view was much like that
shown in the pictures one common
ly sees of the regions. 1t was a
mass of barren hills, broken with
gullies, precipices and all sorts Of
strange formations, with one
narrow path winding through and
over it, leading down to the lower
plain beyond Here we rode for
couple of hours and went into
camp the first night on the banks
of a creek whose waters resembled
in color well creamed coffee and
which left very dusty feeling in
ones mouth after drinking it.
Our cowboy guide pitched a
small tent for the ladies Of the
party while the rest of US got busy
gathering tire-wood for cooking
supper and for evening campfire.
Our party consisted of Mr.. and
Mrs. Bert Trout of Des Moines,
Mr.. and Mrs. w. G. Jarnagin and
son Philip of Wokama, Miss Edith
Jarnagin of Cedar Falls, and my
self, guided by one Rennie Nc
Donald, an ex-cowboy and a man
whom | believe knows the name of
every creek and stream and every
trail and where it leads, between
the Missouri river and the Rocky
mountains. After supper we
climbed few peaks and hills that
we thought at the time were really
wonderful freaks of nature, but
which later sights proved were
very tame.
The next morning we got under
= way again and drove to the town
of Weta, on the Milwaukee rail-
road and then south. Here about
twenty miles from Chamberlain
Pass we forded the White river
and on crossing it we found our
selves on the northern borders of
the Pine Ridge Indian reservation,
and we were ordered not to shoot
or make any undue disturbance
for fear of being run in' by the
Indian Police who paroled the
reservation, but as it happened we
saw none of them nor did we see
any Indians, excepting one Indian
cowboy, during our stay. On the
opposite bank of the White river
we came to the Open Buckle Ranch
and here in the heart of the So
called barren Bad Lands are herd
ed over 1000 of the sleekest cattle
one could find anywhere. We
were met here with open-hearted
hospitality and made very well
come, as strangers come this way
very seldom. Eight miles above
here was our camping place, to be,
Is that was as far as even light
spring wagons like we we're
equipped with, could 60. We ate
an excellant dinner in the big
dining room of the low-ceilinQed,
rambling, old log ranch house and
sat st the same table that Presi-
dent Roosevelt and q host of
governors had sat, on earlier trips
to The region, in search of bear.
Mr.. Craven, our host, enlivened
the entire meal with stories OF ID