The Dickinson press., 1908-12-05
Lease Expires In February. Everything
Must be Sold In the Next 60 DAYS.
RESERVE IN
BAD LANDS
President Roosevelt Creates Large
Forest Reserve in Billings
County. Will Promote
Growing of Trees.

County. Will Promote
Growing of Trees.
President Roosevelt signed last week
a proclamation creating the Dakota
national forest in Billings county, con-
sisting of IA. $50 acres. Its creation is
most important as it opens an expert
mental field for tree planting in the
state, the reserve having only 1 per cent
of tree growth. The creation of this
forest preserve has been advocated for
some time. for it is believed that this
is the beginning of a movement in THU
state which will do more toward pro-
noting the growth of timber than any
other method possible. Governor Burke
has been a firm advocate of the plan
and has done all in his power to bring
it about.
Last July a government agent inter-
viewed the governor and said that he
believed a forest reserve of about one
township in extent would be an excel
lent thing for the propagation of pine
and cedar. These varities of timber, he
said. were found growing very thickly
along the valley of the Little Missouri.
especially in the little draws which lead
up to the prairie from the river valley.
With proper care and under management
of the forestry service. these trees could
be grown at the reserve in great guam
titles and distributed all over the state.
Eventually they would prove of ines
timable value, from both a commercial
and a scenic point. The proclamation
of the president is. NO doubt. the result
of this investigation.
The local land Office has not yet re-
ceived any official notice of the setting
aside of this land, but as the reserve is
located in territory under jurisdiction of
the Dickinson Office. a communication
from the department headquarters is
expected to arrive soon. Register S. M.
Ferris is pleased over the action of the
president and feels that the step is in
the direction of more forests in this
state. Mr.. Ferris stated that the reserve
would probably be located about 30 miles
south of Medora. including the for est
from which were secured the logs which
were used in the erection of the Roose-
welt cabin.
Incidental with the establishing of the
forest reserve in the Bad Lands, are re-
lated some interesting bits of the early
history of that country, dealing with
local citizens.
In the early days there was a large
stand of fine pine trees in the upper val
ley of the Little Missouri. but the trees
have been practically all cut of.
In the early eighties E. H. BLY, of Bis
marck, had a contract to furnish a large
quantity of ties to the Northern Pacific
when it was building through that Sec
ton. He put a crew of men at work
cutting this pine and he took nearly all
that was standing at that time. He
built a little sawmill at Medora and
planned to float the logs down the river
to that point and saw them into ties,
but the river was so Unexpectedly high
that his boom failed to hold them and
he lost most of the timber.
The high water also left large num-
bers of the logs stranded along the river
for many miles, and thereby hangs a
tale as to how the Roosevelt cabin.
which now stands in the state capitol
grounds, came to be built out of nice
straight pine logs instead of scrub oal
or box elder logs ordinarily used fol
house building by the pioneers.
1t was about the time when Bly, met
with this piece of hard luck that
Theodore Roosevelt ''struck the country"
in search of a buffalo hunt. which Jo<
Ferris gave him with a vengeance. l
was when returning to Medora from thu
wilds of what is now Bowman county
that Roosevelt and Ferris stopped owe
night at the Maltese Cross ranch-whicl
then consisted of a lot of fine cattle AM
a little, dirty log shack. The cattl
excited the admiration of the Me-
Yorker and resulted in the purchase q
the ranch and its stock.
Merrifeld and Joe and Sylvanus Ferri
had been looking after the stock an
remained as foremen for Roosevelt
Teddy hung up his hat in the littl
shack, but soon told the boys to &
busy with their axe and build a ne
|. and larger house for him.
. The boys had before this appreciat
ed the value for firewood of those pir
logs and not being fond of wood chol
ping, quietly gathered as many of Bly,
6 logs as were necessary and Don had
: fine ranch home built for the futul
president, and doubtless many other pr
aE go. ra, ~