Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-10-14
women's clubs at Minot, was the
following by Mrs. M. H. Jewell Of

following by Mrs. M. H. jewell Of
Bismarck: III
& The part Of this stase the LEASE krlewn
and the most interes. lg 10 a,ir PEI PIE
in respect to physicl,. aspect and .gr;-
cultural and mineral worth is that Sc.
ton situated at and around the town Of
Medora in the county If Bill silgs Dis
coverers Of and travele.s ti1ro Ugh this
country have stlted in their writings
and portrayed those lands they did not
see as sterile dessrsss or inaccessible
mountains. The Meiora u * nc excsI-
ton to this rule. The first ~ sdescrife
the country was the Lewis and Clark
expedition that sk:r-:i The Bad J4allass.
in that part where the Little Missouri
enpties into the Big Muddy. The fol-
lowed the French Jeslits, yoyageurs
and trappers, the former Of whom made
"a rough sketch of the country wherein
the lands we are the most interested in
were portrayed as. bad lands and passed
over. This sappellation has been retain
ed. The erroneous impression thus
given has been held to this day by a
major part OF the people and, Of course.
al those who reside without the gates.'
Originally the Bad Lands were of & a
Isimilar height and contour with the SUR
rounding prairie and the top soil was
i the same in ifs composition, rich allu-
/ vial loan permeated by calcaeous mat
ter, and with sufficient rain needs but
to be. tickled with a hoe to laugh with
a harvest, and was underlaid throughout
/ with the same coal stratas. Our geo.
logists find in the Bad Lands how these
1 strata in places affords convincing
proof that the existing condition was
neither caused by upheaval or depres-
sion. Upon personal examination the
cause is apparent to the veriest tyro in
geography. The change was made
| primarily, by the ignition of the coal,
which burned and converted the adher-
1 ing clays to. scoria and caused holes
and depressions in the earth's surface,
and secondly by the after effects Of
rains which dug into, washed out and
carried away the loose scoria and clay,
| thereby causing the existing valleys,
coulees and draws, now everywhere APP
/ parent. This work of devastation any
eye witness can now see who visits this
| region, and in my trips to Medora
| have visited burning mines, seen scoria
| in formation and washouts increasing
| in size. The heat has produced on the
| clay marvellous blending Of color, and
1 when at morn or eve, the time when the
| air is clearest, land the ridges and
Duties standing forth struck with sun
| light, the scenic effect is startling
grand.
4 To tell of Medora and its surround
| ings, its early history which comprises
/ the ambitions of the late Marquis de
j Mores and our present honored presi-
dent-its past struggles and present pos
1 sibilities- is too broad field for the
limits OF this paper.
i The town is located on the Northern
Pacific railroad on the. east side of the
Missouri river, and the first wife set
1 tiers were those of that nondescript
/ Wandering class that follow military
camps and railroad construction. Wher
4 the railroad was upshed west in tn:
/ late seventies a military cantonment was
A located on the west bank of the strea r
to protect the railroad laborers and ,ent.
4 ployees This command was compris.
! ed, at the beginning, of the Sixth in.
! fantry Company B under Captain Ste,
ven Baker later they were relieved b,
81 a company from the Seventh infantry
under command of Major Combs. The
troops were not needed after 1880 ane
the cantoments were in 1882 sold t.
Commander Gorringe of the United