The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-03-10
WILL OPEN MORE A N
ono-Million-Fo ur-Hundred Thousand
Acres For Settlers
(By Doane Robinson)


The Rosebud and Pine Ridge bills
which have passed the senate and
been favorably reported 'n the house
Will open another area of 1,400,000
acres to settlement, or about the
same as in the Cheyenne River and
Standing Rock ceded lands. The new
opening will give settlers a fine OPP
p~ortunity to secure homes. The
lands lie along the south bank of
White River in Mellette and Washa-
baugh counties.
have personally examined the
Rosebud lands in Mellette county
but have not been In the Washa-
baugh region. Mellette county has
about forty townships. 1t is bisect-
ed by Little White River and no less
than ten parallel creeks put down
through it to the White River. These.
with their laterals, provide an un-
usual water and drainage system.
The valleys of these streams are
all deeply eroded, making the reg
ion close to them quite rough, but
s~plendidly adapted to stock raising
while back from the streams the
gently rolling prairie is finely adapt
ed to all sorts of crops. The soil Is
of the Laramie formation, a fine
sandy loan n very productive.
The ratiVe prairies are well erased.
making fine pastures and an abund-
ance of hay. Not much of the soil
has been cultivated, but such patches
as the indian farmers nave broken
up bring excellent crops. In thu
rough river breaks there are some
fruit trees and they yield s~atisfac-
torily; apples do especially well.
There is some good timber along
the streams. The White River is I'M
ique. 1t drains a large area and
flows over the white clay of the
White River formation which gives
the water the hue of skinned milk.
1t is a rapid stream and carries a
good flow throughout the ear. The
Little White is bolsterous and pre-
tentious. 1t is wide and threatening
in appearance, very rapid and it's
mild white flood pours noiselessly
down a deep, beautiful wooded val
ley. The stream, however, is very
shallow and carries little water. / re-
call approaching it for the first time
where 1t was seventy yards wide n
so threatening that | dared not ven-
ture in. l secured the services of an
Indian for a dollar to pilot me across.
The fellow pulled off his shoes and
waded over. The water did not at
the deepest reach his ankles. But
that was during the drOuth of 1904.
Ordinarily it is slightly deeper. on
the whole the region is very attraC-
tive to the tourist and will no doubt
make desirable homes for a large
population. The rainfall averages
1876 annually, II inches of which
comes in the growing months. The
altitude averages about 1000 feet
above sea level.
A feature of the region is the
buttes; flat topped hills rising abrupt
~ on the level prairie aid occupying
from a half section to a section OF
land. These buttes mark the former
level before erosion took place. They
are perhaps 500 feet high and a stra-
Ia of sandstone has prevented them
from wearing down with the sur
rounding region not so protected.
The region is easily reached from
the extension of the st. Paul railroad
from Chamberlain west to Rapid City
and il Is understood the Northwestern
will at once project the Bonesteel eX-
tension across Tripip county n into
the new lands.