Washington, D.C., May 29th. 1884.

Dear Professor Marsh;

I herewith send you the notes on the Laramie of the Upper Missouri, which I promised you. The only notes I made on my observations along the southern side of the Uintas are contained in Hayden's Annual report for 1877. The reference to my finding there what I supposed is the Bridger Group, you will find on page 230. I refer you to that rather than copy it, so that you may perhaps get other hints from the notes connected with those referred to.

I shall be glad to furnish you with any other notes of my observations which you may desire. I start next week for California, but any letters directed to the Washington Survey office will be promptly forwarded to me.

Remembering my pleasant sojourn with you at your home, I am very truly yours,

THE LARAMIE GROUP IN THE VICINITY OF THE MOUTH OF JUDITH
RIVER, MONTANA; AND IN THE VALLEYS OF THE MISSOURI AND
YELLOWSTONE RIVERS.

Probably the best way to reach the mouth of Judith river
is to go from Fort Benton in a boat. Judith river and Dog creek
come into the south side of the Missouri within a mile or two of
each other. Above the mouth of Judith, in the Missouri valley,
you will find little or no Laramie. Also very little on Judith
river. There are however, full and extensive exposures of the
Laramie on Dog creek from its mouth to a dozen miles or more up
the creek. Opposite the mouth of Dog creek, up Birch creek, are
full and extensive exposures of the Laramie. The Laramie here
and in all this neighborhood, is seen to rest upon the Fox-Hill
marine Cretaceous, the latter showing a thickness above the level
of the river of from 100, to 300 feet. The Laramie above this
is there from 400, to 600 feet more, as the bluffs are very high
there.

Old Fort Claggett is between the mouths of the Judith and
Dog creek. There is now only a store there. You will probably
find there a man who was Cope's guide in 1876, and who helped him
make his collections. I have forgotten his name, but you can
easily learn it.

2.

Below Judith, on the Missouri, you will find the Laramie exposed without interruption all the way to some ten miles below Cow Island, the bad-land high bluffs being near the river all the way.

The country on each side of the Missouri being so deeply and abundantly cut by bad-land canons and ravines that I think it would be impracticable to traverse it except by a pack-train. Perhaps the most effective plan would be to have a few pack animals to work in connection with a flat-boat on the river.

From a few miles below Cow Island the marine Cretaceous only appears near the river, but occasionally the Laramie appears at the tops of the distant hills. Some 15 miles below old Fort Peck however, (123 miles above the mouth of the Yellowstone) the Laramie strata form the valley sides again, and continue to do so all the way to Bismarck, and below, a distance of more than 700 miles continuously. This long stretch includes the Fort Union group of Meek & Hayden. It also extends continuously up the valley of the Yellowstone for more than 200 miles, forming bad-land bluffs on both sides of the valley. Similar bad-lands are also on all the small creeks which come into the Yellowstone, as well as the Missouri.

3.

At only one place, 10 miles above Glendive, does the Fox Hill
Cretaceous come to view in all the near 200 miles referred to.

You are likely to find vertebrate fossils at any point in
these Yellowstone bluffs, which bluffs are plain in sight on
both sides of the valley. I observed many fragments in the
lower portion of the bluffs on the west side of the valley at
several points 3 to 7 miles below Glendive. Also some in the
bluffs at that town.

Glendive is a convenient place to outfit to operate in the
Yellowstone valley. It is on the Northern Pacific Railroad.
You can obtain horses and a wagon there. Don't go to Raymond if
you can help it. He is crooked. Mr. Ward got his outfit last
year from Parsons, and found him correct. If you want a cook,
get Melvin S. Wade, of Glendive. He has been with me two seasons.
He is a fairly good cook, thoroughly honest, knows all that
region, and has been over a large part of it with me. He will
take watchful care of the camp and is constantly good-natured.
I gave him 60 dollars a month and his subsistence; and also
returned him to his home at Glendive.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WASHINGTON, D. C.

Oct. 22, 1891.

Sir:

I herewith transmit to you a memorandum concerning fossil invertebrates which Prof. O.C.Marsh sent to me through your office on Dec. 31st 1890.

They are mostly imperfect, but they are sufficient to indicate that they came from the Laramie formation.

To the Director of the
U.S.Geological Survey.

[2]

18591

Laramie fossils received from Prof.O.C.Marsh, Dec. 31, 1890.

1. 5 casts and some fragments of Unio danaz M & H.
   ``West of Lance Creek, Converse Co. Triceratops beds''

2. Indeterminate casts of Unio and other fragmentary fresh-water shells in mass of rock containing fragment of bone
   ``Bird Rapids, M.T.''

3. Two rock fragments containing Viviparus trochiformis M.)
   & H. Viviparus leidyi M. & H? and fragmentary specimens
   of Unio, Corbicula etc. with pieces of bone.

    ``Left bank of Big Lightning Cr. one half mile
    above mouth, Converse Co. Wyo. Triceratops''.

4. Crushed cast of Viviparus leidyi M. & H?.

    ``Cow Island, Montana''