INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1874. lxxxix 



during the year, the whole work a labor of immense mag- 

 nitude having been accomplished in three seasons. This 

 boundary was surveyed and marked from the Red River of 

 the North westward to longitude 106 12' in the summer of 

 1873; and in the succeeding winter the survey was carried 

 east from the Red River to the Lake of the Woods, including 

 its shores lying as far east as Rainy River. The surveying 

 service was organized on the 1st of June 1874, at St. Paul, 

 and the party proceeded to Fort Buford, reaching the initial 

 point of the year's operations on the 1st of July. The work- 

 ing parties were pushed forward to the utmost limit of their 

 endurance, and by the 1st of September the remaining 358 

 miles, extending from longitude 106 12' to longitude 112 05', 

 was completed, and eight astronomical stations determined. 

 This work was done conjointly with the British division, each 

 determining a series of astronomical stations, and surveying 

 a field of territory five miles wide on its side of the line. 



The American party returned to St. Paul by way of the 

 Missouri River in an open boat, making the distance of 1200 

 miles from Fort Benton to Bismark in 18 days. Thus, in 

 four months, a journey of 3700 miles 900 by land and 1200 

 in an open boat was completed, besides surveying 358 miles 

 of boundary -line. The expedition was accompanied this 

 year, as the last, by Dr. Elliott Cones as surgeon and natu- 

 ralist, who, as before, made very important collections in gen- 

 eral natural history, and will be able to furnish a valuable 

 report upon the animal, vegetable, and mineral resources of 

 the region. 



The country passed over from longitude 106 to the Milk 

 River proved to be quite unattractive, the rain-fall being 

 small, and the water consequently scarce during the summer. 

 From the Sweet Grass Hills to the Rocky Mountains its 

 character greatly improved, there being an ample rain-fall, 

 giving promise of a fertile country. Immense herds of buf- 

 faloes were met with, which, in the opinion of Major Twin- 

 ing, appear to be increasing rather than diminishing. The 

 territory is the region of the Blackfoot and Piegan Indians, 

 though visited occasionally by other tribes. 



It may be mentioned, in this connection, that this northern 

 boundary-line of the United States w r as completed in the pe- 

 riod of 1855 to 1860, from the Pacific coast to the longitude 



