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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



americana) reigned as kings on the 

 prairies. Along the lower Missouri 

 Valley the deer {Odocoileus virginianus 

 subsp. and 0. hemionus) were found. 



4. Present biota 



The effect of agriculture has been to 

 reduce much of the original prairie to 

 crop land. Yet in the rougher western 

 part of the state, in the Coteaus of the 

 Missouri, and in the lowland areas too 

 wet to cultivate, little change has been 

 made. Timber has been at such a 

 premium that it not only occupies its 

 original area almost entirely, but has 

 had added to it in the eastern part of 

 the state many fine groves as wind 

 breaks about the buildings of the farm- 

 ers, which tend to break up the monot- 

 ony of broad expanse of prairie. The 

 area lying east of Devil's Lake and the 

 Turtle Mountains is capable of foresta- 

 tion but the trees have been kept out 

 by the frequency of prairie fires. In 

 the Bad Lands the short grass prairie 

 occurs on the tops of the buttes, but in 

 many valleys little but sagebrush is 

 found. 



The wild geese have ceased to nest 

 in the marshes, the coyote and red fox 

 are still seen occasionally in the eastern 

 part of the state but are more numerous 

 to the westward. An open season for 

 deer was granted for ten daj^s in 1921. 

 Sully's Hill National Park, on the 

 southern margin of Devil's Lake, con- 

 stitutes a preserve for both the plant 

 and animal life of the state. Here a 

 few bison graze as a reminder of the 

 great herds which roamed the plains. 

 The proposed national park in the heart 

 of the Bad Lands near Medora should 

 have the generous encouragement of 

 every one who is interested in the preser- 

 vation of the native life of the state. 



II. NATURAL AREAS (j. T. S.) 



*Prairie, Missouri River terrace. 

 (C3.) Part of the Ft. Berthold Indian 

 Reservation, site of Indian village called 

 "Fishhook Village;" last occupied by 

 the Mandans in their freedom before 

 being reduced to the status of reserva- 



tion Indians. Also includes the Indian 

 Scout's Cemetery where are buried men 

 of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara 

 tribes who were enlisted in the United 

 States Army in the 1870's, some of whom 

 served under Custer, and some perished 

 with him in the Battle of the Little 

 Bighorn. A part of this tract is virgin 

 prairie, part is the old village site which 

 is reverting to the native prairie vege- 

 tation. About 400 acres should be 

 further preserved by U. S. Government. 

 This place is about 30 mi. west of the 

 nearest railway station, Garrison, on 

 Soo R. R. ; 18 mi. from Elbowoods, 

 McLean County, N. D. — Melvin R. 

 Gilmore. 



*Prairie. Lies on a terrace (first) 

 of the Missouri River. Site of Military 

 Post of Ft. Rice. (A4.) Mostly native 

 prairie sod; partly planted with cotton- 

 wood and box-elder trees. Purchase 

 of State Historical Society of North 

 Dakota as trustee for the State. About 

 3| acres, 3 mi. from Ft. Rice, Morton 

 County, N. D. Preserved by the 

 State. — Melvin R. Gilmore. 



* Plains Area. (A4.) Prairie. 

 Mostly short-grass formation. Boutel- 

 oua gracilis and Stipa comata, dominate. 

 Part of the area is used for a Cooperative 

 Grazing Experiment by the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, Office of Dry-Land 

 Agriculture Investigations and the 

 North Dakota State Experiment Station. 

 Of value to anyone interested in grazing 

 problems as it affords an opportunity 

 to observe the effects of different systems 

 and intensities of grazing upon the 

 native vegetation. 1729 ft.; level: 640 

 acres, part grazed and part hayland. 

 Preserved by U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. Anyone wishing to visit 

 this area should first call at the Northern 

 Great Plains Field Station, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture at this point. 

 Mandan, Morton County, N. D. (1). 

 (a) Field Station, two mi. S.W. Grazing 

 area 3.5 mi. S. of Mandan. N. P. R. 

 R.— /. T. S. 



Antelope Lake. (F6.) Shore and sur- 

 rounding hillsides. About 10 sq. mi. of 



