KNowLTON.] EXPLORATION. 11 



Tho area of land under cultivation is extromel^^ limited, being- con- 

 fined to the scattered narrow bottoms along the main streams. With 

 the exception of a growth of pines along the higher ridges, the tree 

 growth is confined to a fringe of eottonwoods and willows along the 

 watei- courses and a few scattered jimipers on the lower ridges. The 

 remainder of the country, when not too rugged, is or was formerl}^ 

 covered Avith a luxuriant growth of grasses, hut overstocking has 

 already seriously impaired the value of the ranges for grazing pur- 

 poses. 



HISTORY OF EXPLORATION IN THE JOHN DAY BASIN. 



For more than a quarter of a century the John Day Basin has been 

 widely known for its abundant deposits of plant and animal fossils. 

 The first of its fossil riches to be discovered were manunalian remains 

 in the form of teeth and fragments of bones from the Crooked River 

 region, brought back bj^ a company of soldiers who traversed the 

 region in 18(il. Some of these fossils fell into the hands of Rev. 

 Thomas Condon, then located in The Dalles. Condon recognized the 

 value of the discovery, and earl}" in the following year he obtained 

 permission to accompany a party of soldiers taking supplies to the 

 military post at Harney Valley. On the way out they passed through 

 the Crooked River region, where Condon obtained fossils, and on the 

 return trip by way of Camp Watson, a post long ago abandoned, 

 he discovered rich plant deposits on Bridge Creek. In 1863 and 

 186-4 (yondon spent some wrecks in each season in exploring along 

 Bridge Creek and John Day River, in the latter region discovering 

 and naming Turtle Cove, a locality" which has afiorded a large pro- 

 portion of the vertebrate remains thus far brought to light in this 

 region. 



In the fall of 1871 Prof. O. C. Marsh, of Yale University, in com- 

 pany with a large part}' of students and others, under the guidance of 

 Condon, made an extended trip through the basin, collecting vertebrate 

 remains, principally from what are now known as the ''John Day" 

 and "'^Mascair' beds. From this date until 1877 parties in the employ 

 of Marsh continued collecting throughout tho region, but they appear 

 to have procured only animal remains. As these vertebrate remains 

 were found in such abundance and so well preserved, the region con- 

 tinued to attract students. Thus in 1878 and 1879 collections were 

 made for Prof. E. D. Cope; in 1882 for the United States Geological 

 Survey, under the direction of Professor Marsh, and in 1889 by Prof. 

 W. B. Scott, for Princeton University. In 1899 and 1900 Dr. John C. 

 Merriam, with a large party, collected extensively throughout the 

 region in the interests of the University of California. His attention 

 was mainly devoted to securing vertebrate remains, but he also obtained 

 a small and extremely interesting collection of plants from Cherry 



