93 [ 1 ] 



fectly horizontal. I noticed one in which the hill appears to have sunk, 

 leaving tlie middle of it rising up as a peak, twenty or thirty feet high, and 

 in this peak the strata are horizontal. It is true, that there are a great 

 many peaked hills with inclined sides, hut throughout there are many with 

 horizontal strata of clay ; giving evidence that tliey had been left there and 

 ]U){ foruied by upheaval. On Monday morning I hope to reach the petri- 

 factions. 



Tuesday, May 14. — Yesterday I visited the Bad Lands, but did not get 

 to camp until it was too late to record the events of the day. We had en- 

 camped during Sunday, on Sage creek, nine miles from Bear river ; in the 

 morning W'e were off early, and took breakfast at Bear river. The road 

 from Sage creek winds considerably at first, over some very steep hills. 

 This creek is one of the most crooked streams I ever saw ; its banks are 

 almost perpendicular, and from twenty to thirty feet high. I observed in 

 several places in the bank, a thick stratum of slate about tw'enty feet below 

 the surface of the ground ; the water is briny and leaves a deposit of salt 

 on the stones ; it, as all the other streams along the route contains at pre- 

 sent, no running water ; the clay m the bottom is nearly pure white, and so 

 clear is the waiter, that at first it seemed muddy from the clay at the bot- 

 tom ; wdien the water in these pools was moved by a gentle breeze, the 

 shadows on the bottom were most beautiful. 



A few miles from the creek we passed over some hills that gave evidence 

 of having experienced the most violent convulsions; these, unlike those 

 seen on Satuwiay, appeared to have been upheaved and to have experienced 

 the action of fire ; one place suggested the idea of a volcanic crater ; it*was 

 a slight hollow and contained a number of small rocks diffei'ent from any 

 around it ; a little above, the hills were of white sand, and oix; was covered 

 with small rounded red stones. 



From these hills we ascended to a prairie, the most level Ihat I have seen ; 

 for miles the eye could detect scarcely the least rise, and it gave not the 

 smallest evidence of the convulsions that probably raged so Jiear it. This 

 level prarie continued wdth but a single interruption till we reached the 

 hills of Bear creek. The descent to this is by a very steep hill and beyond 

 it another level — a steep takes us to another level beyond. All along this 

 route the Black hills are distinctly seen in the distance, and this side of them 

 the woods of Shazer river. We encamped on Bear river near a spring, 

 which is always anxiously looked for by travelers through this country. I 

 shared in this anxiety and expected to see a fine flowing fountain. I was 

 disappointed to find only three small holes in the side of the hill, but was 

 again agreeably surprised to find cool, delightful sand water. It is 

 the only water' I have really relished for a long while, except perhaps 

 that of the Missouri. 



Immediately after breakfast, we left our baggage and started for the point 

 which I had long hoped to reach ; my anxiety was great to see the won- 

 ders of which I had heard so much. A rapid ride over a good road, soon 

 ])rought us to the edge of the descent ; this was steep but even, and in a 

 few minutes w'e were on the level below; nothing remarkal)le apjieared 

 here ; in about half an hour we reached the Bad Lands themselves and my 

 interest was intense. 



The road now was over the deposite of yellow^ish white clay, so hardened 

 by the sun as scarcely to be impressed by the hoofs of the mules or by 

 the wheel of the buggy — it was very smooth ; we now passed by a number 



