FORESTRY. 531 
MONTANA TERRITORY. 
FORT KEOGH. 
Situated on the Yellowstone, near the mouth of Tongue River, and 
about one hundred and ninety-four miles from Fort Buford. Elevation 
2,832 feet, determined barometrically. This post was established so 
lately that no record of the rainfall was kept prior to August 1, 1877. 
Since that time the fall has been as follows: 
Inches. 
ARTS je nse Gai ap Loeb ches = mew ese som een co eae cee b ens a tsa b ements osunn seeues 0.00 
eR oe a wine nn ae Sanne m nee same ees can aan nn ameons pees nase 0.70 
ee eee ere eee a ee oct eye tts ia ne an eas cae manip on cen 0,61 
Die RESO Me solo cain ae shawn s+ ae RAYS oe Oe pew pies sins aa Re Mech 0. 46 
SN ees oe eet atic ee ans ae eee ans SS aR e eS ee wm Pao ES 1 Ts 
The annual fall is estimated to be from 12 to 20 inches. 
Major GEORGE Grsson, Fifth Infantry, says: 
The timber found in this vicinity consists of cottonwood (principally), together with 
some ash, serub-cedar, and pine. <A tolerably fair body of ash isreported on Pumpkin 
Creek, which empties into Tongue River about twelve miles south of this post. The 
- cedar and pine are confined to foot-hills, as well as ravines running up into the bluffs. 
So far they have proved of littie or no value. The cottonwocd may be said to grow 
in groves of various extent. 
ery considerable inroads have been made upon the timber within a space of from 
ten to twelve miles, both for the purposes of fuel and for constructing the post. Pos- 
sibly next year or the succeeding oné it will be necessary to bring a sufficiency of 
fuel from a considerable distance by rafting it down the Yellowstone and the Tongue. 
It will be seen from the above that a great deal of timber has been cut, and will 
for some time continue to be cut, along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers and 
vicinity. The military posts, the Indian agencies, and steamboats consume immense 
quantities of wood. 
FORT CUSTER. 
Situated at the junction of the Big Horn and Little Big Horn Rivers, 
about fifty miles from the Yellowstone. Elevation 3,450 feet, determined 
barometrically. 
Lieutenant Colonel G. P. BUELL, Eleventh Infantry, reports that 
the present extent of the forest area consists of a belt of timber averag- 
ing half a mile in width from the post up the Little Big Horn and Big 
Horn Rivers for a distance of some thirty miles. The timber consists of 
cottonwood, “of fine growth and thickly planted.” “About eighteen 
miles from the post a ridge runs east and west, fairly covered with a good 
growth of fine timber. With this exception and near the rivers the 
country is bare.” 
FORT BENTON. 
Latitude, 47° 49’ 58”; longitude, 116° 39’ 48”. In the town of Fort 
Benton, at the head of Missouri navigation. Elevation 2,663 feet, as- 
certained barometrically. Rainfall, from November 24, 1876, to No- 
vember 25, 1877, was 16.74 inches. 
Major Guipo Inets, Seventh Infantry, says: 
The Teton River, the northern boundary of the reservation, has a few small cotton- 
wood trees inits valley. The Teton, some miles above thereservation, is well wooded 
with cottonwood. The mountains are well wooded with pine. The timber along the 
river bottoms is generally cottonwood of several varieties and willow, generally 
small trees, though in some instances they gain a diameter of two or more feet. The 
cottonwood is unfit for lumber, but makes very fair fire-wood. The mountains are 
generally covered with pine trees of moderate size, which are largely used for timber, 
but they are too knotty for lumber of the jinest quality. 7 
Along the Missouri River and its tributaries the rate of decrease is very large, 
