79 



it out may render this fine supply of timber unavailable to the lower 

 Missouri. The Missouri at the mouth of the Shyenne is in the centre 

 of the Dakota country, and along its valley we have the shortest and 

 best route by which to reach their strongholds. 



Bad river, TFakpa Spicha, (sometimes called Teton river,) receives 

 its name from the unpalatable state of its water in low stages, and 

 the difficulty of travelling along it in wet weather. It lies throughout 

 in the black shale bed of the cretaceous formation. It is along the 

 sources of its northern branches that the road from Fort Pierre to 

 Fort Laramie is located. 



Whiie river, or White-earth river, (Mankisita Wakpa, or Smoking- 

 earth river,) has generally an open, well-wooded valley, with a fine 

 soil and luxuriant grass. The road between Forts Laramie and 

 Pierre follows the valley from its source to the Bad Lands, where the 

 river enters a difficult section bounded with precipices like those on 

 the Niobrara. The Bad Lands extend continuously down the stream 

 to the South Fork, a distance of about seventy miles. Below this, 

 the river winds through a handsome, well-wooded valley of the Mis- 

 souri. Any one who travels in NelDraska will always feel rejoiced 

 when he reaches the banks of this beautiful stream. It is much 

 resorted to by the Brules. It has numerous branches, the largest of 

 which is called the South Fork. The pine on White river and its 

 tributaries is nearly equal in extent to that on the Niobrara. This- 

 stream has been used by the traders to float down their peltries by 

 means of skin boats from their former trading-house near Butte Cache. 

 I believe it can also be used to raft down the pine timber on the South 

 Fork. 



The Niohj^ar a heing a stream heretofore unknown, auvd one in which 

 the people of Nebraska feel much interest, I shall describe it in detail. 

 This river is about three hundred and fifty miles long. From its 

 source to longitude 103° 15' it is a beautiful little stream of clear run- 

 ning water, of a width of from ten to fifteen feet, gradually widen- 

 ing as it descends. Its valley furnishes here very good grass, 

 abounding in rushes or prele, but is for the most part destitute of 

 wood even for cooking. After flowing thus far it rapidly widens, till in 

 longitude 102° 30' it attains a width of sixty to eighty yards ; its 

 valley is still quite open and easy to travel along^ but destitute of 

 wood, except occasional pines on the distant hills to the north. In 

 longitude 102° 30' it enters between high steep banks which closely 

 confine it, and for a long way it is a complete canon ; here, however^ 

 wood becomes more abundant and pine is occasionally seen on the 

 bluffs, while small clusters of cottonwood, elm, and ash occupy the 

 narrow points left by its windings. In longitude 101° 45' the sand 

 hills come on the north side close to the river, while on the south side 

 they are at the distance of from one to two miles off, leaving a smooth 

 road to travel on along the bluffs. The blufl"s gradually appear higher 

 and higher above the stream as it descends until they reach the height 

 of three hundred feet. The sand mostly ceases on the north side in 

 longitude 100° 23'; but it lies close to the stream on the south side nearly 

 all the way to the Wazihonska. Throughout this section, lying be- 

 tween longitude 102° 00' and longitude 99° 20', a distance of one hun- 



