CAMPBELL BEACHES IN NORTH DAKOTA. 417 



beach, one sees a very flat eountry, ori<^iiuilly a luonotouous prairie, which 

 is in view to a distance of about 10 miles, and is hidden beyond only by 

 the curvature of the earth's surface. In the summer nearly all this expanse 

 is occupied by vast fields of wheat and oats, witli frequent groups of sub- 

 stantial farm Ijuildings, some of them surrounded by trees. The thriving 

 towns of Everest, Casselton, and Amenia are seen in their order from south 

 to north; and at these and many smaller stations of both the Northern 

 Pacific and Great Northern Railways, also on some of the large farms, 

 elevators tower above the flat lands, waiting to l)e filled with their grain. 

 It is a most beautiful prospect, completely characteristic of the Red River 

 Valley. 



Through the next 5 miles to the Rush River the same features of the 

 beach ridge continue, with elevation varying from 990 to 996 feet, except 

 that occasionally the gravel and sand deposit is replaced by an escarpment 

 of till, with crest at the same height as that of the beach, and having a 

 steep descent of 10 to 15 feet from west to east. For nearly 4 miles onwai-d 

 after crossing this river (a puny stream, which is reduced to a series of 

 stagnant pools during summer droughts) the Campbell shore is a till 

 escarpment, as just described. Thence through the next 3 miles, to the 

 town of Arthur, it is again a massive gravel and sand I'idge, with elevation 

 of 994 to 998 feet. Along the middle part of this distance, in section 32, 

 Arthur, the descent from its crest westward, away from the lake area, is 

 3 to 5 feet, and its eastern slope falls 10 to 15 feet to a slough or moist 

 tract, wholly mowing land, beyond which, at a distance of an eighth to a 

 quarter of a mile from this beach, there is a lower beach ridge, probably 

 representing the liighest of the McCauleyville stages, with crest at about 

 985 feet. 



At Arthur the Campbell beach curves to a north and almost north- 

 northwestward course. It passes about an eighth of a mile east of the rail- 

 way station, where its elevation is 994 to 997 feet above the sea, with slopes 

 descending 3 or 4 feet to the west and about 10 feet eastward. Thence 

 through 3 miles north the top of this gravel ridge varies from 996 to 

 1,002 feet. For the next 20 miles north-northwest, crossing the South 

 and North branches of the Elm River (very small streams, wholly dry or 



MON XXV 27 



