GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITOEIES. 259 



part of the section, following the course of the great bend of the range, 

 sweeps round in a semicircle, and, bursting through an intervening 

 ridge, unites with the Beaver Head immediately south of Deer Lodge 

 Pass. Its valley is crescent-shaped, and not far from eighty miles long, 

 the widest part reaching fifteen or twenty miles. Big-Hole Prairie, 

 which forms a part of this valley, is about fifty miles long by fifteen 

 wide, well grassed, and affording one of the best summer grazing fields 

 in the entire section. At some points the slope between the little 

 streams descends by terraces. Although the soil of this valley is toler- 

 ably good, and water for irrigation abundant, the seasons are rather 

 too cold to admit of its becoming an agricultural region, its average 

 altitude being probably as much as 6,000 feet above the level of the sea, 

 and the amount of snow which falls during the winter mouths consider- 

 able. The central part of the area inclosed by the circle of this river is 

 occupied by Bald Mountain, from which the little streams, like radii, 

 rush down to the encircling river, around the northern flank, while from 

 the southern and eastern flanks others find their way to the Beaver Head. 

 The latter stream, rising in the southwest corner of the county, flows 

 north to its junction with the Big-Hole, the most imj^ortant part of its 

 valley being about thirty-five miles long, counting from its mouth 

 upward, the width, which is tolerably uniform, averaging about six 

 miles. Between these two rivers, for some twenty miles above their 

 juuction, is a level plain about fifteen miles wide, rather barren, but, if 

 watered, which probably can be done, would make good farming land. 

 Along the immediate bottoms the land is already mostly taken up and 

 settled, but these do not average more than a half or three-fourths of a 

 mile in width. 



The principal tributaries from the west are Rattlesnake, Willard, and 

 Horse Prairie Creeks; those from the east are Eed Eock and Black- 

 Tail Deer Greeks, the last three having valleys of considerable extent, 

 which afford excellent pasturage and moderately good farming land. 

 But the climate is rather too cold for anything except the hardier vege- 

 tables and cereals. 



Stinking Water River (the Indian name of this stream is said to be 

 Passamari) rises in the mountains at the south end of Madison County, 

 and running north connects with the Jefferson a short distance below 

 the junction of the Beaver Head and Big Hole. It has a valley some 

 thirty-five or forty miles in length and of variable width, being sepa 

 rated into two parts by a short caBon immediately opposite Virginia 

 City. The upper portion, which is some fifteen or twenty miles long 

 and from one to five miles wide, is an excellent grazing section, which 

 is already attracting the attention of stock-raisers. Some large herds 

 of cattle, horses, and sheep have already been brought into this and 

 Black-Tail Deer Valleys, where they pass the winter without protec- 

 tion and without other food than what they clip from the open pastures. 

 Except so far as limited by climate, this part of the valley is well 

 adapted to agriculture. 



Below the cafion the valley is considerably wider than above, and 

 affords a large area of good farming land, much of which is already oc- 

 cupied. The cereals and common vegetables are raised without diffi- 

 culty, producing very good crops. By advancing upon the broad ter- 

 race which borders this valley on the east side below the mouth of 

 Alder Creek, the breadth of tillable land can be largely increased, and 

 the supply of water is probably sufficient to do this, the stream being 

 some sixty or seventy feet wide, and averaging a foot in depth, running 

 swiftly. 



