57 
but farther west many beds are exposed in the hillsides. The fossil 
plants of the Fort Union formation indicate very different conditions 
during the Eocene epoch from those which prevail to-day. A brief 
sketch of the flora, together with an interpretation of its meaning, is 
given below by F. H. Knowlton.! 
The railway gradually ascends the valley of Muddy Creek, and if 
the traveler is not looking carefully he will cross the divide and 
enter the valley of Knife River without being aware that he has 
passed out of the valley in which he has been traveling from Almont. 
As a matter of fact the two valleys are continuous, and it seems 
area that originally the drainage from the vicinity of the summit 
at Antelope came into Muddy Creek, but that some change has 
occurred by which the drainage about Hebren has been turned north- 
ward into Knife River. The details of this change have not been 
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC ROUTE, 
1 As the traveler rides mile after mile 
over the almost barren plains of Dakota 
-and eastern Montana and sees them shim- 
stunted junipers on the rocky slopes to 
relieve the monotony, he finds it difficult 
indeed to realize that this country once 
supported a vegetation as luxuriant and 
ks to convince him of the truth of this 
statement, as they contain in many places 
the remains of vast numbers of branches, 
leaves, fruits, and even a flower here and 
Fossil remains have aptly been 
called the illustrations in the world’s his- 
tory, of which the pages are the layers of 
rock forming the outer part of the crust of 
the earth. It is the purpose now to look 
at a few of these illustrations and by this 
means CaN in imagination the ancient 
"Poel plants are — abundant i in the 
pea onng in the harder concretions:o or 
lenses, and in the clay between the sand- 
stone beds 
able fidelity. About 300 species have 
been described, and it is probable that 
the total number may be found to reach 
500 or more species. 
Beginning with the plants of the most 
simple structure, we may first consider 
the ferns. One of the most abundant and 
widespread forms, having been found at 
hundreds of localities, is the beautiful 
sensitive fern Onoclea. This can not be 
istinguished from the living species 
There is also a chain 
fern (Woodwardia) very closely resem- 
bling a species, and numbers of 
sect that are more or less closely related 
to forms now growing in the Eastern 
States. 
The conifers, though not numerous in 
species, were very abundant and were of 
the types that must have been of rather 
imposing appearance. The most abun- 
dant form is a redwood (Sequoia) that is 
very closely related to the redwood which 
is now confined to the coast regions of 
California. There also another 
Sequoia nearly related to the big trees of 
California, but it was not so abundant as 
the other form. With these was a cypress 
(Taxodium) that must have been much - 
more beautiful than the common cypress 
of our southern swamps was also 
acedar(Thuya), with delicate juniper like 
foliage, Dc ascr at have been very sf Ears 
ous 
the Fort Union formation. In " strange 
contrast to these conifers is what appears 
” eave been the —— ancestor of 
maiden-hair tree 
