ee 
_ This is a beautiful stream of clear water, about twenty yards 
*, 
24 -—S- EXPLORATION OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN : 
Distance from 
: Fort Pierre. 
Here wood for fuel, and good grass; continuing on with Tw 
tail cr 2 miles east, over good route, to head of this 
stream, 9 miles - : - - - - T2h 4 
At this place the stream is 15 to 20 feet wide, water in holes, : 
bank 5 to 10 feet feet high, bottom generally sandy, grass 
good in spots, cottonwood, cak, and willow, good size 
reached the Platte river. The soil is now becoming sandy. 
High table-land ridges were about 5 miles to the west, said 
_to have springs at their base, and here Two-tail creek has 
: its source.. 
August 13.—Route good to a head branch of Dog’s Ears creek, 
142 miles - - ~ - - ~ 
Here clear spring water in considerable quantity, good grass, 
ut no wood; some trees flourish 2 to 3 miles further down. 
The soil has now become exceedingly sandy, but generally 
covered with grass. On the ridges a soft calcareous sand- 
stone crops out, and we are now in the region that 3 
character to the distant view to be had from the northern 
divide of White river. These ridges havea general south- 
east direction. 
The Dag’s Ears hills,(Les Buttes des Oreilles de Chien,) two 
small prominent hills of this sandstone formation, lie about 
two miles to the east of us, and have served as a landmark 
since leaving White river, We now cross an easy divide, 
and enter the basin of White lake, a clear, beautiful little 
sheet of water, much resorted to by the Indians. The 
basin is very sandy, but covered with vegetation, and here 
. we first meet with the sand cherry, the fruit being as large 
toward which you proceed over rolling, grass-covered sand. 
rT 
wide, which, flowing over a sandy bottom , Tenders it easy “a 
to ford; the immediate banks are three to four feet high. 
Large and magnificent cottonwood grows on its banks, but 
the trees merely fringe the stream. Wild plums and cher- 
ries abound ; the grass is excellent, and a small portion of 
its valley could be used for raising corn, This river is a 
