104 ABSAROKA DIVISION OF YELLOWSTONE FOREST RESERVE. 



None of the lands are mineral bearing. No forest exists in the township, but 

 a few narrow lines of spruce and white-bark pine fringe tarns situated at or 

 ■near the 9,50.0-foot contour line. The greater portion of the tract lies above 

 timber line. The township has a large run-off, and is of importance by reason 

 of the large natural storage capacity afforded* by its many lakelets and tarns. 



Classification of lands in T. S S., E. 16 E. 



Acres. 



Forested .- None. 



Nonforested ...,,. ,.. .--. 23,040 



Bare rocks ,,; , -■ - - - 17, 000 



Alpine meadows and glades ■- 2, 540 



Lakelets, tarns, and streams ^ -' - 3, 500 



Township 8 South, Easge IT East. 



Topography. -^ThQ eastern area comprises high spurs with broadening or 

 plateau-like summits, which in the central portion break off to the canyon of the 

 East Rosebud. The portion of this canyon situated within the township is a mere 

 rift through the mountains, bounded on either side by great, bare, almost perpen- 

 dicular walls of rock. The southwest corner of the township rises in a vast mass of 

 jagged cliffs. The average altitude .of the township is about 10,800 feet, while 

 many isolated tracts attain elevations of 12,000 feet. 



Mining. — None. 



Soil. — Thin gravelly loam, with the surface strewn with bowlders, usually of 

 large size. The slopes leading to the different 'canyons are mostly bare of soil, 

 pi'esenting either naked rock or talus. 



Agricultural adaptability. — No portion of the township has any arable land. 



Grazing capacity. — The summits of the ridges are covered with a thin sward 

 of alpine sedges and grasses. Thej^ are extremely difficult of access, probably 

 beyond the reach of any kind of stock except sheep. There are no grazing areas 

 in the canyons. 



Drainage conditions. — The township is the water head of ^East Rosebud Creek. 

 The run-off is large. Springs abound, while numerous tarns and ponds in the 

 southern part serve as natural reservoirs and more or less regulate the outflow. 

 The waters of East Rosebud Creek are largely utilized for irrigation purposes in 

 the agricultural sections north of this township. 



Snow and roch slides. — Of common occurrence. 



Tovyiis and settlements.^-The tract is entirely uninhabited. 



Forest conditions. — Light stands of lodgepole pine, spruce,, and subalpine fir 

 occur in the -bottom of East Rosebud Canyon for a distance of 3 miles south 

 from the north line of the township. Small copses and thin lines of spruce and 

 white-bark pine cling to the rocky slopes of the different canyons or nestle in 



