township desceiptions. 115 



Township 9 South, Range 13 East. 



Topography.— Hhe eastern areas comprise high spurs radiating westward from 

 the mountains at the head of Stillwater River, with the intervening canyons wide 

 and having comparatively gentle slopes. The central areas consist of the valley of 

 Slough Creek, which, in the northern part of the township, forms a wide level 

 bottom, and, in the southern, contracts to a narrow pass, 400 to 600 yards wide. 

 The western areas of the township are made up of long slopes, with low escarp- 

 ments here and there forming narrow terraces, rising to the divide between Slough 

 and Buffalo creeks. 



Mining. — None. 



Soil. — Gravelly loam, mixed with coarse bowlder drift. 



Agricidtural adaptctbility. — The level bottoms of Slough Creek, comprising 

 1,100 acres, are adapted to the raising of hay. There are three ranch locations on 

 this tract. The entire area actually under cultivation amounts to 2 acres, on which 

 timothy has been sown. The land is occupied mainly for the facilities such 

 occupation affords for poaching on the areas of the Yellowstone National Park and 

 for killing elk and beaver that may stray across the line into the middle Slough 

 Creek Basin. , 



Grazing capacity. — Grassy glades in the Slough Creek bottom and along the 

 larger lateral canyons, in the aggregate 2,000 acres, serve as pasture grounds. The 

 lands are not grazed, however, except by prospectors' horses and by a dozen head 

 of cattle owned by the three ranchers in Slough Creek Valley. 



Drainage conditio7is. — While the tract is well supplied with springs and small 

 creeks, the outflow originating within the boundaries of the township is not large. 

 There are no lakelets or tarns. 



Snow and rock slides. — Infrequent. 



Towns and settlements. — The tract has no towns. 



Forest conditions. — ^Thickset stands of lodgepole pine, in almost all parts of the 

 entire township, comprise the forest. All ages, from 40 up to 200 years, are repre- 

 sented in the stands. In the younger growths the stands of lodgepole pine are 

 nearly pure; in the more aged stands spruce and white-bark pine are present in 

 considerable quantities. The timber is accessible only from the south by way of 

 the Yellowstone National Park- 



Cutting. — Small quantities have bfeen cut for local use by the ranchers of Slough 

 Creek Valley. 



Burns. — A small area, comprising 40 acres and situated in the north-central 

 portion, has been burned over recently. 



Reproduction. — Young growth is abundant throughout all of the stands. The 

 more aged lodgepole-pine growths are gradually being supplanted by spruce and 

 subalpine fir. 



