262 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



materials of the deposits are white and yellowish indurated clays, sands, 

 marls, and occasional thin beds of lime and sand stones. 'When going 

 through these bad lands, I observed these lime and sand stones to appear 

 and disappear in the most unexpected manner, indicatiug great variety 

 in the conditions under which they were formed. The world is indebted 

 to Hayden for investigating and making known these wonderful beds. 

 His descriptions of them are correct in every particular; and yet it is hard 

 to realize their grandeurand uniqueness without personally visiting them. 

 This, at least, was the case with myself. The geologist never tires of in- 

 vestigating these deposits and their curious remains. The almost ver- 

 tical sections of variously -colored rock have been chiseled by water 

 agencies into unique forms. Indeed, viewed from a short distance they 

 remind the explorer of one of those old cities which only exhibit their 

 ruins as reminders of theiraucient greatness. Among these grand deso- 

 lations the weird, wild old stories of witchery appear plausible and pos- 

 sible. It is in the deep caSons at the foot of stair-like projections that the 

 earliest of those wonderful fossil treasures are found which have done 

 so much to revolutionize our notions of the progress of life and of Tertiary 

 times. In the lower beds of this deposit are found remains of Bhinoceri 

 and Hyppopotami, which were river:horses much like the Hyppopotami o^ 

 modern times. Higher up in the deposits are found countless numbers of 

 turtles, mingled with the remains of land-animals. 1 was especially 

 amazed at the number of these turtles in a light reddish-colored marl- 

 bed. They seemed in a few localities to constitute almost the entire de- 

 posit. Among these animal-remains none are more curious than the 

 Oreontidce, which Leidy calls ruminating hogs, because their cutting teeth 

 and canines and their fe«t were like those of the swine family, while 

 their molars were patterned after those of the deer, and the upper por- 

 tions of the head much like that of the camels. According to Hayden, 

 they existed in great numbers of species and individuals, and con- 

 gregated in great herds, like the buffaloes in their palmy days. Here 

 also are found the remains of many species of horses and a few camels, 

 a beaver, &c. The vast numbers of these animals were kept within 

 bounds by gigantic carniverous animals, such as saber-toothed tigers, 

 Syaenodons, foxes, wolves, &c. 



Agriculture in such a region as this, where often nothing is now grow- 

 ing is, of course, out of the question. Whether there ever will be such 

 an increased rain-fall as to start vegetation in this region and make its 

 surface capable of cultivation, is a problem of the future. Eegions as 

 rough have been cultivated by hand. Here some of the deposits, like 

 the marls, possess the elements of fertility in a high degree, but moisture 

 is entirely lacking. Though this region is so unattractive to the utilita- 

 rian, I doubt whether any other equal area of Nebraska will be of more 

 benefit to mankind, simply because here v/e have outlined so marvelously 

 the old life of Miocene times, and it must ever be a stimulus to geologi- 

 cal studies, and those grand results which scientific culture produces. 

 No novel can be as interesting to a thoughtful mind as Hayden's descrip- 

 tions of these bad lands and their animal remains. 



FUEL FROM THE SURFACE-DEPOSITS. 



It is not yet absolutely settled how much dependence can be placed 

 on the coal-supplies of the Carboniferous, Cretaceous, and Tertiary de- 

 posits, in each of which thin beds have been found and worked to a 

 limited extent. Hayden and Meek incline to the opinion that no beds 

 of coal thick enough and of sufficiently good quality to be profitably 



