GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. Ill 



an animal allied to a camel, and one resembling a hog ; two carnivores, 

 one about as large as a lynx, the other greater than any living carnivore, 

 even the lion. Such a quantity of remains, so varied in species and 

 stowed away in so small a space, has never been found before. 



What a world of fossil treasures could be gathered if the whole area 

 south of the Platte and between the Platte and White Elvers were care- 

 fully examined by men of science ! And even then, only those which are 

 exposed to the eye of the geologist by atmospheric agencies would be 

 found, while the great mass of rock material which underlies the entire 

 surface is equally filled with them, and undoubtedly contains some forms 

 that will never be recorded in the annals of science. 



If we now take the carsffre shall pass over a similar plain country until 

 we reach Cheyenne, an important and rather remarkable city, near the 

 foot of the mountains, five hundred and sixteen miles west of Omaha, 

 one thousand two hundred and fifty nine miles east from Sacramento, 

 and one hundred and ten miles north from Denver. This city is located 

 in the open plain, near Crow Creek, a branch of the Platte, the hills as- 

 cending gently back to the mountains proper, which are plainly visible 

 from the town. On the 4th day of July, 1867, there was but one house 

 in this place ; within three months there were at least three thousand 

 inhabitants, with the bustle and confusion of a city of ten thousand. It is 

 now improving rapidly, and promises a successful future. Again, looking 

 at the profile section of the railroad, we find that Omaha is nine hundred 

 feet above the sea-level. At Cheyenne we have reached an elevation of 

 five thousand nine hundred and thirty-one feet, yet the ascent has been 

 so gradual over an apparently level plain, that we have not for a monjent 

 realized that we were ascending at the rate of nearly ten feet to the mile. 

 If the traveler has observed closely, he will have seen that nature had 

 already performed most of the work of the road, and that there was not 

 much more to be done but to lay the track, and that for the entire dis- 

 tance of more than five hundred miles there were no rock beds to blast. 



Before concluding this chapter, we will throw a momentary glance 

 back upon the ground over which we have just passed. Nebraska may 

 be divided into two portions — agricultural and pastoral. The eastern 

 part contains some of the most beautiful, gently-rolling, fertile agricul- 

 tural lands in America, the very garden spot of the country. But the 

 western part is a treeless, almost waterless plain ; yet, thick, low, sweet, 

 nutritious grasses cover the entire surface, and for the raising of large 

 herds of stock, as horses, cattle and sheep, this country is admirably 

 adapted. Not more than fifteen to twenty inches of moisture fall here 

 annually ; the snows of winter are very light and soon pass away, the 

 winds rapidly gathering them into the valleys or gorges, leaving vast 

 areas entirely bare. The grasses, instead of decaying as in all countries 

 with a humid climate, slowly dry up, retaining all their nutritious quali- 

 ties, and thus continue until April or May, so that all kinds of stock 

 thrive throughout the winter in the open fields without other care than 

 that of the herdsman. The time cannot be remote when Western Ne- 

 braska, also Wyoming and Colorado, will be appreciated as a wool- 

 growing region far surpassing any portion of the East. 



In the autumn many of the streams of the plains dry up for the most 

 part, although at long intervals water may be found. In ascending the 

 valley the water of Lodge Pole Creek will appear and disappear almost 

 like magic. Here We find it a swift-running stream several yards in 

 width, and then for a considerable distance nothing is to be seen but its 

 dry and dusty bed. Even the broad Platte has so far forgotten itself 

 for several seasons as to cease to be a running stream. It is not uncom- 



