South Dakota School of Mines 63 



Avail, et cetera. In addition to these, the following passes or 

 natural roadways, well known to all the travelers within the 

 Big Badlands, are of historic importance and of physiographic 

 significance: Sage Creek pass, Big Foot pass, Cedar pass, 

 Chamberlain pass, et cetera. 



Less noted in the literature, but of much importance, are 

 the numerous mesas or tables. They stand at various heights 

 up to three hundred feet or more above the basins or valleys. 

 Some of these are of large size and those east of the Cheyenne 

 river have been given individual names by the people who have 

 settled upon them. The larger ones are Sheep Mountain table, 

 about six miles south-southwest of Scenic; Hart table, between 

 Indian creek and Spring creek; Kuba table, between Spring 

 creek and Bear creek; Seventy-one table, between Bear creek 

 and Hay creek; Quinn table, between Hay creek and Sage 

 creek ; Crooked Creek table, between Sage creek and and Bull 

 creek; Lake Flat, between Bull creek and the headwaters of 

 Cottonwood creek; White River table, at head of Quinn draw. 

 The last named lies within the Pine Ridge Indian reservation 

 and is of historic interest in that it was used as a fortress by the 

 Indians during the Indian outbreak of 1891. 



The chief factors in badland development are these : First, 

 a climate with a low rainfall more or less concentrated into 

 heavy showers ; second, scarcity of deep rooted vegetation; third, 

 slightly consolidated nearly homogenous fine-grained sediments 

 lying at a considerable height above the main drainage channels, 

 the occasional hard layers or beds that may be present being thin 

 and in horizontal position. All of these favor rapid, steep, and 

 diversified sculpturing. As already stated, the White and the 

 Cheyenne rivers, not far separated from each other, serve as the 

 main drainage channels for the Badlands and, having cut far 

 below the topmost mesas or tables, afford abundant opportunity 

 for rapid run off. The vegetation as we know is scanty. Rich, 

 short grasses are abundant over large areas, but these have not 

 sufficient root-strength to prevent cutting. The gnarled cedars 

 of the higher points also lack such strength, for even these often 

 wage a losing fight and especially in the elongating gulches and 

 on the narrowing tables they progress toward inevitable destruc- 

 tion. 



The rock material is largely an excessively fine clay, not 

 thoroughly indurated, sometimes massive, sometimes laminated. 

 Sandstones occur locally in some abundance, especially in the 

 upper beds, but never of great thickness and seldom of much 



