MONTANA.       '  37 
many  of  the  surveys  in  this  region  are  old,  a  large  percentage  of  the 
original  monuments  are  still  preserved,  and  no  townships  purporting 
to  have  been  surveyed  were  found  in  which  classification  of  the  land 
was  utterly  impossible  for  lack  of  corners. 
Owing  to  the  facts  that  the  strata  are  practically  horizontal  and 
that  no  coal  is  known  below  drainage  levels,  the  areal  distribution  of 
the  coal  depends  to  a  remarkable  extent  on  the  topography,  and 
data  were  collected  for  a  topographic  map  with  a  contour  interval 
of  50  feet.  The  flat  map  (PL  III)  herewith  presented  is  compiled 
from  the  various  field  sheets,  with  such  reduction  of  scale  as  has  been 
found  necessary  for  the  present  publication. 
GEOGRAPHY. 
LOCATION   OF  FIELD. 
The  geographic  location  and  outlines  of  the  area  examined  are 
shown  on  the  index  map  (PI.  III).  Its  relations  to  the  eastern 
Montana  coal  fields,  together  with  its  more  general  geographic  and 
commercial  relations,  are  indicated  on  the  coal  map  of  the  United 
States  (PI.  I). 
COMMERCIAL  RELATIONS. 
Miles  City,  the  principal  town  of  the  field  and  the  county  seat  of 
Custer  County,  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  area  examined, 
at  the  mouth  of  Tongue  River,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railway,  which  here  follows  the  south  side  of  Yellowstone 
River.  The  western  extension  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St. 
Paul  Railway  also  crosses  the  Yellowstone  from  the  north  a  short 
distance  above  Miles  City,  and  parallels  the  Northern  Pacific  through 
the  town,  crossing  again  to  the  north  side  a  short  distance  below  the 
area  mapped. 
Two  stage  roads  lead  from  Miles  City  to  the  region  south  and  east. 
The  Ekalaka  road,  which  extends  eastward  to  Knowlton  and  thence 
southward  to  Ekalaka,  is  the  only  practicable  way  by  which  wagons 
can  be  taken  from  Miles  City  directly  across  to  Powder  River,  bad- 
lands to  the  north  and  south  rendering  travel  almost  impossible.  A 
road  following  up  Tongue  River  gives  access  to  the  region  south  of 
Miles  City.  About  10  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Tongue  River 
Pumpkin  Creek  enters  from  the  east  side,  and  a  road  along  this  creek 
furnishes  an  easy  line  of  travel  across  the  divide  to  Powder  River 
and  to  Powderville,  20  miles  south  of  the  area  under  discussion. 
There  are  also  passable  wagon  roads  extending  approximately  north 
and  south  along  Powder  River  and  Mizpah  and  Cottonwood  creeks, 
east  of  Tongue  River.  West  of  Tongue  River  there  are  many  routes 
by  which  wagons  can  be  taken  over  the  greater  part  of  the  district. 
