NORTH    DAKOTA-MONTANA    LIGNITE    AREA. 
327 
Lignite  seams  along  the  valley  of  Little  Missouri  River  between  Medora  and  Missouri 
River — Continued. 
Location  of  outcrop. 
Thick- 
ness of 
seam. 
Eleva- 
tion of 
out- 
crop 
above 
river. 
Materials 
above  and  be- 
low lignite. 
Extent  of  outcrop. 
Remarks. 
group   E— continued. 
1  7  mil;  s  below  Bolan  Creek, 
on  Redwing  Creek. 
C>  ';  miles  below  Redwing,  <>n 
Squaw  Creek. 
GROUP  F. 
1  '  '2  miles  north  of  Killdeer 
Feet. 
,0 
11 
6-8 
S 
6-8 
Feel. 
ion 
150  200 
0 
0 
0 
20-30 
40 
Sandy  clay  . .  . 
Clay 
do 
do 
Very  fine  firm 
clay. 
Yellow  clay  .  . 
Several  rods 
do 
10  rods. . . 
Probably  sumo  as 
the  10-foot  seam 
at  Bolan  Crook. 
Seam  runs  on  north 
nt  high  levels  for 
10  miles. 
Mountains. 
Ecar  mouth  of  Jim  Creek. . . 
5  rods 
i  miles  below  Jim  Creek 
20  rods 
Manning's  ranch,  5  miles  be- 
low Jim  Creek. 
3    miles    below    Manning's 
ranch. 
40  rods 
outcrop. 
Several  rods 
burning. 
Soam  probably  ex- 
t  e n  d  s      several 
miles  farther. 
Lignite  on  Big  Box  Elder  Creek,  Custer  County,  Mont. — Work  along  this  creek  was  confined 
to  the  lower  portion  of  its  course.  Near  the  confluence  of  Coal  Bank  and  Big  Box  Elder 
creeks,  about  1  mile  above  the  South  Dakota  line,  a  seam  of  lignite  11  feet  thick  is  exposed. 
The  outcrop  extends  200  feet  along  Coal  Bank  Creek,  the  lignite  being  covered  by  8  to  10 
feet  of  gravel  and  sand  and  lying  G  feet  above  the  wafer.  Six  or  seven  miles  above  this 
point  and  not  far  from  the  Mill  Iron  ranch,  a  cut  hank  on  Big  Box  Elder  Creek  shows  the 
following  section : 
Section  near  Mill  Iron  ranch  on  Big  Box  Elder  Creek. 
Ft.  in. 
Gravel  and  silt 6-8 
Lignite 5        3 
Sandy  clay 2 
Lignite 1        6 
Clay,  to  water  level 1 
Mining  is  done  in  winter  when  the  creek  is  frozen  so  that  wagons  can  be  driven  on  the 
ice,  and  the  lignite  is  used  by  the  neighboring  ranches.  In  the  higher  buttes,  which  form 
part  of  the  divide  between  Horse  and  Big  Box  Elder  creeks,  about  4  miles  north  of  the  Mill 
Iron  ranch,  two  seams  of  workable  thickness  occur.  One  lies  near  the  base  of  the  butte  and 
is  6  to  1\  feet  thick;  the  other  is  about  125  feet  higher  and  has  a  thickness  of  8  feet.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Ekalaka,  18  miles  to  the  west,  lignite  is  mined  at  a  number  of  points  and 
seams  4  to  9  feet  thick  are  found. 
One  or  two  workable  seams  occur  in  the  Long  Pine  Hills,  just  west  of  the  Montana-South 
Dakota  line,  only  a  few  miles  from  Camp  Crook,  S.  Dak.  Five  miles  northwest  of  town,  on 
the  land  of  Mr.  Hoag,  a  small  opening  has  been  made  in  a  5-foot  seam,  separated  from  a 
lower  seam  1  foot  thick  by  10  inches  of  clay.  Not  over  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  this 
point,  on  Mr.  Owen's  place,  a  6-foot  seam  of  lignite  has  been  mined  for  use  in  Camp  Crook. 
The  lignite  lies  well  toward  the  base  of  the  hills  and  appears  to  have  considerable  extent. 
Lignite  in  South  Dakota. — Lignite  in  South  Dakota  is  confined  almost  wholly  to  Butte 
County,  although  a  few  thin  seams  are  reported  to  occur  on  the  Standing  Rock  Indian  Res- 
ervation. On  the  Little  Missouri,  about  12  miles  below  Camp  Crook,  a  6-foot  seam  outcrops 
along  the  river  and  coal  is  obtained  here  by  the  ranchmen  of  the  region. 
