CLIMATIC CHANGES ON THE PLAINS, 482
THE TREES AND FUTURE FORESTS OF THE PLAINS, 484
THE SUPPLY OF FUEL, 486
DISTRICTS CONTIGUOUS TO THE PLAINS, 487
THE VALLEYS OF THE WHITE EARTH AND NIOBRARA, 492
NEW MEXICO--ITS SOIL, CLIMATE, RESOURCES, ETC., 494
THE DISAPPEARING BISON, 500
THE FISH WITH LEGS, 501
THE MOUNTAIN SUPPLY OF LUMBER FOR THE PLAINS, 502
CHAPTER III.
_ADDITIONAL FACTS CONCERNING THE NATURAL FEATURES OF THE GREAT PLAINS; THEIR PRINc.i.p.aL RIVERS AND VALLEYS; THEIR CLIMATE, ETC., ETC._
"BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES."
In my endeavors to place Buffalo Land before the public in its true light, I have felt a desire, as earnest as it is natural, that my readers should feel that the subject has been justly treated. The opinions of any one individual are liable to be formed too hastily, and the country which before one traveler stretches away bright and beautiful, may appear full of gloomy features to another, who views it under different circ.u.mstances. A late dinner and a sour stomach, before now, have had more to do with an unfavorable opinion concerning a new town or country than any actual demerits. No two pairs of spectacles have precisely the same power, and defects ofttimes exist in the gla.s.s, rather than the vision.
These considerations have been brought to my mind with especial force when, after giving an account of our own expedition, I have searched through the records of others. A portion of the descriptions which I have been able to find are the mature productions of travelers who, perched upon the top of a stage-coach, or snugly nestled inside, have undertaken to write a history of the country while rattling through it at the best rate of speed ever attained by the "Overland Mail." What the writers of this cla.s.s lack in proper acquaintance with their subject they usually make up by an air of profoundness, and positiveness in expression, and the result has more than once been the foisting upon the public of a species of exaggeration and absurdity which Baron Munchausen himself could scarcely excel.
As a rather curious ill.u.s.tration of the numerous absurdities which have obtained currency concerning the plains, may be mentioned the statement published more than once during the winter of 1871-2, to the effect that the snow of that region is different in character from that which falls elsewhere. In support of this a.s.sumption, the fact is adduced that snow-plows sometimes have but little effect upon it, on account of its peculiar hardness, being pushed upon it, instead of through it. A little more careful examination, however, would have discovered that the snow itself is essentially similar to that which descends elsewhere, but that the wind which drives it into the "cuts" and ravines also carries with it a large amount of sand and surface dirt; and this, packing with the snow, causes the firmness in question.
The valuable surveys being made from time to time under the auspices of the Government, in charge of persons of experience and sagacity, are doing much to replace this superficial knowledge with a more correct comprehension of what the plains really are; and, altogether, we may well hope that the time is not far distant when this whole wonderful region will be as well understood as any portion of the national domain.
As the object of this work is to place before its readers all the essential information now obtainable concerning the great plains, no apology will be necessary for adding some of the observations and opinions of other competent writers upon the same subject. By far the most valuable source which I have found to draw from in this connection, is the comprehensive report published by Government, and bearing the t.i.tle of "United States Geological Survey of Wyoming and Contiguous Territory, 1870. Hayden."
THE GREAT WEST.
Prof. Thomas informs us, in his report (embodied in Hayden"s survey), that, lying east of the divide, "the broad belt of country situated between the 99th and 104th meridians, and reaching from the Big Horn Mountains on the north to the Llano Estacado on the south, contains one hundred and fifty thousand square miles. If but one-fifth of it could be brought under culture and made productive, this alone, when fully improved, would add $400,000,000 to the aggregate value of the lands of the nation. And, taking the lowest estimate of the cash value of the crops of 1869 per acre, it would give an addition of more than $200,000,000 per annum to the aggregate value of our products.
"One single view from a slightly elevated point often embraces a territory equal to one of the smaller States, taking in at one sweep millions of acres. Eastern Colorado and Eastern Wyoming each contains as much land sufficiently level for cultivation as the entire cultivated area of Egypt."
FALL OF THE RIVERS.
The fall of the princ.i.p.al rivers traversing the region above named is about as follows: Arkansas, to the 99th meridian, eleven to fifteen feet to the mile; the Canadian, the same; the South Platte, from Denver to North Platte, ten feet to the mile; the North Platte, to Fort Fetterman, seven feet to the mile. The descent of the country from Denver Junction to Fort Hays is nine feet to the mile. Thus it will be seen that abundant fall is obtainable to irrigate all the lands adjacent.
THE PRINc.i.p.aL RIVERS AND VALLEYS OF BUFFALO LAND.
The Platte (or Nebraska), the Solomon, the Smoky Hill, and the Arkansas, are the four largest rivers of Buffalo Land proper, and form natural avenues to the eastward from the mountains which shut it in upon the west.
THE VALLEY OF THE PLATTE.
Describing this, Hayden says: "West of the mouth of the Elk Horn River, the valley of the Platte expands widely. The hills on either side are quite low, rounded, and clothed with a thick carpet of gra.s.s. But we shall look in vain for any large natural groves of forest trees, there being only a very narrow fringe of willows or cottonwoods along the little streams. The Elk Horn rises far to the north-west in the prairie near the Niobrara, and flows for a distance of nearly two hundred miles through some of the most fertile and beautiful lands in Nebraska. Each of its more important branches, as Maple, Pebble, and Logan Creeks, has carved out for itself broad, finely-rounded valleys, so that every acre may be brought under the highest state of cultivation.
"The great need here will be timber for fuel and other economical purposes, and also rock material for building. Still the resources of this region are so vast that the enterprising settler will devise plans to remedy all these deficiencies. He will plant trees, and thus raise his own forests and improve his lands in accordance with his wants and necessities.
"These valleys have always been the favorite places of abode for numerous tribes of Indians from time immemorial, and the sites of their old villages are still to be seen in many localities. The buffalo, deer, elk, antelope, and other kinds of wild game, swarmed here in the greatest numbers, and, as they recede farther to the westward into the more arid and barren plains beyond the reach of civilization, the wild nomadic Indian is obliged to follow. One may travel for days in this region and not find a stone large enough to toss at a bird, and very seldom a bush sufficient in size to furnish a cane."
THE SOLOMON AND SMOKY HILL RIVERS.
The Solomon and Smoky Hill Rivers, while possessing some of the general characteristics of the Platte, have more timber, and the entire surrounding country is uniformly rolling. The Smoky Hill is a visible stream only after reaching the vicinity of Pond Creek, near Fort Wallace. Above that point a desolate bed of sand hides the water flowing beneath. We have spoken fully of these sections elsewhere.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.
The Arkansas, pa.s.sing through the southern portion of the plains, has wide, rich bottoms, with a more sandy soil than is found on the streams north. Its small tributaries have considerable timber. All these valleys are being settled rapidly.
Again consulting Prof. Thomas" report, we find that "the Arkansas River, rising a little north-west of South Park, runs south-east to Poncho Pa.s.s, where, turning a little more toward the east, it pa.s.ses through a canyon for about forty miles, emerging upon the open country at Canyon City. From this point to the Eastern boundary of the Territory it runs almost directly east.
"The mountain valley has an elevation of between seven and eight thousand feet above the sea, while that of the plain country lying east of the range varies from six thousand near the base of the mountains to about three thousand five hundred feet at the eastern boundary of the Territory. From Denver to Fort Hays, a distance of three hundred and forty-seven miles, the fall is three thousand two hundred and seven feet, or a little over nine feet to the mile.
"The Arkansas River, from the mouth of the Apishpa to the mouth of the p.a.w.nee, a distance of two hundred and six miles, has the remarkable fall of two thousand four hundred and eight feet, or more than eleven feet to the mile.
"The headwaters of the Arkansas are in an oval park, situated directly west of the South Park. The alt.i.tude of this basin is probably between eight and nine thousand feet above the level of the sea; the length is about fifty miles from north to south, and twenty or thirty miles in width at the middle or widest point. At the lower or southern end an attempt has been made to cultivate the soil, which bids fair to prove a success. Around the Twin Lakes, at the extreme point, oats, wheat, barley, potatoes, and turnips have been raised, yielding very fair crops. Below this basin the river, for twenty miles, pa.s.ses through a narrow canyon, along which, with considerable difficulty, a road has been made. Emerging from this, it enters the "Upper Arkansas Valley"
proper, which is a widening of the bottom lands from two to six or eight miles. This valley is some forty or fifty miles in length, and very fertile.
"The princ.i.p.al tributaries of the Arkansas that flow in from the south, east of the mountains, are Hardscrabble and Greenhorn Creeks (the St.
Charles is a branch of the latter), Huerbano River, which has a large tributary named Cuchara; Apishpa River, Timpas Creek, and Purgatory River. On the north side, Fountain Gui Bouille River and Squirrel Creek are the princ.i.p.al streams affording water.
"This entire district affords broad and extensive grazing fields for cattle and sheep, and quite a number of herders and stock-raisers are beginning already to spread out their flocks and herds over these broad areas of rich and nutritious gra.s.ses. One of the finest meadows, of moderate extent, that I saw in the Territory, was on the divide near the head of Monument Creek, and near by was a large pond of cool, clear water. The temperature of this section is somewhat similar to that of Northern Missouri, and all the products grown there can be raised here, some with a heavier yield and of a finer quality, as wheat, oats, etc., while others, as corn, yield less, and are inferior in quality."
As we descend the Arkansas, the valley becomes broader, and it is often difficult to tell where the bottom ceases and the prairie commences.
This stream attracted such a large portion of the immigration of 1871 that it is already settled upon for some distance above Fort Zarah. The soil is very rich, the climate pleasant and healthy, and good success attends both stock and crop-raising.
STOCK-RAISING IN THE GREAT WEST.
Mr. W. N. Byers, who has lived for many years in Colorado, lately contributed the following valuable article to the _Rocky Mountain News_, treating more particularly of the western half of the plains:
"After the mining interest, which must always take rank as the first productive industry in the mountain territories of the West, stock-raising will doubtless continue next in importance. The peculiarities of climate and soil adapt the gra.s.s-covered country west of the ninety-eighth degree of longitude especially to the growth and highest perfection of horses, cattle, and sheep. The earliest civilized explorers found the plains densely populated with buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope, their numbers exceeding computation. Great nations of Indians subsisted almost entirely by the fruits of the chase, but, with the rude weapons used, were incapable of diminishing their numbers. With the advent of the white man and the introduction of fire-arms, and to supply the demands of commerce, these wild cattle have been slaughtered by the million, until their range, once six hundred miles wide from east to west, and extending more than two thousand miles north and south, over which they moved in solid columns, darkening the plains, has been diminished to an irregular belt, a hundred and fifty miles wide, in which only scattering herds can be found, and they seldom numbering ten thousand animals.