File:The official Northern Pacific Railroad guide - for the use of tourists and travelers over the lines of the Northern Pacific Railroad, its branches and allied lines - containing descriptions of states, (14572871949).jpg

Identifier: officialnorthern00nort (find matches)
Title: The official Northern Pacific Railroad guide : for the use of tourists and travelers over the lines of the Northern Pacific Railroad, its branches and allied lines : containing descriptions of states, territories, cities, towns and places along the routes of these allied systems of transportation : and embracing facts relating to the history, resources, population, products and natural features of the great Northwest
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Northern Pacific Railroad Company Riley, W. C. (William C.)
Subjects: Railroad travel
Publisher: St. Paul : W.C. Riley
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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eams. Here and there are broader spaces,covered with rich grass, and flecked with a growth of groundjiiniper of delicious fragrance. No trees worthy of the nameare seen; but a fringe of gnarled and misshapen pines occasionally presents itself along the water channels. In ageslong ago, however, dense forests existed in these Bad Lands.There is evidence of this primeval growth in the abundantpetrifactions of tree stumps, four to eight feet in diameter,which are in portions translucent as rock crystals, and sus-ceptible of as high a polish. Fine specimens of fossil leaves,of the Pliocene age, changed by the heat of the burninglignite into a brilliant scarlet, but retaining their reticulationsperfect, are also found. The coal, still burning, giv^es aplutonic aspect to the whole region, one fiery mass not farfrom the railroad being easily mistaken at night for an activevolcano, the cliffs having close resemblance to volcanic scoria.Among the many other fossil remains are oysters, clams and
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Missouri IJiiisioiL 1 73 crustaceans. The seeker for geological curiosities has here afine field in which to work. The term Bad Lands, as applied to this region, is a grossmisnomer. It conveys the idea that the tract is worthless foragricultural and stock-raising purposes. Nothing could bewider of the truth. The fact is, the soil possesses fertilizingproperties in excess, and the luxuriant grasses which hereflourish, attract herbivorous game animals in large numbers.The designation l>ad Lands is derived from the times ofthe old French voya^ciirs, who, in their trapping and huntingexpeditions in the service of the great fur companies, describedthe region as maiivaiscs terrcs pour traverser^ meaning thatit was a difficult region to travel through with ponies andpack animals. This French descriptive term was carelesslytranslated and shortened into bad lands, and thus hasresulted a wholly false impression of the agricultural valueof the country. This entire region, geologists tell us,

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