Buffalo Land
by W. E. Webb
Presented by Coyalita Linville
Buffalo Land – For the first one hundred miles, the soil deteriorated in quality, and the sage-bush made its appearance, as did also the “Adam’s needle” or “Spanish bayonet.” The latter makes an excellent substitute for soup, but a wretched cushion to alight upon when thrown from your horse. (I make the latter statement on the authority of Doctor Pythagoras.)
Brackish water was found at intervals, and white saline crystallizations were seen along some of the streams. Although the soil was more sandy than further east, the buffalo grass was abundant and nutritious, so that at no time had we any difficulty in finding grazing for our cattle, and the antelope that we killed were invariably in good condition.
This belt of eastern Colorado proved particularly rich in fossil wealth, to the description of which we shall devote most of this chapter, and the whole of that following.
In the vicinity of the Big Sandy, we found numerous lakes of clear water, surrounded by rich pasturage.