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[[underlined]] Rapid City [[/underlined]]

[[underlined]] May 29 [[/underlined]] Left camp at 7 A.M. Crossed a high ridge & then over ridges & through hollows with a gradual descent to Rapid City.

At camp the aneroid read 4050 & at 3600 the pine timber ceased except on ridges and rocks. Some pine grows over rocky ridges down to Rapid City at 3000. -- Aneroid.

Oaks are common & form some groves, some trees becoming one or two feet in diameter & 40 feet high, but they cease with the pines and none were seen below 3600 feet. One Coon track was seen in road at 4000 feet.

Passed quite a lot of ranches.  The country is half timbered & half parks, good grass & not much water after leaving Spring Creek till we strike Rapid Creek.  Crossed the marble belt & then down a long slope into valley where at 3250 we struck the first Populus monolifera, Fraximus viridis, Ulmus americanus, Negundo aceroides, Shepherdia argentia, Yucca glauca. Grass is wari luxuriant & vegetation farther advanced than up in the hills.  Malvastrum coccynum is in full flower in the valley but no flowers seen on it all through the hills.  Artemisia frigida & ludoviciana have been with us all through the Hills & are still characteristic plants.

Lunched at Rapid.  Sent telegram, got some supplies.  Crossed over onto Boxelder Creek & followed down it to about 13 miles from Rapid City & camped with splendid grass, water from a farm well, & boards picked up along road.  No trees in sight save a few [[strikethrough]] cottonwoods [[/strikethrough]] ^[[boxelders]] along creek,