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[[underlined]] Ft. Custer [[/underlined]]

Between the Agency & Fort the road runs across a beautiful level mesa which forms a triangle between the rivers. It lies admirably for irrigation & is splendid soil. The whole valley of the Little Bighorn is well adapted to farming by irrigation & if not on a reservation would be thickly settled.

Roads muddy & bad. No signs of mammals except Thomomys till the forks were reached & here are plenty of holes of Perodipus & Perognathus.

Began raining at sundown.

Sarcobatus is common at fork of rivers.

[[underlined]] July 6 [[/underlined]] Dutcher caught a Perodipus and Sitomys & I got some Sitomys. The rain spoiled all chance of success.  Made up some skins & went to the fort for telegram but got none. Had to wait till nearly noon to get across the ferry & then ford nearly half the river. Followed about 2 miles up river on west side & camped at edge of bottom land. Set traps in brush but there is little sign to indicate mammals other than Arvicola & Sitomys.

The Bighorn River is high & a muddy torrent full of trees & drift. Islands & bottomlands are covered with Cottonwoods & willows & Bullberry bushes & rose & Amelanchier. A wide wide, flat valley with gumbo soil extends back on west side 2 miles & is covered with sage & Helianthus annuus & Sarcobatus & grass. Feed is good. Mosquitos are bad.