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[[underline]] Sage Creek [[/underline]]

[[underlined]] July 18 [[/underlined]] Left Dutcher & Wier at camp while I took the saddle horses & buckboard & blankets, traps & grub & started down Sage Creek into the Bighorn Basin.

Followed down the creek 20 miles to a ranch where I arrived at 3 P.M. & on learning that it was still 16 miles to the Stinking Water concluded not to try to make it. but turned back about 8 miles to a good place to set traps & camped. Camped at 5 PM & set out 30 traps & shot 2 cottontails.

Shot 5 Tamias minimus & a Cynomys leucurus Struck leucurus first about 8 miles from our base camp at edge of reservation. Saw a small colony of C. ludovicianus about 2 miles before striking the first C. leucurus.

After striking a level of about 4000 feet the character of vegetation changes entirely to desert Sonoran. Grass is scarce. Cactus & Sarcobatus & Atriplex nuttallii & confertifolia, Artemisia spinescens & pedatifida are characteristic, though A. tridentata & cana are also abundant. Much bare, dry soil, scattered vegetation & badlands give a desert aspect. The country strongly resembles that of Owl Creek & Kirby Creek.

Sage Creek is a stream that I can jump across & carries no timber but a line of Willows & Bullberry bushes. There are 3 ranches up near the Reservation line & no

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more till the one I struck & turned back at & I think no more below till it reaches the Stinking water, any way not for 9 miles below. The Pryor Mts. slope up from the Basin like the edge of a saucer. Part of their base is rocky & covered with a thicket of juniper or Circocarpus bushes.

[[underlined]] July 19 [[/underlined]] Caught only one Perognathus, shot a few more rabbits. Got up early & took up traps & started back. reached camp at 11 & made up skins the rest of the day.

[[underline]] July 20 [[/underline]] Broke camp at 9 and struck across for Red Lodge by Clarks Fork. Aneroid at camp road 4250, about 200 feet below the top of Pryors Gap. On rim of Basin 4500, At Clarks Fork 3375, at camp 3500

Crossed smoothe mesa & up a gradual slope to rim of Basin, then down steep gulches through broken hills & badlands about 10 miles to the river. Clarks Fork has a good sagebrush valley irragable for about 2 miles wide. Big ditches have been taken out & ranches all starting up. A few trees & sage brush run along the river part way. Reached the river at 1 PM, & found it too high to ford. The water went over the horses backs. Took load across in skiff & road horses across & floated wagon with long ropes. Wagon rolled over & over & we lost the things out of the seat box. Got over about 4.

Followed up river about 3 miles & camped. Set traps for Reithrodontomys. Mosquitos very bad.

Came about 15 miles.

Transcription Notes:
Circocarpus = Cercocarpus but transcribed as written.