NORTH DAKOTA, the "Flickertail State," is one of the North-central group of the United States, and lies between 55' and 49° N. and 96° 25' and 104° 3' West. It is bounded north by the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada, east by Minnesota, from which it is separated by the Red river, south by South Dakota and west by Montana. Its extreme length east and west is 36o m., its extreme width north and south is 210 miles. Its total area is 70,837 sq.m. of which 654 sq.m. are water surface. The original territory of Dakota was so called because of its being the home of the Dakota Indians, the word "Dakota" meaning "allied" in the language of these tribes.
West of this valley, and between it and the Missouri plateau, is an intermediate plain, ranging from 1,300 to 1,650 ft. in eleva tion, so covered everywhere with glacial drift that it is usually known as the drift plain. Its east and west width varies from about 70 m. at the south to over 200 m. along the Canadian bound ary. The surface of this plain, varying from gently undulating to rolling and hilly, was largely determined by the irregular drift deposit which covers the pre-glacial surface to a depth of 150 to 30o feet. Across the plain from north-west to south-east, a num ber of irregular ridges or glacial moraines mark successive haltings of the retreating ice sheet. Especially in these moraines, but gen erally characteristic also of the entire drift area, are the little lakes, varying in diameter from a few yards to a few miles, which occupy the numerous sags and swales. Many of these have no outlet and are strong with salt and alkali. The largest of this character is Devils lake, an irregular body of water about 4o m. in length and 400 sq.m. in area, which forms a natural reservoir for a large area in the north-eastern part of the drift plain which has no other drainage. The drift plain has few rivers, and those of importance, the Mouse, James and Sheyenne have narrow valleys with sharp, deep banks. The lack of well-developed river valleys
and the undisturbed surface of the glacial drift indicate a youthful land, little affected as yet by erosion. The soil of its rolling slopes is excellent for most grain crops and this region holds the major portion of the farming population in the State.
The drift plain is bounded on the west by an escarpment beyond which lies the third and highest plain, the so-called Missouri plateau. The escarpment itself extends from north-west to south east in a great bow approximately parallel to, but so to 6o m. east of the Missouri river. In the north it forms the water-parting be tween the streams that run into the Missouri river and thus to the Gulf of Mexico and those that flow into the Mouse or Souris river and are carried to Hudson bay. For a long period this escarpment marked the division between farming lands of the east and graz ing lands to the west, but dry-land farming methods have created many farming communities west of the ridge wherever the surface of the land is favourable.
As the Missouri river marks approximately the lower edge of the ice sheet and west of this stream the region is almost free from glacial deposits, a marked contrast in the nature of the country is presented. The sands and clays west of the river are fine and soft, and as there is scant vegetation to protect the hill sides they are easily eroded by the rains and winds. Much of the region is so cut by deep coulees and sharp embankments and travelling is so difficult that the early French explorers called the region les terres mauvaises, and in its English equivalent, "the bad lands," this appellation still remains. The picturesque effect of the sculpturing by wind and rain is enhanced by the brilliant col ours along the faces of the hills and ravines—grey, yellow, black and every shade of red and brown. Here and there black seams of lignite coal protrude. Here too are found petrified forests, and other fossilized evidences of a vegetation and animal growth which long ago disappeared. While the lands are not inviting to the farmer, the ranchman finds deep grassy valleys which provide good winter shelter for his cattle. The "bad lands" are best developed along the principal tributary of the Missouri in this region, the Little Missouri river, together with its numerous branches, but they are by no means confined to that drainage basin. Other important tributaries of the Missouri from the west are the Knife, Heart and Cannonball rivers. A feature of this south-western portion of the State is the large number of buttes rising 400 to 700 ft. above the general level so as to form prom inent landmarks, those best known being Black Butte, Sentinel Butte, Camel's Hump and Killdeer mountain.