The county consists of a moderately rolling plain, dissected by the valley of Lodgepole creek, from one to two miles wide and about 200 feet deep, extending across the center of the count}' in an east-west direc tion. It is sharply defined, with broad areas of undulating table-land on each side. The valley ' is characterized by steep upper slopes, or bluffs, with gentle, extended slopes at the base which merge into a nearly level valley terrace. The creek winding

through the valley has a narrow recent tl 1

plain lying about two to four feet above the stream', which is subject to overflow at infrecment intervals. A well-defined alluvial

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

terrace of smooth, nearly level, cr gently sloping, lies at elevations of twenty to forty feet above the creek, and a high bench, sixty to eighty feet above, occurs in places.

The two areas of upland, the "table-land" or the "divides," have much the same character. There are numerous shallow drainage ways, so that the land for the most part is slightly rolling, although a considerable part is nearly level. The drainage ways, or "draws," in their upper courses are simply broad, shallow depressions with no definite or continuous channel. Along- the lower courses of the larger draws, however, the valleys are sharply cut into the plain and are defined on their outer edges by steep slopes or bluffs, which in a few places are rugged and barren of soil. The floors of the small valleys, however, are comparatively wide and nearly level. Small, isolated, leveltopped hills or buttes and low, rounded knolls seldom more than twenty to fifty feet above the general level of the surrounding lower lying- areas are features of the upland plain. There are also numerous slight basins or depressions without drainage outlets scattered over the table-land.