A local rancher whose family had been there for generations told how cattle herds were often moved through the country by following the canyons of the Belle Fourche River. Lone Writer was raised on a farm around animals and they make quite a mess. The 2,500 car loads of cattle a month would make a bigger mess than anyone on his family farm in Illinois could ever imagine. Belle Fourche is downriver from the trail and there probably was not much water purification going on in the 1890s. Wells were an important drinking water source for residents of the city.
Lone Writer's reason for being in Belle Fourche had nothing to do with the center of the nation or with shipping cattle. He was tracking outlaws. The Museum and Visitor's Center provided a copy of a newspaper story written in 1897 when Kid Curry, Sundance Kid, and two other outlaws held up the Butte County Bank. The paper at that time was called the Belle Fourche Times. The story ran on July 1, 1897. The title was "Daring attempt at robbery."
Lone Writer began with a visit to the scene of the crime. A Wells Fargo Bank on the corner of Sixth and State streets has replaced the Butte County Bank. Some older buildings are still standing along the original downtown area but probably nothing dating back to the time of the robbery.
The newspaper story from 1897 said the outlaws left town going due west. Lone Writer left town going west on National Street crossing Windy Flats and then Sourdough Flats. Most likely, the outlaws took more of a northwesterly route but they still would have crossed both flats. They would have avoided the main route since their rapid pace would have attracted too much attention from anyone they passed. They needed to reach a forested area as soon as possible to hide the dust and provide cover. They probably stayed more in line with the Belle Fourche River.
Crossing the flats at a slow pace allowed time for admiring the country. Herds of cattle filled the grassy pastures on both sides. A few horses of varying colors and sizes could also be seen near the roadway. The terrain is better described as gently rolling rather than flat; however, the effect is the same. Visibility is wide open for miles and miles of more miles and miles.
The first eight miles go in a relatively straight line almost due west. The road turns north for a while, then back west again. At this point, the gently rolling description transforms into hilly and begins crossing creeks and streams coming out of the Black Hills National Forest.
After heading west a short distance, Lone Writer crossed into Wyoming. There weren't any welcome signs or any not-welcome signs for that matter. He was in open country where the only boundaries that count are those that designate private property.
He crossed Oak Creek twice. The only reason it's worth noting is that Kid Curry claimed they used it as a meeting place. The point where the road crosses the creek is probably a long way south of the actual place where the gang crossed. They probably crossed somewhere near the point where it flows into the Belle Fourche River.
The current road does not cross the river. It travels through the Black Hills National Forest. There was an abundance of deer and hawks as well as many other of nature's critters to watch. At one point a fawn and its mother crossed directly in front of the car but they were gone before the lens cap could be removed from the camera. The terrain was heavily forested. There were dozens of roads leading off the main road but they all went to private ranches. The route more or less follows the Belle Fourche without ever crossing it and without getting close enough to see it. After continuing southwest for a while, the road turned south and connected to Highway 24.