Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1874-09-16
THE 4 HILLS.

for the mex two years.
THE BLACK HILLS.
The discoveries, or rather ezpiora-
tons, in the Black Hills, uE,ier GEN
eral Custer, when Invested of the high
flown rhetoric of the newspaper cor
respondents, are, no doubt, destined to
Prove of greater importance than most
people suspect. These descriptions of
Z" New II Dorados." however, must
be received with caution. The name
itself is so suggestive of fiction that the
enthusiastic correspondents descrir-
tons must be taken for no o than
they are worth. The ov~er-coloring of
the wonders and wealth of the new
country is calculated to do more harm
than good with almost all classes OF
men. excepting Adventures who have
nothing to lose and all 10 gain by emf
grating to such new countries, yet who
do little towards developing it when
there, carrying noting with them.
bringing nothing away and leaving
nothing. We use the term explorations
instead of discoveries, because the
country through which General Gus
ter's expedition has gone was
discovered years since, aud even
partially explored before and at the
time the United states troops occupied
~ ,..s,l. -. 80, IL, Dyi
held a sort of possession Of this eoun-
try. Ii had not. however, become no.
oriou on account Cf the discovery of
the existence of gold sufficiently 70 at
tract general attention and inimigra-
ton until the time these forts were
abandoned. under the treaty male
with the Indians by General sherman.
TO secure their consent to the building
OF the Union Pacific Road across an
other portion of their country; since
which time not 4 white nan has been
allowed by the Indians TO 60 into the
country and come oat alive. Hence.
all that had been learned of this Il
try dropped into traditions of the ron
tier, although the existence of a rich
mineral and agricultural country has
been we'll known in a general way.
This consent from the Indians was the
more easily obtained from the fact that
the road crossed the most barren and
worthless part Of their country,
while they had always chafed
under the restraint imposed upon
them by the troops occupying
these forts, by which the settlers
were admitted to the same privileges
in the rich country they commanded,
because il aboundod in buffalo and
game, and WAS regarded by them as
their greatest ana best hunting ground,
and they We're jealou, beyond gree Of
III. encroachmcnt5 Of the white IN
During this occupation, the Indians
were accustomed to bring i'll nuggets
of native : of considerable siz2 and
barter them With the traders; but they
could never be induced to tell where
they found them. except that they
picked them up IN the surface Of the
ground at the base OF mountains
washed by the Spring streams caused
by the melting of the SNOW. Pros
pecting parties went out under escort
of troops and We're able to find strong
indications, and in some cases fair
prospects We're realized, but their
search was not extended into the part
of the valley now entered by Custer.
The Big Horn Valley, however, was
seen and found covered with Il tropical
lnXuriance of native grasses and flow
ers, While the surrounding mountains
we've covered with heavy timber and
flied with game Of al kinds in the
greatest abundance. The climate was
found TO be as mild as that OF lower
Colorado or New Mexico, and no SHOWS
fell in the valley.
This much has been known fol
years, and The knowledge vas the la
sis Of several expeditions which have
started from Dakota, Montana and
Wyoming to explore and settle it; al
of which have been stopped by the
Government, or rather the Indian
Ring, under rreteXt that il was a vic.
lation of the stipulations made by
General sherman, whereas in fact the
treaty gave the Indians no exclusive
right or posseSs!on-S,mply the priv