The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-09-10
The Black Hills Not a Paradise.

of the portion of the Black Hills country
so attractively placed before the public by
General Custer and other members of his
expedition is in the slightest extreme, it
is only just to say that it does not contain
the whole truth, and to remind our readers
that Ill imperfect narrative may lead to
erroneous conclusions rs completely rs an
allegation of the false could do. Many
may be tempted by reading the published
accounts to migrate to a region where
such surprising beauty of scenery and
wonderful salubrity and fertility await
them, to say nothing of the mineral attrac-
tons of gold and silver and of the cheaper
if not the baser metals. In order to a
sufficient knowledge Of the nature of the
country in question it is necessary to have
the testimony OF some one who knows
what it is at all seasons of the year and
who would be likely to give correct intor-
nation regarding it.
A writer i'll the Sacramento Union, who
seems to haye an adequate knowledge Of
the facts, gives very discouragiig sketch
OF the Black Hills country at all times of
the year except that chosen for the visit of
Clusters expedition. He says the summer
is indeed delightful but it is as transitory
as the glory of an English April morning
Not three months of summer can be de-
pended on, and the winters which begin
in October at latest, and last far into June,
are frightiul. The rich grassy wales, now
so green and beautifully diversified with
flowers, are covered with snow and ice,
and their sparkling streams of July and
August are solid masses of ice from SUI
face to bottom. The mercury often runs
as low as 20 degrees below zero, or 81
degrees below the freezing point To
make anything better than grazing farms
i'll such a country is out of the question.
The summers are too short Corn nor
wheat will grow to maturity there in the
average season; nor vegetables, nor fruits
of any great variety. Some winters the
cattle all freeze The Indian horses raised
there are said to be of an unusually small
and stunted character
Considering the mountainous and eleva-
ted nature Of the region, this cooling &C
count seems more than likely to be correct
General Custer himself described the cold
ness of the water in midsummer as pecul-
lar. There is some cause for this, and it
probably is that the water from the springs
is cooled 10y the depth to which the frost
penetrates in winter. In some countries,
where moderately luXuriant vegetation
exists in summer, the surface of the ground
being warmed by the sun, the frost never
leaves the earth below.
A correspondent of the New \ DIRK Til
bune who accompanied the expedition, iii
letter dated July Goth, expatiates in the
hilarated by the glories OF virgin coun-
try at midsummer, and by the almost in
wrote. But he does not forget to point
out that even on that day the thermome-
ter was nearly down to freezing point
when they sat down to breakfast at half
past three O'Clock in the morning. Thin
ice was actually found on some of the
rubber blankets. Huge camp fires at
night and in the morning before sunrise
We're not only comforts but necessaries
The air was so rarifed that any little ex-
ertion in climbing hill set them to putting
and blowing like so many asthnatcs SO
severe frost as is thus described is. we
have no doubt, very common even in the
hot midsummer month OF July and must,
OF course, be very severe obstacle to
profitable farming The effects of the ex-
hausting rarity OF the air on the human
body would doubtless be in part overcome
by acclimation, though this would proba-
bly, debllitate the settlers for at least one
generation.
Another important view OF the case is
that the occupation OF that country by the
whites would be sure to bring on a severe
Indian war, in which Justice would not
be on our side. The region is part Of a
reservation into which we have solemnly
stipulated that no white shall enter except
certain persons specified in the treaty and
government officials in the discharge of
their duty. There is no lack Of parties at
Washington and elsewhere who would be
glad to create a desperate Indian war in
order that they might make money BY it
and it is broadly limited that railroad and
electionerng specuations also may prompt
the Partially of the glowing accounts
which alone we receive from the expedi-