Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-09-17

imaginary pictures are realized. thu e.
ture does not stretch far forward hafas.
it reaches the settlement and imnrn,e
ment of this oasis of the Dakota MAI
The miners continued their prosnec,;,
as we passed northward from Harms
Peak, and several times found the CO..
of gold but never succeeded in oet,;a
the metal. They claim that it il tbarss
that the belt stretches southeastwsrS
and that their test was insufficient az i
no doubt the case, being hastily and bur
riedly made. Frequent indications %
iron were found, and large gypsum beds
like those that lie to the west of Invan
Kara. The deposits are pure and easily
available, but unfortunately the demsna
for the substance is not sufficient TO coll
for its mining. 1t is the gold. if anv
thing, and the beautiful hills and val.
leys that will bring people to the Black
Hills
Those who are familiar with the India,
reports of the country claim that we have
not seen the richest portion that west of
where we are now camped in that dis
trict which lies between Bear Butte and
the southwark bend of the Belle
Fourche, which we have "straddled y to
use vulgar phrase, lie the treasures
of which the Indian is so Jealous.
that the theme of all the fabu.
lous stories is located, and that All
the gold nuggets that Dame Rumor ever
heard of were picked up, where we have
not been. But Gen. Custer found the
country impossible for his train, and led
his train through that portion of the hills
which, although extremely difficult, was
most easy to enter, and as his time was
limited the explorations of this FL Dora.
do must be left for another year. AL.
ready the expedition has done more than
was even hoped of it by the most san
guine; more, even, than Gen Custer him
self, who has never learned the use of
the word failure, expected, and its direct
results will be of great value on MANY
accounts. The topography of South.
western Dakota, Southeastern Montana
and the northwestern corner of Wyoming
has been secured by the engineer corps
to a degree of accuracy that is unusual;
the course of all the streams has been
determined, and all the progression of
mineralogy, zoology and botany has been
applied to the investigation of part of
the country that was hitherto totally I'M
known, with result that will be valua-
BILE as long as the star of empire west
ward keeps it's way. The fact that gold
and other mineral deposits exist here has
been verified, and, still further, the fertil-
ity of the soil and the healthful fragrance
of the atmosphere has been found
to equal any locality on Uncle Sans
farm. And from all the indications
we have seen it does not appear that
the Indian need be jealous of this por-
ton of his titled estate, nor will it be
robbing him to deprive him of it. We
have found no settlements in the Black
Hills. All we have seen have been hunt
ing parties from the Missouri agencies,
who came up here for a little summer
sport There care few traces to show
that they make this their home any por-
ton of the year, or ever did, and the
only temptations to draw them are the
herds of elk and deer, which few years
of active hunting would exterminate.
They cannot mine the gold or iron; the
timber does them no good, and they will
never make any use of the rich soil that
has been waiting centuries to be utilized.
But am meddling with a question it is
not my province to discuss. Twill state
the fact and let other people formulate
the theories. The great fact here is: One
of the most valuable landscapes on the
continent, fenced in from all civilization
one of the richest storehouses ever
filled with the gifts of the Almighty
locked and barred by human legislation
from those for whom it was meant
Cor. Inter-O Ocean.
The Bible is said to have been trans
lated into Persian verse by native OF
that country.