The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-10-01
the BLACK HILLS.
Another Practical Miner Testifies to
There Being Gold i'm the Black
Hills Countrywide Beauty and
Fertility Of the Valleys.

There Being Cold IN the BLACK
Hills Countrywide Beauty and
Fertility Of the Valleys.
Mr.. Matt. Conner, who served as
wagon master under command OF Capt.
Smith, quartermaster, in the late Gus
ter expedition, and who is highly re-
commended by Capt. Smith afor the
intelligence and faithfulness with which
he assisted in the care of the wagon
train, states as follows, concerning his
observations in the Black Hills coun-
try:
It is one Of the most beautiful
mountain countries he has ever seen.
The soil of the valleys is black and is
very rich as is evidenced by the rank
vegetation. Pure water is abundant.
That the climate is mild is shown by
the abundance ofgame and the variety
of natural vegetable productions, in
Guiding great number of species of
wild flowers and all the forest trees
that are native to Kansas and Nebras-
ka. 1t the northern ranges the timber
is mostly pine. spruce, ETC., large tim
Der and looking at distance as if it
would cut up into the best of lumber,
but Mr.. Conner, who is not himself
judge of timber, was told that the pine
was of inferior quality and most Of it
useless for numbering. He noticed only
Norway and pitch Pine. Southwark
from Custer Valley, he says, are for
ests of hardwood timber.
That gold was found there in paying
quantities and that the indications are
such as promise large returns from flu
ture prospecting, he knows by personal
observation. The first gold was dis
covered by Ross and Mckay in Custer
Valley, which descends from what ap-
peared to be an upland prairie. is bor-
dered by such prairies for eight or ten
miles,and is very large valley, gradually
narrowing until about fifteen miles be-
low where the camp was pitched it be-
comes a narrow gulch. Mr.. Ross has
had large mining experience in Montana
and Colorado, and Mr.. Mckay in Cali
fornia. But Mr.. Conner did not rely on
them for his knowledge of
the gold discovery. He had
considerable opportunity to
explore and himself washed out gold of
which he presented some two dozen
''colors" to Capt. Smith. This he found
himself. He took part in digging a
shaft, when the miners undertook to go
to the bed rock, and found gold from
the grass roots down, for eight feet, I'M
til further progress was stopped by wa
ter. Another attempt was made on
bar below to get to the bed rock, but
the digging was hard and, for lack of
time, the rock could not be reached.
In both these shafts and in the surface
explorations there was enough to prove
TO his mind that the miners (Ross and
Mckay did not exaggerate in
estimating that the Custer
Valley aiggings will yield common
laborers ten to twelve dollars a
day, and will pay experienced miners,
provided with best implements and APP
planes, proportionately more. The
gold is what is called s'shot" gold, and
that is one of the best assurances of
success practical miners will ask.
He also saw, in his rides near the
wagon train. outcroppings of what he
took to be pretty good gold bearing
quartz and fair indications Of lead.
Mr.. Corners home is at Charleston,
Ills. but he has been fdr the most of
nine years employed summers in the
army wagon service. He served under
Custer in the southern Kansas expedi-
ton of l868.and the Stanley Yellowstone
expedition of last year, as we'll as the
Black Hills expedition Of this year.
His mining experiences have been am
ply sufficient, he thinks, to justify him
to judge Of gold prospects, and to know
the Custer Valley discoveries were real
and as stated. He has washed, for in
stance, in Grigley's mines in Colora-
do and Maxwell mines in New Mexico.
He is young man whose looks and
conversation indicate intelligence and
good judgment, and commend his state
ments as entitled to respectful consider
alton.