Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-09-16
THE LAND or doLD.
DISCOVERY OF THE PRECIOUS METAL IN
TIE BLACK HILLS.


Tho reported discovery of gold in
the Black Hills by Clusters expedition
is occasioning great excitement along
the Upper Missouri, especially in the
vicinity OF Bismarck, where the cxis-
tence Of rich mines In the Black Hills
has long been believed in. Although
tho existence of precious metals in the
Black Hills is now for the first time
definitely announced to the world, the
fact has long been known to soldiers,
trappers, guides, and hunters. Our
army officers have frequently spoken
of them and exhibited specimens Of
gold brought into the forts by Indians.
As early as 1862 an Indian from the
Black Hills visited Fort Laramie, bring
ing with him considerable quantity
Of gold dust and a number Of
FINE NUGGETS.
50 many persons were anxious to
get his gold that the Indian became
alarmed and threw il into the Platte
river. In 1866 u Crow chief gave TO
Major Burt, at Fort Phil Kearney, on
the Powder river, spicula of pure
gold as thick and almost as long as a
Faber lead pencil In the same year
soldiers found gold in many places along
Powder river, Big Horn, Clear Fork,
Piney, Goose, Wolf, Trout creeks and
Tongue and Little Horn rivers. In
1861, it is related, Mr.. Bullock, post
trader, through some private arrange
ment with chief of the Black Hills,
established a trade in gold and got
s20, 200 out of the Indians in short
time, During 1869 two Indians fire.
qucntly brought gold to the forts and
sold it. When pressed to discover
where they obtained il they said Ger
ry's Creek, a place in the Black Hills,
above Fort Laramie. Some white men
bribed these Indians to show them the
place, and the party started out, but
in the night the Indians deserted and
the white men had to return. Two
Indians, now at MILESTONE Agency,
say they know of place in creek,
not far from Laramie, where the bed
of the stream is lined with yellow shale
rock, filed with gold. The rock is so
rotten, they state, that they have often
picked ont pieces of gold with their
butcher knives. II is A well known
fact that several years ago an Indian
brought into Fort Laramie about a
quart of rotten sbale rock tied up in A
dirty cloth. and upon examination il
was found to contain over 5000 worth
of gold, He would not tell where he
rot Il but the sbale showed water
marks, and had evidently been dug
from the bottom of stream. :
rur mo HORN EXPEDITION.
In Tan,ar,, 1874 ,ho e,uors ,p;n
Horn Go,d Saorch;n, Fxnod;t;nnp ,yas s
orcan;ved FnlIy ho7, ne,sons enrolled
baf less than 1bO started Your cor
rssnondant sow this cynedit;on 81 For,
S,eele Wvomina . Te,yiiory Jnne 1874
md 4 was thorougblv nrovisioned
eouinned and nrovidea with every
means of locomotion and defence. Il
became the snb;cct Of Conversational
action and a Determined effort wns
made In ahrooate tbe Stony t,natv ~
Ieee that 4 ,n;,bt march ,hronoh
Red cloud,s larIs Tho aovernmcn,
warned the leaders of the expedition
that il would be unlawful for them to
pursue the route they had marked out I;
but the expedition started, and had
marched over 35O miles when General
Anger ordered his cavalry to pursue
tho NBig Horners' and compel them
to return. They were overhauled ON
Grey Bull river, tributary OF the Big
Horn, and distant about 25O miles
north Of Bryan Station, on the Union
Pacific Railroad Some of the explor.
ers pushed on through to Montana and
came out at Fort Ellis, but the body
of the expedition returned with the
troops TO Fort Brown, in the WIND
River Valley, and marched thence to
South Pass, where the men were dis.
banded. The exploration produced
great excitement IN tho west ut the
time and came near causing general
Indian war,
RETIcENcE OF THE INDIANS.
IL is almost impossible to get Indi-
ans to tell of the existence Of gold in
their country. and il is rarely they can
be scared orbribed into showing where
it is to be found. Old John, for bot
tie of whisky, discovered the White
Pine mines TO Captain Collier. and