The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-17
Interesting Letter from Hfchmonsi
MANTLE black Hills ana Their.

IA DAKOTA TERRITORY, October "a, 1876.
Allow me the usecf yonr columns 20 reply
to numerous inquiries concerning this El Do
RADIO, so called; at the same time hoping my
communication may not be without Interest
10 your readers generally. 5'. s KS s. W
III While stationed at Omaha barracks 40 much
was said Of this golden land that became
anxious 10 visit It and GIL my pockets with
the yellow treasure. Soon an opportunity
| was offered, and leaving there the last Of
July reached Cheyenne in twenty.four
hours; thence, by stage, ninety miles.
to Fort Laramie. Captain Edwin Pol.
lock, with four companies Of troops, had
been ordered to the Black Hills for the pur.
pose Of removing the miners and preventing
their return. This was done to keep faith
with the Indians, who, according to treaty,
claim these Hills as portion of their reser-
walton. Having been appointed medical
| officer to the command, we LEFT Fort Laramie
| on the 10th OF August, and after ten days
marching through hot, dusty, barren,
one hundred and sixty miles, we entered the
Hills on the 10th, when suddenly all was
changed to scenes Of beauty and comparative
| comfort.
A permanent camp was located in the
valley of French creek, known as Clusters
| Park, three miles west Of the 'sStockade,"
and ia full view Of Harney's Peak, which
| lifts its rugged, rocky walls over seven thou
lsand feet above sea-leyel. This is
-" H. PRETTY COUNTRY, g.
and rendered more attractive from contrast
with the. wretched section we had been ira
verslng-the "promised land" after crossing
q veritable wilderness" But with all the
romance that is wont to be associated with
unexplored regions, interviewer with Indian
stories, wonderful adventures of the few
hardy pioneers who have hitherto ventured
within its borders, gold mines Of fabulous
richness, &c, &C., have yet to meet the
scenery here that can compare with the
eastern slope of the Blue Ridge along
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. the
4 Warm Springs Valley, Hawks Nest,
and many other localities in Virginia
familiar to you and whether it be worth
going through so much to see so little is IN
! unsettled question in my own mind, even
with expenses and salary paid. The Black
| Hills extend in northwest and southeastern
direction about hundred miles, and from
forty to fifty in width-the larger portion
being within Dakota Territory. The promi.
nent features are a central nucleus Of highly
mountainous and rough country, numerous
valleys, and an almost unbroken line of foot
hills, forming an escarpment beyond which
the country, in more or less rapid undula-
tions, falls off to the general level Of the
prairie. Harney's Peak, 1900 feet, is the
highest point, the other hills averaging from
500 to 1000 feet lower, while the valleys are
from 1000 to 5000 feet below the Peak.
The hills are well wooded, chiefly with yel-
low pine, the dark-green foliage Of which
looks black from distance-hence the name,
BLACK HILLS.
Along the margin Of the streams the oak,
elm, birch, and hazel, in limited quantities,
with many species of wild flowers, are found.
The valleys, or little prairies, are numerous,
and covered with excellent grass. The
cyIions present an interesting feature, some
of them being from four hundred to six
hundred feet deep. During the spring and
summer the frequent rains produce rich
growth of vegetation, but the seasons are
too short for most agricultural purposes. 1t
is considered fair grazing country. We
had frost and ice in August, but this mouth
is similar to October in the mountains OF
Virginia. The winters are harsh and cold.
These hills abound 10 game. The deer, elk,
mountain sheep, bear, wolf, coyote, wild
cat, and mountain lion, all make their home
here. Many traces ofthe buffalo and beaver
tstilI exist, but their former haunts are de.
serted. Granite and metamorphic rocks
form q greater part of the central NIL.
cleus. Northward appears to be second
series of metamorphic rocks, states, talcose,
chiorite, &C., with general northerly
dip. Surrounding the nucleus Of older me.
tamorphic rocks, in regular series, are found
lapping upon them the Potsdam sandstone,
carboniferous limestone, red beds, jurassic
and cretacious, the tertiary forming the Level
of the far-dstant prairie. The metamorphic
states and schists contain the collaborating
qusrtz-veins and reckoning gold as the cir
culating medium, my diagnosis would be
aramia; prognosis unfavorable. Organic
remains, chiefly marine fossils, are abundant
But my principal object Ia this letter is to
} give information
CONCERNING THE GOLD
supposed to exist in such wonderful quanti
ties.
From the exaggerated but false statement;
contained in the Omaha, Chey enne, Bismark
and other papers, one would naturally sup
pose it only necessary to reach these hills tc
make fortune; that gotd could be collected
with as little difficulty as turnips or peanuts
are gathered, with no limit to the quantity
But those who have tried the experiment
thus far have departed poorer than they
entered. These authorities are grossly
ignorant of what they profess to know
all about, or else are acting falsely
in trying to get up an excitement AND
cause a great rush as soon as this
country is opened to the public ia order that
their respective towns may derive indirect
and temporary benefit thereby. Those men
who have visited the Hills and secured claims
hone to sell out for big price, and the more
intense the excitement the greater chance
for q good sale. Many seem to think that by
magnifying the importance and value OF this
section it will stimulate the Government to
prompt action in securing it from the In
dams.
The reporter for the New York Tribune
saws, /" Yes, there is gold here, but in mode
ratelg.payine quantities only" The Herald
reporter, August 25th, speaks of this as ''the
deIusive land of promise" These gentle.
men have been in the Hills all summer. Mr..
Jenny, the expert sent out by the Govern
meut July 31st, writes thus: "Gold In guam.
titles sufficient to yield fair remuneration
for labor economically and skilfuily applied,
assisted by proper tools and mechanical ap'
pliances." You can find "colors" (little fakes
or scales} along nearly all of the streams, out
the best average will net exceed TWO or three
cents to the pan In my opinion. A good
worker can pan out from one hundred to
two hundred pans day, according to supply
and proximity of water, and with the aid of
suice-boxes anil rockers can do better.
There are only seven or eight months in the
year that placer.mining can be done, and the
rest of the time could not be made profit.
able.
TIE railroad is from 200 to 300 miles from