The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-21

W nun y OF bDOut -DyU square miles
Is covered with excellent pine timber,
or l,2SO,O0O acres. Now the next
question arises, how is this timber TO
be made available? At least four to
six months in the year these streams
Belle FOurche and South Fork of
Cheyennel are quite high. The logs
could be Il and transported to the
sides OF these streams during the dry
season, and when the strcanIs are
high, in the spring of the year, they
could be taken down into the Mis-
souri, River with n good degree of
safety and ease.
The. Black Hills, which appear in
the distance and derive their name
from their dark and gloomy appear
ance, contains an ineXhaustible guam
tity of the finest timber, mostly pine,
which will doubtless remain undis-
turbed for many years to come"
General Custer, who visited the
hills last summer, in his report also
speaks g~lowingly of the supply of
timber, and says: "The timber
found consisted of many varieties,
principally of pine, oak and elm.
The pine is of suitable dimensions
for being worked into lumber, and is
met with in abundance on every
hillside"
Col. Forsythe, of Gen. Sheridan's
staff, who accompanied the expedi-
ton, also COrrUbUratcs the statement
that u great abundance of timber
exist in the hills.
The fertility of the soil in the
Black Hills was noticed by Lieut..
Warren, in 1858. Speaking of the
valleys in that region, he s9yS in his
report Of that year: In these noun
tain formations which border the
great plains on the west are To be
found beautiful flowing streams, and
small rich valleys covered over with
fine grass for hay, and susceptible OF
cultivation by means of irrigation.
Fine timber for fuel and lumber,
limestone, and good stone for build
ing purposes are here abundant.
Gold has been found in places in
valuable quantities, and, without
doubt, the more common and useful
minerals will be discovered when
more minute examinations are
made"
In the same report, further on, he
says: 1.-The country furnishes the
means of raising sufficient quantities
OF grain and vegetables for the use Of
the Inhabitants, and beautiful,
healthy and desirable locations for
their homes. The remarkable free
dom here from sickness is one of
the attractive features of the region,
and VIII, in this respect, go far to
recompense the settler from the
Mississippi valley for his loss in the
smaller amount of products that can
be taken from the soil. The great
uynItt nF Gnftah1n H,fIls,u ...--s-I
which now so seriously retardS the
growth of the west, will not be felt
here"
He also says that these settlements
in the Black Hills country, cannot
be agricultural to the same extent as
those in the Mississippi valley, but
must depend greatly upon the rails
ing of stock.
Gen. w. f. Reynolds, who made a
Typographical survey of this region
in lS59-60, says, in speaking of it in
his report, page Z: 1.-THE whole re-
giOn of the Black Hills is unques-
tiOnably destined, at no distant date,
to afford homes for a thriving pOpu-
lation. The mountains will furnish
a sufficient supply of pine lumber for
ordinary uses, and although timber
is very scarce in the region as Il
whole from Fort Pierre TO the Pow
der River, yet the Black Hills will
fully supply this great deficiency in
the districts Immediately adjoining"
His route from the Missouri River
led him to the Forks of the BIG
Cheyenne, and then he skirted the
northeast and north side of the hills.
He describes them in his journal as a
succession of mountain ranges with
beautiful valleys between, the soil of
which is rich and fertile, and COW
cred with a heavy growth of grass.
Groves of ash, oak, elm and other
varieties of timber are mentioned as
being met with, fringing the clear,
beautiful streams of water, putting
down from the hills into the Belle
Fourche. Between the forks of the
Cheyenne very decided evidences of
the existence of gold were found
page IA; but prospecting was dis
couraged by him on account of dan
ger from the Indians, and for fear of
making the expedition a failure.
" 1t was for these reasons that the
search for gold was at ali times dis
couraged," he says page IA, "yet
still it was often difficult TO restrain
the disposition to prospect and
there were moments when it was
feared that some of the party would
defy all restraint"
These descriptions and discoveries
were made of the Black Hills SIX
teen and seventeen years ago by
reliable army officers, whose only
object was to make truthful reports
of the country, and were made under
many disadvantages. The number
of men each had was small, and the
dangers from the hostile Sioux were
not the only trouble they had to pro-
vide against.
Warren went north from Fort
Laramie, via Red Buttes and Old
Woman's Fork to the South Chey-