The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-13

lnasmuch as u large portion of the
American people are nov Interested
in nbta mag correct and reliable in
formation about the Black Hills at
~yomtng aud Dakota, We deem il
prudent 10 compile such facts in reIa-
ton TO them as are known t0 be
truthful aud gathered from trust
worthy sources.
THE BLACK HILLS
lie between thc 43nd and 18th degrees
of latitude, aud the lU3Id and lu5th
parallel, of longitude, aud occupy an
are of about Que hundred mites in
length, nOrtherly aud s~uutherly, aud
about sixty miles in breadth. Their
form i eilIptical, and according To
Lieut.. Warren's report of them, 1.-THE
major axis trends about 2O' west Of
nOrth.'p The base of these hills il
about 900 To 5000 feet above the seat
level, and the highest peaks do not
exceed 1000 feet. The eastern bound
anytime OF Wyoming, IO4th parallel
of Longitude, runs about midway
through the hills. The whole range
of the hills lies in the forks of the
Big Cheyenne River, which j. the
most Important stream in that re-
Riou. The north fork is called Belle
FOurche, is thirty yards wide, and
passes around the northern end of
the range in n semicircle, receiving
the waters from the greater part of
the hills, which flow into il from a
great number of small streams. 1t
takes its rise far TO the westward of
this range, a to the sources of the
Little Powder River, in what is
known as the divide between the
waters of the Yellowstone and those
of the Missouri. THE South Fork of
the Cheyenne River is about one
hundred feet wide, takes its rise in
the same ''divide," flows around the
southern base of the hills, and also
receives numerous tributaries which
have their source in them. These
two streams unite about forty miles
east of the Black Hills, forming the
Big Cheyenne sometimes spelled
Shyeune) River, which pOurs itself
into the Missouri some sixty miles
above Fort Pierre. From either
Fort Sully or Fort Pierre, in a due
west direction tn the Wyoming line,
which runs through the centre of the
hills nearly, is ii distance of 220
miles. on an air line. Formerly there
was a road from Fort Pierre to Fort
Laramie, over which military and
traders ttorcSE were freighted, and
the distance fixed at three hundred
and twenty-five miles. The road
necessarily passed over the had lands
considerable of the distance. ANY
route followed from the Upper Mis-
souri, viii encounter them. In the
summer the heat is intense in the
country between the Upper Missouri
and the Black Hills, the grass is not
good for stock, and the water is
strongly alkaline. For these facts
weSare Indebted to persons who have
frequently passed over the route dur
ing the past twenty-five years, to
officers of the army, and to the off
cial EPportS of Lieut.. q. X. Warren
and Brevet Brig. Gen. w. F. Ray
noldS, of the Typographical Engin-
GERS of the United States Army.
The former Of whom twice explored
the country in, 1866 and again IN
1878, and the latter in 1890.
FORESTS OF TIMBER.
The Black Hills take their name
from the dark green appearance that
th7gaprffcent fcrests cf Eine. that
cover their sides and tops, give tn
them. Il think it safe tn saw" SAWS
DIR. Hayden, in his geological report
OF their expiration in lS59-8O, page
q, that at least one-third of this
area ESTIMATED at 5000 square miles