The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-04-08

the Government pr poses to do, in
this matter, and immediately con-
eerns all who contemplate going into
the country:
HEADQUARTERS oFTHE MILITARY
Div. OF THE MISSOURI.
CHICAGO, March ., 1873.
To Gen ". T. Sherman. Readouar-
ters Of the ATnly, at 81. Louis:
GENERAL-In reply TO your ques-
ton, "What do you know Of the Black
Hills o. respectfully submit the fol-
fbwiDg remarks NY first knowledge
of the Black Hills was derived from
an interview with the late Father De
Smet, the noted Catholic missionary,
whom 1 met many years ago on the
Columbia River 10 Oregon, from
whom I heard an Indian romance
of a mountain of gold in the Black
Hills, and his explanation of that ex-
traordinary and delusive story t. In
dians, frontiersmen, and explorers.
The Black Hills c61ntry IS much
more extensive than that particular
locality brought to the notice Of the
public by the recent explorations of
Gen. Custer, and gets its name from
the black, scrubby character of the
timber which grows on the sides and
tops of the mountains and hills. It
comprises the whole Of the country
bounded on the east by longitude 102
degrees, on the south by the Sweet
Water and Laramie rivers, on the
west by the Big Horn and Wind riv-
ers, and on the north by the Yellow
stone River. This is really the cOun-
try of the Black Hills, but EN- braeed i'm
it are several localities called Black
Hills; for instance. the "Blaek Hills Of
Laramie" the "Black Hills of the
Cheyenne River" the latter being tie
locality in which Gen. Curtis made
his reconnaissance last summer, and
about which there issO much speeula-
ton at the present time, And within
the bounds of which, it is supposed by
a large number of people, is to be
found Father De Smet's mountain of
gold.
Father De Smet's story was While
living with tine Sioux Indians he was
shown by them nuggets of gold,
which they informed him had been
obtained at different points in the
Black Hills, supposed to be from the
beds of the Big Horn, Rosebud, and
| Powder rivers, and from branches of
the Tongue River, and on his repre-
senting that such yellow metal was of
great value, they told him they knew
where there was a mountain of it,
Subsequent investigation, hawever,
proved that the Indian mountain of
gold was nothing more than a fOrms-
ton of yellow mica, such as may be
1 g.. -, -
abGve-described country.
/ had scarcely given the story
thought after this, until about three
years ago, when 1 was in New York,
and it, was there brought to my recOl-
lection by a prominent gentleman,
who asked me where Father DeSmet
was to be found, and insisted that
some one should be sent at once tn
get from him the secret of the gold
mountain, which would pay the ma
tionsl debt, etc. After had inform
ed them that it was an old and ex-
ploded story, his ar,ior cooled, and the
excitement about the "mountain of
gold" again subsidized.
1t so happened, however, that the
! Black Hill country was embraced in
my military command, and two years
ago it became apparent to me that a
military post in the Black Hills ofthe
Cheyenne would soon become neces-
sary for the proper protection Ofsettle-
menIs in Nebraska from raids Of Sioux
warriors who always, before they
commenced depredatlons on the
frontier, secured a safe place for their
families and villages IN the locality
mentioned. Believing that these In
dians would never make war on the
out settlement as long as we could
threaten their families and villages in
this remote locality, abounding in
game ana all that goes to make Indian
life comfortable, and, with this purely
military object in view, an order was
given for the Custer reconnaissance.
The discovery of particles of gold, by
alluvisl washing, near Harney's Peak
on the eastern slope of the "Blaek
Hills of the Cheyenne" followed, and
brought to the surface Father De
Smet's story for the third time.
The "Black Hills of the Cheyenne" I"
described by Gen. Custer, are situated
between the north and south forks of
that river, one of which is known as
Belle FOurche, and the other as the
South Fork, and, although / have
the utmost confidence in the state
ments of Gen. Custer and Gen. For
syth, of my staff, that gold was found
near Harney's Peak, may safely say
there has not been any fair test yet
made to determine its existence in
large quantities. There is no terri
tory in the West where gold does not
exist, but in many of them the guam
i, tity is limited to the color, which is
as much as has yet been obtained
near Harney's Peak. Geological
specimens brought back by the Gus
ter expedition are not favorable indi-
cations of the existence OF gold in
great quantity still, it may be there.
But as the treaty of 1869, duly ratified,
virtually deeds this portion of the
Black Hills to the Sioux Indians,
there is no alternative but to keep
out trespassers.
But, to go back to the Father De
Smet information, there is not much
doubt Of the correctness of his state
ment that gold exists in large quanti-
ties in the Black Hills, but much fur
ther west than the "Black Hills of the
Cheyenne" I have seen nuggets from
the Big Horn and Tongue rivers, and
lAOAA ACAA n u Ol1AAA-
baugh, in the Upper Wind River ccun-
try, where mining has failed for want
of water for alluvial washing and from
hOstilities OF the Indians, and l have
good reason to Believe, in fact 1t is
quite certain, that gold exists in the
Owl Creek Mountains, in the Lower
Wind River, and in the head-waters
of the Powder River aud the Rosebud,
all the localities being. under the gen.
eral meaning, in the Black Hills, and
outside the Sherman, Anger, and Ter
ry treaty of 1869, except so far as the
. privilege to hunt game.
1t has been my intention to COM
municate much information this CON-
ing summer 10 the government on the
above described country, and, as the
Indians have no absolute right to the
soil, there may be but little difficulty
in extinguishing their hunting privi-
leges. I propose, if you do not object,
tc open up the Yellowstone River by
, sending Gen. Geo. A. Forsyth and
Colonel Grant, Of my staff. up the Yel-
lOwstOne, to the mouth OF Big Horn,
as soon as the ice breaks, which will
. give lowest tide-water, having already
secured a steam boat to make this ex-
ploration. IfGen. Forsyth is success
! ful I will send Gen. Custer, with the
, command from Fort Lincoln, across
the mouth of the Powder River
thence up the south bank of the Yel-
, lOwstOne, crossing the Powder River,
Tongue River, Rosebud, and to the
mouth Of the Big HorE- This eOun-
try is as yet entirely uEexplored, and
the expedition may develop a very
auriferous section, and make the Faith
er De Smet story to some extent true,
but am Of the belief that the Noun
tain OF mica has not changed to gold.
will also send an expedition down
the Wind River, through the Owl
Creek Mountains, from Ft. STAN baugh
via Ft. Brown, to the mouth OF the
Big Horn, and will bring it back
through the parks about the head wa
ters of Powder River, visited by Capt
Mills and his command last sum mer.
The parks are, for beauty, fully equal
to those described so graphically by
Gen. Custer, as existing in the Black