The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-09
It's Beauty, Scenery and
Miliness of Climate
unsurpassed.
The Shortest and Best route
tolthem from Cheyenne.
Table of Distances.
Cheyenne as an Quitting
Point.

Inasmuch rs II large portion of the
American people are now Interested
in obtaining correct aud reliable in
formation about the Black Hills of
wyoming and Dakota, we deem il
prudent to compile such facts in reia-
ton to them AS are known To be
truthful and gathered from trust
worthy sources.
THE BLACK HILLS
lie between the 43rd aud 45th degrees
of latitude, and the I03rd and lO5th
parallels of longitude, and occupy an
area of about one hundred mIies in
length, nOrtherly and suutherly, and
about sixty miles in breadth. Their
form is elIiptical, and according To
Lieut.. Warren's report of them, "the
major axis trends about 20' west of
north" The base of these hills is
about 25O0 to 5000 feet above the sea
level, and the highest peaks do not
exceed 1000 feet. The eastern bound
AIRY line of Wyoming, 10th 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 il the
most important stream in that re-
gion. The north fork is called Belle
Fourche, is thirty yards wide, and
passes around the northern end of
the range in n seInicircie, receiving
the waters from The greater part of
the hills, which flow into it from a
great number of small streams. 1t
taxes its rise far 10 the westward of
this range, nea 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 nero 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
Shyenne) 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 to the Wyoming line,
which runs through the entire of the
hills nearly, is a distance of 220
miles, on an air line. Formerly there
was a road from Fort Pierre to Fort
Laramie, Over which military and
traders stores were freighted, and
the distance fixed at three hundred
II StWenty-fi We miles. The road
necessarily passed over the bad lands
considerable Of the distance. Any
route followed from the Upper Mis-
souri, Will 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
we are 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 reports of Lieut.. G. 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, 1856 and again in
1878, and the latter in lS59-6O.
FORESTS OF TIMBER. ,
The Black Hills take their name
rom the dark green appearance that
tbs magnificent ferests CT zine. that
eve their sides and tops, give to
them. II think it safe to say" says
DIR. Hayden, in his geological report
of their exploration in lS59-6O, page
3, that at least one-third of this
aFea Estimated at 5000 square miles