The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-05
The Shortest and Best route
to them from Cheyenne.
Table of Distances.
Cheyenne as an 0utftting
Point.

Inasmuch as II large portion of the
American people are now Interested
in obtaining correct aud reliable in
formation about the Black HIS of
Wyoming and Dakota, we deem il
prudent 10 compile such facts in rpla-
ton to them IA are known To be
truthful and gathered from trust
worthy sources.
THE BLACK HILLS
lie between the 43rd and 18Th degrees
of latitude, and the I03rd and lG5th
parallels of longitude, aud occupy un
area Of about one hundred mites in
length, nOrtherly and suutherly, aud
about sixty miles in breadth. Their
form Is eiliptical, and according to
Lieut.. Warrpn's report OF them, ''Inr
major axis trends about 20 west Of
north" The base of these hills is
about 25OO to 1900 feet above the sea
level, and the highest peaks do not
exceed 1000 feet. The eastern bound
any line of Wyoming. lO4th parallel
OF Longitude, runs about midway
through the hills. The wh0ir range
of The hills lies in the forks OF inn
Big Cheyenne River, which j. 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 Il seInicircie, receiving
the waters from the greater part II
the hills, which flow into it from r
great number Of small streams. 1t
takes lis rise far 10 the westward of
TINS range, near tn the sources OF the
Little Powder River, in what is
l. nFNArN - fl,, ~ Il f,;l, - l.t..- -
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
Shyenne) River, which pOurs itself
into the Missouri some sixty miles
above Fort Pierre. From either
Fort Sally or Fort Pierre, in a due
west direction to the Wyoming line,
which runs through the centre of the
hills nearly, is Il distance of 22O
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
and twenty-five miles. The road
necessarily passed over the bad lands
considerable of the distance. ANY
route followed from the TTpprr 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 moi
good for stock, and the water i,
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 t6 the off
cial reports of Lieut.. g. X. Warren
and Brevct 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 ISj9-6O.
FORESTS OF TIMBER.
The Black Hills take their name.
from the dark green appearance that
the rasPr ieCCnt fCrests Cf rfue. that
cover their sides and tops, give t.
them. Il think it safe to saw" saw
DR.. Hayden, in his geological report
OF their exploration in 1880, page
8, that at least one-third of this
area ESTIMATED at 5000 square miles