The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-04-03
The Black Hills.

Ll6uGeHa1G UeNGTal Sner1aIn mas
written the following highly interest
ing letter, addressed to Gen. Sher-
man, concerning the Black Hills coun-
try. Itsets fortI, what has been done,
aud what the government proposes to
do in tht, matter. and Immediately cor. ;
Germs all who contemplate going into
that country for gold:
General-In reply to your question
What do yau know of the Black
Hills E" | respectfully submit the fol-
lowing remarks ),
My first knowledge of the Black
Hills was derived from an interview
with the late Father DeSmet, noted
Catholic missionary, whom | met
many years ago on the Columbia river.
il Oregon, from whom heard an In
dian romance OF a mountain of gold
in the Black Hills, and his explana-
ton of that extraordinary and exten-
siye story Of the Indians, frontiersmen
and explorers of the Black Hills coun-
trysis much more extensive than that
pal ticular locality brought to the no.
tice OF the public by the recent explo-
ration Of General. Custer, and gets its
name from the black, scrubby char
acter OF the timber which grows on
the sides and tops of the mountains
and hills. 1t comprises the whole of
the country bounded OH. the east by
longitude lO2 degrees, on the south
by the Sweetwater and Laramie riv-
ers, on the west by the Big Horn aud
Wind rivers, and on the north by the
Yellowstone river. This is really the
country OF the Black Hills, but en-
braced in it are several localities called
the Black Hills, for instance Black
Hills OF f.Laramie, Black Hills of Pow
ler river and Black Hills of Cheyenne
river, the latter being the locality in
which General Custer made his recon-
noisance last summer, and about which
there is SO much speculation at the
present time, and within the bound
Of which, it is supposed by large
number OF people, is to be found
Father DeSmet's mountain of gold.
Father DeSmet's story was that
while living with the 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 Oh his rep
resenting that such yellow metal was
ofgreat value, they told him they knew
where a mountain of it WAS to be
found. A subsequent investigation,
however, proved the Indian noun
tain Of gold was nothing more than a
-fernsssis.s~
may be found in number Of plac s
in the above described country.
| had scarcely given the story
thought after this until about three
years ago, when happened to be in
New York: and it was there brought
to my recollection by some prominent
gentlemen, who asked we where Faith
er DeSmet was to be found, and in
sisted that some one should be sent
at once to get from him the secret of
the gold mountain which would pay
the national debt, etc. After had
informed him that it was an old and
exploded story his ardor abated and
the excitement about the mountain of
gold again subsided.
1t so happened, however, that the
Black Hill country was embraced in
my military commission, and two
years ago it became apparent to me
that Il military post in the Black Hills
OF the Cheyenne would become neces-
s;lry for the proper protection of the
settlements ia Nebraska from the
raids OF Sioux warriors, who always,
before they commenced depredations
on the frontier, secured safe place
for their families and villages in the
locality mentioned.
believe that these Indians would
never make war on our settlements
as long as we could threaten their
families and villages in this remote
locality, Astounding in game and all.
that goes to make Indian life COM
Portable.
Andy Johnson made his first speech
in the new Senate Oh the 22nd of
March, choosing as his subject the
worn-out Louisiana question. The
comments Of the leading New York
papers on the maiden effort, SO to