The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-04-02
THE BLACK HILLS.
Highly Interesting Letter from Gen.
eral lSheridan-The Father De Smet
Story of q Mountain of Gold.

CHICAGO, March 26.-Lieutenant
| General Sheridan has written the fol-
lowing highly interesting letter, con-
cerning the Black Hills country. 1t
sets forth what has been done, and what
the Government proposes to do in the
matter, and it Immediately concerns all
who contemplate going into that country
for gold:
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION J
/ OF THE Missouri,
/ CHICAGO, March 25, 1875. J
General W. T. Sherman, Headquar-
ters of the Army, St. Louis, Missouri:
/ GENERAL-In reply to your question,
"What do you know of the Black
Hills?' respectfully submit the follow
ing remarks:
My first knowledge Of the Black Hills
was derived from an interview with the
/ late Father DeSmet, a noted Catholic
missionary, whom met many years ago
on the Columbia River, in Oregon, from
/ whom | heard the Indian romance of
mountain of gold in the Black Hills,
ard his explanation of that extraordi-
nary and delus We story TO Indian from
4 tiersmen and explorers. The Black
/ Hills country is much more extensive
than that particular locality brought to
the notice of the public by the recent
/ explorations of General Custer, and gets
the name from the black, scrubby char
acter of timber which grows on the
sides and tops of the mountains and
hills. 1t comprises the whole of the
country bounded on the east by longi-
tude 1922, on the south by the Sweet
water and Laramie River.
This is really the country of the
Black Hills, but embraced in it are sew
eral localities called Black Hills. For
instance the Black Hills of Laramie,
the Black Hills of Powder River, and
the Black Hills of Shyenne River
the latter being the locality in which
General Custer made his reconnaissance
last summer, and about which there is
so much speculation at the present time.
and within the bounds of which it is
supposed, by large number of people,
is to be found Father De Smet's noun
tain of gold. Father De Smet's story
was, that while living with Sioux In
dians he was shown by them nuggets of
gold which they informed him had been
obtained at different points in the Black
| 70 ha ha had of
the Big Horn, Rose Bud and Powder
Rivers, and from branches of the Tongue
River, and on his representing that
such yellow metal was of great value
was mountain of it. Subsequent in
vestigation, however, proved that the
Indian mountain of gold was nothing
more than formation of yellow mica,
such as may be found in a number of
places 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 reeol-
lection by a prominent gentleman, who
asked me where Father De Smet was to
be found, and insisted that some one
should be sent at once to get from him
the secret of the gold mountain, which
would pay the National debt, &c. After
| had informed him that it was an old
and exploded story his arder cooled,
and the excitement about the mountain
of gold again subsided. 1t so happen
ed, however, that the Black Hill coun-
try was embraced in my military COM
mand, and two years ago it became ap-
parent to me that a military post in the
Black Hills of the Shyenne would soon
become necessary for the proper protec-
tion of the settlements in Nebraska
from the raids of the Sioux warriors,
who always, before they commenced
depredating on the frontiers, secured a
safe place for their families and villages
in the locality mentioned. Believing
that these Indians would never make
war on our settlements as long as we
could threaten their families and viii
lagos in that remote locality, abounding
in game and all that goes to make In
dian life comfortable, and with this
purely military object in view, an order
was given for Clusters reconnaissance.
The discovery of particles of gold by
alluvial washing near Harney's Peak,
on the eastern slope of the Black Hill.
: of Shyenne, followed, and brought to
! the surface the Father De Smet story for
: the third time. The Black Hills of the
( Shyenne described by General Custer
= are situated between the north and ssuth
forks of that river, one of which is
: known as Belle Fourche, the other South
n Fork, and although l have utmost con-
idence in the statement of General Gus
a ter and General Forsyth, Of my staff
i that gold was found near Harney's Peak
: l may safely say there has not been any
e fair test yet made to determine its exis
q tence in large quantities. There is no
i Territory in the West where gold doe
# not exist, but in many of them thu
n quantity is limited to the color, which
J. is as much as has yet been obtained nea
e Harney's Peak. The geological speci
n mems brought back by the Custer expe
,e dition are not favorable indications 0
n the existence of gold in great quantity
|. still it may be there; but as the treaty O
r 1869 duly ratified virtually deeds thi
l. portion of the Black Hills to the Siou
d Indians, there is no alternative, but t
lie keep out trespassers.
m But to go back to the Father DeSme
information. There is not much dout
as to the correctness of his statemer
n that gold exists in large quantities
,e the Black Hills, hut much further wei
no than the Black Hills of Shyenne;
r 1 have seen nuggets from the Bi
be Horn and Tongue Rivers, and man
no specimens from near Fort Stambaugl
,et in the Upper Wind River countr