The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-04-02

Lower Wind river, and IN the head.
waters of the Powder river and the
Rosebud, all these localities being
under the general mt aning, in the
B ack Hills, aad Outside of the
Sherman, Augur, and Terry treaty
of 1869, except so far as the privi.
lege to hunt game. Il has been mS
intention to communicate much in.
forma ion this coming summer Ca
the government on tie above de.
scribed country and as the Indian
have no absolute right to the
soil, there NAV be bat little Difficult
~ In sx.inguishiBg their hunting
privileges.
Ipurpo4e, If you do not object, ia
open up the Yellowstone RIVER b.
srn6ing General A. EDrsyth and
Col. Grant, of my staff, up the Vel
| l"wstOne TO the mouth of the Big
Horn, "a soon az the ice bre q < :
which will give the lowest tide oi
water, having ALREADY secured q
steamboat IO make this exploration
IL General Forsyth is successful /
will send General Custer, with G
command from Fort LineoIn, acruAs
'ue mouth OF Powder river, thence
up on the souih bank of the Vel
loWstone, Powder river, Tongue
river, Rosebud, and on to the
mouth OF the Big Horn.
This country is as yet entirely
unexplored, and the expedition may
develop very valuable auriferoul
section and make the Father de
Smet story to some extent true, but
l am of the belief that the noun.
tain of mica has not changed to
gold.
will also send an expedition
down Wind river, through the Owl
Creek mountains, from Fort STAN.
burg via Fort Brown, 10 the mouth
of the Big Horn, and will bring il
back through the parks about the
head waters of Powder river, visit.
ed by Captain Mills and his COM
mand last summer. These parks
are for beauty fully equal to those
described so graphically by General
Custer as existing in the Black Hills
OF the Shyenne. may also say
from my own knowledge, that the
valleys of the Big and Little Po-po-
agile, Little Wind river, and Main
Wind river, can scarcely be excel
led in beauty and fertility, while
the student of nature will find there
most extraordinary upheavals of
the earth's crust probably to be
found on this continent. l am of
the opinion that this country is gold
bearing, but of its abundance there
can only be conjecture at present.
feel quite confident of our abili-
ity to prevent the intended tres.
pass on the rights of the Indians,
and cavalry and infantry in the de-
partment of Dakota are being
moved at the present time to the
most available points, to carry out
my directions of Sept. 3 of last
year. Were itnot for these precau-
tiens OH the part of the govern
ment there might be a repetition of
the California gold beach and gold
lake humbugs, with q still greater
suffering, as many of the persons
now crazy to go to the Black Hills
never think of how they are to ex-
ist after they get there, or how they
could return in case of failure.
If they will only wait for further
information from the government,
which now seems TO be DESTROYS of
making concessions to meet these
new interests, there Will be no one
more willing than myself to aid in
ascertaining their value; 80 far as
the troops arc concerned l will
promise activity in the present
emergency and a conscientious per-
Torrance of duty.
Should the points from which the
miners start be so remote as to
make it impossible for our scanty
force to watch them, we can occupy
the two or three gaps in the Black
Hills and effectually exclude tres
passers.
Very respectfully,
Z. III. SHERIDAN,
Lieut.. Gen. Commanding.