Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-04-08
sheridan. qsuu40;

= Il "a Il Il
rfrApor ARrERs Military DIVISION or THE
Missouri. CHICAGO, March, g, 1875.
Gen. w. T. SIBERIAN, HesdqsAsssss'oft the Army,
Ssserat-in reply 70 your question: !. What
do you know ri tne1lack IhlIGf' Erespect.l
fully submit he Following remffks: s
Nv FIRST knoNledees Of tho Rlnck Hills was
derived from interviews with the late Father
de Smet, a noted Catholic missionary, whom
met many years ago on the Columbia River,
In Oregon, from whom Iheard the Indian ro-
nance OF a mountain of gold In the Black
Hills, and his explanation of that extraor-
binary and delusive story. Ssss s
To Indians, frontiersmen 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 Gen. Custer, and gets lite name from the
black, scrubby character Of the 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. longitude
102 deg, on the south by the Sweetwater and
Laramie Rivers, on the west by the
Big Horn and Wind Rivers, and on
the north by the Yellowstone River. This is
really the country of the Black Hills; but en-
braced in IL are several localities called
Black Hills" For instance, the " Black
Hills of the Laramie" the .sBlack Hills of
Powder River" and the BLACK Hills of the
shyenne River" the latter being the locality
in which Gen. Custer made his reconnois-
sance last summer, and about which there is
so much speculation at the present time, and
within the bounds of which it is supposed by
a large number of people is to be found the
Father de Smet mountain Of gold.
Father de Smet'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 on his representing that such
yellow metal was of the greatest value, they
told him they knew where there was a
mountain Of it. Subsequent Investigation,
however, proved that the Indian noun
tain Of gold was nothing more than
formation of yellow mica, such
as may be found in number of places in the
aboye-described country.
had scarcely given the story thought
after this, until about three years ago, when
] happened to be in New. York, and 1t was
there brought to my recollection by prom
inent gentleman, who asked me where Father
dc 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, etc.
After had informed him thatit was an old
and exploded story his ardor cooled, and the
excitement about the mountain Of gold"
again subsidized.
Itso happened, however, that the Black Hills
country was embraced in my military COM
mand, and two years ago ii became apparent
to me that military post in the Black Hills
of the Shyenne would soon become necessary
for the proper protection of the settlements in
Nebraska from the raids of Sioux warriors,
who always before they commenced depredat-
ing the frontier secured safe placesfor 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 villages in
this remote locality, Astounding in game and
all that goes to make Indian life comfortable,
and with this purely military object insyiew,
the order was given for the Custer reconnois-
sance. fsl saf ,a.tbh& z,
The discovery of particles of gold by
alluvial washing near Harney's Peak, on the
eastern slope of the Black Hills of the Shy
enne, followed and brought TO the surface the
Father de Smet story for the third time. Sd
The Black Hills Of the Shyenne, described
by Gen. Custer, are situated between the
north and south forks of that river, one Of
which is known as the Belle Fourche, the
other the South Fork; and although have
the utmost confidence in the statement of
Gen. Custer and Gen. Forsyth, of my staff,
that gold was found near Harney's Peak, /
may safely say that there has not been any
fair test yet made to determine its existence
in large quantities.
There Is not Territory in the West where
gold does not exist, but in many of them the
quantity Is limited TO the "color," which is
as much as has yet been obtained near Har-
ney's Peak The geological specimens
brought back by the Custer expedition are
not favorable indications Of the existence of
gold in any great quantity Still il may be
there; but as the treaty OF 1869, duly ratified,
virtually deeds this portion OF the Black Hills
to the Sioux Indians, there is no alternative
but to keep out trespassers.s - t1
, But to go back to the Father de Smet infor-
nation, thereis not much doubt Of the cor
rectness OF his statement that gold exists in
large quantities in the Black Hills, but much
further west than the Black Hills of the Shy
enne. have seen nuggets from the Big Horn
and Tongue Rivers, and many specimens from
near Fort Stambaugh, in the Upper Wind
River country, where mining has failed for
want of water for alluvial washing and from.
hostilities Of the Indians; and have good
reason to believe--in fact, 1t Is quite GER
tain-that gold exists in the Owl Creek
Mountains, in the Lower Wind River and
in the headwaters OF the Powder River
and the Rosebud, all these localities
being under the general meaning in the
Augura and Terry treaty OF 1869, excepts so far as
the privilege to huntgam Ithas been my In
tention to communicate nuch information this
coming summer to the Government on the
country; and as the Indians
have no absolute right to the soil, there may
be but little difficulty In extinguishing their
hunting privileges.
Ipurpose, If you do not object, TO opensup
the Yellowstone River by sending Gen Geo.
A. Forsyth and Col. Grant, of my staff, up
the Yellowstone to the mouth of the Big
Horn as soon as the ice breaks, which will give
the lowest tide of water, having already ,se-
cured a steamboat tomake this exploration.
If Gen. Forsythis successful will send Gen.
Custer, with command from, Fort lincoln, {
across the mouth of Powder River, thence up
the south bank of the Yellowstone,
Powder River Tongue River; Rose
bud, and on to the mouth of the Big Horn.
This country is as yet entirely unexplored,
and the expedition may develop very yallia-
BILE auriferous section, and make the Father
de Smet story to some extent true, but / am
of the belief that the mountain OF mica has
not changed to gold. -
/ will also send anlexpeditinn down Wind
River, through the Owl Creek Mountains,
from Fort Stambaugh, via Fort Brown, to the
mouth of the Big Horn, and will bring 1t
back through the parks about the head wa
tiers of Powder River yisitedby Capt. Mills and
his command last summer. These parks are
for beauty fully equal to those described SO
by Gen. Custer as existing In the
Black Hills of the Shyenne. may also say from
L. Kl.I.~ J...t ~.