The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-04-07
The Black Hills.
CHICAGO, March 26.


ing letter concerning the Black Hills
Country. 1t sets forth what has been
done, and what the Government pro-
poses to do, in this matter, and I'M
mediately concerns all who contem-
plate going into the country:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE MILITARY
DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI,
CHICAGO, March 25, 1875.
To Gen. w. 7. Sherman, Headquar-
ters of the Army, at St. Louis:
GENERAL-In reply to your ques-
tion. What do you know of the Black
Hills ?''sI respectfully submit the
edge of the Black Hills was derived
from an interview with the late Father
De Smet, the noted Catholic mission
the Columbia River, in Oregon. from
a mountain of gold In the Black Hills,
nary and delusive story to Indians,
frontiersmen and explorers.
The Black Hills country is much
more extensive than that particular
locality brought to the notice of the
General Custer, and gets it's 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 coun-
try, bounded on the east by longitude
1922, on the south by the Sweet Water
and Laramie rivers, on the west by
the Big Horn and Wind rivers, and
and on the north by the Yellowstone
River. This is really the country of
the Black Hills. but embraced in it
are several localities called Black
Hills; for instance the BLACK Hills
of Laramie" the "Black Hills of
Powder River" and the BLACK Hills
of the Cheyenne River" the latter
being the locality in which General
Curtis 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
mountain of gold.
Father De Smet's story was: 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, Rose Bud, and Powder
rivers, and from branches of the
Tongue River, and, on his represent
ing that such yellow metal was of
great value, they told him they knew
where there was a mountain OF it
Subsequent investigation, however.
proved that the Indian mountain of
gold was nothing more than forma-
ton of yellow mica, such as may be
found in 3 number of places IN the
above-described country.
/ had scarcely given the story
thought after this, until about three
years ago, when | was in New York,
and it was there brought to my recoi-
lection! by3 a prominent gentlemen,
who asked me where Father De Smet
was to be found, aud insisted that
some one should be sent at once to
get from him the secret of the gold
mountain, which would pay the Ma
tional debt, etc. After / had informed
them that it was an old and exploded
story his ardor cooled, and the excite
ment about the mountain of gold
again subsided.
1t SO happened, however, that the
Black Hills country was embraced In
my military command, and two years
ago it became apparent to me that
military post in the Black Hills of the
Cheyenne would soon become neces-
sary for the proper protection of set
Elements in Nebraska from 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. Believing that these In
dians would never make war on the
out settlements as long as we could
threaten their families and villages in
this remote locality. abounding in
game and all that goes to make Indian
life comfortable, and, with this purely
military object In view. an order was
given for the Custer reconnaissance.
The discovery of particles of gold, by
washing, near Harney Peak,
on the eastern slope of the BLACK
Hills of Cheyenne" followed and
brought to the surface Father De
Smet's story for the third time.
The BLACK Hills of the Cheyenne"
described by Gen Custer, are situated
between the north and south forks of
that river, one of which is known as
Belle Fourche, and the other as the
South Fork, and, although have the
utmost confidence in the statements of
Gen. Custer and Gen. Forsyth, of my
staff, that gold was found near IIar-
ney's Peak, l may safely say there has
not been any fair test yet made to de-
terlnine its existence in large quanti-
ties. There is no territory in the
West where gold does not exist, but
in many of them the quantity is limit
ed to the color, which is as much as
has yet been obtained near Harney's
Peak. Geological specimens brought
back by the Clusters expedition are
not favorable indications of the exist
ence Of gold in great quantity; still, it
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.
But, to go back to the Father De
Smet Information, there is not much
doubt of the correctness of his state
ment that gold exists in large guam
titles in the Black Hills, but much
further west than the BLACK Hills of
have seen nuggets from
the Big Horn and Tongue rivers, and
many specimens from near Ft. Stam-
baugh, in the Upper Wind River
where mining has failed for
want of water for alluvial washing and
from hostilities of the Indians, and l
have good reason to believe, in fact it
is quite certain, that gold exists in the
Owl Greek Mountains, in the Lower
Wind River, and in the headwaters of
the Powder River and the Rosebud,
all the localities being. under the gen.