The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-27
THE BLACK HILLS.
Letterfrom Gen. Sheridan
The Marvellous Mineral Wealth of that
Region the Story of a Catholic Priest
The Mountain OF Gold. a Mountain of
Mica.

CHICAGO, March 26.-Leut Gen. Sheridan
has written a letter concerning the Black Hills
country, in which he traces back the origin of
the delusive stories of its marvellous richness 10
Father Desmet, a Csthollc missionary, who
heard it from the Indians Father Desmet's
story, says Sheridan, 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 great value they told him they knew where
a mountain of it could be found. Subsequent
Investigation, however, proved that the Indian
mountain of gold was nothing more than
mountain of yellow mica, such as are found in
a number of places in the above described
country. 1t so happened that the Black Hill
country was embraced in the military commits
sion, and two years ago it became apparent to
me that military post IN the Black Hills OF
Cheyenne would soon become necessary for
the proper protection of the settlement in Ne
braska from the raids of the Sioux warriors,
who always before they commenced depreda-
tions on the frontier, secured a safe place for
their families and villages in the locality men
toned.
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 10 view. an
order was given for Gen. Cuser's recconnos-
sance. The discovery of the particles of gold
by alluval washing near Harney's Peak, on
the eastern slope of the Black Hills of .Chey-
enne. followed, and again brought to the sur
face Father Desmets story; The Black Hills
of Cheyenne described by Gen. Gustav, are sit
uated between the north and south forks of
that river, one Of which is known as Belle
Fourche, the other the South Fork, and al
though l have the utmost confidence in the
statements of Gen. Custer and Gen. Forsythe,
of my staff that gold was found near Harvey
| Peak, 1 may safely say there has not been any
fair test made yet to determine Its existence in
large quantities.
There is not a territory in the west where
gold does not exist, bat in many of them the
quantity is limited to the color which is as
much as has yet been obtained near Harvey
Peak. The geological specimens brought back
by Clusters expedition are not favorable indic9-
tons OF the existence of gold in great quaint.
ties 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 Father Desmets informal
| ton. There is not much doubt of the correct
ness of his statement that gold exists in the
Black Hills. L have seen nuggets from the
| Big Horn and Tongue rivers and many speei-
mems from near Fort Stambough iE the upper
| Wind Rover country, where the mining has
failed for want of water for alluvial washing
| and from the hostility of the Indians, and
have good reason to believe. in fact it is quite
| certain, gold exists Id the Owl Creek mountains
| on Lower Wind river, and on the head waters
| OF the Powder river and the Rosebud, all the
| localities being under general meaning in the
| Black ills and outside of the Sherman, Aug
| ur and Terry treaty of1S69, except so far as the
privilege to hunt game. 1t has been my iuten'
| ton to communicate much information this
/ coming summer to the government on the
| above described country, and as the Indians
have no absolute right to the soil, there may be
but little difficulty in extinguishing their hunt
| ing privileges, l purpose, if you do not object
| to open up the Yellowstone river by sending
Gen. Forsythe and Col Grant of my staff, uI
the Yellowstone to the mouth of the Big Horn
as soon as the ice breaks, which will give the
| lowest tide water, having already secured a
steamboat to make this exploration.
If Gen. Forsythe is successful will SEND
| Gen. Gustav with a command from Fort Lin
coin across the mouth of the Powder river
| thence up on the south bank OF the Yellow
stone, crossing Powder river, Tongue river, the
| Rosebud and on to the mouth OF Big Horn
| This country is as yet entirely unexplored anc
the expedition may develope very valuable
| auriferous section and make the Father Des
met story to some extent true, but am OF tht
belief that a mountain of mica has not changed
to gold 7 will also send an exception dowr
Wind river through Owl creek mountains from
Stambough via. Fort Brown to the moutl
of Big Horn, and will brig it back through
the forkes about the headwaters of the Powde
river visited by Capt. Mills and his command
| last summer.
So far as troops are concerned I will prom
Use activity in the present emergency and thu
conscientious performance of duty. Should th'
points from which the miners start be so re
| mote as to make it impossible for our scouting
| force to watch them we can occupy the two o
three gaps id the Black Hills. and effectually
| exclude treSspaSSerS.