The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-10

question arises, how is this timber 10
be made available? At least four to
six months in the year these streams
belle FOurche and South Fork of
Cheyennel are quite high. The logs
could be cut and transported to II
sides of these streams during the dry
season, and when the streams are
high, IN the spring of the year, they
could be taken down into the Mis-
-Uuri River with a goOu degree OF
safety and ease.
The Black Hills, which appear in
the distance and derive their name
from. their dark and gloomy appear
! ance, contains Al ineXhaustihle guam
/ tity of the finest Timber, mostly pine,
wnich will doubtless remain unhis-
Iurbed for many years to come"
General Custer, who visited the
hills last summer, in his report also
speaks glOwiugly of the supply Of
timber, and says: &" the timber
found consisted Of many varieties,
principally of pine, oak and elm.
The pine is of suitable dimensions
for being worked into lumber, and j.
met with in abundance on every
/ hillside"
Col. FnrSythr. Of Gen. Sheridan's
staff, WIN accompanied the PApCli-
tlon, also ,O~rrOburuteS the statement
thai ii great abundance OF timber
exist III the. hills.
! The fertility of the soil in the
Bark HIS was noticed by LIput.
/ Warren, in 1858. Sparkling of the
valleys in that region, he says in his
report of that year: In these noun
tain formations which border the
great plains on the west are tn be-
found beautiful flowing streams, and
small rich valleys covered over with
fine grass for hay, and susceptible o;
cultivation by means of irrigation.
Fine timber for fuel and lumber,
limestone, and good Zone for build
ing PURPOSES are here abundant.
Gold has besn found in places in
valuable quantities, and, without
doubt, the more common and useful
minerals Will be discovered when
mo e minute examinations are
made"
In the same report, further on, he
says: "Thp country furnishes the
means of raising sufficient quantities
of grain II vegetables for the use Of
the inhabitants, and beautiful.
healthy and desirable locations for
their homes. The remaI kable free
dom here from sickness is one of
Nilt hlNI dtNlNt lNtAuTCS vi the TeElDtl,
and will, in this respect, go far to
rpcnmprnse the settler from the
Mississippi valley for his loss in the
smaller amount of products that can
he taken from the soil. The great
want of suitable building material,
which now 81 seriously retards the
growth of the west, will not be felt
here"
I He also says that these settlements
in the Black Hills country, cannot
be agricultural To the anne extent as
those in the Mississippi valley, but
must depend greatly upon the rails
ing of stock.
Gen. w. f. Reynolds. who made a
Typographical survey of this region
in ISj9-GO, says, in speaking of il in
his report, page Z: THE whole re-
gion Of the Black Hills is unques-
tinnahly destined, at no distant date.
To afford homes for a thriving popu-
latinn The mountains will furnish
II sufficient supply of pine lumber for
ordinary uses, and although timber
is very scarce in the region as Il
whole from Fort Pierre to the Pow
der Rirprl, yet the Back Hills will
fully supply this great deficiency in
the districts Immediately adjoining"
His route from the Missouri River
lcd him To the Forks of the Big
Cheyenne, and then he Skirtpd the
northeast and north side of the hills.
He describes them in his Journal as "A
succession IF mountain rangcS with
beautiful valleys between, the soil nf
which is rich and fertile, aud COW
cred with a heavy growth of grass.
Groves of ash. oak. elm and other
varieties of timber are mentioned as
being met with, fringing the clear,
beautiful streams of wafer, putting
down from the hills into the Belle
Fourche. Between the forks of the
Cheyenne very decided evidences of
the existence of gold were found
page IA; hut prospecting was dis
cOuragerl by him on account of dan
ger from the Indians. and for fear of
making the expedition n failure.
- II Wa for these ra%0n that the
search for Enii was at all ti'ue~ dis.
C~uuraKcd," lie says pagc II. "yct
~ti ii was often difficult Ia FeS'rnin
m" disposition t. prospect and
rlr"re were moments when wa~
& cared that S0nIr Of Tie party would
defy all restraint
Ihe7e descriptions and discoveries,
were made of the Black Hills SIN
teen and seventeen years Z by
reliable army officers, whose only
object was tn make truthful reports
of the country, AMI were made under
many disad vantages. The number
of men each h I'd was small, and the
dangers from the hostile Sioux were
not the only trouble they had to pro
vide against.
Warren went north from Fort
Laramie, via Red Buttes and Old
Woman's Fork to the South Chey-
enne, and thence to Inyan Kara,
where he was intercepted by the
Sioux, and compelled to retrace his
steps. He went back towards Fort