The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-07

uT l,2SU,OOO acres. Now the next
question arises. how is this timber to
he 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 the
sides of these streams during the dry
season, and when the are
nigh. in the spring of the year, they
could toe 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 au ineXhaustible guam
tity of the finest timber, mostly pine,
which will doubtless remain undis-
turbed for many years TO come"
General Custer, who visited the
hills last summer, i'm his report also
speaks glnwingly Of the supply of
timber, aud says: " he timber
found consisted of many varieties,
principally of pine, oak and elm.
The pine il of suitable dimensions
for being worked into lumber, and j.
met with in abundance on every
hillside"
Col. Fnrsythe. of Gen. Shcridan's
staff, who accompanied the eXpedi-
ton, also G~OrrOhuratcS the statement
that IA great abundance or timber
exist III the hitlS.
The fertility of the soil in the
Black Hills WAS noticed by Lieut..
Warren, in 1865. Speaking of the
valleys in that region, ne say in his
report of hat year: In these noun
lain formations which border the
great plains on the west are to be
found beautiful flowing streams, and
small rich valleys covered over with
fine grass for hay, and susceptible OF
cultivation by means of irrigation.
Fine timber for fuel and lumber,
limestone, aud good stone for build
ing purposes are here a undunt.
Gold has been found in places in
valuable quaDt!tics, 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: 1.-The country furnishes the
means of raising sufficient quantities
of grain and vegetables for the LIST Of
the Inhabitants, and beautiful,
healthy and desirable %luratinns for
their homes. The rPmaI kahle free
dom here from sickness is one Of
the attractive features OF the region,
aud Will, i'm this respect, 90 far to
recumpvnSe the settler from the
Mississippi valley for his los in the
SmaiIcr amount ot products thai can
he taken frum the soil. The great
want of suitable uildIug material,
which now So seriously returd- the
growth of the west, will nut be felt
here"
He also says that these settlements
IN the Back Hills country, cam It
he agricultural Ia the >ame extent rs
thuse ia the Mississippi valley, but
niu~t depend greatly upon the rails
ing of stock.
Gen. w +. Reynolds, who made a
typographical survey of this region
in lS59-60, says, in speaking Of it in
his report, page Z: 1.-THE whole re-
giOn Of the Black Hills i unqurs-
tinuably destined, at no distant date,
To atfnr'i homes for a thriving popu-
latiun The mountains will furnish
ii sufficient supply of pine lumber for
ordinary uses, aud although timber
is very scarce in the region as n
whole from Fort Pierre to the Pow
der River), yet the Black Hills will
fully supply this. great deficiency in !
the districts Immediately s'ljoInIng."
His route from III Missouri River
led him tn the Forks of the Big
Cheyenne, and then he skirted the
northeast and north side of the hills,
He describes them in hi. journal as II
succession of mountain ranges with
beautiful valleys between, the soil of
which is rich aud fertile, and 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 water, putting r.,
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; but prospecting was dis
Outraged by him on account of dan
ger from the Indians, and for fear Of
making the expedition a failure.
u" 1t Vas for these reasons that the
search for gold was at all times dis
c~0urAged," he says page IA. "yet
still it was often difficult To restrain
the disposition To '~pru$pprt,' and
there were moments when i was
feared that sOrnP of The party would
defy all restraint"
These descriptions and discoveries
WV h'nhV va 'hS IIdCh Illli- SIX
teen and seventeen years ago 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 hId 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,
N,hnrn hn u,nS intnrunnLnl L.. -