The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-03-22

DR.. Hayden, IN his geological report
Of their exploration in lS59-6O, page
8, that at least une-third OF this
urea ESTIMATED at G0OO square miles
by him, or about 2UUO square mills
] i covered with excellent pine timber,
or I,27n,OJO acres. Now the next
question arises. how is this timber to
be mu.iC available" At least four To
SIX months in the veal these streams
.Hvllc Fpurchc aud South Fork o.!
cheyenne are quite high. The logs
could be- cut aud transported tn the
sides Of these streams during the dry
svt~un, md whru the streams are
high. ia TIA" spring uT the year, they
couIl be taken down into the Mis-
souri, River with a gDUu degree Of
safety aud Ca-U.
Inc BlacN HIS, which appear in
. the distance and derive their name
from. their dark aud gloomy s1rpCar-
uUCC, contains uu iuCN!Etu5,tSie guam
Iity of the hur-i timber, mostly pine,
which will doubtless remain uudis-
turhCd for many years to come"
General Custer, whu visited the
hills last summer, ia his report also
speaks g~lUwingiy 81 the supply %
| timber, and -ay-: " he timber
found consisted Of many varieties,
| principally Of pine, oak and Elm.
The pine j. Of suitable dimensions
/ for being worked into lumber, and i
met with in ABUNDANCE on every
hillside"
Col. Fnr-ylhc, Of Gen. S]hgridnu'7
staff, who accompanied the cNpcdi-
/ tiOur also tUTTUbUr1It,- the statement
that a great abundance OF timber
/ exist in the hills.
The fertility Of the soil in the
Black Hills was noticed by Lieut..
Warren, in 1893. Speaking Of the
valleys in that region, he say in his
report Of that year: " In these noun
tain formations which border the
great plains on the west are to b.
found beautiful flowing strains, and
small rich valleys covered w with
fine grass for huy, aud susceptible o:
cultivation by means ut irrigation.
Fine timber fIr fuel and lumber,
limestone, and good stone for build
ing purposes are here abundant.
Gold has be n found in plnces in
valuable quantities, and, without
/ doubt, the more common and useful
minerals Will Ice discovered when
mo e inmate examinations are
ma,iv."
In the same report, further IN, he
says: "rhp country furnishes the
means of missing sufficient quantities
OF grain aud vegetables for the use of
the inhabitants, and beautiful,
healthy and desirable locations for
their homes. The remarkable free
dom here from sickness is one of
| the attractive features Of the region,
and will, in this respect, go far to
rpcomppnse the settler from the
Mississippi valley for his loss in the
smaller amount of products that can
be taken from the soil. The great
want Of suitable luilding material,
which now so seriously retards the
growth of the west, will not be felt
here"
He also says that these settlements
in the Black Hills country, caassDt
! be agricultural to the same extent as
those in the Mississippi valley, but
must depend greatly upon the rnia-
ing OF stock.
Gen. W. +. Reynolds, who made n
typographical survey of this region
in lS5y-GO, says, in speaking Of it in
his report, page I: THE whole re-
giDn Of the Black Hills is umqucS-
tinuab!y destined, at no distant date,
to afford hCMr5 for a thriving pOpu-
Iuliuu. The mountains will furnish
a sufficient supply IF pine lumber for
ordinary Uses, and although timber
is very scarce in the region as Il
whole from Fort Pierre TO the Pow
der Rivprl, vet the Black Hills will
! fully supply this great deficiency in
| The districts Immediately adjOinIug."
! His route from the Missouri Sivrr
lied him to the Forks Of the Big
CHEYENNE, and then he skirtpd the
northeast and north side of the hills.
lie describes them in his journal rs II
succession Of mountain ranges with
beautiful valleys between, the snit of