The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-03-17
TIE GOLD nIGGlNsis.
A Denverite's description Of
the Black Hili's Camnfry-
The Appearances and CHAR
actPr Of the Mining
Towns Pr0speetOrs
Panning ont Plen-
ty of Riches.
From the Denver News, Feb 2eth.l
jerry Lonrs who f'a,-7 resided here for

intervals of time. j. A late arrival from
the Black Hills. having left Custer City
Saturday, the 18th at noon, reached
Cheyenne "Wednesday evening. and Den
yer night before last The trip, there.
fore, was made qnite nn time, AMI with
ont hitch or accident
A News repnrter interviewed Mr..
Louis yesterday, and found him very
communicative, and brimful OF enthus-
iasm over the nPwl lv-npened diggings.-
He gives more information of a kind
sought after just now. ihan has heen ub
tained. so far. from any returned pros
pector, AMI it IL reliable. Mr.. Lnnis
spen; about month in roaming ahont
the Hills. visiting most of the CAMPS
Custer City and Hill City are the only
towns in the country. The former is
situated in small picturesque park.
hammed in by mountains, Iiarney's
Peak rising on one side, and near by
The town site covers six hundred and
forty acres. and this area embraces the
town must be practically limited. The
entire site has been laid of into lots,
fifty by one hundred and fifty feet in size,
and which command prices ranging from
$25 to $500 each, according to the desir-
ability Of location and the eagerness of
BUYERS.
The principal street is named after
General Crook. II is two hundred feet
wide. The other streets have a width Of
one hundred and fifty feet. and the alleys
are thirty feet wide, and run at the same
angle as the streets Of Denver. Four
hundred buildings have beer erected.
and every lot on the town site has the
foundation of some sort OF a structure
laid on it, There are four regular sa-
looms, where bad quality of whisky is
retailed, and six stores, where you can
buy groceries, clothing, canned frniis,
gum boots or whisky. A dance house is
to be established soon in Swarengers
Hall, log and frame bnilding twenty
FIVE by eighty feet, and a bevy of eight
waiter and dance-giris are now en- r"uis
from Cheyenne, their arrival heiDg ca
gerly and impatiently awaited So far
nobudy has lad the enterprise or the
temerity to open gambling house, and.
as there are only two or three decks of
cards in the diggings, poker playing is
limited amusement. The five women in
Custer City-indeed, In the whole conn
try-are all respectable. But the ad
vent of women Of bad character is ex
pected daily. A few drunken rows,
amounting to little more than boisierous
hilarIty. have occurred in Custer City,
but nobody has been killed, nor even
hurt. Hill City is nestled in a still
smaller park than the one in which
Custer City is situated. There are only
three or four short streets. and all the
available space between the surrounding
hills is already occupied bv the two
hundred and fifty or more houses in the
town.
An election of town oficere was held
at Custer City a week ago last Monday
Six hundred and sixty-fve votes we're
polled. A Mr.. Keeter, who had held
the position of Recorder in the camp,
and J. S. Smith, formerly of Sioux City.
were elected Justices of the Peace. John
Burrows, a former Denverite, was,
short time previous to the election chos-
en- as President OF the Grangers' Club,
an organization having for its object the
protection of individual rights in the
e-emption of ranches. Tate also took
a lively part in all town affairs, aud was
chosen arbitrator in several matters Of
dispute So.
The prominent discoveries are located
on French, Spring. Castle. Rabbit. Iron,
WhitewOod and Deadwood Creeks. The
two last named are seventy five or eighty
miles north west of Custer City. There
had been a stampede in that direction
for some days prior to Mr.. Lewis depart
ure for Denver. During one week 800
miners passed through Hill City for the
above named creeks. Very rich discov-
cries were reported to have been made
there, but on those streams the bed rock
lies near the surface, the depth ranging
from three TO seven feet. These and the
other creeks on the western slope are
very small, hut the fall is great and the
advantages for sfnicing corresponiingly
good. On Spring Creek the bedrock lies
deep-from twenty FIVE to forty FIVE feet;
on French Greek. at Custer City. little
nearer the surface from fifteen 10 TWEEN
ty feet. There is comparatively hut lit
tie water in French Creek, and the fall
is SO slight, being less than a foot to the
mile, that nobody knows yet, 10 a dead
certainty, which way the creek runs.
Mr.. Lewis thinks the richest places |
yet. discovered are on French Greek, !
about six miles from Hill City, and are
owned by John Allen & Co., of Cheyen-
ne; and West & Co., of Montana. The
Montana boys five in all, have been
averaging $40 per day to the man, from
the time the claims were opened. They
sunk and have drifted in about sixty
feet. The Allen party are meeting with
still greater success. These two parties
have the only slmices in operation in the
country. Outside of these claims the
development consists simply of prospect
holes. In some localities they are using |
rockers" with success. Mr. Lewis and |
Jim King gathered some dirt from an
abandoned claim. filed pan two thirds
full of ii, and washed out $5 10. The |
result caused the owners TO reassert
their rights and resume work on the
claim. Rumors were current al Custer
City, just as Mr.. Lewis was leaving, TO
the effect that California party. headed
by a man named Blake. had struck very
rich diggings on French Creex, nine
miles east of Janney's stockade, and
were washing out $3 to the pan.
Denverities and Coloradans comprise
a large and pnerpetic element i'm the |