The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-11-16
CHEYENNE wYolnNa. THURSDAY MORNING NOVEMBER le 1876

on every chart as blank space marked
,sunexplored. Hereafter, thanks to
this party, there will be no difficulty in
making way through this wonderful
country.
Capt. Tuttle, United States Navy,
had charge of the astronomical branch
of the survey, and by his observations
the Black Hillside between 43 deg. Is
min. and As deg. north latitude, and be-
tweenr03 deg. and 104. deg % longitude
west from Greenwich. Their general
outline is that of human ear, and sin
gularly enough, this outline is distinct
ly traced by a most remarkable geologi-
cal formation. All around the wild,
mountainous upland runs a valley,
which, from its color, is called Red Val
ley. This singular depression marks
the outline as unerringly as If dug out
for the purpose by some vanished race.
1t varies in width from quarter of a
mile to two miles; the ends, which slope
gently, are clothed with green, but the
bottom is everywhere of red clay, and
has given the valley its name. On the
north and south the Black Hills have also
another natural boundary, as they lie
between the north and the south forks
of the Cheyenne. The northernmost of
eAt'D A4ftio II o1 luC OlQ ctilltl5
belle Fourche," or Beautiful Fork,
because of the extraordinary beauty OF
the pellucid stream, which winds its way
through oyerhanging cliffs and past soft
prairies. Geographically the Black
Hills lie across the boundaries between
Wyoming and Dakota Territories, that
is, the 10ith degree of longitude which
divides them about the middle. Be-
yond the Red Valley the Black Hills
rise In a series of abrupt acclivities, which
are cut by deep gulches in many places,
resembling in their formation the out
spread fingers of hand. In the streams
which run through these gulches the
gold is found, and here is another sin
gular fact about this remarkable re-
gion, and that is. that these wild noun
tain torrents, which come tearing down
from the heights above, swollen at times
to great streams, make their way ever
downward and out across the red val
leys, and then in the prairies beyond
utterly vanish, being all drunk up by
the thirsty soil, except in the spring,
when swollen by the melting SHOWS, they
flow quite across to the forks of the
Cheyenne.
Journeying still inward, the land rises
always higher and higher, until it tow
ers up into mountain peaks. The highest
of these is Harney's peak, which rises
to an altitude of 7,403 feet above the
level of the sea. The next is Crooks
Tower, very singular granite rock,
which shoots up 1898 feet. Another
imposing mountain is Terry's peak,
1888 feet high, which rises in precipi-
tous heights from the slopes below.
Still another lofty eminence, Custer's
peak, has an altitude of 6,967 feet. OF
course, all these names were given by
the expedition, who thus honored the
brave officers who risked their lives in
this wild country. On the western side
of the hills is lofty point called Inyan
Kara, an old landmark known for many
years to all the settlers of this region,
and which bears still the name bestow-
ed upon it in the days of the Indians.
clothed with pine trees, and these, look
ing back at distance, have given them
their appellation-the Black Hills.
They abound in mountain antelope and
bears, which render the territory val
liable to the Indians. 1t isa rich hunt
ing ground to them; hence they are re-
luctant to part with it.
The geologican portion of the expe-
dition was under the charge of Mr..
Harvey Newton, who has prepared
careful surveys for illustration. The
formation was found everywhere to be
granite in its highest points; underly-
ing this was limestone, in some places
curiously cut by the action of water,
below this again sandstone, while low
est of all was the red clay, which ap-
pears principally in the wonderful val
lev above mentioned.
A large number of photographs were
also taken, and these will copiously
illustrate the region which. up to this
time, has been an absolute terra incog-
nita. except to the rowing bands of In
dians, and of late, in some small degree
to the hardy miners, who have gone to
these rocky Businesses in search of
new Ell Dorado. New York Times.