The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-04-15

APRIL Is. 1876.
- ETEDd
Does Gold Exist in the Big Horn NJ oun-
ta;ns?

tAinS
We answer yesl That it exists is
a known fact. But whether in pay
iny quantities or not, remains to be
demonstrated by the miner. Many
perso n have found gold there, while
some parties have reported the exist
ence Of paying placer diggings. The
Indians were always the obstacle to
prospecting parties ; drove many out
and murdered others. The massacre
Of Col. Fetterman and SO soldiers in
SO, at Fort Phil Kearney, and the
surrender Of the forts in that coun-
try, in 81 and '68, have deferred
the prospector from continuing his
search for the paying diggings, until
now.
AS early as 1869 Lieut.. Magma
der wrote of that country, in his re-
port of his explorations, the follow
ing:
S"The valley of the Yellowstone
offers the greatest advantages of any
part of the country explored. 1t is
fertile enough to yield generously tc
the hand of the farmer, and the ca
pacity of the hills for grazing is I'M
limited. 1t is the paradise of the
Indian, and in every direction it is
marked by the track of vast hordes
of buffalo, antelope, and elk, which
subsist upon it. This will apply to
the Yellowstone from the mouth of
Big Horn river to the mountains.
''The tributaries in this part are
clear mountain streams ; while from
Big Horn down they are, with few
* options, sluggish, muddy currents,
flowing through barren hills, known
as Mauvaises Terres, or Bad Lands.
NEARLY all the country insideIthe
curve of the Big Horn mountains is
also of this description. There is
every reason to believe that the min
eral wealth of the mountainous por-
ton is very great. | purposely dis
~couraged any desire among those I'M
der my command to search for gold,
but, in several instances small guam
titles Of the sands of some of the
streams we're washed and found to
yield gold. Moreover, the geologi-
cal features of these mountains are
precisely similar to to those of Cali
fornia and the neighborhood of Pixies
Peak, which abound in gold. But
it is hardly probable that the gold
could be obtained probably, except
BY large outlays of capital, and con-
certed operations Of organized com
panies." "a
Capt. Reynolds, of the same expe-
dition, says in his report: 81
VERY decided evidences of the
existence of gold were discovered
both in the valley of the Madison
and in the Big Horn mountains, and
We found some indications of its
presence also in the Black Hills, be-
tween the forks of the Cheyenne.
The very nature of the case, how
ever, forbade that an extensive or
thorough search for the precious met
ais should be made by an expedition
such as | conducted through this
country The party was composed
in the main of irresponsible adven-
urers who recognized no moral obi
cations resting upon them. They
were all furnished with arms and am
munition, while we were abundantly
supplied with picks and shovels, and
carried with us a partial stock OF
PROVISIONS Thus the whole outfit
differed in no essential respect from
that which would be required if the
object of the expedition had only
been prospecting for gold. The
powder would serve for blasting and
the picks and shoyels we're amply
sufficient for the primitive mining of
the gold pioneer, while the arms
would be equally useful for defense
and in %purveying for the commissa-
riat. 1t is thus evi ent that if gold
had been discovered in any consid-
cradle quantity the party would have
ataonce disrcgarded all the authority
and entreaties of the officers in charge
and have been converted into a band
of gold miners, leaving the former
the disagreeable option of joining
them in their abandonment of duty,
or of returning across the plains
alone, through innumerable perils,
Twas for these reasons that ths
Search for gold was 9t all times dis,
outraged, yet still it was often diff
cult to restrain the disposition t.
prospect" and there were moment