Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-06-03
Letter from the Far West.
CUSTER CITY. ID, r., May |, IL;

CUSTER CRY, ID, r., May |, 1876
Mr.. EDITOR: Although am an on
tire stranger to you personally, yet ] am
not stranger to the OPINION. or rather
the OPINION Is not strange to me. Ever
since left home, some the years ago. !
have occasionally received the OPINION
from my friends, and assure you that II
has always been received with joy, and
read with interest; and now, located here
in Custer City, nearly three thousand
miles from my native place, would hail
a COPY of the OPINION, even as n wreck
cd mariner halls the sight of land. This,
sir, together with the hope that may be
able to give some needed information to
the people of the Connecticut River Val
lev Is the reason take the liberty OF adj
dressing you.
| left Cheyenne on the 18th day Of
April and arrived in Custer on the 2lst,
having been eight days on the road. !
Travelled by stage, but owing to the lndi-
ans "propensity" for stage company's
stock, we could not make fast time, be-
sides, we laid over one day at Fort Lara
mic to look at the Fort, so we were real
" only seven days on the road. Fort
Laramie is pleasantly situated on the
north side of Laramie River, near the
junction with the Platte River, and about
seventy miles from Cheyenne.
The government has built fine iron
bridge across the Platte at this place, at
an expense Of about $20, 900; it has three
spans, each one hundred and twenty-six
feet in length. noticed the rates Of toll
(something unusual in this country and
It struck me that would make note of
them, "should future occasion require it"
and here they are: Ok teams 6 or 8
yokes, $3.50, mule team 6 mules, $l.OO,
two-horse team, so cents, horseman, 20
cents. Heretofore, during high water,
frieghts have been obliged to cross on n
ferry boat. which cost them only .fre dol
lars wagon.
The next drive from Fort Laramie,
brought us to Hot Creek Station, and here
we heard the first report of Indian muir
ders. Although we were only six in num-
Der, we pushed on down Indian Creek
twenty miles, to the next station. After
drinking II cup of coffee, we again pull
ed out across the bluffs to Cheyenne Riv-
er. BY the way, after we left Indian
Creek Station, about two miles distant
and when near a dry creek, we saw II
mule team of ten wagons coming over
the top of a hill, the men were making
motions to us, and firing their guns to-
wards us. We began to look around,
and saw three Indians about Il half Il
mile off, riding as fast as they could go.
1t seems that they intended to get down
into this dry creek and give us a volley
when we came along; they would.have
been within forty feet of us and of course
would have "taken some of us in" Up
on our arrival at Cheyenne River the
next day, we found one wounded man,
who had been shot three times by the In
dians, and then got mule and escaped.
1t seems that party of seven, all I'M
armed, five men and two women Zone of
them colorcd) were coming through Red
Canon, and without moments warning,
they were fired upon from behind some
rocks. The two women were killed,
and three of the men wounded, two of
the wounded men died the next day-the
other ono (who was shot three tmes) is
getting along finely, and swears that the
rest of his life shall be devoted to the ex-
termination of the noble (9) Mr. Lo
The white woman was shot through the
left breast and through the head. Every
thing indicates that the Indians had raw
ished her while she was dying; her eyes
and face were black, where the much
abused, down-trodden (?) Indian had
choked and beaten her, as she probably
resisted while she had strength. The
colored woman was found in a mud hole,
shot through with arrows. We drove Tor
rather walked through the Canon In the
night, and arrived in Custer City all
right, thankful to Him who "watches
over all" for having brought us safely
through. The next night after the Indi-
ans tried to "take us in," the stage COM
pany's road agent, who was going over
the road, with a small party, was shot
and MORALLY wounded, at the same place
where they were waiting for us.
Now, sir, | will give you an idea as
| can, of Custer and its surroundings.
Custer City Is delightfully."- situated on
French Greek, in little valley, or ba-
sin, surrounded on all sides by high
mountains; of these mountains, some
are covered with splendid growth of
pine trees, from four inches to two feet
in diameter, and straight as an arrow.
We have four steam saw mills that cut
about $4,000 feet of lumber daily. The
timber is cut and hauled to the mills at
an expense of about 81 80 per NJ. The
valleys around the mountains furnish the
finest farming land in the world. One
man has a "ranche" within mile of
town, that is beautiful to look upon. He
has already plowed number of acres,
and has one and half acres of onions
already in, also, four acres of potatoes,
half an acre of beans and everything in
proportion. TO crown this, the earth is
full of gold. washed pan of dirt tax
en- from a hole in the middle of Custer
street, and obtained four dollars. The
miners on this creek, are taking out from
two to six dollars day to the man, Gus
ter contains population of about 25O0
souls, who live in about $50 houses. sol
you can see very readily that their are
very few families here. The houses are
nearly all framed, one and two stories
high. We have city government, may
or, council, &c, all good men, who run
the city in tirst-class style. Property is
quite high and in good demand, especial
ly good building lots. On account of
the Indians, provisions are scarce, and
very high. Flour Is worth
$1,000 per humid, bacon 40 cts. por h.,
sugar IS, coffee 80, and everything in pro-
portion. Board costs $9.0 per week or
Is cts. per meal, and not much to eat then.
Hill City, about 10 miles from here is a
mining camp with a popula-
ion of 500. Rapid City, situated on
Rapid Creek is another town about like
Hill City. 1t is 40 miles from here, and
report says that the minors are taking
)ut lots of dust.
Deadwood, sixty-five miles north of
lere, is the town tor "nuggets." 1t is a
lew town. but contains about $500 min
IFS, who, 1t is estimated have already
aiken out about 500, 900 in dust.
purchased $500 in dust from one man,
Who told me that he was one of COM
,any of fee and this was his share of
hree months work, besides they had
'grubbed" themselvee out of the dig
rings all winter He had one nuupet