The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-04-23
THELAhDo FGoLD.
An Interesting Review Of the Prospects
and ceRditien VI The
Black Hills.

Special Correspondence Of The LEADER
l5 CUSTER CITY. April Is.
Your correspondent has been ram
bling among the far-famed Black
Hills for the past two months, and
while / have a vast assortment of
notes from WHICH 10 make up letters
full of details of the doings hereabouts,
l shall in this letter only draw upon
my memory for certain matters stored
therein. resei wing The material in my
notebook for future letters.
While there will be u good deal of
gold taken out in The aggregate the
coming season, the most that will he
done will be to settle in a general way
II mineral resources, and to deter
mine at what points mining in its
various methods can be made to pay.
In the Harney's Peak region, two
different meteorological characteristics
and conditions are already distinguish
ed. In the
SOUTHERN PORTION
Custer and Hill Chies) and imme-
diately To the north are The following
creeks, Oh which claims are rapidly
being located French, Spring, Castle
fork of. Rapid, Box Elder aud Elk
and others. These streams are small
and rapid, running through narrow
gulehes. The depth 10 the bedrock
is ut least twenty or thirty feet. per-
haps more. AT u few places holes have
been sunk fifteen feet. The gold thus
far taken out has been Mt the narrow
est points. But at exceptional points
n good deal of gold has already been
taken out, by individuals, in the main,
on "bar diggings."
The individual miners, at the bar
diggings, employ the rudest processes.
They excavate and then ''slash
around" with their heap In the most
primitive manner, with NC careful
method of washing. using 10 quick
silver, n they lose all the fine stuff.
1t IL knofOn That the gold is there,
but there must be n good deal of sink
ing to the bedrock before the bottom
fucts of these deep river-beds are ascer-
tanned. and, of course, not all are
going to find gold, although they Will
u tiutii Nv Nv oottoiii VI tiitlI Wtil5.
Individual chances in this lottery OF
mining life "a thing which gulch
digging always Isl are mighty uncer-
tain.
The great majority are contented at
the general prospect. If all have not
struck gold, everyone knows some one
who has. and the votional and indus
trious are putting in .their time as best
they may until Spring opens and the
frosty letters are Embossed. There is
an abundance Of good water for placer
mining.
THE NORTHERN DIGGINGS.
To the north and northwest of the
streams above mentioned, are those
known as the Whitewood and Dead
wood, and Sand and Iron Creeks. 1t
is in this locality-some 90 or go miles
from C~uster-that the hulk oft gold
will be taken out. The character of
these creek'beds is wholly different
from that Of the streams above des-
cribed. The bedrock Is reached with
In about six feet, through clean. hard
packed gravel all the way. The detri-
| tus seems to have been swept clean of
by the powerful surface wash, and
there's pay all The way down. The
Whitewood aud DeadwOod run down
from out n limestone ridge aud lime
stone, iron, and gold, with other in
gradients are found indiscriminately
mingled where the wash has swept Off
the surface deposit. Valuable discov-
cries have been made since last fall in
this locality, In which Professor Jen-
ney Ton theoretical grounds) thought
that no gold could be found. Practical
miners, however, see in its features
resemblances to localities on the Pacific
Slope in which the richest placer Dig
gings were found. By such, the
northern district is regarded as the
most promising.
AS respects the
GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE CoUN-
TRY,
its attractiveness to the eye; fine cli-
mate, and Its superior adaptation to
pasturage in nearly all portions, and
To agriculture in many portions, the
most favorable statements yet made
are fully confirmed. 1t strikes the
visitor ut once rs ~"naturully n very
fine country" The low ground to the
east all around the crescent, and far
towards the junction of the Forks of
the Cheyenne, is especially attractive,
where passing along the foothills il
slopes down To an altitude of only
5000 feet above the sea. Near the
mining district last spoken of, es-
pecially does it seem a natural para
disc, and the gem of this locality is
the beautiful agricultural valley of The
Red Water. Here, and all around the
crescent the hard woods abound in
groves, like the burr-oak .'%openings"-
of the region of the small praries in
southern Michigan aud northern
Indiana. Valley-nooks. carpeted with
grass and adorned with flowers. with
thickeis of bushes and copses of trees
and open spots between, in which
abound game in all varieties. swift OF
wing and fleet of foot-form Us perfect
| specimens of Landscape gardening"
as some baronial park in merrie Eng
land. In this Red Water locality IA
town will presently he established,
which will flourish beyond precedent
thus far, perhaps, as the centre of the
mining district On the one hand, and
the AGRICULTURAL colony on the other.
A large number of locations for
ranches have bee.l already taken up,
not only In the range and among the
II lint out IN the wooded slOpes