The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-05-11
THE A HILLS.
Descriptive Letter from Governor Thayer.
His Belief in The Wealth Of the Country
What Has Been kceomplished-GoId
and Sales.--future Revelations
espected-Route to the Hills.

I'm. III NCi. 6thtiaA AsNANos nv
is now taken throughout the country in
the recent discoveries of gold and silver
in the Black Hills, and the frequent in,
quiries addressed to me for Trustworthy!
information concerning them, induced
me to take this method of furnishing
such information as the numerous let
tiers call for, by laying before the public
such facts rs l have been ableto gather,
and which l deem entirely worthy of
confidence. Thousands of people are
already there, and many other thous-
ands are now on the road or preparing
to go there; and positive information
about the country, its minerals, its
geology, its extent, its capacity to sus-
tain and enrich a large population, the
route thither, and the facilities of get
ting there, are all questions Of deepest
interest at the present time.
That portion of country to which
general attention is now directed, as
the "Black Hills" is an isolated clus-
ter of hills lying neal the 104th degree
of longitude west from Greenwich, and
between the 43d and 45th degrees of
north latitude. The two branches of
the Big Cheyenne river nearly inclose
the entire region and derive most of
their waters from the drainage of these
hills. The hills seem to have been
upheaved as an island inthe vast ocean
that covered the surrounding country,
and have been exposed to an unusnl
amount of eroding action, which, it
would seem, has worn down and
crumbled the rocks of our formation,
and recombined the materials in new
forms and with unusual characteristics.
The original upheaval must have been
peculiarly Titanic, bringing up large
amounts Of various metallic substances,
particularly iron, which have been dis
integrated and washed down and de-
posted in beds and strata, and again
thrown up and broken and ground
down until the present formations are
anomalous to an extent altogether pecu-
liar to this locality. The geographical
extent of this island region is not very
great, about 60 miles by perhaps 100;
but, so far as explored, carrying every
where gold, silver, copper, lead, and
iron, in such large amounts ms to sur
prise even the most experienced and
best informed miners and experts.
The gold is found in dust and mug
gets in the gravel beds of all the creeks.
in the hills; in the horizontal beds and
strata of hematite iron of great thick
ness, in II measure forming the sub
stance of the hills themselves, and in
true veins of ore and metal-bearing
rocks, cutting the qualification, and of
remarkable richness and extent.Si 1
think it safe to express the belief that
no other portion Of the earth's surface
contains more of the precious metals
in the same space than is found in tile
Black Hills. 1t may be thought prem
allure to express SO strong an opinion;
but every days developments confirm
its ~truthfulness, and prudent men and
good miners, having the best means of
judging, are fully convinced of its
truth. True, silver ores, sulphurets,
chlorides, bromides, and argentiferous
g~alenas are also found in large quanti-
ties, and of great purity. 1t must be
a region, Consequently, where reduc-
ton furnaces and crushing mills will
be required, and where permanent en-
ployment will be found for much capt..
tai and labor. Many permanent towns
will spring up, and a thriving population
will take the place of the wild and
savage Indian. In the meantime it is
peculiarly the poor mans mining oun
try. The gulches for hundreds of
miles winding through the Hills q be
worked by the shovel and sluice-boX
alone, without capital to buy the ground
or erect machinery; and these are now
paying the hardy laborer quite as well
as the best portions of California or
Montana ever paid. AT least 100000
worth of gold dust was taken out last
year in this way, Notwithstanding all
the difficulties attending its discovery
and all the troubles of an Indian war.
But these difficulties are now disappear
ing The heretofore hostile Indians
are coming in and surrendering to the
Government, and will soon be removed
to the Missouri river, nearly 300 miles
away from the Hills, leaving the entire
country free and safe from their incur
sions.
A telegraph line across the entire
section extends from Cheyenne to
Deadwood and Custer. An excellent
line of daily siX-horse stages, carrying
a daily mail, nov conveys passengers
from the Union Pacific railroad at
Cheyenne to the heart of the Hills in
four days; and after the Goth inst. the
coaches will run night and day and
deliver passengers at Deadwood in 60
hours from Cheyenne, and a caravan of
trains and teams transports all kinds of
freight over the line at reasonable
rates. There are comfortable ranches
and stopping places all along the road;
and the journey accustoms the men to
the country and climate, and gives
them a good preparation for the rough
n ~"