The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-01-17
Ell DORADO.
New and FabuIOusly Rich Discoveries
I'm the Black Hills Mining Region.

lCuster City Letter to the Chicago Tinesl
The latest excitement is over the Battle
Creek discoveries and a general stampede of
miners from all parts of the Hills has already
set IN and threatens a depopulation of the
many cities heretofore reported pc stand
ing upon mines OF fabulous wealth The
new "diggins" are located % miles north
east OF EuSter. and partly in the foot
hills, an outside range that have until
recently been considered barren of mineral
and metal deposits. The creek is about 20
miles in length and reported 10 be very
rich from one extremity TO the other As
yet bed rock" has not been reached In the
creek proper, owing to its depth $50 feet)
and the great amount of water, but the re-
suit OF side or bank mining has been such
as TO throw even the oldest and most cool
headen prospector into delirium of en-
thusiasm. The discoveries thus far are what
are known as placer or surface deposits
the most satisfactory 10 the average miner,
in that but little toll and expense is naces-
sary to develop them. Captain w. II. Tim
lin brought in a nugget which | saw to-day.
1t weighs S15.O4. and was taken from near
the surface The captain reports that there
are lots and lots of them, and many of greater
value. a pan of dirt from the same locality
washed out $40. When it is understood
that four and five cents per pan is considered
good pay in ordinary diggings. the value of
this cloim, which is owned by French
company, may be readily estimated. Gard
ner ~ Turner's men washed seven loads of
surface dirt from their dry gulch claim one
day last week and realized $35 in three
hours. This firm is now building
ditch LOO feet long, preparatory to work
ing the claim on larger scale in the spring.
There are about 60 men working on the creek
at present and as many more upon dry
diggings, while an army of prOspectOrs are
scouring-the adjacent country +. W. Back
q CO., OF Nebraska Csty. arrived here TODAY
with a 2U-hOrSe power steam Sawmill, in
tended for the Rapid Creek district but
hearing of the new bonanza, they changed
their minds and on the morrow will pro-
coed TO Battle creek ] will go over with
them and give the new field a personal in
spection. l understand that quite city
has already sprung up on the creek and that
Messrs. Currant IL Co. are laying out a new
toll road from il TO this place. AT present
the roads are very bad, being billy and
rocky.
Mining affairs in this vicinity are becom-
ing interesting, TO say the least, and the
present outlook is such as to re-affirm the as
surance given year ago that Custer is des-
tined TO be the metropolis of the of the hills
It's advantages over all rivals in being Is to
100 miles nearer railroad facilities mo mean
consideration in these days Of high freight
tariff and its delightful and bealthful loca-
ton are important points in its favor In addi-
ton, there have been quartz leads discovered
which, il they come up to assayed samples
eclipse anything yet reported in the hills,
and equaled by few anywhere. The princi-
pal leads are the Centennial" ''De Smett'
and "Webfoot." The last named is the rich
est-claim No. . Second from discovery
assaying $50, 900 TO the ton, the sample beng
taken at depth of eight feet from the sur
face. Claim No. s is said to be still more
valuable-the vein producing almost a solid
mass of gold. The lead commences near the
city and runs due north. The principal
claims are held by a company OF eastern,
capitalists who will have a stamp mill here
in time to begin work early in the spring.