Helena weekly herald., 1877-05-10
THE BLACK HILLS.
What an Old Montanian Says.

A Chronicle reporter had an interview lately
with w. P. Wheeler, (better known to Mon
tanians as s'Billy Wheeler') who recently
arrived in San Francisco from the Black Hills.
Wheeler does not give very dattering &C.
count of the country:
This is the same w. P. Wheeler whose
name frequently occurred some six months
since in Eastern dispatches relating to the
starting from the Black Hills of the Wheeler
party with 1880 pounds of gold dust" spec
ulations as to their meeting with Indians, and
finally their arrival at Laramie and Cheyenne
with 1900 pounds of gold DUST" and their
subsequent departure for the East. After re-
lating to MIR. Wheeler what little he knew of
the Black Hills country, and what he had
heard and read of the Wheeler party, and
asking an infinite number of questions, the
reporter was enabled to make the following
condensed recital of that gentleman remarks:
II was one of party of nine that arrived
in the Black Hills country in March, 1875.
deem myself practical miner; have had
experience in that line in Australia in 1853,
and subsequently in California. went like
thousands of others to the Black Hill to see
what could see, and to make all the money
l could. did considerable tramping around
for three months, and learned that the dis
trict known as the Black Hills consists of an
oblong clump of hills covering an area of
about 100 miles long by from 40 to 80 miles
wide. Most of the hills are small, only sew
eral reaching to an altitude of from !, 400 to
1900 feet above the surrounding plains. The
billy district is densely overgrown with tall
shapely black pine trees, many of whose
trunks are from three to four feet in dame
ter. The numerous so-called mines in that
country have no names but are numbered.
In the month of June, last year, purchased
for 81 500 dollars what is there called mine
and a half, $50 feet, known as No. 2. 1t is
located one and half miles from Deadwood
City, and within one-half mine of Gayville,
on Deadwood creek, which with Whitewood
creek forms junction at Deadwood City.
No. 2 was
THE RICHEST NINE
Ever discovered in the hills; there is nothing
but placer diggings in that territory. work
ed from 20 to 30 men. and have taken out in
one day as much as $1,000. l ran two sets
of sluice boxes day and ight for several
months, and at the end of the first 30 days, l
remember, had taken out 600. This
created great excitement throughout the hills,
oto1o br,p fnlN hu q
Pioneer, the paper published at Deadwood.
sold No. in September for $4,000, believ-
ing that was big price, for concluded |
had nothing left but dead ground, yet my
purchaser was anxious and didn't object to
his $4,000. l carefully studied the placer
diggings of Deadwood and then left the
country, believing the whole territory was
like many of the old mining districts of Cali
fornia to-day, about played out AS many
as Is, 900 people visited that country last year;
but fully as many returned. Of this latter
class you seldom hear, for the Deadwood
paper and those at the supply towns along the
Union Pacific railroad have always persisted
in maintaining
AN OMINOUS SILENCE.
: "There are many more people in the hills
who would like to return to the States, but
have not the means to even get for themselves
the necessary provisions to last them on the
tramp of $50 miles to Cheyenne, and are
there waiting, Micawber like, for something
to turn up. I advise all my friends to avoid
the Black Hills. That vast army of idle men
have, in their extremity, thoroughly pros
pected the entire country, but no leads have
ever been found; they have found some
quartz, but not in sufficient quantity to pay
for working it. It is the most overrated place
ever saw. Custer City is located on French
creek, or what is called French creek, for it
is simply small ravine with no water in it
half the time. Formerly Custer City was the
principal point of attraction and had 1900
inhabitants, but now there is scarcely any
bvdy there. 1t is 80 miles nearer Cheyenne
than Deadwood, and is simply supply town.
Crook City, five miles from Deadwood, is on
the edge of the prairie, at the foot of the hills
and is the hay market. Hay is $50 per ton.
1t is precarious business harvesting the hay,
for
THE INDIANS OBJECT TO 1T,
And frequently kill the ranchers thus engag-
ed, and set fire to their hay. Among the hills
is not where the Indians dwell; they regard
them with superstitiOus awe, because of the
frightful and lasting thunder and lightning
storms that prevail there. The Indians pre-
fer to live out on the plains. have seen it
stated by the papers interested in having peo-
pie 20 to the bills, that certain mines have
been sold for $780, 600 and $3.50, 900; but after in
vestigating the negotiations it would be found
that $50 or$ 60 was nearer the amounts that
were actually exchanged. On our way to the
States last September, we were not molested
by the Indians, but would have been by bands
of white men had we not been in such strong
force We numbered 70 inc1udinp 15 sol.
diers, all we'll armed The story about our
party having 1900 pounds of gold dust was
considerably exaggerated"