Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1877-12-12
GOLD FIELDS.
Rapid City and the Country Which
IL 10 Feed IL,

RAPID lily anu VIC SOhaAtuJ
IL 70 Feed IL,
Correspondent Press Il Dakotaian.
The location Of Rapid City is not one
which will strike the casual observer as
Que promising speedy growth. 1t is out
side the footniiis and miles from amy
active mining operations. Situated upon
a beautiful prairie slope 1t stands direct
ly ia trout of the narrow pass through
winch eutrauce to the Hills Is effected by
| the old route leading from Pierre and
the present Sidney route. Recent cut.offs
| have been made" on the former route
which turns the bulk of travel III the d.
rcc,ion of Deadwood before it reaches
Rapid. A project is on foot. however,
To make a new cut off, which will restore
this lost travel. The present road from
Rapid to>Deadwond fellows nearly the
base and perpendicular sides of IL triangle
The proposition Is to follow the hypot-
enusc of the triangle instead OF travelling
around the corner. The road thus iuld
out would strike direct for Centrai City
from Rapid creek gap, following the sun.
NIT of a low ridge and passing withi.i IA
mile of Dead wood, making II saving oi
Hsome fifteen miles. The ronte has b,en
examined and pronounced entirely feast,
Die. But it is not contemplated by the
people If Rapid that Deadwood is to
remalnthe only objective point in the
Hills. They are convinced that next
season will open up the quartz resources
of Pennington aud Custer coubties and
will fully develop the placer claims lying
along RapiA, Spring and Battle Greeks
An travel to these Joints must go through
RAPID, aud the scheme of its inllabitaAts
is to make their city the supply point Tor
the mining camps and towns that WEI
spring up wherever the soil or the ROCKS
yield good pay. This is their hope and
already the tendency of trade poiuts tn
such a result. The merchants OF the
mining camps and villages IN this portion
OF the Hills come first to Rapid when in
la search of fresh stocks of goods and II
they fail to fad there what they want a
trip TO Deadwood must then be made.
The complaint of mountain merchants Is
that there is no general stock OF goods IN
Rapid large enough to draw from. Al
present there is no: sufficient demand to
warrant any very extensive mvestment
IN the wholesale business in Rapid City
Still it is Il place business men OF means
would do vel To keep an eye on. Al
miniug operations open up favorable Ia
the spring it will become ii good point.
1t was not my good fortune 10 visit
upper Rapid and Castle creeks, but there
are many Yanktnn men interested III thai
region who speak in the highest terms o.
its resources and are waiting for the day
when capital shall bring forth It's gaoe
. fTl,.n. n,N,rtnuifia IN tl,pss
Southern Hills for varied Industries gu
of winch men will thrive N through
j, their medium pleasant homes will sup
: pIa.t the solitude which now no DIS pos
E session OF SO large a portion of this coun
! try. Not the least important OF thes'
will come out of the timber resources o
the Hills. The pines which cover the val
, leys, slopes and hiiItops furnish IA ahund
ace of the raw material. On Rapi'
= creek water power Can be prottab,y use,
. but in other portions Of the Hills til
|, steam engine must furnish the power I
drive the saws.
In the Rapid creek valley aud up an
Z down the foot hill range all the VIA
from Hayward City 10 Crook City al
y extensive depnsites Of pure white gypsuf
which crops ous through the soil on a
the elevations 1t exists in soiid MAJ
throughout the IA. &c and can be casil
u ouarrisd. We found also extensive d
i posites of mica in this locality, aud the
l. is abundlnt cvideice of the presence
copper. II is asserted that ilear Rap
CITY q coal deposite has been discover.
" but AS l. has not vet been opened,
II extent is one of the uncertainties TO
t. solved by future investigation. With
mr. mach of natures raw material to woI
upon, l can see no reason why prospect
must not come to this sectisn OF Dakol
1t is yet new to the knowledge of t
: world, and must bide its time. &.