Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-06-28

unwinds it with a grand flourish to reach
the leaders, the consequence generally is,
that the lash is wound around his neck, or
it clips off a piece Of the ear of the in
qulsitive passenger who persists in riding
beside the driver. But with practice he
will soon overcome this defect, and the
number Of outside passengers who arrive
in the Hills with bloody ears and livid
lines upon their cheeks, will rapidly dimin-
ish from this time forward. Gardner is
enthusiastic and indefatigable in his bust
ness, and is bound to make the Pierre route
win.
On Tuesday evening, thlrty-six hours cut
from Pierre, we arrived at Rapid City,
where we left the stage for the purpose of
taking a look at the place and its surround
ings.
p 1 L
is located in the valley OF Rapid creek,
where that stream issues from the foot
hills, and at the confluence of the Fort
Pierre, Sidney and Kearney stage roads
and a road is now being constructed which
Will bring the Cheyenne mail here, thus
making it the centering point Of all the
stage lines to the Hills, except that from
Bismarck. The town has a beautiful site,
is advantageously located with reference to
business with the numerous mining camps
in the Hills, and has flowing through it the
finest stream of water we have in the west.
Rapid creek is about thirty five feet wide.
tn water has an average depth of about
twenty inches, with a very rapid current,
furnishing numerous and unrivaled water
powers. The valley averages about three
quarters of q mile in width. The soil has
a reddish appearance, is, in my judgment,
not very fertile, and can only be made mod
erately productive by a thorough system of
irrigation. Indeed, what | have seen of the
Hills leads me to the opinion that it is
practically worthless as an agricultural
country, but stock raising can be made
profitable in the numerous valleys and
small prairies which interspeise the Hills.
There have been several frosts since | have
been here, which have practically destroyed
all garden vegetables, and about two weeks
ago q lively sno storm prevailed in the
northern part of the Hills. Rapid City
contains about fifty houses, a population Of
about 200, and has several stores carrying
small stocks Of general merchandise. All
the buildings are log structures, but a saw
mill has recently been started near here,
which delivers lumber for $50 per thous-
and feet, consequently the buildings here.
after erected will be of a better class. The
people here have great faith in the natural
advantages of their town, and profess TO be
certain that it will soon become the sup
ply depot for all the mining camps in the
central portion of the Hills. | would like
to suggest to them, however, that if they
wish to have their town reach this position.
they must exhibit more enterprise and less
OF that ill-teehng and personal abuse which
nearly every man in the place INDUCES
against his neighbor. There is also trouble
in regard to the townsite, there being rival
claimants. Col. w. P. Martin, who was
generally recognized as the original locator,
has disposed of his interest to one of the
claimants, "a company of ten persons) and
the language he uses when speaking of the
people of the town, is selected, but not
fatteripg.
H MINING GROUNDS
on Rapid creek are in a backward state of
development, owing to the excessive
amount of water, which prevents the mi.
ners from reaching bedrock until they get
better pumps and more of them. Opening
a mine on Rapid or Castle creeks is an ex-
pensive operation, as the bedrock lies from
twenty five to thirty feet below the surface,
and the lameunt of water which must be
pumped out, it is claimed, is almost equal
to the volume which runs in the streams
on the surface, Hotfman's and Beadle's
pumps are on the way to this mining dis
trict, and 1t is believed that when they are
put 10 work, bedrock will be reached and
the value Of the ground determined. Of
the result, there is no doubt, among those
who hold claims, as there is not one but
what is certain that they will strike it
rich = when they get to bed rock, and the
indications are that they will.
PERSONA Il.
We met here a humber of former Yank-
t%onians, among them Robert Mccormick,
who seems to be well satisfied with his
prospects; G, L. Allen, who has an interest
In a rancho on the Cheyenne river j.. N.
Dledrick, who has promising mines at
Camp Crook; Bud Todd, who came down