The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-05-25
The Riches of Crook County, Wyoming.

BY common consent the mines west
and northwest of Deadwood City are
located in Crook county, Wyoming
Territory, while zoe claim that all of
the settlements in the Hills, Custer
City possibly excepted, are situated
west of the Dakota line. For positive
information OF this subject we shall
have to await the termination of the
boundary survey, which will be COM
menced at an early day, some of the
surveying party, among whom we
notice, Capt. Tuttle, the astronomer of
Prof. Jenney's expedition, having al
ready arrived in this city. LSH~
OF what we kno,o to be in Crook
county, the N. Y. Suns correspondent
| speaks as follows:
Potato gulch district, of which men,
ton has already been made, has an
area of about twenty-five square miles.
1t is in Wyoming Territory, twenty
miles west of Deadwood, and includes
Sand, Spearfsh and Iron creeks, Bear.
Niger and Potato gulches, each, with
the exception of Niger gulch,R having
an abundance of water for rocking the
season through, and sufficient for sluic-
ing until July. The streams, except
Spearflsh, which runs north, take west
erly direction and empty into the Red
water, the finest stream in the Black
Hills, being fifty feet wide and twenty
inches deep. The water is pure and
clear as crystal, and, the fall being 100
feet to the mile. the current is tremen-
dous. Spearfish is second in volume to
Redwater, but has a much more rapid
flow. These water courses all rise neal
Crooks monument, and traverse the
most rugged, broken, yet majestic ,por-
ton of the Hills. The country in
every direction gives evidence of vol
canic action and internal heat, which.
with the '~'unwashed" THAT is, not ear
ried any great length by water) appear
ance of the gold taken from the gulches,
creates the impression that quartz must
abound in very rich quantities. For
over i year prospectorsh have endeavored
to discover it, but without success;
hence the inference is fair that the
placer claims are fed by what are called
"blind leads" which cannot be struck
except by capitalists who may choose
and al afford to tunnel for them.
The largest nugget found in this dis
trict weighed, as already stated, q little
over seven ounces. 1t was discovered
by the purest accident. Two penniless
prospectors, colored men, who had been
crowded out of Deadwood were working
their way across the country. Over
taken by a storm they took refuge be-
meath the roots Of an overturned tree,
where, while gazing around, one of
them discovered the nugget sticking to
a lump of clay to a root hanging over
his head. A prospect hole was dug
there and then, and q pocket found that
Melted the negroes $4,000 for the sea-
sons work, although they were obliged
to haul the dirt over a mile to the near
est water. a California company has
recently taken up fifty claims upon
Redwater, far out in the valley, and
will begin work with their hydraulics
in a few days. They claim to have Sc
cured excellent prospects, and evince
the utmost faith in the success of their
speculations. gflE
Gold Run, tributary to MILESTONE
creek, is four miles distant, and is about
four miles in length. 1t was taken up
early last year, worked throughout the
entire season, and yielded about ten
thousand dollars to the claim. 1t prom
ises to equal, if not surpass, that result
the present season.
Boulder and Two Bit gulches head
together, three miles northeast of Dead
wood, and are very rich; but owing to
the absence of water, except barely
sufficient for rocking purposes, they
have not had a full test. An immense
fume, eight miles long, is being con-
structed to carry water from White
wood, up and over the mountains, to
this rather isolated district. When
completed, as it Dol will be, the claims
will be developed.