Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-02-07
From the Black Hills County,
A Letter from jeff Hildreth.


HILL CITY, fNear DeadwOod,) d. r.,
Jan. 20, 1S70.-EDs. DEMOGRkT:-
You will please find space in your
next paper to publish these few sheets,
AZ i have adopted this plan Of answer
ing, | may say, hundreds Of letters OF
inquiry concerning this country and
more particularly Of my prospects and
probabilities, so | will undertake to
give full account of myself ald Of
this country. AS the most Of yonr
readers are well aware, on or about the
10th of February, 1877, ] left home
with eighty-six horses, and someotler
traps, expecting to make my first sale
at Storm Lake, Iowa, next at Chero-
kee and Finlay, and then return home,
but found at all those places the past
grasShopper season made money ont
Of the question, and the prospect for
more graSsh0ppers the coming season
made it dangerous for us to sell on
time, as banks and business maa re-
fused to negotiate for paper on any
terms. | then left my stock at Le-
Mars and took trip to Sioux City
and Yankton to see what the prospects
were TO sell to the Black Hills cn-
igration found no show to sell 1T
either place. | found that The EN-
igration was going up the Missouri
river on boats to Fort Pierre, and ex-
pccting To hire passage through. J.
had some talk with DR.. Burley, the
owner Of the Black ILLS steamer. He
said that there would be over one
hundred men and baggage on his
steamer, and no teams there To take
them through. So ! at once decided
to takra trip to Dcadwood, sell my
o0tIit and return home. had tWelye
fOur-hoise teams, seven loose ones and
my saddle mule. made tie trip III
six days, more than two hundred
and forty miles, through The worst
country that can be found anywhere
else on earth. ! reached Pierre the
evening before the steamer arrived
The next day loaded cighty.six pay
ing passengers and their baggage, and
nineteen others who had no money or
provisions. My wagons when loaded
looked like hay-stacks. My loading
consisted of tents, tent pocS, pos,
kettles, ovcr-cOats, blankets, proVis-
IONS and SOME whiskey. l}y the first
day Tie rain set IN. When it quit
raining the gunbo had go SO soIt tnat
| was six days going the ncxtthineen
miles. For the meaning Of gulbo, ask
Jimmy Rahlin and Kit Bowden, Vile
overlook inc west Of the Cayenne
river, having deserted Bolen's train.
and arning their way through 10 the
supposed land of wealth. " hen we
got to Deadwood, there were thous-
ands Of men looking for cLeap con.
veymce 90 get home. went into the
retail store business. some Of the
best paying mines gave oft and trade
fell of, put my teams hiuling wood
that thirty-iive of my men were chop
ping. until had eleven hundred cords
of wood hauled to the different mills.
On this wood, received about enough
money to pay the cNpelses.ot cutting
it. The mines failed and the owners
could not pay their bills fo' goods.
lsuld ont my store, and ~ this time
found myself away behind. The next
thing was how to recover, ind SAW
no way but to try and get III interest
in some good mine. Although have
been interested in 4 great many mines
that looked very llatterng lor awhile,
yet all but one failed the alice Mine,
OF which | own u tWo-thirtS interest.
This mine could have Add Tor Il
large sum ot money, had lot Il suit
been brought against me for lcounter-
claim, which suit | am goiEs to beat.
The sudden down full Of business and
the sad faces Of the fall Of 1871 III the
Black Hills never viii forget men
of energy and enterprise Mcrl reduced
10 poverty. George Whitncf, one Of
the main owners of the Keats Mine,
finally failed to ;ay his men, seventy
tive in number, when pay-lhy came
around. The miners took fOrdblC PCS
session Of the mine, backed Dy Other
creditors OF which | was one, Tor
hal sold him $3.50 worth Of groceries.
The miners held the mine for sewn
teen day IS agalns the civil authorities,
but government troups were called IN
and made them give it up.
must here speak Of VIM DELANEY,
Il boy who was raised III MiueGll
Point, In February last he started
on some ground on Elk Greek, four
teen miles from neadwood that after
sinking Ten or fifteen feet, showed
very rich. He could have sold his
claim Tor fifteen thousand dollars hut
lie refused. lie cannot sell nov 1T
amy price
| will close by saying that have
trledall experiments known to mining
lire, and have left nothing lmdoie 10
make my trip Il success and DAY my
debts; had il not been fur en- ar
easements would not have leen
absent from my family SO long
lave tried every thing IN the hills. |
have rode over every mountain rail
aud wagon road in the Hills; IN fact
! have ridden two good nuts Is
death. ! never met amy difficult, I'M
I'll the 10th of last month. | nst n
MIN III the road who cooked his an.
and asked me fol the saddle rodton
being unanarmcd. silently stood HEX |
Willie he shifted the saddle from nv |
mule, leaving me u ride tWpnty.wo /
miles without 4 saddle. The shrifT |
and myself overlook the thief bur |
miles from Custer City on his VA Ia |
Cheyenne ! rode up 10 him wit \
revolver III my hand, and told lin FL |
stop, somewhat iii hopes that ne would |
refuse. but he threw up his hands. ia
now awaits his trial in Man next. unl
says he traded the saddle in Cuser
and got twenty dellars 10 boot.
ain II hopes to get home vet 3.
tween now and Smlag. II hut fol II
Short (lmG JnEn II1t .,t,.sN,.