Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-05-05
THE BLACK HILLS

vi iIDt fplH pdTuiitl Oh HOTtl latituue anu
west Of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north of the
43d parallel and east Of the l0oth meri-
dian, and embracing about $500 square
miles, or l4,500,O 900 acres. o fwhich about
one-fourih is agricultural, the other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 100000 acres, all of which
are in Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead, pre-emption and timber
culture acts. The balance is now open
10 settlement, with the exception Of a
small portion lying east Of the banks of
the Cheyenne river and the l03d meri-
dian. The farming lands of the Hills
are as productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 60 Of barley, 40 of oats, 400 of
potatoes and 600 Of onions have been
raised per acre Of ground. All other
kinds of vegetables do equally AS well ;
potatoes that will weigh two or three
pounds are common, and some have
DtclI IdlScV tHdt "tiit 40 hish ao ioui
pounds. The soil is IA rich vegetable
mold, strongly impregnated with gyp-
sum, Of which there is az i~neXhanstible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become improve ished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are es-
timated at 5000 square miles, the timber
il principally Norway pine, with some
spruce, cottonwood, willow, aspen, oak,
ash. elm, etc, along the margin Of the
streams which rise III the mountains
and flow on to the Cheyenne river on
The north and south side.
No other country in North America
can offer equal inducements to the stock
grower. The finest and most nutritious
grasses with plenty of good water n
shelter from the winter winds and
scarcely any snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what it is to be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice Of five different railroads to
ship his stock, thereby getting the low
est possible rates to take them to mar
ket. Sheep do equally AS well AS cattle,
and horses d better.
Large herds ofbutfalo are now swarm
the Hills, with many thousands Of cattle
mixed in with them. Two years ago,
the hardest winter ever known in the
west, the loss Of cattle was only about s
per cent, while in the states and terri
tories south and west Of here the loss
was from 20 to - per cent. There are
at the present time about 100000 head
Of cattle on the range in this vicinity
and room for 1000, 600 more without
o~verstocking the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
yulch on the north to Custer City in the
southern part of the Hills, Il distance of
ninety miles, and from Rockford on the
west TO Rockervilie on the east. In no
other country in the world are there so
many and extensive mines of gold as in
VIC Dlitk Illilo. OIl iiS lpltlltIu W
the southern and from the eastern to
:he western extremely gold is found in
nearly every gulch and on every hill
within the mineral belt. In other min
ing countries it is only found over a
small area of country, covering but 4
few miles of territory at the most here
tIAra ~ nhnnt ono Sni,.rn ,pilas -,
what is called the mineral, and gold is
found IN almost every square mile OF the
! 200. The lodes vary in size from 10 to
] 600 feet in width, and some as much
as 80 miles in length. The great MAORI
tv of the mines are low grade ore. but
With the immense bodies of pay ore and
good management these mines have
been made "a pay better than II 9TH
crs in the United States. Ore that will
80 50 per ton will pay to work, while
that which goes from 81 to $40 per ton
will pay largely. The ore which is
worked by the great liomestake mills
1T Lead City, does not average 81 per
ION, yet that company has paid iifty-one
successive monthly dividends, part of
y hich have been $4,000 per month and
the balance $4,000, besides having a
large surplus on hand after paying all
expenses. These mines are better
developed than any others in the Black
Hills. but equally Hs good ard extensive
,,ipoe a., va innt. a. ..,Vt.ynl
The quartz mills are the largest and
most complete ia the world, nearly ali
iave irom 40 to l20 stamps.
The silver mines of the Hills are all
Of a high grade. Those Of Galena have
been worked continuously ever since
1876, and the ore shipped by wagon To
Sidney go miles, thence by rail TO
Omaha, Nebraska, for treatment. AT
the carbonate camp, seven miles west
of Deadwood, rich carbonate mines have
been opened, the ore from which is now
being shipped to Omaha and Denver.
Rich and extensive copper mines have
been discovered in several localities.
The mica mines of the Black Hills are
all in the vicinity of Harney's peak and
Custer City. They are easily worked, re-
curing very little capital. All that is
necessary TO work a mica mine and get