Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-06-23
THE BLACK HILLS

try is all that part Of Dakota lying south
of the 45th parallel ofnorth latitude and
west of the lO2nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
I'D parallel and east Of the l05th meri-
dian, and embracing about 22,5O0 square
miles, or l4,5O0,oOO acres, Of which about
one-fourth 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, prescription and timber
culture acts. The balance is now open
to settlement, With the exception Of 4
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 IA be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 90 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 we'll ;
potatoes that will weigh two or three
pounds are common, and some have
been raised that went as high as four
pounds. The soil lis "a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnatcd with gyp-
sum-, Of which there is an inexhaustible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands of the Hills are es-
tinated ut 5000 square miles, the timber
is principally Norway pine, with some
spruce, cottonwood, willow, aspen, oak,
ash, elm, etc, along the margin of the
streams which rise in 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 ana
shelter from the winter winds and
scarcely amy snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what it is to he fed; the stock raiser can
have choice Of FIVE different railroads Ia
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 do better.
Large herds oGbutfalo are now swarm
ing over thc ranges north. and west Of
the Hills. with :nany thousands Of cattle
mixed in with them. Two Years ago.
the hardest winter eve known it, tiic
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
al the present time about 100000 head
Of cattle on the range in this vicinity
and room for 1000, 0O0 more without
overlooking the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
gulch on the north TO Custer City in tue
southern part Of the Hills. a distance Of
ninety miles, and from Rockford on the
west 20 k0ckcrVil!e ON the east. In no
other country in the world are there so
many and extensive mines of gold As in
the Black Hills. From the northern to
the southern and from the eastern to
the western extremely gold is found in
nearly every gulch and on every bill
within the mineral belt. In other min
ing countries it is only found over a
small area of country, covering but Il
few miles of territory at the most here
there are about 200 square miles in
what is called the mineral, and gold is
found III almost every square mile of the
! 900. The iodcs vary in size from 10 to
1000 feet in width, and some az much
as 50 miles in length. The great MAORI
" Of the mines are low grade ore, but
with the immense bodies Of pay ore and
good management these mines have
been made 10 pay better than any 9TH
ers in the United States. Ore that will
90 s. per ton will pay TO work, while
that which goes from s. to SO per ton
will pay largely. The ore which is
worked by the great Homestake mills
at Lead City, does not average 81 per
ton, yet that company has paid ffty-one
successive monthly dividends, part of
which have been 100000 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 AS good and extensive
mines have been discovered
The quartz mills are the largest and
most complete in the world, nearly all
have from 40 to l20 stamps.
The silver mines of the Hills are all
Of a high grade. Those Of Galcna have
been worked continuously ever since
1876, and the ore shipped by wagon to
Sidney $50 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 III the vicinity Of liarney's peak and
Custer City. They are easily worked, re-
ouir!nr yerv little capital. All that is