Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-04-21
THE BLACK HILLS

il"t IL tSIuicu tHc pidck I1lllS COun-
try is all that part Of Dakota lying south
OF the 45th parallel of north latitude and
west Of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
i3d parallel and east of the l05th meri-
dian, and embracing about 22,5O0 square
miles, or l4,500,0 900 acres. ofwhIch 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, presumption and timber
culture acts. The balance is now open
TO settlement, with the exception Of a
small portion lying east Of the banks Of
the Cheyenne river and the lO3d 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, 10 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
been raised that vent as high as four
pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnated with gyp-
sum, of which there is an inexhaustible
supply, and consequently the land need
W become impoverished.
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 in the mountains
and flow on to the Cheyenne river on
the north and south side.
No other country in North America
grower. The finest and most nutritious
grasses with plenty Of good water ana
shelter from the winter winds and
scarcely any snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what ii is to he 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 OF buffalo are now swarm
ing owe the rangc north and west Of
the Hills, with many thousands of cattle
mixed in with them. Two wears AGO,
the hardest winter ever known in the
west, the loss OF cattle WAS only ahout <
per cent, while in the states and terri
tories south and west of here the loss
was from 20 TO IS per cent There are
at the present time .about 100000 head
and room for 100000 more without
overstocking the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
gulch on the north to Custer City in the
southern part Of the Hills, a distance of
ninety miles. and from Rockford on the
west 10 RCckerville on the east. In no
other country in the world arcsthere SO
many and extensive mines Of gold as in
the Black Hills. From the northern to
the western extremely gold is found in
lcarly every guich 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 a
few miles Of territory at the most here
there are about 200 square miles in
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
l.GO0 feet in width. and some as much
as 50 miles i'm 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 to pay better than any 9TH
ers in the United States, Ore that will
20 go 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 IIomestake mills
at Lead City, does not average s. pcr
ton, yet that company has paid ifty-one
successive monthly dividends, part of
which have been $4,000 per month and
the balance 10000. besides having IA
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 Galena 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, even 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
Cucter civ They are easily worked, re-