Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-02-17

~ $50 49, 'A'''5 NDo's
try is all that part Of Dakota lying south
Of the 45th parallel ofnorth latitude and
west Of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
ADD parallel and east of the l05th meri-
dian, and embracing about %, 800 square
miles, or l4,5O0,0o0 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, pre-emption 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 1881 meri-
dian. The farming lands Of the Hills
are "a productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, go 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 went as high as four
pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnated with Typ.
sum, of which there is an in~eXhaus,ible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are es-
timatci at 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 any snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
What il is To hc fed; tlIc stock raiser can
have choice of five different railroads to
shiv his stock, thereby getting the low.
est possible rates 10 lake mem 10 mar
ket. Sheep DO equally as well as cattle,
and horses do better.
Large herds ofbulIalo are now swarm
Ing over the ranges north and west of
the Hills, with many thousands of cattle
mixed in with them. Two years ago,
the hardest winter ever known in the
wet, 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 20 10 per cent. There are
at tie present time about 500,C00 head
of cattle on the ranges iii this vicinity
and room for 100000 more without
overstockirg the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
,nllrh ON fire north 10 Custer CITY in the
southern Dart Of the Hills. . distance of
ninety mite, and from Eochford on Die
west TO Rockcr\i!;c on the east. In no
other countrv in the world arc thore so
MANY ana extensive Mines >. GDtfi .S III
,hc Black Bills. From the northern tu
the southern and from tie eastern to
the western extremely gold is found in
nearly every culch and on every hin
within the mineral belt. III otter min
inc countries it is ONLY found over n
small area or country. covering but a
few miles ortcrritory Of The most here
there are shout l.2CO square miles in
v hat j. called the mineral, ard gold is
found in almost every square mile of the
1920. The lodes vary in size from 10 TO
LOGO feet in width. and some as much
as 80 miles in length. The great MAORI
ty of the mines are low grade ore. but
with the immense bodies of paw ore and
good management these mines have
been made 10 paw better than any 9TH
crs in the United States. Ore that will
On - oer ton will pav TO work. while
that which goes from 81 TO $40 Der Ton
will paw largely. The ore which is
worked by the great Homcstake mills
at Lead CITY. does not average g. per
tor. vet that has paid ftv.one
successive monthly dividends. part of