Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-10-27
THE A HILLS

of the 45th parallel ofnorth latitude and
west ofthc l02nd meridian, and all that
portion Of Wyoming lying north of the
I'D parallel and east Of the lU5th meri-
dian, and embracing about 22,500 square
miles, or IA, 500,0 600 acres. ofwhlch about
one fourth is agricultural, the other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 4O0,0 300 acres, all OF which
sre IN Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead. presumption 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 car be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 90 OF barley, 10 of oats, 400 of
potatoes and 800 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 rs high as four
rounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnated with gyp-
sum, Of which there is an inexhaus:ible
supply, aDi consequently the land need
never become Impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are cs-
timatcd 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
and flow on 20 the Cheyenne river on
;he 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 and
shelter from the winter winds and
scarcely any SNOW, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what il is to he fed; the stock raiser can
nave 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 do better.
Large herds ofbuffalO 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
west, the loss Of cattle was only about :
per cent, while in tie states and terri
tories south and west Oc here the loss
was from 20 to - per cent. There are
1T the present time about 100000 head
of cattle on the ranges in this vicinity
and room for 100000 more without
O~yerstOcking the country.
Gold mining i carried on from Bear
oulch on the north 70 Custer Civ in the
southern part Of The Hills. = distance of
ninety miles. and from Rockford ON The
vest Ia Rnrkerlillc on the cast. In no
other - in The world are there so
the Black l!iis. From the northern TO
l.. ,.u.Ls.u ,nd from tia. o:,!ern to
The western extremely cold i found in
nearly every on,,h and o., cvcrv hi,
within the mineral belt. In other min
;,r roratrieS i; is oplv tnnnJ ov.r .
small area Of country coyering but a
few miles Of TERRITORY at the most here
thor. ore .bout 2oo so,,re miles in
| what i called he. mineral and rold i
Gourd N almost every souore mile Of the
=, 600 ~. ln.les v,rv in sine from Ia IN
, ono foot IN width and some nc mucb
nc 5O p,iles IN )cnoth The GREAT MAORI
70 of : y ,,ines ore low Grade orc h,t
with the immense bodies Of pav ore and
Good management those mines have
been made 20 my better than any 9th
ers in the Tinted STATES Ore that will
,o 90 oer ton viii nay "a vo,k while
.b,t which ooes from q IN s1o nor .on
will nav Lrce,v The ore which is
worled Inv the GREAT Iyomestnke mills
., Jo.d Citv docs NOT aver,ge - nor
ton ve, tho, comnanv has naid Gnv.one
successive monthly dividends. part Of
uhicb b,ve been $50 ooo ner month and
the balance sioOoo besides having =
l. rce srrnlus on hand after nayinr all
exnenees These mines are better
deycloncd than any others in The Black