Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-05-19

NY Is all t1at part OF lakOta lying south
Of the 10Th parallel of north latitude and
west of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
43d parallel and east Of the lO5th meri-
dian, and embracing about 22,500 square
miles, or l4,5UU,NW 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, presumption and timber
culture acts. The balance is now open
TO settlement, with the exception of n
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, 80 Of barley, no. Of oats, 400 of
potatoes and 800 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
pbIlANlO dJC tOiliiil'li, hfi "a ~
been raised that went 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
never become impoverished.
The timber lands of the Hills are es-
timated 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 it is to be fed: the stock raiser can
have choice of five different railroads to
slip his stock. thereby getting the low.
est possible rates to take them to mar
ket. Sheep DO equally as we'll as cattle,
ana iorSeS w 'e''ci'
Large herds of buffalo 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 s
per cent, while iii the states and terri
tories south and west of here the loss
was from 20 10 - per cent. There are
al tn" present time about 100000 head
Of cattle on the ranges III this vicinity
and room for l,o0O,0OO more without
ovcrstocking the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
gulch on the north 10 Custer City in the
southern part of the Hills, a distance of
ninety miles, and from Rockford on the
| west to Rnckcrville on the east. In no
other country in the world are there so
many and extensive mines of gold as i'm
the Black Hills. From the northern to
The southern and from the eastern to
the western extremely gold Is ru,,n,! in
nearly every gulcll and on every hill
Within the mineral belt. III other min
inc countries it is onlv found over q
small area of country, covering but q
few miles Of territory at the most here
there are about 1000 SQUARE miles i'm
what is called the mineral. and gold is
found IN almost every square mile of the
200. The lodcs vary i'm size from 10 TO
1000 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 bodie, of pav ore and
good management these mines have
been made 10 pay bette. than any 9TH
crs i'm the United states. Ore that will
go 50 DER ton will pav 70 work. while
that which goes from - TO SO Der ton
will pay largely. The ore which is
worked by the great Homestake mills
at Lead CITY. does not average 81 per
TON vet that conpanv has paid Gfty.one
successive monthly dividends. part of
vhich have been $4,000 per month and
,bo b,1,,o c,n onO ha.;los h.,;,, :,