Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-08-25

nat Is termed the BlaCk I1lIlS u
try is all that part of Dakota lying south
Of the i5;h parallel ofnorth latitude and
west of the lO2nd meridian, and all that
portion Of Wyoming lying north of the
i3d parallel and east of the l05th mcri-
dian, and embracing about 22,500 square
! miles, or 1880 900 acres, ofwhIch about
one-fourih is agricultural. the other
threc-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 10000 acres, all Of which
are in Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead, presumption aid timber
culture acts. The balance is now open
20 settlement, with the exception of a
small portion lying east of the banks of
the Cheyenne river and the lO8d meri-
dian, The farming lands of the Hills
re AZ productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels Of
wheat, 80 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 well !:
potatoes that will weigh two or three
pounds are common, and some have
been raised hat went as high as four
pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnated with gyp-
sum, of which there is an inexhaus;ible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are cs-
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 10 the Cheyenne river On
the north and south side.
No other country in North America
can offer equal inducements to the stock
The finest and most nutritious
grasses with plenty of good water ana
shelter from the winter winds and
scarcely any snow, cattle keep TAT on the
range the year round, never knowing
what il j. to be 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 a. wei! as cattle,
and horses do better.
Large herds ofbufaloa are now swarm
ing over the ranges north and west Of
the Mills, 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 in the states and terri
,ories south and west Of here the loss
was from ~ 10 IS per cent. There are !
at the prc.ont time about >U0,ouU head
Of cattle on the ranges in this vicinity
ard r00iu for 1000, 00a more withoa,
overs:orking the country.
Cold mining is carried On from Beer
gulcil on the north to Custer City in tLc
southern part Of The Hills, a distance Of
ninctv mi,e>, and FROM Rockford on tie
We; r. Rochrrvilie on the east. In no
1tncr cc";.r; IL tie word are there 50
many and extensive mines OF gold 80 in
the l;lack Hills. From the northerH TO
Tive southern 2nd from the eastern to
;hc western extremely gold il found liz
nearly every guich and on every hiii
within the mineral belt. mother min
ing countries it L. only found over a
small area Of country, covering but a
cw miles Of territory at tie moSt here
\'lat i. called the mineral, and gold is
= \nd IN almost every square mile OF the
LAO. The lrdcs vary il size from 10 to
l.C1O feet in width. and some as much
as 80 miles in length. The great MAORI
" of the mines ere low grade ore hGt
with the immense bodies of pay ore aiid
good management these mines have
been made to pay better than any 9th
or, in the United States. Ore that will
20 - per ton will pay to work, while
that which goes from 81 10 $40 per ton
will pay largely. The ore which *
worked by the great iiomestake mills
at Lead City, does not average s. per
ton, vet that company has paid Gfty.one
successive monthly dividends. part Of
which have been $4,000 per month and
the balance $4,000, besides. having n
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
bave from 40 to 100 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, 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
| oil "a tho vicinity of H%arnay'S ppak and