Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-12-29
TIE A HILIssS

y h''NA - thi1 'iaN ihi''' N'Na''
try is AL that part OF Dakota lying south
! of the i5'h parallel ofnorth latitude and
We.t ofthe lend meridian, and all that
n.r.i"ti ~ Wyoming lying north of the
4 ! parable. and east If the l05th mcri-
diln, and embracing about 22,50G square
miles, or 1850, 0M acres. of which about
o~ne-fourth is agricultural, the other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About iC0, 600 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 Il
small portion lying east of the banks of
the Cheyenne river ard the l03d meri-
dian. The farming lands Of the Hills
are ny productive as car be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, GO Of barley, 10 Of oats, 400 of
potatoes and GOO of onions have been
raised per acre Of ground. All other
kinds of vegetables do equally as we'll f;
potatoes that will weigh two or three
pounds are common, and some have
been raised that went as high rs four
| pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly imprcgnatcd with ryp-
! sum, Of which there is an inexhAuslible
sapply. and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are es-
timatel at 6,G0o square miles, the timber
is principally Norway pine, with some
! spruce. cottonwood, willow, aspeI,, 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 equ.l Inducements TO the stock
grower. lhe finest and most nutritious
grasses Hith plenty of good wafer ana
-hciter from the winter winds and
scarcely amy snow, cattle keep TT on the
range the year ronnd, never knowing
Nhat ii i. to be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice of five different railroad, to
ship his stock, thereby getting the low
=, -,
and horses 90 better.
Large herds bHllaio"r 10" swarm
ing over Nle ranges iof'ii ana west o.
the Hills, with many thousands OF cattle
mixed III WIN Them l"o Years ago
the h"rdeSt winter eve known III 'ne
west, )he i""S o! 'aHIc vas only aooui .
per cent, Nniie ~ ''e states ana TERN
tories S"u'h y vest "i mere me '""S
"aS rom ~" - per cent lhere are
81 'he present 'iil' ABOUT ''"'""' hea'
81 c"'lle on inc ranges 10 'hlS 'l'lii'!
ana room Tor I''"'''"o more "!'ho"'
NcrN'otNiiE 'he country
Gold miniuC j" carried on from Dcai
.ulr!r on the rorth to Custer ti;y in tlG
"H'hern part o. 'he Kills, a distance o
"inety niles, az! from Rockford on the
%t2t IL lt"ckcrvi:ir on the east. In nt
other country in The world are there 8
mn and extensive miseA OF gold ~ IL
thc Black Hills. From the northern L
he southern and iY"Ia the eastern tC
,le western extremely gold is found /.
early every gulyh and on every hi!
Aithin die mineral belt. Ia other min
ing counties il is only found over
small area of country, covering bat
few miles Of territory at the most; here
there are about leo square miles il
what is called the mineral, and gold i
foaud IN almost every square mile Of til
.3n0. The IodeS vary III size from ~ t.
900 feet in width. and some AS mnci
L, =" mikes in length. The great major
~ of the mines are low grade ore. b,I
in the immense bodies Of pay ore an'
cod management these mines HAY
cen made 10 pay better than any 9th
r.. in the Waited states. Ore that wi
d - per ton will pay t. work, whit
-h.t which CovS from :. 10 so per to
iii ,av l|rgclr. The ore which !
,orke,l w the great !!omentake mill
Lead City. does not average 81 pc
.ca, vet that company 49, "aii tNy-on
successive unrth'c dividends, part c