Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-05-26
THE A HILLS

/ Nuat Is ttTHleu lne Black HIS cOln-
try is all that part Of Dakota lying south
OF the 10th parallel ofnorth latitude and
west of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north of the
i3d parallel and east Of the lO5th meri-
dian, and embracing about 22,5Oo square
miles, Oh l4,5O0 600 acres, ofwhIch about
one-fonrth 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 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 can be found any
place in. the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 60 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 we'll ;
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 ~impregnated with gyp-
sum-. of which there is an i~nexhaustible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are es-
timated at 5000 square miles, the timber
IL 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 to the Cheyenne river ON
the north and soutl 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 be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice If five different railroads To
ship hi. stock. thereby getting the low
' ""
Large herds OF buiiaio ire nov swarm
ing over the rahgeS north AMI west of
NE !ilIls, WIN many thousands ol cattle
mixed III with lhch'. years ago,
me hardest winter ever known In the
VEST, the loss OF cattle was only about s
pei cent, white III 'ic s;A;cS anal terri
tories south and west Of here HE loss
was from ~ TO 10 per cent. There are
"t tie present time about 30o,Go0 head
OF cattle on The range "a tins vicinity
ANA room ior l,]F','H" more without
Overlooking tne cou"tiy.
Gold mining j. carried on from Bear
gulch on the north to Custer CITY in the
southern part Of the Hills, a distance Of
ninety miles. and from Rockford on the
west 10 Rockcrvillc on the east. In no
other country in the world are there so
many and extensive mines OF gold as in
the Black Hills. From the northern to
the southern and from the eastern to
thc western extremely gold is found in
nearly every guIch and on every hi.
within the miucruI belt. In other min
ing countries it i, only found over a
small area of country. covering bat a
few miles of territory at tie most here
there are about 1860 >auare miles in
what is called ihc mineral. and gold is
found IN almost every square mite Of the
!, 900. The Iodes vary in size from To To
] 900 feet in width, and some As much
as 30 miles in length. The great MAORI
tv of the mines are low Grade ore. bu,
with the immense bodies of pav ore and
good management these mines have
been made 70 pay better than any 9th
ers in the United States. Ore that will
90 So Ger ton will nav TO work. while
that which goes from 81 10 $40 Der ton
will pay largely. The ore which is
worked nv the great Homestake mills
at Lead CITY. does not average 81 ner
ton. vet that has paid ffty.ope
successive monthly dividends. part of
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