Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-08-11
THE BLACK HILLS

Try is all that part of Dakota lying soutl
of the 10Th parallel of north latitude ant
west Of the l02nd meridian. and al tina
portion Of Wyoming lying north of the
43d parallel and east of the l05th meri
dian, and embracing about -, 800 square
miles, or l1,500,000 acres, ofwhlch abou,
one-tourth is agricultural, the other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 1905 900 acres, all Of which
are In Dakota, have been taken unde,
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 1881 meri
dian. The farming lands Of the Hills
are ar productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels OF
wheat, go Of barley, 10 of oats, 400 OF
potatoes and 500 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 as high us four
pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly impregnated 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
IL 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 dow 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 f.t on the
range the year round, never knowing
what il is 10 hc fed; the stock raiser can
nave choice Of five different railroads to
l;.
-, ' ~ Wv"
EST possible rates to take them to mar
ket. Sheep 40 equally as well az cattle,
Large hefa7 o. ban"lo ar" now swarm
'"R over inc ranges lI"rth AMI west OF
the Wills, with imauy thousands Of cattle
NJ N~,Al -, ,..,1 hoo. ~.
h'Ae" IN WIN thehl. Two years ago.
'he iihT'ie-' winter ever known III tit'
"e7'' me loss ol cattle was only about 5
per cent, "hiie III Tie states and terri
tories sonth ana west OF here The loss
""A from w" Z" per cent. There are
at 'ile present uhe ah"h 10000" head
vi ca't'e on 'he ranges III thls vicinity
al" room Tor l,CW',ooo more without
o'cIStocKll2 lhc county.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
@U'rh on the north 10 Caster City in the
'onthern part Of the Hills, ii distance OF
ninety miles. and from Rockford or the
west to Rook.rYiiie on Tie east. in no
other country in the world are there 80
many and extensive mines Of gold rs in
the Black Hills. From the northern 10
the southern and from the eastern to
the western extremely gold il found in
nearly every gulch and on every hill
within the mineral belt. In other min
ing countries it is only found over ii
small area Of country. covering but a
Wv miles Of territory at the most here
Il re are shout LOO square miles in
WHIT is called thes mineral. and gold il
fouiN III almost every square mile of The
] 200. The lodes vary in size from 10 10
! 600 feet in width, and some as much
as 80 miles in length. The great MAORI.
" Of the mines are low grade ore, but
with the immense bodies Of pay ore and
good management these mines have
been made to pay better than II 9TH
crs in the United States. Ore that will
90 81 per ton will paw to work, while
that which goes from 81 to so per ton
will pay largely. The ore which il
worked by the great IIomcstake mills
1T Lead City. does not average ~ per
ton. vet that has paid iiftv-one
successive monthly dividends, part of
which have been 100000 per month and