Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-02-03

now used owing to the ccrt of transpor-
tation.
Incxhaustible beds ofgyp-utn encIrclc
the entire Hills Just inside the foothills
and outside the main Black Hills. Al
present it is only used by plasterers.
With the advent Of railroads, it will be
shipped to the safes east Of the Missouri
rive, there 20 be used as IL fertilizer Ola
their worn ont lands.
Petroleum is found on the west side o!
the Hills in Wyoming territory near the
boundary line between Dakota and
Wyoming. No works have as yet been
established for refining. 1t is only used
for lubriuatinl purposes by the Home
stake and othe- companies at their
mills.
Salt spring. are situated about eight
miles northeast Of the oil springs and in
Wyoming territory. Salt for the entire
Hills is manufactured here, and sold on
the ground fol tTC cents per pound.
Marble Ola beautiful purple color i.
found near Rapid City and Custer, and
sand stone, granite, slate porphyry and
limestone is plentiful, and is found in
every part OF The Hills.
The Black Hills is a well watere,
country, being trained by the forks o
the Cheyenno river and their tributa
ries. On Hot Spring creek in Cus;e.
county are situated mineral spring
which are IA acquiring a reputation 70.
curative powers second to none in tn,
United States. The average tempera.
ture is % degrees F%arenheit.
The average prices of the difercr,
products of the country are as follows
Cogn, - per bushel oats. 81 wheat
Sl.25; potatoes, 81 onions, $50; hour
50 per hundred weight; eggs, fifty cents
per dozen; butt forty cents per pound.
groceries cost abou' : cents more than
in Chicago; dsyboard $50 per month
with lodging $50. Farm hands, So per
month teamsters, $40 to $50; day labor
ers, 81 per day mechanics from 81 to 50
PEI day miners. 81 pen day.
Money is ioancd Ut from IS to Sc per
cent per annum. Tie rcasonofsuc high
rate of interest is that there are SO MANY
opportunities of investing money to
good advantage that few people have
any to loan. and the demand has ALWAYS
exceeded the supply.
CUSTER CITY,
The pioneer town ofthe Hills j. situat.
,i IN the southern portion about twelve
or fifteen miles from the foothills and
its natural advantages are acknowledged
hy ell as cXCell1 NJ all others either i'm
the mining OF agricultural districts
Located in a valley ten or twelve miles
long By one mile in width, it is easily
accessible to railroads either from the
east, south or west, and is the only towr
in .hc Hills that could he tapped By {
roai running on IN east and west line
frlm either Pierre or Chamberlain. II
IA rny other toWu, n road, having as it
( Oh tive point tGe Yellowstone park OF
th> l4cili ia coast, would have to make /;
occur Eum 100 to 2CO miles. Airead,
e..s W have bcei .'nn by various road,
IA, ~ this po:n; !. ;itw. Thus situat
b q tt 81 .'.. fKts- Tt - Ltrt,t.4rt tla -. nn
oftiH mining districts e the Scutherr
'!.us AMI also that OF the farming ant
storh raising Interests, the latter eX
tendiag for sixty miles to Tie south anC
west. IL is also the centre Of the riches
mica district in the world, there bein;
wit, = a radius of three miles no les,
tllat q nalf dozen producing mines tn,
annIal yield of which is upward o
10000 pounds of mcrchantable mica tC
to ten miles from town are the bonanz
gu!t mines of the Southern Hills inciud
IL! the Grand Junction, Old Bill, Hart
ford, Atlantic, Salmon, st. Elmo, Pcnob
scot, Gold star and others, a majority o
which have mills, iioisting works, etc.
now in operation. On the south for ter
or twelve miles are TO be found rich cop
per and silver mines and on the ives
the coal fields. gypsum beds, salt and oi
springs. while fertile farming lands are
snndWirhed in between all. As an iilu
stration OF the money to be made or
even Il small piece of farming land il
HE valleys surrounding Custer we viii
state that j. y. Wright on seventeen
acres, located two miles west Of town
cleared 81 800 in one On tn,
south, within six or eight hours ride
are the famous Hot Springs, whose cur
alive powers are already attracting the
attention of the outside world, and
which are equal to those Of Arkansas
The town is the county seat Of Custer
county, which hasan area of3,00O squart
miles, two-thirds of which is agricultural
and grazing lands and the other third
mineral, the latter occupying the north
ern portion Of the county are covered
with a heavy growth Of Norway pine
The town has a $4,000 court house, two
fine churcb-h ril1inps hplnpoipu Ia ths