Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-02-10
THE BLACK HILLS.

portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
43d parallel and east of the lO5th meri-
dian, and embracing about -. 800 square
miles, or l4,5O0.00O acres, o (which about
one-fourth is agricultural, the other
threc-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 1905 900 acres, all Of which
are in Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead, presumption and timber
culture acts. The balance is 10Y open
to settlement, with the exception of a
small portion lying east of the banks of
the Cheyenne river and the l03h meri-
dian. The farming lands of the Hills
are as productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, sc 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 well
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 Il rich vegetable
mold, strongly im%pregnated 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-
,imatcl at 5000 square miles, the timber
is principally Norway pine, with some
sW uce, cottonwood, willow, aspen, oak,
ash. elm, etc, along the margin of the
streams which rise in ;he mountains
and flow on to the Cheyenne river on
thc 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 amy snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what it is 10 he 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 as well as cattle,
and horses do better.
Large herds ofhuifalo are now swarm
ing ovcr the ranges north and west Of
the Wills, 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
tories south and west of here the loss
was from 20 to - per cent. There are
at the present time about 100000 head
Of cattle on the ranges in this vicinity
and room for 100000 more without
o~verstockinE the country.
sold mining is carried on from Bear
guich on the north to Custer City III the
southern part pfthc Hills, a distance OF
ninety miles. AMI from Eorhfor on the
"crt to ituvhcr>ii!c un tie east. j. ~
other Cuui;ry ia the world are there So
many and extensive min2o &C gold q, in
the nlJck Hills. From The northern Ia
wv E''iAiii'' ! Nh'A ft''iii u 80 ! -
the western "rXtic,lcty sod is found in
nearly every gulrn and on every hi!'
within the mineral belt. in other min
ing countries IL il only fulNd over =
small area Of country, covering but a
few miles of territory at tie most here
there are about Loo square miles ia
~, lat -, li.i Nm b..,ar,I ,rl n.ll :,
found in almost every square mile of the
J 200. The loGcs vary in size from 10 TO
! 900 feet in width, and some As much
rs 30 miles in length. The great MAORI
Is Of the mines are low grade ore, bat
with the immense bodies Of pay ore and
good management these mines have
been made to pay better than any 9th
ers in the United States. Ore that will
90 s. per ton will pay to work, while
that which goes from s. to $40 per ton
will pay largely. The ore Which is
worked by the great Homestake mills
at Lead City. Ices not average g per
ton. yet that company has paid fifty one
Successive monthly dividends. part Of
which have been 100000 per month and
the balance $4,000. besides having a
large surplus on hand after paying ali
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 larges. and
most complete IL the world, nearly all
have from 40 to 100 stamps.
The silver mines Of the Hills are all
Of II high grade. Those Of Galena have
been worked continuously ever since
1876, and the ore shipped by wagon to
Sidney 20O 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
all in the vicinity of Harney's peak and
Custer City. They are easily worked, re-
curing very little capital. All that is