Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-11-10
TIE Il HILLS

try is all that part of Dakota lying south
of the 45th parallel Of north latitude and
west of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
i3d parallel and east of the l05th mcri-
dian, and embracing about 22,5M square
miles, or li,JO0,WGN acres, ofwhIch about
one-fourth is agricultural, the other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About iD, 900 acres. all of which
are i'm Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead, pre-enlption 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 "a well
potatoes that will weigh two or three
pounds are common, and some have
been raised that went rs high as 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
is 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 flow 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 fat ON the
range the year round, never knowing
what 1t is to be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice of five different railroads to
ship his stock, thereby getting the low
est pcSslpie rates 10 take '''eln 10 mar
ket. Sheep do equally as well as cattle,
ana hofses 90 ue''cr.
Large herds ofbutfalo are now swarm
ing over The ranges north ani 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 8
per cent, while in the states and terri
tories south and west Of here the loss
Was from 90 to - per cent. There are
at the present time about 100000 head
Of ci;tlc on the range in ihis vicinity
aHd room for l,GWto0 more without
ov~er>tockiug the country.
Colo mining is carrie on from Bear
rnlch Ca the north TO Custer Git, in tue
southern pjrt of The iii.a. a distance Of
ninety miles, end from i;orhfo, on tie
west 10 10 .k,ryi;ie ,u ,i,. ,,,:. IL no
other countr in the word are here -
many and Extensive nincS of .<.Id AS i'm
The Slack ...lts. From HE northern 20
the sonihcyn and from the 9. Stern to
The western extremely gold is .onnd in
ucar,v every cnl,h am: on every hi;
within tie mineral belt. In other min.
ipc countries il * only fouud over q
small area Of country. covering but Il
few miles oftcrritorv at the most here
there are about 900 SQUARE miles i'm
what is called the mineral. and cold is
found, IN almost every SQUARE mile Of the
/, cno The lodes vary in size from IN IN
/, nGn feet in width aud somo os mnch
40 IN miles :, Io,c,b Tho ora,, n,o;or;.
.. oe.ho ,,i,ss ,ra ,o., or,,,a ar. l,,,
with tbe immense bodies &c nav orc and
oood mop.co,,ert th,se mines have
heon made IN nay hotter th,n onv 9th.
ors ~ Tho Tn;,oa States Ore that v;u
80 90 ,sr 70, ,;Il n,, ~ ,.o,k wh;,.
,bot Witch ,oec from S1 IN Gu nor ton
will nav LARGELY The ore which is
worlnd bv tho groot Uomastake mill.
o, eod C;,y .;oes rot ,,.r,co & n.,
,on vo, .bot oo,ro,v has Mil f6vora
spccessive monthly d;videpds mar, of
which have hecp $40 600 ner month and