Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-03-31
THE A HILLS

~ 49, go ''faNN pa Va iStihota ~ liz u
of the 45th parallel o. north latitude and
west Of the lU2nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north of the
AID parallel and east Of the l05th mcri-
dian, and embracing about 22, 800 square
miles, or l4,5O0,00 o acres, of which about
~one-fourth is agricultural, the other
three-fonrths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 100000 acres, all of which
are in Dakota, have been taken under
h 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 * productive rs can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 90 of barley, 10 of oats, 400 Of
potatoes and COO 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 rs high as four
pounds. The sol is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly i~mpregnated with gyp-
sum, of which there is an ~inexhauslible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands of the Hills are es-
tlmatel ut 5000 square miles, the timber
is principally Norway pine, with some
spruce, cottonwood, willow, aSpei,, oak,
ash, elm, etc, along the margin of the
streams which rise in the lnountains
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 tat ON the
range the year round, never knowing
what il is 10 b" fed the stock raiser can
have choice Of five different railroads 10
ship his stock, thereby getting the low.
est possible rates To take them 10 mar
ket. Sheep do equally as well as cattle,
and horses d better.
Large herds ofbuffllo ar noY swarm
ing over the ranges north and west Of
,ihe Hills, with many thousands of cattle
mixed in with them. Two years ago.
the hardest winter ever known IA the
west, the iusS OF cattle was only about =
per cent, while in the states and terri
tories south and west Of here the loss
MS from 20 to - per cent. There are
at the present time about 500,G00 head
Of cattle on the ranges in this vicinity
and Don for l,o0G,0 900 more without
overstockirg the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
gulch on the north 10 Custer City in tEe
southern part of The Hills, It Distance of
ninety mi|e-, and from Rnrhforl on Tie
west to ROckcrVil!c on The east. In no
other country in tie world are there 80
many and extensive mines of gold as in
the Black Hills. From the rortlern To
the southern and from the ,asteru 10
the western extremely gold il found in
nearly every gulch and on every hill
within the mineral belt. In otter min
ing countries it is only found over a
small area of country, covering but a
few miles 81 territory at the most here
there are about 100 square miles in
what is called the mineral, and gold il
found IN almost every SOU; re mile Of the
] POO. The lodes war; in size from IL to
! eco feet in width, an some AZ much
;s 30 miles in length. The Great MAORI
~ OF the mines are low n :" ore. but
with the immense DO lies of a ore and
God management these I ines have
been made 70 pay better than any 9TH
e ~ tie United states. ore that will
60 50 per ton will pay to work, while
that which goes from 81 to $40 per ton
will paw largely The ore which il
worked by the g'clt !Iomcstake mills
at Lead City, do not average 81 per
ton, ct that com1tnv has paid tifty.one
successive monthly dividends. part Of
which have been S3O.On0 yer month and
the balance $4,000, he tiles having a
large surplus on ham ,lter paving al
expenses. These ioiucN are better
developed than any others ia the Black
Hills, but equally as good and extensive
mines have been discovered
The quartz mills are the largest and
mos complete in the world, nearly all
have from 40 to 100 stamps.
The silver mines of the Hills are all
Of Il high grade. Those of Galcna have
been worked continuously ever since
1876. anl the ore shipped by wagon to
; idney $50 miles, thence 10y rail To
Omaha, Nebraska, for treatment. Al
The carbonate camp. seven miles west
If peadwoOd, 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 i'm several localities.
The mica mines of the Black Hills are
al in the vicinity Of I~Iarnev's peak and