Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-09-08
THE BLACK HILLS

What is termed the Black Hills coun.
try is all that part of Dakota lying soutl
Of tie 45th parable, ofnorth latitude and
west of the l02nd meridian, and all that
portion of Wyoming lying north Of the
43d parallel and east of the l05th meri.
dian. and embracing about $500 square
miles, or li,500, 900 acres. ofwhich about
onc-lourth is agricultural, The other
three-fourths being mineral and pastoral
lands. About 100000 acres, all of which
are in Dakota, have been taken under
the homestead, pre-emption 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 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 AS high as four
pounds. The soil is a rich vegetable
mold, strongly ~impregnated with gyp-
sum, Of which there is an inexhaus,iblc
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 flow on to the Cheyenne river on
lhc north and south side.
No other country in North America
can fer equal Inducements to the stock
ROVER. The finest and most nutritious
grasses with plenty of good water and
shelter ron The winter winds and
scarcely amy snow. cattle keep Eat on The
range the yer round, never knowing
What il is 10 be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice OF five different railroads t.
hip hi, stock, thereby getting me low.
possible rates to take them To mar
ket. Sncep 90 equally as well as cattle.
and horses do better.
LARGE herds o'but!aloar now swarm.
{ . uVe the ranges north ana west Of
sr !Illl,. ii II many Thousand, OF cattl,
il with them. Two wears age
lie har,.~I 0iutcr ever known in th,
NE loss az cattle WAS only about s
per cent, While in Tie states and terri
.uIiC- south and vest of here the loss
was from 20 to - per cent. There are
ihe present tinr Hhout 100000 head
"f cattle On lac ranges il this vicinity
and room for lWc0.Oh0 more wihou,
oyerstocking the country.
.,'" u,iai = il ".rlitd on from ne.r
~ 'hc hp fr~tcr city ia tie
.i.. rol hc i,i;,, di~tanre Of
"." ari :r"ta uo,hurl n Tie
t. !.o IclNi3r IA lie cast. In no
oct ru".fry j. he world are there 50
any Il: tN'cu~iv" WiHc> of coi
'hr Black Hills !to.A .ir northern Ia
nu;hcrn am, roe. the eastern TO
y" western cx'rcl' ct, gold is fo"ni in
- rly every gui,h and ON every bill
Ni;hiu the mineral bell. Ia other mia
,"g countries it j. Only found over Il
-iuull area OF country. covering but Il
few niles OF territory at the most here
are about l,2O0 square miles in
V hat is called The mineral, and gold is
found III almost every sguare mile Of the
! POO. The l'les wary in size from IL 10
! GEO feet in width and some as much
rs 80 miles in length. The great MAORI
~ ofthe 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 any 9th
crs in the United states. Ore that will
60 81 per ton will pay 10 work, while
that which goes from 81 to $40 per ton
will pay largely. The ore which is
worked by the great liomestake mills
at Lead City, does not average s. per
ton, yet that company has paid iifty-one
successive monthly dividends, part of
which have been $4,000 per month and
the balance $4,000, besides having a
surplus IN hand after paving al,
expenses. These mines are better
developed than any others in the Black
Hills, but equally rs good ard extensive
have been discovered
The quartz mills are the largest and
most complete in the world, nearly all
ffem 40 to 100 stamps.
The silver mines of the Hills are all
Of high grade. Those of Galena have
been worked continuously ever since
$40 and tie ore shipped by wagon to
riinev $50 miles, thence by rail to
Omaha, Nebraska, for treatment. AT
the carbon't" camp, sever miles west
of Deadwood, rich carbonate mines have
been opened. tie 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
Ill l., ttn s,.,t - 49, ..1