Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-08-23

with similar veins in Colorado, Nevad;
and California, and development alon,
is required to make either one, or all o
them, good paying mines and wei
worthy of due consideration Of the
capitalist have as yet found no leac
ore, but am Of the opinion that it vii
lie found In large quantity, aud Of gooo
quality, the evidence Of its existence art
here.
have been more especially exam
ining mica mines and am free to
confess that the quantity that is produc
ed here now, and the prospect Of its in
creased production in this district, lead
me to believe that no district on the face
Of Gods earth Of equal size can produce
SO much Of good merchantable mica as
this district can There has been blocks
of it produced here that would cut l6x2(
inches in size, and hundreds of pounds
are shipped from here monthly that
vary in size from AKA up to 10xl2
inches. know Of one mine alone that
has produced 1900 pounds Of mica
during the last three years that sold
readily Mt an average price Of 1915 per
pound. There are several other good
mines now at work and shipping mica
weekly in abundance, and there are
hundreds ofprospect holes of mica lodes
that only need depth to make first class
mica mines The mica in all of these
mines is of very firm texture, clear and
of very easy cleavage and is first class
in all respects.
Within distance of IL miles of this
town there has been discovered lately
one Of the largest mines of tin ore that
has been found in the known world.
refer TO the Eta mine, located in the
IIarney district, and it is owned by the
American Tin Go. Of New York, who
paid $4,000 for it when it was only a
prospect Of tin. The company are now
purchasing all the tin ore property they
can get hold of. and are working a force
Of 90 men i'm mining ore and in building
works, etc. The Eta mine was opened
for its mica, but that becoming exhaust
ed in it, tin ore is found. Now, as all
the works on mincrology agree in the
statement that ore is only found where
the substance known as mica schist and
tin stone is found, and as that is found
here in Custer in many Of our mica
lodes, We are firm in our belief that TIN
ore in abundance will very soon be an
other one of our many resources. We
already know that it does exist tn a
small per cent in one well known mine,
and the evidences of its existence are
found in number of the mica mines
The Z. S. assay Office is the authority
for the assay Of l5 per cent tin on the
ore from the Eta mine, and in my esti-
nation the tin ore mines Of Dakota will
not be exhausted in this generation.
know Of two lodes or fssure veins,
one is Is inches and the other three
feet Of pure plumbago, good article,
already for market, as soon as it is
mined and when the railroads reach
here this will be very valuable. / have
had brought to me since l have been
here for assay as fine an article Of car
Donate silver as can he found anywhere
else. 1t is not known yet to certainty
where the beds Of carbonates are, but
they are here, and within fifteen miles
of Custer City. l predict that during
the next year fine body Of carbonates
will be developed in this county.
For home for the farmer I have
noticed many little parks in the i'm
mense groves Of timber where farmer
can get from 40 to lG0 acres of as good
land as the sun shines on in any part Of
the world, where there is a good soil,
two feet deep, and where good crops Of
grain can be raised, all except corn, the
seasons arc too short for it, but wheat,
barley, and oats grow finely.
There is an abundance Of timber,
especially pine of two kinds, and its
noted fact, wherever you find a row Of
pine trees you may depend on finding
vein of mica spar and quartz lodes.
A good first-class saw mill or a good
grist mill would be a good investment
ment here. People are fiocking in here
seeking homes and business, and they
all need lumber and -four.
There are two lines Of railroad sur
veyed to run into .he Black Hills. and
one of them will reach this place within
one or two years time, and when they
reach here an era Of prosperity will
dawn on this county that will astonish
the natives.
Taking it all into consideration I
know Of no place that offers better
field to the capitalist to invest money
in, with an almost absolute certainty Of
large returns. than this county offers,
here in Dakota.
MARX A. LUCKENBAcH,
Mining Engineer,
Denver. Col.
Tin Ore Of the Eta Mine.