Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-08-23
A REPORT
On the Resources of Custer County, Oak
CUSTER City. OAK, Aug. II, 1884.


Having been engaged during the las
five or six weeks in making an examina
tion of several properties in the interes
of several wealthy gentlemen in En-
gland who desire to invest capital her
in Dakota territory, and so many oppor
tunities of a good character have com
to my immediate notice that are not il
my report to the English parties, lead
me TO make M effort t, brin. to tn
notice of American capitalists the man.
favorable chances that exist here in Gus
ter county, Dakota, for the safe and pro
fi'able investment of capital, that will
by proper management and good judg
ment, be made in a short time very pro
fitable to all parties interested i'm Tho
investments and by that means keeI
here in our county large portion OF the
money that otherwise will he in time tc
come forwarded to foreign places.
While we extend the hand Of fellow.
ship to our friends across the big water
and welcome them to our country and
to make homes in our midst and to make
fortunes here. we must protest against
the apathy that our own capitalists dis
play in not taking advantage Of the
many chances that have been brought
to their notice here in the western states
and territories, and now after a careful
examination made Of this district, with
in circle Of ten miles around Custer
City, during the last six weeks, and af-
ter an experience of over thirty years in
actual mining operations, more or less.
for al! Of the precious metals in all OF
their forms, and claiming TO have a
slight knowledge Of mines in general, /
will here make the assertion that in all
of my travels, which have included near
" all Of the states and territories I have
never yet discovered a place that has
presentel | more opp"r uniiies for the
investment Of capital than this district
and Of so many different characters.
With this preliminary article ] will now
mention few facts Of what ] know to
exist here in immense quantity and
" hat will be cheerfullv corroborated BY
every citizen of the district, rs we'll IA
by many residents of Colorado.
! have seen great many true and
we'll defined fissure veins or lodes of
gold bearing quartz Of a thickness that
varies in the different veins, Of from 3
feet in thickness up to 70 feet in thick
ness. This quartz is invariably between
walls of mitaceous slate, pitching at
angles of from degrces 10 45 degrees
from vertical position. In the MAORI
" of cases the lodcs do not dip more
than degrees from vertical and
be opened up by either tunnels or shaft
and ore that will pay largely over the
cost Of mining and mill treatment. The
ore, generally speaking. is of a free mill
ing character but some Of 1t refractory,
this kind mostly all carries gold, silver
and copper know of burnt and rotten
quartz lodes upwards of 75 feet in thick
ness, that, according to tests made Of it.,
will run from SIS to SAB per ton Of gold
that is over 900 fine. / have taken
quartz many times from some Of these
veins and pulverized from three to four
pounds and never failed to get good
in gold out of it. One good
feature of these veins is the fact that
they are Enthusiastically true fissure veins
and in many cases can be traced on the
surface for several miles, running in
different courses, but generally northeast
by southwest.
Wherever the quartz veins do exist
there in the immediate vicinity of it can
be found very good placer mining
ground, and where. if properly worked
and hydraulic pressure brought to bear
on it, gold can be found in abundance
I know of places where the water can
be taken out of the creek by means of
and thrown up on the ad-
joining hills and banks Of gravel Of from
8 to 80 feet in thickness can be opened
up, where from 10 to 40 men could work
very readily. and l firmly believe that
the profit, over and above all expenses,
would be not less than $5 per day per
man, providing Of course thai the ground
was worked by hydraulic pressure, and
on large scale. There are men here
now who are making So and VI per day
by hauling their pay dirt from the mine
to the creek half Of mile off, l have
samples of gold to show the character of
it, and it proves that the gold has not
been washed much, showing that it
came from quartz veins near by. The
micaceous slate wall rock of the lodes
carries gold to some extent, but i'm pay
ing quantity.
know Of several lodes Of rock that
carry silver. l have determined that
fact i'm my own assays Of the ore which
were confirmed by other assays from
Deadwood City, and while no extensive
beds or lodes Of silver bearing rock
have been opened up as yet, the fact
renaips that il can he found here and