Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-04-19

try is all that part Of Dakota lying south
of the 10th 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 I05th ineri-
dian, and embracing about 2 $500 square
miles, or l4,5O0,NOO acres. ofwhIch about
one-four,h 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, 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 as productive as can be found any
place in the world. Fifty bushels of
wheat, 80 of barley, 10 of oats, 400 Of
potatoes and 800 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 i~mpregnated with gyp-
sum, of which there is an i~nexhaus,ible
supply, and consequently the land need
never become impoverished.
The timber lands Of the Hills are es-
timatel at 5000 square mics, the timber
is principally Norway pine, with some
spruce, cottonwood, willow, aspen, oak.
ash, elm, etc, along the margin of the
fream which rise in the mountains
and flow on to the Cheyenne river on
The north and south side.
No other country in North America
,an offer equal inducements to the stock
owe The fines. and most nutritious
Grisses with plenty Of good water ana
.helter from the winter winds and
scarcely any snow, cattle keep fat on the
range the year round, never knowing
what it is to be fed; the stock raiser can
have choice OF i've differen, railroads To
ohi? his stock, thereby getting the low
possible rates to take them to mar
ket. Sheep do equally as we'll as cattle,
and horses do better.
Large herds ofbufalo are now swarm
ing over the ranges north and west Of
the Hills, with many thousands of cattle
mixed in with them. Two years ago,
the hardest winter ever known i'm 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 20 to - per cent. There are
at the present time about 100000 head
Of cattle or the ranges in this vicinity
and room for 100000 more without
o~verstocking the country.
Gold mining is carried on from Bear
gulch IN the north to Custer City in tue
southern part of the Hills, IA distance Of
miles, and from Rockford on the
vest to Rorkerville on the east. In no
u county lh u i lilt1c ~
many and extensive mincs of gold as in
the Black Hills. From the northern to
the southern and from the eastern to
the western extremely gold is found in
nearly every gulch and on every hill
within the mineral belt. In other min
ing countries it is only found over a
= n an " a pnn Of nn,,ntrx- ,n xs1Ht... I,t N
few miles Of territory at the most here
there are about loo square miles in
what is called The mineral, and gold is
found ~ almost every square nile OF the
200. The lodeS vary in size from 10 to
900 fec, in width and some rs much
rs 80 miles in length. The great MAORI
" Of the mines are low grade ore. but
with the immense bodies of paw ore and
good management these mines have
been made to pay better than any 9TH
ers in the United States. Ore that will
go 50 ger ton will pay to work, while
that which goes from 81 to $40 per ton
will pay largely. The ere which is
worked by the great Homestake mills
at Lead City. does not average 81 per
ton, yet that company has paid i~ifty.one
successive monthly dividends, part OF
which have been $4,000 per month and
the balance $4,000, besides having a
large surplus on hand after paying all
expenses. These mines arc better
developed than any others in the Back
Hills, but el"ally as good AID extensive
mines have been discovered
The quartz mills are the largest and
most complete in the world, nearly all
/ ave from 40 TO 100 stamps.
The silver mines of the Hills are all
Of high grade. Those of Gaiena have
been worked continuously ver since
1916 and the ore shipped 10y wagon tn
Sidney $50 miles, thence by rail 10
omaha, Nebraska, for treatment. Al
he carbonate camp. sevel miles west
Df Deadwood, 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 in several localities.
The mica mines of the Black Hills are
all i'm the vicinity of Harney's peak and
Custer Civ. They are easily worked. re.