Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1885-05-02

ness men Of Sioux City have never fai.
ed in the past to meet all emergencies
this opportunity will be made memor
able for its influence upon the growth
and the fortunes Of Sioux City"
Since its publication, however, IT,,
statements made in the above are re-
ceiving the attention they deserve, BY
the editor Of the Times Of Deadwoo,'
aid in lengthy article denying part o.
the above. he says:
1t is not in mitigation Of the above
unblushing filsehood to assume that thu
article for decaying city, appearing in
a paper notorious for its utter unrelia
bilty and u malignant hatred Of thi,
particular locality; hatred mani tested
at every opportunity by direct assault
upon the slightest pretext, upon society
the people, their costoms, resources an
enterprises.
The area drained by the Cheyenne
and Belle Fourche rivers consists o
about l5,000 square miles, or 9.GOO.OOt
acres, one-fourth of which, on 2,4OO. .OOO
acres, at least. is rich agricultural land
and all exceedingly valuable in some
one or more many natural resources
OF this vast area, according to official i'm
formation from the books Of the Dead.
wood land Office, there had Leen enter
ed, up to October, 1888. $4,000 acres,
to which were adled during the subse
quent year, by l702 entries, l43,OS3 50
acres, making a grand aggregate Of about
500,000 acres under location, and largely
under cultivation, with the best possible
results. The agricultural region is cut
into numerous valleys, watered with
streams of greatest purity, and bounti
fully supplied with timber. The soil is
uniformly deep and exceedingly rich.
the presence of large gypsum beds near
the head Of all streams serving rs a
natural, inexhaustible and naturally dis
tributed fertilizer. All small grains and
vegetables known 10 the temperate zone,
are no, only successfully cultivated, but
with result in quantity and quality not
equalled we believe elsewhere in the
United States--wheat averaging from
twenty to twenty eight bushels to the
acre, and all other products in proper
ton. The country il comparatively
new, and experiments in fruit culture
are by no means complete, but as far as
advanced, they fully demonstrate that
soil ard climate are peculiarly favorable
for horticulture. an assertion well sus.
tained by a prodigious yield of wild
fruits, including berries Of all kinds,
p'ums, grapes etc. with which the
market is annually glutted.
The Journal condescendingly admits
that there has already been important
Developments in that region, but in
comparison with what may be done the
work Of development has only skinned
in few places the surface of its vast
mineral resources. The substantial
riches Of its stores of gold, silver, tin,
coal and other minerals are yet to be
unlocked to the world" Had the Journ-
al, desired to treat its subject honestly,
and intelligently, it would not have
qualified its statement. The Hills con.
tain all that the Journal asserts, and
very mach more, and all, for the pur-
pose Of discussion at least, is tn oroughly
developed. Vast fields Of coal; mex
hausrible salt springs; ver-fowing
wells of oil thermal springs the water
of which is efficacious in the cure Of all
chronic diseases, and, most notable, the
largest, most varied and valuable min.
eral and metal resources known to the
world And what variety it is! Gold,
silver, tin, copper. iron, mica, coal, as
bestos and much else of value to com
merce and that is destined to give the
Black Hills name and fame through
out the civilized world.
This locality is not an agricultural
country, insists the Journal, and We are
willing to admit that it is not, exclusiv-
ely, but at the same time we contend
that no district in the United States is
so completely selfsupporting can rea-
sonably be as independent. To farm
ing district as far superior to Iowa as
that state is to the Sahara Of the eastern
continent, we have added nearly all
natural products Of utility and value to
manufacturing world, the jealousy, COW
etousness and maiignity Of the Journal
to the contrary notwithstanding"