, 1886-05-25

| ton. Mr.. Il. IIurl, the well known
| Cheyenne contractor, put in a bid that
was $50 lower than PORES, and nothing
but the preponderating claims of excellent
home talent prevented his securing the
contract. The structure will be of brick,
66x66 feet, the top Of the tower being
70 feet from the ground. The corners
will be trimmed with cut stone. thus adj
ding both durability and grace to the
structure. Active preparations for work
are in progress, and by the curing of the
summer grasses Lander will have added
to its rapidly increasing list of attractions.
a commodious, substantial end handsome
court house and jail
The town and vicinity are all agog over
the mica bonanza, recently developed. 1t
is more of a field than a mine. being miles
in length, and from ten to sixty feet in
width, with strata varying from one totwo
feet in thickness. There is mica enough
here to supply the universe, and capitad
will not be spared in its development.
With agricultural certainities, oil, coal
and mica in sight, and the UNEMPLOYED
resources of three mountain ranges in
prospective, who will say hat the railroads
can afford to pass Lander by2
Old man Clark, the ~discoverer and
principal owner of the mica fields. has
long ~prospectel for them. For many
years he has camped on the Wind river,
satisfied in his own mind that the pros
pecting he was doing would eventually
lead him to an immense deposit; and at
last the patience and toll of half a lifetime
have been rewarded. For the -esult just
attained the old prospector has fought the
Indians, maintaining himself in the midst
of their hostile bands; has endured the
rigors of mountain winters, suffered all of
the discomforts attendant upon life III un
isolated frontier cabin, and labored faith
fully and m%anfully with the shovel and
pick.
Mr.. Clark also has some very promising
gold ~digsings in the immediate vicinity OF
his mica beds. His strike in the latter
will assist in the development of the for
mer, and the Clark prospecting grounds,
sixty five miles north of Lander, SO
long known, and so long doubted,
will be a source Of vast revenue
to their proprietor, and of wealth
to the country at large.
Work has commenced on the founda
tons for the Old Fellows hall, and moth
ing but difficulty in procuring materials
will cause any delay. Indications Of great
development during the coming season
continue to appear in the mining camps
of Atlantic, South Pass and Miners De
light. AT the latter camp the Young
American mine has recently been bonded
to the Kuhn Bros. of Salt Lake. This
action has been contemplated for some
time by the Salt Lake firm. and a large
amount OF valuable machinery has been
awaiting the final arrangements. This
machinery will now be placed at once on
the ground.
An alarming decrease in the trout mum
bers of the Wind river is reported. This
is ascribed to the depredations of mink.
Last fall a large increase of these savage
and vordclous little marauders was noted.
All during the winter they preyed upon
the trout and have wrought a fearful deci-
nation among them. Hunters say that
any time during the winter, through the
clear ice, scores Of mink could be seen in
pursuit of their inny prey, The mink
hunted systematically. Gathering in
bands of twenty-five or thirty, they would
divide into two equal parties, and begin
operations at either end of a certain water
stretch, working towards each other. The
trout were thus driven together and the
astute raiders gratifed their fish appetites
to the full.
Indians report the discovery in the Big
Horn mountains of a cave extraordinary
in formation and contents. Everything
about it savors strongly of the greatest
antiquity. Long ago the entrance had
been concealed by a great boulder, ingen
ously set upon a pivot. BY some means
this pivot was broken. and the boulder
falling outward exposed the mouth of the
cave. Attracted by the opening. a party
Of Indian hunters entered it and made
their way into the cave. A sigular sight
presented itself. In the enter of an ir-
regularly shaped apartment there arose a
pillar, square in shape, and evidently
hewed from a solid mass. This pillar was
four feet in height and supported a broad
stone slab, perfectly cut and lustrously
polished. On this slab rcposed the bones
of what once was Il powerful human
frame.
The skeleton was still enveloped
in the tattered fragments OF its shroud.
This funeral panoply had once been COW
cred with rich and elaborate bead work.
The material into which these designs
had been wrought was well nigh indie
structable, and woven fragments that had
witnessed the FL ht Of ages were still firm
and close in texture. On the slab were
curious weapons Of the chase fashioned