Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-06-26

/ exciting stampede Hiilswarl contaruci
several thousand people but after the
discovery OF rich placers at BeadWood,
in the Northern Hills, the rush contin
ned Dorthward and Custer became al
most depopulated. From that time to
the present her growth has been
| gradual but sure. Situated as she is in
the centre Of a vast mining region, con
tanning nearly ali Kinds of mineral, the
greatness Of which will be cited further
on, she could not well drop into coma
t0se and never be expected 10 revive.
Custer City is probably the most pictur
! esque and incest located town In the
Black Hills Moving toward TIE town
from the northwest on the Dcadwool
road, and from the southeast on The Hot
| Springs road, aud when from a half
mile to a mile of the town one looks
down from hills Of high, rolling prairie,
sided by timber, on the valley Of French
creek, in a beautiful park Of which Gus
ter is situated French creek is one OF
, the most beautiful, everhowing streams
in the Black Hills. and courses through
the town from southwest to northeast.
The town comprises Gao acres Of ground,
oyer half Of which, including all the
business portion and most Of the resi-,
licences, occupies the principal portion
Of the gradually sloping park. That
portion which is not included in the
park proper is a succession. either side
OF the creek, Of beautiful building
knobs, some Of which are covered with
n growth Of large, handsome pine trees.
Up and down the creek are SUGGESTIONS
of beautiful parks, on which are located
farmers who supply the town market
with their product. The population OF
Custer ~ ahout 800. A bank. three
grocery stores, all Of which carry assert.
ments Of general merchandise, grain
and farm products; two hardware
houses, carving tinware and machin.
cry furniture store, n drug store
carrying notions, and numerous other
smaller establishments that are steadily
working into a larger business. Two
extra good hotels for a town Of its size
two livery stables that do a good bust,
ness, and last, but not weakest, a
weekly newspaper (The CHRONICLE,
which has been published here for eight
years. The county seat is here, and q
$4,000 brick court house graces Main,
or the principal street. An $1,000 brick
school house, not yet completed
throughout, school being held in the
lower portion, overlooks the town from
a knoll on the north side, and which
shows mp conspicuously from the out
skirts of town on the Hot Springs road.
Two competent lady teachers are en-
ployed in teaching about seventy-five
pupils. The streets Of Custer are far
superior to macadamized road in that
they are perfectly smooth and free from
rocky distractions, and one hour after
the heaviest rain they are entirely free
from mud and water, the slope toward
the creek being SO perfect as to give the
water no time to stay along the thor
oughfares. There is no town in the
world that can show n better health
record, and we doubt ifthere is one that
can equal it, than Custer. No malarial
or contagious diseases can thrive there,
and in the last three years nc death
from either of the above causes has oc-
Cured in the town. Physicians have
located here, but their practice was
limited TO accidental cases, and soon
they would hnpt a more profitable loca-
ton for their business. All Custer
county's mining, mp to the late discov-
cry of silver near Buffalo Gap, has been
within a radius Of twelve miles of Gus
ter, and considerable of Pennington
%county's mining and mountain ranching
Is tributary 10 this town"