The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-10
THE BLACE HILLS OF DAKOTA.
By Frederick Stearns.

The Territory OF Dakota is nearly an
oblong square, about three times the area
of New York State, and containing in
round numbers about 10000 square
miles. The general surface consists of
vast. grassy plains covering thick sedi-
mentary deposits.
In the southwest corner of Dakota ia
the Black Hills region, with an area of
$500 square miles.
The name Black Hills comes from the
fact that from whichever side the region
is approached over slightly undulating
plains of greenish yellow or reddish
brown, the hills loom mp upon the hori-
zon dark or almost black with the sonber
grsfn OF the evergreen timber clothing
thk tops.
he Black Hills are peculiar in so muoh
asOey are younger or more recent than
the piairP, and have been pushed up by
volcanic force through the vast area of
level strata which forms the surface else
where.
1t is evident that at one time the whole
Black Hills region, i'll the form of loaf
like elevation, was several thousand feet
higher than ii is now, and was an isolated
island in the midst of a marrow inland
sea, the uphesvni carrying with it, with.
out much disturbance, all the sedimen-
tary formations peculiar to the upper
Missouri region. Since which vast erod
ing agencies, aqueous ard glacial have
cut and carved down the surface OF the
loaf to its present condition, and the
geological sequence in this chapter in
the book of natnro can here be read with
the utmost facility and ease.
clear record from the compact, sticky
.Ex @n- rt..1 ls,,-y s.Nf ft,.a
gray archiean rockP.
The highest attitudes where the granite
abounds, Harvey Peak, is 8. 300 feet, while
the average elevation of the hill region
may be stated a. 5000 feet, this above
the sea; but above the plains surround
ing the hills from 900 to 800.
While the plains themselves are abso.
lutely treeless, the hill tops and peaks, rs
stated before, are covered with timber,
principally species of pine, "pinus
pondeross," not Unlike Norway pine, CON
tanning much more pitch than our Michi-
gan pine. This affords abundance of
fuel a. timber for mining purposes.
The archean rocks which form he can
ter of the upheaval of the b ack Hills,
consist of very coarse granite crystal.
line, containing much feldspar. Togeth
er with Huronian schists and states, these
cover an area of over 5000 square miles
and, of course, contain the important
mineral deposits.
Over these lie successfully y red sandstone
and a cong!omera,e of drift pebbles ce-
mented by gypsum or calcio carbonate,
over this the observation-disclosures limestones,
then the triassic and jurassic deposits, in
Guiding the redbeds of the chalk period
and tertiary formation.
The scenery tf the Black Hills is ex.
tremely varied ana interesting. the
foothills rise gently from the plains,
clothed with edible grasses to their sum-
mits, and as one drives slowly up the
draws or eau ons into the higher regions,
these become deeper ana darker, waters
come tumbiing down more rapidly, the
ascent more abrupt, the peaks sharper,
the canyon walls moro precipitous and
dark, the ridges of which appear cut
sharp and clear oat of sky OF deepest
blue, while the air you breath seems cool
and bracing lis if richer in oxygen than
that of the open piainp.
The temperature of the Black Hills
seldom rises above 800 or sinks below
minus 30. The so-calied Chinook or
warm winds of the Pacific slope affects
this region so that snow never remains
long. This however, is also trBe of the
entire territory, at least its western part,
though possibly in slightly lesser de-
gree.
A curious fact is noted that since the
settlement of the rag ion the annual rain
fall has gradually increased. In the
Black Bills in the past six years ii has
increased from IA TO 26 inches annually.
As stated in former letter, TO the In
ka
ters, the abode of the Great Spirit, his
treasure house. In its parks he herdea
the Buffalo. From the red sandstone
ciigs flowed his great medicine water and
herein did he expect TO ind his final
resting place and home when driven from
the plains by the white man.
Little nuggets of gold shown by chiefs
to the early brave missionaries, members
of the Society of j Jesus, who long ags pene-
trated alono into the country, became
magnified by time into legends of barrels
of the yellow metal filling the gulches.
Within twenty years this stimulated ad-
venturous prospectors into penetrating
the region while it was still Indian coan-
try especially reserved by the govern
ment Hardy fellows whose endurance
and suffering no pen or tongue could ade'
quately picture were the pioneers in shat
work of gold mining which our recent
history has made so familiar. Thousands
of these men came, prospected, staked
ont claims in gulches and hillsides,
Some few made money but many more
consumed their substance, wearied. heart.
sick with waiting, died or walked away.
There is abundance OF mineral wealth
in the Black Hills, the principal deposit
being that of gold, the placer or surface
deposits of which kave been largely ex.
hausted, but the gold bearing rook exists
in enormous quantities.
BILL NYE's DOCTOR.