New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-22

.-r.xcr CECIL GICAL FokhNi
s,-,r,sr,r,oss-MSrRAL REsoUR'
crs OF THE REGION
-oosRKpoSDKST OF TIRE TRIBuSK,l
o....,o,,, 1889 BY The Ne'' York Tribune.
Copy0'9".' ,.uood South Dakota, Sept. IA.
D'" .;sits such a country as the Black
,,1,- .ho, he feels most regre1lui CONCERNING
i''ii' - lack of that sort OF romantic history
Ameri0" S-dod scctt, Goethe and Schiller such
whon sn,erssting themes II ever region
'u'eH " Cor the purpose of exciting strange and
""s .motions. il is that SO appropriately
- the Black Hills" In the first place.
.Io~;s,s discover no reason growing out OF the
Character of the surrounding country why there
St.,,Id have been hills here at all They came as
49, rosnIt Of an upheaval which was purely local
both in origin and effect There seems 10 De
yast central mass of granite which serves us 'hc
oors ~ the mountains, and around 1t IN cohceh-
,,io ribbons so TO speak, are the upturned cages
~ an infinite variety Of formations Inc NisO
upbesval was Archaean and the traces OF u at.
exceedingly distinct and frequent ne '"
originally thrown up must have been ac'ou upo
nv erosion and carried away by the GARY 49,
II must finally have become the Deo VI Wv -
receiving sediments Of its own, AGAIN anu i.
the same period to be thrown higher III
than ever. Again it must have sum- az .. ard
very considerable depth, for the sisa~,ored
fossils of the Potsdam group are u oe - tho
at a depth Of $50 feet Again u VS. VS. sondstone
p,,oozoic ocean. and the limestone anu ,r1io
i"ieo~'.o -,nIo+e Upon these the lriaSsio
dorosited. and above them were h'iU Wv
- rock and finally, after the crc'''oNO
U.S. ~. maintains as they appear to-u"S WI. io
All these formations are olsoei
P1..'1e. hands surrounding the granite huol'U''
'n va .hot the final explosion musU h">' W
s,h greatest force directly IN inc oen'io
euiisN nntrv Centuries Of eroslVe acuoh "",I
Vi ' 90 Law bare the edges OF these oiie'N'''
Archaean rocks. ,o,;o, that rem
=, i this peculiar geological formation 'ii"V
- ,ho Rlaok Hills so strange and weiru IL -
,nor,o effects. They are called placN si,o
a,,r.oronce presented at distance oS ''r pm
,rees which cover them. Inc PINS VI aadi,,,l1
,,,a Cascades and the Sierras are eAceeNiH ~
-, nd bright. but the pines OF the Di"oN 80
e. dorl, gloomy and produce rather us"
ore oes;or, ,,non the mind. There IS mourning
our 81 q range of mountains rolling "lons
:" W -, ao,,-n or over and across the country o"o
each particular I'LL :! i+o own WAY. Tic
mountains indeed, do not even so0u -
neiohborly relation to each o'ncI' an" eusr1
,,o, 90 among them the more strange anu
Iocome the sensations produced by tlieIr 'I
and ominous appearances. Ihey OILY
c,iro rnins of few castles. OF lew stonc va
drals together with a dozen darhsonic 80
wicked lords and unhappy hdles' It" IL I.ol
,;,oos n fevy imperIous priests. few slaughOeIe"
pm pm tow Robin Hoods, few Rob Roys ana
Gov, Frederick Dhus to render them quite as "orVn
II;o dc Or
,ho, tho Sioux Indians who used to own the hiiS'
.r.or+ained n great many strong objections 10 cei-
.oi esnaciallv dismal spots among them' ih'5
t.d tho beautiful valleys where the sun eNei
shines where the slvery waters of hall uoAeh
mountain streams glide and spring ana u"hoe
along They loved the mountain peaks rum
which they could look out upon great continent
and see the rolling prairie far away meeting 'ne
horizon at every point, but there were certain
a,Ioh.e certain canons, certain dark ravines ana
csrtain tumbling torrents which only the praVeSt
Of them or those under the protection OF Ihe MAI
itou ever visited. These spots. however, eNer'cu
n great influence upon the Indian. one Oh .hch
contains stone whereon the feet OF the urc"U
Shirt are imprinted. leaving the eternal tr"ce vi
nj, nrosencp when he formed the great Dacotah
Tribe In another spot is the gushing spring ou.
~ which he took the water wherewith he modelled
race In certain places great rocks jutting
from the mountains in such positions as TO inspire
among tn. su .srstitious Indians strange and dread
ful ideas of the Deity. about which they used TO
gather befoS. they went TO war or before they
negotiated peace.
Natus>I,- then this country, sacred in their
eye, was most stubbonly protected when the
white man demanded it. In the breast OF the
meanest and vilest Indian there is yet to be louhu
q certain beautiful sentiment associated win the
love of nature In the Sioux tribe this feeling
is particularly strong. The Sioux IS III all ways
the noblest bravest and clevereSt OF the indian
family. Ills love for these hills had grown up
tbropob mary centuries. and when his claim to
them was disputed he took the war path at
once Every mountain was fought over; In every
valley he left his blood; every gay rlvuet pore
in its crimson tint the record of his Valor ana
devotion When at last he forced away,
when the truth came clearly upon him that he
must surrender this storehouse Of his best ana
finest magnation. the spirit of the Sioux was
nearly broken Since the return of the Indians
from their Canadian exile they have been
different people, savage as ever, ugly as ever,
malicious, hateful and sinister as ever, but the
fire OF deviltry burns far less brightly in their
eyes, and, though the knife and the rife are ever
ready at their belt and shoulder, their nerveless
fingers hang palsied at their sides. The loss of
the Black Hills more than anything else con-
WINGED the Indian that his struggle against the
white aggressor must be in vain.
1t would be hard TO suggest what nature could
give the Black Hills that she has not given them.
Gold and silver, iron and copper and lead. tn
zinc, mica graphite, antimony, arsenic. saltpetre
cobalt, salt, all to be found in quantities
that are making, and will make, their develop
ment as resources profitable to the country In
Their western extremity is to be found a rich ana
widely distributed area of coal. Inexhaustible
stores Of limestone, sandstone, granite, gypsum
ana marble clay for the potter, clay for the brick
maker, are among the treasures that have fallen
20 the fortunate lot OF lie BLACK Ellis resident