Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-22
Ex-Congressman Cummings Writes
Enthusiastically of the Black Hills.
FORTUNES FOR THE THOUSANDS.
Wonderful Developments Promised
In the Two Dssotas-rhey Have
Tin-An Abundant supply
of Minerals.
The Denver Of the Hil,s.

| prduary eAclueS WOnuer anu huuiitd-
tion. Wastes that supported few
thousand savages not many years ago
are nDw raising grain and produce
enough to sustain 30,000,0O0 people. 1t
is granary so large and fertile that 1t
might easily be made to feed double
| that number. 1t covers Illinois, Iowa,
| Nebraska and South Dakota. The first
two states comprise the old wing of the
| building, and the last two a new wing.
The old wing is nearly complete in its
| furnishings, but the new one is hardly
| oored and rooted. The latter has mar
velous possibilities and supreme proba-
bilities. Towns are springiug up within
| it like mushrooms in a sheep pasture.
Steady streams of immigrants are
pouring over its area. Its growth is
stimulated by valuable mineral re-
sources, in the first stage of develop
ment. The valleys of the score of
streams issuing from the Black Hills
| are beginning to TEEN with life, and the
opening of the great Sioux reservation
will undoubtedly develop boom rival
ing if not SURPRISING that of Oklahoma.
| A thousand great fortunes are to be
| culled here within the next five years,
and hundreds Of thousands of farms are
| to be staied out and cultivated. Corn
seems to be a staple crop i'll South Da-
kota as we'll as in Nebraska. The bot
toms are apparently especially adapted
| TO it's culture. Some farmers grind the
cobs and use the dust in making vine-
| gar. When thus treated it is said that
the vinegar sours sooner and becomes
much sharper. Christian connoisseurs
have evidently not discovered that it
| also gives the vinegar tang that re-
calls the flavor of corn whisky.
Toward sundown cool breeze ran
over the prairies. Dark clouds gath
cred in the west and the sky looked
very threatening. An hour later the
wind whistled tiercely and the rain fell
| in torrents. There was neither light
| ming nor thunder! The parched earth
gratefully absorbed the moisture, and
the train turned northward, crossing
| the line of the new state about mid
| night. We were among what is
known as the sand hills, the only un-
| productive territory in South Dakota.
Old settlers WHIP were passengers
thanked God that the strangers could
see it. They say, however, that it is a
fair country for summar grazing, but
that no stock can live there in the win
ter. The grass isthin and the soil poor.
At times a persistout settler builds IA
sod hut and tries to eke out living,
but in almost every case he is finally
| driven out by starvation. Even prairie
hens avoid the sand hills. Rabbits and
prairie dogs are about the only game
| seen.
Daylight still found us in this undelec-
table region. AS the Black Hills dlmly
lined the horizon, there was change.
Tiny huts began to appear: They We're
| the nucleus of small stock farms. Wire
! fences again lined the track, and the
soil began to resemble that of the onion
patches in Orange county, N. Y. 1t
| was AS black as William Nj. Evart's hat.
! Little roads ran between the hills, and
| few small fields of corn frightened
the landscape. The stalks and ears,
however, bore no comparison to those
in the Elkhorn valley. Small herds of
horses were browsing on the short dun
grass. burrows had been turned for
miles along the track to prevent prairie
fires from spreading.
The Black Hills at last loomed boldly
above the foothills. They are rightly
| named. They are as black as was the
storm cloud on the previous evening.
The land grew better still. 1t is all
cut up in little farms. Turkeys roamed
around the little cabins, and focks Of
wild doves and black birds filed the
air. Meadow larks shot right and left,
frightened by the rumbling of the train,
but no English sparrows were seen.
They have no yet appeared west OF the
Missouri river.
Passing the little town of Hermosa,
the train swept on to Rapid City
through country increasing in ich-
ness and fertility. Bands of horses
were grazing on the hills aud in the val
leys. 1t is a region priced by breeders
of these ANIMALS. There are over 10000
head of horses now grazing within
twenty-five miles of this main entrance
to the Black Hills. Rapid City has
about 1900 inhabitants. In five years
it ought to have 20,0D0. 1t fills the
golden gate leading to the mineral re-
gions. 1t is really the Denver of South
Dakota. 1t occupies relatively the same
natural and commercial position as the
Rocky Mountain city. Put the South
Platte in the place Of the Rapid river
and you will have the Denver of eight
cen years ago. The city is destined to
outlet of the hills. Several roads have
already been surveyed across the Sioux
reservation. When the Northwestern
branch is completed the city will have
an airline route to Chicago. 1t will
then be within twenty -four hours of the
great western emporium, and only forty
eight hours from New York.
Rapid City is built of brick baked in
the Rapid valley near by. 1t has mex
haustible quarries of red sandstone,
limestone and granite almost within a
rifle shot. They will hereafter give
employment to hundreds of men, for as
the plains are settled the demand for
building material will be immense.
Excellent fire orick is also made here.
Electric carbons Hood the streets with
light at night, and can be seen glim-
mering like stars of the first magnitude
for miles down the valley. Coal has
also been discovered a mile from the
) city at depth of 700 feet. There is
any quantity of iron in the mountains
not far away. Marble quarries also
await development. But the great fac
tor in the future wealth Of the city will
undoubtedly be the tin mines. There is
no longer any doubt that the tin is here
and in large paying quantities. At
least So, 900 ESQ have already been in
vested la them, and this is only the be-
ginning. The mines encircle the cone
known as Harney's Peak. A survey
for railroad running through the tin