The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-20
SOUTH DAKOTA RAILROADS.
What They Are Doing Between the His
souri, and the BLACK Hhls.

What They Are Doing Between the MIS-
souri, and the Black Htls.
PnR1., s. D., July 10. Railroad building
il very active this year in spite Of the al
legged crop failure Of last season. The Du-
luth, Minneapolis, Aberdeen l. Black Hills
road, for whom the people of Pierre two
months ago voted $4,000. is getting ma
terial on hand, and will push the line a.
fast as possible. Material is being steadily
shipped to Chamberlain Tor the extension
of TIE Milwaukee road from that point to
Rapid City. The location Of this road has
recently been finished across the reserva-
tion, and the engineers report that they
have secured an unusually favorable route,
and the completion Of the pontoon bridge
across the Missouri river will facilitate
the transportation Of material collected
at that point. The Northwestern has near
y completed grading from Whitewood into
Deadwood, and from Buffalo Gap into Hot
Spring; The Burlington is grading all
the center of the hills and the tin district
to the Cheyenne river, and will have nearly
all of the grading completed by the 1st Of
November and ready for iron. This route
does not expect to build this year beyond
Custer City on account Of heavy grades and
In fact it is reported that the best grades
that could be secured over the last seventy
five miles are nearly 15O feet to the mile.
It is understood that they will push their
branches from various points into the hills,
reaching Rapid City, Buffalo Gap, Sturgis
and other points on the Northwestern sys;
tenn. The construction Of these roads will
no doubt oblige the Northwestern to utilize
the survey which they made from Pierre up
the Wakpa Schicta river to the hills.
The surveyors who have caused that por-
tion of the reservation to be recently thrown
open for settlement all testify rs to the ex-
cellent character and quality Of the land
settled for so miles west of Pierre, and the
valleys of American creek aud Medicine
river are covered with farms nearly to the
head. Of course, like nearly all Of the
western regions, the valley will be settled
first. but with the experience Of those who
lands. il will not be long before very little
land will be left for entry. Those who have
believed the portion Of South Dakota west
of the Missouri river to be desert, over
looked the fact that the elevation of the
Black Hills, covered as they are with pine,
greater annual rainfall than that of
the central portion of South Dakota.
There .s n0 bonn o. excitement, but q
steady influx of settlers, and number of
new towns have started, among the
most prominent of which are Stanley, on
the Bad river, and Pratt and Ewing, on the
railroad lines west OF Chamberlain. The
settlement of the region between the Mis-
souri, river and the Black Hills is being
closely watched, as the fight for the perma-
nent location of the state capital this fall
will be made on the question as to where
the center of population will be in few
years from now, Huron claiming that it will
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that the western half Of the state, with its
minerals united with its agricultural re-
sources, will maintain and soon have by fal
the larger population.