Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-17
SCENES AT PINE RIDGE.
Star Correspondents Pen Pieturs q the
Agency and the Camp.

| SC6NES AZ ZINE RIDGE.
A Star Correspondents Pen Psetsrs q the
! Agency and the Camp.
LITTLE SETTLEMENT THAT IL VOW THE Focus
OF GENERAL INrKREsr--oENKRAL MILES HEAD
oUARrxxs AND THE INDIAN cAkP--swkaMs on
SOLDIERS AND RED MEN.
Stan Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PINE RIDeE, s. d., January H.
! valley, about four miles In circumference,
with high plateau in the center that lacks bnt
little Of the outer elevations which surround
the basin; less than hundred buildings on the
plateau; more than q hundred white and soldier
| occupied tents. scattered and punched: thou
sand weather-stained and smoke tanned tepees,
the residences Of so-called friendly" Indians.
These are the inactive component parts Of that
portion Of South Dakota which is known as
Pine Ridge Agency Its population was never
! so thoroughly mixed as now. The Indian, OF
course, predominates, and next in numerical
! strength is the United States soldier. This
latter feature is parti-colored. for the troops
here are both Caucasian and Ethiopian. The
rich brogue Of Kerry Irishman, the hard
accent Of the land Of Bruce and Burns the dis
jointed ordinations Of the Norseman, the
oleaginous chuckle of the negro. the patois of
the hat-breed. and. the remarks of those who
once called the German fatherland their home
may all be heard in one crowd, to say nothing
of cultural Indian efforts and forcibly expressed
Anglo Saxon ideas. Never, in all the history of
Pine Ridge has there been such mixed assem-
blage. and the probabilities are that when these
present Indian troubles shall be ended no such
conglomeration Of mortality will again be seen
here.
HOW TO GET TO PINE RIDGE.
Pine Ridge is not difficult of access. To the
south of it and not far away is Nashville, a
station on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri
Valley railroad. Just how far Pine Ridge ia
from Rushville is a vexed question. People
who want you to visit them at the agency say
it is only a matter Of twenty-five or twenty
three miles; folks who hire out vehicles for the
trip will compromise ON nothing less than
twenty-seven miles and do that with unwilling
ness
There is but little of diversity in the ride
from Rushville to the Ridge. The country is
quite fat and decidedly treeless, but its rich
soil has attracted great many settlers and
the homes Of these-frame, log and sod-are
the only features in an expanse of wind-swePt
landscape such as the east knows nothing Of.
few miles out OF Rushville commences
sparse growth Of stunted tIees bare and un-
inviting. Gradually the scenery undergoes
change. Rocky eminences, partially clad in
brown grasses and dotted here and there with
patches of light snow. begin to Diversity the
appearance Of things. Hills and gullies are of
frequent occurrence and then the pine trees
| commence to be visible. They are of no real
value, these pines, but they provide the
traveller with frewood and suffice to give to the
agency and the Immediately surrounding region
name that has been more frequently printed
and talked Of than the name Of any other
center Of population in the United States.
TIE SETTLEMENT.
On triangular section of the plateau made
triangular by the courses of Wolf and White
Clay creeks. il the settlement of Pine Ridge.
1t is little less than two miles from the Ne
braska northern boundary line, and is in the
northwest corner of the big basin. As comfort
is measured in Dakota it is probably pleasant
location, but no sane resident of Washington
would wilfuily elect to spend couple of win
tiers at Pine Ridge if he or she could remain in
the District of Columbia.
A gruesome sort Of welcome mutely greets
each new arrival. for the first object to attract
attention is the little cemetery with its more or
less crude efforts to mark the last resting
places of a good many tired mortals. Then
comes church, not a very large or very i'm
posing structure, but a good deal better than
the average frontier place of worship. The
two yellow crosses-one above the entrance,
the other over the bell-tower IL to be
Episcopalian in its character. Mrs. A. T. Stew
art. widow Of the millionaire New York dry
goods dealer, built the edifice about ten years
ago. Now it is temporarily being used as a
hospital for those who we're injured in the fight
at Wounded Knee Piled up against the exte-
rior are the seats. taken out when circum-
stances compelled good works and faith to go
hand in hand. A few yards to the northward
is the parsonage. the home of the Rev. Mr..
Cook.
The western end of the little settlement is
devoted almost exclusively to religion and bust
ness. two churches. three stores and hotel
being the only buildings worthy of special
mention The stores are neither spacious nor
stylish In competition as to appearance al
most any kind of a store in Washington would
walk away with the prize but If the strife was
purely business one the Washington store
keeper would have to get an exceedingly rapid
move on himself ii he wanted to be in the pro-
cessiOr.
THE HAUNT OF THE INDIAN.
The stores are log or frame structures. in
vsriabfy one story high Cor low and the
natural haunt of the civilized Indian. He loves
the traders store better than he does the
chase and would rather spend the day in one or
more OF those establishments than go on the
war path and accumulate u collection OF SOL
diers' scalps.
Nearer Heaven by several feet than any other
structure at Pine Ridge is the Presbyterian
Church; built Of frame, the walls painted gray
and the roof tinted brownish red. As on the
Episcopal Church there is a bell With which to
call saints and sinners to worship and repent
ance in a building that has quite a progresses
ing appearance. Across the roadway and to
the northwest is the residence of the pastor,
the Rev. Mr.. Sterling.
Accommodations for the general public are
somewhat limited at Pine Ridge Just now, and
1t ID by no means uncommon for some of the
more recent arrivals to repose with more or
less of comfort on boards that cannot be other
wise than hard. Nor is there much choice as
to where You may eat. One of the results of
the pressure is the establishment Of a restau-
rant, and it is safe to say that no one would
recognize it as such were it not for the piece Of
dry goods box on which ia the rudely executed
but appetite-assuring word restaurant"
North Of this canvas center Of attraction il
the Hotel de Finley, occupied almost exclu-
sively by the newspaper correspondents who
Rwprned ont here after tho hat tla Of Wo,olal