Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-10-10
The Deadwood papers are asking for
the establishment Of public library.
Black Hills Exhibit at the Corn Palace


That the Hills exhibit at the corn
palace is receiving the great amount of
attention expected, and that the people
of the Hills are being repaid a thousand
fold for their efforts in preparing II, is
clearly evinced by the following taken
from the Sioux City Journal Of the 9Th
inst
The rich resources Of the Black Hills
are given adequate and artistic represen-
tation at the Corn Palace.
In sll of the great structure there is
not All exhibit Of resources nor booth
OF beauty that attracts more admiring
visitors than the exhibit from the Hills.
1t occupies all of the first floor space in
the east wing, between the band plat
form and the southeast corner stairway.
The position is conspicuous. An oppor.
tunity was afforded by it for striking
display. There is general agreement
that the opportunity has been improved.
On entering the palace and looking
toward the front where Calliope is
breathing the spirit OF music into the
olive ii ted Mexicans, one can hardly
fail to see on the corner stairway the
words BLACK Hills" wrought out in
great letters of white corn on a dark
background. Going to the exhibit TO
which it invites attention one finds a
variety of natural resources and won
ders that is nothing short of marvellous.
A mineral mountain is on the outskirts
Of the exhibit.
On the summit is fifty pound bar Of
pig tin smelted at Hill City from ore
taken from the Harney Peak tin mines
Its position Of prominence suggested
the thought that IL was intended to do
something toward convincing all doubt
ing Thomases that such thing is pos
si5le as American tin. Col. w. j..
Thornby, of Hot Springs, S. d.. who
showed the reporter this par. Of the ex-
hibit, vouchsafed the information that
within eight months the tin mines Of
Black Hills would be fully supplying the
American market. Besides the bar of
smelted tin there is in this heap of min
erals 500 pounds of tin ore.
Then there are two tons Of gold ore
from the famous Homestake mine near
Lead City. This is admitted to be the
richest gold mine in the world. 1t oc-
cupies about twenty acres OF land. With
the gold are great chunks OF silver from
the Bald mountain silver district six
miles from Deadwood. There is also a
.arge piece of silver and lead weighing
900 pounds from the Spokane mine in
Custer county. Close to it is chunk of
nickel ore from Everly Il SCOTS mine
near Rapid City and 200 pounds of cop
per from mines in Custer county.
in short. here are seen all of the mon
ey metals in use in this country.
And this is not all. There are chunks
Of lead, samples of fire clay, said to be
the finest TO be had anywhere. building
brick, semi-anthracite coal from Spear
fish, iron ore. which Yields so per cent
Of mineral, from Rapid City, lubricating
oil from Jenny Stockade on the west
side of the Hills, and number of fine
specimens Of gypsum.
Flanking this mineral mount are four
small pyramids built of the different
kinds of stone that come from the quar-
ries of Fred T. Evans at Hot Springs.
One of the most interesting features of
the exhibit is collection Of the geologi.
cal wonders Of the Hills. IL has been
made by John +. Sidey, Of Hot Springs.
He accompanied this part of the exhibit
TO the palace and arranged it. 1t is very
effectively displayed in show cases and
on shelves, The curiosities from the
bad lands are particularly striking.
Among them is petrfied head Of
rhinoceros plainly showing its teeth
and even the lobes of its brain. Then
there is the tooth of mammoth, 7 by
81 inches in size. The original horse,
the oridon. is seen in retrospective fancy
as one looks upon some of the fossilized
remains. And the plant and marine
life of prehistoric times is suggested by
beautiful clusters Of moss and reeds and
oyster shells.
The story Of the caves is told by
goods, with sparkling crystalline interi-
ors, stalactites and stalagmites and
crystallizations of quaint box work
shapes. And more beautiful and won
derful than all, by a crystallized cobweb.
How delicat. indeed the touch of ma
ture's fingers, that tiny threads, which u
sunbeam would almost break, should be
encased in enduring crystals and pre-
served during the ages.
The shining satin spar, or crystallizcd
gypsum. is profuse in the exhibit. II is
used in making jewelry. There are also
large chunks Of uncrystallized gypsum
in white and variegated colors. 1t is
also put to various decorative uses. And
the calcite crystals. What bright gems
they are Prof. Clark. of the Smith
sonian institute, says that they are the
finest in the world. In one rare speci-
men topaz crystal presses out in yell
low beauty on background of white
calcite. -
But Of the specimens in the collection
the one that more quickly wins atten-
tion is q great quartz crystal slab weigh
ing 250 pounds and measuring 3 ftst 4
inches by feet. In shape it somewhat
resembles coat.
Duluth and Black Hills Road.