Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-12-22
THE MOTHER LODE OF THE
BLACK HILLS

ing an article in the Hill City Tin Miner
from the able pen of my friend Jack
Simmons, wherein he compares our
mammoth gold belts to the Mother Lode
Of California. The article has been ex-
tensively copied in many of the papers
of the Hills with their approval and
endorsement. and will be received by
the outside world as correct and authori-
tatiye. The Mother Lode. 1t is nice
sounding phrase and a pleasing con-
ception Of Mr.. Simmons. like it, and
would fain aequise, but can We truthfully
and properly designate our great mineral
zone Lode? Alas, fear not.
In descriptive verse this phrase might
be allowed, but when We speak of veins
Of mineral, we are trenching on the
domain of science, where no poetic
license is permitted If my friend were
| describing a scene Of enhancing grandeur
aud beauty, such az our Hills afford
In countless places, he might be excused
If he let his fancy play. and rhapsodied
to his hearts content but here, where
every word has an exact meaning, " must
speak correctly. and say what we mean
and mean exactly wha. we say. Let Us
examine this belt a little further, and
see If it will bear the euphonious title
which he has given it.
We will commence then at the
| north end. The town of Galena, on
Bare Butte creek, is about the eastern
boundary. Here We have belt of
veins on the east side of the creek
Many Of them are large and well defined,
bearing for the most part silver and
lead. could name nearly all of them
from memory, as | could in each Of
the other camps, which we will be com
PEELED TO notice in our examination, but
the names of one or two representative
mines will be all that the space allotted
for this article will permit as We pass
rapidly on. The Galena belt is perhaps
as we'll represented by the Sitting Bull
and the Queen. although there are
many others equally worthy Of note.
The next as We pass westward is the
strawberry belt. 1t is distinct in char
acter. The mines are gold bearing, and
among which the most famous are the
Orc Fino and the Anchor. This belt
occupies the divide between Bare Butte
and Two Bit creeks. The next west is
the Spruce Gulch belt, which covers the
space between Two Bit and Whitewood
| creeks, e distance of about four miles
This belt comprises very large number
of veins, some Of which have been
worked successfully in years past, and
were Justly famous; such as the Cham
pion and the Lexington. There are a
score Of others which are destined to
| become producers in the near future /;
such as the Anna and Ophir. the Belle
ss'-'--s s----., 42s---, 4ss- r....s- ss----.
have now travelled twelve miles, anc
have arrived at Dfadwood. Here we
tarry for an hour to refresh ourselves
and westward still We again take up our
line Of march for as vet, we are only
about half way across this one great
vein, denoninated by our friend The
Mother Lode Of the Black Hills"
We now pass up Deadwood creek over
boulders and gravel, and pits excavated
in the days of placer mining in this
gulch, which formed the scene Of ex-
element in the early days of'76 and ~.
/ These mines are now worked out and
the neglected pits have been filled up
/ by tailings from the great mills crushing
the ore from the Father De Smet, Col
| den Terra, Caledonia and hundred
others whose product issues from the
north side Of the mountain, which by
common consent has been called the
Homestake belt. This belt is supposed
/ to extend in a northerly and southerly
direction from Deadwood creek on the
north, to Gold Run on the south, a
/ distance of about two miles. This
mountain ridge runs easterly and west
/ erly and divides the waters of the two
streams. The great Homestake mills
are situated OH the south side and empty
1 into Gold Run, redening its waters with
the oxyde of iron that flows from the
ponderous batteries Of the Homestake
mills. whose constant dropping, when
/ heard in the distance, has often remind
| ed me of the roar of the sea when the
| tide was coming in. This is Lead City's
lullaby. While it roars they slumber
sweetly. and if from any cause it stops,
they awaken instantly. But we pass on
over the head of Poor Man. and down
the divide to Nevada gulch, and soon
strike what is known as the Bald Noun
tain belt. These ores are gold bearing,
and as compared with the Homestake
and that system of vertical veins in the
Archean states, the Bald Mountain ores
are by far the highest grade. The for
nation here is fiat, and the pay shoots
are found in the silicions shales, in con-
tact with the hard sandstone above and
below. These stratas of sandstone are
evidently part of the earth's crust, and
barren of mineral, but il has become
mineralized by absorbing the mineral
waters which have oozed from the vast
porphyry dykes which have intruded
themselves while in plastic state, mp
through the different layers of rock. and
have enriched all that portion which
were the most open grained. and pre-.
pared to receive it. Here, in time, il
crystalized, forming quartzite, which
retains the minerals, once held in solu-
ton. viz: iron, silica, gold and silver.
This ore is not free milling. and for this
reason it laid for many years unrecog
nized by capital. 1t was Stunned by
mine operators and middle men, but
still held by the neryy prospector, who
had faith in the assayers returns He
knew that the gold was in the rock. He
built his cabin. and through poverty
and the jeers Of others he staid by his
ground, and waited until science in hel
progressive march should come to his
relief. After years Of patient waiting
she came OF last. aided by few of the
most enterprising men of Dead wood, the