Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-04-27
Personal and Pioneer Remin..o.no...


Personal and Pioneer "reminiscences.
Is the title Of book written by the
late G. G. Crary, of Kirkland, Ohio, q
portion of whose obituary appeared in
our issue OF April 9Th. The book con-
tains JOG pages and abounds in interest
ing "reminiscences connected with the
early history Of northern Ohio. tersely
told by the writer. whose life history
and recollection runs back to period
when the current century was compare
lively in it's infancy. The struggle to
maintain bare existence during those
trying pioneer days, so graphically de-
scribed by the writer. would put to
shame the most overdrawn description
Of the condition Of the poorer classes of
the present day that the pen of the
widest calamity bowler has eyer pro-
duced. The writer is not in sympathy
with the theory that, in this country the
rich aro growing richer and the poor
poorer, as he maintains the theory that
the poor are also improving their c.,n--
uffon, ana ave manffestfy much more
comfortably situated at this trying
period in our country's history than
we're the poor Of the period Of which he
writes. In those days, money, to the
pioneer, was comparatively an unknown
quantity. the acquisition Of which. to
any considerable degree, was entirely
out Of the question, and even the meagre
amount necessary to pay the postage
upon a single letter was obtained with
much difficulty. Wearing apparel for
men. women and children were made
from home woven cloth, which for sum-
mer wear was made from fax exclusiy-
ely. For winter wear the cloth was
made from wool and fax, and was
called linsey woolsey. There were no
standing collars in those days, no silks,
mittens, home knit. served for muffs,
Coon skin caps were the nearest APP
proach to Derby, and tan shoes we're
not yet. 1t took two days labor to pay
the preacher or Squire for performing
the marriage ceremony in addition TO
the value Of u kiss from the bride, what
ever that may have been considered to
be. School teachers were paid from
fifty cents to one dollar and a half per
week for their services, and had board
around" Musical instruments were
unknown to the region, not even
mouth organ or jews harp was available
to break the monotony OF the long
winter evenings. Creased paper took
the place OF glass in the windows Of
their rude cabin. which barely afforded
sufficient lights to make darkness visible.
The book is replete with historical iLci
dents connected with the region treated,
and is especially interesting to its
present residents. During the writer's
visits to the Black Hills he made a
special study of their geological forma-
ton, concerning which he submits the
following plausible theory:
The upheayal Of the Black Hills seems
TO have been from different cause from
that which piled up the Rockies and
the Alleghenies. Tie study of the geo.
logy Of the early history of this planet,
by those able to read it as written upon
it's rocks and outward surfaces, must be
very interesting / believe that it is
claimed BY those who have made the
subject their stud that this world, away
back in the early ages, was fluid mass
from intense heat, and greatly expanded
above its present size. That in the great
commotion that such rarified body
would undergo, the different materials
of which il was composed, having an af-
ffnity, would gather together, and the
heaviest portions would gravitate 10
wards the center, crowding the air,
water and lighter parts Of the earth TO
the outside, which. coming in contact
with the intensely cold region above
our atmosphere, coolded the outer sur
face, condensing it into Q solid crust.
The continual cooling and shrinking
made the crust too large, causing il to
break along the Allegheny and Rocky
Mountains, and double up and lap over,
elevating them above the surrounding
waters, forming an inland sea between
them. Now, the Black Hills seem to
have been pushed up from below,-and
what a tremendous power must have
been exerted to lift up mile above its
surroundings a section nearly ore hun
dred miles in diameter, break up sheet
Of granite thirty or forty feet thick, and
force up the melted rock more than q
mile and half above the sea level.
This world Of ours was once surround
ed by water-at least the continent of
North America shows unmistakable
signs of il. and see no reason why il
should be the exception. Our gravel
beds show that they were deposited by
the action Of water, and the gravel itself
shows that il has been driven about in
water and the corners ground of and
rounded by contact with other gravel
and rocks. Our layers Of sand were also
deposited by the action Of water. once
went in for swim at the upper end Of
Lake Erie. and found the water for some
twenty rods out was but three or four
feet deep; the bottom was clean sand.
flutsd the same AS we find in our grind
stone grit quarries, showing that they
also were formed by the action Of water.
Now, the continual cooling, shrinking
and condensiug OF the inner portion Of
the earth created . vacuum into which
the floors Of the oceans sank down with
sufficient gravity to fill up the vacuum
and push up the Black Hills and force
up through the cracks the molten rock
which covers so much Of the Black Hills.
This sinking down of such vast areas a
our oceans and lakes made sufficient
room for the surplus water. draining the
continents and putting them in oondi-
tion to support vegetable and animal
life.
The Black Hills. which contain nearly
every known mineral useful to man
gold. silver, copper. iron, TIN, lead. nickel.
mica; the finest building stone, red,
white and varieeated; beautiful vari-
cites or marble; gypsum, limestone, and
hot mineral waters; salt springs, petrol
cum and natural gas and . few miles
TO the west is found coal Of the best
quality for cokeing. Surely, the Black
Hills have grand future awaiting them,
when all the immense wea tn that the
Great Architect of the Universe has
laid away in those phenomenal hills
shall be fully developed.
mSs~oss R.r~~u>a~ Ncw>lSS>s