Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-03-23
Growing Despondent.

The old man of the Hill City Tin
Miner is growing despondent over the
prolonged delay on the part Of the Har-
ney Peak Tin company in the matter Of
resuming tin operations at that place,
and with the company's manifest in
difference in the matter of the advance
ment Of the town. The Miner is more
than confident in the future rapid in
crease of population and business in
Pennington county, as result Of the
development and operation of newly
discoyered mines of marked merit, and
as it reasonably concludes that city, of
importance, which shall be the great
mining emporium of the central Hills,
will be the natural result, it expresses
much concern in relation to Hill City's
chances in the race for that dis
tinction- as we'll as grave doubts as to it's
success, notwithstanding its favorable
position on the line of one Of the most
popular and powerful railroads in the
country. The Miner discusses the situa-
ton thusly:
Everybody in the Black Hills has good
reason TO look forward to q revival Of
business with the opening of spring.
We Of the southern Hills are congratu-
lating ourselves that we have, of our
own efforts, built up an entirely new
business in the opening up of our gold
mines, and that we are on the eve OF
realizing glorious results of our efforts,
which results will be the more satisfy
ing, that they have been brought by our
own efforts and the natural resources of
the country, unaided by outside capital
or exaggerated advertising. There is
every prospect that the present year
will witness the rise of at least four busy
and successful mining camps along the
line of the great Mother lode. At Key
stone, on Spring creek, in the Union
Hill district and at Rockford; all in
Pennington county. All these demand,
and will support central busin ess city,
and the question naturally arises, where
shall that city be built? Under ordn-
ary circumstances there could be no
question that Hill City has all the re-
quisite advantages of location, ease Of
access and business enterprise to place
us naturally in that position, but much
as it grieves the inmost soul of the
Miner to say it, there never was town
SC poorly equipped to fill such a posi-
ton as we-and all through no fault Of
our own. We are simply the victims of
circumstances we cannot control. I'm
der tire dog-in-the- manger policy of the
Harney Peak company, which corpora
ton owns nearly the entire town site
and all the lands adjoining and sur
rounding, under mortgaged title, not
all the love of heaven or any reasonable
amount ofmoney can purchase lot, and
nobody ever has has been, oi 10 .,o" au
lhorized to lease one for any consider
able term. People cannot be induced to
inyest money in good buildings on tenn
porarily leased ground, neither does a
merchant care to trust large stock to
the tender mercies Of a ramshackle fire
trap of town where insurance rates are
ruinous. Taking this deplorable condi.
ton of affairs in opposition to our great
advantages of our central location and
railroad facilities and good wagon roads.
We can but arrive at the conclusion that
something must be done. If the pres
ent condition of affairs last six months
longer there will be nothing LEFT to do
but to move to the new center which
none of US wish to do. Come, Harvey
Peak Company. It's your ante.