Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-06-12
HOT SPRINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY. JUNE II, 1896.
REPORT OF surr. BROWN

! REPORT OF SUPT. BROWN
of the Black Hills and Wyoming HON
Missionary Society.
New HAVEN, Conn.,, June 3.-At th
10th anniversary of the Congregations
Home Missionary society, held her
today, the report for Wyoming and th
Black Hills by Rev. A. A. Brown O
Hot Springs, s. D., superintendent
was presented:
The contributions from this distric
have been s376Os. Twenty-six mission
aries have been employed during tn
whole or part of the year in connec
tion with thirty-one churches and sta
tions. Three churches have been or
ganized. Twenty-nine Sunday schools
report membership of 1862.
Superintendent Brown reports: M.
territory is very large necessitatint
much travel and making it difficult tt
keep in touch with the missionarie.
and their fields except by correspon
dence. have travelled nearly 12,OO(
miles. and have written over 1000 let
ters during the year and have deliv
cred about 130 sermons and addresses
| have been from homo over three
fourths of my time and yet have not
been able to meet the expectancy OF
the missionaries and churches. 1t is
not unfrequently that receive letters
in the same mail, chiding me for not
being at home more and urging me to
come to distant point in the district
at once.
1t is not prophecy to say that Wyo.
ming will cease to be known as the
great cattle and sheep state, within the
next five years, not that there will be
less cattle and sheep but because her
mining interests will overshadow these.
The church has little understood the
vast wealth that underlies these unat-
tractive and rugged mountains. She
has been too easily attracted to the
arid plains where beginning is appar.
emily easy, while she has disregarded
the gateways to the wealth of the con-
tinent.
The Black Hills in South Dakota
constitute a prominent part of this
mission district and not more promin-
ent than important. Six years ago,
the Homestake mines at Lead were the
only gold mines being worked in the
Hills This group of mines we're then
yielding about O0,OOOper year. The
working of the refractory ores was
considered an unsolved problem. To-
day railway tracks have been built un-
der every producing mine at Bald
mountain, Ruby basin and in Nevada
gulch, and four large smelters are re-
ducing these ores. Already other
smelters are projected as these are in
sufficient to work the output. This in
terest is giving new Importance to this
section of the country and the towns
are beginning to grow and business to
revive.
The new church at Keystone is of
very great Importance. The town in
little more than year has reached
300 inhabitants. The camp is free-mill-
ing ore and several mills have been
built. This is doubtless the coming
town of the central Hills. Our church
there is of great importance and must
have a church home erected this com
ing summer. We have our church site
and about 81, 600 subscribed.
In the little more than six years ac.
quaintance with the Black Hills there
has been marked growth in all de.
partments of church work, attendance
membership, Sunday schools, young
peoples societies, etc. And the ad.
vance is very marked in the numbe,
and quality of church buildings. Fou,
parsonages have been erected, an in.
crease of 400 per cent.
There is certainly nothing discourag.
ing in the later history of this field
The only cloud upon the horizon is the
lack of missionary aid to carry on the
work SO auspiciously begun. weought
to occupy at least six new fields in
Wyoming and three new fields in the
Black Hills the present year. The
necessities of fellowship and the econ.
omy of early plants demand it. But
with greatly reduced grant and the
necessities of work already in hand
advance movements are impossible.
May the Lord open the way for these
new movements by warming the hearts
of His people.
DEATH OF CAPT. w. w. LA FLE1CHE
One of the Founders of the "star'' Passe