The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-05

made. up what itwas pleased to. csn the
business portion of the town lEE>n all
sides and as far as the eye could see,
however, were the imparishabie evil
dences of what this little town once had
been-the center of a natural wealth al
most inconceivable. VAST areas Of white
and yellow and reddish clay, mountains
scanned and gashed and cnt in twain,
miles Of rusty and disjointed gigantic
iron pipes, told Of tie days when the
miners with hydraulic gun "held up"
nature and forced it 70 deliver It's treas
ure.
But all that was long ago and is only
a pleasant memory with the little town
now, and to the strangers not unnatu-
raj inquiry as to how the people support
ed themselves came the cheerful and
cannibalistic reply that they "lived Oh
one another"
II stranger sat on a box outside one
Of the stores beside one Of the citizens
and soon found himself listening to a
monologue offered fer his entertain
ment. 1t Wonid have been a Dialogue be-
tween them, but the entertainer would
not have it that way, An old man, with
grizzled beard and weather beaten face,
was he. The stranger noticed, with
some surprise, that, although stained
and rusty, his long frock coat and the
trousers stuck into his boots were Of
good broadcloth. A very conspicuous
watch chain, a huge diamond pin in q
setting of tobacco stained shirt front
and the entire absence Of a collar made
up a somewhat incongruous appearance.
"Ies, you re right, " began the enter
tainer, starting the monologue with
considerable energy, "this town ain't
worth a whoop in hell today, but you
oughter seen it onct. Ain'ta forty-niner
myself, and you got tomalze a good deal
OF allowance for what some o. these old
has beens tell you. but they all do say
1t was a hammer before they stopped
hydrauleekin.
You oughter get old Nuggets to tell
you somethin about it. Amt you met
Nuggets yet? Well, you should, for he's
about the only sight we got in town
only thing the town blags about and
p'ints out to strangers. Nuggets was
here-or som'ers about here-before
they ever did any Observation-Disclosures
everything was placer and sluice minin.
He'll tell you his story. He'll tell it
without bein asst. I've heard it SO often
that | know it myself, He likes to hear
himself talk.
"He was one O. the first to come
acrost the plains-leastways that what
he says-and when he got here he lust
nacherally staid. He KEN around by the
old emigrant trail back O. Lake Tahoe
and into Hangtown.
"Hangtown-you know, that's what
they called P%lacerville in them DAYS
was a great place then. Meals was So.
and SO was beds; whisky was four bits
and two bits a drink, accordin as how
you wanted it, and -four was $40 for a
small sack. Course, you know, most all
supplies KEN around the Horn to Frisco,
was boated up to Sacramento and team
ed out to the mines from there.
Business was good in California in
them days. Most every one had money,
and it wasn't no trick to get it. The
cricks and river bottoms was full O.
gold, and any n could take a shovel,
pick and rocker and wash out as much
as he liked. Course that sort O. thing
spoilt the Argonauts, as they call 'em,
or a good many Of 'em anyhow-would
a-spoilt most any one.
"Kinder seemed to them that the
supply would last forever, and they
didn't worry much and wasn't particu-
Ter about savin it. They was all about
alike, and after a fellow had worked
purity hard tor awhile and cleaned up a
pile he'd get to thinkin he needed
relaxation, and down he'd go to Frisco
and blow in his pile.
"Then he'd strike the trail for the
goldfelds for another stack O. blue
chips.
"Course every one had a partner in
them days, and this here Nuggets had
one by the lame O. Wilkins. One day
they KEN into this town with a nugget
that was a corker. Was as big as your
hatred cinnabar, with chunks of pure
gold stickin out Of it all around.
"The jeweler offered EN- ST., 500 for
it, but they wouldn't sell it. Mug
gets said there was more O. it where it
KEN from, but nc one believed him.
Everybody thought that Nuggets
and Wilkins had found a small pocket,
and that was all there was to it, but
some O. these pockets are good enough
for a pore man anyhow.
"That night there was an awful
windstorm, and two days afterward
Nuggets was found comm out O. Rattle
snake canyon over there, plum crazy.
a WlNTRY LANDSCAPE.
Not summers self was ever half so fair