Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-02-17


had shed their antlers, and / remarked
to the professor, "There's u herd of
mules From there we journeyed
along good road to Custer, rcaching
there about 7:3O in the evening. After
remaining at Custer day or two, and
and hearing SO much excited talk of
the two new discoveries, known as the
"Old Bill" and the "Grand junction"
located six miles north of Custer, we
started to investigate that camp.
From the "Grand Junction. mine we
cut our way through the brush down
Tenderfoot gulch until we came to the
Hill City road stopping with Reno and
Bond again that night. We gave them
description of the Hot Springs sec
tion, suggesting that it would be a
| good place to lay out ranch. Reno
told mo he would go down there with
me when came back The next morn
ing Reno accompanied us to Hill City
and introduced us to George Trimmer
and John Dennis, who were then living
|
Reno afterwards became three of the
pioneer residents of Hot Springs.
Shortly afterwards l took u horse
back trip to George Boland's ranch, at
Buffalo Gap, and tried my best to in
duce him to go with me to locate the
Hot Springs. AT that time he was
stage agent at Buffalo Gap, and distrib,
uting postmaster for all the mail that
came into the Black Hills. His place
was IL great stopping place for all the
emigrants, and he was one of the busi-
est men ever met. The night l was
at his place an amusing incident oc-
| Cured. Col. John B. Fury, postoffice
Inspector. with one of the high officials
from Washington, was there, and he
held the outgoing stage at the Gap
while he was checking up Boland in
the postoflice and distributing system.
Boland was buisily occupied iu finding
stable room for transient stock, and
selling hay and feed to the emigrants,
and the Washington official became
very indignant because he did not
show him greater attention. He start
ed to reprimand Boland, when the lat
ter became irate, and gave the Wash
ington dignitary the worst dressing
down ever heard man get in my
life. He wound up by firing the post
office, which consisted of a beer case
with twenty four pigeon holes, out into
the road, and ordered the Washington
man off the reservation. 1t required
all of Col. Fury's suavlty and persua-
sion to pacify Boland and induce him
could be secured to take his place at
Rapid City.
The next day Boland wrote out q
ranch location notice on a piece of the
box that had served as the postofiice
and l started with it, with several nails
and a hatchet, ''armed to the teeth" to
locate the Minnekahta spring. think
it was the middle of July, in 1879. In
looking for the Minnekahta spring ]
found the spring where the plunge
bath now stands, and to correct some
reports that have been published anc
told about Hot Springs, will state
that this was the spring that the Indi
ans had dug out, and where they had
bathed, as 1 found many tepee site.
surrounding it, strewn with lodg'
poles. was in quandary whether tt
locate this or the Minnekahta spring
but l nailed my notice to the cedar
tree that had chopped down while a
the spring with Jenney, on account o
! the water being much warmer. Bolant
had instructed me to locate the rancl
half mile square, and I put up on
. stake next to the cement wall, back o
. the site of the Evans hotel, as my east
ern boundary. 1t was getting late il
3 the afternoon, and thinking I nigh
lose my way, l started back for Bol
, and's ranch, at Buffalo Gap. At tina
l time there were no stakes or location
. upon any of the springs, and am pos
Z tive that was the first man to put
location upon any of them.
During that summer and fall mad
several trips to the location motto
{ from Custer, where was staying
changing the date on the notice eac
time, and reserving thirty days il
which to make permanent improve
ments. Some time in August, Rem
. and Trimmer made "a trip to th
. Springs, and Located Ne two rancho
!. where the old town now stands, bu
before they nade any permanent in
provemsnts George T6rnsr and Josep
Q Bransshnidt hlilt . sahia just abov
kMAses - pS1nss bath now stands, i
lsaeettonwood grove, and turned som
: lEeelD l1ssA Their cabin was the frs
Z477His D0Sisf 1S1nf4f In fhic enoS;on ,-,