The St. Johns herald., 1899-06-24
Stumbled Upon a Gold Mine.

Charlie and Lee Carr have made their
 fortunes. They are two young cattle
 men in Custer county, in the Southern
 Black Hills, who heretofore have lived
 uneventful lives, but by good stroke
 of fortune they are now no longer hnnt-
 ing lost cattle or stray horses in the deep native hills. On May 11th the
 brothers were out on their daily round looking for lost cattle. They had been over the same ground a good many
 times before and had even prospected
 with pick and hammer the adjoining cliffs for indications of ore, but their mining attempts had thus ia been of no avail. They had looked very thor oughly for their lost cattle along Light ming creek, and had about given up the hunt when they came to the mouth oi Narrow Neck Gulch, a small tributary of Lightning creek. Lee, tho older oi the two boys was in the lead, thinking that the cattle might have strayed up the narrow gulch to the right, turned his horse in tlat direction and ghe broth CTS proceeded up Narrow Neck GuIch.
 They had not proceeded far when Lee saw a small boulder lying at the bace of a cliff which showed indications of being highly miner alized, He stopped his pony and dismourting picked the stone up and gave it causuel examination. Satisfying h imself that it contained no gold he threw down the stone and re- mounted his horse,
 ''What was It Lee 2" Charlie asked.
 ':Only piece of iron-stained quartz, t" was the answer.
 'Iron-stained quartz is not found in this gulch without meaning something. Let me see the rock.
 So Charlie dismounted and, picked up the little boulder which his brother Lee had just thrown away, he hurled it with considerable force against the rocks at the side of the ravine. Tue rock broke in two, and wI!h d shout ofsusprise both brothers picked up fragments. The round boulder had been split evenly in- 10 halves, and there on each piece were many glittering specks of gold. There was no more cattle hunting that day. They naturally looked up the side oi the mountain to see whence the little boul- der had come.
 They climbed steep hi,l to a point about fifty feet.above the creek level. ] 7uld almost immediately found ledge of free gold Clearing away the loose dlft and broken pieces Of rock with i their cattle whips, they got down to the quarts ven, finding several nuggets of gold producing through the hard rock They traced the outcroppings along the ridge far enouah 10 convince them that it was extensive and then ! mounted their horses and returned i home The following morning, having taken their father, c. F. Carr, into their ! secret, they ruturRed to their find and proceeded to stake out ground. Their l secret was their own until eleven claims 1 had been stacked and recorded, and l then the little town of Custer, with its settlement of the camps, " $ startled with the news of the discovery !
 The brothers soon had hole down ! several feet on the vein, and they were ,lmost crazed with joy at what they | ound There were nuggets of gold as | arge as hickory nuts and large pieces ,f rock seemed to be literally filled with gold. One piece as large as dinner plate was edged with nuggets as large IS lima beans. Several hundred dol ars' worth of gold was taken out in short time.
 TAe news ofthe discovery soon spread md general stamped set in fr m all parts of the country. Claims were staked II no time for several miles around, and here was rusb for the recorders ol- ice. The strike was made on the trib- ltary of Lightning Creek, about nine niles southwest of Custer, at the east rn edge of the lime stone formation. 're quartz vein cuts the formation at fight angles, and there is every evid- nee that it is true Assure. The vein as now been stripped oi soil for a dis ance of 110 feet, and it has been traced " it's oHtcroppings for half d mile. Gold 5 found sprinkled the entire length of he vein where exposed, so that it is eneraliy believed tharit is not q ''pock |" of rich specimens, but vein con aiming ore matter -Deadwood, 5. D.,