The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-06-23
THE BLACK HILLS.


that wonderful country until it has
been personally visited. The beauty
and productiveness Of that region
must be seen to be fully appreciated,
and once seen the grandeur of its
scenery can never be effaced from
memory.
While on our visit to Hot Springs,
recently, which little city occupies
pretty spot in the foot hills Of the
parent mountains a little farther to
the north, we decided to spend
couple of days looking through Dead
wood, Lead and Speartish. The
Burlington route, from Hot Springs
to Spearfish traverses most romantic
and picturesque country. Every foot
of the way for 140 miles is enchant-
ing. The scenery is veritable pan.
VI VI NoiiCJc anu
cany ons, dotted here and there with
mining towns Of varied Importance.
After reaching the hills there is no
farming country worth mentioning
until Spearish is reached, and here
we find pretty basin of agricultural
lands occupied by prosperous farmers.
The lands are all irrigated and splen-
did crops of small grain are annually
grown. The Burlington is the only
road running from Deadwood to Spear
fish. In fact it is the only railroad
leading from any point that reaches
this beautiful little village on the
'other side" of the range of hills.
From Ehglewood, distance eight miles
from Deadwood, the climb up the
hills to Portland, the highest point on
the Burlington system, 6,425 feet
above tide water, is an average grade
Of about three per cent. From this
point to Spearish, distance of
twenty-one miles, descent of over
5000 feet is made, and the ride, as
well as scenery, is delightful. At one
place the road drops 1000 feet in nine
miles. During the drop the passenger
can see three tracks below him, and
he tides seven and half miles to
make distance that would be but
500 feet In an air line. The canyons
through which this road winds are
picturesque beyond description, and
as fine scenery as can be found any
where in this country is seen here.
Deadwood is city of 700 people. 1t
is located in a narrow valley or gulch
with only room enough between the
hills for single business street. The
residences of the city are built on the
hill sides, and so steep are the in
clines that one row of houses sitting
in the rear of another, affords the &C.
cupants Of the one an op.
portunity to look into the
chimney tops of their front door
neighbors. 1t is standing PROPOSE
tlon that the people of Deadwood
have to put screens on their chimney
tops to keep their neighbors from
peering into the house. Deadwood is
not an inviting place for strangers. 1t
is dirty, unkept town and lacks the
enterprise of our Minnesota cities. 1t
is a mining town with the swift ways
usually observed in such places. 1t is
claimed that there is a good deal of
wealth there which is probably fact.
Lead, city of about the same size
oC ~ ~oAN "OpN1 10 w Jul lAluu uuSu
the better town of the two, although
for cleanliness of streets it is toss
up between them. In Lead are locat-
ed the great Homestake mines. These
works are veritable hives of indus
try as we'll as minis Of wealth. The
average monthly output of gold is
about $25O,OO and the pay roll for
labor alone is said to be $4,000 every
thirty days. The Homestake mine is
one of the largest in the world. The
underground ,railroad where the ore
is taken out penetrates in all direc-
tions, and fully forty miles of track is
laid and operated. The depth of some
of the shafts is now nine hundred
feet below the surface, and experts
have figured out that there is enough
free milling ore in sight to keep the
mills running at their full capacity
for twenty years. So there need be
no Immediate anXiety ahout a famine