Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-12-15

The Census of the Black Hills.

The census of the Black Hills is dis
appointment, for the reason that II
shows on the face of it that the gain In
population for the last decade Is but
1881 people. The census for the six
Black Hills counties is Butte, 2,907
| Custer, 2,72S; Fall River, 3,54l; Law,
renee, 1886; Meade 1907; Pennington
500 The population of these counties
in 1890 was: Butte. ,037; Custer, 1891
Fall River, 4,478; Lawrence 1873,
Meade, 4,640: Pennington, 6,540. Total
for the Black Hills, 33,259. The total
for the Black Hills by the present CEN
sus is 81 500, and increase of 4.331. This
shows gain for Butte county of 1870
| loss for Custer county Of 2, 2,l63; loss
for Fall RIVER River county of 937; a
gain for Lawrence county Of 6,244 a
gain for Meade county Of 276; loss for
Pennington county Of $50.
We copy the above from the Rapid
Journal and take 1t to be truthful
statement Of the population in the Black
Hills counties at the present time, and
the changes which have taken place in
the last ten years. 1t appears that there
is general falling off in all Of that por-
ton of the Hills DEVOTED to agriculture,
while there is an il crease in the districts
where the occupation of the people is
mainly DEVOTED to mining. According
to the report of the census Of 1890 ard
1900, the decrease in population in this
county is 2l63. This has all taken place
in the foot hills and the valley land
comprising the eastern portion Of our
county. Most of our people understand
the reason for this decrease in our popu.
lation, while to some it is still puzzle
To our mind this explanation is easy
It simply means that there has been for
the last six or seven years lack Of rain
in the valleys and the farmers located
on those lands have been unable to raise
a cop. To those who have lived in
Utah, Colorado or New Mexico for any
length Of time this outcome is not sur.
prising, and the same lack kofintelligence
would in like manner have depopulated
all of the agricultural districts OF Utah
and Colorado. Lands in those coun-
tries that TEEN with bountiful crops and
could scarcely be bought for money, are
subject to different nttreatmenttheir own
ers having long since solved the problem
Of how to win victory under exactly
the same conditions, where our valley
farmers have gone down to defeat. The
explanation all lies in the one charmed
word Irrigation" All the water that
flows from the mountains in those coun-
tries, has been taken out in bitches, and
stored in artificial reservoirs to be used
In time of need.
The lands surrounding the Hills are
equally as rich as theirs, and will some
day be made to blossom like the rose
and bear its proper burden of fruits and
flowers and yellow fields of grain. 1t
would seem that 20 years should be long
enough to learn so simple lesson but
il is evident that certain class Of peo-
Pile will remain ignorant in spite of ex-
perience. They have nearly all pulled
up their stakes and left for pastures new,
the larger portion having gone back to
their old homes in Iowa, Missouri and
Illinois. They will be followed in time
by another class of people, who will
reap prosperity where these have found
poverty and distress. They will be a
people who have among them a few
men at least, who understand the mean
ing of the one word "Co operation"