Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-12-28
BLACK HlLLSMARVEL.
SCENIC TREASURES OPENED up tn
TOURISTS.


quarter Of century ago the Rlack
Hills had an enyiable reputation j,
one OF natures Lost prolific treasure
houses and at the same time IL han
an nnenviable reputation as a region
OF romance and adventure scarcely RI.
riFaled the west over. The foothills
were tue battle-ground of the Indians
the gulches furnished ambuscades for
uesperadoes, who were self-appointed
cuslodians and eonfsdating agents of
the strong box OF the mail coach. The
mining camps were frontier towns Of
the true dime novel pattern, and each
one had It's Boots HIP 1.-THE name
given the cemetery whose every &C.
cupant was buried in his bootsl. In
these towns homicide, as one army
oiheer expressed il, was performed
daily In the most genial, whole-souled
way, the shooter and the shootee
smiling pleasantly in each others
faces. Now everything Is changed.
ana no one signs for the good old
days" The bad Indians have departed
70 the happy hunting grounds" and
their children are peaceful tillers OF
the soil and wards OF the government.
Desperadoes no longer terrorize the
community, The old stage coaches,
grown deerepit In active service, have
been whisked on 10 some eastern city
10 figure in some stirring tragedy OF
western life In the show arena, or still
Send their way over rough mountain
roads Seth Bullock, ex-sherlff OF
neadwood. and others relate 10 the
"tendeFtoot" from the east stories o.
frontier life that, like Hamlets ghosts
story. can harrow up the soul and
freeze the young blood. There is still
a peadw0od coach. which runs between
Deadwo0d and spearfsh. and II is Z
battle-Searred veteran, indeed The
original stage line from Deadwood to
Cheyenne 10 a memory Of the past
There sim exist places with such
names as Lame Johnny creek. Raw
hide buites, War Bonnet creek. Squaw
gap. etc. made famous by such self
appointed undertakers as Peg-iegged
Bradley. cnrley Grimes. who was shot
NJ Hogan's ranch: Bill Price. Dunk
Blackburn. etc Ancient local history
rings with the exploit Of Calamity
Jane. who. under the FIRE OF an at.
tack on the stages. seized the lines
whipped up the horses and brought
the stage safely through 20 It's destina-
ton. Today the Black Hills are still
great treasure house, In fact. the
third greatest gold producing region
on this continent, yielding sl00. 600 900
in gold alone In the past 25 years
With the advent Of the railway. open
sng up the scenic treasures TO tour
lists. and with the discovery OF natural
health resorts and hot springs, new
towns have sprung up and blossomed
into resorts The eastern visitor 10
whom the White mountains OF New
Hampshire form a criterion is aston
Ished to fnd that the greatest eleva-
lion OF the White mountain range Is
completely oyershadowed by hill, the
Giant OF the Black Hills, rising 10 an
elevation az 7.i0O feet. called Harney's
peak. These hills have their canyons
and EorEcs and remote hooks charm
Ing beyond description. They occupy
an oblong stretch Of country. 100 miles
long By CO miles wide. and form prac-
,icaliy an Independent chain OF noun
,alns Tho Burlington road has In
recent years built railroad to Dead
wood. with branch through Spear.
ash canyon. with spearnsh as ter
m,nai. The spearfsh branch is 81
miles long and partakes OF the nature
OF an Alpll3 railway.