River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-05-12
River Falls Folks at the Black
Hills.

i IN INlSSi 1AAo pal ulQCl lllC
leadership of j. w. Mattern of Min
neapolis, who visited the Black
Hills last week report most de-
lightful trip. They were right royal
ly entertained everywhere and en-
joyed the scenery thoroughly and
were especially pleased with the
prospects of the Reliance Gold Min
ing properties. They visited the
| famous Homestake mine at Lead
which adjoins the Reliance, saw
the giant hosting plant, the stamp
mill and the cyanide mill. There
are 1000 miners working eleven
hundred feet under the ground who
furnish these mills with the ore.
The party made Deadwood their
headquarters while in the Hills,
stopping at The Franklin, fine new
hotel which has been running only
since last June. The city whose
streets are paved with gold" is a
remarkable place, situated on the
opposite sides of two different
mountains and the stream which
runs between them passes through
the center of the city and also
through the Homestake mills before
it reaches the city and hence has a
color quite unlike any other stream,
in fact it has two distinct colors,
the two branches of the stream COM
ing from two mills of different pro-
cesses-one a clay color and the
other a brick color-unite at the
bridge in the city, but the colors
do not ming1e for some distance but
flow side by side.
The party was joined in Dead
wood by several members of the
Reliance Co., among whom were
the Vice President and Secretary,
very pleasing gentlemen, who I'M
doubtedly knew all about mines and
mining, and piloted the party
through the various tunnels on their
properties which lie near the top
of Bald Mountain, $500 #. above the
sea level, and from which large
quantities of valuable ore ready for
the mill have been taken. The party
brought home samples which they
picked up themselves and which as
sayed as high as $21.50 per ton.
They were shown the site for the
cyanide mill-the latest improved
method of milling, which is to be at
the foot of the mountain so that
the ore can be dumped down and
thus save the expense of hosting
plant like that at the Homestake.
Many other mills were seen on the
ride among the hills, and the sever
al railroads with their ore trains
make the hills lively country. 1t
is also a very beautiful country; the
sides of the hills are studded with
evergreens, and the peaks are yet
crowned with snow. A ride on the
front of passenger car attached to
the rear of an ore train as it climbed
up into the clouds in a serpentine
manner is a very interesting morn
ing trip. The passenger car was
side-tracked at the top and the
party, after their tour of inspection,
returned to it for their lunch and
the kodak man seized the oppor-
tunity after the company had been
RECALLED. AS the party have not
seen the proofs yet we are not per-
mitted to show the cut.
Their trip home from Deadwood
was varied by a few hours spent at
Sioux City, Iowa. This is very
beautiful city and it's geographical
position is very similar to that of
St. Paul. 1t has about $4,000 in
habitants and was the largest place
on the route. The spring was not
further advanced in Iowa and Ne
braska than in Minnesota and Wis
consin, and the Bad Lands of South
Dakota wore their usual verdure.
The party are pleased to tell of
their trip and as our space is limit
ed we will refer you to them for
further particulars.