The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-07-27
Locals of a
Wider Nature.


a single ss, n oasa $ 's ssass Ga a red s1 %s9 and : Daas So ss " Weighs gRs 1s g. who 9 ID; 1874 ! sn :
i@g u a nd suddenly dasnI from hi his I bacbeor quarters june =, having been known to
rp aMe the n corn fn full q w 1e@ds His Hi horses and wagon re gone too The wor
deserted M%D well or Or buried on on the prairie, the robbers then making away with
the horses, wagon and money.
Editor of Sum- Thinking that perhaps a word from the famed cig9of
Bonestel in referee nee to the opening of the Rosebud would be of interest to
your many readers, l win devote a few spare moments of leisure in writing
Incompany With MI. Heltibrme and others from Miller we wended our
way to the place where thousands from the far east, south and west had
turned their faces We registered at Chamberlain and then went south IS
miles to ferry where we crossed the Big Muddy. We found the small grain
not SO good as in Hand county. But the con was some better. The dry
weather had not effected it so much. We crossed the river and waited fol-
3 hours for our commsary wagon, the ferry being busy takinga herd ofhoses
over. Then W took the ) mile CLIMB up the hills out of the river bottom
which ws nj small thing to do. We were not so fortunate as the old Indian
.iust ahead of us who used hssquaw with rope attached to the wagon to
help the ponies. The scenery tthts place is grand. We camped on the
north side of the Rosebud at nnchmans by the name of Hanson which was
wasjust threefourths of a mile from Mark Wicoxs place to whom we paid al
visit Mark and Seth had left for the island where tine boat from Gambler
lain makes landing with woudbe settlers whom the wnooxes were the trans
porters fl Homestead, some IS miles the way they come. AS we entered the
promised land, we found some good smooth country, but a W went south ue
found it spotted some as fine as could be found in any country-wih deepI
black oam and a clay subsol, covered with a thick coat of grass, the blre-3
stem predominating, and sho@tring 81 thick in places that it looked Hhe u
vast clover field alta distance But the large portion of this land is a thin
soil / should judge by the short thin grass-mostly buffalo. .subson on the
greater part of the reservation seem to be undertake with sand. With plenty
of rain crops would be immense; but let a dry season come and fellow would
wish himself in Hand county or someother country. Along the Whestone,
Willow, Coon, Ponca and Bull creeks water can be found in holes. Some very
fine springs of water can be found. Water can be had on the high land at
from 20t O Loo feet, and there are few artesan wells on anotments, which
have a strong flow, but the water rs warma IS dBhwater. The Indians have
not got the best of the land as view it. They chose the creek lands, and SO
gotta dead of rough billy country But in southeast townships they got level
land, but sub-sol is sandy we got to a boom town named st. Elmo, IL miles
utfrom Bonesteel on Saturday nghtan m hardly got in camp before "a thun-
der shower, whchwas a hummer, Rev. Murray was 81 anxious about Billy
and Dandy that he took in the shower and got a fine bath, which was not
appreciated by him., and not wanting to travel On the Sabbath he made the
boom city that night We stood the test and got to Bonesteel in
the morning. 1t truly was a sight to see the town in full bast. 1t seemed
70 be as near h as one could very well get into in this world. 1t seemed a
oose-14 saloons with gambling attachments in the rear, the side streets
and confidence men everywhere, pickpocket, the worst variety shows, new
show every half hour, all in the streetsi in a district called the Midway-anl
vieiRg with each other to fill his show. And then they have what is called
HeIrs Half Acre on the north side Of railroad track-enough to make a moral
upright mar shudder- all the fakes of modern times are praeticed. people
robbed in broad daylight and it seems that the authorities ar in league with
them. l never saw anything like it since the Cherokee strip opening. All
the land east and up to the eastlne of the reserve is a well developed coun-j
try all fenced. with farm houses and barns and nearly all in crop. No pasture
for stock that can be seen. Land IS from SIC to $50 per acre and some even
higher. People re here from everywhere in the union. OF those who register
1t is estimated that not more than onefourth intend to live n the land, it,
they get a quarter A fair estimate of what WOULD be called 1st and End
class lands out of the BOO quarters would be 500 for the 100000 regitered-al
slim chance fer a home The streets not occupied with gamblers and takers
are crowded with teams from morning to night to take people to the reserya-I
tions The new town sites are the objective points of interest. Seventy
passenger coaches run into the place daily. III estimated chat the money
Uncle Sam. Yours truly, Ell MILLER.