The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1907-05-04

WdlI, Say, dl l9dSl OllG llullQleu years
for the crop to grow. AS a rule
such longtime investments as the
waiting would involve do not COM
mend themselves 10 business men
who are accustomed to quick returns.
I! But the states and nation can look
much farther ahead The larger,
then, the area OF National and State
{ control over woodlands, the greater
is the likelihood that the forests of
til country will be kept permanently
productive.
Pioneer and Indian Agent Visits with
Old Friends In Lead.
Major John r. Brennan, agent at
| the Pine Ridge Indian reservation
was 4 visitor in Lead yesterday af
ternoon and met several of his old
! friends. Major Brennan was called
to the Hills on q case before the
| United States commissioner, and will
remain here for a day or SO. John,
as his friends all call him, was one
of the earliest settlers of the Hills,
|
tors of Palmer Gulch in the southern
Hills, where he made a failure of
placer mining, for the simple rea-
son that there was no gold for him
| to find in quantities sufficient to
pay. After wasting a few months in
the southern Hills, John, in company
with William Steele Bill Linn and
Others, Just a small party followed
! the Rapid creek down to the valley,
and located Il townsite mile or so
above the present location of Rapid
City, Just inside Of what is called
the gap. For some reason or other
that site did not please the locatofs,
so they pulled up stakes and moved
their city down to where the present
site is located, located the bounds of
the embryo metropclis,, built cabins,
and a block house and then sat down
to watch the place grow 1t was on
one OF the stage lines and the best
route from Pierre, Sidney, Neb, and
Cheyenne, Wyo., SO it was not long
before hundreds of people and teams
",
1t was no idlenes and ennui, with
John and the rest of the fellows, for
being out on the outer edge Of the
| FILLS 1t was an easy matter for the
wild and wiley Sioux to sneak up to
| the very outskirts of the settlement,
take shot at the inhabitants and
run off horse or two. Fights were
frequent and dangerous, so life, talk
Ell all i'll all was not SO monotonous.
Joh!i was young then, and was al
was looked upon as a leader of the
| lighting forces OF the town. and on
several occasions gave a good ac-
count CT himself. The Indians were
rot the only ones, for Lame Bradley,
Charley Carey, Doug Gcodale, Back
burn, and other knights of the road
were won't to make it interesting and
unpleasant for travellers, the Gill
mel u Salisbury line of coaches run
ming through the town, and John
haVlng been appointed agent there
FOR it. 1t was Johns duty to watch
and guard the interests of the stage
rlde hundred or two miles in pur-
suit OF outlaws and malefactors. and
he was almost always successful.
| there not being a bad man in the
country that wanted to run up
against his six feet two of bone and
muscle, or face him in a fight of any
description. He has had more mar
i row escapes than all of the alleged
heroes of the plains put together, has
never boasted of his skirmishes and
has never been made afraid. He con
Quoted the old American house in
itapfu CITY for q number of years.
when it was the only hosiery be-
tween here and the railroads, and
afoltnd the old house clustered much
CT romance and sorrow, but ALWAYS ar
1T 'vas to be found hearty welcome.
| "n!ch made the scanty table of those
days better than a banquet to those
| VINO partook of Johns hospitality.
hnAhrles, there were none, and ba-
con- deer, elk or buffalo meat, bread
ana coffee were the staple articles.
put they We're good when served by
John The late Major Fury, once
TOLD the following story on John.
Whlch VIII illustrate the straits to
which the early valley settlers were
put:
The major had been sent out to
inspect the postotIices of the Hills.
an easy matter, as there was but one
or two in the whole country at thai
lime, and he stopped over at Rapid
CITY. John, he says, was waiting on
the table himself, and cooking the
meals. After the major had been
seated, ne was approached by big.
tall, rawbone fellow, who called off
the following bill of fare:
aBeefsteak or tea,''
| me major said that he asked il
| there was any extra charge for the
steak, and John told him no. and
so he ordered one and John
| VINO was acquainted with the
major, after he had served the steak.
laid hatchet down beside the ma
1or's plate. What's that for?,.
You'll find out, " was the reply, and
Lac major says he did before he got
through wrestling with that steak.
Lead Call.
4 SAKE Gantz left this wek for
Schenectady, n. Y. to continue his
electrical studies. SAKE is born
electrician, besides being a born Josh
er. Rapid City will be lonely With
out him.