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

wait, say, at least one hundred years
for The crop to grow. AS a rule,
! such longtime investments as the
i waiting would involve do not com
mend themselves to business men
/ who are accustomed to quick returns.
] But the states and nation can look
much farther ahead The larger,
then, the area of National and State
control over woodlands the-sreater
is the likelihood tl1nt the forests of
tn country will be kept permanently
| productive.
Pioneer and indian Agent Visits Will,
Old Friends In Lead.
Major John r. Brennan, agent at
the Pine Ridge indian reservation,
was a visitor in Lead yesterday af-
| ternoon and met several Of his old
| friends. Major Brennan was called
to the Hills on a 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,
having been cne of the original loca-
tors of Palmer Gulch in the southern
Hills, where he made a failure of
placer mining, for the simple rea-
sen that there was no gold for him
TO find in quantities sufficient to
Eay. After wasting 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 townSite a 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 locators,
SO they pulled up stakes and moved
their city down to where the present
site is located, located the bounds of
the embryo metropolis, 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
We're passing through the town daily.
1T was no idlenes and ennui, with
John and the rest of the fellows, for
being out on the outer edget OF the
Fills 1t was an easy matter for the
wild and wiley Sioux to sneak ub to
the very outskirts of the settlement,
take q shot at the Inhabitants and
run OFF horse Or two. Fights were
frequent and dangerous, so life, taxi
en- all in all was not so monotonous.
John was young then, and was al
Was looked upon as q leader Of the
hghting forces Of the town, and on
seYefal occasions gave q good ac-
count CT himself. The Indians were
not the only ones, for Lame Bradley.
Charley Carey, Doug Goodale, Back
burn, and other knights of the road
were wont to make it interesting and
unpleasant for travellers, the Gil
mer & Salisbury line of coaches run
ming through the town, and John
having been appointed agent there
Tor 1t. 1t was Johns duty to watch
and guard the interests of the stage
company, and often he has had to
ride a hundred or two miles in prl-
suit Of outlaws and malefactors. and
nc was almost always successful,
there not being a bad man in the
country that wanted to run IN
against his six feet two Of bone and
muscle, or face him in a fight of anv
description He has had more mar
row escapes than all Of the alleged
heroes of the plains put together, has
never boasted Of his skirmishes and
mas never been made afraid He con-
Quoted the old American house in
Rap'd City for g number of years,
When 1T WAS the only hostlery be-
tween here and the railroads, and
efoilnd the old house clustered much
CT romance and sorrow, but always at
It was to be found a hearty welcome.
winch made the scanty table of those
days better than a banquet to those
VINO partook of Johns hospitality.
Lllxurics, there were none, and ba-
con, deer, elk or buffalo meat, bread
and coffee We're the staple articles
but they were good when served by
5ohn. The late Major Fury, once
told the following story on John,
which will illustrate the straits to
which the early valley settlers were
Put:
The major had been sent out to
inspect the nostoflices of the Hills.
an easy matter, as there was but one
or two in the whole country at that
lime, and ne stopped over at Rapid
City. John, he says, was waiting on
t!le table himself, and cooking the
meals After the major had been
seated, he was approached by a big,
tall, rawbone fellow, who called off
the following bill OF fare:
Beefsteak or teal
The major said that he asked If
1here was any extra charge for the
steak, and John told him no. and
SO he ordered one and John
who was acquainted with the
major, after he had served the steak
laid Ratchet down beside the ma
]or,s plate: What's that for?,s
IS You'll find out, was the reply, and
fac major says lie did before he got
through wrestling with that steak.
Lead Call.
SAKE Gantz left this week for
Sehenec ectady n. ", to continue his
electrical studies. Sake is born
leetriclan, besides being born josh
|er Rapid City will beglonely with