The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-11-19
BrOOkingS Lady Tells of Trip
to Black Hills

in time Tor dinner, though rather late.
We changed cars for Rapid City and
when our time Tor dinner vas up.
twenty minutes. We sped ou
We were so surprised TO see how
Pierre has changed since they located
the capitol there. They have a very
large and modern depot, a fine. large
p%ostofice building and a good many
nice large buildings and dwellings.
The capitol building is being built
of white stone and is very snowy.
1t sets on a rather high bench of land
which makes it a very slightly place.
The outside walls are nearly finished
We crossed the long bridge TO Fort
Pierre. and found that quite a little
city was there. where only a few build.
ings, comparatively, four years ago,
They have quite extensive brick yards.
making. it is claimed, the finest kind
OF brick out of gumbo.
We followed the Bad river, crossing
and recrossing il many times. After
leaving the Bad river neal the Bad
Lands, We came 10 quite a stream. !
failed TO learn the name OF ii and
farther on We came to- where il flowed
into the Cheyenne river. All three
streams were small. like creeks and
in some places they had dry beds.
We followed between hills all the way
to Rapid City and crossed - bridges.
Part OF the way the valley was mar
row and other places would De two
or three miles across.
Some places the Cheyenne river runs
close to the hills and the banks would
vary a foo 10 fifteen and twenty feet
and some of the banks TO the smaller
streams were nearly forty feet. per
pendicular from the waters edge and
strikingly black of solid rock.
We reached Rapid City at 2 p. m,
our time and only : j.. 10. by their
time. After W crossed the Missouri
river We had to turn our time back
one hour.
When We looked around the city
the next morning We thought We had
reached the end Of the valley, as the
hills on the further side Of the city
run c~rosswise and overlap each other.
Soon after daylight, several Of Us
ladies went TO the top OF what is call,
ed Hangman's Rocks ;where there
were two or three horse thieves hung
years ago.. the rocks are on top OF
one of the highest hills Of the place.
From there we could see hills and
valleys running in nearly every direc-
ton.
Around the end in back OF the one
we were on vas located the fine build.
ings of the Indian school and between
our hill and the buildings was the rail
road track. Rapid river and a nice
smooth team road. which made a very
pretty view. We had TO leave the
pretty sights to attend the convention.
The mex morning two Of us ladies
went in the opposite direction. down
the valley about one mile and saw
the School of Mines. which consists
OF three nice brick buildings. Going
on a little farther We came to the old
gold smelter works. which has been
closed for more than a year for want
OF more ore of mat certain kind. II
was built on the side hill. | should
think about sixty feet from the base
the railroad was built on very high
trestle works and a foot bridge in
under IL to reach the works. We
walked around 1t and on top of
the high hill which overlooked the
town and a stretch of country down
the valley, where we could see a little
improved land here and there. We
had to hurry back to the convention
after picking up a few curios one be-
ing a small cactus, the only one we
saw on our trip.
Saturday morning ii was showing
and raining most of the day and
part of the next day, so We had to
content ourselves by seeing the rest
of the hill sights of Rapid City from
our windows.
The highest point was on Cowboy
hin. we We're very much disappointed
that we could not climb It on account
of the weather. All of the high hills
are covered, but not very thickly, with
pines, which a short distance away
look black which gives them the name
of Black Hills.
Monday morning. our convention be-
ing over, a company of us ladies' start
ed on a sightseeing trip, with Rev.
Upton. the Presbyterian minister of
Rapid City, as guide. We started al
about $3.50 a. m. on the Crouch line.
which is called the most picturesque
line and certainly it was wonderful.
We started southwest past the
Indian school and in a very short time
we were winding in and around the
hills following up the Rapid river. The