Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-09-11
PLACES I'VE BEEN
BLACK Hills)

|
The Black Hills are said to be
the richest hundred square miles
of territory in the U. S. This may
be true or not-but the great
mines of tin and gold added to the
thousands of cattle that range all
over the section make that district
very wealthy. Mrs. Phoebe
Hearst, mother of William Ran
dolph Hearst owes most of her
wealth to the Homesteak gold
mine at Lead. | have been all
through the mine, have been
through the public library she do
mated to the city, and can attest
to the fact that Mrs. Hearst is
held in high esteem by the towns
people Of that section The Home
steak mine, | believe, is the larg-
est gold mine n the world. 1t s.
low grade ore ard | have spent
hours watching the big stamps that
crush the mighty rocks of ore in
to powder from which the gold
is extracted.
AT Deadwood, about three miles
from Lead are many pioneer inter
ests. On Mt. Moriah is the ceme-
terry where sleeps the remains of
two historic characters. One is
Wild Bill 81. B. Hickok) and by
his side is the grave of the cele
brated Calamity Jane. Hickok was
shot in the back while in a saloon
at Deadwood Calamity Jane was
a woman who rode the plains in
mans garb and died while l liv-
ed in Hot Springs, city about a
hundred miles south of Deadwood.
The grave of Wild Bill is sur
rounded by strong iron fence
| and inside the fence is a life size
statute of the frontiersman, with
the proverbial revolver in his
hand. 1t is carved out Of native
red stone.
a few miles north of Deadwood
is Belle Fouche and Spearfish.
The last named city is the seat of
the State Normal School. l deliv-
cred the commencement address
there a couple of times and the
principal at that time was Prof.
Cook, a man of exceptional ability
and loved by the entire valley.
The valley is irrigated and all
manner Of tree fruits are grown
in abundance and to perfection,
One of the important irrigation
schemes Of the country was car
ried out on the Belle Fouche. 1t
is a rich section of country.
| Three railroads serve the Black
Hills-the Burlington, Northwest
ern and the Milwaukee. Lying
east of the Hills proper are the
bad lands" and these have been
written about by dozens of differ
ent authors. The bad lands are
really miniature mountain peaks,
There are thousands of these peaks
rising out of the earth, like giant
drops of water falling on placid
stream during rain storm. Many
people have been lost in these bad
lands, and very few of the old
plainsmen would undertake to 90
through them without a compass,
They are locally called "The Dew
lis Bad Lands" as they are what
an orthodox would naturally i'm
agine is the seat Of his satanic ma
| iety.
AT Hot Springs are many novel
things. Here is the State Soldiers
home, and Battle Mountain SAM
tarium-a hospital erected by the
| U. S. government at cost Of sew
eral million dollars, where the sol
diers of all wars are treated. At
Hot Springs are a number of
mammoth plunge bath houses.
The water is hot as it comes out of
the earth and is reduced to a pro
per temperature by adding a flow
of cold water in right proportions,
At the junction of "Cold Stream"
and "Hot Creek" in Hot Springs
a peculiar sight can be sen in mid
winter. lee to skate on at one