Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-22
MOUNTAIN MAY GET
NAME OF COOLIDGE
State Legislature to Honor
President With Black
Hills Park.
Ry Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
DEADWOOD, S. Oak, June 22-
Two-Bit Mountain, near here-the
fourth highest in the Black Hills
may soon become officially Mount
Coolidge, reviving many a tale of
gold and of the wild rush days of '76,
Or else Lookout Mountain. down
near Custer. may be honored by the
name of the President when the spe-
cial session of the State Legislature
sets out to select Coolidge Park in
the Black Hills.
To pick out Two-Bit Mountain
would be to choose n mountain of
gold and to call attention to a 70.
mantle industry now on it's last legs.
For placer mining-the panning of
creeks for loose gold--iS about to pass
out. This is emphasized just now by
the announcement that the Govern
ment gold assay offices here will close
at the end of this month.
Look for Revival.
After so years of turning gold dust
into currency for miners working the
streams hereahouts, the business
ends. but local people expect it to re-
vive before many years.
1t was UP in Two-Bit Gulch on the
side of TWo-Bit Mountain that one
of the richest strikes in the hills was
made back in 1876, when the gold
rush was on. The old miner who
panned the first dirt out OF the creek
In the gulch got especially good color
that assayed 25 cents. Ten cents was
considered rich panning. SO this two
bit panning of high quality gold that
brought Si9 an ounce gave the name
to the mountain.
Will See Workers.
The President when he Journeys up
this way no doubt will see some placer
workers still out in the streams try
ing for a strike. Most of those who
are left carry the walls of dust and
pan the streams off and on for few
flakes that can be assayed to bring
them spending money. They just
get China diggings," as the old
timers say. Nuggets that used to
bob up and give the digger thrills now
are few and far between.
Potato Gulch nearby in the hills
was famous for the hunks of gold
turned up and earned its name that
way. One old fellow pans out living
in Deadwood Creek between here and
the old mining town of Central City.
Others are working at linton and in
Rapid Creek as we'll as in some of the
back mountain streams. Old Mr..
Russell, Mike" Russell, pal of Buff
falo Bill and Gen. Custer, one of the
first saloonkeepers in Deadwood and
regular character out of a Bret Harte
novel, told the writer of the days back
In '76 that the President will learn
about when he comes here in August.
Were Wild Days.
"Those were wild days, but would
like them back again." Mr.. Russell
says. Everybody had gold dust and
knew how to spend it. There was no
money and dust was the medium of
Even the waSherwoman
had her scales and weighed out her
for every shirt launder-
ed. Two bits was bout the lowest
unit of value, but sometimes we
would make change as low as a dime.
"a newspaper cost 25 cents, or one
of gold dust, and -four
then was over two ounces of gold. or
$40 a sack A drink cost a penny
weight. When the customer would
.oss over his buckskin sack to weigh
put the cost of drink there was al
ways a bit of dust lost. We used to
shake out 50 or So in gold from the
carpet behind the Gales. The man
who swept out the saloon did the job
for gold dust he could collect in the
sweepings. a
Fortunes i'm Gold.
when the rush was at its height
about 300 men a day were heading
'or the hills to stake out their claims.
Everybody was looking for good pan
ming. At one place a negro asked
some white placer miners where he
could find good digging. Upon the
hill end they told him, to get the
fellow out of the way. He went up
he hill and started to dig and got a
-ich strike. That's how Niger Hill
got it's name.
Most of Deadwood has been pros
oected and all the streams have been
gone over thoroughly. Over $500 ,00O,-
300 worth of gold has been taken
rom the hills and there's lot of it
left. The mining of gold was hard
hit after the war, though, when prices
Of everything else went up and gold
as the basic commodity remained sta
tionary. That put operating costs too
high to make most mines pay.
There still is plenty of gold in the
hills and it's still in the creeks, but
not so plentiful as before. Mr.. Cool
idge is in mighty rich part of the
world"