Year: 1874

valua Tina proved insufficient, however to test
them all or vet to define the limits of the gold belt
even in this special locality. k .


VALUE OF THE GOLD YIELD.


To one unacquainted with the details and methods
of mining the discovery Of gold field Welding any
where from s to Is cents pan may not seem very
valuable discovery 1t depends altogether. how
ever, on the oonstancy and uniformity of the YIELD
and the facility with which it is worked. Many an
old miner will prefer a digging which yields ten
cents pan to one which yields dollar pan' anu
will Justify his preference by making ten times as
much In a day at the former as he or any one else
could make at the latter the difference being that
in one place il ia rock and the soil Is excavated
with difficulty while In the other the pans are
eas;lv ;llea Where the soil permits, miner can
shovel into sluice 1900 pans q day, which at ten
cants a nan would yield $50 to the man. This is
considered pretty rich yield The last pans taken
out on Custer Gulch-for 80 the miners eau "
averaged ten cents q pan, but this was nom 'ne
richer bars. The general yield would average less
Mr. Ross is Of the opinion. however, that the guich
where the hole was sunk would yield $50 day 10
the man. and in some places S75. At the upper par
of the creek there are not five inches of water. by
emitting across the stream and putting in dam the
miner could then get to the bed rock without much
difficulty. 80,
Thus far though we have found large quantities OF
uuartz on the surface, gold-bearing ledges nave
been found. Our miners feel sanguine however
that they exist in the Hills but they have tneithef
had the time nor the machinery to prosecute the
search For miners Of small capital placer mines
such as those discovered offer the most inducemeHt
and are attended with the least risk. ihe cosp Oh
machinery and outfit for quartz mine would not
be less than $4,000. For a placer mine all that Is
needed is a pick, pan, spade. and wmp-saw' dhe
do In 0tUha
expense incurred is for personal outfit. 1t Is usual
for three or four miners to club together the divs-
ion of labor diminishing the expense and increasing
the profits.


EXTENT OF THE GOLD AREA.


II ia hardly possible to speculate with accuracy on
the extent of the gold field. AS already remarked
our miners have had such opportunity to explore
as would have been afforded were the country free
from Indians and the time of the expedition less
limited. Many valleys lying at right angles to or
running parallel with the course of the expedition
were left unnotced, though apparently as favorable
for prospecting as Custer Gulch In the latter place.
so far as tested the gold section had an extent
of fifteen miles. running some eight or nine miles
below camp, and about five miles above. In
stretch of about ten miles along the creek our
miners report nearly hundred bars, in some places
three or four bars to the mle in Others eight or ten
These bars were not all ''prospected." and those
tested were not uniform in yield.


STALKING OUT CLAIMS.


Though the announcement Of the discovery of
gold created less excitement than might have been
expected a score of teamsters and wagon-masters
were provident enough to locate claims in Custer
Gulch and recorded their priority in the following
paper:


CUSTER GULoH, BLACK HILLS. d. T., Aug. s. 1874.
Notice is hereby gwen tha we he undersgned claiin
ants DO claim 1000 feet commencing at No g. above dis
covery, and running down TO No IL, below discovery
for mining purposes and do intend to work the
peaceabe possession can be had OF this portion
DO hereby locate the above claims In accordance with
the laws OF Dakota governing the mining districts.


Perhaps if this notice were translated into Sioux
and copies sent to Red Cloud and Two Bears, this
announcement would create more of a sensation
than it is likely to make in Wall-st. At present the
Black Hills are included in the Indian reservation,
and are not eligible to white settlers but
later say the claimants. the Government must
model the treaty and open the doors to the white
man.


WORD To ADvENTURERs


friendly bit of advice to these people may not
be out of place in conclusion. The simple mention
of the existence of gold in any section of coun
try is enough to fire the imagination and unsette
the mind of a great many persons, who always
waiting for something to turn up. Somehow there
is a fascination in digging gold directly from the
earth instead of getting its equivalent by other
forms of labor. The effect of the reports from the
Black Hills, therefore may be to create especially
in the West q new gold fever, which, like all such
diseases must have its run Reason and wholesome
advice have little power to check the malady when
once it has begun. Possibly they may be of use in
preventing 1t.


To those therefore, who contemplate an immedi-
ate rush to the Black Hills gold district let adj
minister friendly caution, based on two or three



nzed home of powerful bands of hostile Indians
who have sworn to repel any intrusion OF the white
man. This country is part OF their reservation
Until il is purchased from them by the government
they nave pror claim and perfect right to pro-
fecfit Be assured that they will do it. That they
have not met and opposed the present expedition Is
nothing in tue argument They were informed OF
its object which not to settle but SIMPLY 10 ex-
plore. They knew also its great strength, ana
feared an encounter Small parties OF whites enter
ing the Hills in defiance of the red mans right as
well as the laws of the Government, would hnd
themselves between two fires, and would DC pretty
sure TO be burnt by one of them. The scalp-dance
as favOrte pastime'of the SlouX. and few nnpro-
fected miners might easily afford them material for
Secondly, though have no reason to doubt the
fruthfuDess and skill of our miners and the correct
ness of their reports to the extent and value OF
the gold field yet it must be remembered that the
welding area so far determined is not great nor
can il be said with any certainty how long it would
Iast. The results thus far, though promising and
satisfactory have still been local and superficial.
at would not be surprising If the held should prove
tion and experiment can establish the TACT Ihose
who seek the Hills only for gold must be prepared
10 take their chances. Let the Over-cOnfdent study
the history of Pixies Peak. The Black Hills, too
are not without ready-made monuments for the
martyrs who may perish in their parks.


-