Year: 1875

that gold was found near Harney's Peak.


may safety say there has not been any fai


test yet made to determine lis existence II


large quantities.


There is not Territory in the West wher
gold does not exist, bit in many Of them th


quantity Is limited to the 'scolor," which i


as much as has yet been obtained near Har


heys heg, or teak AK !, The geological specimen


not favorable indications of the existence 0
| gold in any great quantity. Still it may b,
| there; but as the treaty Of 1869, duly ratified
virtually deeds this portion Of the Blacl


Hills to the Sioux Indians, there is no alter


native but to keep out trespassers.


! But to 60 back to the Father de Smet infor


nation, there is not much doubt Of the cor
| rectness OF his statement that gold exists ir


large quantities in the Black Hills, but much
| further west than the Black Hills Of the Shy
| enne. l have seen nuggets from the Bic
Horn and Tongue Rivers, and many speci


mems from near Fort Stambaugh, in the Up.
per Wind River county, where mining has


failed for want of water for alluvial washing
and from hostilities Of the Indians; and have
good reason to believe-in fact, it is quite
certain-that gold exists in the Owl Creek
Mountains, in the Lower Wind River and in
the headwaters Of the Powder River and the
Rosebud, all these localities being
under the general meaning in the
Black Hills, and outside of the Sherman,
Augur and Terry treaty of 1869, except so
far as the privilege to hunt game. It has
been my intention to communicate much in
formation this coming summer to the Gov
eminent on the ve-described country; and
as the Indians have no absolute right to the
soil there may be but little difficulty in ex.
tinguishing their hunting privileges.


| propose, if you do not object, to open up
the Yellowstone River by sending Gen. Geo.
A. Forsyth and Col Grant, Of my staff, up
the Yellowstone to the mouth of the Big
Horn as soon as the ice breaks, which will
give the lowest tide of water, having already
secured steamboat to make this exploration.
II Gen. Forsyth is successful will send Gen.
Custer, with command from Fort Lincoln,
on the south bank of the Yellowstone, cross
ing Powder River, Tongue River, Rosebud,
and on to the mouth of the Big Horn.


This country is as yet entirely unexplOred,
and the expedition may develop very valu-
able auriferous section and make the Father
de Smet story to some extent true, but am
Of the belief that the mountain Of mica has
not changed to gold.


! will also send an expedition down Wind
River, through the Owl Creek Mountains,
from Fort Stambaugh, Via Fort Brown, to the
mouth of the Big Horn, and will bring it back
through the parks about the head waters Of
Powder River visited by Capt Mills and his
command last summer. These parks are for
beauty fully equal to those described SO graph
ically by Gen. Custer as existing in the Black
Hills OF the Shyenne. may also say from
my own knowledge that The valleys of the
Big and Little Po-po-agie, Little Wind River,
and Main Wind River can scarcely be ex-
celled in beauty and fertility, while the student
of nature will find there the most extraordi-
nary upheavals Of the earth's crust probably
to be found on this continent. am of the
opinion that this country is gold bearing but
OF its abundance there can only be conject-
ure at present.


feel quite confident Of our ability to pre-
Indians, and cavalry and infantry in the de-
partment of the Dakota are being moved at
the present time to the most available points,
to carry out my directions of Sept of last
year. Were it not for these precautions on the
part of the Government there might be rep
etition of the California Gold Beach and Gold
Lake humbugs, with a still greater suffer
ing, as many OF the persons now crazy to go
to the Black Hills never think of how they are
TO exist after they get there, or how they
could return in case Of failure.


If they will only wait for further informa-
tion from the Government, which now seems
to be desirous Of making concessions to meet
these new interests, there will be no one
more willing than myself to aid in ascertain
ing their value; SO far as the troops are con-
cerned will promise activity in the present
emergency and conscientious performance
)f duty.
start be SO remote as to make it impossible
'or our scanty force to watch them, we can
occupy the two or three gaps in the Black
Hills and effectually exclude trespassers. Very
?. II. SHERIDAN,


Lieutenant-General Commanding.