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THE 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 A Terse Description of Conditions 
 Past and Present of 
 
 AMERICA'S GREATEST MINERAL BELT 
 
 Its Agricultural and Cattle Resources, Principal Cities, Financial, 
 
 Commercial, Educational and Religious Institutions, Railways, 
 
 Scenery and Health and Pleasure Resorts 
 
 ILLUSTRATED FROM ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 WITH ARTICLES BY THE FOLLOWING: 
 
 CLEOPHAS C. O'HARRA, A. B., Ph. D. DR. ROBERT L. SLAGEL, A. M., Ph. D. 
 
 MAJOR A. J. SIMMONS, M., E. JESSE SIMMONS, M. E. 
 
 W. T. McFARLAND 
 PROFESSOR FAYETTE L. COOK 
 
 S. R. SHANKLAND 
 
 REV. C. B. CLARK ^^q p BALDWIN 
 
 MRS. ANNA MORRIS CLARK CAPTAIN SETH BULLOCK 
 
 EDITED AND PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF 
 
 THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION 
 
 By GEORGE P. BALDWIN 
 
 UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MESSRS. 
 
 W. S. ELDER— S. W. RUSSELL— R. H. DRISCOLL 
 
 Committee Appointed by the 
 Black Hills Mining Men's Association 
 
 Copyrighted, 1904, 
 THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION 
 
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INTRODUCTION 
 
 T has been a great pleasure to bring together the forces necessary to 
 the fulfillment of this publication, which is destined to place intelli- 
 gently before the world a section of our country which less than thirty 
 years ago was a mere hunting ground of the Indian. 
 To-day even the initial work of the hardy pioneer is buried in the 
 past and only visible in the desultory log cabin. Cities of brick and stone 
 have replaced the placer camps, the schools and churches are on a par 
 with the East, and the embryotic state is over, for the Black Hills, with 
 their unlimited resources, have begun to force themselves to the attention 
 of the world. 
 
 Thus the present has been deemed a fitting time to tell of the great 
 resources which have brought the Black Hills so quickly out of the chaotic 
 conditions of the past and it was thought proper that this should be done 
 through the instrumentality of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association, 
 an organization of nearly 500 of the best men of the Hills banded together, 
 without local prejudices, to promote honest and deprecate dishonest min- 
 ing enterprises and to help in every way the advancement of each single 
 resource of the Black Hills Country. 
 
 This Association is unique in being the first of its kind ever organ- 
 ized and is doing great good in ehminating from the mining of this section 
 the element of risk encountered in the usual mining enterprise. 
 
 Letters on any subject pertaining to the Black Hills, will receive 
 attention from its Secretary, Wm. Letson, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 With these few words of introduction we leave you to judge of the 
 future of the richest five thousand square miles of territory in the United 
 
 GEO. P. BALDWIN 
 
 Editor. 
 
 During the compilation of this work elections have made a few changes in the personnel 
 of the city and county officers of Lead, Deadwood and Lawrence County. 
 
 
OFFICERS AND BOAED OF DIRECTORS OP BLACK 
 
 No. 1. — Burdett Moody, M. E., of Lead, President of the Association. No. (j.- 
 
 No. 2. — Wm. Letson, Secretary ; also Assistant Secretary Golden Reward 
 
 Consolidated G. M. & M. Company. No. 7.- 
 
 No. 3. — John A. Blatt, Vice-President and Pioneer. 
 No. 4. — Dr. J. W. Freeman, Director ; Surgeon of Homestalie Mining Com- No. 8.- 
 
 Eany ; Member State Board of Medical Examiners ; President 
 ead Board of Education ; Director of Lead Commercial Clulj No. 9.- 
 and First National Bank of Lead. 
 No. 5. — George S. Jackson, Director; General Manager the Victoria G. M. No. 10, 
 & M. Company, and Director of Deadwood Business Club. 
 
 HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
 -Jphn Gray, Director ; Pioneer and Manager of Wasp No. 2 G. M. 
 
 & M. Company. 
 -J. E. Pilcher, of Custer, Third Vice-President ; also Secretary of 
 
 White Cloud G. M. & M. Company. 
 —Dr. Robert L. Slagle, Director ; Dr. Slagle is President of the 
 
 South Dakota State School of Mines. 
 -John Blatchford, Director ; also Superintendent of Golden Reward 
 
 Consolidated G. M. & M. Company at Terry. 
 — Otto P. Th. Grantz, Second Vice-President and Treasurer of the 
 
 Association ; also a Pioneer. 
 
THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
 By W. J. McFarland. (Portrait below.) 
 Its Unique Organization, Its Objects and the Work Accomplished. 
 
 Moved by the necessity of bringing more prominently to the 
 attention of the outside world the mineral resources of the Black 
 Hills, the many advantages offered for the profitable investment 
 of capital to be had in this mining field and to enlist the assistance 
 of moneyed men in the development of the country's hidden wealth, 
 early in 1901 a number of mine owners and others interested in 
 the advancement of the country assembled in Deadwood and dis- 
 cussed the situation. The result of this gathering was the organi- 
 zation of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association, September 
 3, 1901, with the following board of directors : 
 
 John Blatchford, superintendent of the Golden Reward system 
 of mines of Terry; Robert H. DriscoU of Lead, cashier of the 
 First National Bank ; William S. Elder, general manager of the 
 
 Imperial Mining Company, Deadwood ; Harris Franklin, president 
 of the American National Bank and general manager of the Golden 
 Reward Mining Company, Deadwood; Charles H. Fulton, pro- 
 fessor of metallurgy and assaying at the State School of Mines, 
 Rapid City; James D. Hardin, min'e owner and general manager of 
 the Branch Mint Mining Company, Two Bit; George M. Nix, gen- 
 eral manager of the Oro Hondo Mining Company, Lead; J. E. 
 Pilcher, mine owner, Custer City; S. W. Russell, general manager 
 of the Clover Leaf Mining Company, Deadwood. 
 
 Officers of the association were elected by the board of di- 
 rectors as follows: Harris Franklin, president; George M. Nix, 
 first vice-president; S. W. Russell, second vice-president; J. E. 
 Pilcher, third vice-president; W. S. Elder, secretary and treasurer. 
 Immediately after its organization the first meeting of the 
 association was held in Deadwood, and the organization started 
 off with a membership of fifty, every individual being a mine owner 
 ■ or interested in the development of mining property. Active work 
 along the lines laid out for the association was begun, the first 
 attempt to bring the Black Hills to the notice of the outside being 
 the preparation of a mineral exhibit, to be shown at the Festival 
 
 of Mountain and Plain, held in Denver in the fall of 1901. One 
 of the best and most comprehensive exhibits of ores and minerals 
 was gathered together by the efforts of the association and its 
 agents, together with a large amount of literature descriptive of 
 the Black Hills and its mineral resources. The exhibit attracted 
 a great deal of attention from visitors to the Denver festival, while 
 all of the literature prepared by the association was eagerly sought 
 for. So much good did this first attempt of the association to ad- 
 vertise the Black Hills accomplish that the benefit of the work 
 undertaken and accomplished by the organization was made appar- 
 ent to every resident of the Hills, and at the following monthly 
 meeting the attendance over the former meeting was increased two- 
 fold, and the names of over one hundred additional members 
 were placed upon the rolls. Since that date the association has 
 grown in membership and importance, at the last meeting, in De- 
 cember, 1901, its membership having grown to 450, while the 
 scope of its work and its importance as. a factor in the development 
 of the mining industry of the Black Hills has increased in pro- 
 portion. 
 
 The next work of importance was to secure the annual meet- 
 ing of the American Mining Congress for the cities of Deadwood 
 and Lead. To this end a delegation, composed of the most promi- 
 nent business and mining men of the Black Hills was sent to the 
 meeting of the congress being held in Butte, Mont., in 1902. This 
 committee was successful in its quest, and, despite the opposition 
 of other aspiring cities, captured the prize. After securing the 
 twin cities of Lead and Deadwood for" the meeting place of the 
 congress, the association took up the work of preparing for the 
 entertainment of the delegates and other visitors to the congress. 
 Deadwood and Lead each subscribed $1,000 for this purpose, while 
 members of the association added to these moneys by volunteer 
 subscriptions, which increased the fund for this purpose to over 
 $15,000. In September, 1903, the congress convened in Deadwood, 
 with representatives present from every mining state in the West 
 and many from other commonwealths, bringing to the cities of 
 Deadwood and Lead gentlemen of high reputation in the mining 
 world and of scientific prominence. These gentlemen were given 
 every opportunity to see for themselves, the workings of all the 
 principal mines of the Hills having been thrown open for their 
 inspection, so that when they left for their homes they carried 
 with them a better idea of what there really is in the Black Hills 
 than a year of reading could have afforded them. The results 
 of the meeting of the congress in Lead and Deadwood had an 
 almost immediate effect, as was evidenced by the increased demand 
 for information concerning this field of mining operations, and 
 in the number of mining men who, after the adjournment of the 
 congress, came hither to investigate for themselves the conditions 
 and opportunities here. 
 
 Arrangements were also entered into for making a suitable 
 exhibit of mineral and other resources at the coming great fair 
 at St. Louis, and under the direction of the association this work 
 is now going forward, and it promises to result in making such a 
 display that anyone interested in mining can tell at a glance 
 what is contained within the limits of the Black Hills. To make 
 this work successful, the association, through its officers, inter- 
 viewed every member of the state legislature, the state officials 
 and governor, and secured an increase of many thousand dollars 
 
MEMBERS OF SOCIETY OF THE BLACK HILLS PIONEERS. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 over the appropriation originally made for an exhibition at the St. 
 Louis fair, and in having passed a bill by the legislature providing 
 that the appropriation so made should be so apportioned that 
 the Black* Hills should receive a large share of the money appro- 
 priated for a proper display of its minerals. 
 
 The meetings of the association are held monthly, alternating 
 between Deadwood and Lead, and at these meetings are present 
 all of the prominent mining men of the Hills and many visitors 
 from other states. One of the features of these meetings, aside 
 from the discussion of mining affairs, is the reading of papers, 
 scientific treatises being prepared by members of the association 
 on different branches of mining and milling. Some of these papers 
 have received the widest of circulation, for besides the 2,000 copies 
 of each paper read which are printed for free distribution, they 
 ■have, in many instances, been copied in different mining and sci- 
 entific journals throughout the world. One paper, in particular, 
 that read by C. W. Merrill of the Homestake Mining Company, on 
 the methods of cyanidation employed by that corporation, aroused 
 the greatest of interest, and several editions of the paper have 
 been exhausted in an attempt to supply the demand for it, while it 
 has been copied and commented upon by scientific journals in 
 Germany, Australia, Mexico and other foreign countries. 
 
 Some idea of the work which the association is accomplishing 
 in the way of advertising the Black Hills may be had when it is 
 stated that since its organization in igoi it has expended in 
 advertising alone $25,000, and at the present time is engaged in 
 collecting data for a work descriptive of the country, which will 
 cost many thousands more. 
 
 Since its organization the association has been a clearing house 
 of information for the Black Hills ; it has succeeded in securing 
 the investment of a large amount of capital in mining ground ; 
 the erection of numerous treatment plants ; the development of 
 much country which is to-day producing gold, and arousing an 
 interest in the country among a class of people who would never 
 have looked in this direction to secure investments had it not been 
 for this labor on its part. 
 
 One of the greatest benefits resultant from the organization of 
 the association has been the protection which it has afforded the 
 would-be investor. A record was kept by the former secretary, W. S. 
 Elder, of all the mining operations in the various districts of the 
 Hills, and of the character of the ores, the formations in which 
 they occur and other particulars valuable to the mining man, all 
 of which can be had from the present secretary upon application. 
 Besides this, it has discouraged the perpetration of fraud and 
 the foisting upon the investing public of worthless propositions, 
 doing a work in this direction which has already accomphshed much 
 good, and which has benefited the Black Hills by giving the assur- 
 ance that any proposition which receives the indorsement of the 
 association is one worthy to be considered, and diminishing the 
 opportunities of the unscrupulous to profit by dishonest .transactions. 
 
 Measured in dollars and cents alone, the benefit that the asso- 
 ciation has been to the mining interests of the Black Hills since 
 its organization has been very great. According to former Sec- 
 
 retary Elder, since the association has been in existence, Pt this 
 time a little over two years, through its influence there have been 
 established in the Black Hills twenty-five new mining companies ; 
 these companies have purchased from the original owners 30,000 
 acres of mineral land, these purchases involving an expenditure of 
 $5,000,000, or an average of about $150 an acre for the land trans- 
 ferred; to develop and patent this land at least $2,000,000 has been 
 expended ; eleven treatment plants, of an average cost of $100,000 
 apiece, have been built, making a grand total of money brought 
 into the Hills and spent here through the judicious advertising of 
 the country by the association of $8,000,000. This is a record 
 of which the association feels proud. 
 
 Monthly meetings of the association always call out not only 
 a large attendance of members, but also the presence of some 
 distinguished visitor prominent in the mining and scientific world. 
 The monthly meetings are looked forward to with the greatest 
 of interest, for at them something new in the process of 
 treating ores or in the conduct of mining enterprises is cer- 
 tain to be presented for the consideration and investigation of 
 the members. The association is in a splendid condition finan- 
 cially, while its active membership is constantly growing. This 
 membership is not confined to the Black Hills, but includes mining 
 men of prominence in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, 
 Idaho, and the other western states, who apparently are as anxious 
 to receive and review the papers read before the meetings as are 
 those here at home. These papers have been carefully preserved by 
 the association, and arrangements are now making to have them 
 published in book form for distribution among the members and 
 to any mining man who may care to ask for them, free of cost. 
 
 At the regular monthly meeting of the association in October, 
 1903, the annual election of officers took place. The following 
 board of directors was chosen, which in turn selected the officers 
 for the ensuing year : J. W. Freeman, John A. Blatt, Burdett 
 Moody, Lead; Otto P. Th. Grantz, George S. Jackson, Deadwood; 
 John Blatchford, Terry; John Gray, Terraville; J. E. Pilcher, 
 Custer City ; Dr. R. L. Slagle, Rapid City. The following officers 
 were chosen : Burdett Moody, Lead, president ; John A. Blatt, 
 first vice-president. Lead; Otto P. Th. Grantz, second vice-president 
 and treasurer, Deadwood; J. E. Pilcher, third vice-president, Custer 
 City; William Letson, secretary, Deadwood. 
 
 The officers are all young men of proven ability, and under 
 their direction it is safe to predict as brilliant a future for the 
 organization as has been its past, and that the work of the asso- 
 ciation will not be allowed to flag, but that the usual monthly 
 gatherings will tend more than ever to eliminate all sectional feel- 
 ing, which, before the birth of the association, had been so marked 
 between the different districts and tov/ns. In fact, the work of 
 the association in this direction alone is worth more than a money 
 price, for the resentments of years have been buried, and the Black 
 Hills peoples, so far as the interest of the comm.on country is 
 concerned, are a unit and working together harmoniously in the 
 upbuilding of this magnificent empire. 
 
 SOCIETY OF THE BLACK HILLS PIONEERS. 
 
 It seems proper that with this organization a few facts should 
 be touched upon in connection with the early history of the Black 
 Hills, for it was these men and their confreres to whom the history 
 of the country of those days is mainly attributable. We are indebted 
 to Mr. James Conzett for many of the facts touched upon, and as 
 Mr. Conzett for four terms occupied the office of president of this 
 society, his capabilities in this direction must be unquestioned. 
 
 The Black Hills were not opened to settlement until February 
 28, 1877, and all who came in prior to that time were looked upon 
 by the government as trespassers on the Indian reservation. In con- 
 sequence, several parties were taken out of the Hills by the govern- 
 ment troops and their outfits destroyed to prevent their returning to 
 the Hills. This course was followed by the government because of 
 
 the hostilities of the Indians and the numerous encounters between 
 them and the whites and the consequent loss of many lives, but the 
 Pioneers' Association counts its members entirely from those who 
 came to the Black Hills prior to the first of January, 1877. Thus we 
 can see that the class of men entering at that time took their lives in 
 their hands and were the kind of men who, once settled in a country, 
 would build it up, no matter what the odds against them. Some of 
 these men were veterans of the civil war, like General Dawson, one 
 of the organizers of the society, but most were young pioneers in 
 search of adventure and gold placers. 
 
 Some few people had settled at Spearfish during the summer 
 of 1876; then there were some also at Bear gulch, some thirty miles 
 northwest of Deadwood ; and previous to this, Custer and Hill City 
 
MEMBERS OP SOCIETY OF THE BLACK HILLS PIONEERS. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 9 
 
 were the first settlements of all and were the center of excitement 
 until gold was discovered at Deadwood, when both were virtually 
 depopulated in the mad rush to the placer fields. At this time Rapid 
 City was also a small settlement. After the few parties had been 
 taken out, the government recognized the fact that the rush was so 
 heavy that itrw,^uld be useless to try to remove the people. There- 
 fore, it again' staged. negotiations with the Indians for the cession of 
 the reservation.;' These negotiations were consummated on February 
 
 FIRST HOME- OF MAYOR SAMDEL MOLL OF GALENA. MR MOLL 
 SITS ON THE HORSE, WHICH WAS VERY FOND OF TOBACCO. 
 
 28, 1877, and that spring a very great rush began, but the pioneers 
 were the ones who had to cut out the hard work. Of course the great 
 danger from Indians was at the outskirts of the Hills and in the 
 small settlements where the whites could be overcome by large num- 
 bers; but the Indians were loath to attack the larger settlements 
 in the interior of the Hills, not only on account of the number of 
 whites, but to a great extent because of the ruggedness of the moun- 
 tain ranges and the danger of retreat being cut off. Therefore, they 
 confined themselves to lying in wait and picking off the small parties 
 entering. In the smaller settlements, like, for instance. Galena, where 
 Mr. Conzett built a log cabin in October, 1876, the .people were 
 obliged to organize for self-protection. Mr. Conzett's cabin was the 
 fort. It was originally built with a dirt roof and floor. Mr. Conzett 
 erected the house himself. He cut down the trees, prepared skids 
 for the logs, and each day, when three friends of his were return- 
 ing from work, they would help him transport the logs to their des- 
 tination. No boards were to be purchased, but he obtained two from 
 a placer sluice-box, and with these he constructed his door, with 
 wooden hinges. Many of the pioneers lived in dugouts, and all of 
 them did business for a long time in shacks and log cabins. 
 
 At Lead City, which was quite a village on account of the pla- 
 cers and gold run, there was no trouble from Indians, as it was 
 somewhat removed from the course of travel and protected by other 
 settlements. After the ratification of the treaty with the Indians, 
 Lawrence county was organized, and the governor of Dakota ap- 
 pointed the county officers. The county took its name from John 
 Lawrence, who was appointed county treasurer. John Wolzmuth at 
 Spearfish was among the three county commissioners at that time, 
 and Captain Seth Bullock was the first sheriff of Lawrence county. 
 The Pioneers' Association was organized January 8, 1889, and 
 in January, 1903, the total enrollment of members had reached 504 ; 
 since that time some have died and some have left the country. The 
 present membership is about 250. The first officers were : Thomas 
 H. Russell, president; L. F. Whitbeck, secretary; John R. Brennan, 
 treasurer, and General A. R. Z. Dawson, marshal. In rotation the 
 various presidents of the society since that time have been as fol- 
 lows : Thomas H. Russell, one term ; Captain Seth Bullock, two 
 terms ; General A. R. Z. Dawson, two terms ; James W. Allen, two 
 terms; John Gray, two terms; P. A. Gushurst, one term; George V. 
 Ayres, one term ; James Conzett, four terms. 
 
 At the annual meeting of 1903. Mr. Conzett, in an address, spoke 
 
 truly when he said that the pioneers from the earliest settlement of 
 the Black Hills to date had been prominently identified with all inter- 
 ests inaugurated and carried to successful issue, and that all lines of 
 industry in the Hills were well represented by those who came in 
 before the legal settlement. 
 
 The present board of directors is composed of H. J. Fuller, 
 John Blatt, Paul Rewman, Al Burnham and A. C. Tippie. The pres- 
 ident is J. W. McDonald ; secretary, J. Deetken ; treasurer, D. M. 
 Gillette ; marshal, F. X. .Smith, and the .standard-bearer, George H. 
 Simmons. The latter office will probably remain permanently with 
 Mr. Simmons during his lifetime, and the same may be said of the 
 office of historian, which is occupied by George S. Hopkins, the first 
 civil engineer of the Black Hills and the most incomparable story- 
 teller. 
 
 The vice-presidents are elected by counties and are as follows : 
 For Lawrence county, James Halloran ; for Meade county, John 
 Scollard ; for Pennington county, James Halley : for Custer county, 
 H. A. Albion ; for Fall River county, F. B. Smith ; for Butte county, 
 F. C. Thullen ; for Cook county, James Ryan. 
 
 Most of the pioneers, who started in their cabins and shacks, 
 have now handsome residences and are among the most prominent 
 business men of the various communities. In the mining industry 
 should be mentioned among the pioneers such men as John Gray, an 
 ex-president of the society ; Harris Franklin, a prominent financier, 
 and Kirk G. Phillips, ex-state treasurer. In varied enterprises should 
 be mentioned George V. Ayres, a large hardware merchant and ex- 
 president of the society; Paul Rewman, of the electric light plant at 
 Deadwood ; P. A. Gushurst, capitalist and merchant of Lead, ex- 
 president of the Pioneers' Association and present president of the 
 Lead Commercial Club ; Frank Abt, ex-mayor of Lead ; Julius Deet- 
 kin, a merchant of Deadwood, who has always been strongly identi- 
 fied with the association and is its present secretary, and Captain 
 Seth Bullock, ex-president of the Pioneers' Association and in charge 
 of the forestry reserves of the Black Hills. The mechanical indus- 
 
 WHERE JAMES CONZETT LIVED TWENTY-ONE YEARS AT GALENA. 
 THIS LOG CABIN WAS USED IN EARLY DAYS AS A FORT. 
 
 tries are well represented among the Pioneers by such men as James 
 Lawlor, Albert Burnham and James Carver. Were we to enumerate 
 the long list of members of the association and the varied paths they 
 have hewn in the commercial, industrial, financial and mining enter- 
 prises of the Black Hills, a long task would be before us, but suffice 
 to say that the record of its individual members in the upbuilding 
 of the Black Hills will ever be a monument of pride to the children 
 and grandchildren of the members of the Society of Black Hills 
 Pioneers. 
 
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EN PASSANT. 
 
 A Brief Review of the Black Hills, Their People, Towns, Conditions and Industries. 
 
 By Geo. P. Baldwin. (Portrait below.) 
 
 I went, saw and was conquered. Yes, they are an empire in 
 themselves. Probably one out of twenty educated men of the United 
 States could geographically bound the Black Hills, but I am ashamed 
 to say that before my advent in the Hills I had been to California 
 over a hundred times, and it was not until three years ago that my 
 curiosity was awakened regarding this section. A friend of mine, 
 an old newspaper confrere, had suffered severely from rheumatism 
 and had been cured. I asked him where, and he laughed as he 
 replied, "In the Black Hills." I was thunderstruck, and it was then 
 he told me about the healing waters and fine hotel accommodations 
 and scenic wonders of Hot Springs at the foot of the Black Hills. 
 He spoke of the energy of the late Fred T. Evans, who had done 
 
 so miuch to build up that place. And then he told of the immense 
 mining communities building up throughout the Hills and said he had 
 gone to Lead, three miles distant from Deadwood, to see an old 
 friend, T. J. Grier, who ran the biggest gold mine on earth. He 
 had reference to the Homestake Mining Company. 
 
 I was not convinced except in aftertalks with him . and with 
 others, and then decided at the first feasible opportunity to make 
 the trip. 
 
 My first point was Hot Springs, where I found that Mr. Evans 
 had passed away, but his son-in-law, Mr. Harry D. Clark, furnished 
 me with much valuable information, and I started northward to 
 Deadwood, stopping at Rapid City, Piedmont, Sturgis and White- 
 wood on the way. These latter towns are situated in the foothills 
 east of the Hills proper, and from Whitewood one ascends to an 
 altitude of 4,700 feet in entering Deadwood. 
 
 I had been sorry to leave Hot Springs, it was so charming 
 with its balmy, dry air, its almost perpetual sunshine and its mag- 
 nificent baths. I could see before me the vista of a western gulch 
 mining town, with its filth and degradation an eyesore at every turn. 
 The thought of a protracted stay in such a place was revolting. 
 
 As we ascended the valley on the handsomely equipped train my 
 attention was diverted by the marks of activity on every hand. 
 Cyanide mills, reduction plants and smelters, and finally the city of 
 Deadwood came into view with its fine business blocks and its 
 surrounding hillsides of beautiful residences. We stopped at the 
 station and in two minutes I was at the hotel and was literally 
 astounded. Here was a caravansary, the Franklin House, in its 
 construction and service equal to any hotel between Kansas City 
 and 'Frisco. Shortly afterward I passed down the street to a sad- 
 dlery store, where I presented my credentials to Mr. Edward Mc- 
 Donald, the mayor of Deadwood (surnamed "Mac the Saddler"), 
 who placed himself at my disposal for the rest of the day, took me 
 to the Deadwood Business Club and introduced me to some of the 
 finest men it has ever been my pleasure to meet. 
 
 I cannot pass Mayor McDonald without a brief mention of this 
 gentleman, whose, open heart is only paralleled by his distinguished 
 courtesy and great abilities. He is a Chesterfield in manners and so 
 excellent a speaker that he always reminds me of S. A. Wheelwright 
 and John Grant, who were, in their day, shining lights as mayors of 
 Tacoma, Wash., and Victoria, B. C, respectively. 
 
 Mayor McDonald was born in New York, and lived there for 
 many years before coming West. He came to the Hills in 1879, 
 established business at three cities besides Deadwood, and immedi- 
 ately identified himself with the upbuilding of Deadwood. He was 
 several times elected chief of the fire department, and later on was 
 twice elected president of the Black Hills Firemen's Association. 
 
 LOG CABIN IN SPRUCE GULCH.— Photo by C. B. Clark, Jr. 
 
 In 1887 he was elected an alderman of the Second ward, and in i8go 
 was made sheriff of Lawrence county. 
 
 One would suppose this to have been a pretty trying office to fill, 
 but Mayor McDonald assured me that at no time during his two 
 years' tenancy did he have to resort to the use of firearms. I have 
 since been told that at that time, while conducting an insane patient 
 on a train to the asylum, the patient leaped from the train while it 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 13 
 
 .THE HEAL DEADWOOD STAGE COACH ON ITS DAILY RUN TO SPBAKH'ISH. HARVEY FELLOWS, THE DRIVER, HAS MADE THE ROUND 
 
 TRIP DAILY FOR TWENTYONE YEARS. 
 
 was running at the rate of 40 miles per hour, and the then sheriff, 
 McDonald, followed him while the train was at full speed and brought 
 him back, neither one being hurt. Mr. McDonald has been for ten 
 years a member of the state Democratic central committee, and in 
 April, 1902, was elected mayor of Deadwood. His administration 
 was so popular that he was re-elected last spring without an opposing 
 candidate, although the town is undoubtedly distinctly Republican. 
 
 Some idea of the falsity of my previous impressions of Deadwood 
 can be gathered from Mr. McDonald's reply to one of ray questions, 
 in which he said : ''There is only one policeman on duty in Deadwood 
 at any one time, and he has very little to do." 
 
 A thorough description of this and all the other larger cities of 
 the Hills will be found in these pages, and it is my idea merely to 
 give a general idea of the conditions encountered by a new arrival. 
 Lead City, three miles distant from Deadwood, and some 600 
 feet higher, is the home of the Homestake mine, and is reached by 
 the Northwestern railway over its scenic route or by trolley over the 
 Burlington. The city is somewhat larger than Deadwood, and is 
 next in point of size to Sioux Falls, the largest city in tha state. It 
 is dependent at present almost entirely upon mining, and is un- 
 doubtedly the handsomest, best ordered and best built mining town 
 in the world. The reasons for this will be apparent from a later 
 description in these pages. The same splendid courtesy I found here 
 also at the hands of Mayor Irwin and other prominent men of Lead. 
 My trips to Mystic, Rochford, Keystone, Hill City and Custer, all in 
 the heart of the Hills, and reached by the Burlington road, were at 
 a later date, as were also the trips made to Spearfish and Belle 
 Fourche in the northernmost part of the Hills, and reached by he 
 Burlington and Northwestern railways, respectively. 
 
 The Black Hills occupy a territory running about 100 miles 
 from north to south, on the western border of South Dakota, and 
 extending over into the state of Wyoming. They will probably 
 
 average from east to west about 50 to 60 miles, thus including about 
 S,oco to 6,000 square miles of territory, although often advertised as 
 ICO miles square. 
 
 The altitude of these mountains and of the principal cities can 
 be gleaned from the following table : 
 
 Hot Springs 3,400 
 
 Battle Mountain S.ooo 
 
 Johnson Hill 4,230 
 
 Cascade 3,406 
 
 Sylvan Lake . ; 6,500 
 
 Harney Peak 8,200 
 
 Terry Peak 7,363 
 
 Custer Peak 7,000 
 
 Dodge's Peak 7,500 
 
 Crook's Tower 7,363 
 
 Crow Peak 6,000 
 
 Inyan Kara 6,600 
 
 Devil's Tower 5,260 
 
 Terry 5,700 
 
 Whitewood 3,40O 
 
 Bear Butte 4,603 
 
 Deadwood 4,630 
 
 White Rocks, Deadwood. . .5,400 
 
 Lead City 5,30O 
 
 Custer City 5,50o 
 
 Keystone 4,222 
 
 Hill City s,o8q 
 
 Rapid City 3,200 
 
 Sturgis and Fort Meade. . .3,4ck:i 
 
 Spearfish .■ . . . 3,500 
 
 Buffalo Gap 3,275 
 
 Chadron 3,382 
 
 Belle Fourche 3,400 
 
 As will -be seen, the highest peak is 8,200 feet above the level 
 of the sea, while Custer City, at 5,500 feet, is. about 200 feet lower 
 than Denver. The Black Hills derive their name from the people 
 crossing the plains to the south half a century ago on the way to 
 Salt Lake. The heavy growth of pilch pine covering the mountains 
 with its dark foliage gave the impression befitting the name, but I 
 think it was a pity, as light attracts and darkness repels, in our 
 thoughts regarding location; there's a whole lot in a name. 
 
 The same may be said of Deadwood. What a fearful name to 
 give a town ! What a motive to thoughts of wildness ! Undoubtedly 
 Buffalo Bill was impelled to use this name (from its very conception 
 of lawlessness) on the stage coach which is dragged out twice a 
 
LKAU— SOME SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, IN-STITTTTIONS AND IMPORTANT BUILDINGS. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 15 
 
 A PARK SCENE ON ROAD TO THE COLD SPRINGS RANCH. 
 
 day in his shows to be shot at by the Indians. The real Deadwood 
 stage-coach is one that travels daily to Spearftsh over a beautiful 
 mountainous drive of 16 miles, with gala parties of ladies and gentle- 
 men perched all over it. 
 
 CLIMATE AND SCENERY. 
 
 There are many people who cannot bear a high altitude. No 
 altitude of the Black Hills is great enough to affect these people, 
 and yet, from one end of the Hills to the other, the atmosphere is 
 as dry as that of Colorado. In the northern Hills, around Deadwood 
 and Lead, and as far south as Rochford, there is a considerable pre- 
 cipitation, especially in the winter time, when the snow permits of 
 the finest sleighing to be had in America. But the snow does not 
 accumulate to any great extent, because of the dry atmosphere, which 
 quickly dispels it. In the southern Hills the precipitation grows less 
 and less, until finally, at Hot Springs, it is not over 17 inches per 
 
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 11 
 
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 ItAGGED TOP, AS SEEN FROM THE GROUNDS OF THE IMPERIAL 
 G. M. & M. COMPANY. 
 
 annum. The heat of summer, during the days, is not felt because 
 of the dry atmosphere, and blankets are slept under every night. In 
 the winter time the northern Hills are somewhat colder than at Hot 
 Springs, but it is not a disagreeable cold, and the atmosphere is 
 always bracing, even during the most severe snowstorms. 
 
 South Dakota is usually regarded by the easterner as having a 
 very rigorous climate, but such is not the case in the Black Hills, 
 which have climatic conditions of their own, recommending them 
 winter and sum.mer to the man or woman without health ; and the 
 lack of wind is another distinct feature constituting a health resort 
 of the entire Hills. 
 
 Regarding scenery, the varying conditions are so manifold as 
 to be almost impossible of enumeration. In constant drives through- 
 out the Hills, I was impressed with the statement of a writer once 
 visiting them, in which he distinguished between the towering peaks 
 and sheer declivities of Colorado and the more gentle declines of the 
 Black Hills, through which one can drive ad libitum, by saying that 
 
 THltESHlNG OATS AT REMINGTON RANCH, A PARK THREE MILES EAST OF HILL Cn Y. 
 
SPBAEFISH EIVBR, BELOW IRON CREEK. 
 
 Photo by George M. Heggle. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 f7 
 
 "in the Black Hills one feels in touch with every hill and mountain, 
 and that he can reach out and grasp it." 
 
 In the many drives since made all over the Hills this impression 
 has come to me time and time again. The illustrations of this book 
 will tell better than the pen the class of scenery that greets the eye 
 on every hand. One of my most beautiful drives was one made a few 
 days after my advent, at the invitation of George S. Jackson, a prom- 
 inent miner of Deadwood. We made a 34-mile drive southwest from 
 Deadwood to the Wyoming border, almost all the time along the 
 banks of dashing trout streams and under the eaves of glorious pine- 
 clad mountains, relieved in their somberness by the light foliage of 
 the maple and the quaking asp. I never saw a more prolific or beau- 
 tiful ranch than the Cold Springs ranch of 300 acres of valley 
 meadow at an altitude of 6,000 feet and protected by the mountains 
 on both sides. Here are found about 100 head of Hereford cattle 
 and some splendid Percheron horses. The oats raised in this valley, 
 as in^ the other valleys, or parks, of the Black Hills, seem to be 
 individual to this country, for nowhere can be found oats of such 
 weight. 
 
 FARMING INDUSTRIES. 
 
 These parks of the Black Hills are not extensive, but produce 
 a great amount of cereals in comparison with their acreage. They 
 are used mainly for cultivation of the most hardy cereals, vege- 
 tables, and for pasturage; and almost every one of these ranches 
 has a goodly bunch of cattle. In fact, most of the ranchers in these 
 parts have been very successful and built good homes, some of 
 them equal to the outlying residences of our large cities. As will 
 
 CATTLE ROUND-DP. 
 
 be seen in our pages, the great amount of farming of the Black 
 Hills is at the north and south and on the eastern foothills. 
 
 The cattle industry of the Hills, through Belle Fourche, White- 
 wood, Rapid City and Hot Springs, runs to enormous figures, as 
 high as ioo,oco cattle having been shipped in one year from Belle 
 Fourche. 
 
 The sheep industry is also very large and is becoming greater. 
 Belle Fourche draws from four big counties to the north, it being 
 the terminus of the Northwestern railway and the most practical 
 place for that reason, from which to ship from these four counties. 
 
 The timber industries of the Hills are large, but of late have 
 been somewhat curtailed by the forestry laws. Sawmills are on 
 every hand, however, cutting railroad ties, timbers for the mines 
 and mercantile lumber for building. Pitch pine of the Black Hills 
 takes a very fine polish, superior to the spruce, cedar or fir of 
 the Cascade Mountains. But a great deal of Pacific Coast lumber, 
 as also easteirn lumber, is imported, as the demand is always greater 
 than the supply. Although the log cabins of the past have been 
 eliminated pretty thoroughly from the towns, they are in evidence 
 thr(3ughout the Hills, many of them having been erected in 1876, 
 and are still in a splendid state of preservation. Many are built 
 to-day, on an improved scale, and form as picturesque and com- 
 fortable a home as one could well imagine. 
 
 FISHING AND HUNTING. 
 
 Trout streams abound in the Black Hills. The government 
 takes means to protect them and is adding yearly to the trout from 
 the fish hatcheries at Spearfish. Camping outfits are the regular 
 
 F. B. BENNETT'S SAW MILL AT BEULAI-I. 
 
 thing in the Hills for summer outings, and much sport is gUL>r- 
 anteed to the angler ; the foliage and wild flowers at this time 
 are gorgeous, the wild roses being a very distinct feature; the 
 campers have also the finest wild strawberries and raspberries to 
 be found anywhere on earth. 
 
 With the advent of the fall shooting season, every lover of 
 the sport goes out for his deer, and few are disappointed, as the 
 government has so well protected the deer that they are on the 
 increase at the present time. 
 
 The mountain lion is to be seen at times, and the bobcat (an 
 animal somewhat larger than the Rocky Mountain wildcat, and 
 Avith tassels on his ears like the lynx) is found in some districts 
 in great numbers. The coyote, gray wolf, cottontail and jack, 
 rabbit hold their own pretty well with the hunter, but are mainly 
 on the edge of the Hills. Wild waterfowl are plentiful and the 
 grouse and pheasant dot the Hills in great numbers. Altogether, 
 the Black Hills furnish rare sport for a good shot. 
 
 EARLY D^YS. 
 
 Mining is the industry that brought the first rush to the Hills 
 and is the principal factor in the increase of population and wealth 
 to-day. 
 
 The first rush was for placer gold, and many lives were spent 
 by the bullet of the Indians in the first rush to Custer and Hill 
 City, and later to Deadwood. This was in 1875 and 1876 — iust 
 think of it — less than thirty years ago. These men had no right 
 in the Hills (which belonged to the Indians), and they knew it; 
 
 TKOUT FISHING IN SAND CREEK. 
 
MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
BLACK HILLS TLLU STRATED. 
 
 19 
 
 1**^*^ « 
 
 "'*^, 
 
 
 
 ■J.-r 
 
 A WEEK'S SHOOT IN THE BLACK HILLS, LIMESTONE SECTION.— By courtesy of P. Sweeney. 
 
 they knew the risk they took and the probable hardships ahead 
 of them ; but an Eldorado of gold was there, and they never 
 faltered. Mr. P. A. Gushurst, now a wealthy merchant of Lead 
 and an ex-president of the Black Hills Pioneers' Association, gave 
 me an interesting account of the average experience of those days. 
 
 In the spring of 1876 Mr. Gushurst, in company with William 
 Connors, left Omaha for the Black Hills. At Cheyenne they met 
 Judge Dudley of Omaha and journeyed with him to Fort Laramie. 
 On the way they found at Chugwater a man who had been shot 
 by Indians and afterward used as a target for arrows, some 
 eighteen of which were found in his body. Messrs, Gushurst and 
 Connors waited a week at Fort Laramie before entering the Hills, 
 and Judge Dudley, who erected the first sawmill at Deadwood 
 and who had his machinery with him, went on ahead by bull train. 
 After leaving Fort Laramie, Messrs. Gushurst and Connors pushed 
 on (with the train) to the Cheyenne river, crossing where Edge- 
 mont is now located. There they camped for a night, using for 
 a pillow a soft mound of earth. Awakening in the morning from 
 a sound sleep, they found a headboard at one end of the mound - 
 
 staring them in the face, stating that had been killed by 
 
 Indians and had been buried on such a date; this date was one 
 week previous, and they had been sleeping with a grave mound 
 as a head rest. This man, who had been killed, had been buried 
 by Judge Dudley's bull outfit, which had preceded them. Before - 
 entering Bear Butte, near Deadwood, they overtook the bull train 
 and Mr. Gushurst and Judge Dudley came into Deadwood on 
 foot the next day. Judge Dudley immediately erected his saw- 
 mill on the present location of the Northwestern freight depot. 
 
 It was on June i, 1876, that Mr. Gushurst entered Deadwood. 
 He was then twenty-two years old. Besides his partner, William 
 Connors, he became associated with another partner, and, while Mr. 
 Gushurst remained in Deadwood, the other two went prospecting. 
 They had brought with them to Deadwood about $600 worth of sup- 
 plies, and Mr. Gushurst found so many parties returning who had 
 supplies also which they wished to sell, that he bought up small 
 
 . lots of goods and opened up business in a tent on Main street 
 •opposite the site of the present grocery of Jacob Goldberg. In 
 the same month he bought the lot, at present occupied by Mr. 
 Goldberg, for seventy-five dollars and a Winchester rifle, and one 
 Sunday afternoon made an arrangement to put up a building, which 
 he called the Big Horn Store, and lease the same to an Omaha 
 firm for seventy-five dollars per month. He immediately went 
 to Judge Dudley, who was already running the sawmill, engaged 
 his lumber, started work Monday morning, and on Thursday after- 
 noon the stock of the firm was m.oved in and business started. 
 Subsequently Mr. Gushurst sold the building and lot for $2,000. 
 On August loth he moved to Lead and brought in (to Lead) the 
 second stock of goods that ever entered the town site. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gushurst were the first couple married in Lead City. 
 
 The party in which Mr. Gushurst and his partner came to the 
 Hills was the second large outfit that entered the Hills, the bull 
 train preceding them being the first; there were about eighty 
 men in his pary. So many smaller parties had been massacred 
 by the Indians that they were held at Fort Laramie until a suffi- 
 cient number had come together to make it a possible proposition 
 for them to enter with any degree of safety. Even with this large 
 party, it was necessary to observe the greatest precautions. During 
 the day scouts rode ahead, heavily armed and carrying field glasses, 
 there being no day when the Indians were not seen. On one 
 occasion the Indians attempted to stampede their horses, but were 
 unsuccessful. At night the wagons were drawn up in circles, the 
 horses tethered between them, and inside of the circle the center 
 was utilized for sleeping purposes. From the outer wagons, in 
 four different directions, men paced off 100 feet, and at the end 
 of each hundred feet a rifle pit was dug. At dark a man entered 
 each of the four rifle pits and there remained on guard duty until 
 midnight, at which time the four guards were relieved by four 
 others, who remained until after the break of day. The time of 
 greatest danger was usually at daybreak. 
 
 William Selbie, a prominent financier of Deadwood, related to 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 21 
 
 BULL TRAIN, IN EARLY DATS, FROM PIERRE TO DEADWOOD. 
 
 me the fearful tribulations of the Northwestern Stage and Trans- 
 portation Company, for which he had charge of the business in 
 the Hills until 1886, after which he became cashier of the Merchants' 
 National Bank and later president and cashier of the American 
 National Bank, subsequently starting the Whitewood Banking 
 Company, which will be found in the description of Whitewood. 
 
 The Northwestern Stage and Transportation Company first 
 ran a line from the Northern Pacific railway to the Hills; it was 
 then the short line ; but as soon as the Northwestern railway built 
 into Pierre, S. D., the transportation company moved down there 
 and formed a through line from Pierre to the Hills. The company 
 first began doing business in April, 1877, and was running from 
 Pierre in 1880. The freight was handled in heavy wagons, trailing 
 along in bunches of three with ten or twelve yoke of cattle on 
 each team; these were called "bull outfits." Fast freight was 
 handled with mules in much the same way, but in larger outfits. 
 Practically all the passenger and express business to and from 
 the Hills was done by this company, which also handled the gold 
 dust and bullion and most of the freight. They brought into the 
 Hills the locomotives for the Homestake and the heavy machinery 
 for the Old Abe hoist. The gumbo mud was so deep at times 
 as to make the roads almost impassable ; it had to be chopped 
 from the wheels; the cost of fodder was a fearful item, and in the 
 first years they were continually harassed by the Indians, and later 
 by road agents. All sorts of ruses had to be resorted to for the 
 safe transportation of the bullion and dust and matters were so 
 bad at one time that the company compelled passengers at either 
 end to exchange their money for drafts, payable at the other end 
 of the line, before taking the trip. Armed outriders preceded and 
 followed the stages, and, though there were many holdups, the 
 company used such precautions that the bullion and gold dust were 
 taken through without loss. 
 
 Of course, the advent of the railways into the Hills overcame 
 these troubles and also the necessity of the existence of the stage- 
 
 F. E, BENNETT'S LOGGING OUTFIT AT BEULAH. 
 
 coaches and bull teams; but while they existed lhey were kept 
 at all times in lively suspense. 
 
 MINES AND MINING. 
 
 Large fortunes were taken out of the placer claims all over 
 the Hills, but finally these dwindled and the miners began to cast 
 about for the fissure veins. They found them in profusion and 
 in high-grade ore near the surface. What would now be regarded 
 as mercantile ore was cast aside because there were no facilities 
 to handle it economically. The high-grade ore was shipped to 
 Omaha and Denver and practically no idea can be given as to what 
 the yearly returns were in those years ; this was mainly the quartzite 
 ore in flat formation; in some cases it was soon exhausted, although 
 many are the examples where it has been worked for years and 
 will be worked for many years to come. The Buxton mine at 
 Terry for ten years paid dividends of 10 per cent per month and 
 often threw in an extra dividend for good measure. Last year this 
 mine was sold to Lundborg, Dorr & Wilson, who are treating by 
 modern processes what was then thrown away because it would 
 not pay to ship to Omaha for smelting. 
 
 Then there were pockets found of immensely rich ore ; an 
 example of this was the discovery by Otto P. Th. Grantz on the 
 grounds of the Hidden Fortune. Here was a man born in Schles- 
 wig-Holstein, Germany (then a duchy of Denmark), who came to 
 America in i8ss, engaged for some years in farming in Illinois and 
 in politics with Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, John A. Logan 
 and George B. McClellan, and finally got the gold fever, and in 
 1862 struck out farther West. From this time until 1876 he fol- 
 
 THE "NEW FIND"— WORKING A PROSPECT. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 23 
 
 
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 COMPLETE MILLING AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT AT MYSTIC, BEECTBD BY F. H. LONG. 
 
 lowed placer and hydraulic mining at Grand -Round Valley, Ore. ; 
 then at Auburn; then Mormon Basin, Boise Basin, Deadwood 
 Basin (Idaho), and finally back to Boise Basin, which is in Idaho. 
 At last, with the first rush to the Black Hills, Mr. Grantz came 
 through to Deadwood and took up Placer No. 20, and remained 
 in placer work until 1881, and then he got into quartz mining. A 
 flood depleted his little fortune and he went into dairying, but still 
 kept up his assessment work. In 1886 he located the Hidden For- 
 tune, and for years put in a little time each day, to and from his 
 regular work, on this mine (then a prospect), until 1899, and in 
 August of that year his day came; with a few blows of the pick 
 in the mountain side a fortune stood revealed ; single pieces of 
 ore assaying from $1,000 to $68,000 tO' the ton. Was he flurried ? 
 Not he; it was what he had expected. Down he went to Dead- 
 wood and back he came with gunny sacks, flour sacks, meal sacks, all 
 sorts of sacks; these he filled, cleaned out the pocket of richer 
 ore, carted it to the railroad — 200 tons, 8 carloads — went with it 
 to Denver, and returned with sixty thousand dollars in his jeans. 
 And then he went on accumulating wealth, until now he is presi- 
 dent of three large mining companies and interested in many 
 others, and has been able to do much good with his money in the 
 upbuilding of Deadwood. 
 
 ON A MANUFACTURING BASIS. 
 
 At last, when the high-grade ore began to dwindle and the 
 immense vertical veins of $3, $4 and $S ore began to be uncovered, 
 all sorts of mills were erected for treatment, many without the 
 least idea of the possible result. Some were successes in a way 
 and held a paying percentage of the ore, but many of them were 
 failures ; on free-milling ores the exposed particles could be held 
 by amalgamation, but it was found by assaying that there was a 
 whole lot that was not saved, and millions of dollars were running 
 down the creeks. Chlorination was resorted to, but did not seem 
 to hit the Black Hills refractory ores. Concentrates wer« collected 
 and in values of ten to one sent to the newly erected smelters at 
 Deadwood and Rapid City. 
 
 Altogether, it reminds one of the story of the Idaho refrac- 
 tories ; a method had to be found for the Black Hills ores, as 
 
 formerly in the Cceur d'Alenes, and it was found at last — in cy- 
 anidation. 
 
 THE PROBLEM SOLVED. 
 
 Cyanidation has at last solved the problem — or at least the 
 principal one, though there are many more to solve on various 
 classes of ore. 
 
 The first cyanide mill was Cyanide No. i of the Honiestake, 
 and this was in 1901. Please pander upon this date — only three 
 years ago — and see what has been done since that time ; mills 
 going up on every hand, throughout the mineral belts of Lawrence, 
 Pennington and Custer counties ; prospects being developed into 
 paying mines everywhere. 
 
 And what are these institutions? Simply nothing but manu- 
 facturing industries, calling for large capital, good manufacturers, 
 competent financiers and common-sense economics ; practically 
 nothing more. And the only difference between this and other 
 manufacturing is that you can't overstock the market, don't have 
 to curtail production in dull times, and have always a fixed price 
 for your goods and sell them' to a pretty good institution — Uncle 
 Sam. 
 
 Aild can these big low-grade vertical bodies be exhausted? 
 Well, God only knows. There was a time when it was thought 
 that a mile downward would be the limit; but if you had a whiff 
 of the good fresh air supplied on the thousand-foot levels of the 
 Homestake, you'd believe improved methods could send the miners 
 clear to China with perfect comfort. 
 
 And ore abounds everywhere, from miles above Deadwood 
 and Lead to miles below Custer ; hardly a hill that doesn't assay 
 values. And it looks as if the time would come when, with the 
 constant improvement of methods, any ore running $1.50 or more 
 per ton would be made to pay. 
 
 Colonel Clark of Keystone told me he couldn't understand why 
 diamond drills were not in universal use all over the Hills, dis- 
 secting them from end to end, at a cost of $1 per foot. This thought 
 had come to me ; but I've since found that many are being used ; 
 but then, the core of a diamond drill is not quite the same as a 
 shaft or tunnel, and most men that own a prospect are sure they 
 have a mine and will go their last dollar on their faith. I've 
 
SPEAEFISH FALLS, ON THE BURLINGTON SCENIC LINE. 
 
 Photo by Geo. M. Heggle. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 25 
 
 READY TO DESCEND — AT THE CLOVEH LEAF. 
 
 seen, in a general way, most of the mining camps of the United 
 States, and it is generally the low-grade mines that have made 
 the fortunes. It would surprise you were I to enumerate, say, one 
 hundred conservative bankers and merchants of the United States 
 who have made the principal part of their fortunes in mines ; they'll 
 never tell about it. Now, if you talk bonanza high-grade ore to 
 these men, you might as well talk to a sphinx ; but the moment you 
 talk "low-grade ore, and lots of it," their ears move around in 
 your direction. Why is this? Well, it's because they've "been 
 there" on the $10,000 per ton proposition before they began to 
 bank profits on the $s ores ; they know the latter are reasonably 
 safe if good ordinary common sense is used in buying first and 
 manufacturing afterward; and you'd be surprised to know how 
 few failures these men make. 
 
 For myself, I've never seen mines that attracted me as do 
 those of the Black Hills, of Lawrence, Pennington and Custer 
 counties, and while a man might make a mistake now and then, he's 
 not going to make many, as long as he is possessed of fair business 
 acum.en. 
 
 There are many others, besides gold mines, that are going to 
 give out fortunes ; copper, tin, iron, silver and a dozen other metals 
 will make themselves felt in the Black Hills; and if you've ever 
 heard about the Harney Peak tin fiasco, don't let it worry you; 
 even the Bank of England would find it difficult to support as many 
 rich men's sons as they tried to take care of, and you'd hardly 
 blame a poor prospector for digging a lo-foot hole, borrowing a 
 little tin ore in the night and selling the hole the next day to 
 an enthusiastic tin mine promotor for ten or twenty thousand dol- 
 lars. But this doesn't mean that all the Harney Peak property 
 was of that kind ; they have a multitude of good claims, and when 
 the common-sense receiver (Mr. Le Doux of New York) can get 
 the English and American stockholders to reconcile their differences 
 and "saw wood" there will be a different tale to tell. Already the 
 Tinton Company is shipping tin ore to Liverpool at a profit, and 
 the dawn of day for the tin industry of the Black Hills is at hand. 
 
 AT ST. LOUIS. 
 
 Mr. S. W. Russell, South Dakota commissioner to the World's 
 Fair at St. Louis and a prominent business and mining man of 
 the Hills, hit upon an excellent idea in connection with the educa- 
 tional, agricultural, game and mineral exhibit of the Black Hills. 
 He has erected a five-stamp mill, with regulation 1,000-pound 
 stamps, Homestake mortar, silver amalgamating tables for treating 
 free gold, a complete cyanide plant for treating salicious ores, and 
 concentration tables. 
 
 Ores for treatment are supplied by the various Black Hills 
 mines, and at least five to ten tons will be treated daily. The mill 
 has a gallery, with commodious accommodations for visitors, who 
 will see more to interest them in an hour than in a day spent on 
 the "Pike." 
 
 And if you afterward contemplate a visit to the Black Hills 
 don't be afraid that you are going to the antipodes. You'll find 
 as good schools, churches, society and well educated and well 
 dressed men and women as in any city of the East; and you'll fiind 
 a hospitality such as you never experienced in your life, whether 
 you come from Boston or San Francisco. 
 
 RAILWAYS TO THE HILLS. 
 
 Of routes there are two. The Northwestern first touches at 
 Buffalo Gap, has a branch from there to Hot Springs, while the 
 through train skirts the east side of the Hills and enters at White- 
 
 JAMES STEPHENS' TYPICAL BLACK HILLS MILK RANCH. 
 
SCENIC WONDER LINE, CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 27 
 
 INDIAN SCHOOL AT RAPID CITY. 
 
 wood, ten miles from Deadwood. The Burlington railway first 
 taps the Hills at Edgemont ; from there runs a branch line to Hot 
 Springs, and proceeds from Edgemont through the heart of the 
 Hills to Deadwood, its first important stop being Custer. 
 
 BUSINESS CHANCES. 
 
 Perhaps for one very important reason, viz., that the Black 
 Hills have never had an unnatural and general business boom 
 where values climbed clear out of sight and fell back with a 
 crash — this section holds excellent openings for good business men. 
 From their inaccessibility until the last few years and also from 
 the fact that even to-day they are not known as are many sections 
 of the country, the Hills have had to play their own game, and 
 they've done it without much help. A man who can pay one per 
 cent a month for money, and prosper, must make good profits ; 
 for this rate would be prohibitive in most communities ; but 
 although Hills prices are not seemingly high for general goods there 
 is a "live and let live" policy on every side which allows merchants 
 to accumulate rapidly. To give some idea of what a man can 
 do even with small capital I recall a chat with C. M. Wilcox, a 
 druggist of Deadwood. Some years ago he bought out another 
 druggist whose stock was so antiquated that Mr. Wilcox's capital 
 was absolutely absorbed in the loss on these goods ; thus he may 
 be said to have started with less than nothing. But he was pro- 
 gressive, added various lines of unique and fancy goods to his 
 drug stock, and now has a handsome business, besides having 
 accumulated considerable money and property. This would not 
 have been impossible, but it would have been improbable, in an 
 eastern city. It is such examples as these that have always given 
 me the best indication of business chances, and I have seen dupli- 
 cations, all over the Hills, of, practically the same experiences and 
 results. 
 
 FINANCIAL. 
 
 A few patent facts on finances are generally more interesting, 
 to the average man, than an array of figures. Mr. R. H. DriscoU, 
 cashier of the First National Bank of Lead, introduced me to a 
 very interesting statement as follows : "In April, 1903, the state of 
 South Dakota issued about $225,000 in what are called state revenue 
 warrants and the Black Hills banks secured the same in the face 
 
 of competitive bids. Again in 1904 a further issue of $200,000 was 
 made, and the Black Hills banks again obtained them. 
 
 "The local demand for loans in the Hills is not sufficient for 
 the investment of the funds and sui-plus of the various banks, and 
 purchases are made in the East, against competition, of high-grade 
 loans and commercial paper and loans are made on cattle in various 
 sections.'' 
 
 Mr. H. E. Perkins, cashier of the Meade County Bank, at 
 Sturgis, compiled last winter a statement showing the deposits 
 November 17, 15103, of 23 banks of the six counties of the Black 
 Hills; the total was $4,8019,911.70, an average of $128 per capita of 
 Black Hills population, or 2V2 times greater than the average de- 
 posits per capita of the entire United States. 
 
 He also makes these statements, in which I believe him to be 
 correct : "South Dakota has produced, for six successive years, 
 more new wealth per capita than any other state. It has more 
 banks per capita than any other state, and Massachusetts is the 
 only state that outranks it in point of literacy.'' 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Treatment of the specific subjects here touched upon seemed 
 to me at the outset of more capable fulfillment by the best specialists 
 and writers of the Hills than at my hands. 
 
 I searched for the best, found them and secured their hearty 
 cooperation. My judgment was good, and you will see it in these 
 pages, for no other book on any section of America has ever been 
 so conservatively written or so carefully compiled, and none has 
 ever been treated by such an able corps of writers. 
 
 In every way I have had the hearty cooperation of every decent 
 man of the Black Hills, and there are more of them to the square 
 mile than any place. East, West, North or South, that I ever saw. 
 
 Therefore I present, with infinite pride and confidence, to the 
 world at large the first exhaustive work ever published on the 
 Black Hills of to-day. 
 
 Note: — In the pages following there will be found slight dis- 
 crepancies in figures of altitude, gold production, etc., etc. We 
 have purposely refrained from correcting them, as these variations 
 digress so little from each other as to establish general facts more 
 conclusively than would absolute similarity of details. 
 
SCRAPS OF EARLY BLACK HILLS HISTORY. 
 
 By S. R. Shankland. 
 
 Nearly twenly-iiine years have elapsed since the writer first 
 inhaled the exhilarating air of the Black Hills and gazed with rap- 
 ture upon their marvelous sceiiic beauty and pristine loveliness. At 
 this early period in our history the surpassing magnificence of the 
 natural scenery had not been marred by the rude hand of the miner, 
 the grand picture being still in that attractive and fascinating state 
 of perfection in which the deft and faultless hand of nature had left 
 it, a marvel of scenic beauty and matchless grandeur. 
 
 It was in the fall of 1874 when the report of Gen. Custer's ex- 
 pedition, which contained a mention of the discovery of gold in the 
 Black Hills, created a considerable degree of excitement throughout 
 the country, resulting in the formation of what was known as the 
 Gordon party, which was formed at Sioux City, Iowa, with a view- 
 to determining the then mooted question as to the presence of gold 
 in the Black Hills in paying quantity. This historic party succeeded 
 in perfecting its arrangements for the trip late in the fall of the 
 year named, arriving in the Hills in December. They established 
 their camp on French creek, at a point three miles below Custer, 
 where they at once proceeded to erect an elaborate stockade for pro- 
 tection against Indian invasion, inside of which were erected six 
 cabins for the comfort and convenience of the party. In the mean- 
 time, pending the building of the stockade, two of their number were 
 engaged in prospecting for gold, which was found in quantity suffi- 
 cient to justify further pursuit. 
 
 Having fully imbibed the opinion that the region was one of 
 exceptional promise, Mr. Gordon returned to Sioux City, accom- 
 panied by another member of the party whose name was Witcher, 
 and spread the glad tidings of their golden discoveries, which largely 
 increased the measure of public excitement. The result was the 
 formation of a number of expeditions for the new Eldorado during 
 the month of April, notwithstanding the knowledge of the fact that 
 the Gordon party had been taken out of the Hills by government 
 direction. 
 
 At this critrcal period in our history the portals to the region 
 were doubly sealecl", and in addition to the strong opposition of the 
 Indians, the stronger opposition of the government had intervened, 
 making it extremely difficult, and even dangerous, to make the trip. 
 This, however, did not deter the more resolute and determined souls, 
 who pursued their course, not even halting when they learned that 
 a large party in advance had been taken into custody by order of 
 the government, their wagons and outfits, including their guns, am- 
 munition and all of their personal effects, destroyed by fire, and the 
 members of the party taken as prisoners under guard to a military 
 post for trial. Notwithstanding the obstacles which beset the path- 
 way of these avant couriers of civilization, no less than 1,200 had 
 reached their destination before the loth of August, the time ap- 
 pointed for the departure of all the so-called trespassers upon the 
 
 sacred rights of the great Sioux nation, from the Hills, in accord- 
 ance with a proclamation issued by Gen. Crook, who, with his escort, 
 was at that time present and personally supervising this unhappy 
 affair. By and with the consent of Gen. Crook, seven men were 
 permitted to remain in the country for the purpose of looking after 
 the interest of the outgoing miners. These men took up their residence 
 at the Gordon stockade, where they remained until November 16, 
 when they departed with Capt. Pollock and his command for Red 
 Cloud, returning to the Hills early in December. The departure 
 of Capt. Pollock and his command, who had been guarding the re- 
 gion against the so-called recalcitrant miners from August 10, was 
 followed by a still greater influx of people, who, it is pleasing to 
 note, did not have to contend with further government interference. 
 Custer, the pioneer city of the Black Hills, had by this time gained 
 considerable notoriety, having been originally organized in July 
 under the name of Stonewall, reorganized and rechristened under 
 the name of Custer City in August, and again reorganized in Decem- 
 ber. It was not, however, until early in the month of January of 
 the following year, 1876, that the building of the city may be said 
 to have been fairly under way. As early as March, 1876, Custer's 
 population was variously estimated at from 6,000 to 10,000, and her 
 fame had spread all over the country. Under a provisional govern- 
 ment the city progressed rapidly, assuming an air of metropolitan 
 greatness that would have made much more populous cities of the 
 outside world fairly envious by comparison. Her official directory 
 embraced all of the officials necessary to conduct the municipal affairs 
 of a city of ten times its population, including five police judges and 
 a judge of the Superior cotirt, from whose august decision there was 
 no possible appeal. This was what may be, .termed Custer's boom 
 period, which augmented as the days multiplied, invoked the wildest 
 dreams as to her brilliant future. But alas ! the fond hopes of the 
 enthusiastic citizens were turned to ashes by the discovery of gold 
 galore in Deadwood gulch, which resufted. in one of the most re- 
 markable heigiras ever experienced in the west. The gilded reports 
 of rich gold strikes in the northern Hills in a few brief days had 
 done its deadly work, and the proud city, with its great expecta- 
 tions and lofty hopes, was practically abandoned, as there remained 
 but fourteen souls to hold- the fort and await reinforcements from 
 the outside world. There were at this time 1,400 buildings, all told, 
 in the place, just an even 100 to each inhabitant. The remaining 
 fourteen, realizing the danger of an Indian attack, constructed breast- 
 works for their protection and awaited the turn of future events. 
 It was three long and dreary weeks before their number was in any 
 measure increased, and then only by a small number. Later on 
 occasional additions swelled the population to a few hundred, when 
 the work of mining development and other business ventures were 
 resumed. 
 
 REASONS AND RESULTS OF EARLY INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 The following facts, which were furnished to us by courtesy 
 of Col. James A. George, an attorney of Deadwood, who has made 
 a careful study on Indian treaties, will give an excellent idea of the 
 rights of the Indians at the time the pioneers first entered, and the 
 force of circumstances which required a qualification, or, in fact, 
 abrogation, of the treaties with the Indians. 
 
 At Fort Laramie in the year 1868 the great and last treaty was 
 made with the allied tribes of the Lakota or Sioux Indians, for 
 though there have been agreements made since, no treaty can be 
 made since 1871, Congress having declared no treaty could be made 
 
 with Indians after that date. It is a strange fact, but true, the 
 written minutes of the treaty of 1868 cannot be found. Jackets that 
 once held them can be found in the Indian Office and in the office 
 of the executive clerk of the United States senate, -but the contents 
 are gone. This fact will account for the fact that the direct proof of 
 what was the south boundary of the big Sioux reservation is gone. 
 The published treaty fixes the northern boundary of Nebraska 
 as the southern line of the reservation. This the Indians deny, and 
 say that in all their talk the Minnetonka, or Big Water, called by 
 the whites Niobrara river, was the south boundary. Right here 
 
MEMBERS OP THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 31 
 
 the official records furnish indirect proof that the Indian is right, 
 for as late as June 23, 1875, the Brule and Ogallala bands made an 
 agreement to give up their rights to hunt in Nebraska for the sum 
 of $25,000, but this proviso was put in and signed by both parties 
 to the agreement: "Provided, That we do not surrender any right 
 of occupation situated in Nebraska north of the divide, which is 
 south of and near the Niobrara river, and west of the looth merid- 
 ian; but desire to retain that country for future occupation and 
 use." 
 
 By the terms of the treaty of 1868, beginning at a point where 
 the north border of Nebraska touched the 104th meridian, and thence 
 north on that line, all the country east of the line was the big Sioux 
 reservation, and beginning where the 104th rr.eridian crossed the 
 North Platte River, all the country north of the North Platte River 
 and west of the 104th meridian to the summits of the Big Horn 
 Mountains was unceded Indian country, on and over which no white 
 man was to go without the Indians' consent. Sitting Bull and his 
 followers always occupied the unceded country. At the time of the 
 Indian war of 1876, Red Cloud's agency was in the state of Ne- 
 braska, where Crawford, Neb., is now, and Spotted Tail's agency 
 at the head of Beaver creek, just northeast of Red Qoud. 
 
 In 187s gold was found in the Black Hills. Whites came in and 
 were put out by the military. Congress then authorized the president 
 to appoint a commission to try and agree with the Indians for a 
 cession or lease of the Hills. June 18, 1875, the president appointed 
 the commission, headed by Senator W. B. Allison of Iowa. Sep- 
 tember 27, 28 and 29 the commission labored with the Indians in vain. 
 Several propositions were made on several points, but the two about 
 the Black Hills will be noticed. First. For a license to mine in the 
 Hills, etc., the government would pay $100,000 per annum, the United 
 ■ States reserving the right to teiminate the lease on giving two years' 
 notice, and at the expiration of the two years' notice all private prop- 
 'erty remaining in that country was to revert to the Indians. Refused 
 by the Indians. 
 
 Second. They then made a money offer of $6,000,000 to buy out- 
 right the Black Hills. Refused by the Indians. 
 
 The agreement of 1876 was made by a very small fraction of the 
 Indians, a bulk of the Indians being on the warpath. August 24, 
 1876, a commission, headed by George W. Manypenny, was sent out, 
 and in September and October made the agreement for the cession 
 of the Black Hills. By this agreement the western boundary of the 
 reservation was changed. The line was pulled east from the 104th 
 to the 103d longitude on the north line of Nebraska. Thence north 
 on the 103d to the south fork of the Cheyenne River. Thence down 
 that river on the south bank to the intersection with the north fork, 
 or Belle Fourche River. Thence up that river on the north and 
 east bank to 103d longitude, and thence north, etc. 
 
 Under this agreement the United States exchanged, giving ra- 
 tions, annuities, etc., for a fixed period, and agreed to give until the 
 Indians became self-sustaining, which, the Indians hold, runs from 
 that time to eternity. While under the treaty of 1868 at least 4,000 
 Indians should have signed any agreement to part with lands, as a 
 matter of truth only 247 Indians signed. The deed was worthless. 
 
 But it has been made valid by the Indians in the agreement made 
 with the Foster-Warner-Crook commission of 1889. The treaty of 
 1868 and the agreement of 1876 were amended and ratified by the 
 signatures of 4,463 adult Indians. Under this last agreement the 
 Great Sioux reservation was segregated and the country between 
 the Missouri River and the Black Hills opened up to white settlers. 
 Under this agreement for all land settled on the first three years the 
 Indian fund was to have $1.25 per acre; the next two years, 75 cents 
 per acre, and after that 50 cents per acre, and all of lands undis- 
 posed of at the end of ten years the United States shall take over 
 and pay into the Indian trust fund at 50 cents per acre. The United 
 States was to give cows and bulls to the Indians, the increase to 
 belong to the Indians, but the cattle given to be kept, except when 
 too old, and then, under United States supervision, they may be sold. 
 Schools were to be provided. At Rosebud and at Pine Ridge fine 
 brick buildings, water, electric lights and steam heat is provided, and 
 about 100 day schools on the two reservations. There is a fine non- 
 reservation school at Rapid City, under the able supervision of 
 Samuel B. Davis, assisted by a corps of diligent and able teachers. 
 
 LOOKING BACKWARD $6 YEARS. 
 
 Broad Thoughts in Condensed Form. 
 
 By Major A. J- Simmons, M. E. 
 
 The discovery of gold in California in 1848 marks the beginning 
 of the most momentous epoch in the history of our country — of 
 ;stupendous national, international and commercial importance. It 
 was a new world-building era, involving the destiny of hundreds of 
 thousands of people and millions yet unborn. The boundless possi- 
 bilities of the gold fields were rapidly exploited by the energetic 
 prospector until a vast untrodden region from Alaska to Mexico, 
 from the Pacific coast to the Rockies, half a continent, was invaded 
 and its choice spots appropriated by the miner. It was twenty-seven 
 years later when the gold discovery, excitement and stampede struck 
 the virgin Black Hills. 
 
 The "Golden Era'' inaugurated a unique and picturesque world 
 in the western mountains devoted to mining the precious metals. 
 It was the cradle of A.merican gold mining and teemed with ad- 
 venture, hardship, tragedy, romance and. riches. Mining was then a 
 gamble, pure and simple. No previous knowledge or experience was 
 available and experts were unknown, but they soon grew to the 
 occasion. Extravagant and fanciful notions prevailed. Miners were 
 controlled by impulse, sentiment or a "hunch," and to hit the pay 
 streak was a question of muscle and luck only, yet it was a most 
 fascinating and serious business. 
 
 The mine promoter was also there, forming a conspicuous figure 
 in early-day mining. With picturesque language and dazzling free 
 gold specimens he enlisted the sympathy and exploited the pockets 
 of the credulous tenderfoot and eastern man — in which the latter 
 acquired experience only. This system of financiering was worked 
 
 to such a degree that Bill Nye's paraphrase of an early-day "gold 
 mine," "a hole in the ground, the owner whereof is a d — d liar," 
 came to be the popular accepted definition — and even at this late 
 enlightened period there are instances where Mr. Nye's theory of 
 mines would find ample verification. 
 
 However, fifty-six years of practical experience and exploitation 
 in the world's greatest mining field, which has attracted the intelli- 
 gence of bright minds from our own and other lands, have trans- 
 formed the crude methods of early-day mining to business and 
 scientific principles. Marvelous strides have been made in the 
 metallurgy of ores, invention and mechanics. The highest scientific 
 attainments in chemistry, metallurgy and mechanism have been 
 applied to the great and growing mining industry. It is no longer 
 controlled by haphazard methods and luck, but has been reduced to 
 a broad business basis. 
 
 In approximating the value of a gold mine it is well to bear in 
 mind two fundamental principles : First, mining is not an exact 
 science; second, the laws of nature, as applied underground, are 
 not fixed and immutable. While she is generally controlled by cer- 
 tain well-regulated and uniform laws, nature is fickle, and too often 
 suddenly reverses her system. 
 
 In arriving at the value of a mine many things are to be taken 
 into consideration which occur to the practiced eye on the ground, 
 and in such cases where a moneyed consideration is pending, a re- 
 liable mining engineer or practical mine expert should be consulted. 
 Inasmuch as every locality or group of mines has distinct peculiar- 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 33 
 
 ities of formation and mineralogical detail, more or less dissimilar 
 from any other, the capable and observant miner who has delved in 
 the district and is familiar with its characteristics would be well 
 qualified to pass on the merits of a mine in that locality. 
 
 It is a comparatively easy matter to ascertain the values in 
 sight in a developed mine by measuring up the tonnage of ore, de- 
 termining its value by sampling and assay, or better by mill runs of 
 ton lots, and to arrive at the cost of mining, the proper process and 
 cost of treatment and reduction of values to bullion. But there is 
 no absolute certainty of the continuation of a vein or ore body in any 
 direction beyond the actual points of exploration or of what is in 
 sight. 
 
 Here nature's book is sealed, absolute knowledge ends, as no 
 human vision can penetrate the rocks, and the question of prob- 
 abilities enters into the scheme — an uncertain and unknown quantity. 
 Yet the student of nature undertakes to, and sometimes does, unravel 
 the mystery. His attention is directed as to whether the mine under 
 "consideration is a true vein or fissure lode that received its valuable 
 metallic content direct at first hands from nature's great laboratories 
 in the depths of the earth — or is it of secondary origin? — ^therefore 
 of irregular and uncertain tenor. He examines the geological condi- 
 tions as to its favorable chances for veins and the mineralogical 
 structure for the presence of known active mineralizing agents. 
 What precedents of production and vein continuity have been estab- 
 lished on contiguous ground? Is it on a belt or ore horizon, the 
 trend of valuable mines in the vicinity? If the ore is of a character 
 to be treated on the ground, the questions of water, timber and fuel 
 supplies are to be investigated; if a smelting ore, transportation 
 facilities and costs are to be reckoned. These are some of the gen- 
 eral conditions that would attract the expert, while every case would 
 present more or less special details deserving consideration. 
 
 Small veins, carrying high values in gold and rich pockets of 
 ore, while attractive and conspicuous for brilliant specimens and in 
 high favor with all concerned, are not given a valuation by the con- 
 servative engineer much above the actual values in sight. He is too 
 
 familiar with the freakish moods of nature, and knows full well the 
 unstable character of such deposits. 
 
 On the other hand, the large low-grade mines in lodes or fis- 
 sures and horizontal deposits, which are conspicuous features in 
 Black Hills mining, stand in high favor by reason of their continu- 
 ous production and persistent vein continuity. Such veins are the 
 ideal type of the miner, and only ordinary common-sense business 
 precautions are necessary in determining their value. 
 
 The so-called "low grades'' are tantamount to mines with vast 
 quantities of ore, low in value, but with a small margin of profit 
 per ton, and operated on an extensive scale produce large and con- 
 tinuous profits. The low grades relieve mining of risk and elevate 
 it to a first-class standard of business and financial investment, with 
 stability and profits far above ordinary manufacturing enterprises ; 
 the finished product commands an unvarying price and open market 
 in the mints of the civilized nations of the earth. 
 
 The "prospect" or undeveloped mine is an important feature in 
 every camp. Perhaps but a small percentage of prospects make 
 mines, yet every great mine was once an insignificant prospect. 
 Mines do not blossom out in the light of day, ready made to be 
 claimed by the first tramp that comes along, but are developed, made 
 by diligent work — often many years and large outlays of cash are 
 devoted to the making of a mine. 
 
 The prospect, therefore, is not to be overlooked or despised. 
 The prospect is a living factor of immense possibilities in the world 
 of mining. The bulk of the colossal fortunes accumulated in gold 
 mining have been made by purchasing and developing cheap pros- 
 pects. 
 
 Any old-time, veteran miner may recall from his stock of fading 
 reminiscences the prospects he has abandoned or could have con- 
 trolled for a trifling consideration, which have since been developed 
 into great mines. The profound skill of the expert is called out in 
 diagnosing the prospect, in following up and marshaling the clews, 
 indications and evidence upon which are builded the future bo- 
 nanza outcome of the embryo mine. 
 
 THE GEOLOGY OF THE BLACK HILLS UPLIFT. 
 
 By Dr. Cleophas C. O'Harra, A. B. and Ph. D., Professor of Mineralogy and Geology, South Dakota School 
 
 OF Mines. (Portrait following'.) 
 
 The Black Hills region is in many respects a typical geological 
 unit. It lies within the forks of the Cheyenne river on the South 
 Dakota- Wyoming boundary line, a much larger portion of the area 
 being within the state of South Dakota. Separated from the Rocky 
 mountains to the west and southwest by a distance of less than 150 
 miles, the region possesses many of the lithologic and physiographic 
 features of that great mountain system. 
 
 Structurally the region is an elliptical outwardly-dipping uplift, 
 the more distinct features of which cover an area about 100 miles 
 long and 50 miles wide, the longer axis approximately coinciding 
 with the meridian except in the northern portion, where the general 
 direction is to the northwest. By reason of its isolated position, 
 its simple structural features and the many excellent natural and 
 artificial rock exposures, the history of the region may be inter- 
 preted with a considerable degree of ease. 
 
 The general system of drainage is distinctly radial. The two 
 enclosing arms of the Cheyenne river wholly separate the Hills from 
 other drainage systems and receive the many smaller streams from 
 the more elevated mountainous portions, a high western limestone 
 plateau being the main divide. In certain places the rapid erosion 
 of softer beds has modified this general radial arrangement, a promi- 
 nent example being in the formation of the well-known Red valley, 
 which forms a nearly continuous depression, separating the higher 
 central portions of the uplift from the distinct but less elevated cre- 
 taceous hogback ridges of the foothills. 
 
 Many of the streams continue actively cutting their beds. Each 
 lithologic unit with its particular and sometimes striking color yields 
 distinctive topographic forms dependent upon relative capacity for 
 
 resisting erosion, the result being that in many places features of 
 rare interest are produced. The Harney Peak area of the southern 
 Hills, with its bold pinnacles and walls of coarse bare granite rising 
 from their forest-clad btise of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, pre- 
 sents a beautiful panorama, while the steep-walled canyons of Spear- 
 fish creek and of Elk creek in the ribrthern Hills are among the 
 most picturesque that America can show. Again, to the northwest 
 along the Belle Fourche valley, where the horizontal sandstones and 
 shales have been intricately carved by the various streams and where 
 the brilliant and varied colors of the several formations harmoni- 
 ously blend with a wealth of forest and pasture, overlooked here and 
 there by the stately, somber forms of porphyry buttes, there is pre- 
 sented a view well worth many a hardship to see. 
 
 The prominent topographic features are a high central basin of 
 granite and metamorphic rocks of Algonkian age, surrounded in a 
 concentric manner by a rugged, infacing escarpment of massive, 
 white carboniferous limestone, a wide depression in the red triassic 
 shales and a high run of cretaceous hogback ridges or foothills. Be- 
 yond these are the later cretaceous shale formations which give rise 
 to the nearly level plains. Farther away, on almost every side, in- 
 terrupting the otherwise monotonous approach to the Hills, there 
 are abrupt tables and buttes of tertiary clays, large portions of which 
 have been carved into forms that bewilder the imagination of the 
 most fanciful observer. 
 
 In the northern Hills tertiary intrusive rocks have greatly modi- 
 fied the general topography and in not a few instances have formed 
 prominent landmarks. Terry Peak, situated near the center of ac- 
 tivity of intrusions, is the highest point. It reaches an altitude of 
 
> 
 O 
 
 CO 
 
 ;h 
 
 M 
 V 
 
 b 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 B 
 
 a 
 
LACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 35 
 
 7,069 feet. Some distance to the west of this is the Bear Lodge 
 range, which culminates in Warren Peaks, marking a subordinate 
 •but important center of tertiary disturbance. Several isolated igne- 
 ous peaks, differing little in petrographic and structural nature from 
 the prominent peaks of the more intricately disturbed districts al- 
 ready mentioned, stand as tall sentinels among the lower peripheral 
 ridges. Chief of these are Bear Butte, Crow Peak, Black Buttes, 
 Inyan Kara, the Missouri Buttes, and the justly famed Devil's 
 Tower. The highest point within the entire region, as it is also the 
 highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, is 
 Harney Peak. This is the culminating peak of the Harney granite 
 range in the southern Hills. It reaches a height of 7,216 feet. The 
 surrounding limestone escarpment rises high above much of the cen- 
 tral portion of the Hills and considerable areas of the plateau along 
 the western side in the vicinity of Crooks Tower closely approach 
 the height of Harney Peak. The mean altitude of the plains sur- 
 rounding the Hills is little more than 3,000 feet. The average eleva- 
 tion within the hogback ridges is approximately S,ooo feet. 
 
 The rocks of the Black Hills show, a wide range in age and 
 character. Within the crystalline nucleus are pre-Carab'rian gran- 
 ites, amphibolites, schists, slates, phyllites and quartzites. Beyond 
 this nucleus are limestones, sandstones, shales and conglomerates, 
 
 representing a nearly complete sequence from Cambrian to Laramie. 
 Their combined thickness is approximately 10,000 feet. Extensive 
 overlaps of tertiary rocks are also present, while pleistocene deposits 
 of various kinds occur widely distributed over the surface of the 
 region. Silurian limestone is found in a few localities, but is of 
 little importance. The presence of Devonian rocks seems as yet not 
 conclusively proven. In the northern Hills there are porphyritic 
 rocks in great profusion. Phonolites, grorudites, andesites, dacites, 
 diorites and lamprophynes are found and their recent careful study 
 has aroused much interest among petrographers. To the prospector 
 and miner they are of interest in that their intrusion has greatly in- 
 fluenced mineralization and the nature and distribution of the igne- 
 ous masses have to no little extent been a determining factor in the 
 occurrence of ore bodies. Fossiliferous beds are common among the 
 foothills, while only a short distance to the southeast are the world- 
 renowned White river bad lands, with their wealth of vertebrate re- 
 mains. 
 
 The sedimentary deposits were laid down subsequent to the- up- 
 turning and metamorphism of the Algonkian rocks. These have 
 had their various characters properly defined by recent study, the 
 determined formational units receiving appropriate individual names. 
 The oldest rocks of the region are the slates, schists and quartzites. 
 
 They constitute the main central area of the Hills. Their dip ap- 
 proximates the vertical, while their strike corresponds fairly well 
 in a general way with the meridian line. The quartzites are usually 
 less easily eroded than the slates and schists, in consequence of which 
 they not infrequently stand out with much prominence. Dark, basic, 
 igneous bands occur in many places, their general occurrence being 
 such as to give the impression of intercalau'on conformable to the 
 original bedding of the metamorphosed sediments. These rocks have 
 not received careful study, but they may be provisionally grouped 
 under the name "amphibolites."' They are commonly designated by 
 the prospector as diorite or hornblende rock. Intimately associated 
 with all of these are the granites of the southern and central Hills. 
 In the northwestern part of the Hills on the South Dakota- Wyoming 
 line, another small but important area of granite is found. A dis- 
 tinct feature of nearly all of this granite is its extremely coarse tex- 
 ture. The feldspar, quartz and mica, and even the less important 
 and nonessential constituents, may be frequently found in isolated 
 crystalline masses of great size. The rock is of the variety known 
 as pegmatite, and as usual with pegmatites, carries an abundance of 
 rare and useful minerals. Following the granites, which are later 
 than the amphibolites but still of Algonkian age, there were no 
 igneous intrusions until the tertiary. Then approximately coincident 
 with the general uplift of the Black Hills region came the igneous 
 bodies so abundant in the northern Hills. These for want of a 
 better collective term are commonly designated as porphyries. They 
 are generally, although not always, of a distinctly porphyritic nature, 
 the large crystals being quartz or more frequently some form of 
 feldspar, or occasionally hornblende or biotite. To mention all of 
 the localities where these may be found would be a tiresome task. 
 The following important mountains must suffice : Terry Peak, Bald 
 Mountain, Elk Mountain, Ragged Top, Devil's Tower, Cu.ster Peak, 
 Bear Butte, Crow Peak, Inyan Kara, Sundance Mountain and War- 
 ren Peaks. Less prominent masses occur in great profusion and few 
 important gulches of the region are free from good exposures where 
 structural details may be determined with much precision. The in- 
 trusions occur in the foim of dikes, stocks, sills and laccoliths, few 
 regions in the world showing them in greater number or to better 
 advantage. Intermediate and connecting stages of every grade are 
 found and erosion has planed and dissected the rock masses so care- 
 fully that the faithful observer may easily read their meaning. 
 
 Reviewing and collecting the foregoing facts with reference to 
 the sequence of occurrence of the many phenomena, it may be said 
 that in Algonkian time the schists and quartzites were deposited as 
 sediments derived from some unknown archasn land mass lying ap- 
 parently either to the west or to the northeast of the position now 
 occupied by the Hills. Later these sediments were penetrated by 
 basic eruptives and subsequent to this penetration the sediments, as 
 as well as the basic eruptives, were ramified by quartz veins, many of 
 which are gold-bearing. Following the eruption of the basic rocks 
 and after most or all of the gold-bearing quartz veins were formed, 
 extensive granite intrusions occurred. At some time during these 
 disturbances great metamorphism took place, the slates and the 
 schists reaching nmch the condition in which we now find them. 
 During the middle or latter part of- the Algonkian period the sea 
 shallowed and the land, rising above the sea as an island, reached 
 a considerable height. The rocks thus brought under the influence 
 of erosive agents supplied much or all of the sediments which make 
 up the Cambrian strata. After this the land became submerged, 
 the later paleozoic and the mesozoic sediments indicating at first 
 deep water, followed again by an unsteady tendency toward shallow- 
 ing of the sea. 
 
 Near the beginning of tertiary time great disturbances took 
 place. The region was lifted quite above the sea and deeply cut by 
 outflowing streams. Sea conditions disappeared, leaving the land 
 partially or wholly surrounded by a considerable body of water in 
 the form of a lake. Approximately coincident with these changes 
 the porphyritic rocks of the northern Hills were intruded, and by 
 their subsequent denudation and degradation added their portion of 
 sediments to the surrounding lake. The lake then disappeared and 
 upon its dry bed the modern streams have trenched their way. 
 
MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
HOW TO LOCATE A MINING CLAIM; ALSO WATER RIGHTS. 
 
 A full mining claim, under the laws of the state of South 
 Dakota, contains a fraction over twenty acres, or a strip of land 
 600 feet wide and 1,500 feet long. 
 
 In locating a claim the first thing necessary is to make a dis- 
 covery of some kind ■ of valuable mineral — gold, silver, cinnabar, 
 lead, zinc, etc. The next step is to post a notice at the point of 
 discovery, giving name of claim, date of discovery, and stating the 
 general course or direction of the ledge or lode as near as can be 
 stated at that time; also the number of feet along the ledge and the 
 number of feet claimed on each side of the discovery, which cannot 
 in any event exceed 300 feet on either side of the center of discovery, 
 1,500 feet being the maximum that can be claimed along the length 
 of the vein. 
 
 After posting the notice of discovery the locater has sixty days 
 in which to sink a discovery shaft, so as to determine more accu- 
 rately the course or direction of his vein of ore. He must also, 
 within sixty days, more accurately define the boundaries of his 
 claim by placing eight substantial stakes — one at each corner and one 
 in the middle of each end and side line. He must mark these stakes 
 with the name of his claim on the side of the stake facing the said 
 claim and properly designate each stake with reference to the corner 
 side or end occupied by it. 
 
 After this has been done he must then file in the office of the 
 register of deeds of the county in which the claim is situated a 
 location certificate. This location certificate must contain sub- 
 stantially the same statements as those contained in the notice 
 posted at the point of discovery, with this, additional — that it must 
 locate the claim with some natural object or permanent monument. 
 
 During the year in which the claim has been located the locater 
 has to properly locate it by sinking a shaft ten feet deep or more, 
 sufficient to expose the ledge and properly staking the claim. After 
 that he must do $100 worth of work each year or place improvements 
 of that amount upon it until he obtains a patent from the govern- 
 ment for it. 
 
 The locater of a claim can begin application for a patent just 
 so soon as he can show $500 worth of improvements upon the 
 ground. After the ground has been patented it is not necessary to 
 do the annual assessment or development work upon it, but the 
 ground so patented becomes subject to taxation. 
 
 In case a person owns several claims lying contiguous and form- 
 ing one group, the owner or owners may do development or assess- 
 ment work on any one of the claims, provided it will tend to de- 
 velop the whole group, but he must do on this one claim an amount 
 of work which will equal $100 for each of the claims in said group. 
 
 In locating placer ground the procedure is substantially the 
 same, and in this manner many of the smaller parks in the moun- 
 tains of the Black Hills have been acquired for agricultural pur- 
 poses, the owners first locating them as placer claims, paying the 
 government price, and, after complying with the provisions of the 
 mining laws, occupying the land for farming purposes. In this way 
 some of the most productive farms in South Dakota have been 
 acquired. 
 
 When application is made to the United States land office for 
 patent the owner of placer ground is required to pay for the land 
 which he claims at the rate of $2.50 an acre. On lode claims the 
 owner must pay to the government $5 an acre. 
 
 LOCATING WATER RIGHTS. 
 
 In locating a water right the locater must post a notice at the 
 point where the water is diverted from the stream. In this notice 
 must be stated the num'ber of miners' inches of water claimed and 
 the purpose or purposes for which it is to be used. The owner 
 must then proceed to appropriate the water by constructing a ditch 
 or flume from the place of diversion to where it is to be used. A 
 person can only appropriate so much water as he can use and no 
 more, and a failure to use the water so claimed within a reasonable 
 time will work "to the forfeiture of his rights. 
 
 SOME MINING TERIVIS IN COMMON USE. 
 
 Any work toward taking out the ore more than is necessary 
 for the purpose of development constitutes what is called stoping. 
 The chambers from which the ore has been excavated are called 
 the stopes, and these necessarily vary in size and position of the 
 vein or ore body. 
 
 Drifting is the act of following along with the course of the 
 vein. Definitions of other mining terms are as follows : 
 
 Adit — Open cut or tunnel on the vein. 
 
 Amalgam — Gold or silver combined with mercury. 
 
 Apex — The top or highest point of a vein. 
 
 Auriferous — Any rock or sand bearing gold. 
 
 Bedrock — Rock underlying placer mines. 
 
 Blind Lode — ^Where there appears no outcrop to the vein. 
 
 Breast — The face of a tunnel or drift. 
 
 Breccia — Angular rocks cemented together. 
 
 Cage — An elevator used in hoisting ore. 
 
 Cap Rock — Rock overlying the ore or vein. 
 
 Cobbin — Breaking ore for sorting. 
 
 Contact — A junction of two kinds of rock, such as lime and 
 porphyry. 
 
 Contact Vein — A vein between two dissimilar rock masses. 
 
 Country Rock — The rock on each side of a vein. 
 
 Crosscut — A level driven across the course of a vein. 
 
 Dip — The slope or pitch of a vein. 
 
 Drift — Horizontal passage underground driven on or along 
 the vein. 
 
 Face — The end of a drift or tunnel. 
 
 Fault — Displacement of a straturn or vein. 
 
 Feeder — A small vein entering into a larger one. 
 
 Float — Loose ore or rock separated from the original formation. 
 
 Fissure Vein — A crack in the earth's crust containing mineral. 
 
 Footwall — Layer of rock immediately beneath the vein. 
 
 Free Milling — Ores that separate readily from the gangue by 
 simple methods. 
 
 Gash Vein — A vein wide at the top and closing at a short depth. 
 
 Hanging Wall — The layer of a rock or wall overhanging a lode. 
 
 Horse — A mass of rock between the branches of a veins 
 
 In Place — Not having been distributed from its original po- 
 sition. 
 
 Level — A horizontal passage in a mine diverging from the 
 shaft. 
 
 Lode — A vein, thus a lode claim is a claim having in its 
 boundaries a vein. This term is sometimes used to designate the 
 mine itself. 
 
 Mill-run — A test of the value of a given quantity of ore. 
 
 Open-cut — An open surface working. 
 
 Outcrop — The portion of a vein showing at the surface. 
 
 Pyrites — Brittle cubes or iron sulphides. 
 
 Strike — The extension of a lode in a horizontal direction. 
 
 Stulls — A framework to support rubbish when stoping out ore. 
 
 Seams and stringers are used interchangeably for narrow 
 branches running off from the vein or lead. 
 
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GENERAL REVIEW OF BLACK HILLS MINING. 
 
 Various Formations and Character and Treatment of Ores. 
 
 By Jesse Simmons, M. E. (Portrait below.) 
 
 H. N. Ross and W. T. McKay, who were with the Custer 
 expedition of 1874, made the first authoritatively substantial dis- 
 covery of gold in the Black Hills. On the 27th day of July of that 
 year, when the party was camped near the site of the present town 
 of Custer, they panned gravel from the bed of French creek, in 
 which the yellow particles were found. The military party, continued 
 its journey through the Black Hills, making a hasty survey of the 
 country, and on returning to civilization reported to the government. 
 They had found gold at various places, but, of course, no attempt 
 was made to operate the diggings. 
 
 The next year, as a result of this preliminary inspection, a 
 party of the United States Geological Survey, under the direction 
 of Professors Newton and Jenney, and with military escort under 
 command of General Custer, visited the Hills and made a most 
 careful examination of the country. To-day their reports to the 
 government are frequently quoted and given the deepest considera- 
 tion. They found gold and other precious minerals at various 
 points. It was realized that the country was more valuable to the 
 
 United States as a mineral producing and civilized region than as 
 an Indian reservation, as it then was, and negotiations were com- 
 menced with the Indians for the purpose of acquiring title to the 
 section. 
 
 But the stampede began ; despite snows and cold, the pioneers, 
 in the fall of 1875 and spring of 1876, rushed to the Hills from all 
 quarters. Although they were compelled to brave the dangers 
 incident to the zealous guarding of the country by the hostile 
 Indians and the unlawful trespassing upon Indian reservation, pun- 
 ished by summary removal by the military authorities, thousands 
 sought the gold fields of the new Eldorado. 
 
 The government was obliged by its treaty with the Indians 
 to protect the Black Hills from encroachments of whites, and 
 escorted from the country nearly all of those who came to the 
 country in 1875. But it was a tide that could not be stemmed, and, 
 realizing that fact, the deportation of the pioneers was practically 
 abandoned. The miners explored nearly every nook and corner of 
 the Hills, finding gold in many gulches, but until the spring of 1876 
 
 Custer was looked upon as the mining metropolis of the Black 
 Hills, the commercial center and erstwhile capital of the country. 
 But early in that spring the news was spread of wonderful gold 
 discoveries in the Whitewood district, as it was then known; the 
 depopulation of Custer took place in a night. The Mecca was the 
 vicinity of the present cities of Deadwood and Lead. The claims 
 were the richest yet discovered in the Hills, and during June and 
 July thousands rushed to the spot. 
 
 Placer mining was, of course, the first class of gold recovery 
 attempted. It consisted in the vv^ashing of the gravel from the 
 creek beds by water, the high specific gravity of the gold causing 
 it to settle in the bottom of the troughs or sluice boxes, in riffles ^ 
 placed there. Crude though the processes employed were, fortunes 
 vrere recovered during that summer. The Wheeler claim between 
 Deadwood and Central City, on Deadwood gulch, produced $50,000. 
 Others produced nearly as much. The first summer's work resulted 
 in the recovery of gold to the amount of $1,200,000. Miles of ground 
 along the creeks were staked, prospected and worked, and by the 
 time winter closed in the excitement was practically at its height, 
 with every available bit of land located. 
 
 The next February, on the 28th of the month, the treaty be- 
 tween the Sioux and the government was signed and the natives 
 relinquished their title to the country. The price paid to the abor- 
 igines was $4,500,000 (and other considerations). Federal law then 
 became the authority instead of th* vigilante party with its swift 
 justice (?) of hanging or banishment. The wild towns of Dead- 
 wood and its neighbors were ruled by the strong arm of the law, and 
 peace was not so ruthlessly broken as before, the Indians were 
 driven away by the troops and mining resumed in the spring on a 
 better basis. The production of 1877 amounted to $2,000,000. 
 
 Geology teaches that the placer gold deposits are formed from 
 the erosion of veins, the gold being stored mechanically in the creek 
 beds. Knowing this, the prospector's attention was turned to the 
 seeking of the veins whence had come the placer gold, and many 
 claims were staked out in Blacktail, Bobtail, Gold Run and Sawpit 
 gulches. 
 
 THE HOMESTAKE DISCOVERED, 
 
 Mose and Fred Manuel, brothers, and Jack Harney, discovered 
 rich float quartz early in 1876, and when the snow allowed of the 
 close inspection of the country they sought the vein whence had 
 come the segregated pieces. On April 9, 1876, their search was 
 rewarded by the finding of a rich vein that they named the Home- 
 stake. They did a little digging and discovered a piece of quartz 
 weighing about 200 pounds that was the richest ever found at the 
 mine, and the next day commenced to open up their ground in 
 earnest. They located, also, other claims, the Old Abe, Terra and 
 Father DeSmet. Eager capitalists bonded the Homestake for 
 $40,000 and the Old Abe for $S,ooo, but did not buy. 
 
 The Manuels continued developing the Homestake and Old 
 Abe, finally, in the fall, building a road to Kirk and erecting a 
 crude mill. Ore was hauled to the mill by ox teams and $5,000 was 
 taken out during the winter. During the subsequent summer they 
 sold their claims, the Homestake bringing $70,000, Old Abe $45,000, 
 and Terra $35,000. 
 
 THE FIRST STAMP MILL 
 
 However, the first attempt to work the quartz deposits was 
 made by M. E. Pinney, who built a mill on the Omega mine, near 
 Terraville. The plant was hauled into the country from Colorado, 
 and for a while paid handsomely. About the same time Capt. C. V. 
 
MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HILLS JirNIXG MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 41 
 
 COMPRESSED AIR MOTOR HAULING 28 STEEL BOTTOM-DUMPING CARS, CONTAINING 4 TONS OF ORE EACH PROM ELLISON HOIST 
 TO MILLS OF HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY, OVER STEEL BRIDGE, 100 FEET HIGH. 
 
 Gardner built a mill, calling his company the Black Hills Gold 
 Mining Company. The ores worked were from the conglomerate 
 deposits, and though bonanzas for a time, the richest portions were 
 worked out and the industry waned. Dozens of little mills were 
 built during this period and the quartz miners were elated. ~ 
 
 EARLY PLACER CAMPS. 
 
 Custer, the scene of the first gold discovery, was, during the 
 year 1875 and early portion of 1876, the largest city of the Black 
 Hills, and the gulches in the vicinity were energetically worked for 
 their placer gold. French creek produced its quota of the precious 
 metal, and many dry gulches, from which it was necessary to haul 
 the gravel in wagons to water, were successfully worked. Hill City 
 sprang up also. Palmer, Friday, Sunday, Newton and other gulches 
 produced heavily. Spring creek, on the banks of which the town 
 was built, yielded well. Rockerville, too, was a placer camp of 
 renown. A flume and ditch some fourteen miles long were con- 
 structed to convey water from Spring creek to the "dry" diggings. 
 
 In the Northern Hills, Iron creek, Sand creek, Nigger gulch, 
 Mallory, Potato, Bear and other gulches, all in the western edge 
 of the state, and partially in Wyoming, were worked to advantage. 
 In fact, one of the biggest nuggets of record in the Black Hills 
 was taken from Nigger gulch. It weighed $453. 
 
 INDIANS MOLEST THE MINERS. 
 
 During the first two eventful years, '75 and '76, the Indians 
 were a constant source of annoyance and danger to the miners. 
 They invaded the Hills, and, crawling up the high hills, shot at 
 the men working in the bottoms of the gulches below. It was 
 hardly safe to try and work a mine without having a man posted as 
 sentry. Guns were kept handy and defenses provided in case it 
 came to a fight at close quarters. In traveling across the plains 
 from the nearest railroad points, some 250 miles, the Indians were 
 especially dangerous. They would steal up on a camp at night, 
 drive off the animals and massacre the members of the party. 
 
 For many years the Hills lacked efficient transportation facilities. 
 Sidney, on the Union Pacific, and Bismarck, on the Northern Pacific, 
 
 were the nearest railroad points, and all supplies had to be hauled 
 that distance. Ox teams hauled the freight, and passengers and mail 
 came by stage coach. Even after the subjugation of the Indians, 
 road agents, or highwaymen, molested the stage coaches, holding up 
 the passengers and mail. The authorities finally exterminated them, 
 and in 1886 the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley railroad was 
 built to Rapid City. It was extended to Deadwood in 1890, and 
 followed shortly by the Burlington. 
 
 The lack of cheap transportation for the . heavy machinery 
 needed in the mills was a burden hard to bear, but a good many 
 thousand tons of freight were hauled to the Hills by the oxen. 
 The first mill on the Homestake, built by the new owners, Haggin, 
 Hearst and Tevis, was an eighty-stamp plant, and it cost $30,000 
 to have it transported to the mine from Cheyenne by ox teams. 
 This is but an example of the almost prohibitive freight tariffs then 
 existing. 
 
 But notwithstanding these and other embarrassments mining 
 prospered in the Black Hills during the early days. Of course, under 
 the then existing conditions only the richer veins were worked in the 
 majority of cases, and practically no effort was made to save other 
 values than the free gold. The cost of shipping ore to the smelters 
 at Omaha and elsewhere practically prohibited the treatment of stuff 
 worth less than $100 per ton, so little was done in that line. 
 
 The methods employed were crude and primitive. Nothing 
 was known at that time of the many modifications and economies 
 of mining and milling as to-day practiced. The cyanide process was 
 locked in the bosom of the future. Matte smelting was not intro- 
 duced until 1890, and so the production was greatly limited. 
 
 But year by year the value of gold bullion annually sold has 
 increased step by step, until in 1903 it reached the total of $7,229,000, 
 proving the conquering by science of the difficulties that beset the 
 early miner, heralding the introduction of matte smelting, the perfec- 
 tion of cyanidation and the approach of the day when the Black 
 Hills shall stand alone and supreme as the greatest gold camp on 
 earth. It is in the Black Hills to-day that ores that would be re- 
 garded as waste in other mining communities are treated at a profit 
 by new methods. The Homestake mine itself is the greatest modern 
 gold mine in many respects. In its mills are daily treated thousands 
 of tons of ore that in other mining districts, and even in the Black 
 
IMTEKKSTl.XG VIEWS OF THE GOLDEN REWARD'S SMELTER AT DEADWOOD AND ITS PROPERTIES AT TERRY. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 43 
 
 Hills during the early days, would have been discarded as waste. 
 Thus has mind conquered matter, thus has the scientific miner 
 overcome the obstacles, thus have processes been adapted, altered 
 to suit the different ores and adapted to surrounding circumstances 
 to such good purpose that to-day mining in the Black Hills is con- 
 ducted purely along lines similar to a common manufacturing busi- 
 ness. Fortunes are not acquired in a day. Bonanza ores are the 
 exception. The favorite toast of the late George Hearst, one of the 
 most skillful mining operators of the world, "Here's to low-grade 
 ore and plenty of it," has become the motto of the Black Hills. 
 
 OCCURRENCE OF ORES. 
 
 In order to understand the ore occurrences of the Black Hills 
 a little of the geology of the region must be understood. In the 
 first place, what is known as the Black Hills uplift is of itself an 
 isolated mountain range, the primal rocks of which are the Algonkian 
 slates, hornblendes and diorites, with heavy intrusions of eruptive 
 granite, notably in Custer county, where they form Harney peak, the 
 highest point in the Hills. These slates have a general vertical posi- 
 tion, occasionally broken and twisted, with a course of northwest- 
 southeast. Lying just above them in a horizontal position are beds 
 of conglomerate, placers of ages gone by, formed from the erosion 
 of the Algonkian veins. Immediately above the conglomerate are 
 the Cambrian rocks, first 12 to 20 feet of quartzite, then 200 to 300 
 feet of shales and sandstones. Next above are the carboniferous 
 measures, principally limestone, approximately 600 to 900 feet thick. 
 These rocks (the Cambrian and carboniferous) are in the Northern 
 Black Hills broken, twisted, contorted and folded by the action of 
 intrusive eruptive dikes of porphyry, phonolite, trachyte, etc. Over- 
 lying these strata are the later sedimentary sandstones, shales, limes 
 and gypsum beds, dipping gently away from the center of the Hills 
 under the level prairies without. 
 
 THE FISSURE LODES. 
 
 In the oldest known geological rocks, the Algonkian, are found 
 the fissure lodes of the Black Hills. These great veins are of vary- 
 ing widths. Some of them are only a few inches, while others are 
 fully 500 feet wide.- In nearly all cases they conform to the stratifi- 
 cation of the enclosing slates, or, in other words, are parallel, both 
 in dip and course, with the wall stratification. The date when these 
 big veins will become worked out is not conceivable for ages to 
 come. They extend vertically toward the center of the earth and 
 at 1,200 feet show no loss in width in values from a hundred feet 
 depth. But it is a well-known fact that the heat radiating from 
 the center of the earth causes discomfort to the miners at depths of 
 a mile or more, and that there is a limit of the efficiency of hoisting 
 engines for bringing the ores to the surface. These two physical 
 difficulties will, of course, one day limit operations on the veins in 
 that direction, but since they are explored and proven along their 
 course for more than forty miles, the pratical end cannot be foreseen. 
 
 The greatest development on this class of veins is on what is 
 termed the Homestake Belt, which is in itself over a mile in width — 
 a dozen veins fifty to several hundred feet wide, separated by strata 
 of slate. This belt is exposed by its outcrop and developments from 
 Maitland on the north to Keystone on the south. It has a general 
 course from Maitland of south 35° east. Its entire dimension, so 
 far explored, is one great mass of low-grade ore, with here and 
 there stringers within the veins of exceedingly rich material. 
 
 Other vein systems of similar character exist in the Hills. One 
 of them passes through Galena, east of the Homestake Belt, and will 
 perhaps prove equally as important when as fully developed. An- 
 other is found near Welcome City, Wyoming, on the western side 
 of the Hills. Another underlies the mines of Bald mountain, one 
 vein a little over three hundred feet wide being opened in the 
 Horseshoe mine, under the Cambrian ores. 
 
 ORES OF THE CAMBRIAN MEASURE. 
 
 Next to the Homestake the greatest producing mines of the 
 Black Hills are operating on ores from the horizontal Cambrian 
 beds. The first of these, geologically, is the conglomerate, which 
 
 yielded so well in the early days. Exposures of immense beds of this 
 ore are made at numerous points in the Hills, notably in Blacktail 
 gulch, near Deadwood, and in the Nigger Hill district of western 
 Lawrence county. In Blacktail gulch these ore exposures in the 
 conglomerate show blankets twenty feet and upward in thickness 
 and of good average values. The Phoenix, Esmeralda and Jupiter 
 mills are built on mines of that class of ore. 
 
 In the Northern Black Hills alone are found ores in the 
 Cambrian quartzite, shales and sandstones. In all cases they are 
 more or less intimately associated with the eruptive dikes of por- 
 phyry, etc., giving rise to the theory of their formation which has 
 been universally accepted, namely, that accompanying these dikes 
 as they were forced through the crust of the earth were mineral 
 waters carrying gold and silver. The dikes formed outlets for the 
 hot waters, and by chemical replacement ore was made of the soft 
 porous Cambrian rocks, changing them to hard, close-grained gold 
 and silver bearing materials. 
 
 Then again at other points the great Algonkian fissures are 
 overlain by beds of Cambrian ore. The coincidental occurrence of 
 the two can hardly be explained by any theory save that the two 
 were enriched at the same time, and by the same mineralizing waters 
 from the earth's interior. 
 
 Ores of the Cambrian are divided into four classes — quartzite, 
 contact, shale and vertical. It is not in all cases that the quartzite 
 itself is found to pay, although the Wasp No. 2 is a good excep- 
 tion to the rule. Here the quartzite assays $2 to $5 per ton, aver- 
 aging about $3 in gold. The bed is approximately 18 feet thick, lies 
 near the surface, is cheaply mined and treated in a mill conveniently 
 situated. 
 
 The best grade of ore in the Cambrian is found between the 
 quartzite and the shales, sometimes with either a roof or floor of 
 eruptive rock. These shoots of ore are of varying sizes. In the 
 Golden Reward mines at Terry one shoot is explored over a mile in 
 length from the northerly to the southerly end in that company's 
 property, where it enters the Horseshoe territory ; the shoot is 
 175 feet wide at the south end, and is really at this point a confluence 
 of ten separate smaller shoots. It is from six to twenty feet thick, 
 and 200 tons of ten-dollar ore are shipped from it daily to the com- 
 pany's cyanide mill at Deadwood. 
 
 Higher up the mountains, both geologically and topograph- 
 ically, are found the shale ore. Immense beds, sometimes forty 
 feet thick, are opened, producing ore to supply some of the largest 
 cyanide mills in the Black Hills. 
 
 The vertical ores of the Cambrian resemble very much, both 
 in character and values, the contact ores of the same period. They 
 are found filling fissures extending upward through the horizontal 
 strata, and often penetrating the carboniferous rocks above. The 
 ores of Carbonate Camp are notable examples of this class. Ver- 
 ticals here have been followed downward over four hundred feet, 
 through limestone, sandstone and shale. Often these verticals lead to 
 contact ore bodies on the quartzite, and this fact wotild indicate that 
 when the shafts at Carbonate reach that point larger bodies will 
 be found. Verticals are of varying widths, from a feather edge 
 to several feet, widening out in places and pinching together in 
 others. 
 
 THE CARBONIFEROUS ORES. 
 
 The first intimation that the Black Hills had that ore existed 
 in the carboniferous rocks was when float was discovered at Car- 
 bonate. That was in the early eighties. In 1895 rich float ore was 
 found at Ragged Top, and the camp at once became the center of 
 a boom. The ore was in verticals, similar to Carbonate, and these 
 were followed to various depths. Later (in 1900) great blankets 
 of ore on the very tops of the hills attracted capital, with the result 
 that two cyanide mills were built at Ragged Top for its treatment. 
 Since their organization these two mines had paid over $100,000 in 
 dividends to January i, 1904. The ore is low grade, occurring 
 in immense bodies, and promises to become of the utmost importance, 
 since at least two more mills are to be built in the neighborhood 
 within the year, and a substantial addition is planned for one of 
 those already operating. 
 
 Thus in all this variety of rock formations is gold found in 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 45 
 
 paying quantities in the Black Hills. It is almost possible to truth- 
 fully state that every hill is a gold mine. Hardly a bit of rock 
 that is found in the country will assay, less than $i per ton, and 
 from that on up. The day is surely coming, and at no great distant 
 time, when $i ore will be handled at a profit. The special feature 
 of the Black Hills is its large low-grade deposits — these have given 
 it wealth at home and fame throughout the mining world. Systems 
 of gold recovery are daily becoming more perfect and economical 
 in their operation. As the cost of treatment lowers, so propor- 
 tionately will increase the value of the mines. To-day it is resolved 
 into a simple business proposition, combined with mining education 
 necessary for the adaptation to various conditions, and to-morrow 
 it will become even more sure and higher in favor. 
 
 OTHER MINERALS. 
 
 SILVER. 
 
 Attempts have been made at various times and places to work 
 silver veins in the Black Hills. In the early days, when the white 
 metal commanded a good price, ihuch money was made from silver 
 mining, but of late years not a great deal of interest has been 
 manifested in this direction. 
 
 Galena and Carbonate Camp were the two silver camps of the 
 Black Hills. Galena, named after ores of that character, which were 
 found in large quantities of high grade. The Sitting Bull and 
 Richmond were two mines that produced heavily in silver, ship- 
 ments being made principally to Omaha smelters, transportation 
 
 and treatment precluding the handling of ore worth much less than 
 $100 a ton. The ore was found in the Cambrian formation, lying 
 in a bed dipping strongly from the horizontal. The two mines 
 adjoined, and the owners worked the ores out right up to the boun- 
 daries. The result was litigation, bitter and uncompromising, lasting 
 for twenty years, which has just been brought to a close. And to 
 show the march of progress and improvements made by science, the 
 owner, Mr. Henry Earle, now contemplates building a cyanide mill 
 to handle the waste dump from the old mine! The dump contains 
 probably half a million tons. Several carloads have been treated 
 by the Imperial mill at Deadwood and show pay values. The run 
 was about 250 tons and the Imperial mill showed a handsome profit 
 after cost of transportation and treatment. 
 
 At Carbonate Camp in the early eighties rich galena ore was 
 found at the grass roots. Slight developments showed bonanza 
 ore bodies, and several companies were formed to operate the mines. 
 One company, the Iron Hill, built a smelter and pan-amalgamation 
 mill, produced $736,000 and paid $165,250 in dividends. Speculation 
 in the stock of the company wrought ruin, and a good mine to-day 
 stands idle as the result of this folly. Other mines in the vicinity 
 produced handsome sums, and the Black Hills is credited with 
 having given to the world five millions of dollars in silver bullion. 
 
 The only recorded attempt to work silver ores by cyanide in 
 the Black Hills was made by Allen Brothers. Three years ago at 
 Carbonate Camp, they erected a small plant to handle the tailings 
 from the pan-amalgamation mill of the Iron Hill Company and 
 worked during a portion of two summers. 'A photograph shows the 
 
 CYANIDE MILLS OF THE IMPERIAL GOLD MINING COJIPANY AT DEADWOOD. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 47 
 
 result of one of their bullion melts— 37s pounds of silver 925-1,000 
 fine. The ore treated was what is known as cerargerite (chloride of 
 silver) or horn silver, the only ore of the white metal known to be 
 amenable to cyanidation. And it is a queer feature that this mineral 
 is not soluble in any acid or combination of acids, but is very readily 
 dissolved by the cyanide solution. 
 
 TIN. 
 
 Tin in veins was first identified in the Black Hills in 1883, 
 although in 1876 it was found in the placers of Bear Gulch and 
 vicinity. The Etta mine, near Keystone, where the first tin was 
 found in veins, was purchased by the Harney Peak Tin Mining, 
 Milling & Manufacturing Company, and with it were amalgamated 
 thousands of acres of land in the vicinity, as tin veins were found 
 in large numbers once the attention of the prospectors was drawn to 
 the mineral. Operations were for a few years conducted on a mag- 
 nificent scale. Two immense tin mills were built, hundreds of men 
 employed, sawmills built in nearly every gulch, dozens of hoisting 
 plants erected, a sumptuous headquarters provided for the chief and 
 his aides, properties were purchased, at alleged fictitious prices, the 
 managers pocketing the difference — all this at the expense of the 
 
 Company has erected a smelter, and is developing its mines now 
 to a point sufficient to supply the same. 
 
 On Spring Creek, the Central Black Hills Copper Company 
 has erected a lixivation plant for treating its copper ores. West 
 of Rochford the Black Hills Copper Company has sunk a shaft 
 3C0 feet to open copper veins. 
 
 Not a great deal of development has been done on the copper 
 veins in the past, but at present the industry seems to be taking- 
 on a new vigor. Good copper outcroppings are found in numerous 
 parts of the Hills, but no steady producing mine is yet operating. 
 
 MICA. 
 
 In the southern Hills mica deposits are quite extensive and 
 productive. In 1879 the McMacken mine, near Custer, was located, 
 and has since produced $200,000 worth of cut and scrap mica. This 
 mine is known now as the Crown, and is the property of the Crown 
 Mica Mining Company. 
 
 Other mines, the Climax, New York, Peerless, Lost Bonanza, 
 etc., contributed to the output. Black Hills mica is said to have 
 especial qualities recommending it to users for electrical purposes. 
 It has a high fusing point and non-conductivity. The scrap mica 
 
 COKE OVENS OF THE CAMBRIA FUEL COMPANY AT CAMBRIA, WYOMING. 
 
 English stockholders. The alleged gross frauds, malpractices and 
 swindlings were discovered, and the affairs of the company put in 
 the hands of a receiver. Now the property amounts to but a few 
 hundred acres. The valueless ground has been dropped, the best 
 secured by patent, much of the machinery sold off, and the affairs 
 practically wound up. Now the question is. Will the company 
 resume? Undoubtedly it owns large bodies of good paying tin 
 ore, with mills to handle it, large quantities of timber, excellent 
 streams of water, in fact, all the accessories, and could be made 
 to pay. The Gertie Mining & Milling Company, near Hill City, 
 and the Tinton Company, operating at Nigger Hill, Lawrence 
 county, are to-day pushing active operations in tin mining. 
 
 Various properties have been worked for copper and good pay 
 ore shipped from them. One of the first and largest copper mines 
 found was the Blue Lead, near Sheridan, in Pennington county. 
 This big vein can be traced for miles, and several carloads shipped 
 by R. M. Maloney of Deadwood carried a little over six per cent 
 of the red metal. Adjoining the Blue Lead the Dakota Calumet 
 
 commands a low price, and sheet mica according to size, from 
 ten cents to three dollars per pound. Especially large sheets are 
 encountered in the Crown mine, one taking the prize at the World's 
 Fair in Chicago. There are good opportunities for investment of 
 capital in mica mining in this country, as veins are large, well 
 distributed and carry high values. 
 
 Good hematite is not abundant in the Black Hills, although 
 the Poznansky mine, west of Rapid City, has produced ore run- 
 ning over so per cent. Over a hundred and fifty cars have been 
 shipped from Nahant iron mines to smelters. This is bog iron. 
 Deposits of hematite for commercially producing pig iron have 
 not been found in the Black Hills, although with the building of 
 the railroad along Rapid Creek, west to Mystic, some large low- 
 grade deposits will be given rail transportation and may prove very 
 valuable. 
 
 Iron in all forms is more or less abundant in the Hills. Per- 
 haps the most abundant form is pyrite, which occurs in nearly all 
 the so-called free-milling ores in small quantities, and occasionally 
 
MEMBERS OP THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 49 
 
 OPEN CUT OF WASP NO. 2 — A MARVEL OB" CHEAP MINING AND MILLING. 
 
 in almost solid veins by itself. When it occurs .as last described 
 a value is attached to it as a flux for the pyritic smelters, and for 
 the manufacture of sulphuric acid. 
 
 H. H. Francis of Custer is shipping pyritic ore daily to Chicago 
 for transformation into sulphuric acid. It is a paying institution, 
 and many other mines of like character will probably be worked 
 in the future. 
 
 There is a good opportunity for judicious investment in a 
 sulphuric acid plant in the Black Hills. 
 
 SPODUMENE. 
 
 Probably 2,oco tons of spodumene have been mined from the 
 Etta, near Keystone, the property being worked under lease from 
 the Harney Peak Company. Hermann Reinbold & Co. of Omaha 
 used a large part of the output. Spodumene contains percentages 
 of lithia, from which the "lithia salts" of the druggist are made. 
 The largest known specimen of spodumene in the world was found 
 at the Etta ; it was thirty feet in length and over two feet in diameter, 
 having the appearance of a white log imbedded in the granite. 
 
 TUNGSTEN. 
 
 Wolframite and scheelite, the two ores of tungsten, are found 
 in the Black Hills. Large shipments have been made from the 
 mines of North Lead and Yellow Creek. For the ores carrying 60 
 per cent and upward, $3 per unit (per cent) is paid, thus bringing 
 a good price for the ore. It was while prospecting for wolframite 
 that Otto Grantz found his exceptionally rich ore on the Hidden 
 Fortune. The Harrison, Reddy, Golden Crown and Wasp No. 2 
 
 are other producers. Some wolframite is found in the tin veins 
 of the southern Hills. 
 
 Tungsten is used in hardening steel for armor plate, and for 
 giving cloth a bath which makes it inflammable. The latter use 
 is steadily growing, and the demand for wolframite and scheelite 
 great. The Black Hills wolframite carries gold in considerable 
 quantities, and to date no attempt has been made to extract it before 
 selling to the dealers, so there it is lost sight of. Samples from the 
 Wasp No. 2 assay as much as $200 per ton in gold. So that Jack 
 Gray is not far wrong when he says some of the battleships are 
 armored with South Dakota gold. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Lepidolite is found in commercial quantities at the Etta mine. 
 Its uses are the same as spodumene. 
 
 Jamesonite, an ore of antimony, is found near Silver City and 
 Rochford, Pennington county. 
 
 Custer and Pennington counties produce from various mines 
 ores of bismuth, though not as yet in paying quantities. 
 
 Cinnabar (oxide of mercury, or quicksilver) is found at the 
 Poisoned Ox mine, west of Rapid City. It has not been opened in 
 paying quantities. 
 
 Pitchblende, the ore of the new wonder, radium, is found in 
 Pennington county, near Pactola, and in small quantities near Bald 
 Mountain; also near Rochford. 
 
 Marble and onyx, of beautiful tints, and taking a fine polish, 
 are found at numerous points in the outer Hills, and near Custer 
 in the granite rocks. Commercial production has been made. 
 
 Graphite has been identified in several mines west of Rochford, 
 including the Copper Cliff. The mineral is used for manufacturing 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 51 
 
 stove polish, gray-black paint, etc. Small production has been made, 
 and the future will probably see large paying mines opened. 
 
 Lead is found in nearly every mining camp in the Hills in 
 varying quantities. Silver City, Galena and Carbonate have been 
 the largest producers. Beautiful crystals of pyromorphyte (phos- 
 phate of lead) are found at Carbonate Camp. 
 
 Arsenic, in the form of mispickel, or pyrite, is found in many 
 of the veins of free-milling ore. The Ida Florence mine, near 
 Keystone, contains large deposits. 
 
 Platinum has been discovered in small quantities in the placers 
 of the southern Black Hills. 
 
 Nickel and cobalt, associated with other minerals, are known to 
 exist at numerous points in the southern Hills and the Clover Leaf 
 mine at Roubaix, but have, however, received only small attention at 
 the hands of the prospector. 
 
 Fuller's earth is found in the foothills in large deposits. Ship- 
 ments have been made, and the grade shown to be excellent. It is 
 used in clarifying lard, tallow and more particularly cotton seed oil. 
 It is worth about $15 per ton. The world's supply at present comes 
 largely from England and Florida. 
 
 Gypsum, from which stucco is manufactured, is found in large 
 quantities in the Black Hills. Several factories are operating stead- 
 ily, including the Pettigrew at Spearfish and the Hot Springs Plaster 
 Company at Hot Springs. 
 
 TREATMENT OF THE ORES. 
 
 Gold-bearing rocks of the Black Hills are of two classes, namely, 
 free-milling and lefractory. Roughly, refractory ores are those 
 
 which will not give up their precious contents by amalgamation, 
 and free-milling the opposite class. 
 
 Free-milling ores were ihe first to which attention was directed 
 in the Black Hills, and after nearly thirty years the process has 
 been reduced to a science. Briefly, the process is as follows : The 
 ore as it comes from the mine passes through crushers, where ;t 
 is reduced in size to pass a one and one-half to two-inch ring. 
 From the bins beneath the crusher it passes to feeders which auto- 
 matically drop it under the stamps. These stamps weigh half a 
 ton and work in mortars of iron. Water is fed into the moitar 
 with the ore, and as the material is crushed it is carried through 
 a screen or screens at the side of the mortar and onto long flat 
 plates of silver-plated copper. These plates are amalgamated with 
 mercury, the material having an affinity as well for gold, and as the 
 ore, now in a fine state of division, flows over the plates the gold 
 is caught. The plates are scraped, the resulting ball of amalgam 
 of gold and mercury retorted, and the gold recovered in the native 
 state. Amalgamated plates are also placed within the mortars to 
 collect the gold particles too coarse to pass the screens. Retorting 
 is a process of distillation, the amalgam being placed in an iron 
 vessel with a top tightly fastened on, from which a pipe leads away. 
 A fire is built under the retort, and the heat evaporates the mer- 
 cury. The fumes passing through the pipe are condensed and the 
 mercury gathered in a pan or other suitable vessel. The pipe is 
 kept cool by running water surrounding it in a larger pipe. The 
 fire is made hotter and hotter and finally the last trace of mercury 
 is expelled. The mercury is purified by the process and is used 
 again in the mill. 
 
 This is the true free-milling process, and is employed in only 
 
 NEAR UEADWOOD— OEB TRAIN LEAVING THE MONTEZUMA AND THE WHIZZBRS MINES FOR THE SMELTERS. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 53 
 
 one instance in the Hills. At the Clover Leaf mine 93 per cent of 
 the values in the ore are extracted in this manner. At other prop- 
 erties, which are called free-milling, adaptations are made of the 
 process, the ore as it flows off the plates being caught and sub- 
 jected to concentration, with eventual smelting of the concentrates, 
 and perhaps after concentration, to a treatment by the cyanide 
 process. At some mines, the concentration is omitted, and the tail- 
 ings from the plates conveyed directly to the cyanide mill. In 
 other mills the ore is crushed in a cyanide solution, is subjected to 
 that process first and amalgamated afterward. 
 
 Refractory ores, or those in which the gold does not occur in 
 the native state, and are therefore not amenable to amalgamation, 
 are treated by two processes in the Black Hills, smelting and 
 cyanidatior,. 
 
 For many years the refractory or siliceous ores from the Cam- 
 brian deposits proved a puzzle to the metallurgists. High assays 
 could be obtained from mines at Bald Mountain, but no gold could 
 be found in the pan, or could be saved in the stamp mills. Efforts 
 were made by various parties to perfect a process, but all failed 
 until 1890, when matte smelting was introduced. Matte smelting 
 solved a great problem for the Black Hills. It was the first intro- 
 duction into America, and was made by Dr. F. R. Carpenter, then 
 dean of the State School of Mines, and who resigned tO' take charge 
 of the Deadwood & Delaware smelters (now the Golden Reward). 
 Of course at the first starting of the plant many difficulties had 
 to be overcome, and there were times when it seemed it would be 
 impossible to continue. But perseverance won, and the process has 
 been adopted as a scientific, commercial success. 
 
 In principle it is as follows : Ore, limestone (to form a fusible 
 mixture), coke (to furnish heat) and iron pyrite are fed into a 
 large brick and iron furnace. Air forced into the furnace under 
 a .slight pressure gives a draft, and the burning coke furnishes heat 
 to melt this mixture. The iron pyrite, having an affinity for the 
 gold, collects it as well as the silver, and on account of its superior 
 specific gravity settles to the bottom of the furnace. The ash from 
 the coke, the limestone, and valueless portions of the ores form a 
 slag, which is drawn off through holes and removed to the dump. 
 The matte, or iron pyrite containing the gold and silver, is drawn 
 into molds through holes below the slag, "tap holes," and is shipped 
 elsewhere for refining. Virtually this process consists of con- 
 centrating the values of about ten tons of ore into one ton of 
 matte, which is refined at a low cost. The Deadwood &^ Dela- 
 ware sold to the Golden Reward Company some years ago, and 
 that company now has a matte smelter with a capacity of 500 
 tons per day. The National Smelting Company at Rapid City has 
 a similar plant of 200 tons capacity. 
 
 CYANIDATION. 
 
 Although cyanidation is a comparati.vely new metallurgical 
 process, it has been widely used in the Black Hills, and is responsible 
 for the mar^-elous gain in production and favor of the country in 
 the last few years. It has made commercially possible the treat- 
 ment of untold millions of dollars' worth of the low-grade re- 
 fractory ores that could not be handled by smelting, owing to 
 the cost of treatment. Smelting costs from seven to ten dollars 
 per ton, while cyanidation costs twenty-five cents to a dollar and 
 a half a ton. Twenty-five cents covers the cost of treatment at 
 the Homestake cyanide mills, where the already crushed ore is 
 received from the stamp mills. The higher figure includes the 
 cost of crushing as practiced at some of the Black Hills plants. 
 
 Cyanide mills are of three classes, namely, wet crushing, dry 
 crushing and tailings mills. In the wet crushing mills the ore 
 is crushed by the regulation stamps the same as in the free-milling 
 process, only, instead of water, cyanide solution is used. The dry 
 crushing mills pulverize the ores in rolls, or heavy iron machines 
 operating on the principle of a clothes wringer. The tailings mills 
 treat ores after other processes have been used to extract a portion 
 of the values, as, for instance, at Lead City, where the Homestake 
 treats the ore by cyanidation after amalgamation. 
 
 In wet crushing the process is substantially as follows : The 
 ore, which is crushed by stamps in a solution of cyanide (either 
 
 cyanide of potassium or sodium being used), is transferred to large 
 separators, of which there are many patterns, but all using the 
 one principle. Here the coarser portion of the ore is separated 
 from the finer, since the two cannot be treated in the same vat. 
 This is accomplished by allowing the solution and ore to flow into 
 the top of an inverted cone, equipped with a pipe at the bottom, 
 and a small trough around the upper edge. Specific gravity causes 
 the coarse portion to settle, and it is drawn off through the pipe. 
 The fine, almost impalpable, powder floating in the water, known 
 as slimes, overflows into the trough, from where it is carried to 
 the vats for treatment. In some cases the sands are passed through 
 another separator, but in all events pass to a vat of greater diam- 
 eter than depth, usually 4 to 8 to l, or, in other words, from 20 
 to 40 feet in diameter to 5 feet deep. This vat is provided with 
 a trough around the upper edges similar to the cone, and here 
 again the overflowing slimes are carried to their vats. Since there 
 are used in the stamps from six to nine tons of solution to one 
 ton of ore, it will be seen that there is an abundance of solution 
 for this separation. 
 
 The vat finally fills up with sand to within a few inches of 
 the top, and solution is added. This solution is changed at intervals 
 for a few days, from two to four days usually sufficing to extract 
 the values, and water, which serves to wash the remaining cyanide 
 solution from the ore, added in its stead. The cyanide solution, 
 having dissolved the gold, is conveyed to the precipitation room, 
 where the gold is extracted from it. 
 
 Slimes, since they would pack firmly in the vat and not allow 
 of percolation, are treated separately. The process consists of 
 filling vats (of greater depth than diameter in the ratio of about 
 3 to i) with the mixture of slimes and solution. The slimes grad- 
 ually settle to the bottom and the clear liquid is drawn off the 
 top. More solution is added, the mixture agitated, in some cases 
 by transferring to another vat, and the process repeated. Finally, 
 as in the sand process, water is added and the charge washed. 
 The solutions go to the precipitation room. 
 
 The precipitation rooms are of different characters in different 
 mills. As a rule zinc shaving precipitation is followed. In this 
 case the shavings of zinc, fine threads of the metal cut on lathes, are 
 placed in receptacles through which the solution passes. The zinc 
 has the property of disassociating the gold from the cyanide solu- 
 tion, and the precious metal is precipitated to the bottom in the 
 form of a black powder. This powder is carefully collected, usually 
 twice a month, treated with sulphuric acid to dissolve the zinc, dried 
 at a low heat, melted with various fluxes to remove the impurities, 
 and sold to the United States. 
 
 Precipitation systems are different, some mills using wooden 
 and some steel boxes, and a great many using halves of whiskey 
 barrels. In all the principle is the same. The receptacle is divided 
 into two compartments, one smaller than the other. In the bottom 
 of the large compartment a coarse screen is placed an inch or so 
 above the floor. The gold bearing solution enters this compartment 
 by means of a smaller one, from the bottom, the partition extending 
 down to within an inch of the floor. The solution, flowing out of 
 the large compartment, enters another similar receptacle. After the 
 gold has been precipitated the solution has lost a small portion of 
 its strength, perhaps one-fifth, but otherwise is ready for use again. 
 The cyanide thus consumed amounts to approximately one-half 
 pound per ton of ore treated, costing about 12% cents. 
 
 The process is almost entirely automatic, requiring the follow- 
 ing employes to operate a 300-ton mill : Superintendent, assayer and 
 assistant, engineer, fireman, crusher man, solution man, stamp 
 tender, man cutting zinc shavings, roustabout, and man emptying 
 vats by flushing with water through holes in the bottom. 
 
 Dry-crushing cyanidation employs the following process : Crush- 
 ing ore to two inches diameter, pulverizing in rolls to particles from 
 1-16 to % inch in diameter, transferring to vats and treatment same 
 as sands in wet crushing. There are practically no slimes made by this 
 process, hence no separators, special treatment, etc., are necessary. 
 The advantage gained is perhaps partially offset by the increased 
 cost of pulverizing, since the wear on the crushing face of the rolls 
 is great. In some cases furnaces are installed to dry the ore before 
 pulverizing, thus adding another item of cost. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 55 
 
 In the tailings-cyanide mills as at the Homestake the ore comes 
 already pulverized. The slimes are at present separated and re- 
 jected if too low in value, though experiments are being carried on 
 having in view their treatment, and the sands, after the water in 
 which they were crushed has been removed, are treated in a man- 
 ner similar to that described under wet crushing. 
 
 GROWTH OF THE HILLS. 
 
 The growth of mining in the Black Hills is best exemplified by 
 the production of gold for the various years from the date of their 
 discovery to 1903. The table is as follows : 
 
 Year. Total production. Year Total production. 
 
 1876 $1,200,000 1884 $2,575,000 
 
 1877 2,000,000 1885 2,750,000 
 
 1878 2,250,000 1886 3,250,000 
 
 1879 2,500,000 1887 3,420,000 
 
 1880 2,650,000 1888 3,485,000 
 
 1881 2,550,000 1889 3,550,000 
 
 1882 2,550,000 i8go 3,904,160 
 
 1883 2,525,000 1891 4,619,270 
 
 Year. 
 
 Total production. Year. 
 
 Total production. 
 
 1892 $5,101,630 1899 $7,000,000 
 
 1893 6,750,000 igoo 7,250,000 
 
 1894 6,500,000 1901 7,500,000 
 
 1895 6,800,000 1902 7,400,000 
 
 1896 6,775,000 1903 7,229,000 
 
 1897 6,524,760 
 
 1898 6,800,000 Total $127,408,820 
 
 Owing to the new reduction plants contemplated for this year, 
 and those which were put in commission during the latter part of 
 1903, the production of 1904 will greatly exceed the figures for 1903. 
 The gold production for 1904 will probably amount to nine and one- 
 half million dollars. The general mining outlook — the continued 
 investments of large capital, the exploration and opening up of 
 new mines and the increasing mill construction — warrant the state- 
 ment that gold mining is in its very infancy in the Black Hills; that 
 the annual increase in gold production will continue, and that each 
 succeeding year will show a gain over its predecessor far into the 
 coming years of the future until the Black Hills shall be the greatest 
 gold-producing district in the world. 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 Gold was the attraction which brought to the Black Hills of South 
 Dakota, twenty-nine years ago, the first white settlers, and the in- 
 ducement which caused thousands to brave the dangers of a country 
 beset by hostile Indians and the hardships incident to a frontier life. 
 But among the thousands who came in search of the yellow metal 
 were many who recognized in the rich soil of the numerous valleys 
 which radiate in every direction from the pine-clad mountains, possi- 
 bilities for wealth as great as those offered by the mines as yet un- 
 discovered. Among the pioneers were many whose experience on 
 the farm in their old homes in the East made them good judges of 
 a country, and as they passed through the valleys on their way to 
 the mountains, where, 
 
 With vast foundations seamed and knit, 
 And wrought and bound with golden bars. 
 
 The Black Hills' peaks serenely sit 
 And challenge Heaven's sentry stars, 
 
 they cast eyes of longing on the broad acres which needed only the 
 care and attention of man to make them productive. These of the 
 pioneers did not allow the subtle influence of gold to keep them 
 under its spell, so it was not long before many of them had ventured 
 into the valleys in search of homes, homes to build which they knew 
 would require of them the exercise of the highest human courage, 
 for the country was as yet a part of the great Sioux reservation, 
 and the favorite hunting grounds of all the northern tribes of 
 Indians. On its borders, and even in the Hills themselves, at that 
 time, ranged the great northern herd of buffalo, and to hunt the 
 Buffalo came the Sioux, the Crow and the Cheyenne. These tribes 
 were jealous of the whites who had invaded their paradise, and 
 were determined not to give it up without a struggle, so Indian 
 raids upon, exposed settlers were numerous. Many a home was 
 builded only to be reduced to ashes and ruin and their founders 
 scalped and mutilated by the Indians during the first few years in 
 which farming was attempted in the Hills. Despite these discourag- 
 ing conditions, however, the ever-present danger of massacre and 
 the despoliation of their flocks and herds, the settlers of the valleys 
 persisted in their endeavors, and the results of their bravery have 
 more than paid for the loss of life and property which followed in 
 the wake of the first attempt to till the soil of the valleys of the 
 Black Hills. 
 
 Indians alone were not the only difficulties with which the 
 farmer had to contend, for, with hundreds of miles of a difficult 
 country stretching between him and the nearest point from which 
 machinery and supplies could be procured, he was forced to content 
 himself with the use of implements which are to-day considered 
 
 obsolete by those who are making agriculture profitable in the val- 
 leys and in the parks of the upper Hills. It was not until recent 
 years that opportunity was given the farmer of the Hills to take 
 the advantage of improved machinery in the cultivation of his land, 
 and not for several years after the introduction of this machinery 
 was it possible for more than a small portion of the men who had 
 builded for themselves homes in the valleys to procure these aids 
 to labor, the high freight rates, the difficulty of transportation and 
 the exactions of the dealers in them allowing only the most wealthy 
 to purchase. Since the introduction of machinery, however, the 
 productiveness of the soil has been proven by the annual number 
 of acres placed in seed and the ever-increasing harvests of cereals 
 and vegetables, and to-day the 60,000 people who inhabit the Hills 
 have no occasion to look further than their own country for all the 
 products of the farm. Everything needed from the farm is raised 
 in the Hills, and every product finds a ready market at far better 
 prices than the same brings in any other section of the country. 
 Surrounding the Black Hills, with their fertile acres still un- 
 tilled, and 
 
 "Stretching in airy, undulations far away. 
 
 As though the ocean in its gentlest mood stood still 
 
 With all its rounded billows fixed and motionless forever," 
 are prairie lands which beckon to the homeseeker, and which some 
 day will be utilized. They are now the ranges for the immense 
 herds of cattle which have taken the place of the exterminated 
 buffalo ; but settlers have been coming in for years, and fences are 
 being built, homes made and former conditions changing. These 
 broad prairies are as much a part of the Black Hills as are the val- 
 leys which lead to them from the mountain, and their settlers will, 
 like those. of the valley, in a few years reap the benefit of the splen- 
 did market afforded here. 
 
 It is recorded that the first actual attempt to cultivate the soil 
 of the valleys leading from the foothills was made in the spring of 
 1876, a man by the name of Brown having broken a few acres of 
 ground in the Whitewood valley, a few miles below the present 
 town of Cook City. This small tract was planted to oats, and in 
 July of that year was ready to be harvested, but when men went 
 to the ground for that purpose they were driven off by the Indians, 
 who took an especial delight in destroying the ripened crop. 
 
 On the Centennial prairie, six miles north from Deadwood, 
 almost within the Hills themselves, and in the Spearfish valley, hay 
 was cut in the summer and fall of 1876, and those who did the cutting 
 took their lives in their hands. It was customary for large parties 
 to go together to the place where the hay was cut, usually in some 
 
MEJIBEliS OF THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 57 
 
 valley, where a good lookout could be kept from surrounding 
 heights, and while one-half of the party cut hay the other half 
 stood on guard. The reaping was done with scythes and cradles, 
 nothing like a mowing machine being then in the country. But the 
 risk and the labor was thought by those engaged in furnishing the 
 markets with hay to be worth the while, for at times that com- 
 modity sold for 10 cents a pound and higher. These parties, were, 
 however, driven in by the Indians and the residts of their labor de- 
 stroyed on many occasions. During the same year Robert Evans, 
 Judge Beck and Peter Riley made garden in Spearfish valley, but 
 many times were compelled to fly for their lives from the Indians to 
 a stockade which had been built near where the town of Spearfish 
 now stands. Since those days Spearfish valley has become one of 
 the most highly-cultivated and most productive valleys in the Hills ; 
 in fact, the garden spot, while Centennial prairie is dotted with well- 
 cultivated farms, upon which are substantial, commodious and hand- 
 some buildings, and those occupying the land are among the well-to- 
 do of the state. 
 
 Settlers soon flocked to the Redwater, Belle Fourche, Lower 
 Falsebottom, Bare Butte, Alkali, Lower Box Elder, Elk, Morse and 
 the valleys of the other streams of the northern Hills during the 
 latter part of the same year, but in the spring of 1877 the Indians 
 again became so bad that most of them were compelled to fly to the 
 neighboring towns for safety. These valleys have since then be- 
 come productive, and almost their entire acreage is to-day being 
 farmed, and the products raised sold at good prices within a few 
 miles of where they are harvested. 
 
 Early in 1876 the first settlement of the Rapid River valley was 
 made, and the town of Rapid City laid out, a blockhouse built and 
 ranches taken up along the banks of that beautiful stream. For 
 the first year no attempt was made to cultivate the soil, but atten- 
 tion was given to putting up hay. But in this occupation the settlers 
 were not allowed to work in peace, the Indians being worse in this 
 section than in any other in the Hills, oftentimes keeping the settlers 
 besieged within the shadow of the blockhouse. But those days have 
 passed, and at the present time the valley, from where the stream 
 debouches from the mountains until it empties into the Cheyenne 
 River, forty miles away, has been settled, every quarter section 
 being taken. Some of the ranches on this valley are among the 
 most productive in the state, and the buildings and improvements 
 on them equal to any to be found upon the best farms of older 
 states, while the diversity of the crops raised make it one of the 
 richest farming sections of the West. 
 
 Lower Spring creek. Fall river. Battle creek, Horsehead and 
 the valleys of other streams to the south and east of Rapid began 
 to settle as early as the spring of 1877, and while those taking up 
 land were not molested to such an extent as the farmers and ranches 
 of other sections of the Hills, they still had many hardships to en- 
 dure and to overcome. These valleys to-day are rich in flocks and 
 herds, while the cultivation of the soil brings good profits to those 
 engaged in it. 
 
 As early as March, 1876, attempts were made to improve lands 
 on French creek, below Custer City, on Bradley Flats, and on the 
 banks of one or two other streams there, but so bad were the 
 Indians that the attempt had to be abandoned, so it was not until 
 two years later that anything like success was made of farming 
 there. This section is now very productive. 
 
 On Jim creek, which is within the Hills, was grown and 
 thrashed the first cereal grown in the Black Hills. On one of the 
 large bottoms which reach back from the banks of the stream, an 
 enterprising settler in the spring of '76 had planted a small field of 
 oats, and as his ground was safe from Indian raids, he was allowed 
 to harvest it. The crop, which was an immense one for the acreage 
 sown, was thrashed out by the old method described in the Scrip- 
 tures—it was treaded out by oxen. The farmer made a fortune 
 from his harvest. 
 
 Within the Hills, free from danger of Indian attacks, on the 
 upper reaches of the Box Elder, Gilbert JNI. Tower in the spring of 
 1876 located and built the first buildings in the Hills to be used 
 exclusively as farm buildings. Although he contented himself 
 during the first year's occupancy of the ranch with cutting and 
 putting up hay, in the year following ^Ir. Tower planted extensively 
 
 to oats, potatoes and other vegetables, and it may be said that he 
 was really the first person to engage exclusively in agriculture in 
 the Hills. He occupies the same buildings to-day, and for twenty- 
 eight years has tilled the soil of Mountain Meadow ranch, one of 
 the best-known places in the country. 
 
 Scattered throughout the Hills are numerous little valleys, and 
 while their altitude is too high for those occupying them to make 1 
 .■success of raising wheat or corn, oats, barley and every kind of 
 vegetable raised in the valleys of the foothills are prolific producers 
 when planted in them, and a crop failure is a thing unheard of. All 
 of these little parks and the flats along the streams flowing through 
 the mountains are to-day occupied by people who farm them, many 
 in addition owning mining ground adjoining, which they also work. 
 As the farms in the mountains are generally located on mineral 
 land, and subject to entry ar, such, this fact has been gotten over by 
 those claiming them entering them first as placer claims — twenty 
 acres being taken at a time — and then securing patent for the 
 ground so taken. Some of the best-paying ranches in the Black 
 Hills are located in these parks at the headwaters of the various 
 streams, up where the air is light and nature rears her monumental 
 peaks. 
 
 It was not until 1878 that the first shipment of farming ma- 
 cliinery was made to the Black Hills, Star & Bullock of Deadwood 
 receiving a consignment of plows, reapers, rakes, etc., which, so great 
 
 2,000-ACEE RANCH OF A. GILES, NEAR BELLE FOURCHE. 
 
 had been the demand for them, were sold almost so soon as they 
 were unloaded from the bull and mule wagons which, had hauled 
 them 300 miles through a hostile Indian country. In 1879 the first 
 self-binders were brought into the country by the same firm. They 
 were brought in as an experiment, but farming had progressed to 
 such an extent by that time that all were disposed of, although the 
 modest price of $325 was charged for each machine. The freight 
 on a single machine amounted to over $100. 
 
 West of the Hills, bilt a part of them. Sand creek and Crow 
 creek became attractions to the homeseekers, and in 1879 began to 
 settle up, and to-day support a large population, many prosperous 
 communities having sprung up in these valleys. 
 
 Although the mean height of the valleys of the Hills above sea 
 level is something over 3,000 feet, almost every cereal and vegetable 
 raised in the same latitude as that of the Black Hills is raised in 
 them, and the production to the acre greater than that of many other 
 sections of older states, where the cultivation of the soil has been 
 brought to the highest state of perfection. Wheat, corn, barley, oats, 
 rye and the other cereals make good crops when planted ; the soil 
 of the valleys is rich and easily cultivated after it has once been 
 broken. It has not been until within the past few years that the farm- 
 ers' entire attention has been given to farming his lands, part of his 
 time having been given to raising cattle, horses and sheep, the con- 
 ditions being such that this mixed farming has paid the best, but 
 
^J3 
 
 L-J L-J 
 
 £:i^ 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 59 
 
 recently many farmers have devoted their whole time to the cultiva- 
 tion of their lands, and where this has been done the profits have 
 not only increased, but there is attached to them an element of cer- 
 tainty which makes farming in the Black Hills a "sure thing," to 
 use the vernacular of the streets. Last year — 1903— was an average 
 year, and the following estimate, made by J. J. McNamarra of the 
 Rapid City Flouring Mills Company, will give the reader a good 
 idea of the capabilities of the soil cultivated: 
 
 Acres of ground seeded to wheat 10,000 
 
 Average yield per acre, bushels 17 
 
 Bushels of corn raised 43,000 
 
 Bushels of oats raised 127,000 
 
 Barrels of flour made 34,000 
 
 Pounds of by-products manufactured 3,300,000 
 
 Bushels of barley raised 4,000 
 
 Bushels of rye raised 25,000 
 
 It is difficult to estimate the number of bushels of potatoes and 
 onions raised during the year for which the above figures are given, 
 but suffice it to say, the Black Hills farms raised enough of both to 
 not only supply the home demand, but also to export large quantities 
 to northern Nebraska points. 
 
 Cultivated grasses have to a large extent taken the place of the 
 native hay, upon which the Hills in years gone by have depended, and 
 timothy, millet, alfalfa and other domestic grasses are cultivated to 
 a large extent by the farmers, who find a ready sale for it to the 
 cattle and sheep men of the Hills. 
 
 Twenty years ago the first apple trees were set out in the Black 
 Hills on Box Elder valley, north of Rapid City, and on the Wells 
 farm in the Spearfish valley. From these orchards have been dis- 
 tributed thousands of young trees, until to-day not a farm in the 
 northern Hills but what has a few acres set aside as an orchard. 
 On Box Elder, the Hale and Thompson orchards are probably the 
 largest. From the Thompson orchard in 1903 was gathered nearly 
 2,000 barrels of apples, and from the Hale orchard about 900. Ready 
 sale was found for these apples, which were of many varieties and of 
 excellent quality, in the Hills towns. The Wells orchard at Spearfish 
 was also a large producer, while several orchards in the Whitewood 
 valley produced large quantities of fruits. Prunes, plums, cherries, 
 late pears and otlier northern fruits do well in the Hills, while the 
 small fruits, suqJj '^s^strawberries, blackberries, currants, raspberries, 
 etc., cannot be excelled in flavor, size or the profusion of their pro- 
 duction. Altogether, s.p far as farming is concerned, there is noth- 
 ing lacking to rriake ft a success in the Black Hills, and those who 
 undertake it and who work with intelligence and industry receive 
 ample rewards. 
 
 While the products of the Black Hills mines have been worth 
 hundreds of millions of dollars since the first settlement of the coun- 
 try, the wealth produced by the farms of the Black Hills has 
 equaled them. Although the odds were grq«rt and -the danger immi- 
 nent at all times during the early settlement of the- valleys of the 
 Hills, the farmer has triumphed over all of those difficulties, and 
 to-day to be owner of 160 acres of land in any of the valleys of the 
 Black Hills means that its owner is independent for life. 
 
 CATTLE INDUSTRY OF THE BLACK HILLS. 
 
 In 1876 the first cattle were turned loose on the ranges of the 
 Black Hills, a small herd in Centennial prairie. Later in the same 
 year M. V. Boughton drove in a herd of 200 head, which he grazed 
 on the grasses of the lower Falsebottom. This herd was really the 
 first to be turned out upon the range, and the experiment proved to 
 be a costly one for Mr. Boughton, for the same fall a band of Sioux 
 swooped down upon the cattle and drove them off. During the 
 spring of the following year, 1877, however, the first big herd of cat- 
 tle was brought into the country, having been driven over the trail 
 from Texas. Tliere were several thousand in this bunch, and ac- 
 companying them and guarding them was a large band of cowboys. 
 This bunch was brought in by M. C. Connors of Spearfish, and the 
 cattle were ranged on the Redwater and tributary streams. Several 
 other smaller herds were brought into the country that fall and 
 ranged along the Redwater, Spearfish and Belle Fourche. 
 
 In 1880 several large companies drove their herds to the Hills 
 and selected ranges on the streams flowing from the mountains. 
 Among those who came that year were the Driskill Brothers, the 
 E6, Cross Anchor, BXB and other large companies. That year 
 everyone who had money to invest invested it in cattle, and the re- 
 sult was that the range was overstocked. Those following the busi- 
 ness, however, for the first two or three years made money on their 
 ' investments, but in 1886-7 came a hard winter, and the close-cropped 
 range afforded little food for the vast herds which depended upon 
 it for their sustenance. The result was many brands were lost en- 
 tirely, some owners never succeeding in rounding up a single head of 
 stock bearing their brands. The total loss exceeded 75 per cent of 
 the cattle on the range. This was a severe setback to those engaged 
 in the business, many being financially ruined, but it did not deter 
 those who could stand the loss from again venturing their capital 
 in the business. The country was an ideal one for cattle raising — 
 when not overstocked the range afforded food, water and shelter 
 for hundreds of thousands of heads of cattle, the native grasses 
 furnishing more nutriment than those of any other section of the 
 country — so before the following year had passed the ranges were 
 again stocked with countless heads in the care of men who had made 
 a study of the business and who were careful to not too severely tax 
 the limits of the range. These men have, many of them, continued 
 
 in the business, and those who to-day are grazing large herds are 
 meeting with success. 
 
 In 1879 and 1880 the settlement of the Falsebottom, Redwater 
 and Spearfish valleys forced the cattlemen to move their herds far 
 ther from the Hills into the valleys and the plains adjacent to those 
 streams, and along the Belle Fourche river. For several years the 
 cattlemen were not disturbed in their possession of the range in this 
 section of the Black Hills country, but the time came when the small 
 farmer and rancher began the invasion of this territory, too, and as 
 wire fences, the segregation of water holes, springs and water- 
 courses were not conducive to the best interests of the cattlemen, 
 they were again forced to move farther out into the wilderness 
 where they could find room for their cattle to range unmolested, 
 feed and water. 
 
 On the south and east sides of the Black Hills the same condi- 
 tions exist as upon the north and west sides. Gradually the farmer 
 and small rancher, with their wire fences and cultivated fields, have 
 driven the cattlemen farther away from the Hills, and many of those 
 owning large herds have disposed of their business or driven their 
 cattle to regions where the free range is more extensive and they 
 can find room to move about without dangef of trespass. The 
 largest cattle outfit now in the Black Hills country is the Western 
 Ranches, better known as the VVV brand. This company, which 
 has its headquarters at Belle Fourche, makes yearly shipments from 
 that point of several thousands of head of cattle. Other large out- 
 fits, which also have headquarters at Belle Fourche, ship from the 
 same place, their cattle ranging on what is known as the Northern 
 Range. 
 
 The first shipment of cattle from the Black Hills by rail was 
 made from the town of Buffalo Gap, over the Northwestern road. 
 This shipment consisted of but a few thousand head and was made 
 in 1886. As the road was extended into the Hills, shipments were 
 made the following year from Brennan, and then followed Rapid 
 City, Tilford and Whitewood, from each of which places 
 a large number of cattle were forwarded to eastern 
 markets. In 1889 the road was completed to Belle Fourche, 
 and that year was the first in which the cattle shipments 
 from the Hills began to attract attention. From this town 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED, 
 
 6i 
 
 alone were shipped 1,615 carloads — twenty steers to a car — 
 valued at $1,615,000, the freight on the shipment amounting to $200,- 
 000. This was the beginning of the heavy cattle shipments from 
 the Black Hills, and every year has seen an increase in the number 
 of head sent to the eastern markets, 1902 being the banner year. Dur- 
 ing the cattle-shipping season of that year there were shipped from 
 Belle Fourche iio,coo, valued at nearly $6,000,000, while from Bren- 
 nan, Oelrichs and other places along the line of the Northwestern 
 road shipments were made which brought the total up to over 130,- 
 000 head. In 1903, owing to a weak market, the shipments from 
 Belle Fourche dropped down to 63,000, while those from other ship- 
 ping points along the Northwestern and the Burlington roads also 
 diminished for the same reason, and 100,000 would be a conservative 
 estimate of the number of head of cattle shipped from the Hills for 
 that year. 
 
 With the disappearance of the large herds which formerly 
 ranged over the valleys and the prairies adjacent to the Black Hills, 
 there has been no diminution of the number of cattle in the Black 
 Hills ; on the contrary the number has increased. In the spring 
 of 1888 the writer made a trip through that part of the Black Hills 
 country given over to cattle ranges and was impressed at the time 
 with the vast number feeding on the range. Last summer he again 
 visited the section passed over by him years before. He found the 
 country fenced and cultivated, farm houses stood where formerly 
 cattle ranged ; in each enclosure were numerous heads of cattle. 
 
 and to-day has a large herd of this breed from which he annually 
 sells large numbers. 
 
 HORSE BREEDING. 
 
 While from the first settlement of the Black Hills the broncho 
 was the most important part of the cattleman and ranchman's equip- 
 ment, he was not allowed to remain always in the first place in the 
 estimation of the settler. In 1878 Reiley & Son brought into the 
 country several brood mares and a couple of well-bred stallions, 
 which were located on their ranch in the Spearfish valley. In the 
 same year J. P. Gammon also imported a number of brood mares 
 and stallions, which he placed on his Falsebottom ranch. These 
 were the first well-bred draft horses brought to the Hills, and since 
 that time the strain of breeding has been given to almost every 
 draft horse raised in the Black Hills. In 1878 Colonel Benteen of 
 the Seventh United States cavalry offered his thoroughbred stallion 
 Williamsburg for service, and was probably the first to introduce 
 the thoroughbred strain of horses in the country. He was closely 
 followed by T. E. and J. D. Hale of Morse creek, who imported the 
 thoroughbred Glencoe and other stallions, as well as a number of 
 thoroughbred brood mares, from which have descended some of the 
 fastest horses that have ever raced on a mile track. Big Sis, a 
 famous racehorse, was one of these mares, and although thousands 
 of dollars were spent in an effort to get a horse to beat her at any 
 distance, she was never headed in a race. Her progeny and that 
 
 TYING AND BliANDING CATTLE ON THE RANGE. 
 
 horses and other domestic animals — in fact, there were five times as 
 many cattle in that section as there were in 1888. In the early 
 da3'S one man owned 10,000 head of cattle; today 100 men own 100 
 head of cattle each. These men live in the country, are developing 
 it, buying their supplies from home markets and shipping their cat- 
 tle to outside markets, receiving money for them which they invest 
 in the Black Hills. The disappearance of the large herds has bene- 
 fited the country, for it has given the small stockgrower an oppor- 
 tunity to make his iCo acres of land the best paying investment that 
 he could have placed his money in. 
 
 Although the first pure-blood stock was introduced into the 
 country as early as 1879, it has not been until recent years that the 
 taint of the Texan has been eliminated from the herds ranging in 
 the vicinity of the Hills, and to-day the breed, a cross between the 
 wild of Texas and the gentle cattle from the east, is so improved that 
 it is difficult to distinguish in it traces of its ancient ancestry. 
 
 In 1879 D. T. Harrison of Minnesela and Joseph Reynolds of 
 Rochford shipped in the first breeding herds— Herefords— into the 
 Black Hills. While the herds were not large, from them have 
 sprung the greater number of improved cattle ranging in this vicin- 
 ity. Other people soon followed the example set by Messrs. Harri- 
 son and Reynolds, and the effort to improve the breed had the de- 
 sired effect, for to-day in the markets of the East, Black Hills range 
 cattle receive the top prices always. Mr. Reynolds of Rochford 
 was also the first cattle-grower in the Hills to import Jersey stock, 
 
 of Glencoe are plentiful throughout the Black Hills, and wherever 
 met with their breeding is noticed. These and other imported horse.^ 
 have given a tone to the equine thoroughbred of the Black Hills 
 which is at once noticeable. There are few poor horses raised in 
 the Hills. 
 
 Star & Bullock were the first to breed the standard-bred trotter 
 in the Black Hills, and many of their horses have made names for 
 themselves on eastern racing circuits. They located on the Belle 
 Fourche river, near the town of that name. This firm engaged in 
 the business of raising standard-bred horses for several years, and 
 the strain of Valentine, their principal stallion, has made better the 
 average roadster in the Hills. Others followed in the wake of Star 
 & Bullock in the business, and so well have their efforts to improve 
 the breed been received that it is, as stated, difficult to find a scrub 
 animal bred in the Hills. 
 
 Germaine & Co. a few years later imported a number of 
 Norman and Percheron stallions and mares from France and located 
 on the Fleur de Lys ranch near Buffalo Gap. These animals were 
 magnificent specimens of horseflesh and their progeny is to-day num- 
 bered among the best draft animals in the Black Hills. This firm 
 continued in business for a number of years. 
 
 It has been the constant aim of horsemen to improve the breed, 
 and every year sees this end nearer accomplishment. There are no 
 bronchos, in the true sense of the tford, on the Black Hills ranges, 
 even the herds of horses which run wild on the prairie having the 
 
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 05 
 
 J 
 
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 C9 
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 Q 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 63 
 
 service of either standard-bred or thoroughbred stallions. These 
 horses, owing to the high altitude in which they have been raised, 
 are always sound of wind and limb, and when taken to lower alti- 
 tudes give the greatest of satisfaction. The breeding counts, and 
 once halter-broken they become as gentle as any old farm horse, 
 but possess a spirit which .prompts them to respond to any call made 
 upon their endurance qr^peed. Shipments to the eastern markets 
 are growing in sizewith each passing year, and the prices obtained 
 are such that those engaged in the business always make a good 
 profit. In 1903 there were shipped from the Black Hills ranges 
 something over 7,000 head of horses, and no difficulty whatever 
 was encountered in disposing of them. Horsemen consider the Black 
 Hills country the region par excellence for the raising of fine stock, 
 •and many have entered upon the business on a large scale in this 
 section. 
 
 SHEEP AND WOOL. 
 
 In 1878 the first large flock of sheep was brought to the Black 
 Hills by J. D. Hale, who had located a ranch on Morse creek, in 
 Meade county. There were several thousand in the flock, of good 
 breed. Others followed Mr. Hale, and the next year there were sev- 
 eral large flocks in the country. The business proved a profitable one, 
 as the conditions for the first few years were very favorable. The 
 wool crop during that time was a large one and profitable. Since 
 the first introduction of sheep into the Black Hills flock owners have 
 been careful to buy none but of good breed, and some of the finest 
 flocks in the United States now range along the Grand and Mor- 
 reau, the Bad and Little Missouri, a country tributary to the Hills, 
 while within the Hills proper are several flocks of excellent strains. 
 Last season's clip was a large one, while the animals sold for the 
 market have always brought a good price. While in the early days 
 sheep flocks were numerous in the vicinity of the Hills and there are 
 yet many thousands in the valleys and on the prairies, the flocks 
 have been moved to a greater distance, occupying a territory adjacent 
 and contributary to the Black Hills proper. Markets for the sale 
 of wool are held every year at Rapid City, Sturgis and Belle Fourche, 
 which are attended by buyers from all over the United States, The 
 wool industry is one of the most important in the Black Hills region, 
 and the number of flocks is increasing every year. It would be 
 difficult to give a correct estimate of the wool crop for 1903, for the 
 reason that many of the growers have held their crop back for better 
 prices. A very good idea of the magnitude of the industry, however, 
 can be had when it is stated that during the year 1903 80,000 sheep 
 were shipped to eastern markets from the Black Hills. At the pres- 
 ent time there are 2,000 sheep being fed in the vicinity of Belle 
 Fourche, while at other places are many thousands more. These 
 sheep are intended for the eastern markets and are being fattened 
 before being shipped. 
 
 Hogs, and the products manufactured from them, find a ready 
 market in the Hills, and those raised here are not more than suffi- 
 cient to meet the demands of home consumption. There are not 
 many large droves in the Black Hills, but every farmer keeps a few. 
 They are profitable animals to keep about the farm, and as those 
 raised at home always take precedence over packing-house meat, a 
 farmer owning a good drove can always receive about what he asks 
 for them. 
 
 During recent years effort has been made to improve the con- 
 ditions upon the northern ranges of the Black Hills, and to this 
 end reservoirs have been built for the storage of water, dams being 
 thrown across small valleys to retain the rains which fall heavily in 
 the springtime, but which are rapidly drained into the water-courses 
 and lost in the muddy swirl of the Cheyenne. The government has 
 also been experimenting and during 1904 will complete more of these 
 reservoirs, some of them to be fed with water taken from the various 
 streams flowing from the Black Hills, while others will be fed by 
 water flowing from artesian wells, a number of which will be bored, 
 it having been proven that surrounding the Black Hills and under- 
 lying the country is an artesian basin of unknown extent capable 
 of furnishing an unlimited supply of water for irrigation and other 
 purposes. The work to be undertaken in the vicinity of Belle 
 Fourche will reclaim an area of 225,000 acres, of which 150,000 acres 
 is government land over which is now ranging cattle. These im- 
 provements contemplate the reclamation of land in the vicinity of 
 Redwater, Box Elder, Rapid, Spring, Battle, French, Elk and Bear 
 Butte creeks and the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche rivers. This wilt 
 add thousands of acres to the tillable land of the Black Hills coun- 
 try, and will be the means of bringing to it settlers and be a boon to 
 many cattle men, whose herds at times during the summer in many 
 places suffer for the want of water. 
 
 During 1903 there were shipped from the Black Hills over the 
 various lines of railroads, horses, cattle and sheep as follows : 
 
 Cattle 85,000 head 
 
 Sheep 80,000 head 
 
 Horses 7,000 head 
 
 It is estimated that at the close of 1903 there were grazing and 
 feeding upon the Black Hills ranges 300,000 head" of cattle, 100,000 
 head of sheep and 9,000 head of horses. 
 
 There are two stock associations in the Black Hills and both 
 of them keep a corps of inspectors at every principal market in the 
 country to which western cattle are shipped, and through their 
 efforts many head of stock, horses and cattle which have been taken 
 from their proper owners are accounted for and returns made. In 
 no country of the West is the stockman or horseman given better 
 protection, and in no country of the United States do better condi- 
 tions or more favorable surround the business of either. 
 
 THE BLACK HILLS FOREST RESERVE. 
 
 By Seth Bullock, Forest Supervisor. (Portrait following.) 
 
 The Black Hills forest reserve was established on September 
 ig, 1898, by President William McKinley, who on that date by 
 proclamation withdrew from settlement practically all of the tim- 
 bered area of the Black Hills of South Dakota, including a small 
 strip in Wyoming along the Dakota line, the number of acres of land 
 set aside for this purpose being 1,211,680, all of this large area being 
 in the state of South Dakota excepting 48,640 acres in the Wyoming 
 strip. The object of the forest reserve is for the purpose of pre- 
 serving the living and growing timber, promoting the younger growth 
 and the regulation of the water supply; the dependence of the latter 
 for a sure and sustained flow is wholly ijpon vegetation, which pre- 
 vcrts rapid run-off and is best attained by a dense and vigorous 
 growth of timber. The permanent industries of the Black Hills are 
 wholly dependent upon timber and water; destroy one and these in- 
 dustries will disappear, while if both are destroyed, the "richest 100 
 miles square" will become a desert. The withdrawal of the lands 
 
 embraced in the reserve from settlement does not, however, prevent 
 their use by residents in or adjoining, nor does it in any way inter- 
 fere with prospecting, locating or developing the mineral resources 
 thereof, as witness the following extract from the act of June 4, 
 1897 (30 Stat., 36), relating to the creation and administration of 
 forest reserves : 
 
 "Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the egress or 
 ingress of actual settlers residing within the boundaries of such 
 reservation, or from crossing the same to and from their property 
 or homes; and such wagon roads and other improvements may be 
 constructed thereon as may be necessary to reach their homes and 
 to utilize their property under such rules and regulations as may 
 be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior. Nor shall anything 
 herein prohibit any person from entering upon such forest reserva- 
 tions for all proper and lawful purposes, including that of prospect- 
 ing, locating and developing the mineral resources theroon ; pro- 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 65 
 
 vided, that such persons comply with the rules and regulations cov- 
 ering such forest reservations." 
 
 The control and management of the reserve rests with the com- 
 missioner of the General Land Office, Washington, D. C, under the 
 supervision of the secretary of the interior. The local management 
 consists of a forest supervisor, with headquarters in Deadwood, 
 assisted by a corps of rangers, who are stationed on the reserve, to 
 each of which is assigned a certain area known as a ranger district. 
 The duties of these forest reserve officers are to carry out the rules 
 and regulations governing the reserves, patrol and protect the forest 
 from fire and depredations and the unlawful taking of timber ; they 
 also act as game wardens and assist the state officers in protecting 
 wild game upon the reserves. Timber, both living and dead, may 
 be procured from the reserve in the following manner : The law 
 prescribes that it may be had without charge by settlers, farmers, 
 prospectors and others residing within or in the neighborhood of the 
 forest reserve for individual use, but not for sale. It is refused to 
 corporations, conupanies, sawmill parties and owners of large estab- 
 
 lishments, who are expected to purchase, and to non-residents of 
 the state in which the reserve is located. Permits for an amount 
 not exceeding $20 in stumpage value may be granted by the forest 
 supervisor. Permits for a larger amount, and within the stumpage 
 value of $100, are granted only by the secretary of the interior. The 
 same person can apply but once in a year and the permit holds good 
 for six months, or less time, in the discretion of the forest super- 
 visor. All kinds of timber may be obtained, but generally dry fire- 
 wood, dry poles and logs ; also, if really needed, green timber. Ap- 
 plications for the free use of timber must be made to the forest 
 supervisor upon blanks furnished by the forest officers, the timber 
 must be located by a forest officer, and only the timber applied for 
 can be cut, and it must be measured and marked by a forest officer. 
 The applicant is required to pile the brush and other debris resulting 
 from his cutting and removal of the timber. The purchase of green 
 and dry timber from the reserve for use within the state (no timber 
 cut on reserve lands being permitted to be shipped out of the state 
 in which it is grown) is made through the forest supervisor. The 
 
 question to be decided by the supervisor before the sale of green tim- 
 ber is recommended is whether another growth of timber will replace 
 the one removed or whether the land will become waste, and if the 
 removal of the timber will in any way affect the water supply by 
 removing the shade from the ground, by permitting the gullying of 
 the hillsides, entailing the destruction of the seedlings, or will in any 
 way injure the source of the water supply. The number of small 
 trees, their kind, their vigor, the seed-bearing capacity of those which 
 will be left after cutting, the possible destruction of the young 
 growth by logging or fire, all these points must be fully considered. 
 If it seems certain that the timber may be safely cut, the best method 
 of cutting must be decided — whether the trees below a certain diam- 
 eter should be left to form the next crop — whether a number of 
 seed trees should be left or what system will be surest to bring about 
 satisfactory reproduction. If the supervisor decides that the sale is 
 advisable and the purchase of the timber asked for, he fixes the 
 conditions under which it must be cut and the price. The applicant 
 then signs a definite application, which, with the forest officer's map, 
 forest description and recommendation, is sent to the Interior De- 
 partment in Washington. If approved, the timber will be advertised 
 in a local paper for six weeks and bids received by the secretary of 
 the interior in Washington for the timber and the timber awarded 
 to the highest bidder. The successful bidder is required to 
 deposit with the receiver of ihe land office the value of the timber 
 purchased. The forest ranger then marks each tree to be cut, and 
 after it is cut he measures th;2 lumber and cordwood contents and 
 certifies the amounts to the forest supervisor twice each month until 
 the cutting is completed. The ranger is also required to stamp the 
 letters "U. S." on the end of each log cut. 
 
 The grazing of cattle and horses in limited numbers is permitted 
 on the reserve, permits being issued by the forest supervisor. The 
 settlers upon the reserve are given the prior right to graze their 
 stock. No charge is made for grazing privilege, but the owner of the 
 stock is required to assist the forest officers in preventing and ex- 
 tinguishing fires. 
 
 The business of the Black Hills forest reserve exceeds that of 
 all the other forest reserves combined, as the following, taken from 
 the commissioner of the General Land Office report for the fiscal 
 year ending June 30, 1902, will show : 
 
 Total number of forest reserves 54 
 
 Total area of all forest reserves, acres 60,175,165 
 
 Area Black Hills forest reserve, acres 1,211,680 
 
 Grazing permits issued by the supervisor of 
 
 the Black Hills forest reserve 303 
 
 Greatest number issued by supervisor of any 
 
 other forest I'eserve 91 
 
 Public timber sales, all forest reserves 77 
 
 Public timber sales. Black Hills forest reserve 58 
 
 Aniount received from sale of timber, all 
 
 reserves $25,431.75 
 
 Amount received from sale of timber in the 
 
 Black Hills forest reserve 20,269.55 
 
 Free use of timber permits issued, all reserves 1,322 
 Free use of timber permits issued Black Hills 
 
 forest reserve 705 
 
 The commissioner in his annual report says : 
 
 "The revenue derived from timber sales in the Black Hills 
 forest reserve has been double the expense connected with the 
 work." 
 
WOMEN'S LITERARY AND SOCIAL CLUBS OF THE BLACK HILLS. 
 
 By Mrs. R. Anna Morris Clark^ President Thursday Club, Deadwood. (Portrait below.) 
 
 Never before in the history of the world has the great heart of 
 wornan beat more warm and generous for womankind than it does 
 in this age. The old traditions, which commanded woman to keep 
 silence and limited her activities to domestic life, have been ban- 
 ished long since by the spirit of self-culture and advancement. 
 
 The federative idea which unites women into clubs and brings 
 about free interchange of thought for self and mutual improvement 
 in literary research, philanthropic work and social intercourse is 
 sweeping over the land like a flood of sunshine, broadening education 
 and brightening homes. 
 
 This club spirit has entered the Black Hills, and perhaps there 
 is no section in the country with the same number of inhabitants 
 where there are so many woman's literary organizations as there 
 are in this district. For the most part, the members of these or- 
 
 ganizations are eastern born and educated, many of them college 
 bred, with fine literary tastes. They have been accustomed to the 
 best in lectures, readings and musical entertainments. In coming 
 West, they have suffered some loss of privilege and opportunity, but 
 these losses are compensated for by the joy of being identified with 
 western energy and the beginning of things in this new and beauti- 
 ful country. It is a great source of satisfaction to be a pioneer in 
 establishing well-tried standards in new soil. Someone has said, 
 "Woman is the mercury in the thermometer of a community which 
 shows the standard of culture." This is true in the West, where 
 woman's influence is such an effective force in business as well as in 
 society. 
 
 There is no spot on earth where the door of opportunity stands 
 so wide open for women as it does right here in the Black Hills. 
 The response to opportunity is true and strong, for under the bluest 
 of skies, surrounded by the high and rugged hills, they are nerved 
 to do their very best. No matter how long ago the school or the 
 college door closed behind them, they are still students, ambitious 
 to preserve their health and to broaden their mental and moral 
 training along higher and more effective lines. 
 
 The first women's club organized in the Black Hills was the 
 Round Table Club of Deadwood. This took place February 14, 
 1887, with a charter membership of five. Following the organization 
 of the Round Table came the Thursday Club, the Culture Club, the 
 Woman's Club and Twentieth Century Club, all of which are in 
 Deadwood; the Mothers' Union, Woman's Gub and Fortnightly 
 Club in Lead City; Current Events, Fortnightly and Tourists' Clubs 
 in Rapid City; Shakespeare and Travelers' Qubs in Hot Springs; 
 
 Twentieth Century and Fortnightly Qubs in Spearfish; Ladies' 
 Library Club in Sturgis ; the Thursday Club in Keystone ; Twentieth 
 Century Club in Terry, and the Ladies' History Qub in Whitewood, 
 making in all nineteen women's clubs in the various towns of the 
 Black Hills. Most of these clubs were united under the Black 
 Hills Federation in 1897. This organization grew out of a reci- 
 procity meeting called by Miss Clara D. Coe of the Deadwood 
 Round Table Club. The emblem of this organization is the pine 
 tree and its colors are white and gold. 
 
 From this federation, the president, Mrs. D. F. McDonald of 
 Lead City, and Mrs. A. J. Simmons of the Thursday Club of Dead- 
 wood went as delegates to the biennial meeting of the Federation 
 of Women's Clubs in St. Louis, May, 1904, while the State Federa- 
 tion, which was also organized in Deadwood January 16, 1900, 
 chose as its delegates to the same meeting the president. Miss Clara 
 D. Coe, Mrs. Anna Morris Clark of Deadwood and Mrs. K. G. 
 Stewart of Hot Springs ; the district also has one national officer, 
 Mrs. W. T. Coad of Rapid City. Besides, the Round Table and 
 Thursday Clubs of Deadwood and the Fortnightly and Women's 
 Clubs of Lead are individually federated with the National. This 
 will add four more, making in all ten delegates to the national be- 
 ennial meeting. 
 
 The club strength of this section is shown by the fact that in 
 the State Federation of South Dakota there are 29 clubs, 10 of 
 which are located in the Black Hills. 
 
 The clubs of the Black Hills are following the Bay View and 
 other similar courses of study, such as are used throughout the 
 country. Many of them include in their plans the study of Shakes- 
 peare and the histories of the countries in which his plays are 
 
 MRS. D. F. Mcdonald, 
 
 rresldent of the Federation of Women's Clubs. 
 
 located. Each club is loyal to its own, yet there prevails among all 
 the clubs a delightful harmony of social intercourse. 
 
 A number of the clubs have done much philanthropic work. 
 Notably among these is the Lead Woman's Club, which has brought 
 about the organization of a kindergarten and has placed organs in 
 the public schools of that city. The Thursday Club of Deadwood 
 lias contributed attractive pictures for the schoolrooms and has in- 
 fluenced the city council to bring about better sanitary conditions in 
 Deadwood. The Shakespeare Club organized the city library at 
 Hot Springs and the Round Table Club organized the city library 
 in Deadwood. 
 
 There are also several flourishing women's Christian temper- 
 ance clubs in the Hills, with the publication of the state paper at 
 Rapid City by Mrs. Alice Gossage. 
 
CHURCHES OF THE BLACK HILLS. 
 
 By Rev. C. B. Clark, D. D., Superintendent M. E. Black Hills Mission. (Portrait below.) 
 
 Coincident with the discovery of gold and the rush of thousands 
 seeking wealth in the Black Hills came the family, the school and 
 the church. These fundamental elements of higher civilization so, 
 essential to the welfare of any community were at once incorporated 
 into and became as soon as possible an integral part of the new life. 
 The church shared with other institutions in the rude facilities of 
 pioneer life. It did not await improved conditions, but assisted in 
 creating them. Its first temples were the groves of pine, the miner's 
 shack or the log schoolhouse. Its pulpits a convenient stump or an 
 overturned dry goods box. Its preachers were brave-hearted men, 
 and, as a rule, true to their calling. Many of them labored as miners 
 or mechanics during the week, but on Sunday they would gather 
 about them a crowd, and the settlers would join with them in sing- 
 ing gospel songs, which would be followed by prayer and a sermon. 
 Danger often attended the labors of these early evangelists, as in 
 the case of Rev. Henry Weston Smith, the first Methodist preacher 
 in the Hills. He was shot by the Indians at a point between Dead- 
 wood and Galena while on his way to his Sunday appointment. His 
 body was found the same day with his Bible lying on his breast. 
 
 Thus, before the war whoop of the Indian had died away, was 
 the church by its faithful messengers proclaiming its gospel in ser- 
 mon and song. 
 
 The noble, life-sized statue which on Mount Moriah marks the 
 grave of Rev. Mr. Smith was erected by the citizens of the early 
 days, and indicates more plainly than words can tell the profound 
 respect entertained by the pioneers toward the church and its min- 
 istry. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Pickett, superintendent of the Congregational work, 
 whose territory was known as the Rocky Mountain district, and who 
 organized the churches of that denomination in Deadwood, Central 
 City and Spearfish in the year 1877, afterward lost his life by the 
 overturning of a stage coach while traveling in the mountains. 
 
 A whole volume might be written on the struggles of the 
 churches in those days. Struggles arising, not from opposition or 
 indifference on the part of the people, but from the prevailing condi- 
 tions and hardships of those times. When clothing and provisions 
 were hauled overland hundreds of miles, the question, "What shall 
 we eat and wherewithal shall we be clothed?" was often a serious 
 one, even with the most fortunate. The church felt the burden of 
 
 this struggle, but stood the test with a faithfulness which has retained 
 the confidence and support of the people until now, when it enjoys 
 with them the prosperity of these better days. 
 
 As new towns have sprung up and flourished churches have in- 
 creased in number. No village or country settlement is complete 
 without its religious organization and its house of worship, and as 
 the country becomes older and the gridirons of the narrow-gauge 
 railroads push up the gulches and brown sides of the hills; as the 
 population increases and the mines settle down to steady and scien- 
 tific operation, the churches will grow stronger and more self-sup- 
 porting. As it is, it is like the heroic work in the "Sky Pilot" and 
 "Black Rock." The churches are doing a work which eternity and 
 God alone can estimate. 
 
 The first churches built were of humble proportions, but they 
 have since been replaced by larger and more elaborate edifices. 
 Nearly all denominations known to Christendom are represented in 
 the Black Hills. While there exists among these churches a health- 
 ful emulation, such a thing as sectarianism is practically unknown. 
 Agreeing upon essentials, nonessentials are left to take care of them- 
 selves, and all labor, together for the common good. 
 
 The line of demarcation between good and evil is strongly drawn 
 in the Hills. The spirit of intense worldliness, characteristic of the 
 active life of all mining sections, leaves no room for other than the 
 most earnest Christian life, with the supreme purpose of saving men. 
 
 The chur.ches are all thoroughly organized for effective work. 
 Besides the ordinary services, each church has its women's societies, 
 ladies' aids, missionary, etc. These societies are invaluable, not 
 alone in the promotion of social conditions, but as a strong aid in 
 the finances. 
 
 The Sunday-schools are well organized. The various societies 
 of young people. Christian Endeavor, Guild, Epworth League, Bap- 
 tist Young People's Union and other organizations of like character 
 are making systematic and earnest effort to attract the young people 
 to their services and bring them under the influence of the church. 
 
 The ministry of the Black Hills includes many able and scholarly 
 men, while the average standard of pulpit efficiency is not at all in- 
 ferior to that of the East. The Roman Catholics have recently 
 established at Lead City a Black Hills diocese, presided over by 
 Bishop Stariha. Among the most important interdenominational 
 organizations is the "Black Hills Sunday-school Association," which 
 this year holds its twenty-fifth anniversary under the presidency of 
 Rev. R. H. Gunderson of the Lead Baptist church. 
 
 In the work of Christian education and benevolences the Roman 
 Catholics have established and maintain two parochial schools, one 
 at Sturgis and the other at Lead. They also have two hospitals, 
 located, respectively, at Deadwood and at Hot Springs. The Meth- 
 odists have erected a college at Hot Springs, which, while suspended 
 at present, it is hoped will be reopened in the near future. 
 
 The progress of the churches in the Black Hills during the last 
 quarter of a century may be summarized as follows : 
 
 Including all denominations, there are 8 church organizations, 
 classified as follows : Twelve Catholic, 9 Congregational, 15 Presby- 
 terian, IS Episcopalian, 25 Methodist, 8 Baptist and 2 Lutheran. 
 There are in the field 66 ministers of the gospel, including priests, 
 rectors and lay readers. 
 
 The combined membership of all the churches approximates 
 10,000, while the Sunday-school attendance is estimated at 5,000. 
 
 There are 57 church buildings, costing from $1,000 to $25,000 
 each, besides 26 parsonages, making, when estimated, the valuation 
 of church property amount to $350,000. This is exclusive of schools 
 and hospitals, which in themselves are worth $60,000. The total of 
 all property, churches, schools, parsonages and hospitals, is $410,000. 
 
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SYLVAN LAKE. 
 
 This exceptionally unique and charming summer resort is lo- 
 cated six miles north of Custer, from which point it is accessible by- 
 stages connecting with all railroad trains. The lake covers an area 
 of about seventy acres, and is well stocked with trout and other 
 varieties of fish, which adds materially to the pleasure and enter- 
 tainment of visiting guests. Elegant rowboats have been provided, 
 which afford the opportunity for a ride upon the lake, a pleasing 
 feature much enjoyed by visitors. 
 
 A four-story hotel, situated upon a delightful site overlooking 
 the lake, amply supplied with every facility necessary to the comfort 
 of patrons, presided over by a genial host and a most affable hostess, 
 who anticipate every want of their guests, makes it an ideal home 
 for the tourist. 
 
 The climatic conditions prevailing during the summer season 
 are such as to commend the place to the most favorable considera- 
 tion of those who are desirous of escaping the oppressive heat inci- 
 dent to the summer months in the lower altitudes, excessive heat 
 being entirely unknown in this delightful locality. 
 
 Another pleasing feature which cannot fail to be appreciated is 
 the absence of vexatious insects, a common source of annoyance 
 at many resorts of this character. 
 
 While it cannot be gainsaid that the excellent hotel accommoda- 
 tions and the balmy air of the region are important and pleasing 
 features, the fact remains that its peerless scenic surroundings give 
 to it its greatest charm and fullest measure of prestige. Nor is this 
 a matter to excite wonder, for it can be truly said that in no other 
 known region has there been found a spot surpassing it in grandeur 
 and panoramic beauty of its native scenery. Unlike the more re- 
 nowned pleasure resorts of the world, art is not a factor in the 
 make-up of its unrivaled attractions, nor will its future popularity 
 
 materially depend upon elaborate artistic adornment, as nature has 
 endowed it with a wealth of scenic gifts in comparison with which 
 the highest creations of man pale and sink into utter insignificance, 
 a duplicate of which the world's wealth would be inadequate to 
 produce. 
 
 Most prominent and impressive among the scenes comprising 
 this marvelous medley of scenic attractions are the giant peaks, 
 whose adamantine spires pierce the passing clouds, their quaint and 
 fantastic outlines mirrored upon the placid bosom of the shimmer- 
 ing lake at their base, which, in the mellow sunlight, presents a 
 picture of romantic beauty upon which the eye of the appreciative 
 observer delights to dwell. 
 
 Towering cliffs are seen in the distance, whose weird outlines are 
 pictured upon the cerulean sky. Upon their lofty summits no human 
 foot has ever trod, and the wild scream of the eagle, the murmur- 
 ing wail of the passing winds and the echoing peal of nature's 
 artillery are the only sounds that ever break the everlasting solitude. 
 
 Rising in silent grandeur, lifting aloft its rocky heights and 
 towering eight thousand feet above tide, Harney Peak, the monarch 
 of the mountains, presides as the silent sentinel over the rapturous 
 realm. 
 
 With the brief space at the writer's disposal, anything approach- 
 ing a complete description of this charming resort, setting forth its 
 exceptional attractions and the rare opportunities offered for recrea- 
 tion and pleasing entertainment, is simply impossible, and he can, 
 therefore, only say in conclusion to those who have never enjoyed 
 the pleasure of a visit here that a revelation awaits them, which, by 
 reason of its pleasing and impressive character, would be ever cher- 
 ished among life's fondest and most inspiring memories. 
 
 SOME WELL-KNOWN "PIONEERS." 
 
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RAPID CITY. 
 
 Rapid City, termed the Gate City (as the gateway to the Black 
 Hills), is a town of 2,000 inhabitants, so located that a line drawn 
 through it north and south nearly divides the mountains to the west 
 from the level regions to the east, all lying east of it being a prairie 
 country. It lies on Rapid creek, a fine stream with ample water 
 power for manufacturing. The town was located on February 25, 
 1876, and is on the line of the Northwestern Railroad, all North- 
 western trains having to pass through it on the way to the northern 
 Hills. It is an especially healthy place, its altitude of 3,100 feet 
 giving it a dry climate, while the mountain water stored in its fine 
 reservoir and piped throughout the city is noted for its purity. It 
 is also lighted by electricity and gas. 
 
 Rapid City has many resources. In the first place, farming and 
 fruit raising, which includes all the cereals of our western prairies, 
 fine hay and fruits of great variety. It may be said that from Rapid 
 City issues a nucleus of the fruit orchards of the Hills in the fact 
 that the finest nursery of the Hills is here under the title of "The 
 Black Hills Nursery," C. Thomson, proprietor. Large quantities 
 of apples, plums, cherries, several kinds of berries, grapes and crab- 
 apples are shipped, not only to the Hills, but to other points. 
 
 To the east are large cattle ranges, some of immense size, with 
 herds numbering into the thousands, while the smaller farmers 
 nearly all have herds of importance. Once a year thousands of 
 stockmen gather together at Rapid City, which is the headquarters 
 of "the Western South Dakota Stock Growers' Association." Some 
 of them make their homes at Rapid City, but the greater portion 
 pour in in vast numbers, and for a few days Rapid City is a bedlam 
 of clinking spurs. All these stock growers buy in heavy quantities, 
 and their purchases in Rapid City mean for months to come. Thus 
 it can be seen that an enormous merchandising business in dry 
 goods, hardware and groceries finds an outlet in this direction, fof 
 the cattle ranges for a hundred miles away are outfitted from Rapid 
 City and thousands of cattle are unloaded here every year for the 
 eastern and northern ranges. 
 
 Sheep raising has become a very important factor, and the 
 amount of wool shipped annually from Rapid City is counted in the 
 hundreds of thousands of pounds. 
 
 The National Smelting Company, described elsewhere in our 
 columns, is located to the south of town, employs a great many 
 hands and adds greatly to the commercial importance of the city. 
 This will become a greater factor as time goes on, because arrange- 
 ments are being made by C. D. Crouch of Akron, Ohio, to build a 
 railroad from Rapid City to Mystic, some thirty miles westward 
 in the heart of the Hills and on the line of the Burlington road. 
 This road will not only pass through the finest timber land of the 
 Black Hills, but will tap the towns of Pactola and Silver City, 
 which are developing some wonderfully fine mining properties. 
 Among these are the Richards group of placer mines, which will 
 also develop into quartz veins, and which are located at Pactola ; the 
 Sherman properties, also at Pactola, and the Omega group of eight 
 claims, near the same place. It will also serve to connect Rapid 
 City with a number of prominent Silver City claims of gold and 
 silver. 
 
 Once arriving at Mystic, it will, in connection with the Burling- 
 ton road, furnish a short line for the ores of Keystone, Hill City, 
 Rochford, Custer and many other places, either for high-grade ores, 
 requiring smelting, or the concentrates of free-milling ores. Indeed, 
 the mining future of Rapid City is such as to allow the prediction 
 that this resource will in time overtop its already splendid resources 
 in cattle farming. 
 
 One of the finest flouring n?ills of the Dakotas is located at Rapid 
 City, with a capacity of 100 barrels per day. It is owned by a stock 
 company, of which J. J. McNamara is president and manager. This 
 flour is in great demand, the wheat of this section being of the best 
 hard spring variety. 
 
 A brick plant, making a specialty of fire brick, is one of the 
 resources of the city, and fire brick is in great demand in the Black 
 Hills, not only for building purposes, but for the various reduction 
 works. A cement plant is another resource, and limestone and 
 gypsum in inexhaustible quantities are to be found within five miles 
 of the city. There are two newspapers, the Daily Journal, a fine 
 sheet, published by Joseph B. Gossage, and the Black Hills Union, 
 published by L. G. McManus. 
 
 The Journal was established at Rapid City, January 5, 1878, and 
 has been published continuously by the present proprietor, Joseph B. 
 Gossage, who is the dean of the newspaper business in the Black 
 Hills country. The Daily Journal was first published on February 
 2, 1886, and has continued to appear each morning ever since that 
 date. The newspaper owns its own building, a fine three-story brick 
 structure, 25x100 feet, which is conceded to be one of the finest oifice 
 buildings within the state of South Dakota. The office is one of the 
 best equipped in the state and enjoys a well-earned reputation. 
 
 Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington county, and the 
 United States land office and signal station of the United States 
 Weather Bureau are located here. Churches are well represented 
 and congregations include the Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Pres- 
 byterian, Lutheran, Christian Science, Baptist, Catholic and Congre- 
 gational. The Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, A. O. U. 
 W., Modern Woodmen and Red Men are well represented by the 
 men, while the ladies have the lodges of the Daughters of Rebekah, 
 Eastern Star, Degree of Honor and the Royal Neighbors. The Sec- 
 ond Ward public school building has a capacity for 300 children and 
 is a fine structure. There are also three other ward schools. The 
 South Dakota School of Mines, an internationally famous institu- 
 tfon, is pictured in our pages and described by its president. Dr. 
 Robert L. Slagle. This institution is one of which, not only the 
 Black Hills, but the whole of the United States must be justly proud. 
 From its location at the edge of one of the greatest low-grade ore 
 belts of the world ; with a geological formation more instructive than 
 possibly any belt of mountains to be found, the pupils have peculiar 
 advantages in the combination of theory and practice which can 
 hardly be had elsewhere. This institution is turning out yearly a 
 great many young men who are filling the best positions in the min- 
 ing world. 
 
 The government Indian school, located two miles west of town, 
 is an important feature in the business of Rapid City, and a great 
 pride, not only to the city itself, but to the government, as it is one 
 of the best in the Indian service. The Indians are drawn from their 
 old customs more by this school and its gentle, refining influence 
 upon their children than by a dozen forts with thousands of 
 troops. The capacity has had to be enlarged by the addition of four 
 new buildings, and the government has not been at all niggardly in 
 its appropriations for this purpose. The best of results are obtained 
 and the children develop a fondness for every civilizing influence. 
 They are regularly visited by the parents, who come to Rapid City 
 and make heavy purchases from stores before their return. 
 
 Rapid City has three hotels, the two most prominent being the 
 Harney Hotel and the International Hotel. The former is owned 
 by a stock company, composed of the best business men of the city, 
 and is a large structure of brick, as will be seen in our pages. The 
 latter is owned by P. B. McCarthy, who is a large mine owner, and 
 the hotel has some forty rooms at popular prices. The Patton House, 
 owned by J. D. Patton, is a smaller house of twenty-five rooms near 
 the railway station. There arc two banks, the First National Bank 
 of Rapid City and the Pennington County Bank. 
 
 The First National Bank was first organized in December, 1879, 
 by Lake, Halley & Patterson ; later Mr. Patterson's interest was 
 bought out by the other partners and the firm remained as Lake & 
 Halley until August, 1884, when the bank was organized under na- 
 tional banking laws under its present title. James Halley was first 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 73 
 
 cashier of the bank and occupied this office until 1898, when Mr. 
 Lake resigned and Mr. Halky became president. The bank is a 
 United States depository. 
 
 The capital of the bank is $50,000, and its deposits at times are 
 as high as $500,000. At close of business November 17, 1903, sur- 
 plus and undivided profits were $24,026.53. Mr. Halley has become a 
 banker of great prominence in the Hills and is also connected with 
 the bank of Hot Springs knd the Keystone bank, both of which are 
 thriving institutions. He has also other large interests in the Hills. 
 Mr. Peter Duhamel is vice-president and H. W. Somers cashier. 
 
 The Pennington County Bank was organized under state laws 
 
 in 1888 and has been a very successful bank. In fact, it has the 
 largest capital, surplus and undivided profits of any state bank of the 
 Black Hills. Regular semi-annual dividends of 5 per cent are paid, 
 and the deposits have run as high as $370,000. Its statement Janu- 
 ary I, 1904, showed a cash capital of $50,000, a surplus of $10,000, 
 and undivided profits of $15,409.96. Its associate banks are the Cus- 
 ter County Bank, Custer City, and the Hill City Bank, of Hill City. 
 Stephen H. Mills of New York is president; Corbin Morse is 
 vice-president, and George F. Schneider, cashier. Its directorate in- 
 cludes other men of great wealth in the East. The bank is protected 
 against loss by burglary by the Bankers' Mutual Casualty Company. 
 
 WHITEWOOD. 
 
 Ten miles north of Deadwood, in Whitewood valley, 3,400 feet 
 above the sea level, in the finest farming section of the Black Hills 
 region, lies the town of Whitewood. The whole townsite was 
 originally the orchard of the Capt. Knight range, owned by William 
 Selbie, one of the early settlers of the Black Hills. The Pioneer 
 Townsite Company in 1877 bought from Mr. Selbie the present 
 townsite of Whitewood. The town was platted and lots were sold 
 at public auction, commencing Thanksgiving Day, 1887. This town- 
 site company was an adjunct of the Northwestern railway, which 
 came into Whitewood in that year, making it the northern terminus 
 of the road for the time, the basis of supplies for the surrounding 
 country and the headquarters for the shipment of cattle for the 
 enormous ranches of three counties. 
 
 When the railway later on built to Belle Fourche the cattle 
 industry was transferred mainly to that point. At the present time, 
 however, although only about 2,000 head of cattle are shipped 
 annually from Whitewood, conditions have equalized themselves 
 in the fact that these cattle, which are raised by the farmers, are 
 more carefully guarded; give a better quality of beef, and in most 
 cases are wliat might be termed fancy stock. At the same time 
 the farming community is extending so rapidly around this section 
 that the trade with Whitewood is of a very extensive character and 
 on a very solid basis. 
 
 Whitewood is the center of the best wheat producing territory 
 west of the Missouri, 60 per cent of the wheat of the Black Hills 
 being grown within fifteen miles of the town. It is of the hard 
 spring variety. The ranches to the east are the best in the state, 
 some farms running from 3,500 to 4,000 bushels and totaling 60,000 
 bushels per year. For the last two years this county (Lawrence) 
 has run the highest yield per acre of any county in the state, some 
 acreage averaging from thirty to forty bushels, and the total average 
 for the county being about twenty-two bushels. One man four miles 
 from Whitewood last year threshed 395 bushels of measured wheat 
 from ten acres; and at the World's Fair of 1893 the gold medal first 
 prize for hard spring wheat was taken by Fred Borsch, a German 
 living between Whitewood and Sturgis. Oats and barley are very 
 prolific and three crops of alfalfa are annually gathered in the valleys, 
 no irrigation being necessary. 
 
 A great deal of fruit is being raised and orchards are increasing 
 rapidly. Apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries and small fruits 
 contribute largely. North and west of Whitewood the farms and 
 small settlements are owned mainly by Danes, who devote themselves 
 almost entirely to dairying, producing the finest butter in this sec- 
 tion of the country. 
 
 The town now has a population of about 500 and is a village 
 incorporation, with three trustees elected yearly, of which Mr. T. O. 
 Mitchell is chairman. A fire department of thirty volunteers, with 
 two hose carts, protects the town. The water supply is from springs 
 above the town, the water being exceptionally pure and coming 
 from sandstone formation. It comes in by gravity, a tank holding 
 50,000 gallons supplying the town and another, called the fire tank, 
 holding 50,000 gallons also and with 140 pounds pressure, supplying 
 the fire department. 
 
 Trains run daily to Belle Fourche, and there are four trains daily 
 
 to and from Deadwood. Trains also arrive from and depart to the 
 East and West. 
 
 A sawmill in town supplies the lumber for the surrounding 
 country as far as 100 miles. An excellent quarry of buff-colored 
 sandstone supplies this and other cities with a fine building stone. 
 There are two large general stores, one hardware store, a furniture 
 store and one bank. There are three hotels, of which the best, 
 "Hotel Lane," named after the late Eiios Lane, by whom it was 
 constructed at a cost of $18,000, being a first-class house of local 
 sandstone and containing twenty-nine sleeping rooms and heated by 
 steam. The house is wired for electric lights. Mr. Lane, who died 
 early this year, was a very patriotic and progressive man, and his 
 loss is greatly felt. 
 
 There are three churches — the Presbyterian, Methodist and 
 Catholic. Of societies the Odd Fellows and the A. O. U. W. have 
 many members, and the ladies have the society of the Court of 
 Honor. An eight-page and eight-column weekly paper is published 
 by Robert V. Carr, a writer of note, who has made of his organ 
 a successful and handsome sheet. 
 
 The town has a company of state militia and a band of more 
 than average merit. 
 
 Veins of bituminous coal are found in the adjoining country and 
 springs have been found that gave indications of very good oil. 
 The railroad company has erected large coal sheds, and in 1892 
 T. O. Mitchell and T. W. Thompson, two of the most prominent 
 men of Whitewood, erected an elevator where they stored wheat, 
 two years later putting up their flour mill by the side of the tracks 
 of the railway under the name of "The Whitewood Roller Mills." 
 The capacity of this mill is sixty barrels of flour per day, and three 
 brands are manufactured, "The Dakota's Best," "The Success" and 
 "Goodenough," all of which have a large and ready sale in the Black 
 Hills and west as far as Morccroft. The mill has been a very suc- 
 cessful one and the flour is considered to have no superior. A great 
 deal of chop feed is also ground in these mills. 
 
 Mr. Selbie in 1888 established The Whitewood Banking Com- 
 pany. It was incorporated under the state laws of South Dakota 
 with $10,000 capital, Mr. Selbie being the president and Mr. H. T. 
 Cooper cashier and general manager. The deposits are mainly from 
 farmers and the loans principally on cattle. Mr. Cooper was also 
 formerly connected with the Northwestern Express and Stage Trans- 
 portation Company. The handsome building occupied by the bank 
 was erected by the bank, which has been a very great success, show- 
 ing at the close of business January 22, 1904, surplus and undivided 
 profits of $7,834.03. Deposits average over $ioo,coo and loans con- 
 siderably more. Some of the customers of the bank come from 
 ._over the line in North Dakota. None of the Black Hills banks have 
 established a better credit. 
 
 In addition to this a very large part of the banking and mer- 
 cantile business at Whitewood is derived from the cattle growers 
 in the northern part of Butte County, who come from a distance of 
 100 miles and over to do their business at Whitewood, although 
 shipping their cattle at Belle Fourche or at Everts on the Missouri 
 River. 
 
SPEARFISH. 
 
 The Queen City, as Spearfish is called, is well named from its 
 superb location at the head of Spearfish valley in the northwestern 
 part of the Black Hills. Everything combines to make this one of 
 the most attractive spots to be found in the Hills. Its altitude of 
 3,700 feet insures a dry climate; its glorious stream— the Spearfish 
 River — gives a plenteous water supply and water power; its sur- 
 roundings of fruit farms and beautiful residences; its 2,000 inhabi- 
 tants — many of them there for pure, good living— its normal school, 
 all furnish a rare combination entitling it to the love and respect 
 of the Black Hills. 
 
 In the summer of 1876 Montana people came in and located 
 Spearfish as a townsite. Two years later it was deeded to the citi- 
 zens by the government. It was afterward incorporated under a 
 country village charter, and still later the charter was amended, and 
 Spearfish was organized as a city with three wards under the general 
 laws of the third class, with a mayor and six aldermen, the former 
 elected for two years and half of the aldermen elected each year. 
 
 The fine streets are natural except three blocks, which, as Mayor 
 Dotson aptly says, are paved with gold, inasmuch as the tailings of 
 a cyanide plant were utilized for that purpose, and these tailings 
 are said to average $2.80 per ton of gold. 
 
 The town is connected with Deadwood by the Burlington Rail- 
 way, with daily trains over the most picturesque section of the Black 
 Hills; also by a Concord tallyho coach, which plies daily to and fro 
 between Spearfish and Deadwood. This coach,, which is the old 
 original style of 1849, which crossed the plains at that time, is the 
 same type as that used by Bufifalo Bill under the title of "The Dead- 
 wood Stage Coach." 
 
 Spearfish has six great resources — the mines, the state normal 
 school, fish hatcheries, farming, lumbering and milling. And an 
 additional resource is the great number of cattlemen making Spear- 
 fish their home, these men probably controlling between 60,000 and 
 80,000 head of cattle on the ranges to the north. In the article on 
 mining the most important mines tributary to Spearfish are men- 
 tioned, but it might be well to say here that the Hills on both sides 
 contain mining property of great value. The Golden Empire is only 
 sixteen miles west and the Tinton tin mines are somewhat nearer. 
 
 The state normal school, with Professor F. L. Cook in charge, 
 is described more fully elsewhere. It has 400 pupils — mainly from 
 five counties of the Black Hills — and the pupils include both boys 
 and girls, each sex being provided with dormitories ; but many of 
 the pupils board in town. This school prepares most of the teachers 
 of this section of the country. There is one public school called a 
 high school, which carries children from the first grade through the 
 graduate course into the normal. 
 
 The fish hatcheries are an important factor to both Spearfish 
 and this whole section of the country, and special space has been de- 
 voted to a thorough description elsewhere in these pages. 
 
 The farming industry, which is the backbone of this section, is 
 conducted in a most intelligent manner, vegetables and unexcelled 
 potatoes in quality and quantity being unparalleled in any nearby sec- 
 tion. Oats, barley and rye contribute largely, and four crops of 
 alfalfa and three of timothy are the regular output. The fattening 
 of cattle is becoming an important factor. The amount of fruit 
 raised is positively amazing. The river and the lay of the country 
 allow of a most perfect irrigation, insuring the valley from any 
 possibility of crop failures. A thorough study has been made of 
 fruit farming, and to Professor Cook, Robert Evans and many others 
 is due great credit for their tireless study of the best varieties and 
 methods. Professor Cook in one season shipped to the markets of 
 the Black Hills and contiguous country from his own fruit farm 
 198,000 pounds of strawberries. One man, Joseph Wells, last season 
 raised 1,500 barrels of apples. Other fruits, such as red and black 
 
 raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, dewberries, pears, 
 peaches, plums and cherries arc raised in great quantities and bring 
 excellent prices. 
 
 Within a radius of five miles from town are six sawmills, with 
 an output of 10,000 to 25,000 feet per day each. The Spearfish 
 Milling Companj', of which L. W. Valentine is president and man- 
 ager, is located on Spearfish creek, and is furnished by the river 
 with 80 horsepower. It has a capacity of 75 barrels of flour daily 
 and mills both wheat and corn, as well as chop feed of corn, oats 
 and barley, of which latter it has a capacity of 2,000 pounds per 
 hour. 
 
 The town is lighted by electricity, furnished from writer power 
 developed from the Spearfish River. The water supply is by gravity 
 with 87 pounds pressure, which comes from springs in the moun- 
 tains two and one-half miles away, with stone reservoirs blasted out 
 of solid rock. There are two of these reservoirs, each with a ca- 
 pacity of 87,000 gallons, one of which is always held in reserve for 
 fire protection. The fire department is made up of volunteers, hav- 
 ing three hose companies and one hook and ladder. 
 
 Spearfish has three hotels, the leading one, "Spearfish Inn,'' 
 being an exceptionally good house, with 44 rooms, furnished with 
 electric lights and hot and cold baths. A sash and door factory, 
 utilizing considerable lumber, is located in town on the creek. A 
 creamery of large capacity is an adjunct of the town. There are 
 four department stores, one exclusive hardware store, one exclusive 
 clothing store, one general furnishing goods store, two furniture 
 stores, three drug stores and an exclusive grocery. Two business 
 men's clubs, one called "The Spearfish Club" and the other "The 
 Spearfish Business Men's Club," furnish pleasant retreats for the 
 business men's hours of leisure and for the entertainment of the 
 stranger. The latter club was organized to further the city's in- 
 terests, and, being more in the nature of a chamber of commerce 
 than a social club, serves to give concerted action to all public en- 
 terprises. In churches, the Methodists, Congregationalists and 
 Episcopalians have their own edifices, while the Catholics and Pres- 
 byterians hold services at specified places. Societies are represented 
 by the Masons, Odd Fellows, Woodmen, A. O. U. W., Knights of 
 Pythias and Modern Brotherhood of America. There are two 
 weekly papers, the Queen City Mail and the Spearfish Enterprise. 
 The Bank of Spearfish, which was established in 1882 as a private 
 bank and incorporated under the state laws in 1887, looks after the 
 finances of the town and surrounding country. Its capital stock is 
 $10,000, to which can be added a guaranty fund of $15,000 and un- 
 divided profits of $3,073.45. The deposits on November 17, 1903, 
 were $181,257.54. This bank has had a very successful career, as it 
 has large deposits and a ready market for its loans. The officers 
 are L. W. Valentine, president ; Henry Keets, vice-president ; J. F. 
 Summers, cashier, and G. F. Stebbins, assistant cashier. 
 
 Mayor Hiram Dotson has undertaken an enterprise which bids 
 fair to be an accomplished fact in the near future. He has organized a 
 company called the Black Hills and Spearfish Valley Electric Rail- 
 way Company, of which he is secretary; Milton C. Connors, presi- 
 dent; J. D. Kingsley, vice-president, and D. J. Toomey, treasurer. 
 The idea is to build an electric railway line from Spearfish to Dead- 
 wood and thence to Lead via Central City. This should be a very 
 paying institution, and it is confidently felt that it will net $30,000 
 per annum profit at once. The fare will be 50 cents each way, in- 
 stead of $1, as now charged by the stage, and greater amount by the 
 railway company. It is proposed to start building very soon. Cars 
 will be run each way every hour, and the ride will occupy only 35 
 minutes from Spearfish to Deadwood. The company owns water 
 right of 600 horsepower on Spearfish river, and this will furnish all 
 the operating power required. 
 
STATE N'ORMAL SCHOOL AND FISH HATCHERIES AT SPEARFISII. 
 
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, SPEARFISH, S. D. 
 
 By Professor F. L. Cook^ President. (Portrait below.) 
 
 The state normal school at Spearfish was established by act of 
 the legislature of 1883. The school opened in 1884, but soon closed. 
 It was reopened in September, 1885, and has ever since had a steady 
 and healthy growth. The enrolhnent to date this year, 1904, in the 
 normal department, is 232 ; in the model school, 134. Sixteen classes 
 have been graduated, aggregating 204 persons. These graduates 
 have taught a total of about one thousand years, and the under- 
 graduates of the school have taught nearly eight thousand years. 
 
 There are two courses of study, an English course and a Ger- 
 man-Latin course, each five years long, beginning with the ninth 
 grade. Graduates are entitled to a iive-year state teachers' certificate, 
 which may be renewed again and again, provided the holder is a 
 successful teacher. Students completing the German-Latin course 
 are usually able to take advanced standing in even the best colleges. 
 Though the school is designed for the training of teachers, its 
 courses are an admirable foundation for any business or profession. 
 It is the aim, then, to make the Spearfish Normal School not only 
 an admirable training school for teachers but also the best college 
 preparatory school and school of business training that the people 
 of the Black Hills can patronize. These aims are not antagonistic, 
 as a superior training school for teachers doing considerable 
 
 ing is equipped much attention will be given to manual training, 
 music, art, natural science and athletics. 
 
 The Women's Hall and the Cottage are delightful homes for 
 young ladies. Rooms heated by steam, lighted by electricity, and 
 handsomely furnished rent for only $15 per year per student. Meals 
 are $2.25 per week. It is believed there is not another place in 
 the United States where equal educational advantages are offered at 
 so low a cost. The entire expense of attending the school need not 
 exceed $125 per year per student. 
 
 The school grounds comprise seventy-five acres of excellent 
 land. Thirty-five acres of these grounds are the athletic field. In 
 it are golf grounds, tennis courts, croquet grounds, an inclosed 
 football and baseball field, and a quarter-mile track. Ten acres 
 are devoted to orchard and garden. Many students work more or 
 less in the garden. It is the aim to teach them something of prac- 
 tical gardening and horticulture, and at the same time afford them 
 opportunit}' to earn a little money. From fifteen to twenty cents 
 per hour is paid for student work. The rest of the grounds are as 
 yet unimproved, but will be used for lawns, parks, walks and an 
 artificial lake. It can be made very beautiful, and the plans for 
 these improvements are mostly already matured, but must await an 
 appropriation by the legislatuie. 
 
 academic work must necessarily be adapted to the accomplishment 
 of the other purposes named. 
 
 While many of the graduates of the school teach in Black 
 Hills cities, the school stands in still closer relation to the villages 
 and the country school districts, because a yet greater number 
 of graduates and undergraduates teach in them. Owing partly at 
 least to this fact, the schools of the Black Hills are better, as a 
 whole, than corresponding schools in most other localities. As the 
 normal school gets older and stronger this beneficial influence will 
 increase, and on the other hand the other schools will furnish the 
 normal school with better prepared students. With the superior 
 country and village schools, the numerous excellent high schools, 
 the State School of Mines, and the state normal school, the Black 
 Hills offer from an educational point of view strong attractions to 
 the home seeker. 
 
 The normal school plant now consists of four important build- 
 ings, viz. : The Main School Building, Science Hall, the Women's 
 Dormitory, and the Cottage. Science Hall contains four labora- 
 tories, the library, a music room, a studio, a printing office, a 
 gymnasium, manual training rooms, domestic science apartments, 
 class rooms, and dressing and bath rooms. As soon as this build- 
 
 THE FISH HATCHERIES. 
 
 The fish hatcheries, located at Spearfish, are pointed to by the 
 people of the Black Hills with a great deal of pride. There is reason 
 for this pride, for it is undoubtedly the most successful fishery sta- 
 tion in the United States. The fish hatcheries are in charge of E. C. 
 Booth, who is superintendent of the station. He has three men on 
 his staff to help in the work, which is becoming greater every day. 
 These government hatcheries were established in 1899, and consist 
 of three buildings ; the present intention is to add at least two more 
 buildings in the near future. 
 
 Trout is the sole fish handled, and these are mainly of the 
 varieties known as the eastern brook trout. Loch Leven, black- 
 spotted and the rainbow trout. The black-spotted is a summer fish. 
 The location of this plant is an ideal one, as the water, drawn into 
 the various small ponds, comes from the Spearfish river, and is very 
 clear and cold, and just what is necessary for the best results. About 
 3,000,000 of the young fish are planted each year. The main idea is 
 to place them in the rivers in this immediate section, but Mr. Booth 
 is not confined to any particular territory, and ships to all parts of 
 the country, even to Europe, parties receiving them at the other end 
 paying transportation. The young fish are from two to eight months 
 old when sent out. 
 
 This station also operates the Yellowstone Park and stocks those 
 streams in the western part with eastern trout. A force is kept 
 there all summer to collect eggs of the trout of that section and bring 
 them back to Spearfish. Mr. Booth has established a camp on the 
 shore of Yellowstone lake ; he leaves Spearfish the latter part of May 
 or first of June and spends the summer at the park. At that season 
 of the year the black-spotted trout, which is native to the Yellow- 
 stone, leaves the large lake and ascends the small streams. Mr. 
 Booth and his co-workers catch the fish in a small seine, sometimes 
 taking in as many as a ton at a haul. These are kept until they 
 spawn, and then allowed to go. Last summer a great many of these 
 black-spotted trout, something like 33,000,000, were shipped all over 
 the country, many of them going as far as Wales. In the few years 
 that the fish hatcheries have been established, they have been a 
 great benefit to the Black Hills. In some cases it is impossible to 
 .plant the fish in the streams which are near cyanide mills, and pol- 
 luted therefrom, but they are becoming very prolific in the western 
 part of the Hills and in the streams throughout the Hills where thev 
 are not affected by cyanide water. 
 
BELLE FOURCHE. 
 
 The little city of Belle Fourche, of less than a thousand people, 
 is located in the southwestern portion of Butte county, about eight 
 miles from the Wyoming line, and an equal distance from Lawrence 
 county. 
 
 Three thousand four hundred feet above the sea and situated at 
 the confluence of the Belle Fourche and Red Water rivers, from 
 which it derives its name of "Beautiful Forks," in full view of the 
 highest range of the Black Hills to the south and the Bear Lodge on 
 the west, with the slowly flowing Belle Fourche encircling the town to 
 the north and the Red Water, a babbling mountain torrent, on the 
 east, heavily wooded, with green alfalfa fields in the distance, Belle 
 Fourche has one of the most beautiful locations of the foothills. 
 
 The adventurous Marquis De Mores, who sought to advance 
 the material welfare of the country which he found so much to his 
 liking, established in '84 a stage station here on the line connecting 
 Deadwood with Medora, N. D., to which he gave the name De 
 Mores. I 1 
 
 In 1890 the Northwestern railway, pushing northward to the 
 range country, located the present town, which in 1903 was made 
 
 a city of the third class. It has all lines of business represented, 
 excellent school advantages, two churches, two papers, the Bee, 
 edited by E. Ralston, and the Northwest Post, published by 
 Fellows & Kirkham. There are two hotels, the Belle Fourche and 
 the American. The former, which is pictured in our pages, is con- 
 ducted by Arnold & Horton. It was renovated and refurnished last 
 fall and is one of the best paying hotels in the Hills. 
 
 Of the two banks, the Butte County Bank, twelve years old, 
 with a capital of $S,ooo, has a surplus of $60,000 and deposits of 
 $300,000. The cashier, W. B. Penfold, was formerly traveling auditor 
 for Clay, Robinson & Co. of Chicago, who also have banks at Chey- 
 enne, Wyo. ; Camp Crook, S. D. ; Central City, Palmer and Hyan- 
 nis, Neb. 
 
 The First National Bank was incorporated January s, 1903, with 
 a capital of $25,000, and has been very successful from the beginning, 
 its deposits at the end of the first year being $107,000. T. J. Steele 
 of Deadwood is president; E. C. Curry, vice-president, and D. R. 
 Evans, cashier. Mr. Evans has been a resident of the Northern 
 
 REDWATER RIVER AT BELLE FOURCHE. 
 
 REDWATER RIVER AT BELLE FOURCHE. 
 
 Hills for nineteen years, having for eight years occupied the offices 
 of county auditor and treasurer. 
 
 A flour mill run b(y waterpower is centrally situated in town 
 and has a capacity of 125 barrels per day; directly adjoining are the 
 lumber yards of F. E. Bennett, who cuts annually about 250,000 feet 
 of lumber at his sawmill in Beulah, most of which is sold from his 
 yards at Belle Fourche. 
 
 One of the unique institutions of the section is the Belle Fourche 
 hospital, established by Dr. L. J. Townsend. The hospital occupies 
 the second floor of a commodious building and is especially fitted for 
 surgical work. Many cases of emergency surgery have been treated 
 since its inception with results that are gratifying to the community. 
 
 The Northwestern Stockgrowers' Association has its headquar- 
 ters at Belle Fourche. Organized only a year ago, it already has a 
 membership of 600, comprising nearly all of the cattle men and sheep 
 men tributary to Belle Fourche as a shipping point. 
 
 The illustrated heading of this article, executed by Joseph H. 
 Thullen, a promising young artist of the town, is indicative of the 
 industry which has served principally to build up the city. 
 
 Located west of the tcwn are the huge shipping pens, from which 
 are loaded the thousands of range cattle and sheep that have made 
 
pi 
 o 
 
 M 
 
 < 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 8i 
 
 of Belle Fourche the greatest original shipping point in the United 
 States. Three thousand cars of beef alone have been sent to market 
 in one year, and these cattle have been drawn almost entirely from 
 Butte county, S. D. ; Custer county, Mont., and Crook county, 
 Wyo. The average shipment of cattle is 75,000 head, which, together 
 with the sheep and 1,500,000 pounds of wool, makes the railroad exert 
 itself to the utmost to furnish transportation. 
 
 Heretofore the agricultural advantages have been overshadowed 
 by the range industry. The great cattle outfit with its picturesque 
 accompaniment of cowboy and broncho is being gradually but surely 
 replaced by the small stock grower and farmer; for beneath the 
 nutritious grasses that have for years fattened live stock lies a 
 soil which only needs the touch of the plow and harrow to bring 
 forth the most bountiful crops of fruit and grain to repay the toil 
 of the husbandman. Already under the forty-mile irrigating ditch 
 east of the town are thousands of acres of alfalfa, wheat, oats, bar- 
 ley and all cereals except corn. Apples and small fruit do well, and 
 the market demand is much beyond the supply. Vegetables of all 
 kinds are produced of a quality not surpassed in the world. 
 
 The government has surveyed a canal for the reclamation of 
 200,000 acres of semi-arid land northeast of the town. Beginning 
 just below Belle Fourche the proposed canal traverses a country for 
 fifty miles which requires only the water to make crops a surety and 
 
 furnish homes for thousands of families. It is believed that by the 
 time this book is issued the work will have begun upon this gigantic 
 project. 
 
 Two of the least understood questions that have vexed the 
 prospective homeseeker in this neighborhood have been concerning 
 the climate and water supply. The town supply of water is from 
 two six-inch artesian wells flowing into a 50,000-gallon tank. And , 
 in addition there are a number of private wells which give an 
 unlimited amount of excellent water. The thousands' of cattle and 
 sheep that are on the range without shelter are ample proof of the 
 mildness of the winters. 
 
 The Business Men's Club of Belle Fourche, consisting of sixty 
 members, acts not only as a social organizaion, buc as a unit in all 
 things which are conducive to the city's welfare; also in the enter- 
 ta'inment of strangers, the promotion of public improvement and the 
 dissemination of information. 
 
 It is confidently believed that Butte county, with its wealth of 
 unoccupied land, its numerous streams, its extensive beds of coal, 
 good water and equable climate, offers to the prospective settler 
 greater natural inducements than are enjoyed by the well-settled 
 communities of the East. Its people are hospitable and generous 
 and welcome to its borders every one who desires to improve his 
 condition by industry and application. 
 
 KEYSTONE. 
 
 Probably the most typical mining camp to be found in the Black 
 Hills to-day is the town of Keystone, in the central and eastern part 
 of the Black Hills and located in Battle Creek valley, practically 
 a one-street town, with hills on both sides and quartz mines on 
 either hand, many of them right in the town itself. Keystone was 
 first located as a placer' camp in 1876 and the. celebrated Mitchell bar 
 was discovered in 1881. The first stamp mill was built in 1880 for 
 the Cross mine. It was of ten stamps. The first producing quartz 
 discovery, however, was the Holy Terror in 1894 by William B. 
 Franklin and his little adopted daughter. Mr. Franklin had prom- 
 ised to name the mine after his wife, who in consequence expected it 
 to be called the "Lucy.'' He did name it after her, but not in the 
 way she had expected. 
 
 The Holy Terror produced the highest grade of gold quartz 
 ever found in the Black Hills and paid its first owners over $32,000 
 before they sold it to the present company, which has paid about 
 $172,000 in dividends. Alleged lack of precautions led to many acci- 
 dents and the consequent death of a number of the employes, result- 
 ing in litigation and judgments against the company to such an 
 extent that in the summer of 1903 the mine was closed down, but it 
 is well known that gold is even more abundant at the lowest level— 
 1,100 feet — than at the top, and the mine will undoubtedly resume 
 operations in the near future. 
 
 Franklin & Reed had built a small prospecting mill at Keystone 
 before the Holy Terror was discovered. 
 
 At the present time some excellent properties in the town and 
 surroundings are developing and making an excellent showing. 
 Among them are Col. Clark's syndicated properties and the Bis- 
 mark, Bullion, Lucky Boy, Tycoon, the Tom Custer, the Butte, the 
 Juniper, the Bagdad, the Dora Belle, the Columbia and the Cross 
 mine group, all mentioned elsewhere. 
 
 The town has an altitude of 4,220 feet and the population is 
 about 1,200.- The water supply for drinking purposes comes from 
 wells, but the city water is supplied from the Holy Terror mine. 
 
 which pumps the water from its own mine into settling tanks from 
 which a six-inch iron water main has been built all over the city. 
 
 The city is not dependent upon mining by any means, having a 
 splendid backbone in the fine cattle and farming ranges which 
 abound in the valley parks. The timber industries and sawmills 
 in the immediate neighborhood also contribute largely to its busi- 
 ness. There are two general stores, both carrying large stocks, as 
 well as hardware, and several blocks of individual business supplies. 
 
 A very excellent hotel called the McDonald contains 26 rooms 
 and is managed by George D. Willis, an architect by profession, 
 who is also the superintendent of the Butte Mining and Milling Com- 
 pany, a 75-acre claim near the Bismark. The fire department is 
 entirely volunteers and consists of 40 members. There are four 
 churches, the Congregational, Methodist, Catholic and Baptist. The 
 Episcopalians have services monthly in the Methodist church. One 
 of the finest school buildings in the state is the Keystone public 
 school, which cost $10,000. It accommodates 300 children, employs 
 five teachers and has four recitation and five school rooms. The 
 grades run from the first to the eighth and pupils graduate to the 
 normal school at Spearfish. Societies are well represented and they 
 consist of the Masons, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Woodmen, 
 Agrarians and A. O. U. W.'s. The ladies have the Eastern Star, 
 Daughters of Rebekah and Royal Neighbors. The Keystone Club, 
 a social organization of the bvisiness men of the city, consists of 
 30 members and is rapidly increasing. 
 
 The Keystone Bank was incorporated January 2, igco, with a 
 capital of $io,oco and the following officers : James Halley, presi- 
 dent; J. J. McNamara, vice-president, and W. H. Gates, cashier. At 
 the close of business November 17, 1903, the surplus and profits were 
 $2,528.26; the deposits were $56,277.88. 
 
 The Keystone Bank has as associate banks the First National 
 Bank of Rapid City and the Bank of Hot Springs, Hot Springs, 
 S. D. Mr. James Halley is interested in both of these banks and 
 the Keystone Bank has the benefit of his great experience in finan- 
 cial matters. 
 
s 
 
 S "S 
 
STURGIS. 
 
 One of the most progressive towns of the Black Hills country 
 is Sturgis, which might be said to be about an hour from Dead- 
 wood or from Rapid City. Its population at the last census num- 
 bered 1,150 souls, and to date has probably increased to 1,300. The 
 town was platted in August, 1878, and was called Sturgis City. It 
 was incorporated ten years later as Sturgis and as a city of the 
 third class. 
 
 The city government consists of a mayor and six aldermen. 
 A board of education numbers seven members and has in charge a 
 public school, with 450 pupils, which takes children from the pri- 
 mary to the high school grades and graduates them into the normal. 
 There are 13 grades, presided over by eight teachers. 
 
 Churches are represented by the Episcopal, Methodist, Catholic 
 and Presbyterian. 
 
 Societies include the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, 
 Eagles, Modern Woodmen, Redmen, A. O. U. W. and G. A. R. 
 The ladies have Degree of Honor, Rebekahs and Royal Neighbors. 
 
 The Sturgis Commercial Club of 50 members is a growing or- 
 ganization and is doing much good in promoting the interests of the 
 city and country and in acting in the capacity of a board of trade. 
 
 St. Martin's academy is an institution of note. It is a Catholic 
 convent, having boarders of all denominations, from Nebraska, Wyo- 
 ming and North and South Dakota. About 250 students are in 
 attendance, and include boys and girls, the former as boarders 
 up to 12 years of age, the latter of all ages. The site of the convent 
 and its adjoining dormitories is just back of the court house on a 
 hill, and the three buildings are a very great adornment to the city. 
 The capacity is at all times being tested and new buildings will have 
 to be added in the near future. The institution has been established 
 about 14 years. 
 
 Sturgis is lighted by electricity. S. A. Oliver established the 
 Sturgis electric-light plant, which is located on the main street and 
 is furnished with a 100 K. W. Warren dynamo and a 14x36 Epallis 
 Corliss engine. The building is 50 feet square, with iron roof and 
 sides, and the boiler and engine rooms are in an adjoining building. 
 One hundred and forty-seven horsepower is furnished for lighting 
 and two new high-pressure internally-fired boilers are about to be 
 installed. These works light Fort Meade also, by contract with the 
 government. 
 
 The city has two excellent brickyards, one of them with a ca- 
 pacity of 25,000 and the other 15,000 bricks per day. 
 
 The city has two hotels, one of them, the Hotel Scollard, being 
 owned by John Scollard, an April 1876 pioneer of the Black Hills, 
 who built the Custer House in Deadwood in 1876 on the present site 
 of the First National bank. Mr. Scollard has been in Sturgis 26 
 years, and owns not only the hotel of 30 rooms, but also a nearby 
 lodging house of 30 rooms, which acts as an adjunct of his hotel. 
 
 One of the greatest prides of Sturgis is the waterworks system, 
 which was conceived and started by J. J. Davenport, after the grant- 
 ing of the franchise. The plant was received by the city in 1893. 
 In the mountains four and one-half miles south of Sturgis three 
 reservoirs have been made by damming the canyon. The water 
 comes from the mountain springs, flowing through eruptive rock 
 called trachite; thus it is perfectly pure. It is conveyed to the city 
 in cast-iron pipes, but on leaving the reservoir and before entering 
 the intake the water is aerated, thus giving it the most perfect purity 
 possible. It has a natural fall of 712 feet from the reservoirs to the 
 city. This would give it 306 pounds pressure to the square inch, 
 but in order to reduce this pressure three automatic regulators are 
 used in the conduit to the city. This pressure can be regulated in 
 
 that way, and in case of fire a very heavy pressure can be given. 
 Connections are made in the city with thirteen hydrants. 
 
 It is probable that the waterworks will in time furnish water 
 for the electric-light plant, mills, and a trolley line to Fort Mead, 
 as well as furnishing Fort Meade with water. This splendid water 
 plant has cost $150,000 and is unexcelled in any part of the country. 
 
 The Sturgis roller mills, owned by Van Winkle & Metzger, 
 have a capacity of 100 barrels per day, running fourteen hours, and 
 manufactures the Dewey, New Century and Eagle A brands of flour. 
 The flour is of the finest quality, on account of the fact that the 
 wheat in this section is unexcelled, and took the first prize at the 
 Chicago exposition. It is shipped to all Black Hills points, as well 
 as to Lincoln, Fremont, York, Thayer, Stockholm and Charlestown, 
 Neb. The firm has also an excellent flour and feed business in 
 Deadwood. 
 
 On account of the quantity of cattle, sheep and horses received 
 and raised and sold in the immediate neighborhood and the country 
 tributary, large stockyards have been erected for facilitating receipt 
 of shipments of cattle. Much wool is shipped from Sturgis. Farm- 
 ing is also very extensive. Wheat is the leading cereal, but excel- 
 lent corn is also raised. 
 
 It is interesting to note that most of the farmers were never 
 farmers before they came here. Some were miners, some mechanics 
 and some were business men, but almost to a man they have been 
 successful, and in many cases are worth from $35,000 to $40,000 
 apiece. 
 
 Fort Meade, which is located about a mile and a half from 
 Sturgis, is a permanent government post, with eight troops, consist- 
 ing of over 500 men (all cavalry), and a band. This post cut a 
 very prominent figure during the Indian troubles. The post is now 
 being rebuilt, the old wooden barracks being ■ replaced by stone and 
 brick. The improvements will cover a number of years and thus 
 enable the contractors of Sturgis to handle the proposition, rather 
 than have it in the hands of outsiders, as would be necessary if it 
 had to be completed in a very short period. 
 
 Thirty-three thousand dollars is being spent in Fort Meade 
 macadamizing roads and sidewalks. 
 
 There is a volunteer fire department for Sturgis, with electric 
 alarm system. There are four companies of 30 men each, and armed 
 with four hose and a hook and ladder. Three of these companies 
 are organized under state laws, by which they have a certain per- 
 centage of the insurance premiums. 
 
 The Bare Butte Oil Company, with indications of oil five and 
 one-half miles north of Sturgis, sunk a well 600 feet and encoun- 
 tered fine artesian water. This will be blasted at 600 feet to increase 
 the flow and will be used for irrigation purposes. The company has 
 found good indications of oil in Wyoming and has appropriated capi- 
 tal sufficient to sink wells there. 
 
 The city has two excellent newspapers, both of them being 
 weeklies, and two banks. 
 
 The Meade County Bank was organized as a state institution 
 in i8g6 and bought out the First National Bank. Its capital is 
 $20,000, with surplus and undivided profits on February i, 1904, of 
 $33,000. The deposits are very heavy, running about $300,000, a big 
 portion of these deposits coming from farmers of Bare Butte valley 
 and the stock-raising industries. Loans are made mainly on per- 
 sonal security, chattels, cattle and horses in small enclosures. The 
 bank has been very successful, paying 15 per cent per annum in 
 dividends and accumulating every year a large surplus. The officers 
 are as follows : D. A. McPherson, president ; H. O. Anderson, vice- 
 president ; H. E. Perkins, cashier, and G. W. Huffman, assistant 
 

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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED . 
 
 85 
 
 cashier. Mr. Perkins, the cashier, is mayor of Sturgis for a second 
 term and state senator, has been president of the Meade County 
 Republican Central Committee for six years, and is president of 
 the Sturgis Commercial Club. He was at one time city treasurer of 
 Sturgis, and previoijs to coming to this city was assistant postmaster 
 at Deadwood. 
 
 The Commercial National Bank is a late comer to Sturgis, hav- 
 ing been opened October i, 1903. Its capital is $25,000 and surplus 
 
 $2,500. The deposits February i, 1904, were about $30,000 and 
 increasing at about $7,500 per month. H. C. Bostwick of Omaha is 
 president, Edward Galvin, vice-president; M. M. Brown, cashier, and 
 F. M. Shaw, assistant cashier. The other directors include some 
 of the best known men of the Hills, including Thomas Sweeney, 
 Charles J. Buell, I. M. Humphrey, O. J. Hansen and Henry Roden- 
 haus. 
 
 The altitude of Sturgis is 3,200 feet. 
 
 TERRY. 
 
 About the year 1891, flat formation ore bodies carrying gold of 
 more than ordinary value were the means of bringing the present 
 location of Terry into prominence. The town is located about four 
 miles from Lead and seven from Deadwood by way of Lead. This 
 town is the highest in altitude of any of the mining towns of the 
 Black Hills, being 5,700 feet above the level of the sea. The first 
 workings were at the Welcome mine, which is now a part of the 
 Horseshoe group of mines. Later came the discovery of the Nevada 
 gulch formation, which was afterward acquired by the Golden Re- 
 ward. This latter formation runs under the present townsite of 
 Terry, which property is owned by the Golden Reward company. 
 The formation is something over 200 feet below the surface. The 
 Golden Reward company added at various times to its claims, until 
 it now covers a very large territory and has proven to be so far the 
 second richest mine of the Black Hills in quantity of gold produc- 
 tion. The Horseshoe company also acquired large properties and, 
 notwithstanding its financial quandaries of late, which have been 
 attributed by many to past financial mismanagement, is known to 
 possess ore of good grade and in vast quantities, and the present 
 management is working out the problems in a conservative manner 
 which augurs well for the future. The first of these properties, be- 
 longing to the Horseshoe company, was acquired by Somers & 
 Mackay of Montreal, Quebec. They in turn sold it to the present 
 company. The Golden Reward and Horseshoe companies are the 
 great mainstay of Terry, whose resources are purely those con- 
 nected with the mines ; but there are other properties, including that 
 formerly owned by the Buxton company and now owned by Lund- 
 berg, Dorr & Wilson. This property is also a flat formation. 
 
 The ores in this section have been mainly a series of sandstone 
 formation, with quartzite below. The sinking of shafts and cross- 
 cutting work of late have brought to light vertical veins, below the 
 quartzite, and it is believed these vertical veins will soon become a 
 strong factor in the output of the companies. Lundberg, Dorr & 
 Wilson are using the Chili mill process of crushing, after which the 
 ores are cyanided. These flat formations are refractory ores and 
 run from $2 to $200 per ton. An average of the bulk would probably 
 be from $8 to $12. This particular class of ore cyanides very easily 
 and extractions reach the highest percentage of value of any ores of 
 the Black Hills. The Horseshoe company has a cyanide plant on a 
 hill above the town. The Golden Reward mill is at Deadwood, 
 where they also have a smelter. 
 
 Terry is situated on the Spearfish line of the BurHngton railway, 
 and two narrow-gauge systems of the Northwestern and Burlington 
 
 respectively make it their terminus in lines from Deadwood. These 
 narrow-gauge lines are used for the transportation of ore. Terry's 
 population is about 1,200 souls. Water supplying the town is drawn 
 from wells and springs, while a 500-barrel tank above the hill is 
 kept full of water by the Toronado hoist and a pipe is laid through 
 the town, giving an excellent pressure for fire purposes. The fire 
 department has a hose cart and is composed of some 50 volunteers: 
 The town has a school board and two school buildings, one con- 
 taining four rooms and the other one, the former having four teach- 
 ers. The capacity of the two schools together is 300 pupils, and 
 every year or two requires an addition to accommodations. There 
 are three hotels, all of good capacity and very good houses. The 
 churches number two, one of which is a Methodist and the other 
 Catholic. In societies, Masons, A. O. U. W., Knights of Pythias, 
 Improved Order of Red Men, Rebekahs and Court of Honor all have 
 strong allegiance. The Western Federation of Miners, composed of 
 700 members, is the most prosperous branch of the Federation in the 
 Black Hills ; it is No. 5, and owns its own building, with a large 
 hall on the second story. This building was erected when there 
 were only 38 members. There is also an office for the financial sec- 
 retary, Mr. George Hendy, some distance down the street. Con- 
 nected with Mr. Hendy's office is an excellent reading room where 
 the miners spend their leisure moments and have a well-stocked 
 library and all the leading periodicals for their perusal. About $20,- 
 000 is at present in the treasury, and last year $3,000 was spent for 
 benevolent purposes and nearly $700 for funerals. 
 
 The future of Terry seems a very bright one. The flat forma- 
 tions are such as to guarantee an increasing prosperity for the mer- 
 chants for many years to come, and, after the flat, the vertical for- 
 mations will undoubtedly yield a practically inexhaustible supply of 
 wealth. The site of Terry is one of the most beautiful in the Hills. 
 Notwithstanding its high altitude, it is surrounded by peaks in every 
 direction, including Terry Peak (within easy walking distance), 
 some 1,500 feet higher than the town and from which one of the 
 most beautiful panoramic viev/s to be had in the Hills will be found 
 in our pages. This view covers Terry, Lead, Deadwood, White 
 Rocks and even Bare Butte in the distance 26 miles away, while from 
 side to side 46 miles of territory are covered. This photograph, as 
 also one of Spearfish falls and two others of Spearfish river and 
 canyon, were executed by George M. Heggie, a resident _of Terry, 
 who, in his leisure moments, has, as an amateur with the camera, 
 executed the finest panoramic views ever made in the Black Hills. 
 
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CUSTER. 
 
 Mr. Shankland's graphic description of the early days of Custer 
 county and Custer, when placer mining brought in the wildest ele- 
 ment in the Black Hills, seems a dream of ages past when one views 
 the beautiful plateau of an altitude of 5,550 feet, occupied by this 
 dainty town of the southern Hills. We have given in our pages a 
 series of views, both birdseye and panoramic, of Custer and its sur- 
 roundings in order to show the geological formation of its sur- 
 rounding country, which has shown on its surface some of the 
 finest outcroppings of ore, not only of gold but of many other 
 precious metals. 
 
 Custer was taken up in July, 1885, as a town company called 
 Stonewall, but a month later was reorganized and christened Custer 
 City in honor of General Custer. December, 1875, a second organi- 
 zation, ignoring the previous platting, replatted the townsite. After 
 the exodus to Deadwood, when only fourteen people were left in 
 the original townsite, others began to dribble in during the year of 
 1877 from the expeditions to Deadwood; and previous to this, in 
 1876, after the Custer massacre, the camping on the town site of 
 General Crook's army on its return gave a small impetus to popu- 
 lation. Thus, in 1877, Custer numbered from 500 to 600 souls. Since 
 then it has grown by degrees, until now there are about 1,000 inhabi- 
 tants. Custer is the county seat of Custer county. The city has 
 good waterworks, which were completed last year. For lighting 
 purposes, it is supplied by an acetylene gas plant of large capacity. 
 It numbers two banks and two newspapers, the latter being week- 
 lies. There are five general stores, carrying almost everything, and 
 two very good hotels. The surrounding farming and stock-raising, 
 which are of the best and confined mainly to the surrounding valleys, 
 called parks, and the lumber industry furnish a very large trade for 
 the merchants. The best example of a large park is to be found near 
 Custer in what is called "Custer Park." This is a large area of 
 gently sloping land, of, which a photograph is found in our pages. 
 It is used somewhat for farming and to a greater extent for the 
 pasturing of cattle, and is surrounded on all sides by the mountain 
 ranges. Much attention has been given to the raising of sheep of 
 a fine grade; also to the improvement of the blood in horses and 
 cattle, fine Herefords being among the latter. 
 
 The city government is in the hands of trustees, consisting of 
 five members, the chairman of which is ex-officio mayor. There are 
 also a city clerk, city treasurer, city marshal and city justice of the 
 peace. The volunteer fire department is well equipped, a reservoir 
 above the city, having about 180 feet fall, being capable of throwing 
 water over the highest buildings. 
 
 Henry Robinson of Akron, O., built the mill of the Akron Min- 
 ing and Milling Company in Custer about 1890, to grind mica and 
 make grease. But finally began to make car and bridge paint from 
 ochre. It is shipped dry to Aurora, 111., and then mixed with oils 
 and sold to railway companies. The combined company employs 
 about 30 men. The Custer plant cost from $40,000 to $50,000. 
 
 Sylvan lake, one of the most picturesque spots of the United 
 States and a place which is becoming more popular every year, 
 brings a large influx of summer visitors, many of whom live in the 
 town, making daily excursions to the lake, while others live at the 
 
 lake, which is only six miles distant, in a beautiful hotel erected for 
 their accommodation. 
 
 Churches are well represented and the schools are of the best. 
 Societies are largely represented and well attended. The climate 
 is exceptionally fine ; the air is dry and pleasant, and Custer has 
 finer atmospheric scenic effects than any place in the Black Hills, 
 the sunsets being impossible of description. 
 
 FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF CUSTER. 
 
 This bank was founded in 1881 by Dennis Carrigan, being known 
 as the Bank of Custer, and incorporated as a national bank in 1890. 
 The capital is $25,000 and surplus and undivided profits $5,000. 
 Directors are D. Carrigan, president; F. A. Towner, vice-president; 
 W. F. Hanley, cashier ; James Halley (president of the First National 
 of Rapid City) and Louisa Carrigan. Mr. Carrigan ha.« lived in 
 Custer since 1881, his residence just prior to that being Sidney, 
 Neb., one of the nearest railroad stations to the Black Hills, and 
 during a trip made to Custer in 1876 he became interested in property 
 in the town, with the result that he made the place his home, as 
 mentioned. Mr. Hanley, the cashier, has been interested in the 
 bank since 1891, having transacted a large business in general mer- 
 chandise prior to his affiliation with the institution. Although he 
 gives his time almost entirely to the bank, he still has a large inter- 
 est in his former business. 
 
 THE CUSTER COUNTY BANK. 
 
 This bank was incorporated in i8go by Frank R. Davis, James 
 M. Woods and George F. Schneider; commenced business April 17, 
 1890, with the following officeis: S. H. Mills, president; J. E. Pil- 
 cher, vice-president ; Frank R. Davis, cashier ; T. W. Delicate, assist- 
 ant cashier. At the death of Frank R. Davis in 1893, T. W. Deli- 
 cate was elected cashier, which position he has held since. 
 
 This bank has enjoyed a steady growth since its organization. 
 The deposits at the present time average well over $100,000, while 
 its surplus and undivided profits are more than they have been at 
 any former time. The capital is $25,000. 
 
 The present officers are S. H. Mills, president ; D. W. Webster, 
 vice-president, and T. W. Delicate, cashier. The directors are S. H. 
 Mills, president General Power Company, New York City; Benja- 
 min W. Carll, ship and yacht builder, Northport, N. Y. ; James Day- 
 ton, ship builder, Port Jefferson, N. Y. ; George F. Schneider,- cash- 
 ier Pennington County Bank, Rapid City, S. D.; D. W. Webster, 
 cashier Hill City Bank, Hill City, S. D., and T. W. Delicate, Cus- 
 ter, S. D. 
 
 This bank is associated with the Pennington County Bank of 
 Rapid City, S. D., and the Hill City Bank, of Hill City, S. D. 
 
 T. W. Delicate, cashier, is a native of southern Illinois. When 
 18 years of age he moved to Nebraska City, Neb., in which place he 
 held the position of bookkeeper in the Otoe County National Bank 
 for five years, coming to Custer, S. D., in the spring of 1890 to 
 assume the duties of assistant cashier and manager of the Custer 
 County Bank, in which bank he now holds the position of cashier 
 and director. 
 
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 HILL CITY. 
 
HILL CITY 
 
 On the line of the Burlington, in practically the center of the 
 Black Hills, at an ahitude of 4,982 feet, su-rrounded by a great min- 
 eral belt, lies Hill City, which had its first inception in the spring of 
 1876, it being at that time practically the second log-cabin town of- 
 the Hills, coming directly as a placer camp .after the rush to Custer. 
 At that time two solid streets of cabins stretched north and south 
 from bluff to bluff. The placering was mainly dry digging on side 
 gulches. When the stampede went that fall to Deadwood the town 
 was practically deserted, and there was little revival until the advent 
 of the Harney Peak Tin Mining Company in 1887 and the Burlington 
 Railway in the summer of 1890. At this time over 3,000 people 
 poured in, and the town so remained until the closing down of the 
 Harney Peak, in 1892. It m:iy be well to say here that the business 
 of this company was badly and extravagantly managed, and what- 
 ever its subsequent future, its failure must be laid at the door of the 
 officers, for no excuse could reasonably be offered for the buying of 
 1,500 claims and the working of them all, using every particle of ore 
 instead of selecting that which could be worked to advantage. In 
 this way, of course, they ran in a great deal of bare ore for treat- 
 ment and their results were brought to a minimum, whereas there are 
 quite a number of already discovered veins of large size in the Black 
 Hills that will easily pay 3 per cent of tin per ton at a cost of not 
 half that amount. 
 
 The Harney Pea;k Company went into the hands of a receiver 
 and closed down work, and this unquestionably was a great misfor- 
 tune for Hill City; but at the present moment some very excellent 
 gold mines are opening up in the immediate vicinity, copper has been 
 found in good quantities, a tin mine yielding well will stp.rt its mill 
 in the near future, and, while no boom exists at present, the town 
 is advancing to a sure future. The population is now about 600. 
 The townsite was located as a mining ground in 1878, and was then 
 sold to the Harney Peak Mining Company, patented by them in 1888, 
 and deeded or leased to the present property holders. 
 
 The surrounding ranches of farming and cattle industries make 
 considerable business for Hill City. The ranches in the mountain 
 parks raise fine potatoes, oats, vegetables and hay. They are very 
 productive and oats run as high as 50 and 60 bushels to the acre. 
 There are seldom any drouths, as the ranches are in valleys, and, 
 therefore, self-irrigated. Experiments with small fruits have been 
 very satisfactory, and fruits command good prices. The cattle in- 
 dustry is also very considerable, as most of the ranches have herds. 
 Lumbering cuts quite a figure. 
 
 T. W. March has a sawmill one mile from town and has a 
 planer in town. In the last two years he has sawed 300,000 feet of 
 local lumber annually, and has brought each year from Seattle, 
 Wash., 50,000 feet of cedar and fir; also a great many red cedar 
 shingles. All the lumber is consumed in the city and surrounding 
 mines. There is another mill two and one-half miles from town, 
 which sawed 400,000 feet last summer. There are four mills on the 
 way to Keystone and another. one five miles from' Hill City. The 
 
 native lumber is far superior for finishing than that imported, but as 
 yet the proper kilns for drying have not been erected. 
 
 R. J. Truax, a large mine' owner, has a brick kiln on the edge 
 of town, and manufactures an especially good brick, using the creek 
 bottom clay, which is of the finest quality for such purposes. 
 
 The school system is of the best. A large school building is on 
 an elevation above the city, has four commodious schoolrooms, and is 
 in charge of Professor L. W. Rooney. There are two assistant 
 teachers, and pupils are taken from the first to the ninth grade, in- 
 clusive, or from the primary through the regular eight-year common 
 school course, and with one year of high school work afterward. 
 In the last three years military drill and tactics are taught, and the 
 last year of high school embraces algebra, grammar and composition, 
 bookkeeping, commercial and physical geography, civil government 
 and geology. 
 
 There are four churches — Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist and 
 Roman Catholic — one newspaper, an opera house, which is one of 
 the best halls in the Hills, and two hotels, of which the Harney 
 Peak Hotel is managed by Zachariah Taylor, who is well known 
 as a hotel man, having had charge some years ago of the Paxton 
 Hotel at Omaha. This hotel is commodious, has over twenty bed- 
 rooms and will be refurnished and refitted in the near future. 
 
 Of societies, the Masonic, Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen, 
 Miners' Union and Knights of Pythias are well represented. The 
 old soldiers also have a post. The ladies of the town are repre- 
 sented by the Eastern Star, Royal Neighbors, Degree of Honor and 
 Rebekahs. 
 
 The Hill City Bank, which was opened for business- January 31, 
 1903, has had a phenomenal record to date. Mr. D. W. Webster, the 
 cashier, who has had previously a large experience for many years 
 at New York City, Chicago, and later at Custer, S. D., saw the field 
 at Hill City and availed himself of it. At the close of business De- 
 cember 31, 1903, after eleven months, a dividend of 5 per cent was 
 declared, besides which the bank showed a surplus of 10 per cent 
 and 3 per cent of undivided profits, totalling a net profit for the 
 eleven months of 18 per cent. Deposits at that time were $55,000, 
 since which time they have been increasing at the rate of about $5,000 
 per month. The bank is decorated in the empire style and has hand- 
 some offices and directors' rooms. The bank is a member of the 
 American Bankers' Association, the South Dakota Bankers' Associa- 
 tion, and carries burglar insurance. The officers are C. E. McEach- 
 ron, president; George W. Bertschy, vice-president, and D. W. Web- 
 ster, cashier. The capital is $10,000. This bank is one of the few 
 buying placer gold to-day. 
 
 It would surprise residents of many larger cities to- know the 
 enormous business done by some -of the hardware and general mer- 
 chandise establishments of Hill City, but, of course, the population 
 of the town itself is practically only a supply department for a very 
 large population. 
 
DBADWOOD'S MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. 
 
DEADWOOD. 
 
 Deadwood, the county seat of Lawrence county, possesses many 
 of the elements of metropolitanism usually found in a city of loo,- 
 ooo inhabitants. These are displayed in the large volume of busi- 
 ness transacted by its banks and mercantile houses, the substantial 
 and modern character of the buildings in the business center of the 
 city, the improved facilities enjoyed for communication with the 
 rest of the world and its ready accessibility from almost any direc- 
 tion. It has been termed "the biggest little city in the world," and 
 there is warrant for the appellation. Its people are hospitable, gen- 
 erous and well informed; they live well, in costly, richly furnished 
 homes, and are discriminating in the matter of dress and the selec- 
 tion of their amusements. They are generally well traveled and 
 enlightened by personal observation regarding the best in art and 
 literature. They are not too much engrossed with their business 
 responsibilities and successes to take time to cultivate the higher 
 gifts, and there are few of its leading citizens who do not pay 
 frequent visits to the large cities of America or journey abroad. 
 The city government is well organized and vigilant. The internal 
 improvements are modern in character and efforts are made by 
 the city administration to serve the best interests of the citizens. 
 
 U. & POSFOFFICK AND COCKT HO OSB BUIUJING, DEADWOOD, 
 
 Law and order have ever been held, even since the first settlement 
 of the city, in proper esteem, and no people are more fervent than 
 those of Deadwood in their loyalty to the majesty of government. 
 Deadwood is located at the confluence of Whitewood and Dead- 
 wood streams, but the narrow valleys formed by these waterways 
 have proven inadequate to the growth of the city, so it has climbed 
 the surrounding hillsides, many of the most handsome and costly 
 residences being hundreds of feet above the business section, the 
 houses rising in terraces, one above the other, half hidden by the 
 growth of pines and spruce. Deadwood was originally located on 
 April 26, 1876, but since that time its growth has extended far 
 beyond the borders of the original town site; it has withstood two 
 disastrous fires, the first of which destroyed the entire business 
 section of the city and a large part of the residence portion. Re- 
 fusing to accept the proffered assistance freely tendered by numer- 
 ous western cities, the people of Deadwood, undismayed by their 
 great loss, began the rebuilding of their places of business and 
 homes. This great fire, which occurred September 26, 1879, 
 was followed four years later, in May, 1883, by a flood 
 which washed away all that portion of the business part of 
 
 the city lying to the east and south of Main street, and entailing 
 an enormous loss of property. This did not discourage its people, 
 for they again went at the task of rebuilding the city and again 
 refused the offers made of outside assistance. March S, 1894, the 
 city was again visited by a fire which destroyed a large part of the 
 business section of the city, but even these successions of disaster 
 did not discourage the people, for in the places formerly occupied 
 by wooden structures now rise buildings of stone and brick, mod- 
 ern in all of their appointments, and the city itself, no matter what 
 may have been the individual losses, has benefited from every one 
 of these visitations. 
 
 Deadwood was first incorporated as a city in 1881, by an act 
 of the legislature of the territory of Dakota. By this act Dead- 
 wood, South Deadwood, Cleveland, Ingleside. Elizabethtown, Chi- 
 natown, Fountain City, Montana City and several other smaller 
 hamlets were included in one corporation, the late Judge Daniel 
 McLaughlin having been appointed the city's first mayor. Since 
 passing under the control of a city government many public im- 
 provements have been made in the city. The streets have been 
 macadamized, fire limits established, a system of city schools, equal 
 in point of proficiency to that enjoyed by any city in the West, pro- 
 vided, waterworks built, a splendid fire department and police force 
 organized, and other municipal needs satisfied. 
 
 At no time in its history could Deadwood ever be classed as 
 a "gross town." It has ever been singularly free from the bad 
 element that has made other western and frontier towns notorious, 
 although writers of blood and thunder stories have frequently laid 
 the scenes of their fiction within her portals. The people of the 
 city have ever held in veneration the teachings of the Master, and 
 in such a community it has not been difficult to plant the seeds of 
 religion. The first religious organization in Deadwood was formed 
 by the Congregational Society in the fall of 1876, and its first 
 church edifice was built early in 1877. Since that date this society 
 has grown to a wonderful extent, and is to-day in a most prosperous 
 and flourishing condition, owning its building and the ground upon 
 which it stands, while its membership is large and growing. 
 
 Closely following the Congregationalists came the Methodists, 
 and they, in 1877, through their missionaries, began the dissemina- 
 tion of the gospel. Their first church was destroyed by the flood 
 of 1883, but the society secured another lot and has now erected 
 upon it one of the handsomest church edifices in the state. The 
 congregation is a large one and the society is one of the most 
 prosperous in the Northwest. 
 
 In 1877 the Catholics built their first church in Deadwood, a 
 small frame structure, which has long since given way to a more 
 pretentious edifice. This church, while its missionaries were among 
 the very first to follow the gold seekers and the pioneers to the 
 new Eldorado, has always been modest in its claims, but the good 
 it has done will always remain a pleasant memory with the pio- 
 neers. It has a very large following;^ in Deadwood, and is in a 
 prosperous condition. 
 
 It was not until 1878 that the first services held by an Epis- 
 copal minister were had in Deadwood, but since that time the 
 church has grown and now owns one of the prettiest little churches 
 in the West. Its services are well attended and it is highly suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 It was not until several years later that a society of Baptists 
 was formed in the city, but to-day that denomination has a very 
 large following in Deadwood and owns one of the best church edi- 
 fices in the city. 
 
 Trinity M. E. church, in the First ward of the city, is another 
 organization which has a large membership and which is doing 
 much good along the lines laid down by its founders. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 93 
 
 Church societies abound, and every congregation has its auxil- 
 iary corps of workers. Branches of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association, the Young Women's Christian Association and the 
 Epworth League have been established and every phase of church 
 work is represented. 
 
 The Lutherans hold religious services in the city at stated in- 
 tervals, as do also the Seventh Day Adventists, but neither denomi- 
 nation has as yet a home of its own. 
 
 The Jews hold services in the city hall. 
 
 Deadwood's location makes it favorable for the establishment at 
 this place of plants for the treatment of ores. Running into and 
 through the great mining region of the northern Black Hills are 
 branches of two of the greatest railroad systems in the United 
 States, the Northwestern and the Burlington. From Deadwood 
 lines of narrow-gauge railroads owned by these companies reach 
 every mine of prominence,, and from them is brought to the city 
 for treatment i,S00 tons of ore daily. 
 
 Here are located the mammoth 500-ton smelter of the Golden 
 Reward Mining Company and its 2SO-ton cyanide plant; the 300- 
 ton mill of the Hidden Fortune company ; the 200-ton mill of- the 
 Dakota company ; the 200-ton mill of the Imperial Gold Mining 
 Company; the Rossiter cyanide mill of 100 tons daily capacity, and 
 the Glass & Ogden cyanide plant of 35 tons daily capacity. When 
 it is considered that all of the ore treated by these plants will give 
 better returns than $6 per ton, the importance of Deadwood as a 
 milling and smelting center can be justly appreciated. 
 
 Wholesale and retail business houses, carrying stocks as large 
 as many of the big establishments of larger cities, abound, and the 
 volume of business transacted by each is heavy, for not only have 
 the demands and wants of the city itself to be satisfied, but a popu- 
 lous country tributary to the city has to be supplied, and to do this 
 businesses requiring large capital are necessary. 
 
 Aside from the mining interests, other lines of manufacturing 
 are represented. A foundry and machine shop, which gives employ- 
 ment to a number of men, has been established, and from this 
 foundry most of the heavy pillars, beams and castings which have 
 entered into the construction of Deadwood's- most handsome build- 
 ings have come. A cigar factory supplies a part of the trade with 
 goods; a creamery, the largest in the state, finds a ready market 
 for all of its manufactured wares at prices which are reasonable 
 and return a fair profit. Two plants for the manufacture of pressed 
 and common brick, two planing and finishing mills, are kept busy 
 supplying the demand for building materials, while every line of 
 mechanical industry, including steam laundries, is represented, and , 
 those engaged in the business are never lacking for something to 
 do, the employes receiving the highest going wages. Ever since the 
 city graduated from the placer mining class it has enjoyed unpar- 
 alleled prosperity along these lines and the wage earner has always 
 been handsomely compensated for his toil. 
 
 The Olympic Association is a social organization (organized in 
 1894) numbering about 200 of the best young men of the city, and 
 contributes greatly to the pleasures of those socially inclined. It 
 occupies one of the best appointed halls in the city, the equipments 
 for the use of its members including- every known device for the 
 training of athletes, while a well-stocked library appeals to those 
 of its members who do not care for the strenuous in life. Several 
 women's clubs -and literary clubs, all with good memberships, hold 
 weekly meetings and add to the social features of the city. 
 
 Lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica, Woodmen of the World, Degree of Honor, Redmen, Knights 
 of Pythias, Knights of Columbus, Daughters of the American Rev- 
 olution, Grand Army of th\; Republic, Women's Relief Corps, Elks 
 and Eagles have been ^organized in the city and have large and 
 devoted followings. The Masonic fraternity but a few years ago 
 completed a $60,000 temple, in which meet the different branches 
 of that order, the Blue Lodge, -4^(;h^i^r, ' Knights Templars, the 
 Consistory of Sppttish Rites Ma-B^s"for the western division of 
 South Dakota and the Order of -tille Mystic Shrine. 
 
 In the summer of 1903 the Hotel Franklin, conceded to be the 
 handsomest and best appointed hotel in the state, was finished and 
 thrown open to the public at a cost of nearly $150,000, and has 
 added greatly to the popularity of Deadwood as a hotel town, for 
 it is conducted in strictly metropolitan style. 
 
 The stockholders of the hotel are mostly business men of the 
 city and the hotel is a monument to their progressive ideas. Thev 
 are fortunate in their selection of Mr. Harold Hamilton as man- 
 ager. Mr. Hamilton has had large experience from a famous water- 
 ing place near Cincinnati — the Lagoon — where he was formerly stew- 
 ard in charge; also at Chattanooga, Indianapolis and Danville, 111., 
 and later as manager of the Iler-Grand in Omaha, and his thorough 
 knowledge of the hotel business enabled him to adopt the methods 
 of a metropolitan hotel (instead of running sucb a handsome house 
 in country style), and yet hold the expenses down to reasonable 
 sums. The house has 80 rooms, of which more than half are fur- 
 nished with private bath room.s, having both hot and cold water. 
 It is lighted by electric bulbs ; is steam-heated throughout, beau- 
 tifully furnished, has a very handsome lobby, and every room in 
 the house is an outside room. 
 
 THE BULLOCK. 
 
 The Bullock, which before the advent of the Franklin was the 
 first hotel in Deadwood, was closed at that time and has now been 
 reopened under the proprietorship of John H. Fredinburg. The 
 hotel has been thoroughly renovated and many improvements have 
 been added. It is now furnished throughout with steam heat and 
 electric lights, while hot and cold water baths are on each floor. 
 The house has sixty sleeping rooms and a number of very fine 
 sample rooms for traveling men. The sample rooms are particu- 
 larly light and cheerful. The house is run on the European plan. 
 
 Mr. Fredinburg, the proprietor, is an experienced hotel man, 
 having formerly run the Harney Peak Hotel at Hill City, S. D., 
 and a house at Hyanis, Neb. He is well acquainted among trav- 
 eling men, to whom he especially caters and with whom he is very 
 popular. 
 
 THE GILLMORE. 
 
 The Gillmore is another excellent house and is well situated on 
 the first terrace to the west of the city, commanding a beautiful 
 view in all directions.. 
 
 Several other caravansaries cater to the traveling public. Dead- 
 wood is well supplied with hotels, and has many times demon- 
 strated its ability to care for crowds of visitors. 
 
 NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 In the newspaper field, the Daily Pioneer Times (owned by 
 W. H. Bonham^ who is_ also postmaster), occupies the distinctive 
 position of being the most prosperous publication in western South 
 Dakota. It prints daily telegraphic reports and all the local and 
 mining news of the Hills. At present it is the only daily publica- 
 tion in the city. The Weekly Mining Review looks after the mining 
 interests of the community in a first-class and conservative man- 
 ner. These are the only publications now issuing from the city. 
 
 SCHOOLS. 
 
 Deadwood's pride is its public school system. For the year 
 ending June 30, 1903, there were 1,473 children of school age in the 
 city, and up to that date there were enrolled upon the rosters of the 
 different schools a daily average of 1,200. To accommodate these 
 children the city has built, at great expense, six modern brick 
 school buildings, and for their care and instruction employs a prin- 
 cipal and twenty-three teachers and assistants. The high school 
 is situated in the center of the city and the graded schools in the 
 different wards. The direction of the school affairs is looked after 
 by a board consisting of two members from each ward and one 
 from the city at large. The school fund is a large one and care- 
 fully handled. 
 
 In Deadwood is located the United States assay office, through 
 which passes a large portion of the gold mined in the Black Hills. 
 This year work will begin upon a government building, which will 
 cost when completed $200,000. Other building enterprises by indi- 
 viduals and corporations will be inaugurated this year, and it is 
 estimated that the improvements for 1904 will aggregate over 
 $i,ooo,coo. Deadwood is at the present time substantially built, the 
 log cabins and frame shacks, of the pioneer days having given way 
 
•a 
 
 u 
 O 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 95 
 
 to the march of improvement, and in no city of its size in the West 
 can more handsome business and dwelling houses be found. 
 
 CITY GOVERNMENT.' 
 
 The government of the city is in the hands of a mayor and 
 board of aldermen. The mayor holds his office for two years and 
 the aldermen for a like period. Four aldermen, one from each 
 ward, are elected on alternate years. The present mayor, Edward 
 McDonald, has proven a most enterprising officer, who has been 
 untiring in his efforts to advance and improve the city, in which 
 work he has been ably assisted by the aldermen, between whom 
 and himself there is perfect concord. This spirit of municipal en- 
 terprise is giving the city well-paved streets, an improved system 
 of waterworks, perfect illumination by electric light and gas of the 
 city's thoroughfares, and has fostered the organization of the best 
 volunteer fire department in the West, and has supplied it with 
 every requisite for fighting fire. The fire department consists of 
 eight hose companies, a chemical engine and two hook and ladder 
 companies, which have a record that cannot be beaten. 
 
 Two large electric power and light plants are located here, one 
 furnishing the power to operate the Burlington system of electric 
 railroads between Deadwood and Lead, and the other furnishing the 
 light for the city and the power to move the machinery in many 
 small factories and business houses. 
 
 The Deadwood Gas Company has but recently completed a 
 large plant for the manufacture of gas, and its pipe lines are laid 
 through every street and alley of the city. 
 
 Two branches from two of the largest railroad companies in the 
 United States, the Northwestern and the Burlington, enter Dead- 
 wood, and their depots, passenger and freight, are among the hand- 
 somest structures erected here. From Deadwood branch narrow 
 and broad gauge lines penetrating the mining districts in every direc- 
 tion, and the question of transportation, which in early days was a 
 serious problem, has now been solved. In the matter of communi- 
 cation with Lead, there are 43 trains daily, while with other sec- 
 tions of the Hills there are 20 more. 
 
 The first system of telephones placed in the Black Hills was 
 established in Deadwood in 1879, and from that date it has grown 
 until there is not a mining camp or hamlet in the entire 100 miles 
 square of the country but what is in direct communication with 
 this metropolis. Some years ago another telephone company en- 
 tered the field and now serves a vast number of patrons. In 1903 
 the old company began the work of placing its lines, where they 
 crossed and occupied the main streets of the city, underground, 
 and late in the winter completed the improvement, besides installing 
 an up-to-date and complete station and exchange. The Western 
 Union Telegraph Company's lines enter the city, so communication 
 with the outside world can be readily had. 
 
 The Deadwood District Telegraph Company has for the past 
 three years had a good messenger service in vogue. 
 
 St. Joseph's Hospital, under the charge of the Sisters of the 
 Catholic church, is an institution in which the people of Deadwood 
 take the greatest pride. It is equipped with every appliance for the 
 care of the ill and injured, and no one, no matter how poor in 
 worldly wealth, is ever turned from its doors. A large corps of 
 physicians give their service to the hospital, and under them is an 
 efficient corps of nurses. 
 
 The Deadwood postoffice is the distributor for the surrounding 
 cities of the Hills, and the following interesting figures (of 1903) 
 were furnished by Postmaster W. H. Bonham: 
 
 Sale of stamps, etc., box rent and second-class post- 
 age $ i6,743-8i 
 
 Postal remittances received 8,422.53 
 
 12,726 money orders issued (domestic and inter.) 100,852.34 
 
 Fees on above 810.04 
 
 4,708 money orders paid (domestic and inter.) SS,7oi.55 
 
 Money order remittances received from local postoffices. . 474,652.21 
 
 DEADWOOD CREAMERY. 
 
 This creamery (before referred to) which is owned by A. D. 
 Sears, is worthy of special mention. It has a capacity of 2,000 
 
 pounds of butter per day. It is now making from 1,000 to 1,200 
 pounds per day, and is increasing fast. Five people are em- 
 ployed in the work and the cream is brought mainly from nine 
 gathering stations in Nebraska, from 200 to 400 miles distant, and 
 shipped in by express. There are also several other stations in the 
 Black Hills. 
 
 The butter is sold in every town in the Black Hills and ship- 
 ment has been made as far east as New York City. The quality 
 of this butter scored higher than any of Nebraska in the National 
 Creamery Buttermen's Combination in Milwaukee in October, 1902. 
 Out of 800 entries, only 32 scored as high in point of quality as 
 that manufactured by this creamery, which is the largest one in the 
 Black Hills. 
 
 Mr. Sears also manufactures ice cream, with a rapidly increas- 
 ing trade, and does a large poultry and egg business, the poultry 
 being kept alive and utilized as trade demands. The principal job- 
 bing business of the Hills in eggs is done by this creamery, which 
 also conducts a wholesale trade in cream. 
 
 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 Banking has always been a prosperous business in Deadwood, 
 with liberal deposits arid a good demand for loans. The following 
 three institutions, in order of establishment, will give an idea of 
 its extent : 
 
 FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DEADWOOD. 
 
 This bank was established under another name in 1877, but it 
 became a national bank in 1878. Its capital is $100,000, with a 
 surplus of $8s,ooo, and deposits of $900,000. Harris Franklin, 
 banker, mine operator' and capitalist, is the president; T. J. Grier, 
 superintendent of the Homestake mine, vice-president, and D. A. 
 Mc'Pherson, cashier. 
 
 Mr. McPherson is a Canadian by birth, having been born at 
 Lancaster, Ontario, a little west of Montreal. His first experience 
 in banking was at Helena, Mont., in 1871, and later at Bozeman, 
 where in 1872 he organized the First National Bank. He entered 
 banking in Deadwood in 1877 and became cashier of the First Na- 
 tional Bank in 1882. Mr. McPherson was a county commissioner 
 for eight years, and was four years on the school board. He has 
 for the past eight years been a member of the city council. 
 
 AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK OF DEADWOOD. 
 
 This bank was established in 1893. Its capital is $50,000 and 
 .surplus $10,000; the undivided profits and contingency fund amount 
 to $140,000. William E. Adams is president and N. E. Franklin 
 cashier. The directorate also includes John Treber, one of the 
 wealthiest merchants of Deadwood; Benjamin Baer, a capitalist 
 now living in St. Paul, who made his fortune in the Black Hills 
 in conjunction with Harris Franklin; and Harris Franklin, who 
 has been one of the most successful men of the Black Hills. Mr. 
 Franklin, in company with New York capitalists, is heavily inter- 
 ested in the cattle industry. He is vice-president and general man- 
 ager of the Golden Reward mine and Golden Reward smelter, of 
 which Mr. E. H. Harriman of New York City is president, and was 
 the first banker of Deadwood, with whose city affairs he has always 
 been prominent. The Franklin Hotel was named in his honor. 
 
 BLACK HILLS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 The organization of new banks is always an indicator of the 
 prosperity of the community in which they are organized to transact 
 business. New banks indicate growing financial resources of the 
 district. The Black Hills Trust and Savings Bank was organized 
 last summer in Deadwood, and opened its doors September 8, 1903. 
 It is chartered under the laws of the state of South Dakota, to 
 transact a general banking business. Its capital is $50,000 and sur- 
 plus $12,500, fully paid in. Prominent business men of Deadwood 
 are stockholders and directors in the institution, and a large amount 
 of the stock is held in different cities in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Since the bank was organized it has enjoyed a liberal patron- 
 age from the business men of Deadwood, and the especial care given 
 to savings accounts has made it popular with the laboring man as 
 

 THE PRESIDENT (JOHN R. EUSSELL) AND FOUR DIRECTORS OP THE DEADWOOD BUSINESS CLUB. 
 ■rUe other members cf the dh-ectorate, Mayor Edward McDonald and George S. Jackson will be found in these pages. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 97 
 
 BLACK HILLS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 well. Deeds in escrow, issuing of drafts on all parts of the world, 
 dealing in bills of exchange, promissory notes, buying and selling 
 of exchange, loaning of money on real estate — in fact, a general 
 banking business is transacted. The savings department is a feature 
 of the institution deserving of especial mention. Deposits are re- 
 
 ceived of $1 and upward, on which interest at the rate of 4 per 
 cent per annum is paid on all accounts standing six months or 
 more. Interest is compounded semi-annually. 
 
 The institution is occupying temporary quarters in the Phoenix 
 building on Main street, but has in course of construction an ele- 
 gant building at the corner of Main and Shine streets— undoubt- 
 edly one of the best business locations in the city. 
 
 The new building is constructed of brick and stone, with pol- 
 ished granite columns. It will contain a modern fire and burglar 
 proof vault of chrome steel and has automatic doors, and will be 
 equipped with safe deposit boxes. 
 
 To sh6w the growth of the institution in five months' business, 
 the deposits February i, 1904, had grovm to $81,000, and are in- 
 creasing from $15,000 to $20,000 per month. 
 
 The bank has recently been made a depository for Lawrence 
 county. 
 
 The ofiScers are: M. J. Gallup, president; R. S. Jamison, vice- 
 president; F. M. Brooder, cashier. The directors comprise the fol- 
 lowing, all of whom excepting the last three mentioned are resi- 
 dents of Deadwood, they being Pennsylvania gentlemen : B. P. 
 Dague, George M. Johnson, F. D. Smith, Burt Rogers, R. S. Jami- 
 son, F. M. Brooder, M. J. Gallup, M. Hirsch and Richard Coulter, 
 Jr. Mr. Brooder, the cashier, was for several years prior to his 
 coming to Deadwood the assistant cashier of the Kane Bank and 
 Trust Company of Kane, Pa., and has since his arrival made many 
 friends in the community, with whom he has had social and business 
 intercourse. Although a young man, he has had considerable bank- 
 ing experience, having entered the employ of the Kane Bank and 
 Trust Company as messenger 17 years ago and advanced to book- 
 keeper, head bookkeeper and assistant cashier. He has made his way 
 up the ladder with a place at the top as his one ambition, and is a 
 man in whom the confidence of the community is placed. 
 
 Among the eastern stockholders are the following residents of 
 Pennsylvania : J. M. Jamison, president ; W. W. Jamison, general 
 manager Jamison Coal and Coke Co., Greensburg, Pa.; Richard 
 Coulter, Jr., vice-president First National bank, Greensburg, Pa. ; 
 H. F. Seanor, director Safe Deposit and Trust Co., Greensburg, 
 Pa.; C. H. Loucks, cashier First National bank, Scottdale; S. F. 
 Potter, director Barclay Trust Co., Greensburg; M. J. Gallup, presi- 
 dent Mt. Jewett bank; J. B. Hirsch, director Kane Bank and Trust 
 Co. ; Fred Johnson, director Kane Trust and Savings Co. ; A. D. 
 Gould, president Home Gas Co., Eldred, Pa. 
 
 DEADWOOD BUSINESS CLUB. 
 
 In the summer of 1901 the necessity of a Federal building in 
 Deadwood became so apparent that its citizens decided to supple- 
 ment the working of the South Dakota delegation in congress by 
 something more substantial than the passing of resolutions. To this 
 end a meeting was held, at which assembled the leading men of the 
 city. This meeting was held in the office of Congressman E. W. 
 Martin, and at the time the claims of Deadwood for this public im- 
 provement thoroughly discussed. At this meeting it was suggested 
 by Congressman Martin that the gentlemen present could work in 
 greater harmony and to a better purpose should they organize them- 
 selves into an association for not only carrying on the work on 
 hand but also such other work as might arise looking to the fur- 
 therance of Deadwood's interests along other lines. 
 
 This suggestion of Congressman Martin was well received, and 
 a few days after another meeting was held, at which plans for the 
 formation and organization of a business club or a board of trade 
 were formulated. The plans of the projectors received the endorse- 
 ment of the business men, professional men and citizens generally, 
 and the result was that on the Sth day of December, 1901, the Busi- 
 ness Oub of Deadwood came into a full existence, and since that 
 time has labored hard to advance every interest of the city and has 
 accomplished during that short period wonders. 
 
 Organization was effected by the election of D. A. McPherson, 
 cashier of the First National Bank ; Harris Franklin, president of 
 
 the American National Bank and manager of the Golden Reward 
 Mining Company; S. W. Russell, general manager of the Clover 
 Leaf Mining Company; George V. Ayres, a prominent merchant; 
 James Munn, contractor and builder; B. P. Dague, a well-known 
 man in insurance circles, and John R. Wilson, an attorney of prom- 
 inence, as a board of directors. 
 
 The board of directors at its first meeting chose as officers for 
 the club John R. Wilson, president; S. W. Russell, vice-president; 
 Charles A. Coe, secretary; R. N. Ogden, treasurer. 
 
 With a membership of 150 of the best and most enterprising 
 citizens of the city, a progressive corps of officers and a determina- 
 tion to succeed in all of its endeavors inspiring the membership, 
 the club began its active life. Quarters for the new organization 
 were secured in the Waite block on the corner of Main and Dead- 
 wood streets. These quarters of the club have been handsomely 
 furnished and every comfort provided for the benefit of the mem- 
 bers and visitors. Reading rooms, billiard rooms, card rooms, pri- 
 vate apartments for the officers and a cafe were provided. In these 
 rooms are entertained the guests of the club and the distinguished 
 visitors to the city, and here are prepared and discussed plans for 
 the city's welfare. 
 
 The very first work of importance to be taken up was the loca- 
 tion of a Federal building in the city, and so well did the commit- 
 tees of the club perform their appointed tasks in compiling a mass of 
 
98 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 statistics and data regarding the business interests of Deadwood, the 
 volume of trade passing through it, its importance as the business 
 center of western South Dakota, its accessibility from all other sec- 
 tions of the Black Hills and its desirability as a place in which 
 should be located the land ofiSce for this district, the weather bu- 
 reau, and the proper city in this section in which to hold the regular 
 terms of the Federal court, that it was a prime factor in securing 
 an appropriation of $200,000 for the erection of a public building, 
 and by its labors lightened the task of the congressional delegation 
 in securing the desired appropriations. 
 
 Its next important work was the building of the Franklin 
 Hotel, the finest in the state, which was erected at a cost of over 
 $100,000. To secure the erection of this building the club members 
 pledged themselves to furnish the necessary money, Harris Frank- 
 lin, one of the directors, being the largest subscriber to the fund, 
 while the balance of the amount necessary to complete the building 
 and furnish it was subscribed by the other members and citizens 
 in varying sums. 
 
 During the three years it has been in existence the club has 
 spent a great deal of money in advertising the country, and through 
 its efforts it has induced the location at Deadwood of a number of 
 cyanide and other plants for the treatment of ores, besides being 
 responsible for many other improvements and the loccttion here of 
 industrial works. 
 
 The second year of its existence found the club with a mem- 
 bership of 170, and every individual composing it as enthusiastic 
 in the work as were the original organizers. The same board of 
 directors was chosen to serve the second year, but there was a 
 change in the officers of the club, S. W. Russell having been elected 
 president; Harris Franklin, vice-president; Otto P. Th. Grantz, 
 treasurer; O. U. Pryce, secretary. The new officers did not allow 
 the work of the organization to flag, but took the keenest interest 
 
 in that under way, and by a great deal of self-sacrifice and public 
 spirit, carried to a successful conclusion many of the projects 
 started by the club during the first year of its organization. 
 
 In December, 1903, a new board of directors was elected to 
 serve for the ensuing year, and this board elected as the club officials 
 the following gentlemen : President, John R. Russell, an attorney 
 of prominence, who was appointed to the office of city attorney 
 under the administration of Mayor McDonald; Albe Holmes, a 
 mining man of long experience and one of the most successful of 
 the Black Hills, was elected vice-president; John Wilson, a success- 
 ful hardware merchant of Deadwood, was elected treasurer. 
 
 The other directors are H. S. Vincent, conceded to be a promi- 
 nent railway and mining engineer; H. O. Allen, who is deputy clerk 
 of the district court; George S. Jackson, a promoter of prominence 
 in mining circles, and Edward McDonald, mayor of the city, who 
 increased his already manifold and taxing duties to help solve with 
 his long and technical experience the peculiar conditions constantly 
 arising. 
 
 The directorate appointed C. A. Coe as secretary, owing to his 
 previous experience in that capacity and his abilities as an ac- 
 countant. 
 
 A house committee consisting of D. F. Kinney, W. A. Remer 
 and Albe Holmes, of which Albe Holmes is chairman, looks after 
 the interests of the club, provides reading matter, sees to the care 
 of the rooms and performs the other duties necessary to keep the 
 establishment to its highest standard. Committees on entertainment, 
 transportation, membership and legislation, composed of the bright- 
 est members in the club, have duties to perform which they do 
 gladly and with ability. The club meets in business session once 
 every month, at which meetings plans are discussed and projects 
 suggested for bringing trade to the city and for the profitable em- 
 ployment of its vast resources. 
 
 THE QUESTION OF COAL. 
 
 In the conduct of its mining and industrial operations the 
 Black Hills is not forced to rely on distant fields for the coal 
 necessary to carry them on. At Cambria, Wyo., but a short railroad 
 haul distant, are located some of the most productive coal mines in 
 the West, producing an article which meets all the requirements for 
 coking and for domestic and industrial purposes. From Sheridan, 
 Wyo., at a distance of 240 miles from the mining center, is mined 
 an excellent grade of coal, for a very large part of which a good 
 market is found in the Black Hills. From Cambria, at the present 
 time, comes the largest part of the coke used in the Black Hills, 
 while for steam and domestic purposes the Sheridan coal has the 
 call. 
 
 Sixty-five miles west from Deadwood are located the Sundance 
 coal fields, which are as yet but in process of development, but 
 with the work already done upon them give promise of equaling 
 the Sheridan, Cambria or Newcastle coal in point of excellence and 
 quantity. A syndicate of Eastern gentlemen, at the head of which is 
 Colonel Twombly of Minneapolis, has secured possession of ten 
 thousand acres of land on this belt of coal, and it is upon 
 this property that most of the work of developing and ex- 
 ploring has been done. This work shows that there are 
 now exposed three distinct veins of very good coal, that 
 found at depth being of a better grade than that found nearer the 
 surface. The coal is found on a level plateau, far enough removed 
 from the Black Hills uplift to insure the continuity of the veins. 
 The first of these veins is encountered at a depth of 150 feet, and 
 is from four to four and one-half feet thick; the second was struck 
 in a tunnel which had been driven into the slope of the plateau 
 one hundred feet below the first vein; the work done upon this 
 
 vein has proven it to be from five and a half feet to six feet in 
 thickness, and of a most desirable quality for either steam or 
 domestic purposes. At a depth of three hundred and ninety-four 
 feet a third seam of bright, free hard coal has been struck. This 
 is a workable vein of from seven to eight feet in thickness, and 
 possesses many of the characteristics of anthracite, so a good 
 description of it would be ''semi-anthracite." The heat value of 
 this coal in British thermal units nearly equals that of Hocking 
 valley coal. To assist in the development of this ground there is 
 at hand an abundance of excellent timber, as well as an ample 
 supply of water for all purposes. 
 
 In order to bring the Sundance coal to the Black Hills market it 
 will be necessary to build but a few miles of railroad, and this en- 
 terprise has already received a start, the Wyoming & Black Hills 
 Railroad Company, which has already a part of its roadbed graded, 
 proposing to run its line from the coal fields, ten miles west from 
 Sundance, to connections with both the Burlington and Northwestern 
 systems. After these connections have been made this road will be 
 continued east to Pierre, the capital of the state, thus giving the 
 Black Hills direct connections with Minneapolis, St. Paul and other 
 Northwestern points of importance. Colonel L. C. Twombly, who is 
 the directing genius of the enterprise, has the pledge of all the capi- 
 tal necessary to carry the enterprise to a successful completion, and 
 already has started the preliminary work, so it is believed that by 
 igo6 the coal fields will not only be connected direct by rail with 
 Deadwood and Lead, but that the Black Hills will have what it has 
 needed for many years, an east and west line of road connectinsic 
 the country direct with the great markets of the Northwest. 
 
 At Aladdin, connected by rail' with Belle Fotirche, good coal 
 has been mined and shipped for some time. 
 
LEAD. 
 
 Lead, pre-eminently a city of homes, is one of the most pros- 
 perous municipalities in the West and one of the best governed. 
 Lead's history begins with the invasion of the northern Hills by 
 the gold seekers, who had the year before prospected and mined 
 along the creeks and gulches of the southern Hills. In February, 
 1876, Thomas E. Carey, an adventurous argonaut, who had lo- 
 cated on Deadwood Gulch, crossed the divide separating that gulch 
 from what is now known as Gold Run creek, in a search for placer 
 gold. The situation looked favorable on Gold Run, and the ex- 
 perienced eye of the old placer miner at once detected the indica- 
 tions which bespoke the richness of the virgin soil. Prospecting 
 the gravels of the creek, he was not long in finding that his sur- 
 mises were correct and that the gulch would pay Jo work. ' 
 
 Mr. Carey lost no time is locating a claim, and that com- 
 pleted, he imparted to his friends on. Deadwood Gulch the fact 
 
 had been built during the first year of its existence. Quartz mining 
 had not at this time received much attention in the Black Hills, 
 the efforts of the miners being directed to the discovery and de- 
 velopment of placer ground, so the first year of its existence left 
 Washington still a struggling hamlet, hiding in the depths of a 
 thickly wooded gulch, and its sources of revenue and opportunities 
 for providing labor rapidly diminishing. In the year following, 
 1877, when the first attempts at quartz mining were made, the 
 town received a new lease of life and gradually began expanding, 
 climbing up out of the dark depths of the gulch and spreading 
 itself over the surrounding hillsides, until to-day, when it seems 
 as though the mining industry in that section has reached the 
 limit of its expansion, there stands the second largest city in the 
 state of South Dakota and one of the most prosperous, providing 
 the best of going wages, constant employment for an army of 
 
 HOMES OF EMPLOYES OF THE HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY AT LEAD. 
 Ei-ected witbin the exterior boundaries of the great mine and occupying their sites, by permission of the company, free of charge. 
 
 that he had discovered rich diggings across the divide. As Dead- 
 wood Gulch was but a short distance from the new placer fields 
 and thickly populated, it was not long before every foot of ground 
 on Gold Run and its tributaries was located, and the usual mining 
 camp sprang into existence. The gulch proved to be rich in placer 
 gold, and a number of fortunes were washed from its gravels before 
 they had been worked over, and even for many years afterward 
 Gold Run proved to be a paying proposition to the old-time placer 
 miner with his sluice boxes and his rocker. 
 
 Shortly after the location of the gulch and its settlement a 
 town site was laid out. This new city, in a wilderness of pines, 
 which was to be but the beginning of the prosperous city of Lead, 
 was given the name of Washington. For a time its growth was 
 slow, and only the log cabins of the placer miners and one or 
 two unpretentious frame buildings, dignified by the name of stores, 
 
 between 3,000 and 3,500 skilled mechanics, miners and laborers, 
 a city of homes, under the watchful care of a municipal government 
 which guards its every interest with a jealous care. 
 
 In 1877 the first gold-bearing quartz mined within the present 
 limits of Lead was treated, and the precious metal which it con- 
 tained released from its enclosing rock. This consisted of 4,100 tons 
 of rock, mined from the Homestake mine by the Manuel Brothers, 
 who hauled it to Whitewood creek, two miles to the south, where 
 they had built an arasta. In this crude treatment plant the quartz 
 was ground, and so satisfactory was the result that the mine from 
 which it had been taken at once came into prominence. This first 
 attempt was followed by the erection of the Racine mill, a twenty- 
 stamp mill on the south fork of Gold Run, on the Pierce mine, just 
 above the present site of the residence of Superintendent Grier of 
 the Homestake Alining Company. This plant, known as the Racine 
 
MAYOR OF LEAD AND CITY COUNCIL AND OFFICERS.. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 lOI 
 
 mill, contracted with the owners of the Golden Star, a promising 
 prospect adjoining the Homestake, to treat the ore from that mine 
 for $10 per ton. 
 
 This was followed by the Enos mill, the Thompson, then the 
 Given mill, Smith & Pringle, Marshman's mill, the Wambold, the 
 White mill, the Costello and several others, all treating custom 
 ore for the Homestake and Golden Star under original owners 
 until the Homestake built its first mill. Although the tolls were 
 high, for a time the ore shipped to these mills paid well despite 
 the extravagant price charged for its treatment. 
 
 This was the birth of Lead, and the infant has proven to be 
 of that healthy kind, which grows with years in strength. The 
 last census has given the city 8,000 inhabitants, but it is safe to, say 
 that the figures are much nearer 10,000. 
 
 Lead was incorporated as a city in 1890, its growth and its 
 importance demanding that the change from a village to a munici- 
 
 district completed at an expense of $31,000 an addition to the high 
 school building, a handsome structure of brick and stone. Commo- 
 dious school grounds afford ample opportunity for recreation and 
 athletic sports, the board of education, a part of the city government, 
 believing that a healthy mind is the necessary adjunct of a healthy 
 body. Lead is fortunate, so far as its schools are concerned, for 
 being situated in the center of the richest mining district in the 
 West, its school fund is the largest in the state and, despite the 
 heavy drain that is put upon it to care for the ever-increasing num- 
 ber of pupils that its schools must accommodate, it has always 
 a handsome surplus and is never in want of money to carry out any 
 improvement for the benefit of the pupils. 
 
 In the spring of 1900, March 8th, Lead was visited by a 
 disastrous fire which destroyed the business part of the city and 
 much of the residence section. In any other city the loss would 
 have discouraged the people, but not so with those of Lead. 
 
 OFFICE AND LOBBY OF HOTEL SMEAD. 
 
 pality be made. During the fourteen years elapsing from its first 
 settlement until the time of its incorporation so rapid has been its 
 growth that another ward was added, and now besides the mayor 
 eight councilmen care for the city's welfare. 
 
 Since its incorporation as a city Lead has made rapid strides 
 toward municipal greatness, and is as well equipped in this respect 
 as is any city in the West. Especially is this true with regard 
 to educational advantages offered the children of its people. In 
 1878 the first public school was opened to the children of Lead, 
 and during that year there was an average attendance at the school 
 of thirty-eight. In 1903, at the close of the school year,- there were 
 2,400 children of school age in the city, and of this number there 
 had been a daily attendance of 2,100. To accommodate these pupils 
 the city has built seven schools, modern in all of their appointments ; 
 and for the instruction of the children a superintendent, his assist- 
 ants and forty teachers are employed. During the fall of 1903 the 
 
 Although it crippled many business men temporarily, there was not 
 heard a word of complaint and the work of rebuilding was at once 
 started. Those who were able assisted their less fortunate brothers, 
 and before the year had ended the burnt district had been re- 
 built. Substantial structures of stone and brick raised from the 
 smoldering ashes of frame buildings. The credit of the merchants 
 was unlimited ; the stocks which had disappeared in smoke had been 
 replenished ; new firms had been added to the list of old ones, and 
 in less than a year from the date of the fire, commercially, Lead 
 again took the lead. Several large department stores carrying 
 stocks not to be found in cities of double the population, wholesale 
 and retail houses and jobbing firms, cater to the trade with the 
 surrounding country and the citizens of the city, which is increasing 
 with every twelve months passed. 
 
 Every year adds to the wealth and to the improvement of the 
 city, and among its most advanced and enterprising citizens are the 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 103 
 
 mayor, E. F. Irwin, and the present city council, who never hesitate 
 to expend money if it will but add to the comfort of the citizens or 
 the improvement of the city. A few years ago the necessity of a 
 sewerage system was manifestly apparent. The money was appro- 
 priated and the improvement made. In 1903 a demand was made 
 that the principal streets of the city be paved. This has been done, 
 and to do it $80,000 has been expended. Main and Mill streets being 
 paved with the best quality of vitrified brick, while plans have been 
 laid to extend this improvement to every thoroughfare of the city. 
 Streets have been graded, parks laid out and the welfare of the citi- 
 zens looked after in a manner paternal in its exactness. 
 
 CO-OPERATION OF THE HOMESTAKE. 
 
 The efforts of the city government in preserving good order 
 and deportment generally of the people have the hearty support of 
 the Homestake Company, because the company insists that its 
 employes shall not be out until all hours of the night dissipating in 
 the various resorts of the town. Men who do that are incapacitated 
 to a degree that the company thinks unfits them to fill satisfactorily 
 to it or with safety to their coemployes any position that they 
 chance to occupy in the service. There is more or less hazard in 
 all the departments of a great mining company, and especially in 
 and about its underground working and through the shafts it is 
 necessary to pass and repass to get there. This, is in justice to all. 
 A good evidence of the value of this policy is in the beautiful resi- 
 dences occupied by employes and the large sums on deposit in the 
 First National Bank, which, we are semi-officially assured, belongs 
 largely to these men. 
 
 In Lead are located the principal workings of the great Home- 
 stake Mining Company, its principal mills, cyanide works and 
 hoists, as well as the mines from which have been produced dur- 
 ing the last twenty-six years an aggregate of $100,000,000 in gold. 
 Nine hundred and forty stamps, each with a crushing capacity of 
 five tons of ore a day, free from the rock the gold which it contains. 
 To keep this large number of stamps employed an average of 2,500 
 men are daily engaged, their wages ranging from $2.50 to $12 
 per day. This company alone has a monthly payroll of about 
 $200,000, and improvements are now making which promise to 
 further augnjent this monthly expenditure by many thousands of 
 dollars. Improvements to the extent of many millions of dollars 
 have been made by the company since it first became interested in 
 Lead, and these include, aside from the immense sums spent in 
 the development and working of its mines, the largest stamp mill 
 in the world, the largest cyanide plant, the second largest hoisting 
 works in the world, a perfect system of viaducts and underground 
 railroads, waterworks, machine shops and foundry, supply houses 
 and the necessary auxiliaries for the conduct of a business which 
 adds to the world's store of gold over $4,000,000 worth of gold 
 annually. 
 
 Other mining enterprises which afford employment to a host 
 of miners, mechanics and laborers have their location within or 
 adjoining the corporate limits of the city, and their payrolls will 
 aggregate at least $50,000 monthly. These mining enterprises, 
 which are more fully described elsewhere, are not alone the sources 
 of employment and revenue which the people of the city enjoy, for 
 to supply this vast army of wage-earners with the necessities and 
 luxuries of life another army caters to its wants. 
 
 Two of Lead's greatest attractions, aside from its big mills 
 and mines are the Hearst free library and the free kindergarten. 
 Both were established through the bounty of Mrs. Phcebe Hearst, 
 widow of the late Senator Hearst of California, and one of the 
 principal stockholders in the Homestake Mining Company. The 
 library is the most complete in South Dakota, and it is so well 
 patronized that an experienced librarian is employed, together with 
 a corps of competent assistants. The kindergarten is located in 
 the most pleasant and attractive section of the city, and in the 
 spring and summer time its surrounding grounds and park are 
 beautiful, attractively appealing to the little people for whose benefit 
 the school is conducted. 
 
 Lead is lighted by electricity and gas, the mains for the latter 
 system having been laid late in the fall of 1903. The electric light 
 
 plant is the largest of its kind in the state, not only furnishing 
 power and lights for the use of Lead citizens, but also furnishing 
 the power for a number of mining companies in their mills and 
 hoists, some of them being located several miles from the city. 
 
 In the fall of 1903 the wires of the principal telephone system in 
 the city were placed underground, new and up-to-date switchboards 
 placed in operation, and the system so perfected that not a better 
 one can be found in the West. It is said that the second company, 
 the poles and wires of which occupy the alleys and side streets, will 
 soon follow the example of the first and place its wires 'beneath the 
 surface of the street. Beside the two systems of telephones, Lead 
 is connected with the outside world with lines of telegraph, so 
 communication with any part of the world can be had at a moment's 
 notice. 
 
 Two banks, a national and a state, are the mediums through 
 which the greater part of the city's business is conducted. Both are 
 prosperous, and both by their annual statements show that the 
 business of the city is yearly increasing. As an index to the char- 
 acter of Lead's people and their prosperity the statements of these 
 institutions will give the best possible idea. 
 
 FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF LEAD. 
 
 This bank was founded in 1879 under the name of S. N. Wood 
 & Co. ; later that of Thum, Lake & Co. ; in 1883 it became a State 
 bank under the name of The Lead City Bank, and in 1891 it became 
 a national bank under the present name. The footings of this 
 bank are the largest of any bank in the state and its business is 
 enormous. The capital is $50,000, with a surplus of $10,000, and 
 undivided profits of $75,000; the deposits are considerably over 
 $1,000,000. 
 
 Mr. R. H. Driscoll, cashier of the bank, is a Massachusetts 
 man, having been born at Lowell ; graduated from Harvard in 1881 ; 
 was superintendent of schools at Lead from 1883 to 1886; auditor 
 of Lawrence county from 1887 to 1889, and clerk of the courts from 
 1890 to 1894, since which time he has been associated with the 
 bank. Mr. Driscoll has been one of the most prominent men of 
 Lead and one of the most energetic props of the Mining Men's 
 Association. 
 
 Mr. T. J. Grier, superintendent of the great Homestake mine, 
 is president of the bank, and Ernest May, a pioneer and capitalist, 
 vice-president. Among the other directors are William Bartlett, 
 P. A. Gushurst and Dr. J. W. Freeman. 
 
 The new bank building, just completed, will be seen in our 
 pages. 
 
 It is also interesting to know of the character and residences of 
 the stockholders of this bank, for, with the exception of five of the 
 following gentlemen, all are residents of Lead City; therefore we 
 append the following list: 
 
 William Bartlett, Ben Baer, Malcolm Campbell, Martin Chap- 
 man, Clark & Lyon, James W. Curran, W. R. Dickinson, R. H. 
 Driscoll, Jno. Esterbrooks, Harris Franklin, Dr. J. W. Freeman, 
 J. S. Graham, T. J. Grier, Peter A. Gushurst, Aug. Hage, Clayton 
 H. Harwood, Nathan Admr. Jacobs, L. P. Jenkins, Nathaniel 
 Lamb, Ernest May, Walter W. McKay, Alex. McKenzie, William S. 
 O'Brien, Charles W. Rose, Jno. F. Sawyer, Walter A. Smead, 
 Estate of Walter E. Smead, Oscar Silver, Bishop John N. Stariha, 
 Estate of Thomas Uren and J. J. Walther. 
 
 THE MINERS & MERCHANTS SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 This was the first savings bank that was launched in the Black 
 Hills, and they did not start business until June, 1903, when it was 
 organized as a state bank with a capital of $25,000. The bank does 
 a general commercial business and has also a savings department 
 which has been very satisfactory. Tiie deposits on March ist, 1904, 
 were about $40,000, and were increasing at the rate of 20 per cent 
 per month. 
 
 The officers of the bank are H. E. Fletcher, president; George 
 F. Porter, vice-president; George B. Thompson, vice-president, and 
 J. J. Morrow, cashier. The other directors are S. R. Smith, a large 
 merchant of Lead ; T. D. Edwards, one of the city council and 
 
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 15 = 
 
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 b C 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 105 
 
 newspaper editor, and William Bartolero. Messrs. Fletcher and 
 Porter are Minneapolis capitalists. One of the heaviest stockhold- 
 ers is George W. Marquardt, president of the Marquardt Savings 
 Bank of Des Moines, and also president of the Pluma Mining Com- 
 pany. Mr. Morrow, the cashier, is a Minneapolis man, and before 
 coming to Lead had an extended experience in banking in Akeley. 
 
 NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 Two daily papers are published in the city, the Call, owned 
 and edited by I. R. Crow, one of the leading papers of the state, 
 and the Tribune, a prosperous journal, owned and edited by T. D. 
 Edwards. Both of these papers are enterprising and progressive and 
 have done work for the city and its people which cannot be meas- 
 ured by money. The Call has for many years published a very 
 valuable mining edition which has given, without exaggeration or a 
 desire to boost unworthy properties, a weekly resume of every 
 important item of mining news in the Black Hills. 
 
 But a few years since Lead's water system was completed at a 
 cost of $1,025,000. The city receives, its water from Spearfish creek 
 and tributaries, a swift running mountain stream, pure and uncon- 
 taminated. Water rent is reasonable, and the supply, while suf- 
 ficient for a much larger population, also affords ample protection 
 against fire. 
 
 Lead's fire department is one of the best in the West and as a 
 result of its proven efficiency insurance rates are very low in the city. 
 
 A large and efficient police force guards the city, but it seems 
 as though it is an unnecessary expense, for so few are the arrests 
 made and so little is the desire of the city's people to violate the 
 laws and ordinances that a position on the force is looked upon as 
 a sinecure. 
 
 The Homestake hospital, an institution primarily for the benefit 
 of those employed by that great corporation, but to which anyone 
 suffering or in need is admitted, is one of the best equipped in the 
 West, and in constant attendance is a large corps of doctors and 
 nurses. 
 
 ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 In 1877 the first miners' union in Lead was organized, but since 
 that date it has been constantly growing, and now has an active 
 membership of about 2,000. It owns its own hall, one of the finest 
 buildings in the city, is out of debt, has a handsome surplus in its 
 treasury, and since its organization has never found it necessary 
 to call its members out on a strike. It is one of the model and 
 one of the most conservative labor organizations in the world. 
 
 Fraternal organizations abound in Lead, all have a good and 
 active membership, and all appear to be in a prosperous condition. 
 Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Woodmen and various 
 other secret and benefit societies have found material from which 
 to build up prosperous and healthy lodges. 
 
 In other pages a description of the Homestake Mining Company's 
 policy toward its employes and the leasing to them, free of charge, 
 of the surface rights on which to build homes, is worthy of very 
 serious consideration; the only titles to the surface properties of 
 Lead (outside of the Homestake) are those which were vested in 
 owners of the original town site, which is a very small part of the 
 city of to-day. The company has never sold the land of one of 
 these homes; it pays land taxes and charges the lessee nothing for 
 rent. Of course many of the men would like to acquire full title, 
 land and all, and there are many prominent men who think the 
 Homestake should sell these lands to the lessees. But the company 
 has never dispossessed a single tenant, and the fact that 1,100 of its 
 employes are members of the Western Federation of Labor and 
 have never even considered the possibility of a strike is pretty con- 
 clusive evidence that the present policy will preserve peace, perma- 
 nent work at good wages, and as a consequence the present content 
 of the employes as seen on every hand. 
 
 Lead is the only city in western South Dakota that can boast 
 of a street railway system. In the fall of 1903 the Burlington Rail- 
 road Company extended its trolley line the entire length of Main 
 street, and trains make regular half-hourly trips. This improvement, 
 together with an immense storage battery plant, cost the company 
 
 in the neighborhood of $100,000. Besides the electric line both 
 the Burlington and the Northwestern systems of narrow-gauge and 
 broad-gauge lines enter the city, and both companies have expended 
 thousands of dollars in an effort to bring their lines up to the 
 highest standard and have succeeded admirably. In 1903 the North- 
 western Company finished the building of the most elaborate, beau- 
 tiful and commodious passenger depot to be found on its line 
 between Lead and Omaha. 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 Lead is a city of churches as well as a city of homes, nine 
 different congregations worshiping in their own houses. The first 
 church erected in Lead was built by the Catholic society in the 
 spring of 1878. This church was followed by the Congregational 
 society, which organized in August, 1878; then came the Methodist 
 society, organized in November, 1880, its first building being 
 destroyed by a heavy windstorm as it was nearing completion in 
 1881. That same year the society completed another and more 
 pretentious church edifice, which was completed in August, 1881, 
 and dedicated to the service of the Lord by Bishop Foss. Closely 
 following these churches came the Episcopal and Presbyterian socie- 
 ties, the Baptist, Lutheran, Scandanavian and Finn. All of these 
 church societies have large memberships and all of them are in 
 the most prosperous condition. Christ's Church (Episcopal) is 
 probably one of the handsomest churches in the state and is the 
 largest church edifice in the Black Hills. It is surrounded by hand- 
 some grounds, well cared for, and is one of the beauty spots of Lead. 
 
 In 1902 there was a segregation of the Catholic diocese of Sioux 
 Falls, and the new diocese of Lead was created, the city of Lead 
 being designated as the home of the bishop, and Rt. Rev. John N. 
 Stariha, who for several years had been vicar-general of the diocese 
 of St. Paul, commissioned to the see. The formal establishment 
 of the bishopric and the induction of the bishop occurred November 
 22, igo2, with elaborate ceremonies, participated in by the bishops 
 from several of the adjoining sees, and attended by a vast majority 
 of the citizens of Lead and the Black Hills. At that time the dio- 
 cese contained less than 7,000 communicants of the Catholic Church, 
 and of that number the city of Lead was the home of 3,500. Fol- 
 lowing the creation of the diocese and the installation of the bishop, 
 valuable improvements were inaugurated in the church property. 
 A fitting home was provided for the bishop, and before long steps 
 will be taken toward the building of a cathedral and school, which, 
 when completed, will be structures the city will be proud of, the 
 present structure proving too small for the accommodation of the 
 Catholics of Lead. 
 
 The Christian Scientists hold regular meetings at Lead and 
 they are well attended by Lead and Deadwood people. 
 
 Lead's Business Men's Club, an organization composed of every 
 public-spirited citizen of the city, during its existence has accom- 
 plished a great deal of good and has been the means of bringing 
 to Lead many improvements which otherwise would not have been 
 made. Among other things this organization has been responsible 
 for the building of the Smead hotel, one of the best-equipped 
 in the West. 
 
 The Golden Star Athletic Club is an organization composed of 
 the best young men in the city and the main social organization. 
 Its membership is a large one. 
 
 HOTEL SMEAD. 
 
 The Smead Hotel, which was erected at a cost of $125,000, is 
 owned by a stock company of 100 stockholders, consisting mainly 
 of the principal merchants and capitalists of the city and of the 
 executive officers of the Homestake Mining Company. There are 
 about 90 rooms and 27 baths. The hotel is maintained in a strictly 
 first-class manner. This was the fiirst hotel erected in the Northern 
 Hills which would favorably compare with the finer hotels of the 
 large eastern cities, and showed at the time the ambitious spirit of 
 the people of Lead. The hotel is now self-supporting and profit- 
 able.- 
 
 Mr. C. R. Wagner, the lessee and manager, deserves great 
 credit for bringing the hotel to a paying basis; but ho is a man 
 
OFFICERS AND DIKECTOKS OF THE LEAD COMMERCIAL CLI'B. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 loy 
 
 of good hotel experience and has the moral support of practically 
 every man in Lead, besides being well known by the traveling men. 
 The Homestake Hotel is spoken of in the description of the 
 Homestake mine. 
 
 THE CAMPBELL HOUSE. 
 
 This is another hotel at popular prices and is on the main 
 street and well located. It is owned and managed by iVl. C. 
 Campbell, and well patronized. There are plenty of good hotel 
 accommodations in Lead, but on this point nobody need suffer in 
 any town of the Hills. 
 
 THE BELT LIGHT & POWER COMPANY. 
 
 The Belt Light & Power Company, with offices at Lead, has 
 one of the most modern and complete plants to be found in the 
 United States. The company was organized in August, 1893, and 
 located its plant at Pluma, midway between Lead and Deadwood, in 
 order that it might have plenty of room for building and good rail- 
 road sidetrack facilities. It is on the main line of the Burlington 
 and is within one hundred feet of being in the exact geographical 
 center between the two cities. This company supplies all the current 
 for lighting and power that is used in Lead, Pluma, Central City 
 and Terry; it is furnishing the power for the Lundberg, Dorr & 
 Wilson cyanide plant, located near Terry, and has numerous other 
 applications that will make this a very large power plant in the near 
 future. 
 
 The investment at the present time is about $250,000; the build- 
 ing is 75x100 feet, of fireproof construction and modern in all parts ; 
 
 the capacity is 1,500 horsepower, with room for increasing to three 
 times this amount. 
 
 T"he plant is equipped with steam turbines, high-pressure boilers 
 with superheaters, condensers of the latest type, with every device 
 known to give the very best service at a minimum of cost. 
 
 There is a great future in this line of business, as a great por- 
 tion of the mills which adjoin the mines are not within easy access 
 to the railroads, but must haul their fuel in wagons at added cost. 
 The operation of any industrial plant by motors in place of steam 
 engines has many advantages and shows economies that will work 
 a great change in the method of operating mills and mines in this 
 part of the Hills. 
 
 The officers of the company are Mr. J. D. C. Rumsey, presi- 
 dent; Mr. V. T. Price, vice-president, and J. B. Baker, secretary- 
 treasurer and manager. 
 
 PHILLIPS & BARTLETT'S BRICK PLANT. 
 
 Phillips & Bartlett's brick plant is well worthy of special 
 mention. It is situated in Pluma and manufactures more brick 
 than any other brickyard of the Black Hills. Good building brick, 
 also a pressed brick, are made, the color is dark red. The clay is 
 taken from the hillsides, it being a wash clay which was deposited 
 in the canyons. The clay is drawn by trolley into machinery on the 
 track. There are six tunnels in the dryhouse, each 120 feet long, 
 and twenty coils of one-inch steampipe on each side of the house. 
 From the dryhouse the bricks, which are still on the trolleys, are 
 run into the kilns. The plant is run winter and summer and 30,000 
 bricks per day can be made. Every brick is a gold brick assaying 
 $2.40 per ton. It is a stiff mud and the ore cannot be extracted from 
 the clay. 
 
 THE LEAD COMMERCIAL CLUB. 
 
 This organization, which combines social and business matters, 
 is composed of about 150 members, including the most prominent 
 business men and others of the city. It was organized in 1902, with 
 the following purposes in view : 
 
 To act as an entertainment committee for visitors to the city; 
 to work for the interests of Lead and the Black Hills; to call the 
 attention of investors to the mining and commercial interests of the 
 Black Hills and disseminate literature and information covering 
 any and all fields of usefulness for the city and country at large; 
 also to suggest city and county improvements in an advisory capac- 
 ity to the city council and county officers, these bodies being 
 in thorough harmony with the Commercial Qub and more 
 or less swayed by these suggestions, thereby having a good expres- 
 sion of opinion of any new matters from the better element of the 
 population. At the first meeting a board of directors was elected, 
 consisting of eleven members, as follows : 
 
 Walter E. Smead, P. A. Gushurst, George M. Nix, T. D. Ed- 
 wards, J. B. Moore, R. H. Driscoll, George B. Thompson, L. P. 
 Jenkins, W. R. Dickinson, J. W. Curran and I. R. Crow. These 
 directors elected Mr. Smead as president and Mr. Gushurst as vice- 
 president and appointed R. H. Purcell as secretary. On Mr. 
 Smead's death Mr. Gushurst became president, and has remained in 
 that office ever since. Mr. Gushurst is a pioneer and one of the 
 most prominent merchants of Lead. The balance of the board is 
 composed as follows : 
 
 Vice-president, J. W. Freeman, who is president of the Board 
 of Education of Lead, director of the First National Bank of Lead, 
 director of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association, member of the 
 State Board of Medical Examiners and surgeon of the Homestake 
 Mining Company; second vice-president is Hon. E. F. Irwin, mayor 
 of Lead and timekeeper of the Homestake Mining Company; the 
 treasurer is George B. Thompson, a prominent altorney of Lead and 
 a member of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association; J. W. 
 Curran, the first fire insurance agent of Lead; John A. Blatt, vice- 
 president of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association ; R. H. 
 
 Driscoll, cashier of the First National Bank of Lead and member 
 of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association; William Bartlett, the 
 most prominent building contractor of the Black Hills ; Hon. 
 Ernest May, capitalist and large mine owner and a member of the 
 state legislature; Hon. L. P. Jenkins, state senator and assayer in 
 charge of the United States Assay Office at Deadwood, and J. B. 
 Baker, secretary and manager of the Belt Light and Power Com- 
 pany of Lead and a member of Price & Baker Company, who own 
 large timber interests and one of the largest sawmills of the Black 
 Hills, located at Black Hawk. Mr. Joseph Feeney, who has been 
 secretary of the club since his appointment in 1903, has given much 
 valuable time from his insurance and real estate business for, the 
 club's interests, and has done much to help along the various works 
 of the club. 
 
 The various members are organized into the following com- 
 mittees : Entertainment, trade extension, railroad, state and national 
 legislation, municipal legislation, auditing, arbitration, mines and 
 mining and roads and bridges. 
 
 It might be well to enumerate some of the work done and doing 
 by the Commercial Club. One of the most unique projects ever 
 handled by a business club was undertaken last fall in the creation 
 of the Lead Coliseum Company for the erection of a large building 
 to serve primarily as a skating rink during the winter, and for such 
 matters and meetings as should be arranged hereafter. Ten thou- 
 sand dollars was raised among the citizens of the city and a lot on 
 the main street was purchased, and on it erected a large building at a 
 total cost, for building and lot, of $10,400. It was opened to the 
 public as a skating rink December 12, with the Lead band dispens- 
 ing music Wednesday and Saturday evenings. The revenue in the 
 first sixty days was $2,400, and the project has proven an unquali- 
 fied success. 
 
 On March 10, 1903, steps were first taken by resolution intro- 
 duced by Mr. R. H. Driscoll, for a permanent mineral exhibit, which 
 later resulted in the Homestake company establishing a splendid 
 technical as well as instructive exhibit in the Hearst free library. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 109 
 
 During the mining congress this exhibit was freely visited and was 
 the subject of much favorable comment. 
 
 On March 10 action was first taken by the club on presenting 
 Mrs. Phoebe Hearst with a loving cup. The matter was finally 
 left to a committee appointed by President Gushurst. The efforts 
 of this committee were crowned with the utmost success, as was 
 evidenced by the purchase and presentation to Mrs. Hearst of a 
 beautiful silver loving cup, at an approximate cost of $1,500. The 
 entire amount of this sum was contributed by men, women and 
 children of this city, excepting $63.10, which amount was necessary 
 to make the full payment on cup, and which was paid by the Com- 
 mercial Qub. This loving cup no doubt will always be a constant 
 reminder to Mrs. Hearst that the people of Lead hold her in 
 affectionate esteem, and while a great portion of her revenue is 
 derived from the dividends of the Homestake Mining Company, she 
 takes a great personal interest in the institutions and people of Lead, 
 as will be seen in our pages. 
 
 On August II, 1903, the club opened correspondence with 
 Professor C. C. Stone of Illinois for the opening of a commercial 
 college. Professor Stone came to Lead and started the college 
 about September i with five scholars. On February I, 1904, there 
 were 200 night and day scholars, with four teachers in charge. 
 
 The club is constantly trying to better the railroad conditions 
 of both passengers and freight on the Burlington and Northwestern 
 
 railways, and at present is working with the Burlington Railway 
 Company to get them to extend their present trolley system, which 
 runs from Deadwood to and through Lead, on to Terry, and after- 
 wards to extend still farther to Spearfish. Later on it is hoped that 
 they will build from Spearfish to Central and from there to Dead- 
 wood. A committee will shortly go to Chicago to personally in- 
 terview ofiicers of both railroad companies for better railway 
 facilities. 
 
 The club has spent much in the past year in advertising and 
 was a great factor in making the meetings of the American Min- 
 ing Congress (of 1903) a success during the sessions at Lead. One 
 of the committees is constantly reaching out for new industries 
 with a view to having them locate at Lead. These industries in- 
 clude packing houses and branch wholesale grocery houses, mak- 
 ing Lead a distributing point. 
 
 During 1903 the club entertained Sioux City's Commercial 
 Cliib and South Omaha's Stockmen's Association. In July, 1903, 
 they entertained the National Editorial Association. 
 
 The club holds regular monthly meetings and special meetings 
 whenever occasion demands. Its 150 members are to a man public 
 spirited and thoroughly alive to the general advancement and pub-, 
 lie interests of Lead and vicinity, and when a proposition is taken 
 up by them there is always "something doing." 
 
 HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 Hot Springs, South Dakota, lying at the south of the Black 
 Hills, is destined to become, for at least that population lying be- 
 tween Chicago and San Francisco, the greatest health resort of the 
 United States. 
 
 The United States government, for one, has determined upon 
 that statement as a truth, which is shown by its selection of a 
 site at Hot Springs for the location of its National Sanitarium for 
 Soldiers. 
 
 The state of South Dakota had previously selected the same 
 place for the Soldiers' Home, and many years before similar opin- 
 ions were passed upon its location for the value of its curative 
 powers by the Indians, who were then the sole owners of this 
 entire section of the country, and who fought tribal wars for the 
 possession of the waters of this magnificent beauty spot. 
 
 Over half a century ago the Sioux and Cheyennes made a 
 fight of extinction (for the latter) on historical Battle Mountain, 
 the site of the buildings now under construction by the United 
 States government. 
 
 In June, 1879, Prof. Walter T. Jenny and Col. W. J. Thornby 
 left Deadwood on horseback on a mine location trip. They arrived 
 at Buffalo Gap and Colonel Thornby made a dangerous trip through 
 Indian Territory and found and located what are now called the 
 Minnekahta Springs of hot water. He located his stakes from 
 the present site of the Evans Hotel, a half a mile up toward the 
 present Soldiers' Home. 
 
 His half-mile square embodied the sites of the present plunge 
 baths. A month later he cut the foundation for a log house and 
 had lumber on the ground, but his mining interests calling him 
 to Custer, he gave his claim to Joe Laravie and John Davidson, 
 two half-breeds, who afterward sold it for a round sum to the 
 Hot Springs Land Company. Meanwhile a man had come to the 
 Hills who was destined to play a most prominent part in the future 
 of Hot Springs. This was the late Fred T. Evans, who had 
 made large sums of money in real estate and street-car lines at 
 Sioux City and had first visited the. Hills with a freighting outfit 
 in 1877. It was he who hauled the first machinery of the Home- 
 stake mine to the Hills, and many is the story told of the feats 
 accomplished by this determined character, with his enormous 
 freighting outfits, in the face of the most trying circumstances. But 
 when, at last, the Northwestern railroad had built from Rapid City 
 on to Whitewood, he turned his entire attention to the development 
 
 of Hot Springs, where he had invested first in 1885, and he became 
 a dominant force in the . upbuilding of this now famous place. 
 He erected the magnificent Evans Hotel, the Hot Springs Hotel, 
 the original plunge bath, the Minnekahta business block and many 
 residences. He graded and built the streets of the upper town at 
 his own expense, and it was mainly through his influence that 
 the Northwestern railroad built into Hot Springs. The town 
 suffered a great loss in his death in 1902. At the present moment 
 both the Northwestern and the Burlington railways run trains 
 
 THE LATE FRED. T. EVANS. 
 
 into Hot Springs, the former from Buffalo Gap and the latter 
 from Edgemont. 
 
 The town has an altitude of 3,260 feet, and is situated in a 
 valley, or canyon, between surrounding hills. When Colonel 
 Thornby located the Minnekahta Springs, he was much attracted 
 by the beautiful Fall river stream, which pursues its course through 
 the town and parallel with the main street. He says that at that 
 time the stream was literally filled with wild geese and ducks, that 
 

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 e 
 
 
 
 S 
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 s5g 
 
 o 2 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 Ill 
 
 were in such vast numbers as to be unintimidated by his presence. 
 To-day this river is a glowing mass, winter and summer, of water- 
 cress, while tame ducks of varied hue lend a great beauty to its 
 naturally picturesque appearance. 
 
 The climatic conditions of Hot Springs are unlike those of any 
 other part of South Dakota. They are even materially different 
 from those of even thirty miles north, and, whereas the rain and 
 snow fall of the Upper Hills are heavy, the annual precipitation 
 at Hot Springs averages only seventeen feet. The atmosphere is 
 so dry that in the summertime the heat is not felt, and the nights 
 are spent under blankets. In the wintertime an average tem- 
 perature of December, January and February has been found to 
 be about 27 above. Thus the climate is unexcelled, and, naturally, 
 with the small precipitation, the sun is almost every day in evidence. 
 In fact, the climate is invigorating the year around, and while the 
 
 The most prominent among these springs are the Mammoth 
 Hot Springs (and Lakotah group), which supply the two nata- 
 toriums and the city, at present, and will supply the National Sani- 
 tarium. 
 
 The Minnekahta Spring, which adjoins the Minnekahta Hotel, 
 and which was the original spring used by the Indians, as evidenced 
 by a moccasin-shaped stone bath, carved out of solid rock by the 
 Indians and still in use at these baths, supplies the Lady of Lourdes 
 Hospital and the Evans Hotel in its annex. 
 
 Then in the Lower Town there are the Sulphur Baths and 
 the Hiawatha, formerly called the Catholicon Springs, which are 
 used in conjunction with the hotel and sanitarium of the same 
 name. 
 
 In addition to these, there are other springs, among them the 
 Mud Baths, adjoining the courthouse and on the river bank; and 
 
 CHAUTAUQUA GROUNDS AT HOT SPEINGS. 
 
 great influx of strangers is usually in the summer, people are 
 beginning to discover the fact that Hot Springs is a charming 
 winter^ resort. 
 
 Another feature is the lack of wind, the hills about proving 
 a thorough protection. 
 
 THE SPRINGS. 
 
 The town is practically divided into the Upper and Lower 
 Towns. These, however, have come together, and are now con- 
 tinuous. In the Upper Town are the two magnificent plunge baths, 
 two of the finest in America, and both deriving their waters from 
 the Mammoth (or Lakotah group of) Hot Springs. 
 
 The first natatorium built was that erected by Mr. Evans. It 
 is fitted with toboggan ■ slide, springboards, rafts and every con- 
 venience for those who can or cannot swim. The temperature 
 of the water is about 96°, and there are springs in the bath itself, 
 bubbling up through its pebbled bottom. The waters are as clear 
 as crystal. 
 
 The other natatorium, which adjoins the Palace Hotel, is owned 
 by Congressman E. W. Martin, and is called the Mammoth Springs 
 Plunge. It is built entirely of steel, and the bottom of the bath 
 is of cement. Both natatoriums are thoroughly well patronized 
 and the former, which is open the year around, although an adjunct 
 of the Evans Hotel, is presided' over by Professor Moore, who is 
 a decided success in the teaching of swimming. Altogether, there 
 are more than seventy-five springs in and around Hot Springs, and 
 they vary greatly in their constituent qualities. They are all abso- 
 lutely free from any vegetable substance and most of them are 
 from 90° upward. The supply is constant, invariable and inex- 
 haustible, flowing nearly a million gallons a day. 
 
 there are many excellent sanitariums and a very celebrated spring 
 called the Kidney Spring, which is opposite the Evans Hotel. 
 
 Commencing with rheumatism and ending with the diseases 
 of the liver and kidneys, the list of troubles treated successfully 
 by the various baths would be too long for our space ; but suffice 
 it to say that there is no disease cured by the baths of Carlsbad, 
 Germany, or those of Hot Springs, Arkansas, that has not been 
 treated successfully in the baths of Hot Springs, South Dakota; 
 while the conditions of climate and scenery are so effective that 
 no health resort on earth conduces so greatly to Nature's curative 
 powers. 
 
 Mr. C. L. Jensen, who is a pioneer of the Black Hills, was 
 formerly engaged in the transportation of troops and equipment 
 for the government, and who now conducts a large livery business 
 in the Upper Town, tritely expressed himself upon this point, when 
 he said, "The physicians are my only competitors; and if I can 
 get a man or woman on a horse,* their cure is inevitable." 
 
 SCENERY AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 
 
 The scenery around Hot Springs is so varied as to be almost 
 indescribable. " The conglomerate rocks on both sides of the canyon 
 are extremely interesting in themselves, but the drives, in all direc- 
 tions, furnish as many peculiar types of scenic wonder. Cascades, 
 geysers, waterfalls, canyons and m.ountain drives are a never- 
 ceasing chain of wonderful suggestions. 
 
 There are long drives and short drives, each with its peculiar 
 attractions. Two of the most famous drives within easy access 
 of the city are the Bad Lands, where the most remarkable fossils 
 in existence are found in a perfect state of preservation, and where 
 the most peculiar formations on earth can be found ; and the Wind 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 "3 
 
 Cave, with its 2,000 subterranean caverns and 100 miles of passages 
 already explored, without finding a limit. The Wind Cave was 
 discovered in 1877, but was not turned to account and was unex- 
 plored until i8go, when it was local ed as mineral claims, and an 
 easy road was made from chamber to chamber by blasting. Later 
 on, the proprietors got to quarreling among themselves, until finally 
 the United States government took control and put a stop to 
 the vandalism which was despoiling it of its beauties, in the carrj-- 
 ing away of specimens. The peculiar formations of these various 
 caves are perhaps more delicate than those of any well-known cave 
 as yet discovered, and United States guides are constantly on 
 hand to conduct parties through the cave after their arrival from 
 a short drive from Hot Springs. 
 
 Onyx Cave is also well worthy of a visit and is very unique 
 in 'its formations of pillars and columns, stalactites and stalagmites. 
 
 Longer drives can be made to Sylvan Lake, near Custer, of 
 which a description is given in another part of the book. 
 
 THE SPORTS. 
 
 The pleasure of the plunge baths in themselves would be 
 a sufficient indorsement for Hot Springs, but at its very door are 
 
 Stanley, postmaster, and edited by him and J. L. Denman, and 
 the Times-Herald, owned and edited by E. S. Ames. 
 
 The Soldiers' Home, which was erected some time ago by 
 the state, is a magnificent institution, but the National Sanitarium, 
 now building, will overcap anything of its kind now in existence. 
 
 Battle Mountain Sanitarium, as it is called on account of 
 its location on Battle Mountain, was projected in Washington, 
 D. C, early in the present century, and the bill of appropriation 
 passed the Senate and House in 1902. It is now under construc- 
 tion, and includes five hospitals and two general government build- 
 ing.s, its real purpose being to treat United States soldiers of all 
 wars. Its capacity, with the present buildings, will be about six 
 hundred men, and the institution will be in charge of a governor. 
 The buildings are all connected by passageways. 
 
 The first appropriation by the government was $525,000, since 
 which time $75,000 has been added. 
 
 The site was donated by the city and individuals. 
 
 The sanitarium consists of one general group of buildings and 
 its auxiliaries. Tlie main group cornprises the administration build- 
 ing, operating pavilion, service building, bath house, amusement 
 pavilion and six ward buildings, whose ends form a circular arcade. 
 This arcade surrounds a circular fountain court, one hundred and 
 
 FALiL EIVBE, NOKTHWESTERN RAILROAD, AND GILLESPIE HOTEL, HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 a great many varied amusements. Camping parties are numerous. 
 The mountain streams abound with trout. Hunting includes the 
 deer, wolf, wildcat, rabbit and many kinds of birds. Horseback 
 and burro riding are liberally indulged in, and geological excur- 
 sions are made interesting by trips to the Bad Lands. 
 
 Tally-ho drives are made up daily, while the golf links are 
 conveniently situated. 
 
 The town was first incorporated as Hot Springs in 1890, under 
 the general laws of a third-class city. It has a mayor and eight 
 aldermen, is the county seat of Fall River county, and its popula- 
 tion is variously estimated as from 1,800 to 2,200, although this 
 is vastly increased during the summer season. 
 
 In fraternal societies the Masons, Odd Fellows, Woodmen, 
 Pyramids, Maccabees, A. O. U. W., Ladies' Degree of Honor, 
 Rebekahs and Eastern Star are all well represented. A splendid 
 organization of some sixty women, called the Relief Corps, looks 
 after the poor and has extended many charities. 
 
 There are two weekly newspapers — the Star, owned by J. A. 
 
 fifty feet in diameter, and provides an enclosed and heated walk 
 for winter exercise and a shaded walk and lounging space in sum- 
 mer. It is intended to make this court beautiful by tropical 
 gardening. 
 
 The buildings are to be of stone, with low and spreading tile 
 roofs. The ward buildings and other distinctively hospital portions 
 will be ventilated by exhaust and forced draft, securing to the 
 patients a constantly changing and ample air supply, rendered 
 dustless and of mean temperature by the latest heating and ven- 
 tilating devices. The whole will be served by hot, medium and 
 cold water systems, for bath, general and drinking purposes, and 
 will be lighted by electricity. The power for this service will be 
 located in a station at some distance from the main group, the 
 water supply being the famous hot springs from which the town 
 derives its name. The architecture is strictly a hospital type, 
 approaching the Spanish Mission buildings more nearly than any 
 other recognized style. Some idea of the extent of the buildings 
 can be had by realizing that within the main group itself nearly 
 
114 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 three full city blocks could be placed, filling, as it does, a circle 
 more than five hundred feet in diameter. The superintendent's 
 home, bandstand, stables and other accessories and auxiliaries will 
 be picturesquely distributed in the grounds adjacent to the group. 
 Situated as the buildings are, at the base of Battle Mountain on 
 an elevated plateau and in birdseye view from all the surrounding 
 hills, they will create an impression on the visitor not soon for- 
 gotten. 
 
 The magnificent pink stone used in the construction of the 
 main buildings is from the Evans quarries, which, with the Burke 
 quarries, are both within easy access of the city. 
 
 SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 
 
 No one," in taking his family to Hot Springs, need feel that 
 his children will be neglected, either in their secular or religious 
 studies. No better schools in the United States exist than the 
 public schools of Hot Springs. The main public school may be 
 seen on other pages, and the courses of study are as thorough 
 as the exterior of the building indicates. 
 
 In churches, the Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Episcopal, 
 Congregational, Catholic, German Lutheran and Baptist are all 
 represented. As an indication of the class of ministers presiding 
 over the various flocks, we might say that the Baptist church is 
 in charge of P. Monroe Smock, a lecturer of very great ability. 
 Mr. Smock's most noted subjects, entitled "Dreams and Dreamers," 
 "Pestalozzi, Swiss Pedagogue," "Notes and Quotes from Robert 
 Burns" and "Fraternity, the Eleventh Commandment," have 
 brought him into prominence in practically all the states from 
 Illinois to South Dakota and from Minnesota to Oklahoma. 
 
 He is supreme lecturer for the Bankers' Union of the World 
 and the Ancient Order of the Red Cross, and belongs to the Red- 
 path Lyceum Bureau, and thus lectures continually over the country 
 he has heretofore covered. 
 
 Most all the churches of Hot Springs are mission churches, 
 in other words, assisted by their mission societies for a portion of 
 their support. 
 
 WATER AND LIGHT. 
 
 A company with a large capital, entitled the Water, Light and 
 Power Company, supplies the city wdth water and light. There 
 are two plants; the one in the city is an arc plant pumping station 
 and waterworks. It is furnished with a duplex pump, having a 
 
 PUBLIC SCHOOL OF HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 capacity of 300,000 gallons per day; also a 30-arc light dynamo 
 and 60-K. W. alternator. 
 
 The reservoir has a capacity of 600,000 gallons, with a water 
 pressure of from 100 to 125 pounds. It is located on Evans Heights, 
 240 feet above the main street. There are 50 double hydrants 
 for fire. The supply of water is from large springs and is conveyed 
 by gravity from spring to cistern and there pumped from cistern 
 to reservoir. 
 
 The plant has a 70-horsepower capacity, and this comes from 
 water conducted by stave flume to the station. 
 
 The other plant, called the Falls Plant, is located 4% miles 
 down Fall river. It has 300 horsepower and furnishes current for 
 2,000 incandescent lights at the present time. 
 
 COST OF LIVING. 
 
 No one, in the most modest circumstances, need fear the early 
 empying of his pocketbook at Hot Springs, S. D. This is no 
 idle assertion and is a great recommendation for a health resort. 
 To give some idea of the various prices, we will refer to the prin- 
 
 BATTLE MOUNTAIN SANITARIUM FOR SOLDIERS, JUST ERECTED BY THE U. S. GOVERNilENT. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 "5 
 
 cipal hotels and sanitariums, from the highest prices downward, 
 and these rates can be very much reduced by the renting of cottages, 
 flats or rooms, of which there are many to be had. 
 
 THE EVANS HOTEL. 
 
 This hotel, previously referred to, was opened in August, 1892, 
 and has always since then been run in the summer months and 
 will probably, hereafter, continue through the winter. It is one 
 of the finest hotels between Chicago and the Pacific. It is owned 
 by the Iowa Land Company and is managed by Harry D. Clark, 
 who is the lessee. 
 
 The hotel is of modern construction, being built in the shape 
 of the letter H, thus giving to each room an outside exposure. 
 The construction is of pink sandstone. There are 250 rooms, elec- 
 tric lights, elevator and bell service of most improved types. An 
 annex is attached to the hotel by an enclosed archway from the 
 second story, and contains baths, deriving the waters from the 
 Minnekahta Spring. There is a corps of attendants for every known 
 treatment, Turkish needle baths and tub baths are given, as well as 
 manicuring and facial treatment. Also suggestive and magnetic 
 baths, massage, etc. The hotel can accommodate about 350 people 
 and is strictly first-class, having rates for transients running from $3 
 per day upward. Mr. Clark, who is a son-in-law of the late Mr. 
 Evans, is a young man of much force and energy, and is considered 
 one of the coming men of the Black Hills, for which he has shown 
 a great deal of patriotism in his outlay of time and money. He is 
 a Sioux City man and acquired experience in the hotel business 
 at the Del Prado Hotel of Chicago. He has been identified with 
 Hot Springs since 1890. 
 
 PALACE HOTEL. 
 
 The Palace Hotel, managed by J. W. Applegate, a very popular 
 man, is run at a $2 rate, and special rates can be made for perma- 
 nent boarders. 
 
 The hotel is next door to the Mammoth Plunge, and a block 
 away from the Evans Plunge. There are thirty-eight rooms, hot 
 
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 PALACE HOTEL— HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 and cold baths and electric lights. Mr. Applegate knows how to 
 run a hotel, having been interested since 1881 in restaurants at 
 Deadwood, the Etta Tin Camp and Rapid City, and managed the 
 Hotel Harney in Rapid City for three years. 
 
 HOTEL GILLESPIE. 
 
 The Hotel Gillespie is managed by C. G. Fargo, who owns 
 the building, which is of stone. There are 55 rooms in the building 
 
 proper and ten rooms adjoining. The hotel is open winter and 
 summer and adjoins the depot. 
 
 It is furnished with electric lights and steam heat, and the 
 rates for transients are $2 per day. 
 
 THE HOT SPRINGS HOTEL. 
 
 This house is a popular-priced one and adjoins the Minnekahta 
 Springs. 
 
 The transient rate is $1 per day, including board, and special 
 permanent rates can be made. A free bus, steam heat and electric 
 
 RESIDENCE OP HARRY D. CLARK JR. 
 
 lights are adjuncts of the hotel, which has sixty rooms, and is 
 excellently managed by H. M. Barr. The Minnekahta Baths, which 
 belong to the Iowa Land Company and which adjoin the hotel, fur- 
 nish not only the regular hot water bath and plunge, but also mud 
 baths from mineral mud, a great curative for rheumatism, stiffness 
 of bone joints, etc. 
 
 Mr. Harry D. Clark manages these baths, as well as the Evans 
 Plunge Bath. 
 
 OTHER HOTELS. 
 
 In addition to these hotels, the Catholicon, or Hiawatha Springs, 
 as they are now called, have a very excellent hotel at moderate 
 prices, in conjunction with the baths. And for patients who are 
 feeble, Our Lady of Lourdes" Hospital furnishes an excellent com- 
 bination of hotel and sanitarium, also at very reasonable prices. 
 This institution cannot be too highly recommended. It is in charge 
 of the sisters, and a corps of the best physicians of the city visit 
 it regularly and perform operations when necessary. 
 
 INDUSTRIES. 
 
 The country contiguous to Hot Springs, on account of the 
 small rainfall, is naturally semi-arid, but the government is taking 
 up an irrigation scheme under the national system and will take 
 water from the Cheyenne river and irrigate an enormous acreage, 
 which will provide cereals and ample products for the general 
 country. 
 
 In addition to this, a stock company has been formed of Hot 
 Springs capitalists and is gradually extending an already large 
 acreage by irrigating from Cascade Creek. This is the Hot Springs 
 Irrigation & Live Stock Company, which has already built ten miles 
 of ditch along the Cheyenne river and will cultivate an extensive 
 ranch of grain, hay and alfalfa field, as also fruit orchards. 
 
 There is already a great deal of cattle-raising in the immediate 
 vicinity, and the soil, which is very fertile, provides, even in the 
 
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 ft 
 
 O 
 
 P3 
 H 
 
 fee 
 
 c 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 117 
 
 most arid portions, excellent feed for cattle, sheep and horses, 
 which thrive throughout the year without shelter. 
 
 There are stockyards at Hot Springs, and at Smithwick, six- 
 teen miles east, there are good facilities for the receipt and ship- 
 ment of cattle. 
 
 The main products of the irrigated country are oats, alfalfa, 
 timothy and rye. Seven to eight tons of alfalfa to the acre is 
 an average, and the profits can be measured when it is stated that 
 it brings about $10 per ton. 
 
 The climatic conditions and the soil of this section are pecu- 
 liarly well adapted to the raising of fruit, which includes apples, 
 pears, plums, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cur- 
 rants, melons and grapes. 
 
 OTHER INDUSTRIES. 
 
 Lumber of an excellent grade is manufactured from the native 
 pine forests. The Buffalo Gap Lumber Company has a sawmill 
 at Pringle which turns out 600,000 feet of lumber annually. They 
 also import lumber from Puget Sound and the East. 
 
 Coal beds which promise a profitable industry are near by. 
 Stucco plaster is manufactured within the city limits, and this 
 celebrated hard wall plaster took the first prize at the World's Fair 
 at Chicago. 
 
 The sandstone quarries, of which we shall speak exhaustively, 
 are furnishing the handsomest sandstone to be found in the United 
 States, and are practically inexhaustible. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 There are two banks, both of which are in a very prosperous 
 condition. 
 
 BANK OF HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 The Bank of Hot Springs was started January i, 1894. It is 
 organized under state laws, has a capital of $10,000, surplus and 
 undivided profits of about $io,C)00. The deposits range up to $120,- 
 000. Their loans are mainly on pasture cattle, a very safe propo- 
 sition, most of the ranchers being prepared to feed the cattle thirty 
 to ninety days in the winter, if necessary. The officers are James 
 Halley of Rapid City, president; I. M. Humphry, vice-president, 
 and G. C. Smith, cashier. Mr. Smith was associated with the same 
 parties previously for eight years at Buffalo Gap, that place having 
 been in those days the headquarters for this section. 
 
 HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL BANK. 
 
 This bank was formerly the Merchants' Bank and was merged 
 into a national institution in 1902. Its capital is $25,000, and at 
 the close of business January 22, 1904, the surplus and undivided 
 profits amounted to $15,207.16. Deposits run from $110,000 to 
 $130,000. Loans are made mostly on cattle and, to some extent, to 
 people of the town. 
 
 The stockholders are all in Hot Springs. E. S. Kelly is presi- 
 dent and W. W. Stewart cashier. Both of these gentlemen were 
 formerly of the Merchants' Bank and arranged the merging into 
 the present national bank. 
 
 Another fast-growing industry is the Hot Springs Bottling 
 Works, owned by A. W. Riordan and G. L. Thorp, who also own the 
 Hot Springs Fruit and Produce Company, handling, in a wholesale 
 way, the season's fruit and vegetables, poultry, eggs, butter, etc. 
 
 This bottling works is now putting up the Minnekahta water 
 charged and also the same water in all sorts of flavors. The present 
 capacity is about 15,000 cases of all kinds, shipments being made 
 to Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and Montana points. 
 
 The plain spring water is shipped as far as Ohio, Pennsylvania 
 and Illinois, for medicinal purposes, mainly for stomach and kidney 
 troubles. The business is capable of enormous development in the 
 future. 
 
 THE HOT SPRINGS PLASTER COMPANY. 
 
 This company furnishes plaster for buildings instead of lime 
 plaster and also makes a very superior article of dental plaster; 
 
 28V2 acres of ground adjoining the works embody the quarry. Ship- 
 ments are made as far as Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash. ; also to 
 Denver, Grand Island and O'Neil. 
 
 The daily 12-hour capacity is thirty- tons. 
 
 The company is incorporated at $100,000, in 2,000 shares of 
 $50 each. J. M. Brelsford is president; George H. Stoddard, vice- 
 president, and C. E. Brelsford, secretary and treasurer. At present 
 ten men are employed, but the company unquestionably has a greater 
 future than its projectors imagine. Hot Springs is a good business 
 town for almost any line of business. Retailers naturally have an 
 increasing business from strangers, as well as those who make 
 their home at the Springs. But the location of the town and 
 its railway facilities are such as to recommend the investment of 
 capital in wholesaling and manufacturing. 
 
 EVANS SANDSTONE COMPANY. 
 
 In the year 1890 the late Fred. T. Evans opened up this fine 
 quarry of pink stone. It is located about three miles from Hot 
 Springs, and a spur of the Northwestern road runs along the side 
 of tht ledge, so that the stone is loaded direct onto the cars. The 
 present supply comes from a 20-acre portion of a 320-acre ranch 
 which. has a foundation throughout its entirety of this handsome 
 stone, which is in consequence practically inexhaustible. 
 
 The equipment is very complete, with derricks and a saw-plant. 
 The stone was used for building the Evans Hotel, the Minnekahta 
 business block, the Gillespie Hotel and other structures of Hot 
 Springs, and the public library of Sioux City, Iowa. It is also 
 supplying the stone for the buildings of the Battle Mountain Sani- 
 tarium. This contract calls for 2,500 carloads, or about 75,coo tons. 
 
 The quarry is now owned by Mrs. T. M. Evans, widow of the 
 late Fred. T, Evans, and her son, Mr. John H. Evans, has charge 
 and manages the business for her. 
 
 THE BURKE STONE COMPANY. 
 
 Building stone from the Burke quarry, at Hot Springs, is 
 a favorite in the Black Hills. It is largely used in all of the better 
 class of buildings, for instance, the Franklin Hotel, Carnegie Library, 
 and Black Hills Trust and Savings Bank, at Deadwood. The com- 
 pany conducts a most extensive business, which is constantly increas- 
 ing. During 1903 there were shipped 425 cars, and contracts for 
 1904 delivery made so far amount to 700 cars. And as far as the 
 supply of stone is concerned, that is practically exhaustless. The 
 company owns 280 acres of land, and the stone occurs in beds co- 
 extensive with the boundaries, some 33 to 50 feet in thickness. 
 
 The stone is of two shades of fine sandstone, white and buff, 
 and is being used in some of the fibest buildings in the United States. 
 At Omaha a public library is being built of it ; the Carnegie library 
 at Fort Dodge (Iowa), one of the most artistic buildings of that 
 state, is built of Burke stone; the First National bank of Lead, the 
 C. & N. W. depots of both Deadwood and Lead, the public school at 
 Hot Springs, several buildings in Sheridan (Wyo.), Omaha and 
 Lincoln have been built of this stone, and in every case perfect 
 satisfaction is reported. 
 
 What is known as the West quarry is connected with the spur 
 from the Northwestern railroad by a gravity tramway of 3-foot 
 gauge about a mile long. Over this tramway 200 tons of stone can 
 be conveyed per day. Plans for increasing the capacity are being 
 considered, and the probability is that they will be carried out. The 
 East quarry is connected with the main loading and saw plant by 
 railroad. With these improvements the company will probably be 
 able to supply the demand, although orders for one hundred and 
 fifty cars had to be refused last year. The new facilities for hand- 
 ling will give a capacity of ten cars per day. 
 
 The saw plant contains a two-gang stone saw, having a capacity 
 of a carload of sawed stone per day. Other equipments include two 
 horizontal boilers, one upright boiler, one 16 h. p. double drum 
 hoisting engine and boiler, one double drum belt hoist, two lo-ton 
 derricks, one 15-ton derrick, one 25-ton derrick, two 5-ton derricks, 
 two is-ton tram cars, three lo-ton tram cars, four lo-ton saw 
 
MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HILLS MINING MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 (In lower left-hand corner should read John Gross instead of John Grass.) 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 119 
 
 cars, one 30-ton saw car, steam drills, complete water system for 
 furnishing houses and boilers, blacksmith shop, etc. 
 
 This equipment is sufficient for the production of a much greater 
 quantity of rough stone than the present. The work which is 
 already contracted for for the coming season is but a step toward 
 the building of a great industry, which it is believed will reach a 
 maximum of two thousand cars a year within a decade. The sub- 
 stantial growth of the Black Hills and surrounding and tributary 
 country, together with patronage from farther east presages a great 
 future for stone quarrying.. The company this year installed a new 
 heavy derrick and stone crusher. The C. & N. W. railroad having 
 
 ordered 75 cars of crushed stone for concrete work, machinery for 
 its manufacture was secured. The company got a good early start 
 on its 1904 contracts ; in March 70 cars of stone were shipped against 
 2 cars in 1903, and in April 86 cars against 20 last jear, all cars 
 having a capacity of 40 tons each. In this way the output for the 
 present year will greatly exceed the past. 
 
 The Burke Stone Company is capitalized for $100,000, in shares 
 of one dollar par value. The property — 280 acres — is five miles west 
 of Hot Springs, on the line of the Northwestern railroad, between 
 Buffalo Gap and that point. The principal office is at Deadwood, 
 S. D. 
 
 THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SCHOOL OF MINES AT RAPID CITY. 
 
 By Robert L. Slagle, Ph. D. 
 
 The South Dakota School of Mines enjoys the distinction of 
 being the only school of college rank in the Black Hills. In accord- 
 ance with the spirit of its founders and the chief interests of that 
 portion of the state in which it is situated, the work of the school 
 centers in the mining engineering course, which covers a period of 
 four years. 
 
 The school is located on a ten-acre campus in the eastern part of 
 Rapid City, and carries on its work in three buildings. The main 
 building is a handsome structure of pressed brick with sandstone 
 trimmings and basement. In this building are the offices of the pres- 
 
 ing through the Junior year, aims to give the student a thorough 
 knowledge of those principles which have a bearing upon the future 
 professional work of a mining engineer. The work in mechanical 
 drawing extends through four years, and includes descriptive geom- 
 etry, statics and design of mine plant. Engineering subjects, in- 
 cluding mechanism, surveying, mechanics of material, thermody- 
 namics, hydraulics, heat engines and power plant, are taught during 
 the Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. 
 
 The opening of the new school year should find the engineering 
 department of the school in a position to exercise, to a larger degree 
 
 BUILDINGS OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SCHOOL OF MINES AT RAPID CITY. 
 (The National Smelting Company's Works Are in the Background.) 
 
 ident, chemical and physical laboratories, mechanical drawing room, 
 general library and several lecture rooms. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 The work of this department is conducted in four rooms on the 
 second floor of the main building. E^ch student is supplied with 
 a set of apparatus and reagents, and is expected to make all possible 
 experiments and analyses himself. Ihe laboratory is made the chief 
 place for the study of chemistry, the text books and lectures holding 
 a subordinate position. Instruction in this subject extends through 
 the first three years of the mining engineering course, and is so 
 arranged as to include analyses of various minerals and metallurgical 
 products, such as limestone, iron ore, coal and coke, blast furnace 
 slag, etc. 
 
 DEPARTMENTS OF PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING. 
 
 In this building are also located the physical laboratory and the 
 mechanical drawing room. The course in advanced physics, extend- 
 
 than ever before, the important function for which it was conceived ; 
 to which end the entire second floor of the new annex to the main 
 building has been placed at its disposal. Two large, well lighted 
 rooms, newly furnished with modern desks and tables, will be used 
 for the work in mechanical drawing and structural design, while 
 a completely equipped blue-print room, in direct connection, will 
 supply a long-felt want. A department lecture room, of ample 
 size and newly furnished, will be a new feature, while another 
 smaller room, strategically situated, will furnish pleasant quarters 
 for the instructor in charge. In addition to these new advantages, 
 a proposed large addition to the working equipment, particularly 
 in the line of surveying instruments, should be noted. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 
 
 All the students in the mining course carry the prescribed work 
 in general geology, mineralogy, blow-pipe analysis and economic 
 geology. During the junior and senior years, students who choose 
 the geological option carry on work in metamorphism, physiography. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 121 
 
 petrography and historical geology as substitutes for some of the 
 engineering subjects. 
 
 The rooms devoted to this work are situated on the first floor 
 of the main building. Of the four rooms occupied, the largest is 
 furnished with ample cases for the display of specimens of minerals, 
 rocks and fossils, and will hereafter be devoted wholly to museum 
 purposes. Adjoining this is the lecture room. The lecture room 
 is followed by the instructor's study, and this in turn connects with 
 the commodious, well furnished laboratory. 
 
 The general mineral and rock collections are fairly representative 
 and are being constantly enlarged. The Black Hills collection is 
 particularly good. The departmental library is a growing one, and 
 especial effort is made to keep up its high standard of usefulness. 
 Appraratus necessary for such laboratory work as is required is 
 provided, and considerable opportunity is allowed for such other 
 investigations as may be desired. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF MINING AND METALLURGY. 
 
 The metallurgical laboratory is a two-story brick building, 60 
 by 138 feet in size. It is occupied by the department of mining and 
 metallurgy. Here are the assay laboratory, the cyanide laboratory — 
 in which students make practical tests on large quantities of ore — 
 and the large metallurgical laboratory, the latter containing steam 
 engine, small smelter, ore roaster, stamp mill, concentrating tables 
 and a well equipped metallurgical library. 
 
 The studies in this department are confined to the junior and 
 senior years, and include assaying, the metallurgy of iron and steel, 
 copper, lead and zinc, and gold and silver, lectures on excavation 
 and tunneling, boring and shaft sinking, prospecting and methods of 
 mining ore deposits, mine plant and mining engineering. 
 
 LIBRARY AND READING ROOM. 
 
 The state legislature makes an annual appropriation for the 
 support of the library and reading room. By means of this the 
 library has received many of the latest works on metallurgical, min- 
 ing, geological and chemical subjects. Valuable acquisitions have 
 been made during the past year, especially to the works on geology. 
 
 A new reading room and general library, with modern and at- 
 tractive furnishings, will be opened at the commencement of the 
 school year. Newspapers and magazines for general information and 
 culture are readily accessible, as well as some of the leading maga- 
 zines and publications of the government and the principal scientific 
 associations, such as "Transactions of the American Institute of 
 Mining Engineers" and "Bulletins of the Geological Society of 
 America.'' 
 
 The standard encyclopedias and scientific dictionaries may be 
 found in the departmental libraries, convenient to the lecture rooms. 
 
 In addition to several thousand volumes and one thousand pam- 
 phlets belonging to the school, the Rapid City Library Association 
 have kindly loaned a collection of four hundred volumes, consisting 
 of works on literature, philosophy, science and history. These are 
 in the general library. 
 
 Few schools of its kind surpass this one in the advantages 
 offered. Its nearness to the centers of mining industry, its proximity 
 to a mountainous region, its thorough course in the theoretical part 
 of a mining engineer's training, unite to make it an efficient school. 
 That these statements are not overdrawn is proved by the quality 
 of the work of its graduates, the demand for the services of the 
 present graduating class, and the acceptability of the work of the 
 undergraduates to the Black Hills mining men during the vacation 
 periods. 
 
 CAMBRIA AND THE CAMBRIA FUEL COMPANY. 
 
 At Cambria, Wyoming, on the western slope of the Black Hills, 
 one of the most interesting coal deposits and mining plants in the 
 United States is owned and operated by the Cambria Fuel Com- 
 pany. 
 
 When the projected transcontinental line of the Burlington and 
 Missouri River railroad, from Lincoln, Nebraska, to a connection 
 with the Northern Pacific railroad at Billings, Montana, reached 
 Alliance, Nebraska, further construction was suspended until the 
 railroad company felt assured of being able to obtain an ample 
 supply of locomotive fuel in Northwestern Wyoming, as the pro- 
 posed extension could not be profitably operated with coal from 
 Iowa and eastern mines. With a view to securing a contract for 
 building the road, the well-known firm of Kilpatrick Bros. & Collins 
 of Beatrice, Nebraska, placed several prospecting parties in the field, 
 during 1887 and 1888, which succeeded in discovering what are 
 now known as the Cambria Coal Fields, and which are estimated, 
 by the most conservative experts, to contain at least 40,000,000 tons 
 of coal, particularly suitable for railroad locomotive service. 
 
 The deposit is unique in containing the only bituminous coking 
 coal so far discovered in the state of Wyoming, and the Cambria 
 Fuel Company has apparently covered • the entire area of available 
 coal within the boundaries of the 17,000 acres of land comprising its 
 property. The vein varies in thickness from four to ten feet, averag- 
 ing about six feet, and has a slope to the southwest of about three 
 degrees; it is cut by a number of deep ravines, which expose the 
 coal seam at several places. 
 
 When the railroad company had, through its own experts, deter- 
 mined the quality and amount of the coal reserves to be satisfac- 
 tory, contracts were made for extending the line westward from 
 Alliance, and Kilpatrick Bros. & Collins undertook to open the 
 mines, although operating at great disadvantage on account of being 
 located so far from railroad facilities, and experiencing great difficul- 
 ties in developing a water supply sufficient for the needs of a large 
 mining plant and the railroad locomotives. Necessary machinery for 
 the initial installation was hauled with teams, about 170 miles from 
 
 Alliance, but when the last rail was laid up the canon from New- 
 castle, on December 4, 1889, the mines were prepared to furnish a 
 regular supply of fuel. Since that time a steady and increasing 
 production has been maintained, and up to December 31, 1903, 
 5,719,000 tons of coal had been mined, of which the Burlington used 
 4,160,000 tons. 
 
 Experts describe this plant as the most interesting type of 
 mechanically operated coal mines in this country. Machinery and 
 automatic appliances have been introduced wherever they could be 
 advantageously adopted for saving labor. The undercutting and 
 drilling of the coal are accomplished with machinery operated by 
 compressed air, for the distribution of which, over 20 miles of 
 pipe are now in service to supply the different workings. Both the 
 "room and pillar'' and "Longwall" systems are used in these mines, 
 the physical conditions in each district determining which can be 
 adopted to the best advantage. The mines are entirely free from 
 explosive gases, and develop very little water. The coal is gathered 
 by both compressed air motors and horses, the former being sup- 
 plied with air at a pressure of 800 pounds per square inch, dis- 
 tributed by an aggregate of about 3 miles of extra strong pipe, in 
 which air is stored at a pressure of about 1,000 pounds per square 
 inch; charging stations are placed at points most convenient for the 
 operation of the motors. 
 
 The tipple, power plant and loading arrangements are located 
 in the main canon in which the town is situated. Both the tailrope 
 system and a small steam locomotive are used in bringing the coal 
 to the tipple, where, after being dumped, it is crushed, screened by 
 both revolving and shaking screens, and loaded by gravity into 
 railroad cars. The fine screenings are sold to commercial trade and 
 also used for the manufacture of coke. 
 
 A good quality of coke is made from the Cambria coal, the 
 present coking plant consisting of 74 Bee Hive ovens, having a 
 capacity of 74 tons of coke per day. An interesting and very 
 unusual feature in connection with this operation is the occurrence of 
 small quantities of gold and silver in the coal, which has been 
 
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BLACK HILLS' ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 123 
 
 found to contain values as high as $2.00 per ton in the coal and 
 $5.60 per ton in coke; an average of 31 cars of coke, on which a 
 special test was made, showed returns of $2.74 per ton in gold and 
 silver. 
 
 The mining plant is well equipped with air compressors, of 
 which five are used for operating mining machines and two for 
 supplying the air motors and pumping water from the deep well. 
 This well is also a remarkable feature, being the only place known 
 where water is being pumped by compressed air from so great a 
 depth. It is 2,345 feet deep and has a capacity of at least 325,000 
 gallons in 24 hours, raised by an air pressure of 900 pounds per 
 square inch to a distributing tank on the side of canon, from where 
 the water flows by gravity to the reservoirs used for supplying Cam- 
 bria and the town of Newcastle and the railroad about eight miles 
 distant. An electrically operated telpherage system is used for' 
 removing ashes from the 1,800-horspower battery of boilers and 
 keeping the latter supplied with fuel, the labor of one man being 
 sufficient to do this work. Thoroughly equipped machine, black- 
 smith and carpenter shops enable the company to make all necessary 
 repairs. 
 
 The company has built and maintains an exceptionally neat and 
 well ordered mining camp, consisting of about 150 cottages of 
 various sizes, which are rented to employes at reasonable rates, 
 and no saloons or professional' gambling operations are allowed on 
 
 any part of its large tract of land. Consequently the nearest 
 saloons are at Newcastle, 8 miles distant, and this fact is an im- 
 portant feature in establishing the excellent social status for which 
 Cambria is noted, and the remarkable record that no police force 
 has ever been organized for keeping order in the community, which 
 numbers about 1,400 souls, of all nationalities. The plant is not 
 operated on Sundays, which is contrary to the usual practice of 
 raining operations in the Black Hills. The employes of the com- 
 pany are so well satisfied with the uniformly fair and courteous 
 treatment accorded them by the company that they do not favor 
 the establishment of any labor organization at Cambria ; none has 
 ever existed there and strikes have been unknown, although a 
 large percentage of the miners are members of unions at other 
 places. A large new bath house was built in 1903, equipped with 
 bath tubs, shower baths, individual sinks, with hot and cold water 
 always on tap at each, and 250 lockers in which the miners can keep 
 their good clothes while at work and change at night before return- 
 ing to their homes. This bath house is exceptionally complete and 
 greatly appreciated by the employes. 
 
 The Cambria Fuel Company has a capital stock of $1,000,000.00. 
 Mr. W. H. Kilpatrick is president; S. D. Kilpatrick, vice-president; 
 R. J. Kilpatrick, general manager; Lewis T. Wolle, secretary- 
 treasurer, and W. E. Mouck, superintendent. About 550 men are 
 regularly employed. 
 
 THE HOMESTAKE MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Greatest Gold Mine in the World. 
 
 By George P. Baldwin. 
 
 From personal examination of the mine and a series of interviews with MR. T. J. GRIER, Superintendent. 
 
 There is probably no gold mine in the world that has at- 
 tracted such universal interest as the Homestake, and probably 
 no mine of even half its size is so little known as to its exact 
 location. Concisely speaking, the Homestake mine is situated at 
 Lead, and while Lead has other resources. Lead in its population 
 is practically the Homestake mine. As in the case of all great 
 mining companies, facts and figures of the Homestake have been 
 written of a thousand times and generally distorted in many ways, 
 and I am glad to be able to give at last, through the courtesy of 
 Mr. T. J. Grier, superintendent of the Homestake Mining Company, 
 by a series of interviews with him and by his consent, an abso- 
 lutely correct and unbiased account of this great mining company; 
 also of the excellent conditions existing between the Homestake 
 Mining Company and its army of employes. 
 
 The Homestake Mining Company was incorporated in Novem- 
 ber, 1877, with $10,000,000 capital, consisting of 100,000 shares at 
 $100 per share. At this time $100,000 was paid in, and afterward 
 two assessments of $1 per share were made, realizing $100,000 at 
 each assessment. This made altogether $300,000 paid in at that 
 time, and the assessments were made to cover the cost of the origi- 
 nal property purchases and to build the "Homestake," which was 
 the first mill erected. The original claim was the Homestake loca- 
 tion of about eight acres, which was less than a full claim, the 
 claims at that time being half the present claims, or ten and one- 
 third acres (300x1,500 feet) ; a full claim today being 600x1,500 
 feet. 
 
 The Homestake mill originally consisted of 80 stamps and 
 had one row of amalgamating plates. It was built on the Home- 
 stake location (most of the mills taking the name of the lode claim 
 on which they were built). The cost of transportation of this mill 
 was at the rate of 6 cents per pound from San Francisco, and the 
 total cost, including transportation, was $140,000. The mill started 
 
 in July, 1878, the ore being taken from an open cut made on the 
 Homestake claim. At that time no attempt was made to utilize the 
 tailings', but one or two years later concentrates were saved on car- 
 pets, with the idea in view of having them treated by a smelter. As 
 the concentrates, 20 to i, ran only about $15, this was found to be 
 impracticable. At that time there were no smelters in the Hills, and 
 coke and coal had to be brought from Chicago. It cost variously 
 from 2% to 3 4-10 cents per pound to bring coke and coal from 
 Chicago. They had to be brought in sacks, which cost 10 cents 
 each. Each sack would hold 200 pounds of anthracite or 100 pounds 
 of coke. Thus figuring the cost of a ton of coal at, say. 
 
 Three cents per pound for transportation $60 
 
 Ten sacks i 
 
 Original cost of coal 8 
 
 A total would be found of $69 
 
 and in some cases where the transportation w'as greater, the cost 
 far exceeded these figures, at that time approaching $100 per ton. 
 It would have required, for the concentrates, 300 miles of wagon 
 haul to Sidney or Cheyenne or 200 to Pierre, and then the cost of 
 transportation by rail to Omaha and an additional expense of $16 
 (at that time) per ton for the treatment of the concentrates at the 
 Omaha smelters. Later on, when a smelter was established at Dead- 
 wood, concentration of the tailings was indulged in and the con- 
 centrates were treated there with a net return of 50 per cent of their 
 assay value per ton. Thus the returns from concentrates amounted 
 to very little until the cyanide process was undertaken, and cyanide 
 mill No. I started in April, 1901. 
 
 From time to time the Homestake Mining Company has ac- 
 quired adjoining claims until now its holdings aggregate over 2,600 
 
THOSE WHO ARE CONDUCTING THE AFFAIRS OF THE GREATEST GOLD MINE IN THE WORLD. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 125 
 
 acres. These purchases have been made in a very conservative man- 
 ner, and at no time has an inordinate price been paid-. The company- 
 has had the advantage of great vifealth at its back and an unlimited 
 credit on account of its conservative financial management, and thus 
 acquired properties in many cases at a half or third of what would 
 have been charged others who wanted time or options, or who were 
 less well posted on the values of the properties. 
 
 The first ore taken from the Homestake claim averaged a value 
 of about Is per ton, and about 70 per cent of this was saved on the 
 one row of copper plates then used. 
 
 The greatest width of the vein is 500 feet and the whole of 
 the vein goes to the mill. Some mines select ore, but the Home- 
 stake does not, and its recovery averages $3.50 per ton from the 
 whole mass. About 40 miles of T railroad track runs under ground 
 in the various tunnels, and although the mine has been running a 
 quarter of a century, little or no ore has been taken from below 
 the 800- foot level. The only ore taken from' the 900, 1,000 and 
 1,100-foot levels is that which has been taken from the development 
 drifts. 
 
 The Ellison shaft is now being sunk at the rate of a foot per 
 day. February 15,' 1904, it was 1,250 feet deep, at which point its 
 next level will be opened, while the shaft will continue downward. 
 In addition to the Ellison shaft, the B. & M. is 1,100 feet deep; the 
 Golden Star the same distance, and the Golden Prospect, the old 
 Brig shaft and the Golden Gate shaft are each 800 feet deep. 
 
 The Ellison hoist is the wonder of the age among those inter- 
 ested in low-grade propositions. It has hoisting engines with ca- 
 pacity for 3,000 feet; crtisher engines with capacity for six No. 6 
 Gates crushers; a compressor with capacity for 250 drills, and 
 another compressor for the tramway and underground motors. A 
 compressed air motor, hauling 28 steel bottom-dumping cars, con- 
 taining four tons of ore each, operates between the Ellison hoist 
 and the mills of the Homestake Mining Company, over a steel 
 bridge 100 feet high. The Ellison shaft has three compartments. 
 In two of them double-decked cages are operated, each deck accom- 
 modating two cars, holding a ton of ore each ; the third compart- 
 ment contains man-ways, air-pipes, etc. The B. & M. shaft is also 
 a triple compartment, as in the case of the Ellison, and is furnished 
 with practically the same machinery as the Ellison, but on a smaller 
 scale. The compressed air motor, hauling ore from the Ellison 
 shaft to the mills, also runs around the cut underground to the 
 Golden Prospect shaft, and to the B. & M. shaft as well, and brings 
 their ore to the mills. The old Brig hoist delivers ore by endless 
 wire rope (600 or 700 feet) to the mill. The Golden Gate delivers 
 its ore by Robbins belt conveyor 250 feet to the mill. With the 
 improved motor power and ore cars, the cost of hauling of ore from 
 the various hoists to the mills has been reduced to less than a cent 
 per ton. 
 
 There are six stamp mills ; two of 200 stamps each (one of 
 which is the Homestake, which was increased from 80 to 200) ; one 
 of 160; one of 140, and two of 100 stamps each. This totals 900 
 stamps, and 100 stamps are being added to the 140 stamp mill; thus 
 the total number of stamps running June i, 1904, will be 1,000. The 
 stamps are of the standard weight of 900 pounds each. I asked Mr. 
 Grier as to the capacity of each stamp. He replied : "Each stamp 
 crushes four tons and more in 24 hours." Thus the capacity is 4,000 
 tons per day, or 1,460,000 tons per annum. 
 
 In addition to the single row of amalgamating plates installed 
 in the mills when they started more than a quarter of a century ago, 
 there are now three additional rows, and 72 per cent of the assay 
 value of the ore is caught on these four rows of plates and in the 
 batteries on a small front plate called a "chuck block." The first 
 row is simply amalgamated copper plates, but the other three rows 
 are electro silver-plated copper plates, which catch a product that 
 cannot be caught upon the first row. 
 
 All precious metal ores contain a certain percentage of gold in 
 such fine state of division (oftentimes called flour gold) that an 
 ordinary amalgamated copper plate will catch only a small propor- 
 tion. Electro silver-plated copper plates have been found, how- 
 ever, to catch a very considerable part of that which escapes from 
 the first row of plates. The installation of these silvered plates was 
 begun by the Homestake company ten years ago. At first one row 
 
 was added to the mills ; then another, and so on, until the company's 
 mills were fully equipped with the four rows. In installing these 
 plates, the effort was made (wherever space allowed) to widen the 
 plate surface, making the second row wider than the first, the third 
 wider than the second, and the fourth wider than the third, thus 
 spreading out as thinly as possible the pulp from the batteries and 
 giving the fine particles of gold a chance to reach the plate's surface 
 and be caught. The fourth plate is about 60 per cent wider than 
 the first. 
 
 Many mining companies heat the water which flows into the 
 mortars under the impression that better results are obtainable with 
 warm water than with cold. Mr. Grier believes, however, in cold 
 water. He says : "Nearly, if not all ores have a certain base ele- 
 ment, and heat induces its oxidation. Whereas, the colder you 
 keep the ore, the slower the oxidation. The oxidation of the sul- 
 phides covers the amalgamating plates with a film of oxide, which, 
 although not thicker than a cobweb, is still thick enough to inter- 
 fere seriously with the amalgamation of the very fine gold particles ; 
 thus the temperature should be that degree which produces the 
 least oxidation of the bases of the ore." 
 
 Mr. Grier finds the best results are given by water near the 
 freezing or congealing point. While perspiration on the plates in the 
 form of globules of mercury is evidence of too high a temperature, 
 it may also occur through feeding too much mercury into the 
 battery. 
 
 There are two cyanide mills in operation, called Cyanide No. 
 I and Cyanide No. 2. The former has a capacity of 1,250 tons per 
 24 hours, and this capacity is being increased 40 per cent by an addi- 
 tion to its present structure. Cyanide No. 2 has a capacity of 800 
 tons per 24 hours. Cyanide No. i (which was the first erected) 
 returned in less than two years in profits the amount of money 
 invested. The cost of treatment is 25 cents per ton. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Merrill, a cyanide man of great reputation, who 
 came from California to take charge of the cyaniding of the' Home- 
 stead Mining Company's mill tailings, has full charge of these mills. 
 He is here under contract of five years, three of which have expired, 
 and he receives a percentage of the net profits. In other words, of 
 the difference between the value of the production obtained and the 
 cost of its production. 
 
 To the question as to whether or not they treat refractory high- 
 grade ore in the same way as the low grade, Mr. Grier said: "Yes, 
 all the silicious ore, whether running $5 per ton or $50 per ton, is 
 treated in the same way.'' 
 
 Returning to the Ellison hoist, it may be well to say that, al- 
 though the shaft at this hoist was started in 1895, it has only just 
 reached its full benefit capacity. The cost has been about $500,000, 
 with its equipment as at present. It is doubtful if the original pro- 
 jectors of the Homestake Mining Company, Messrs. Haggin and 
 Hearst, even faintly realized what a great proposition this was to 
 become, but as time and work developed, an increase from the 
 original $10,000,000 capital was deemed advisable. When the Giant 
 and Old Abe properties on the east side of and adjoining the Home- 
 stake were acquired, the capital was increased 25,000 shares, or 
 $2,500,000; and later an increase to the total present capitalization 
 of $21,840,000 was made for the acquirement of other properties, 
 the building of a railway and for an additional water supply. 
 
 The railway, called the Black Hills & Fort Pierre railway, was 
 started in 1880, in which year ten miles were btiilt from Lead. It 
 was afterward extended year by year to Piedmont — 38 miles — and 
 a branch to Nemo twelve miles long. This railroad was originally 
 intended to haul cord-wood and mining timbers to the mines, and 
 in ejxcellent condition for future use, was sold to the C, B. & Q. 
 railway in 1901. 
 
 The Spearfish water system cost in round numbers $1,000,000. 
 It takes water from the head of Spearfish creek through nine miles 
 of 28-inch (inside diameter) vitrified pipe to the pumping works on 
 the cast fork of the Spearfish creek, where the water is elevated 400 
 feet by the pumping station, which has a capacity at maximum speed- 
 of 4,500 gallons per minute. After being elevated, it comes by grav- 
 ity through four miles of the same diameter of vitrifijed pipes and 
 enters into the head of Whitewood creek; the water then flows in 
 the natural creek channel for four miles, after which it enters into 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 127 
 
 wooden boxes and comes by flume the balance of the distance (four 
 miles) to Lead City. 
 
 The Homestake Mining Company produces its own gold bars 
 in its own assay office located at Lead. The bars are shipped direct 
 , to the company's financial agent in New York, where they are con- 
 verted into coin. The government charges are quite an item on such 
 an output. The total production of gold of the Homestake Mining 
 CompaiTy to January i, 1904, was about $75,000,000, and the divi- 
 dends declared have reached the enormous sum of nearly $20,000,- 
 000. It must be understood that this is a low-grade mine, the safest 
 possible proposition. On a production of $75,000,000 in a high- 
 grade ore, dividends would, of course, be much larger, but this is 
 distinctly a manufacturing proposition, calling for large investments 
 in plant (buildings, machinery and labor), and the labor contribut- 
 ing to such an enterprise reaps a greater percentage of its results 
 than does the capital itself. 
 
 About three years ago, realizing the lessening supply in the 
 future of timbers for the mine, a method was adopted of refilling 
 the stopes after the extraction of the ore. This is done with waste 
 from above, mainly from porphory caps. Already a great saving in 
 cost of labor and timber has been made, and this method recom- 
 mends itself to experts from the fact that, once refilled with waste, 
 these openings become practically as full of resistance as the origi- 
 nal ore body to the pressure from above. Whereas, the resisting 
 power of timber is completed with its life, which is only a matter 
 of a few years. 
 
 The amount of dynamite used by the Homestake Company 
 is an interesting factor. The consumption is about 1,250,000 
 pounds, of 40 per cent strength per annum, costing about 12 cents 
 per pound, or $150,000. 
 
 The pumping engine (steam actuated) on the 1,100-foot level 
 at the Golden Star shaft is capable of raising to the surface at one 
 lift, at maximum speed, 550 gallons per minute. Certain novel 
 methods of ventilation keep the air pure and pleasant in the engine 
 room at this depth. The Cornish pump also, on the 1,100-foot level, 
 but at the B. & M. shaft, has a capacity of 40 gallons per stroke, 
 and while it may be" run to ten strokes per minute, conditions do 
 not require greater speed than five or six. Thus the mine is equipped 
 with pumping facilities in duplicate, each capable of keeping it free 
 from water. 
 
 Three Ajax drill sharpening machines, one on the surface, one 
 on the 800-foot level and one on the 600-foot level, provide for the 
 entire mine. Each one of the machines, in the hands of two men 
 on a ten-hour shift, has a capacity of 600 drills ; this is an immense 
 saving in labor. On the 600-foot level, a large blacksmith shop is 
 maintained, where repairs of all kinds are made. Pipe-fitting is 
 also done on this level, and every possible economy is used in these 
 directions to overcome the necessity of handling tools and materials 
 of all sorts through the shafts. 
 
 Mr. Grier states that at least twenty years of ore is at present 
 blocked out. That means that at its present capacity, the ore in 
 sight, ready to be broken down, will last for twenty years. 
 
 Something over 1,000,000 tons of ore are mined ahead and on 
 hand, thus keeping at all times a year's supply ahead of the mills. 
 
 Mr. Grier also states that the veins at deepest workings hold the 
 same width as at the surface. In reply to my question as to how 
 low-grade an ore he believes could be treated in the future by the 
 new methods, which are constantly decreasing the cost of treat- 
 ment, he replied in this way: "We are treating sands for 25 cents 
 per ton, but that means sands already mined and crushed. The 
 same number of men that can run a loo-stamp mill can run a 200- 
 stamp mill, and the principal additional cost is that of coal. Even 
 with drillers, the cost of labor in large ore bodies is greatly reduced, 
 because a man can break much more on a large face than on a 
 small one. The same holes drilled, the same amount of powder 
 and labor will break twice as much from a big face as from a 
 small one." "How much per ton does it cost you to mine and 
 mill?" I asked. Mr. Grier replied: 
 
 "The full amount per month drawn from the treasury, divided 
 by the tonnage of ore milled, is what it costs the Homestead Min- 
 ing Company to mine and mill, per ton. Many companies make 
 statements of cost of ore production based upon the bare cost of 
 
 mining and milling, and do not add general expenses, additions of 
 machinery, cost of buildings, etc. Our policy is to let each month 
 count for itself, and not deceive ourselves or others by false vis- 
 ions. As we add to our general plant, the economies thereby cre- 
 ated will reduce the cost of the manufacture of our gold; and 
 rather than deceive ourselves, we prefer to let the future speak for 
 itself." 
 
 "Why do you use the entire breakdown?" I asked. 
 
 Mr. Grier replied : "There is no mine where the values in the 
 vein are equally distributed. We find a low-grade place and break 
 it down because the history of our mine tells us that a richer place 
 beyond may be confildently looked for. Once broken, the low- 
 grade ore lies on the floor; what are you going to do with it? You 
 have to remove it; it costs no more to take it to the shaft than to 
 throw it away. Therefore, the only additional cost is about 5 cents 
 for hoisting, 5 cents for primary crushing, and I cent for transpor- 
 tation to the mill and 35 cents for milling; so that if it will yield 
 over 46 cents it is worth sending to the mill. In other words, we 
 will suppose the ore to have a value of $1 per ton; we recover from 
 this 72 per cent in the stamp mill ; 46 cents cost leaves 26 cents 
 profit; then why waste it or dump it in an old stope? If it is 
 worth only 80 cents per ton, it would yield in the mill 57.6 cents 
 and still leave 11.6 cents, or a good manufacturing profit. If we 
 wished to utilize only rich streaks, I am afraid our mine would soon 
 become honeycombed, its physical condition sadly impaired, and its 
 term of life shortened. Whereas, it is impossible under our meth- 
 ods, with our present economies and those to come, to see anything 
 but substantial monthly profits and longevity." 
 
 UNDERGROUND FIRE PROTECTION. 
 
 Probably no mine in the world has better facilities for fight- 
 ing an underground fire than the Homestake. In order to fully 
 appreciate and understand the conditions that obtain there, it is 
 only necessary to say that the vast network of pipes which extend 
 all about the mine and through which compressed air is furnished 
 to the machines used for drilling, are connected with a concrete 
 reservoir holding one and a third million gallons of water and sit- 
 uated on the surface, so that in a twinkling of an eye the compressed 
 air can be turned from the pipes and the water turned into them. 
 In order to provide against a general bursting of the pipes at such 
 depths as would call upon them to sustain water pressure beyond 
 their capacity, should the water at the surface be turned on sud- 
 denly, the water is taken from the surface to the bottom in 400-foot 
 sections. A tank at the bottom of each section is provided with an 
 automatic valve, operated by a float, and draws its supply from the 
 tank 400 feet above it. Hose, hydrants, standpipes and couplings 
 are located at convenient points, ready for an emergency. 
 
 The first superintendent of the Homestake mine was Samuel 
 McMaster, who came to Lead from California in the spring of 
 1878. Mr. McMaster died in 1884, and was succeeded by Mr. T. J. 
 Grier, who had been associated with the Homestake company, in 
 charge of the office, since 1878, having previous to that time had 
 charge of the operating room of the Western Union Telegraph 
 Company at Salt Lake City. Mr. Grier was born at Pakenham, Can- 
 ada. He is conservative in his treatment of the company's affairs, 
 and this conservatism has been the means of saving the company 
 a great deal of unnecessary expense. With this conservatism, he 
 combines a liberality and sense of justice to such an extent that I 
 have never heard in the Black Hills any but good- words for him. 
 His position is a difficult one; not only on account of the vast in- 
 terests, details of which have to be constantly before him, but be- 
 cause of the gnawing and vexatious personal elements which have 
 to be overcome in every large mining community where a mining 
 company, no matter how great its beneficiaries and desire of justice, 
 is constantly harrassed by unwarranted claims. But withal, Mr. 
 Grier carries the same quiet and imperturbable dignity and the same 
 justice, and he is as accessible to the miner working underground 
 as to the wealthiest capitalist of the city. 
 
 It is well known that the Homestake Mining Company has 
 enjoyed a more perfect understanding with its army of employes 
 than any other mining company in existence. The semblance of a 
 strike has never even been thought of. This seems strange when 
 
128 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 one, contemplates the conditions at Butte and in the camps of Col- 
 orado, from the fact that 1,100 of the 2,500 operatives of the Home- 
 stake Mining Company are members of the Western Federation of 
 Miners ; but the opinion prevails in the Black Hills that if agitators 
 were sent from headquarters to Lead with any ulterior motives in 
 view, they would be promptly escorted by the miners themselves 
 to the limits of the town-site and turned loose, with preemptory 
 advice not to return. The miners at Lead enjoy free rental condi- 
 tions of land for homes, which are not obtained in any other mining 
 camp in the world. Mr. Grier consented to give me a thorough 
 statement of these conditions and the reader may judge for him- 
 self of the results. 
 
 The first comers in Lead did what is done in most mining 
 camps in what is now the heart of the town. They located as lode 
 claims and many of them combined together to lay out a small 
 town-site. At that time, however, no application was made to the 
 government for a town-site patent. Soon after these locations were 
 made, the existence of large bodies of low-grade free-milling ore 
 was reported to Mr. Hearst and Mr. Haggin, both California mil- 
 lionaires, and they immediately sent into the Hills an expert to 
 examine the district. His orders were that if he found anything 
 in the way of mines, which in his judgment had future possibilities 
 of profit, to bond them with a view of buying. His reports, after 
 examination, were so favorable that Mr. Hearst in 1877 came to the 
 Hills and, being satisfied with the outlook, commenced immediately 
 to buy such lode claims as were to be had at prices that, in his judg- 
 ment, he could afford, commencing with the Homestake lode loca- 
 tion. 
 
 The incorporation of the Homestake Mining Company followed 
 immediately, but upon application being made to the United States 
 for United States patents to the lode claim by the Homestake Min- 
 ing Company, some of the parties from whom the mining company 
 bought interests in the mining claims, and others who were occupy- 
 ing the surface in whole or in part in what constituted the little 
 town-site that had been laid out by them, fearful that they might 
 be required to vacate the mining surface by the Homestake Mining 
 Company, if patents were obtained, found themselves also applying 
 for a patent to the surface. Thus arose a conflict between the min- 
 eral claimants and the town-site claimants which was not settled 
 (neither party getting a patent) until an arrangement was made and 
 entered into between the mineral claimants on the one side and the 
 town-site claimants on the other, which agreement was made in 
 the year 1892. Under this agreement, which was satisfactory to the 
 General Land Office in Washington, patents were issued to the min- 
 eral claimants, who gave the surface occupants a contract that they 
 should not be disturbed in the surface occupancy of the land unless 
 it became necessary to undermine their surface improvements, con- 
 ducting the mining operations in good faith; and in the event of 
 such a necessity, the surface occupant should have a sufficient length 
 of time — not less than 90 .days — in which to remove his surface im- 
 provements. The same provisions apply to the streets and alleys, 
 and the whole area coming under these provisions was surveyed 
 and platted by George S. Hopkins, surveyor, and is known as the 
 Hopkins survey of the Lead City town-site. The substantial im- 
 provements and growth of the town date from this agreement. The 
 town-site claimants, in the small area circled by the Homestake, 
 were in most cases granted titles to their properties. 
 
 The limits of the city of Lead extend in all directions, far 
 beyond the exterior boundaries of the area platted by Hopkins, and 
 are, for the main part, on patented lode claims belonging to the 
 Homestake Mining Company. Much of this area is occupied also 
 by the employes of the great mine under a permit issued by the 
 mining company, which allows the occupant the free use of the 
 ground until such time as the company may need it in the conduct 
 of its mining operations. 
 
 The taxes on the land are paid by the mining company, and the 
 
 taxes on improvements by the owner of the improvements. Sew- 
 erage is paid for by the municipality, and the pavements in business 
 streets by the abutting property owners. The Homestake Mining 
 Company has encouraged the building of homes by its operatives 
 and greatly prefers seeing every one of them living in his own 
 home. As long as there are lots to give they will get them. Where 
 the company bought land with residences upon it, it allowed the 
 occupants to remain. You can imagine, with a monthly payroll of 
 $190,000, as was averaged in 1903 among 2,500 operatives, that a 
 city of beautiful homes would be built under these conditions, and 
 such has been the fact. There are cases where an operative has to 
 leave Lead for other climates on account, perhaps, of the effect of 
 the altitude (a mile above the sea) upon the health of his wife. 
 In such cases of necessity he is allowed to sell his home and the 
 right of land occupancy, which latter is transferable through the 
 permission of the Homestake; or he may lease the home with the 
 same permission. This qualification is distributed with perfect jus- 
 tice, but is a good provision against the entry of a horde of agita- 
 tors who might seek to entrench themselves. In this way a city 
 has been built up, as Mr. Grier says, "of responsible, decent people, 
 who are bread-winners, and not loafers." 
 
 The peace and dignity of the town are left to the mayor and 
 aldermen. Of course, the Homestake Mining Company could, in 
 the votes of its employes, if necessary, guide the selection of the 
 city's officers to a great extent, but this has never been found neces- 
 sary. The policy of the company is to let people think for them- 
 selves, feeling assured that they will always exercise good judg- 
 ment in the contemplation of the future of their homes, themselves 
 and their families and their pride in the city which they have built 
 up. It has never been found necessary to disturb the occupants 
 of a single home. 
 
 The Homestake Hospital is an institution deserving special 
 note. It is owned by the Homestake Mining Company, which ma- 
 terially assists in its maintenance. Each employe of the Home- 
 stake mine pays $1.10 per month for its advantages, which consist 
 of hospital treatment in the hospital, or physician's treatment at 
 home for an employe and his entire family; also for medicines and 
 board while at the hospital. There is a general ward and a num- 
 ber of private rooms for both sexes. Drs. D. K. Dickinson and 
 J. W. Freeman are in charge, and are assisted by other physicians 
 and as many nurses as may be at any time required. 
 
 Mrs. Phoebe Hearst maintains from her private purse a public 
 library, called the Hearst Free Library. This was established in 
 1894, and occupies rooms on the second floor of the Hearst Mercan- 
 tile Company, which is a large department store owned by Mrs. 
 Hearst. In the library are 8,000 volumes and 100 periodicals are 
 maintained, consisting of dailies, weeklies and monthlies. 
 
 The Hearst Free Kindergarten is another of Mrs. Hearst's 
 beneficiaries and is maintained entirely from her private purse. It 
 is free to all children from three to six years of age, and is open 
 from April to December inclusive. About 150 children attend 
 The rooms for the kindergarten are located in the basement of the 
 Episcopal church, and Mrs. Hearst pays the church a monthly rent 
 for the same. A matron and four teachers are in charge, and a man 
 is in attendance to look after the heavy work and attend to the 
 beautiful surrounding garden. Mrs. Hearst gives the use of the 
 rooms one afternoon of the week to the Mothers' Union, and their 
 well-attended meetings are held to exchange opinions on matters 
 connected with maternity, the care of children and for lectures from 
 physicians and others upon the same subjects. 
 
 The Homestake Hotel is the property of the Hearst Mercan- 
 tile Company, and is occupied mainly by operatives of the mine. 
 Some rooms, however, are reserved for transients. There are 54 
 rooms in all, and the hotel is exquisitely kept and managed by John 
 A. Blatt, one of the most popular men of Lead, and the vice-presi- 
 dent of the Black Hills Mining Men's Association. 
 
LAWRENCE COUNTY MINING. 
 
 Lawrence county is known to the world principally as the 
 home of the Homestake mine. People have assumed that the only 
 mine in the Black Hills is the Homestake. This mine, the greatest 
 on earth, has done much to advertise the country, but there are 
 a dozen other mines that to-day bid fair in time to equal the 
 Homestake. The Golden Reward, a mine of not half the age of the 
 Homestake, has produced $18,000,000 in gold. It is probably the 
 largest holder of mining property in the Bald Mountain district, 
 and has two big reduction works at Deadwood — a 500-ton matte 
 smelter and a 200-ton cyanide mill. A second cyanide plant is 
 contemplated by this company, to be built in proximity to the mines, 
 thus saving a railroad haul. The Horseshoe, adjoining the Golden 
 Reward, has a soo-ton cyanide mill (the largest in the Black Hills) 
 at Terry, and, though it can hardly as yet be classed as a second 
 Homestake, ranks to-day third on the Hst of gold producers. The 
 financial difBculties of the Horseshoe are well known to the public. 
 It proved once again that speculating in stocks of unfinanced min- 
 ing companies is a dangerous business, and that, coupled with mis- 
 management, caused the temporary setback. The Penobscot, only 
 a year old, is one of the healthiest youngsters in the Hills. 
 Its cyanide mill at Maitland treats 115 tons of ore a day, and about 
 twenty-five tons are shipped to smelters daily in addition. The 
 Spearfish, Imperial, Clover Leaf, Columbus, Hidden Fortune, Wasp 
 No. 2, all are great mines, and all are in Lawrence county. 
 
 Deadwood is the county seat of Lawrence county, the loca- 
 tion of the United States Assay Office and six reduction works. 
 
 in its turn will be treated in a cursory manner in the following 
 pages, and some of the larger mines given special mention, with 
 illustrations, as object lessons. 
 
 RAGGED TOP. 
 
 The first mining was done at Ragged Top in the year 1886, the 
 date of the discovery of galena ores at Carbonate Camp. Prac- 
 tically the same formation is exhibited at the two camps, and they 
 are but about four miles apart. Some little work was done by A. J. 
 Smith and associates, but, as they found no galena, suspended opera- 
 tions. Then some nine years later, in the spring of i8g6. Wall, 
 Rouse, Murray & Madill located the Balmoral group and started 
 development work. Immense boulders were found which upon 
 assays gave returns of anywhere from $200 to $378 per ton from the 
 first three samples. In July these men made the first shipment 
 of ore to the smelters, and for a year the camp boomed as only a 
 Western mining settlement can. The ores were immensely rich, 
 and, lying right on the surface of the ground, easy to mine, and 
 close to the railroad at Crown Hill, many fortunes were made. The 
 ores were found to come from verticals in the limestone, and atten- 
 tion was immediately turned to following them down. They were 
 varying in size, pinching and swelling, lean here and rich there, but 
 still it was strictly a poor man's camp. During the year $250,000 
 was produced from the Balmoral (credited with $6o,coo), the Ulster, 
 the Little Bud, the Dacy, The Starner, and the McPherson and Gray 
 ground. The American Mining Company, owner of the Dacy group. 
 
 SOME WELL-KNOWN PROPERTIES, WITH ETHEL TUNNEL OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE ON THE RIGHT. 
 
 The United Staets Assay Office is a branch of the United 
 States Mint. Previous to its establishment, some seven years ago, 
 it was customary to ship bullion by express to Philadelphia, sub- 
 jecting the owner to considerable delay before settlement was made, 
 but now, as soon as the value is determined, a check is given in 
 payment. No metal is received containing less than fifty per cent 
 gold. The reduction works in lower Deadwood constitute the 
 largest milling community of the Hills aside from the Homestake 
 plants. There are the mills of the following companies here : Im- 
 perial (dry crushing cyanide) 200 tons' capacity, Dakota (wet 
 crushing cyanide) 120 tons. Golden Reward (dry crushing cyanide) 
 200 tons, Golden Reward (matte smelter) 500 tons, Rossiter (dry 
 crushing cyanide) 80 tons, Glass & Co. (tailings cyanide) 75 tons. 
 Two miles below Deadwood is the 300-ton wet crushing cyanide mill 
 of the Hidden Fortune, and which is strictly tributary to Deadwood, 
 the nearest city. Deadwood is a desirable location for these plants, 
 as it has the advantage of two trunk lines of railroad, furnishing 
 transportation of fuel and other supplies to them at minimum cost, 
 and two lines of narrow gauge railroad penetrating the mining 
 districts of Bald Mountain, Ruby Basin and Crown Hill, six to ten 
 miles away, with a down hill haul all the way from mine to mill. 
 
 Lawrence county is the largest producing mining county of 
 the Black Hills, and with the new mills under construction and 
 contemplated for the present year, will show a great growth this 
 year. The assessed valuation of Lawrence county is greater than 
 any other county in South Dakota, and contains the second largest 
 city in the state. Lead. Each mining district of the county 
 
 sunk a shaft 500 feet, following an ore vertical all the way. From 
 the bottom a diamond drill was run down 500 feet more. The idea 
 was to learn what was on the underlying quartzite. Good ore was 
 found_ there, and the company went down in Spearfish canyon, sunk 
 a shaft to quartzite, and drifted under the mountain toward Ragged 
 Top. Almost $200,000 was spent in this undertaking, and the 
 work was suspended without reaching the objective point where the 
 ore deposits were believed to exist. Thus nothing has been done 
 since tending to open the ores on quartzite at this camp, but when 
 that formation shall have been fully exploited, together with the 
 opening of the horizontal deposit in the upper lime cut by the 
 vertical in the Balmoral shaft, and which discloses its identity at 
 other points, the camp will be one of the greatest in the Hills. 
 
 Late in 1902 the Spearfish Gold Mining and Reduction Com- 
 pany put in commission a 250-ton cyanide mill to work large low 
 grade bodies of ore at Ragged Top. The company since then has 
 paid $90,000 (to January i) in dividends. Its success led the Dead- 
 wood Standard Gold Mining Company to build a mill on similar 
 plans, and this company had paid $6,000 in dividends to January 
 I, 1904. The Potsdam, Victoria and Eleventh Hour mines all con- 
 template erecting mills this year, and it is likely that other plants 
 will be constructed as well. 
 
 BALD MOUNTAIN AND RUBY BASIN. 
 
 These two sections are virtually the center of production from 
 the siliceous ore deposits of the Cambrian formations. It is here 
 
INTERESTING VIEWS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY AND IN THE SUNDANCE COAL MINES. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 131 
 
 that such companies as the Golden Reward, Imperial and Horseshoe 
 are operating. As early as 1879 gold was known to exist in the 
 vicinity, but it was not mitil matte smelting was introduced that the 
 ores were successfully treated at home. Prior to that time some ore 
 was shipped to the smelters in the East, the transportation involv- 
 ing first a haul of a hundred miles or so by ox teams, then five 
 hundred or more miles by rail, and finally burdened with excessive 
 smelter charges. Hundred-dollar ore was made to pay, but the 
 production greatly limited. With the innovation of the new proc- 
 esses in the early nineties a new era of prosperity dawned for the 
 Black Hills. A successful method of treatment had been discovered 
 for the siliceous ores, and the mines of Bald Mountain and Ruby 
 Basin exchanged ownership at greater prices. Since then the mines 
 have been constantly worked and the production increased year 
 by year. A new mill is contemplated for this year at the Reliance 
 mines, near Portland. Lundberg, Dorr & Wilson completed a mill 
 and put it in commission during January at Terry, for handling 
 the ores from the Big Bonanza and Buxton mines, the big Horse- 
 shoe mill of 500 tons' capacity was finished last summer, and the 
 Dakota company intends removing its cyanide mill from Terry to the 
 mines at Portland. 
 
 MAITLAND. 
 
 This camp is on the eastern end of the present known siliceous 
 ore belt. It is the scene of great activity, the Penobscot Mining 
 Company having completed a forty-stamp mill there last year, and 
 having opened up a most valuable property, giving stimulus to 
 mining in the vicinity. Several companies are busily engaged in 
 developing their holdings and a typical growing mining camp has 
 sprung up. The ores are similar to those of Bald Mountain, in the 
 Cambri'an, so, while at various points big veins of the Homestake 
 belt are disclosed in the slates, the present developments indicate 
 a most prosperous future for the camp, since exploitations are prov- 
 ing up large ore bodies in numerous mines. 
 
 THE HOMESTAKE BELT. 
 
 Properly speaking, the Homestake belt is all of the territory 
 along the strike or course of the big lodes opened at Lead City. 
 At that place the belt is fully a mile wide, as elsewhere explained, 
 and among the important producing companies operating along 
 it might be mentioned the Columbus, at Central City ; the Penobscot, 
 at Maitland; the Hidden Fortune, at Lead; the Clover Leaf, at 
 Roubaix; the Imperial, Sheeptail Gulch; Wasp No. 2, Yellow 
 Creek. Among the prominent companies developing mines on this 
 great vein system, but which have not yet reached the mill building 
 and producing stage, are the Oro Hondo, south of Lead City; the 
 Echo, Gold Eagle, Gold Stake, Beltram and Maitland-Keystone, at 
 Maitland; the Anaconda, Transvaal, Tomahawk, Lucky Strike, Safe 
 Investment, Homestake Belt and Myrtle, at Roubaix; the Globe, 
 Rex and Dolphin & Comstock, at and near Lead City. 
 
 The Homestake belt is practically a mineral empire in itself. 
 The great vein system can be traced for two score miles. At 
 various points there is pay ore in the fissures, but not at all points. 
 The ore lays in shoots, with blank portions between. It takes money 
 and judicious development to open up a paying mine. The Home- 
 stake mine itself is spotted to a certain degree. Some of the ore- 
 from the veins is not worth a dollar a ton, while some stringers 
 are plentifully sprinkled with free gold. Because a mine is on the 
 strike of the Homestake does not necessarily make it invaluable. 
 The veins have lean portions. And even though the ore is in a large 
 body and assays as high as the Homestake ore, it does not follow that 
 the mine will be the success that the Homestake is. Certain physi- 
 cal conditions must be considered. What is the facility for securing 
 fuel? Where can water for n.'illing be gotten? Does the company 
 own timber for mining purposes? Are there satisfactory sites 
 on the ground for the erection of a mill ? And last, but the greatest 
 consideration of all, is the management reliable, conscientious and 
 conservative? This paragraph is not intended as a depreciation of 
 mines along the Homestake belt, but to show certain factors de- 
 termining the future possibilities of properties thus situated. The 
 
 same might be said of all mines near or on the strike of ore bodies 
 of meritorious properties, though the fact that the mine is on the 
 strike of veins of renown adds a probabiHty to the future possi- 
 bilities of the mine in question. In other words, in every case, aside 
 from theories, probabilities and possibilities, nothing short of pay 
 ore on the ground will make a mine. 
 
 THE PHONOLITE BELT. 
 
 Certain sections of Lawrence county, notably Squaw creek, 
 upper Deadwood gulch and False Bottom creek, contain heavy dikes 
 of phqnolitic rocks cutting through dikes of porphyry, etc. In many 
 cases on the contact between the two rocks and in the phonolite 
 itself high grade ore is found. In these ores the gold occurs in 
 sylvanite and pyrite in small veins. The developments are at no 
 point as yet extensive enough to determine great depth or especially 
 large values, though several companies are expending large sums 
 in exploiting the ore bodies, and all have good prospects of ultimate 
 success. 
 
 WESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 This is a section to which a good deal of attention has been 
 directed in the past two years, with the result of opening up large 
 bodies of tin and gold ore. The section described extends across 
 the state line into Wyoming, and is much like the central portion 
 of the Black Hills proper. In other words, the Algonkian rocks, 
 form the core, around which on every side lie the Cambrian and 
 carboniferous formations. The tin ores occur in immense veins of 
 pegmatic extending long distances. The gold occurs in placers 
 in the numerous gulches and streams heading near Nigger Hill and 
 in veins in the slates, in the Cambrian and carboniferous. 
 
 The country is lacking in transportation facilities, but is well 
 dowered in mineral wealth, and railroads are always sure to follow 
 where gold leads. Near Nigger Hill were made the first discoveries 
 of placer gold in the Northern Black Hills, but up to the present 
 time no great amount of attention has been paid to the veins. The 
 several companies operating in the district now state that they will 
 soon be ready to equip mines with large reduction plants, and the 
 era of production, it is promised, will commence within two years. 
 That the country will be a favorite for investment must only be 
 seen to be appreciated. 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 Two trunk lines of railroad furnish transportation for Law- 
 rence county. The B. & M. R. R., entering the Black Hills at 
 Minnekahta, comes through some eighty miles of the ruggedest por- 
 tions of the mountains, terminating at Deadwood with the broad 
 gauge line, but extending to Spearfish with a branch, and to Bald 
 Mountain and Ruby Basin with narrow gauge lines, patronized; 
 chiefly by mining companies shipping ores to reduction plants at> 
 Deadwood, Rapid City, Terry and outside of the Black Hills. 
 
 The C. & N. W. Ry. really enters the Black Hills proper at 
 a point between Whitewood and Deadwood, skirting along the 
 foothills for a hundred miles and deriving trade from the country 
 tributary to such towns as Rapid City, Sturgis, Whitewood, Belle 
 Fourche, etc. From Deadwood a narrow gauge extends to Bald 
 Mountain to the mines, and from Whitewood to Belle Fourche a 
 branch penetrates a rich agricultural and cattle section. 
 
 Between Deadwood and Lead the Burlington operates a trolley 
 system, with cars every forty minutes, and the Northwestern a 
 narrow gauge passenger train every hour. 
 
 A great deal of hauling is done in Lawrence county by teams, 
 as in many cases mines and mills are at some distance from rail- 
 roads. Carbonate Camp, Maitland and Ragged Top might be men- 
 tioned as furnishing employment to teams in the delivery of coal 
 and other mining supplies and machinery. A photograph shows 
 the difficulties sometimes encountered in delivering heavy pieces 
 of machinery to mining companies. In the photo a heavy boiler is 
 shown loaded on one of John Feldhausen's trucks, with heavy 
 horses attached. The boiler was for the Big Four Mining Company, 
 and was hauled to the mine from Deadwood, five miles. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 133 
 
 THE IMPERIAL GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Imperial Gold Mining Company is one of the old- 
 est and largest of the substantial mining companies of the 
 Black Hills treating their ores by the cyanide process. It 
 ranks in output and in the extent of its acreage along with 
 the Golden Reward and other of the larger producing com- 
 panies. Its reduction plant is located in the first ward, 
 Deadwood, and is capable of handling a maximum of 200 
 tons of ore per day. 
 
 PROPERTIES ACQUIRED. 
 
 It has property in Blacktail gulch, the Bald Mountain 
 district, and Ruby Basin, and owns a large tract of mineral 
 land on Beaver Creek which is covered with a fine growth 
 of timber. 
 
 The company was originally organized to work the 
 American Express group of claims in Blacktail, a valuable 
 piece of mining property situated on the north extension 
 of the Homestake ore belt, and which contains also large 
 bodies of siliceous ore, well adapted to the cyanide process. 
 
 The company has since acquired an extensive acreage 
 in this section, situated in the very heart of the Blacktail 
 district. Later the company acquired the Eagle Chief lode, 
 near Crown Hill, the Juno lode and other adjoining claims. 
 In Ruby Basin the company has obtained a large supply of 
 ore from the Bertha Fraction. 
 
 ITS POLICY. 
 
 The policy of the company has been aggressive, though 
 conservative. New properties have been purchased from 
 time to time and it now owns extensive tracts of valuable 
 mineral lands in all of the different camps. The Bertha 
 property was purchased after it was supposed to have been 
 worked out. The company has taken nearly $100,000 from 
 this one piece of land alone, and large bodies of ore still 
 remain. 
 
 It also owns the Lackawanna Fraction and other prop- 
 erty in the vicinity of Portland. 
 
 THE IMPERIAL MILL. 
 
 The company's mill is what is known as a dry crushing 
 cyanide mill. It is built on level ground rather than on a 
 hillside, and in this respect dififers from all of the other mills 
 in the Black Hills. It consists of a number of buildings, 
 each designed for a particular department of the work; 
 power plant, crushing department, fine rolls, drying and so- 
 lution department; and the ore after being crushed and 
 dried is conveyed to the solution tanks by means of belt 
 conveyors. 
 
 RAILWAY FACILITIES. 
 
 The company owns a valuable tract of land in the first 
 ward, Deadwood, where its plant is located, its mill site 
 being one of the very best, both the Burlington and North- 
 western railroads having spurs built into the plant. 
 
 John T. Milliken, formerly of Florence, Colo., has been 
 in charge of the mill, and is now mill superintendent. 
 
 FINANCIAL STRENGTH. 
 
 The company is strong financially, numbering among 
 its stockholders some of the wealthiest men of Pennsylvania. 
 It was organized chiefly through the efforts of W. S. Elder 
 of Deadwood, who succeeded in interesting W. W. and 
 R. S. Jamison, of the Jamison Coal & Coke Company ot 
 Greensburg, Pa., in the proposition. Later on Hon. J. S. 
 Beacom of Greensburg, and A. J. Cochran, a large and 
 wealthy coal operator of Dawson, Pa., became interested. 
 Since that time other prominent capitalists of Pennsylvania 
 — M. J. Gallup of Mt. Jewett, W. P. Weston, Joshua Davis, 
 F. M. Brooder and Mark Hirsch of Kane, and A. J. Thomp- 
 son of Titusville — have become interested. 
 
 The company is capitalized for $1,250,000, in shares of 
 $1 each, under laws of South Dakota. 
 
 The present board of directors consists of James S. 
 Beacom, Greensburg, Pa. ; A. J. Cochran, Greensburg, Pa. ; 
 W. S. Elder, Deadwood, S. D. ; M. J. Gallup, Mt. Jewett, 
 Pa. ; Mark Hirsch, Kane, Pa., and R. S. Jamison and W. W. 
 Jamison of Greensburg, Pa. 
 
 The officers are as follows : 
 
 W. S. Elder, Deadwood, S. D., president. 
 
 W. W. Jamison, Greensburg, Pa., vice-president. 
 
 R. S. Jamison, Deadwood, S. D., treasurer and secre- 
 tary. 
 
 Editor's notes : Since the writing of this description 
 it is learned that the Imperial Company has added to its 
 already large holdings by the purchase of the McGovern 
 property at Portland, a large and valuable tract of land em- 
 bracing about one hundred acres. This property, which is 
 situated in the heart of the Bald Mountain district, is one 
 of the best known and best thought of properties in that 
 locality. Mr. Elder has great confidence in this district, and 
 Mr. Elder is a man of brains ; in fact, in this connection it 
 behooves me to tell a few facts about this gentleman. Mr. 
 Elder is one of the most prominent attorneys of the Black 
 Hills and has a high reputation for sagacity and good judg- 
 ment. His treatment of the Imperial property has been able 
 and conservative; the mill of this company has experi- 
 mented with various classes of ore from as many mines, and 
 much custom work has been done for other mines, until at 
 last it may be said that no mill of the Hills is better equipped 
 for economic handling of ores. 
 
 Meantime, outside of his large law practice and mining 
 interests, Mr. Elder has made time to donate much work 
 in the city council to pure politics and Deadwood's welfare, 
 and to no other man in the Hills can more credit be given 
 for the present force and standing of the Black Hills Min- 
 ing Men's Association, in whose interests he was untiring, 
 as its former secretary, in welding the best element of the 
 Hills together for the promotion of honett mining. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 135 
 
 GOLDEN EMPIRE MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Nigger Hill district is a section in the western part of the Black 
 Hills which derives its name from a mountain that rears its head 
 some 6,400 feet above the level of the sea, and whose top is high 
 above the surrounding peaks of the rugged neighborhood. The 
 steep slopes of Nigger Hill form the heads of various gulches — 
 Bear, Mallory, Sand and Beaver creeks — from which hundreds of 
 thousands of dollars in placer gold have been taken. Nigger Hill 
 was so called from a band of negroes who owned an immensely 
 rich placer claim from which they took a fortune during the sum- 
 mer of 1876. Their reputation was of such a character that it de- 
 served commemoration, and so the mountain was named. Others 
 than the negroes owned valuable claims near Nigger Hill, and in the 
 course of twenty-seven years three-quarters of a million dollars 
 have been taken from them. In these gulches and canyons under 
 the friendly shadow of Nigger Hill the first placer gold was dis- 
 covered in the Northern Black Hills in the summer of 1876, and a 
 veritable stampede was made to the neighborhood. The little town 
 of Welcome was built on the banks of Sand creek, and the section 
 received great notoriety. When the richer claims were believed to 
 be about worked out, one by one the hardy pioneers left the locality, 
 save a few who believed that they could find the great veins from 
 which the placer gold had come. 
 
 Over a year ago a Colorado financier was reported to be buying 
 all the property available in the district, and it was noised around 
 that the old and almost forgotten section was about to be revived. 
 And the rumor proved to be true. The man was Henry J. Mayham, 
 and when he laid bare his plans to the public gaze, it was found 
 that he had secured some 10,000 acres of ground — a tract approxi- 
 mately four miles long and six miles wide. He also said that he 
 had organized the Golden Empire Mining Company, and invited 
 people to come and see the property. The very immensity of the 
 proposition was dazzling in itself, but the statements that he made 
 as to its possibilities were if anything more so. He said that with 
 electrical machinery he could handle at a profit the gulches with 
 their placer gold and make money on the operation of the old 
 deposits which had been crudely worked, and upon the new deposits 
 which were too low grade to work by hand. He said that the two 
 machines which he proposed to buy would cost $150,000, and that 
 he wanted capitalists to help him in the enterprise. He said that 
 besides the gold there was stream tin in the placers, and that it was 
 of sufKcient value to make it' of considerable importance. He said, 
 too, that he had the veins from which these deposits of gold and 
 tin in the placer had originated, and that he wanted money to help 
 him develop them. 
 
 So capitalists went out to the Nigger Hill district, interested in 
 the wonderful stories of the richness of its mineral deposits as told 
 by this man who had the courage to attempt to develop thousands 
 of acres. They were satisfied with what they saw, and the money 
 was forthcoming. It is now being spent in the development of the 
 company's five great propositions, namely: 
 
 First— Vertical veins in the slates. On the Eureka and other 
 claims they have been' proven to be over 300 feet wide, while the 
 experience in all sections of the Black Hills is that they continue 
 almost indefinitely toward the center of the earth— at the Home- 
 stake and Holy Terror mines they have been explored 1,200 feet 
 
 deep. On the Eureka claim a hoisting plant is being built, and the 
 shaft is being sunk 500 feet. 
 
 Second — Siliceous ore in the horizontal Cambrian formation. On 
 Mineral Hill and other eminences these deposits overlie the vertical 
 veins in the slates. The ores are most easily treated by the cyanide 
 process — the method almost universally in vogue in the Black Hills. 
 
 Mr. Mayham' s policy, as usual, is to do a great deal of develop- 
 ment work on this class of ore and get the deposits well opened up 
 before the mill building stage — an excellent and wise method. 
 
 Third — Virgin placer ground. The Beaver creek placer, con- 
 sisting of 356 acres, is an example of this character of deposit owned 
 by the Golden Empire company. It is on this placer that one of the 
 electric dredges will be installed. The claim contains millions of 
 cubic yards of gravel that will pay handsomely to work by the 
 machines. 
 
 One of the illustrations opposite gives an excellent idea of the 
 panning of gravel of these placer deposits of The Golden Empire. 
 In this case, however, the methods are those ordinarily used by 
 the placer miner of the past instead of the wholesale mechanical 
 operations to which we refer above. 
 
 Fourth— Conglomerate deposits. These are ancient placers, made 
 centuries and centuries ago, and which have lain so long that they 
 have become cemented together. To obtain the gold from them a 
 stamp mill is required. What is called Cement Hill is a deposit of 
 this ore four miles in length, owned by the company. 
 
 Fifth— Tin, in the placers and in the veins. The placer tin has 
 been mentioned before, and the veins are of great importance. The 
 Spearfish tin vein is over three miles in length— a vertical 100 feet 
 in width. The Tinton company is operating a loo-ton daily capac- 
 ity mill on the extension of this vein, which is good proof of its 
 value. 
 
 Water and timber are two requisites to successful mining opera- 
 tions. Of these commodities the company owns a sufficiency for 
 all purposes. Under the control of the company there are 635 
 miner's inches of water, including one of the largest springs in the 
 Hills — Cold Springs — which flows during the driest season of the 
 year 365 inches. Conservative mining engineers have estimated that 
 there is sufficient water to furnish that commodity to thousands of 
 stamps. On Nigger Hill there are great forests of pine timber, vir- 
 gin growths into which the axeman has not penetrated. In fact, 
 all the physical and geological conditions on this company's territory 
 are such that with careful management success seems assured. These 
 great development propositions are watched with keenest interest, 
 since nothing is more interesting than to watch the growth of virgin 
 ground into paying mines. 
 
 The Golden Empire Mining Company is capitalized for 15,000,- 
 cco shares of a par value of $1 each, of which 8,000,000 shares have 
 been placed in the treasury. The president is Henry J. Mayham of 
 Denver ; vice-president, William Sauntry of Stillwater, Minn. ; 
 treasurer, W. G. Brown of Denver; secretary, Irvin J. Price of 
 Denver. Camele Rock of Welcome, Wyoming, a miner of experi- 
 ence in nearly every mining district of the world, is general superin- 
 intendent. The main office of the company is in the Brown Palace 
 Hotel, Denver, with branches in the Flatiron building. New York 
 City, and at Deadwood, S. D. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 137 
 
 VICTORIA GOLD MINING AND MILLING 
 COMPANY. 
 
 One of the prominent properties of Ragged Top is a tract of 
 170 acres of land near the confluence of Squaw creek and Spearfish 
 river. Here practically the same character and quality of ore is 
 exposed as has been found on the Spearfish and Deadwood stand- 
 ard properties. In other words, it is a typical cyaniding material 
 that can be easily mined and most profitably treated by that process. 
 
 DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 During the past few years the company has been at work devel- 
 oping its several shoots of ore to a point where the erection of a 
 mill would be justified by the amount and value of ore exposed. 
 That point has now been reached, and a mill will be running upon 
 ore from the mine before another winter sets in. Upon this prop- 
 erty the company has developed five separate and distinct ore shoots, 
 known as the Rip Rap, Spearfish, Swift, Royal and Hurd shoots, 
 some of which have been opened up in and along the shoot for a 
 distance of 1,600 feet. They are from 35 to 90 feet wide, and aver- 
 age five feet thick. The ore has been opened in tunnels, open cuts 
 and shafts, in numerous places, and averages values of $5 per ton 
 in gold — ^practically the same grade of ore from the handling of 
 which the Spearfish company has paid dividends for a year and a 
 half. 
 
 NEW PROPERTIES ACQUIRED. 
 
 Shortly after the first of the year the company purchased a 
 tract of ground from Deadwood parties embracing 70 acres, paying 
 a handsome consideration. The ground adjoins the former holdings 
 of the company. Three shoots of ore have been opened on this 
 ground, and it is a most valuable asset to the company. E-xpansion 
 and development have always been the motto of the company. 
 
 OTHER PROPERTIES. 
 
 The Victoria company also owns 180 acres of ground at Horn- 
 blende, near Rochford, in Pennington county. Practically 3,700 feet 
 of work have been done on this group, opening ore in five different 
 places. .A.ssays run from 80 cents to $40 per ton, while the average 
 shows a good grade of milling rock. This is a free-milling propo- 
 sition, requiring stamp mills and amalgamation to recover the values 
 successfully. 
 
 FUTURE TREATMENT. 
 
 The future plans of the company include the immediate erection 
 of a dry crushing cyanide plant of 200 tons' daily capacity. Electric 
 power for operating the mill will probably be generated on Spearfish 
 river, where sufficient water can be easily obtained for running elec- 
 tric machines of many hundred horse power. The mill will be so 
 constructed that the ore, after it is dumped from the mine cars into 
 the bins at the top, will be automatically handled until it is dis- 
 charged as valueless tailings. With this type of a mill treating its 
 daily quota of ore, and with the same economy practiced in the future 
 that has been followed in the past, the Victoria company should not 
 be long in entering the dividend list. 
 
 The Victoria Gold Mining and Milling Company has a capital 
 stock amounting to 750,000 shares, par value $1. The president is 
 Allen B. Smith, of Omaha; vice-president, Arthur C. Smith, of 
 Omaha; treasurer, A. J. Malterner, of Deadwood; secretary, W. M. 
 Glass, of Omaha; general manager, George S. Jackson, of Dead- 
 wood, who is one of the directors of the Mining Men's Association 
 and a man of great experience in mining and mineralogy. The main 
 office of the company is at Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 HIDDEN SPANISH MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Southeast of Lead City, and almost midway between the mines 
 of the Homestake and Clover Leaf Companies, are 165 acres of min- 
 eral land showing great prospective values, the property of the 
 Hidden Spanish Mining Company. The development work already 
 accomplished has disclosed valuable veins — fissures in the slates — 
 that show assays of gold from $1 to $90 per ton, with an average of 
 close to $5 per ton. 
 
 WORK DONE. 
 
 Five different shafts have been sunk in proving the mineral 
 values. They range in depth from a few feet to 135 feet. The latter 
 shaft is a two-compartment working shaft, equipped with a whim, 
 blacksmith shop, etc., and all enclosed in a substantial building. 
 Work is being steadily carried on at this point in a systematic man- 
 ner in sinking the shaft and cross-cutting the veins. The forma- 
 tions exposed are slate and porphyry, with quartz filled fissures car- 
 rying the gold values. The ore bodies show widths of from one 
 to three feet, enclosed in well defined walls, and giving all the un- 
 mistakable indications of extending to great depths and offering 
 opportunities for great permanent mining operations. 
 
 After the veins are more fully developed, their nature and char- 
 acteristics more fully understood, and the values explored will war- 
 rant, the company intends to erect large reduction works. It is pro- 
 posed, however, before taking this step, to have a full understand- 
 ing of the ore bodies, and for this reason development is under 
 way. It is quite probable, however, that amalgamation and cyanida- 
 tion will be the processes used in recovering the precious metals. 
 The tracks of the B. & M. railway extend to within a short distance 
 of the shaft house, offering excellent facilities for the delivery of 
 machinery, fuel, supplies, etc. 
 
 OTHER PRODUCTIONS. 
 
 On other portions of the holdings the company has developed 
 bodies of kaolin and mineral paint, either one, or both of which, are 
 destined to become producers of future wealth. The kaolin is found 
 in veins in close proximity to the gold ores, and 100 tons a day could 
 easily be produced from the supply now in sight. In order to be 
 marketed it must be ground to 80 mesh and bolted, much after the 
 fashion of wheat flour, necessitating expensive machinery. This the 
 company proposes to install at an early date. The hematite or min- 
 eral paint deposit covers about forty acres of the territory to a 
 depth approximating five feet. It must be prepared for the market 
 in a manner similar to the kaolin. The mining (or quarrying of 
 this deposit, since it lies on the surface) and preparation of this 
 material should be accomplished for $2 per ton. The market price 
 is close to $6 per ton, which would leave a good margin of profit. 
 
 The physical conditions for an ideal mining enterprise are all 
 at hand. Water is present in streams and springs in abundance for 
 milling operations; timber for mining purposes grows upon the 
 ground ; railroad facilities are first class. These combined with prac- 
 tical business management in working the mineral deposits now 
 under development should make the Hidden Spanish company 
 wealthy. E. H. Darrow, the president of the company, has given 
 nearly all of his time for the past year to furthering the interests of 
 the organization, personally superintending the work on the prop- 
 erty, and has displayed in the management of the affairs conserva- 
 tism and care. 
 
 The Hidden Spanish Mining Company is capitalized for $2,900,- 
 000, in shares of $1 par value. The directors are E. H. Darrow,, 
 president; George N. Wright, vice-president; W. E. Butler, treas- 
 urer"; N. J. Bylow, secretary; J. W. Freeman and Jules Hendricks. 
 The principal office is at Lead City, S. D. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 139 
 
 COLUMBUS CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 H. J. Mayham, president of the Columbus Consolidated com- 
 paiy, says that "the Homestake is the greatest gold mine in the world, 
 and the Columbus is the mine next to it." Admittedly, the first is 
 an indisputable fact, and that the second has a twofold meaning is 
 admitted by all who have made the property a study. Geographic- 
 ally, the Columbus adjoins the Homestake on the northwest. 
 Geologically, the conditions are almost identical. The sanae great 
 lode, carrying the same character of ore, enclosed in the same char- 
 acter of walls, and carrying practically the same values in gold, is 
 disclosed in both mines. And that the Columbus may become second 
 to the Homestake in point of production and dividends paid is the 
 wish of every Black Hiller who has watched the judicious develop- 
 ment and careful management of the property. That it will be able 
 to do so with the proper equipment is conceded by all. 
 
 Last year the Columbus made one of the greatest ore discov- 
 eries in the history of the Black Hills, when there was opened, on 
 the 200-foot level of the shaft, one of the big veins of the Home- 
 stake series, some 240 feet wide, and three others varying in width 
 from a few feet up to 60 feet. 
 
 In the same shaft there is also opened the Columbus vein, one 
 of the belt fissures. It has a width of 30 feet, and its ores have 
 been successfully milled in small plants. What it might be able 
 to produce were it worked systematically and on a large scale can 
 be only conjectural. 
 
 It was to treat the ore from this Columbus vein that Ruth & 
 Lardner, the former owners of the ground, had built a small stamp 
 mill, some twenty years before. Shortage of water caused them 
 to suspend operations, and the property was purchased by the pres- 
 ent company, which amalgamated with it some 600 acres of ground 
 lying north and adjoining, making a mineral estate of no mean 
 value. 
 
 Ruth & Lardner had sunk their two-compartment shaft to a 
 depth of 200 feet, and upon the Columbus company assuming con- 
 trol the shaft was immediately enlarged to three compartments, in 
 order to allow more working room. Then, after prospecting the 
 formation on the 200-foot level, the shaft was sunk to 500 feet, where 
 development work is now in progress, with a cross-cut being run 
 both east and west, and both these are in ore of even better grade 
 than is shown on the 200-foot level. This shaft is just 700 feet 
 north of the Homestake-Columbus joint boundary, and the point 
 where the big vein was cut in the drift is just 288 feet north. 
 
 The company commenced active operations on the property in 
 the summer of 1902, purchasing a stamp-cyanide mill near the north- 
 east corner of the property in which to make tests of the ores. 
 The mill has been operated continuously since, treating ores from 
 the siliceous or blanket deposits on the north end of the ground. 
 The mill has been a paying institution, the proceeds being used to 
 help liquidate the payroll for development. 
 
 Developments have been kept on apace in the siliceous deposits, 
 and to-day there is more ore in sight than when the mill was 
 started, and thousands of tons have been treated. The principal 
 supplies come from the L. & F. and Dalton groups, being hauled 
 to the mill in wagons. The accompanying illustration shows the 
 ore bins at the L. & F. mine, with an ore team just finished loading. 
 
 A monster stamp mill, of a thousand tons daily capacity is de- 
 signed to treat the ore from the different openings on the property. 
 It will be centrally located, near the head of Sawpit Gulch, easily 
 accessible from every portion of the large estate. Aerial tram^ 
 ways will prob?bIy be used to a large extent for the transportation 
 
 of ores to the mill. In recovering the gold the process which 
 has been accepted by the Homestake as the desideratum will be 
 employed, namely, amalgamation, followed by cyanidation of the 
 tailings. Water for the mill will be secured from the shafts and 
 from wells in Sawpit Gulch, and from False Bottom Creek. 
 
 But to supply ore for the big mill, the mine is being most 
 thoroughly opened up. Near the north end of the property a 
 shaft, known as the Tredwell, is being sunk, following the big vein. 
 At great depths it will be connected, by drifts, with the Columbus 
 shaft and other openings which may be made in the future. These 
 openings, besides blocking out the ore bodies, will serve as ven- 
 tilators, and a constant supply of fresh air will reach the miners. 
 
 Over a mile in length is owned on the great belt veins by 
 this company. Its territory embraces 645 acres, extending from 
 Central City, adjoining the DeSmet of Ihe Homestake company, to 
 the divide between Blacktail and False Bottom gulches — a mile 
 and a quarter. At various points for the entire distance openings 
 have been made, proving the continuity of the ore bodies for the 
 entire distance. 
 
 In order to understand fully the ore bodies of the Columbus, its 
 geographical position must be known. It adjoint on the north and 
 northwest the holdings of the Homestake and Hidden Fortune 
 mines, and includes the north extension of all of the ore bodies of 
 both of those properties. Undoubtedly the Columbus needs only a 
 large mill, combined with good executive ability, to make it a divi- 
 dend-payer. It owns immense amounts of ore, which is pay ma- 
 terial in the Black Hills, and needs only a reduction plant to un- 
 lock its treasure vault. 
 
 The Columbus company's veins — large and of low grade — call 
 for the economical handling of immense amounts of ore. It is an 
 established fact that in order to treat the ores of the Black Hills 
 successfully, large mills and hoisting plants are required. The 
 veins, on account of their great dimensions, can be made to supply 
 a thousand tons of ore a day as easily as a hundred. It is only a 
 question of making room for the greater number of men to work 
 in the underground stopes, and of machinery for bringing the ore 
 to the surface. Small profits per ton, but immense tonnage, mean 
 handsome daily profits. 
 
 The Columbus Consolidated Gold Mining Company has a cap- 
 italization of $5,000,000, the shares having a par value of one dollar 
 each. The company is organized under the laws of the state of 
 South Dakota, which gives especial protection to stockholders. Gen- 
 eral offices are established at 13-14 Brown Palace building, Denver, 
 and the mine office is in the Franklin Hotel, Deadwood. 
 
 Henry J. Mayham, the president, is a man identified with many 
 prominent enterprises of the Black Hills. He has been instru- 
 mental in securing millions of dollars for the development of the 
 mineral resources. He has had many years' experience in the mines 
 of the West, Colorado, Arizona and elsewhere, and came to the 
 Black Hills to interest himself some four years ago. 
 
 William Sauntry, vice-president, is one of the wealthiest lum- 
 ber dealers of Minnesota, a shrewd, careful business man. He 
 had amassed a large fortune in the pineries before he became inter- 
 ested in the Black Hills mines, he being, like Mr. Mayham, inter- 
 ested in several properties. George D. Begole, secretary, is one of 
 the younger business men of Denver. W. G. Brown, treasurer, is a 
 Denver banker. Moses Thompson, general manager, is a miner of 
 half a century experience, and well fitted for the position. 
 
THE CLOVER LEAP, AT ROUBAIX. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 141 
 
 THE CLOVER LEAF GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Uncle Sam mine, owned and operated by the Clover Leaf 
 Gold Mining Company, has had a most interesting history and been 
 one of the most talked-of properties in the Black Hills, and never 
 more so than now, when, after five years of unceasing effort and a 
 heavy outlay, the present owners are reaping a rich reward for their 
 tenacity and faith. 
 
 The vein was discovered and located on the banks of Elk Creek, 
 seven miles southeast from Lead, and eight from Deadwood, in 1878, 
 by the Delaney brothers and their partners. This vein, a very rich 
 streak of free milling ore, was worked with a one-stamp mill for 
 something over a year, and about $50,000 is said to have been ex- 
 tracted. A heavy flow of water was encountered, the mine sold, a 
 ten-stamp mill erected, and then resold and sixty stamps erected. 
 Through various vicissitudes the mine was worked with changing 
 management and some success, though never more than twenty 
 stamps were operated. 
 
 The vertical shaft was sunk 240 feet and an incline on the vein 
 followed it down to a vertical depth of about 350 feet, and from best 
 authority, something like $400,000 extracted ; then, in 1888, the work 
 was suspended and the mine rapidly filled with water, and gradually 
 the works became dilapidated and the town of Perry practically 
 deserted. 
 
 In 1898 the story of the mine was told to S. W. Russell by the 
 Rev. George G. Ware of Deadwood. Mr. Russell had been actively 
 engaged in business in the western country for fifteen years, had 
 wide business connections, with their fullest confidence in his ability 
 and integrity. After investigating the history of the "Sam," Mr. 
 Russell became interested, and shortly afterward, associated with 
 Pierre Wibaux, one of Montana's heaviest cattlemen and owner of 
 the State National Bank of Miles City; Frank W. Smith, a boy- 
 hood friend and schoolmate, now also in the stock business in Mon- 
 tana, and the Rev. George G. Ware, took hold of the property, 
 bonded all the adjacent ground they desired, and commenced opera- 
 tion in December, 1898. By the following spring the mine had been 
 unwatered to the bottom of the vertical shaft and the old workings 
 examined as far as possible. As a result of this investigation the 
 gentlemen associated decided to incorporate themselves into a com- 
 pany and develop the property. This was done in June of 1899, and 
 the Clover Leaf Gold Mining . Company was formed with a capital- 
 iation of $1,000,000 par value stock at $100 per share. Pierre 
 Wibaux, president; Frank W. Smith, first vice-president; S. W. 
 Russell, second vice-president and treasurer; R. N. Ogden, secre- 
 tary; and these gentlemen, together with George G. Ware, consti- 
 tuted the directorate, and the company remains with the same board 
 and officers to-day, having in the meantime increased its capitaliza- 
 tion to $1,200,000, and in the past year employed Mr. O. B. Amsden, 
 an eminently practical and successful mining engineer, formerly of 
 Colorado, as mine superintendent. 
 
 The present condition of the property is most encouraging. The 
 mineral claims, covering 700 acres, extending about two miles on 
 the strike of the vein, and covering also the beautiful Elk Creek 
 Valley and the old town of Perry, now called Roubaix (pronounced 
 Ru-bay), after Mr. Wibaux's birthplace in France, have all been 
 patented. The old sixty-stamp mill has been thoroughly recon- 
 structed, a most thoroughly appointed shafthouse, in which the 
 hoisting plant, with Bullock-Corliss engines, rigged and equipped 
 for 1,200 feet, an Ingersoll-Sargent 14-drill compressor, machine 
 shop and blacksmith shop have been installed; all are lighted by 
 electricity, and forty stamps have been in operation for some time, 
 and the management expects to put the remaining twenty in duty 
 this season. 
 
 The company, beside its mineral land, owns 1,040 acres of the 
 finest pine timber land in the Hills, with a good saw mill thereon, 
 and gets out its own mining and sawed timbers and lumber. 
 
 In its operations the vein has been sunk to 700 feet, levels on 
 the 400, 500, 600 and 700 opened, the vein drifted to and opened on 
 each ; a little ore has been taken out on the 600, and practically none 
 so far on the 700. It has been proved that there are at least two 
 veins on the old and present workings, and that the old incline was 
 sunk at the junction of these. In the old workings sometimes one 
 and sometimes the other was worked, seldom both on the same level. 
 
 The present company has worked only one of these veins, but is 
 now prospecting both, and will work both thoroughly. On the 500- 
 foot level the east vein has been worked to a length of 600 feet. 
 On the 600-foot level the sill floor on the east vein has been worked 
 220 feet, and the average value of the ore taken in this work, in- 
 cluding the small amount stoped, has been about $8 per ton. The 
 average value from the whole mine for the past six months has 
 been between $6 and $7 per ton. On the 600-foot level also 
 some of the richest specimen rock ever taken from this famous 
 property has been discovered, but very little of this has been mined 
 so far. On the 700-foot level the vein was encountered in Decem- 
 ber, 1903, and about 100 feet have been run upon it at this time, and 
 80 feet of this in very good ore. 
 
 The ore of the "Sam"' is phenomenally free, the extraction by 
 amalgamation being upwards of 90 per cent of the assay value. The 
 work of sinking the shaft again to the 800 and 900 levels has been 
 commenced, and as soon as these are reached, stations will be cut 
 and the mine opened up as above. 
 
 The success of the Clover Leaf Company in developing the old 
 Uncle Sam mine into one of the best producers and most valuable 
 properties in the Black Hills is rejoiced at universally, for they 
 have done it with their own money and have, triumphed over the 
 greatest obstacles by indomitable courage, untiring effort, patience 
 and unlimited nerve. They have carried the stock themselves, and 
 have kept the company practically a closed corporation. 
 
 The personnel of the company speaks for itself, and might have 
 been taken as a guarantee of its record before it commenced opera- 
 tions. Pierre Wibaux is a French gentleman (recently decorated 
 with the cross of the Legion of Honor), a very successful American 
 business man, a man of very large means and unmeasured nerve ; 
 in his business operations he has the reputation of being controlled 
 only by a sound judgment that has brought such success in every 
 enterprise he has undertaken — in cattle, banking and landed opera- 
 tions — that he is looked on as a "lucky" man. "But if it is luck, 
 then hard work, sound thought and cold judgment have a new 
 name," one who knows him well has truly said. 
 
 Frank W. Smith was born in Towanda, Pa., is an American 
 gentleman, a successful stockman, with over twenty years of western 
 experience, and has been noted for his conservative judgment, 
 breadth of view and fairness in all his business affairs. 
 
 S. W. Russell, who has devoted his whole time and attention to 
 the business affairs of the company since the inception of the enter- 
 prise, and who has been its business manager throughout, was, like 
 Mr. Smith, born in Towanda, Pa. From a banking experience in 
 St. Louis in the early eighties, through twenty years' western busi- 
 ness life he has become a well-known man, but if he had no other 
 record than that he has made in the past five years in the Hills, not 
 only for his company, but also as an active factor in the general up- 
 building of the general mining interests, he would have a right to 
 be proud of his life as a useful, successful one. 
 
 Robert N. Ogden, the secretary, is an attorney of experience, a 
 member of the firm of McLaughlin & Ogden, a southerner by birth, 
 whose name is a synonym for integrity with all who know him. 
 
 George G. Ware is an Episcopal clergyman, archdeacon of the 
 diocese, an Englishman born, a good business man, and probably 
 thp best-loved man in the mining Hills and on the cattle range, 
 where he is also largely interested. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 H3 
 
 HIDDEN FORTUNE GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Among the newer mining corporations organized for operating 
 in the Black Hills, the Hidden Fortune is one of the first to have 
 erected and successfully put its mill in commission. On a suitable 
 sit, where the ore is handled by gravity from the top of the mill to 
 the bottom, in close proximity to excellent water supplies, on the 
 tracks of the Northwestern railroad a short distance below Dead- 
 wood, this company has constructed one of the most complete and 
 mechanically perfect wet crushing cyanide plants in the Black Hills. 
 
 PRESENT MILLING CAPACITY. 
 
 The mill contains sixty stamps, weighing 1,050 pounds each, and 
 by dropping fast in double issue mortars, crush five tons and perhaps 
 a little more per stamp per day (of twenty-four hours). The ore is 
 crushed in a solution of cyanide of potassium, running through 
 launders or troughs, in the bottom of which are placed a modifica- 
 tion of the Hungarian riffle of the placer miner for saving the 
 coarser colors of free gold; the pulp flows to separators, where the 
 coarser portion is removed from the finer, and each portion flowing 
 to different patterns of leaching -vats is handled by itself. The 
 sands or coarser material are robbed of their gold by the dissolving 
 action of the cyanide solution, with one exception. The coarser 
 particles of metallic gold are not soluble in the cyanide solution, 
 and these are left untouched by it. To save this portion of the gold, 
 amalgamating plates similar to those in ordinary use in a stamp 
 mill are installed, over which the sands flow after being discharged 
 from the leaching vats. However, a great deal of the metallic gold 
 is caught in the riffles set in the launders, and this is conveyed direct 
 to the clean-up room in other launders and pipes and discharged 
 into an amalgamating pan. This machine is a large pan or tub of 
 iron, in the center of which is a vertical revolving shaft. Attached 
 to this shaft, and dragging on the bottom of the pan, are weights, 
 or shoes, of iron. As the ore is discharged into the pan, the shaft 
 is started revolving and quicksilver added. After a short time the 
 quicksilver has gathered to itself all of the gold, forming amalgam, 
 and the residue of mud, etc., is discarded. In this way a great 
 portion of the free gold is won, and the balance after cyanidation. 
 
 Power for operating the mill is obtained from a large engine, 
 a cross-compound condensing Corliss. The ore as it is received 
 from the mine is dumped into bins above the crusher. It is drawn 
 by gravity to the crusher, a Blake pattern, 15x30 inches, with a 
 capacity of 50 tons per hour. From here the ore is carried on belt 
 conveyors to the battery bins, being automatically distributed at the 
 required point by a contrivance known as a "tripper,"' a photograph 
 of which is shown. From the battery bins the ore is drawn to sus- 
 pended feeders, passes under the stamps, thence to the separators, 
 as explained, the gold being precipitated from the cyanide solution 
 by the zinc shaving method. The mill has a well equipped clean-up 
 
 room, assay office, blacksmith shop, with boarding houses and cot- 
 tages for the employes near at hand. 
 
 LOCATION OF THE MINES. 
 
 The mines of the Hidden Fortune company are at Lead City, 
 consisting of 300 acres, interlapped and surrounded by Homestake 
 territory. On the north end of the property the Algonkian slates 
 are visible along Deadwood gulch, showing large outcroppings of 
 mineral matter. In fact there are four known veins in sight here, 
 the Spokane, Gold Belt, Cheyenne and Bingham. It was in order 
 to open these veins that the Bingham tunnel was conceived. This 
 bore has penetrated the mountain, running southward a distance 
 of 1,888 feet. Cross-cuts were driven at intervals, and to the west 
 was discovered the Bingham vein. It showed good pay ore of the 
 Belt species. Then moving the base of operations to Poorman 
 gulch, just west of the line of the tunnel, a shaft was sunk, now 
 200 feet deep, where the Bingham vein was again opened. 
 
 THE VEINS. 
 
 The Bingham and other veins lie west of the main ore bodies 
 of the Homestake, but are part and parcel of the great system of 
 fissure lodes which have made the Black Hills famous the world 
 over. This immense belt here has a width of over one mile. 
 
 On the south end of the territory the Algonkian formation is 
 covered by the horizontal Cambrian. First above the slates are 
 found beds of conglomerate that have been exploited and proven to 
 contain good values. The ore occurs in channels or shoots of great 
 width, up to 20 feet in thickness and explored on the ground over 
 4,000 feet in length. 
 
 THE GREAT GEANTZ DISCOVERY. 
 
 Just above are the quartzite ore beds from one of which Otto 
 Grantz took $70,000 worth of ore in a month four years ago. It 
 was some of the richest ore ever found in the Black Hills, most of 
 it running as high as $50,000 a ton. From a continuation of this 
 shoot the company has shipped since it came into possession of the 
 ground fifteen tons, worth $1,000 a ton. But this high-grade ore 
 occurs only in small pockets, the bulk being worth $5 to $7 per ton. 
 It is most easily mined and is especially amenable to the cyanide 
 process. Several hundred thousand tons of this ore are now in 
 sight in the workings. The tracks of the Burlington railroad 
 cross the property near these workings, and sidetracks have been 
 laid to the ore bins, affording cheap loading of the cars destined 
 for the mill. Near the Bingham shaft the Northwestern tracks 
 follow up Deadwood gulch, and will be continued to the hoist in 
 the spring. 
 
 The Hidden Fortune Gold Mining Company has a capital stock 
 amounting to $3,500,000, in shares of a par value of $1 each. The 
 president is A. M. Stevenson and the secretary H. J. Mayham. 
 
 LEXINGTON HILL GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Consolidation and expansion are the maxims which are being 
 daily carried out in the Black Hills. In order to successfully han- 
 dle the large low grade ore bodies of the district, large territory, 
 adequate capital, expensive machinery and skilful management 
 are necessary. Such things as these cannot be secured by an indi- 
 vidual holder of mining claims, and mining on a large scale can only 
 be carried on by corporations with abundant financial backing. 
 
 One of the best illustrations of such consolidation is the Lex- 
 ington Hill Gold Mining Company, an institution which was organ- 
 ized to assume control of the properties of five different corporations, 
 and other interests held by individuals. The properties thus acquired 
 and brought under one management are as follows : The 
 
 Highland Chief Gold Mining Company, the Anna Mining and 
 Milling Company, the Black Hills and Denver Gold Mining 
 Company, Oro Cache Mining Company, the Ophir Syndicate, and 
 numerous individual holdings. Thus this big corporation acquired 
 control of over thirty mining claims, all contiguous and covering 
 350 acres of territory, nearly adjoining the city limits of Deadwood 
 on the east, lying on Spruce Gulch and the famous Lexington Hill. 
 This is in the very heart of the proven ore belt of Lawrence county, 
 the richest county in the Black Hills. 
 
 Lexington Hill is a very mountain of ore, which rises from the 
 creek level at the mill of the company, to a height of more than 700 
 feet. The ore is found in the Cambrian formation in no less than. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 145 
 
 five different contacts, lying one above the other. Below the Cam- 
 brian is the slate formation, identical with that found in the Home- 
 stake. Shafts which have been sunk in the gulches, on each side 
 of Lexington Hill, prove this beyond a question of doubt. 
 
 The ore above the gulch level lays in flat or stratified veins or 
 ledges, which pitch into the Hill at an angle of about 18 degrees, 
 and is easily and cheaply rained and treated. 
 
 About ten years ago an amalgamation mill was erected in 
 Spruce Gulch, and 60,000 tons of ore were treated in it, which had 
 a value of at least $8 per ton in gold that was recovered. At that 
 time cyanide was unknown, and a great deal of the values in the 
 ore was lost in the tailings, as no attempt was made to recover 
 the precious content other than by amalgamation. Several thou- 
 sand tons of ore have been shipped from the various mines in this 
 group to the smelters. This ore runs from $12 per ton, and some 
 has been shipped which has averaged over $200 per ton. 
 
 The ore bodies of Lexington Hill are open on the surface at 
 hundreds of different points. The Belle Eldridge and Champion 
 claims have been big producers in the past. Ore has been mined 
 from them worth from $6 to $25 per ton, and hundreds of tons are 
 still standing in the workings. The Old Lexington, Dom Pedro, 
 Challenge, Oro Cache, Elsalado, Anna, Anna No. 2 and Highland 
 Mary have also produced their quota of valuable ore. Approxi- 
 mately 4,500 feet of tunnels, open cuts and shafts have been driven 
 and sunk upon the property by the former owners, as well as by 
 the present company. Most of the old work was done in a hap- 
 hazard fashion, and it was only when the present corporation took 
 charge that the opening of the immense ore bodies was attempted 
 in a systematic manner. 
 
 A large working tunnnel was driven into the Hill, just above 
 the mill. This tunnel is below the quartzite or first silicious ore 
 body above the gulch level. Its ultimate destination is some 2,800 
 feet from the portal, and in this length it will open, not only the 
 immense contact ledges of Lexington Hill, but will also cut seven 
 different and dictinct vertical, or fissure, veins. The ore in these 
 verticals is of high grade, and will average at least $25 per ton. 
 
 As an illustration of the immensity of the ore bodies which 
 this tunnel will open up, it may be said that in a distance of 750 feet 
 into the Hill, and now measurable on (he first contact alone, there 
 are 8,000 square rods of ore, containing 4,366,000 tons. This has been 
 accurately measured, and represents but a very small percentage of 
 the ore which will be available by this working tunnel. 
 
 The ore is broken in stopes above the tunnel, allowed to drop 
 into chutes, and drawn from the chutes into cars and transported 
 to the top of the mill. This is the cheapest known method of mining, 
 as gravity alone does all the work and saves a great deal of hand- 
 ling. In this particular the Lexington Hill company may be said 
 to be able to handle its ore cheaper than any mine in the district. 
 
 The property is equipped with a modern mill containing twenty 
 stamps, and fitted with amalgamating plates, concentrators .and 
 tanks for the treatment of tailings by the cyanide process. 
 
 A considerable quantity of the gold content of the ore is in the 
 metallic state, and can best be saved by amalgamation. Still another 
 portion of the gold is included in iron pyrite or hematite of iron, 
 which is best saved on the concentrating tables. After passing 
 over the plates and tables, the pulp, which has been relieved of a 
 great portion of its gold value, is treated by the cyanide process, 
 and the fimal tailings, which are discharged from the mill, show by 
 their low assay value that the plant is doing exceptional work. 
 Indeed, the Lexington Hill \ company may now be said to be on a 
 producing, money-earning basis. 
 
 N. C. Bonnevie, a mining engineer of Denver, recently made a 
 report upon the properties of the Lexington Hill company, in which 
 he stated that the cost of mining the ore and delivering it to the 
 mill, and its consequent treatment, figuring on a daily tonnage of 
 300 tons, would be $1.25 per ton, or less. With its present small 
 mill, which has a capacity of 80 tons per day, the company figures 
 that the cost of mining and milling is about $1.50 per ton. 
 
 Mr. Bonnevie says that the average value of the ore may be 
 relied upon as being $6 per ton, and this is proven by the company's 
 
 present operations. This average is obtained by mixing the ore as 
 it is mined in the tunnel, in the proportion of two-thirds quartzite 
 to one-third of iron, or shale ore. By mixing the ore in this way, 
 a much better extraction is obtained. 
 
 It is the company's intention to erect a mill of at least 300 
 tons daily capacity in the near future, and figuring on a mill of 
 this capacity, Mr. Bonnevie says in his report that the company is 
 assured of a net profit on each ton of ore treated of $3.85. This 
 amount allows for a loss of 15 per cent in extraction, and a cost 
 of mining and milling of $1.25 per ton. The percentage of loss is 
 probably figured high by Mr. Bonnevie, as with the company's adop- 
 tion of the three methods of ore treatment, namely, amalgamation, 
 concentration and cyanide, a net saving of 90 per cent is obtained. 
 A mill of 300 tons capacity could easily net the Lexington Hill com- 
 pany at least $1,000 a day, or a monthly net revenue of $30,000. 
 
 The mines of this company are well supplied with water. 
 Spruce Gulch crosses the territory, and the title to the water is 
 secured by the ownership of three different lode claims, which were 
 purchased principally for the purpose of controlling the supply. 
 The photograph of the mill on the opposite page gives a good idea 
 of the water supply. Spruce creek being shown in the foreground. 
 Among plans which the company has for the future is the erec- 
 tion of an electric power plant at the railroad in Deadwood, where 
 electricity will be generated and transmitted to the mine and mill. 
 The building of this power plant at the railroad, where coal can 
 be cheaply secured, will mean a great saving in the item of power, 
 as otherwise it would be necessary to haul fuel by teams a distance 
 of more than a mile. 
 
 In April, 1903, the Lexington Hill Gold Mining Company 
 assumed control of its properties, and immediately began the work 
 of remodeling the present mill and driving its main working tun- 
 nel. During the fall the mill was operated several months, 20 
 stamps being used, and the product treated only by cyanide. After 
 running for some time, it was found that the values were very 
 largely in free gold, and it become necessary to close down the mill 
 temporarily and make some alterations and additions. These are 
 now completed, and the mill contains equipment which has been 
 described. The other surface improvements of the company are 
 partially as follows : 
 
 Boarding house, assay office complete, stables, several frame 
 dwelling houses, shaft house at the Eldorado m.ine, containing hoist 
 and pumps, several blacksmith shops fully equipped, cars, tracks 
 and all tools necessary for mining. 
 
 In conclusion we will quote the words of Mr. Bonnevie, who 
 says in his report : "After having made a thorough examination of 
 this property, and sampling ca.refully all present 'workings, I am 
 satisfied that it will take its place among the big producers of the 
 Black Hills, and although distinctly a low-grade proposition, it will, 
 under able and scientifit management, become a safe and steady 
 dividend payer for many years to come." 
 
 The Lexington Hill Gold Mining Company is incorporated under 
 the laws of the state of Maine. Its capital stock amounts to 
 $3,000,000, each share having a par value of $1. One-half of this 
 capital stock, amounting to $1,500,000, was placed in the company's 
 treasury, the balance, representing the properties, being pooled 
 until such time as the company has a milling equipment of at least 
 300 tons daily. This assures investors in this stock that the money 
 derived from the sale of treasury stock goes directly into the devel- 
 opment and equipment of the property. 
 ;' The officers of the company are: President, Charles E. Whit- 
 
 ing, New York; vice-president, J. H. Carstairs, Philadelphia; treas- 
 urer, Henry F. Wells, Boston; assistant treasurer, Herman Bischoff, 
 Deadwood; secretary, Charles E. Senna, Boston. 
 
 Mr. Wells, the treasurer of the company, is one of the most 
 successful mining promoters in the East. He has a large and strong 
 clientele among business men, and there is no doubt that under his 
 financial management the Lexington Hill company will soon become 
 one of the great producing gold mines and dividend payers of the 
 country. 
 
INTEIIKSTING VIEWS OK' THE "((LOBE," ABOVE AND BELOW. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 H7 
 
 THE GLOBE GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Globe Gold Mining Company is an organization along lines 
 entirely novel to the average promoter. When the company was 
 organized it owned no ground. All the stock was put in the treas- 
 ury. The proceeds from its sale first went to purchase mining lands, 
 and after these had been secured, for development. There is no 
 "promotion" stock whatever. The organizers of the company paid 
 as much for their stock as common shareholders. There is no pre- 
 ferred stock, and all stock is to share alike in the distribution of 
 profits. The original investors had faith in the integrity and busi- 
 ness judgment of the promoters, and invested their money liberally, 
 relying upon the sponsors of the enterprise to bring it out right. 
 
 Since the organization the company has acquired 320 acres of 
 ground adjoining the Homestake on the east, and on the west and 
 north touching the properties of the Golden' Reward and Horseshoe. 
 The ground is on the west side of Nevada Gulch, a short distance 
 from the city limits of Lead, and, as Mr. Wade, the general man- 
 ager, expresses it, "is in the center of the best dividend-paying 
 mines of the Hills." Property amounting to 1,500 acres is held at 
 Nahant, thirteen miles south, and surrounding the railway station of 
 the B. & M. Included with this property is a fine water right and 
 an excellent mill location. At and near Hanna, six miles southwest 
 of Lead, the company owns 600 acres of land, on which there is ex- 
 cellent standing timber. The veins are only partially developed, as 
 at Nahant, but show encouraging values. 
 
 It is the ground at Lead City (known as the Bismark group) 
 that the Globe company has spent the most of its energies to date in 
 developing. The mine is undoubtedly on the great belt of fissure 
 lodes from which the Homestake company has mined so prosper- 
 ously for the past quarter of a century. This tract is well located, 
 as regards transportation facilities, the tracks of the Burlington 
 Railroad crossing the property and extending a sidetrack to the 
 hoist. From here the ore could be cheaply transferred to the mills 
 at Nahant. Geologically, the conditions existing on this property 
 have led mining experts to agree that good values may be antici- 
 pated when depth is attained. On and near the surface the crop- 
 pings of several of the belt fissures are visible. In what is known 
 as the upper tunnel, some 550 feet in length, several ore bodies have 
 been opened. In a tunnel below, driven into the mountain 200 feet, 
 the same veins are exposed. Here they are larger, carry uniformly 
 better values, and withal show the increase that depth gives to this , 
 class of veins. 
 
 In order to open these ore bodies at still greater depth than is 
 possible by tunneling, a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 500 feet 
 vertically. From the bottom cross-cuts will be driven in the direc- 
 tion the veins are known to take on their dip and course. If the 
 values found in these- lodes at this depth are sufficient to warrant it, 
 the company will erect a reduction plant, as is explained above, un- 
 less there is water enough encountered on this property to run the 
 mill, in which case the first mill will be built on the Bismark group 
 adjoining Lead City. 
 
 The Globe Mining Company was the first in the Black Hills to 
 install and successfully operate a gasoline mining plant. In a build- 
 ing 42x110 feet was installed a hoisting engine capable of raising 
 ore from 1,200 feet, a 34-horsepower air compressor, 8-horsepower 
 saw mill for cutting shaft timbers, etc., and" a complete electric- 
 lighting plant. All of this machinery is operated by gasoline motors, 
 and has proven an economical and efficient equipment. The cost of 
 gasoline for running the compressor, hoist and dynamo while sink- 
 ing the shaft, which, by the way. has two compartments, averaged 
 $5.60 per day of twenty-four hours. The water, which was not at 
 all troublesome until 500 feet was reached, was hoisted in buckets. 
 
 In a commodious station cut at the 500-foot level a big gasoline 
 pump, Weighing 9,000 pounds, has been installed to raise the water. 
 A 2S-foot sump is cut at the bottom of the shaft, in which the water 
 collects to be pumped out. Drilling is done by compressed-air ma- 
 
 chines. Among the surface equipments that might be mentioned is 
 a first-class a-ssay outfit, in a suitable building erected for the 
 purpose. 
 
 The Globe Gold Mining Company has a capitalization of 1,000,- 
 000 shares of a par value of $1 each. All of this stock was 
 placed in the treasury. To prevent any person or few persons secur- 
 ing control of the property, a clause in the by-laws limits the hold- 
 ings of stock of each individual to not over 10,000 shares. J. Ren- 
 ken of Sheldon, Iowa, is president ; Peter B. Nelson of Racine, 
 Wis., vice-president ; Elmore J. Adams of Beloit, Wis., treasurer ; 
 Samuel Weller, Chicago, secretary, and F. E. Wade of Lead City, 
 general manager. Mr. Wade graduated as a civil engineer, was for 
 twelve years county surveyor of O'Brien County, Iowa, installing 
 thirteen systems of water works in Iowa, South Dakota and Minne- 
 sota. He then became connected with Fairbanks, Morse & Co., as 
 
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 salesman, vyas with them for six years, leaving their employ to look 
 after the affairs of the Globe Gold Mining Company a year and a half 
 ago. He has made a specialty of mechanical and civil engineering, 
 and -his supervision of the Globe plant has probably saved the com- 
 pany a good many dollars during his incumbency of the position. 
 The general office of the company is at Lead City, and a branch 
 office has been established at Room 618, No. 167 Dearlx>rn street, 
 Chicago with the secretary, Samuel Weller, in charge. 
 
 The latest reports from the mine show that in the cross-cuts 
 from the 500-foot level excellent ore has been encountered. In the 
 west cross-cut small seams assaying as high as $300 per ton in gold 
 have been found, while east of the shaft a large body of low-grade 
 ($4 to $6) ore has been found. To treat this ore the com- 
 pany is figuring on ;nstallin,g a loo-ton mill, employing amalgama- 
 tion, concentration and cyanidation to extract the values. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 149 
 
 THE REX GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 This company was organized in December of 1902 for the pur- 
 pose of securing and developing mineral lands in the Black Hills. 
 Bonds were secured and arrangements made by which the company 
 obtained possession of over four hundred acres on Whitewood creek. 
 This property was secured early in the summer of 1903. The origi- 
 nal owners had so much faith in the property that the greater part 
 of it was paid for with stock in the company and the balance was 
 obtained under bond, full payments for which have been made or 
 provided for. The company is now in good shape, with over four 
 hundred acres of ground paid for. Development work has been 
 cared for out of the sale of treasury stock. This work has been done 
 on various parts of the property, consisting of open pits, cross cuts, 
 shafts and tunnels, for the purpose of locating the ore bodies. After 
 this was accomplished a two compartment working shaft was started 
 and was on February 15 down ninety feet. Other improvements 
 consist of boarding house, assay office, barn, blacksmith shop, etc.; 
 also a fine new hoist building, thirty-six. by eighty feet, a good 
 roomy structure, in which hoisting machinery has been installed. 
 
 This hoisting plant is one of the finest gasoline plants in the 
 Black Hills, and consists of a hoisting engine capable of raising eight 
 tons from a depth of 1,200 feet, and an air compressor, a machine of 
 fifty-four horse power, that is used to operate drills and pumps 
 in the mine, and the forge in the blacksmith shop. There is to be 
 installed in the engine room a three hundred light dynamo to fur- 
 nish light for the mine and surface works. -The company is now 
 well prepared for the work in hand, which is to sink the shaft to 
 the three hundred foot level. This will be done as rapidly as pos- 
 sible and a station cut and the work of cross cutting the ore bodies 
 begun. It is the intention to cross cut for a distance of about 1,000 
 feet on this level, and in so doing the ore bodies will be explored 
 and opened up for economical mining. It is the intention of the 
 management to push this work as rapidly as possible, and in the 
 meantime plans will be made for building a mill to treat the ores. 
 The ore formation of the Rex property exhibits those charac- 
 teristics peculiar to the large deposits of the Homestake and other 
 belt companies, and the location, one and one-half miles south of 
 Lead, is evidence that the ground is on the strike of the big veins. 
 In sinking the shaft a large vein of free milling ore was uncov- 
 ered at a depth of 35 feet and continues to the bottom of the shaft. 
 Numerous assays have been taken from the shaft, ranging from $2.60 
 to $50.00 per ton, and an average of $8 per ton is claimed and some 
 selected samples have given values of several hundred dollars in 
 gold per ton. There are also three veins of high-grade phonolite ore 
 on the property, some assays showing as high as $180 per ton. On 
 the east side of the ground a vein of the mineral asbestos crops 
 out. Large crystals are found and this deposit will be fully 
 explored, since its character would indicate the same to be of com- 
 mercial value. 
 
 The property adjoins the Wasp No. 2 and other Yellow Creek 
 mines on the east. It is supplied with water from numerous gulches 
 and from the shaft, sufficient for large milling operations. 
 
 The Rex Gold Mining Company has a capitalization of four 
 million shares of a par value of one dollar each, fully paid and non- 
 assessable. Two million shares were placed in the treasury for 
 development purposes. 
 
 The president of the company is Dr. J. A. Steele, of Minne- 
 apolis, Minn., physician and surgeon. The vice-president is M. B. 
 Copeland of Omaha, Nebraska, manager of the M. A. Disbrow Co. 
 The treasurer is J. J. Morrow, Lead, S. D., cashier Miners' and 
 Merchants' bank. The secretary is A. C. Davis, Lead, S. D., insur- 
 ance and real estate. The superintendent is E. C. Steele, Lead, S. 
 D. The principal office is in Lead. The company is well spoken 
 of in Lead and Deadwood and gives promise of becoming one of 
 the successful companies of the Black Hills. 
 
 GOLD EAGLE MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Maitland, three miles northwest of Deadwood, is one of the 
 most attractive mining sections in the Black Hills today. Capital 
 is rapidly becoming interested in the mines of the vicinity, with 
 this result, that its judicious expenditure is opening up valuable 
 and extensive deposits of ore. Maitland is practically a new 
 camp, having been in the public eye for only two years, but it has 
 one good paying mine, the Penobscot, and numerous prospects 
 which have all the surface indications and earmarks of becoming 
 as substantial business enterprises and as good mining institutions as 
 that property. Among these can be mentioned the Gk>ld Eagle 
 mine, adjoining the Penobscot on the west, where exploitation has 
 disclosed immense bodies of low grade cyaniding ore in the Cam- 
 brian quartzite. 
 
 Ten thousand dollars has been carefully expended by the Gold 
 Eagle company in bringing it to a point where the erection of a 
 large cyanide mill would be warranted by the ore values exposed. 
 That point now having been reached, it is the company's intention 
 to erect a forty-stamp cyanide mill on its property this summer. 
 The mill will employ the favorite method of cyanidation — wet crush- 
 ing. The Penobscot company, the prosperous neighbor of the Gold 
 Eagle, has successfully employed this process in the reduction of 
 its ores for over a year, and judging by its money-making capabili- 
 ties, there would seem to be no reason why the Gold Eagle should 
 not be able to treat its ores. to as good advantage in a similar plant. 
 A large amount of ore is exposed on Gold Eagle territory in open 
 cuts, and the ore can be mined, transported to the mill and the gold 
 content extracted for $2.25 per ton. The company has an excellent 
 mill site in close proximity to the open cuts, affording a, slight down 
 grade haul for the tram cars loaded with ore destined for the plant. 
 Gold values in the ore easilly average $6 to $7 per ton, and it is 
 unnecessary to add that a good profit can thus be made on its treat- 
 ment. 
 
 The quartzite ore body on the Herald and Baltimore claims 
 averages 600 feet in width, has a known length of 750 feet (with 
 all indications of extending much further) and a thickness of 26 
 feet. Since such material is usually estimated at 13 cubic feet per 
 ton, this single ore body would contain practically 900,000 tons. It 
 is exposed by its outcrop on two sides, and is absolutely blocked 
 out for open cut work. Development work done on it consists prin- 
 cipally of thirty or more open cuts and short tunnels, all showing 
 ore. 
 
 But the great future of the company undoubtedly rests in the 
 handling of the ores from great free milling veins underlying the 
 quartzite bodies. The mine is on the northerly extension of the 
 Homestake belt of veins, and one great ore body on the Gold Eagle 
 is exposed a hundred feet in width by its outcrop, with neither wall 
 in sight. Character and values coincide with the regular Belt veins, 
 one of which it unmistakably is. A shaft 65 feet deep is sunk on 
 this vein, in ore all the way. Two other shafts on the south side 
 of Elkhorn gulch show the ore body, and numerous open pits dis- 
 close its identity at various points on its course through the prop- 
 erty. 
 
 The Gold Eagle Company owns an abundance of water for mill- 
 ing operations. Elkhorn gulch and False Bottom creek both tra- 
 verse the property, and both flow large amounts of water. Bedrock 
 wells in either gulch have been proven to be excellent producers of 
 water. 
 
 The Gold Eagle Mining Company has a capital stock of $2,500,- 
 000, in shares of a par value of $1 each. Hon. Richard O'Neill, 
 of Lincoln, Neb., is president; Clarence Y. Smith, of Lincoln, vice- 
 president ; Dr. G. M. Smith, of Lincoln, secretary ; James P. Hymer, 
 of Deadwood, treasurer, and John N. Hawgood, of Deadwood, gen- 
 eral manager. Offices are at Deadwood, S. D., and 136 North 
 Eleventh street, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 151 
 
 HIDDEN TREASURE GOLD MINING 
 AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 The property of the Hidden Treasure Gold Mining and Milling 
 Company is one mile from Lead City, on Upper Deadwood gulch 
 and the south fork of the same; consists of 200 acres of patented 
 ground; is crossed by the tracks of the Northwestern railroad line 
 to Bald Mountain; adjoins the Big Four and Pennsylvania mines 
 on the east, the Capitol Gold Mining Company on the west, and 
 is perhaps half a mile from the Hidden Fortune and Homestake 
 boundaries. 
 
 On the Ethel No. 2 lode claim of the company, at the, extreme 
 easterly end of the ground, a tunnel has been driven some igs feet 
 northward into the hill. At 135 feet from the entry east- and west 
 cross drifts have been run, opening various veins of phonolitic ore. 
 At the point of intersection of the drift and cross cuts a shaft has 
 been located which will be sunk to a depth of 200 feet. Several of 
 the veins converge and enter this shaft at 25 to 30 feet, making an 
 ore body fully two feet wide, assaying on the average from $12 to 
 $20.65 gold per ton. The ore is of good grade, and values in this 
 class of veins almost invariably increase as depth is attained. 
 
 This shaft is equipped with a new gasoline mining plant,- 
 including pumps and dynamo. The dynamo will generate electric- 
 ity for the operation of electric drills, used in lieu of compressed 
 air machines. With this equipment, which serves more as a pros- 
 pecting outfit than a regular mining plant, the formation will be 
 studied to a depth of at least 200 feet, and will be replaced by a 
 large steam plant should values warrant. 
 
 On the southwesterly part of the property a vein of pyritic ore 
 12 feet wide is exposed. Assays show it to contain $3.80 per ton 
 in gold and 33VS per cent iron pyrite. With a cheap concentrating 
 mill this material could be separated from the gangue, giving a 
 product of practically pure pyrite assaying $11.40 per ton. This 
 would be useful in the matte smelters of the Black Hills and would 
 find ready sale, with settlement based on the gold content, since no 
 charge would be made for treatment. Major A. J. Simmons, who 
 made a report on the property, in speaking of the possibilities of this 
 vein, estimates mining at 5° cents per ton, concentration 75 cents 
 per ton, emergencies 25 cents per ton, on one ton of raw ore. Thus 
 to produce a ton of concentrate three tons of raw ore are required, 
 this bringing the cost up to $4.50 per ton, then shipment to smel- 
 ter, so cents, making a total of $5 per ton, leaving a profit of $6.40 
 per ton of concentrates, of $2.13 per ton of raw ore. 
 
 Other veins opened are the Hidden Treasure, a strong fissure in 
 the slates, 12 feet wide and explored 350 feet in length ; the Hidden 
 Treasure No. 2, two feet in width, assaying gold, $2.00, silver $5.00, 
 lead, $2.40, antimony, $2.80, a total of $12.20; Hidden Treasure 
 No, 3, a vein carrying some copper, has been exposed in a railroad 
 cut; and on the Ethel No. 3, a tunnel 140 feet in length follows a 
 vein assaying from $2.00 to $8.00 per ton. 
 
 Altogether the Hidden Treasure company is possessed of valu- 
 able interests in a rich mineral region, and careful development 
 should prove up a dividend paying property. Either one of the 
 numerous veins mentioned is a worthy asset in itself, and the com- 
 bination constitutes a holding of great worth. 
 
 The company has a capital of $2,500,000, divided into shares of 
 a par value of $1.00 each. The president is Judge S. T. Cochran, 
 of Lincoln, Neb. ; vice-president, Banks Stewart, Deadwood ; treas- 
 urer and general manager, Nate Hart, Lead City, and secretary, 
 William Lawlor, Lincoln, all of whom, with J. N. Andrews, of AlH- 
 ance. Neb., constitute the directorate. 
 
 SPANISH R MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The original property of the Spanish R Mining Company was 
 located in the eighties as two lode claims (the Spanish and the 
 Richmond). The claims were near the site of the town of Car- 
 bonate, and when that camp took on its boom, in which fortunes 
 were won in a daj' almost, the Spanish R Mining Company was 
 formed for the purpose of operating the two claims mentioned. 
 The entire capital stock eventually came into the possession of M. C. 
 Connors, and is now the property of his heirs, Milton C. and George 
 G. Connors, whose exclusive property it now is. 
 
 At the present time the property has been increased by purchase 
 to a little over 125 acres, all patented. The boundary lines touch 
 the lines of the Iron Hill at several points, and the main vein of 
 that mine is traceable across the Spanish R ground. A peculiarity 
 is noticeable in this vein that is puzzling. ' Where it' is opened on 
 the Iron Hill, silver predominates in the precious metal content, 
 but on the Spanish R the greater values are in the gold. 
 
 During the latter eighties the Iron Hill company erected a 
 smelter and pan mill, mined and treated $736,000 worth of ore and 
 paid over $160,000 in dividends. 
 
 About the same time the Spanish R was operated, producing 
 from the upper levels of the mine some $50,000. The owners paid 
 $20 to $22 per ton for shipping and treatment at smelters, and 
 after deducting costs of mining and incidental expenses netted over 
 $30 per ton profit. 
 
 The vein on which the Spanish R shaft is sunk is a vertical in 
 the limestone, entering at 300 feet the Cambrian measures of sand- 
 stone, shale, etc., and is followed to a depth of 425 feet. Should 
 the ore body widen out, as they often do on the quartzite, large lat- 
 eral shoots may be expected to be encountered. The shaft will be 
 continued to quartzite, which will probably be encountered within the 
 next 100 feet. The shaft is now deeper than anything else in the 
 camp, and the values in the vein are encouraging. 
 
 A large shoot of ore was found at a depth of 170 feet, from 
 which several thousand dollars were produced. At 300 feet another 
 enlargement of the vein occurred, and from this point the greater 
 portion of the production was made. But there is now in sight on 
 this level an enormous body of cyaniding ore. It is of low grade, 
 but amenable to cyanidation, and will unquestionably prove of value 
 in the future. 
 
 From 300 feet downward the shaft has followed the vein, the 
 ore being assorted and stored as it was removed. A portion of it 
 carries high silver values, galena occurring in quantities, and others 
 assaying high in gold. A number of rare minerals are found, includ- 
 ing pyromorphite, argentite, vanadinite, etc. 
 
 The mine is equipped with a first-class hoisting engine, two 
 boilers (one of them practically new), a brand new IngersoU Ser- 
 geant compressor with capacity for six - small drills, blacksmith 
 outfit complete, assay ofiice, bunk house, stables, etc., together with a 
 diamond drill having a capacity of 400 feet. 
 
 The Connors Brothers, owners of the mine, are residents of 
 the town of Spearfish, and are heavily interested in cattle rais- 
 ing. They are working slowly to make a mine of the Spanish R, 
 taking their time, and vising spare cash to do it, without encroach- 
 ing upon their capital. Stewart Thompson is their superintendent, 
 and a man well equipped to fill the position. He understands the 
 Carbonate Camp ores, having been superintendent of the Iron Hill 
 for six years, having charge of all the importani work that company 
 ever did, and paying to the stockholders $165,250 in dividends. He 
 has had experience in nearly every mining camp in North America, 
 returning from Mexico to accept the position he now holds. 
 

 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 153 
 
 RUBY GOLD MINING AND MILLING CO. LUCKY STRIKE GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The property of the Ruby Gold Mining & Milhng Company 
 is a typical free milling porphyry ore, which has been extensively 
 opened up, and a mill built to treat it by the amalgamation process. 
 The property owned by the company covers a large dyke of por- 
 phyry, having a trend of northeast and southwest. In this dyke 
 and having the same general course are found parallel verticals 
 which have been enriched, their character greatly altered from 
 the original, carrying gold in the metallic state. 
 
 The principal vertical is 15 feet wide, the walls well defined, 
 and its continuity determined by explorations for a distance of over 
 500 feet. Two tunnels, one above the other, have been driven 
 into the hill, tapping this vein, both connected by two separate 
 upraises. On the outcrop above the upper tunnel an open cut has 
 been made, which is also connected with the lower workings and 
 disclosing large bodies of ore. The value of the ore may be stated 
 as $8 per ton in gold, a large portion being free milling and the 
 balance included in concentrates of iron pyrites which assay $30 
 to $60 per ton. 
 
 A model little mill has been erected at the mouth of the lower 
 tunnel, having a capacity of 40 to 50 tons per day. The plant 
 contains a No. 2 Austin crusher, six Merrall's rapid crushing stamps 
 set in two batteries of three stamps each, and Wilfley concentrators. 
 A compartment has been left in the lower end of the mill building 
 in which at some future time, if it is deemed necessary, a cyanide 
 plant will be installed in which tailings will be treated. Power for the 
 mill will be secured from a gasoline motor, but the expense of coal 
 for steam power would not be excessive, as it is only one-half mile 
 to the B. & M. "Railway at Dakota Maid siding, or three-quarters 
 of a mile to its main branch at Galena. The mill is situated and 
 constructed in such a manner that its capacity may be increased at 
 any time at a nominal cost, and in the near future this will be done. 
 Water for the mill will be obtained partially from the mine and 
 partially from a spring a short distance below the plant, but should 
 the capacity be increased it will be necessary to secure water from 
 Bare Butte Creek, three-quarters of a mile distant, where the 
 company owns a valuable mill site. 
 
 The mine is situated on Ruby Gulch, less than a mile from the 
 town of Galena, and is well provided with a good two-story boarding 
 house, assay office and blacksmith shop. In the early days Ruby 
 Gulch was a great producer of placer gold, probably derived from 
 the veins which the Ruby Company is working upon. 
 
 James Conzett, president of the company, who was the original 
 locator and owner of the mine, has spent, a great deal of his 
 time during the past few years in developing the property. He 
 selected the machinery equipment for the mill after a careful exam- 
 ination of various plants and a study of the conditions that existed 
 at his own property. All of the operations have been economically 
 conducted. The mine is opened up in excellent shape, being in 
 condition to supply at the lowest cost ore for the operation of the 
 mill. With a continuation of the economical and conservative man- 
 agement the operations of the company in the future should 
 undoubtedly prove successful, as all the elements are present which 
 go to make up a successful mining proposition. 
 
 The Ruby Gold Mining & Milling Company has an authorized 
 capitalization of $400,000. There are 400,000 shares of a par value 
 of $1 each. James Conzett, four times elected president of the 
 Society of Black Hills Pioneers and a mining man of experience, 
 is president and treasurer of the company. He is held in high 
 esteem throughout the Hills. B. F. Butler, a prominent citizen, of 
 New Castle, Pa., is vice-president ; Norman T. Mason, of the firm 
 of Martin & Mason, attorneys of Deadwood, is secretary. The 
 principal office of the company is Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 The Lucky Strike Gold Mining Company has a capital stock 
 of 1,500,000 shares of a par value of $1. Of this amount 1,150,000 
 shares were placed in the treasury for sale to procure funds for 
 development and mill construction. The president is G. W. Gale, 
 interested in flouring mills at Detroit, Mich. ; vice-president and 
 secretary, E. W. Miller, ex-receiver Huron Land Office and U. S. 
 Prosecuting Attorney, of Elk Point, S. D. ; treasurer, H. F. Seiter, 
 real estate and loans, Tracy, Minn. ; general manager C. A. Allen, 
 practical miner of many years' experience, Deadwood, S. D.; other 
 directors are S. B. Soule, Deadwood ; M. Hickey, Reedsburg, Wis. ; 
 Lee Swift, Tracy, Minn. The general office is at Deadwood, with 
 a branch at Tracy, Minn. 
 
 The company owns 313.5 acres of ground, surveyed for United 
 States patent, on North Box Elder Creek, nine miles southeast of 
 Lead City and two miles from the Clover Leaf mine. The property 
 is on what is known as the "south extension" of the Homestake 
 Belt, and has opened a series of veins identical in character, value 
 and surroundings with the fissures of Lead City The history of the 
 Homestake is too well known to be repeated here, and suffice it 
 to say that the known ore bodies of the Lucky Strike resemble 
 strongly the big veins' outcroppings where discovered at Lead City. 
 
 There are six known veins crossing the property of the Lucky 
 Strike Company. The principal development, however, has been 
 confined to the Bird vein, on which a shaft is being sunk at present. 
 In a tunnel on this claim the vein was opened showing a width 
 of 23 feet with good values. In order to secure depth on this ore 
 body and further develop it a shaft was started some 150 feet west in 
 order to intersect it at several hundred feet, its dip carrying it 
 toward the course of the shaft. At 100 feet latejal workings 
 were made after striking good values at 85 feet. In the easterly 
 cross-cut several small ore shoots were cut, showing widths of 
 four to five feet between the shaft and the Bird .vein. All showed 
 values of $5 per ton and better. The vein which is being followed in 
 the shaft is almost exactly vertical, has a width of 14 feet and assays 
 up to the average. 
 
 After thus exploiting the ore bodies and disclosing pay values 
 at this level it was decided to continue the shaft to greater depths. 
 At 13s feet small copper values were encountered, assays returning 
 % to I per cent. The copper is included in chalcopyrite, and the 
 indications and assays give promise of better values with depth. 
 The shaft will be continued to 200 feet, where the ore bodies will 
 again be explored and sinking continued to 400 feet. Nearly all 
 the rocks carry gold in greater or lesser quantities, as is shown 
 by hundreds of assays by the company and outside parties. 
 
 On the Funston claims on the extreme northwest end of the 
 ground at the bottom of a 50-foot shaft a cross-cut exposes a vein 
 40 feet wide, from which good pay values are returned. It was 
 from this vein that in the later 70' s the former owners (the Hatten- 
 bach Bros, of Deadwood) operated a two-stamp mill, recovering $6 
 per ton in free gold, and probably losing as much more with their 
 crude equipment. Of course at that date, with supplies and labor 
 almost prohibitive in price, ore of that grade would not pay. 
 
 Numerous other openings on the ground show ore. Cuts, shal- 
 low shafts, pits, tunnels, etc., at no less than 25 different points are 
 in ore. A monster vein cropping out 60 feet wide and several hundred 
 feet in length, from which very small values are returned, but 
 where in all probability a pay shoot will one day be discovered, is 
 another one of the company's valuable assets. The property is 
 well supplied with timber and water, and a sawmill on the prop- 
 erty, owned by the company, has furnished lumber for all buildings 
 erected so far. North Box Elder Creek flows sufficient water for 
 large milling operations and flows in close proximity to the workings 
 on the Bird vein. 
 
THE AURIZONE MINES. 
 
 In the Bare Butte mining district, lying between Deadwood 
 and Galena, is a rich producing locality known as the Gold Zone, 
 and consisting of several parallel veins filled with large deposits of 
 gold ore. These veins are described by Prof, Jenny, Conzette, Rob- 
 bins and others as being continuous and extending for miles in a 
 northeastern and southwestern direction, crossing Strawberry, 
 Ruby, Butcher and Lost gulches and traceable on the north as far 
 as Pillar Peak. This section is recognized as one of the best min- 
 eral districts in the Black Hills. On this zone are large plants and 
 numerous producing mines in constant operation, while other prop- 
 erties in a partial stage of development are already showing values 
 of wonderful richness, especially so in localities where cross veins 
 are known to exist. 
 
 One of the best properties on this zone, consisting of fifteen 
 mining claims (200 acres), has recently been deeded to the Auri- 
 zone Mining Company. This company is officered by Black Hills 
 and Chicago mining and business men, every one of them well ac- 
 quainted with the mining busmess and all working harmoniously to 
 place the property on a dividend-paying basis. 
 
 This property also has the especial advantage of being located 
 on the Homestake cross vein, as described by C. W. Robbins in his 
 report. The property is situated in Lost Gulch, a tributary of Bear 
 Butte Creek, five miles from Deadwood in a direct line and only one 
 mile and one-half from the town of Galena, which is reached by the 
 Burlington railway system. The Aurizone mines have been devel- 
 oped to the extent of over twelve hundred feet of tunnels, shafts 
 and open cuts. Most of these tunnels are run in the porphyry, on the 
 upper contact, or what is known as the quartzite formation, while 
 one of the tunnels is run in the quartzite, following a rich shoot of 
 ore for over 85 feet. Another tunnel cuts a vertical vein of ore 
 
 over 20 feet in width and the face is still in ore, showing that they 
 are not yet through it. This also indicates that the ore which is 
 found in this contact and above it in the porphyry, although very 
 extensive, is but the mineralization of richer and larger ore bodies 
 below, and that while enough ore has already been found to run 
 continuously a cyanide plant of 100 tons daily capacity, the prop- 
 erty is still comparatively undeveloped ; in other words, to quote 
 from Mr. Robbins' report, "the mines will yield many colossal for- 
 tunes before they are exhausted." 
 
 Numerous assays made by Soule, Green, Maloney, Lyon, the 
 Homestake and others show assay values of $4.80, $5.20, $6, $9, $10, 
 $11, $13, $20, $34, $36, $44, $63, $80, $108 and $113 per ton in gold. 
 While these samples may be exceptional, a conservative estimate 
 made by mining experts, chemists, assayers and practiced cyanide 
 men places the average value at $8 per ton. It is claimed this cyan- 
 iding ore can be mined for 50 cents per ton; the cost of treatment 
 is estimated at $1.50 per ton; by allowing $1 per ton for loss in ex- 
 traction, there is still $5 per ton net after paying all expenses. 
 •Hence a plant of 100 tons' daily capacity means a profit of $500 per 
 day. These figures are not visionary, but indicated by our fourteen 
 large cyanide plants now running successfully in the Black Hills 
 on this class of ore. 
 
 It is the intention of the company to erect a cyanide plant 
 during the coming summer, and it is confidently believed that 
 enough ore is opened up to insure its steady operation. 
 
 The Aurizone Mining Company has a capitalization of $1,500,- 
 000. The i>iv,sident is H. R. Luther, Chicago, 111.; secretary and 
 manager, N. H. Couger, Deadwood, S. D. ; treasurer, W. F. Hanley, 
 Custer, S. D. The principal office of the company is at Deadwood, 
 S. D., and branch office at Chicago, 111. 
 
 AT THE AURIZONE. 
 Apex of Vein No. 2. Apex of Vein Cutting Tlirojigh rorpliyiy Dilce. Developments on Aurizone. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 155 
 
 RUPE GROUP GOLD MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 The Rupe Group Gold Mining and Milling Company has pur- 
 chased from Elias Rupe some 380 acres of ground, one mile from 
 the town of Roubaix, and on the line of the B. & M. Ry., and is 
 prosecuting active work in developing the mineral resources of the 
 property. 
 
 The property is not far from the Clover Leaf mine, and is 
 between that mine and the Homestake, and on the course of the 
 great Homestake Belt system of veins. The ores exposed in the 
 different workings are similar in character to the pay material of the 
 Homestake company, low in average values, but in such masses 
 that it can be profitably worked when handled in a wholesale 
 manner. 
 
 In this sense, gold mining is like manufacturing, the larger the 
 tonnage the lower the cost per ton. It has been demonstrated a 
 good many times in the Black Hills that with large ore bodies and 
 
 tunnel, shafts and crosscuts, 480 feet of work had been done March 
 IS, 1904. The work is being pushed assiduously under Mr. Rupe, 
 who is on the ground. 
 
 After completing the shaft to 300 feet, the company will make 
 thorough tests of its ore before deciding on the kind of a plant 
 best adapted for its economical reduction. Meantime shipments 
 can be made to any of the custom mills at Deadwood or vicinity at 
 a total cost of transportation of about one dollar per ton. 
 
 The property embraces about 33 acres of fine timber, from which 
 a supply for mining, mill building and fuel can be drawn. In the 
 matter of water, the Rupe company is well supplied. Gold Run 
 creek, which traverses the property, flows enough water to supply a 
 mill of good capacity. 
 
 Altogether the Rupe company is well dowered with all of 
 Nature's gifts to make a successful gold mine. Ore, timber and 
 
 proper equipment ore carrying $4.00 per ton will pay large annual 
 dividends. 
 
 Among the numerous openings showing ore on the Rupe prop- 
 erty are two so-foot tunnels, both, in ore running from $3 to $8 per 
 ton. The ore is a decomposed iron quartz, and can be profitably 
 treated by amalgamation and cyanidation. At another point a two- 
 compartment shaft has been sunk to a depth of 200 feet; it will be 
 pushed to 300 with the present equipment, a horse- whim, and then 
 steam machinery installed. The shaft is covered by a building 
 32x46 feet, enclosing the whim, blacksmith shop, etc. 
 
 At the surface, near the top of the shaft, the vein has a width 
 of 112 feet,, thoroughly demonstrated by crosscutting and additional 
 minor shafting. Assays taken from the shaft mentioned above, 
 which is sunk following this vein, run from $4.60 to $33-0O, with 
 average values showing ore of commercial grade. Altogether, in 
 
 water are present in almost unfailing supply, and while the former 
 is the most important adjunct to successful mining, the latter are 
 of no small import. High prices are often, paid by mines for these 
 commodities. 
 
 The Rupe Group Gold Mining Company is capitalized for 
 $2,000,000 in shares of a par value of one dollar each ; 500,000 shares 
 have been set aside as treasury stock. The president is H. E. 
 Perkins, cashier of the Meade county bank, Sturgis, S. D. ; vice- 
 president, G. F. Earley, Sturgis ; treasurer and general manager, 
 C. A. Martin, Racine, Wis. ; secretary, Wesley A. Stuart of Sturgis, 
 attorney for the Northwestern railway. The above, with S. A. 
 Oliver, owner of the Sturgis electric light plant, comprise the board 
 of directors. Offices are maintained at Racine, Wis., and Sturgis, 
 S. D. Letters directed to either office will receive prompt attention. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 157 
 
 MONTEZUMA AND THE WHIZZERS. 
 
 J- T. Gillmore and the estate of C. W. Carpenter are the owners of a mine situated 
 almost within the city of Deadwood, from which hundreds of thousands of tons of 
 pyritic ore have been shipped to the smelters of the Black Hills. It is practically a 
 new property in point of production. Some three years ago, when the Homestake 
 company ceased shipping concentrates to the smelters, and treated them in their cyanide 
 mill, it devolved upon the smelters to secure their pyritic material, or flux, from other 
 sources. Attention was attracted to the vein cropping on the ground of Montezuma 
 and the Whizzers mine, and contracts were entered into with Mr. Gillmore and his 
 partners whereby they were to furnish an unlimited amount of the flux, as required. 
 
 It served its purpose well in the smelters, as it carries by analysis about 39 per 
 cent iron, 38 per cent sulphur and i per cent copper. Along the foot wall is a streak 
 averaging four feet in width which is almost solid pyrite, and assays $3 in gold. Mr. 
 Gillmore has been in charge of the mine since the smelters first commenced to pur- 
 chase the ore, and has gotten the system of raining down to a science. The vein, being 
 a wide fissure in the slates, with hard walls, admits of mining without the use of 
 supporting timbers. From the tunnel, which is driven straight into the mountain a 
 distance of 650 feet, upraises are made in the ore and chutes made of timber are put 
 in, from which the mine cars are loaded. This is practically all the timber needed 
 for the mining of thousands of tons of ore, and costs usually in the neighborhood 
 of $150. 
 
 The miners work upward, excavating great chambers in the vein, and, standing 
 upon the broken material, drill the holes which, when loaded with dynamite, serve to 
 break the ore. The ore drops by gravity, assisted by a little shoveling, to the chutes, 
 is drawn from there to the mine cars and trammed to the railroad cars on the outside. 
 
 The property covers approximately 3,000 feet along the course of this vein, and 
 the tunnel, if continued under the apex, would reach a depth of 600 feet vertically 
 on the ore body. Thus there is an almost boundless supply of the material contained 
 in the ground, and to supply the flux for years to come it would not be necessary to 
 hoist one pound of it. Thus the mine can be most economically worked. There is 
 a supply actually blocked out in the mine and in sight to-day of 100,000 tons — 
 enough to supply the present demand of 100 tons a day for over two and a half years. 
 And, although there is not a large profit made on each ton, it is probably mined as 
 cheaply as anything in the Black Hills where underhand stoping is in vogue, t*' 
 Gillmore says that it costs about fifty cents a ton, or a little less, to mine and load the 
 ore in the railroad cars. 
 
 Transportation facilities are excellent. The Northwestern railroad main line to 
 Lead City crosses the property in several places, and the mouth of the tunnel is about 
 100 feet from the tracks. A switch has been constructed by the railroad, over which 
 Mr. Gillmore has built a small trestle, and the mine cars run out on it are dumped 
 into the railroad cars standing below. Two miles' haul delivers the ore at the 
 Deadwood smelter, and forty-five miles' haul, both of them down grade, reaches the 
 National Smelter at Rapid City. 
 
 Although the mining of the pyritic ore or flux is itself a money-making propo- 
 sition, and has paid well from the start, the owners have something perhaps of greater 
 importance in view. It has been stated by mining experts of renown that several 
 different characteristics exhibited would indicate that paying deposits of copper ore 
 would be found below water level. 
 
 In many vertical copper veins a metamorphosis has occurred in the nature of the 
 ore above water level, the copper being replaced by iron, and the red metal, being ci- 
 solved by the downward leaching waters, is redeposited below water level. 
 
 The copper discovered in the mine, averaging i per cent, would indicate most 
 strongly that such was the case, while even to-day the leaching copper waters are 
 leaving their rude stain on the rocks in the mine. Upon visiting a portion of the mine 
 where work has not been carried on for a time, the greenish deposit of bluestone, 
 nature's copper sulphate, is found. 
 
 On the outcrop of the vein, called for convenience the "Iron Dike," rich copper 
 ores have been found, some samples assaying as high as 40 per cent copper. This is 
 another indication that good values may be expected below water level. 
 
 The owners are taking an easy, and undoubtedly the best, means possible for the 
 developing of the mine. The shipments of flux are continued, and the profits used 
 in equipping a hoisting plant which shall be capable of raising ore from a depth of 
 1,000 feet. Among the other improvements are a good, substantial building covering 
 the same, blacksmith shop, etc. 
 
 When the machinery shall have been installed, at the cost of the flux shipments, 
 the work of sinking will begin. At 300, and possibly 200, feet depth below the tunnel 
 level, cross cuts will be run to the vein, where it is anticipated the ores will be found. 
 But should a greater depth be required, it will be secured, and the copper mine ulti- 
 mately opened in the best possible shape. Then should reduction works be necessary, 
 they will be forthcoming, and the mine become a great copper producer of the 
 Black Hills. 
 
 The site selected for the shaft is some distance above the tunnel level and creek, 
 thus affording plenty of room for the construction of a reduction plant below the 
 shaft. The shaft will be sunk east and north of the vein, and as the ore body has a 
 dip of a little to the east and the shaft is vertical, the two will meet at a depth of 
 about 600 feet. In order to clearly illustrate this point, Mr. Gillmore, under his own 
 supervision, had the cut on the opposite page prepared. It shows the location of the 
 hoist, the width of the ore and its dip, the lateral workings representing 100 feet of 
 depth between each. 
 
 Montezuma and the Whizzers mine consists of 135 acres of patented land, and is 
 officially known as Mineral Lot No. 1324. It adjoins the townsite of Deadwood on 
 Deadwood gulch on the southwest, and, extending over the divide, joins the townsite 
 again on Whitewood gulch, near the baseball park. The property extends south- 
 westerly up to near the northeast corner of the townsite of Lead City, and adjojns 
 the holdings of the Homestake and Pluma Mining companies. 
 
 The mine was discovered and located by ]Mr. Gillmore in 1885. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 159 
 
 THE ANACONDA GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Near the famous Clover Leaf mine, five miles southeast of Lead 
 City, there is clustered a number of valuable properties. Many of 
 them have the same, character of ore bodies, and with sufficient 
 development should become equals of the Clover Leaf in every 
 respect. The ores are all free-milling in character — the easiest 
 method of recovering gold from its matrix known to science. There 
 are mills in the Black Hills that are treating ore by this process for 
 forty cents a ton. 
 
 One of these mines is owned by the Anaconda Gold Mining 
 Company. It is one and one-quarter miles west of the Clover 
 Leaf, and consists of approximately 600 acres of mining ground. 
 
 Four big veins are known to traverse the territory for its entire 
 length — about one mile. The biggest of these veins is at least 20 
 feet wide, a characteristic fissure in the slates. Nothing can be 
 more permanent than one of these great fissure veins. They, are 
 nearly or' quite vertical, and how far they penetrate the earth toward 
 its center no man has yet discovered. It is fully within the bounds 
 of reason to say that they will be worked as far as machinery is 
 capable of lifting the ore — perhaps a mile. 
 
 Permanency ! To all intents and purposes these big veins are 
 as permanent as the very earth itself. They are indeed an integral 
 part of this great sphere, and as such continue to infinite depths — 
 to far greater depths than man can ever reach. Though he em^ 
 ploy the strongest and mightiest mechanisms, whose breath of life 
 is steam, he can never hope to fathom the subterranean secrets of 
 these great fissure veins. 
 
 Number .one shaft of the Anaconda Company has been sunk 
 to a depth of 150 feet, with a cross-cut at the one-hundred-foot 
 level, and a tunnel from the surface connecting at a depth of fifty 
 feet. This shaft is well equipped so far as machinery for mining 
 goes. There is installed in the shafthouse an engine capable of 
 hoisting ore from a depth of 1,200 feet, a big air compressor for 
 furnishing compressed air to operate the drills, and a big boiler. 
 There is stored in the same building a big pump for handling the 
 water which is always found at depth in the mines of the Black 
 Hills. The foresight of the management is displayed by the fact 
 of the purchase of this pump before it was actually necessary. Some 
 managers would have delayed the purchase of such a pump until the 
 water was found — very likely in a flow large enough to drive the 
 miners out of the shaft. Then it would be necessary to send to some 
 distant point where machinery is manufactured in order to pro- 
 cure one. This would take several days, and days are valuable in 
 the development of a mine. But the Anaconda Company has its 
 pumip ready to be lowered into the shaft the moment it becomes - 
 necessary, without a minute's delay. 
 
 Major A. J. Simmons, a reputable mining expert of the Black 
 Hills, once examined the Anaconda mine, and in his report he 
 stated as follows : "Surface outcroppings and developments in 
 cuts, pits and ten-foot holes show a system of veins consisting of 
 four plainly marked parallel gold-bearing veins, with indications of 
 
 others in the intervening grounds.'' He further states that "the 
 showing bears unmistakable evidence of a valuable mine at depth, 
 and fully warrants the sinking of a compartment shaft, with steam 
 hoists and all necessary appliances for development and raising ore 
 from the veins." Such an opinion from an eminent authority speaks 
 well for the property. 
 
 Adjoining the mining claims the Anaconda Company owns a 
 ranch property, located on Elk creek. It consists of 200 acres of 
 rolling mountain prairie land, which the management says will 
 make a fine site for the town that will be built near the mine, should 
 it prove a success. It is located in a beautiful fertile valley, with 
 Custer peak, one of the loftiest eminences of the Hills, for its back- 
 ground. As a town site it is unsurpassed by anything in the Black 
 Hills, and the company is making arrangements to have it surveyed 
 and laid out in town lots. Included with the ranch is an elegant 
 water right, comprising one hundred miner's inches of water — 
 enough to operate two hundred stamps. This is a most valuable 
 asset in itself, and with the water right which the company is secur- 
 ing on Bare Butte creek, north of the property, enough water will 
 be had for all purposes for many years to come. 
 
 Railroad facilities are amply adequate. The Burlington & Mis- 
 souri River railroad has a spur extending onto the company's ground, 
 where coal, machinery and all other supplies can be cheaply and 
 quickly secured. Part of the tract Ls covered with heavy pine 
 timber — a necessity in mining operations. Timbers are used under- 
 ground to support the walls of the mine after the ore has been 
 removed, thus affording a safe working place for the miners. 
 
 Briefly, then, the Anaconda Gold Mining Company owns all of 
 those essentials to successful mining, namely, gold-bearing veins, 
 a large acreage, water, timber and railroad connections, and with 
 efficient management can hardly fail of success when its big stamp 
 mills are in operation pounding out the precious metal from its big 
 ore bodies. Strictly speaking, such a proposition as the Anaconda 
 is a manufacturing proposition. The big low grade bodies of ore 
 as exposed only need proper milling facilities to become dividend 
 payers. The Anaconda Gold Mining Company is organized under 
 the laws of the state of South Dakota, with an authorized capital 
 stock of a million and a half shares of a par value of $1 each, the 
 shares being equally divided between common and preferred stock, 
 the treasury stock, which is sold for the purpose of developing and 
 equipping the property, being preferred to the amount of 25 cents 
 per share. In other words, the treasury stock is to receive dividends 
 amounting to 25 cents per share before the common stock shall 
 share in the distributions. 
 
 The officers of the Anaconda Gold Mining Company are: 
 Frederick H. Herhold, Chicago, president; Nels Nelson, Lead City, 
 vice-president ; C. L. Wallace, Chicago, treasurer ; W. E. Hahn, 
 Deadwood, secretary. The above, with F. Herhold, of Chicago, con- 
 stitute the board of directgrs. The home office of the company is at 
 412- Merchants' Loan and Trust Building, 135 Adams street, Chi- 
 cago, 111. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 [6t 
 
 RELIANCE GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The properties of the Reliance Gold Mining Company represent 
 some of the most valuable holdings on the northwesterly side of 
 Bald Mountain, near the head of Annie Creek, and not far from the 
 town of Portland. Along the northern end the ground is traversed 
 by the two principal railroads of the Black Hills— the Burlington 
 and Northwestern. Adjoining on the north and northeast are 
 holdings of the Imperial and Dakota companies, both of which are 
 successfully operating cyanide mills on their ores. The same char- 
 acter and class of ores exposed on these properties are developed in 
 quantity on Reliance territory and form the foundation for great 
 future possibilities. These ores are found in the upper Cambrian in the 
 shales and sandstones and are typical cyaniding materials. To 
 treat them the company has begun the construction of a large cyan- 
 ide mill in close proximity to the ore developments. The plant will 
 have an initial capacity of 300 tons per day, and will be so constructed 
 that it may be easily and cheaply enlarged when occasion shall 
 warrant. It will be built close to Annie Creek, from which stream 
 the water supply will be drawn. The cyaniding of similar ores has 
 been proved a success by other companies operating in the immediate 
 vicinity, even though the low grade ore has in some cases been 
 hauled several miles to Deadwood for treatment. This costs about 
 75 cents per ton, and with the mill right at the mine this handicap 
 will be eliminated, allowing of a more profitable treatment of 
 the ores. 
 
 AN expert's opinion. 
 
 The Reliance Company owfis at this point some 4C0 acres of 
 ground, and John Blatchford, superintendent of the Golden Reward 
 Company, was employed to make a private report on it in July, 1903, 
 to Genera! Olson, president of the Reliance company. He says he 
 believes that from the then showing approximately 150,000 tons of 
 ore worth $8 per ton in gold may be mined from the property, and 
 that it will also furnish 600,000 tons of $5 ore. Further develop- 
 ment on virgin portions of the holdings, he says, should show large 
 bodies of similar grade ore, while at the same time developments to 
 
 a lower le\el or ore horizon will undoubtedly reveal still other 
 treasure beds. 
 
 OF FIVE COMPANIES. 
 
 The Reliance company is the consolidation of five incorporated 
 mining companies — the Ak-Sar-Ben, University, Bunker Hill, Iron 
 Duke and Monitor — with holdings extending from Custer county 
 to Annie Creek. 
 
 The water supply is abundant, and portions of the land are 
 covered with timber, amply sufficient for all requirements. 
 
 E.XPENDITURES TO DATE. 
 
 There has been expended on the mines and in the acquisition 
 of land by the different constituent companies and by the Reliance 
 Company after the merger from first to last about $200,000 in 
 exploiting, opening mines, building roads and general work, includ- 
 ing tunnel excavations, cross-cuts, stopes, winzes, upraises, shafts, 
 trenches and open-cuts, extending over a large area of ground now 
 developed and opened up and uncovering ore bodies or chutes of 
 greater or less dimensions. 
 
 More than 6,coo feet of tunnel work has been done. 
 
 The quantity of ore is practically unlimited and the grand total 
 average of all assays taken from time to time as development has 
 progressed up to January i, 1904, is $5.40 in gold per ton. 
 
 'The facilities for mining and milling are unequaled. Ore can be 
 'conveyed into the mill without hoisting at a maximum cost of 5 
 cents per ton.. 
 
 The Reliance Gold Alining Company has a capital stock of 
 5,000,000 shares, each share having a par value of $r. The company 
 has recently issued $250,000 worth of 7 per cent gold bonds in order 
 to secure money for the erection of a mill. The president of the 
 company is General S. E. Olson, Minneapolis, Minn. ■ vice-president, 
 F. W. Bower, Deadwood; secretary and general manager, F. W. 
 Medbery, Deadwood; treasurer, E. E. Bennett, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 GLADIATOR CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINES AND MILLING CO. 
 
 Consolidation and expansion are the watchwords in the com- 
 mercial world, while in mining the merging of many individual 
 holdings and their systematic operation under one management are 
 the favorites with the investing public. One of this class of the 
 Black Hills is the Gladiator Consolidated Gold Mines and Milling 
 Company, owner of 1,000 acres of mining land, in five different 
 groups, in as many different localities in the Hills, the Burlington 
 or Northwestern Railroad running across or adjacent to each group. 
 
 IN LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 The Gladiator group is located a short distance above Central 
 City, on Deadwood gulch, adjoining the Homestake mines. Some 
 1,250 feet of tunneling, 400 feet of open-cut and shafts, aggregating 
 160 feet, have opened nine dift'erent ore bodies varying from a few 
 feet to over 100 feet in width. The formation is phonolite' and por- 
 phyry — a class of rocks in which one might expect to find great 
 veins of gold ore. The veins which have been already opened up 
 show good average values, and the company has in contemplation 
 a cyanide mill of good capacity which would undoubtedly greatly 
 enhance the value of the mine. The mine is equipped with a suit- 
 able steam-hoisting and air-compressing plant for deep mining. 
 
 The Red Cloud mine is the second property in the Northern 
 Black Hills owned by this company. It is located two miles above 
 the Gladiator on Deadwood gulch, and has in the past produced some 
 good smelting ore. It is well developed by drifts, shafts and open- 
 cuts, exposing ore bodies in the Cambrian formation. The ore is a 
 
 typical cyaniding material, and the proposed mill on this group is 
 a cyanide of large capacity. 
 
 PROPERTIES NE.\R CUSTER. 
 
 A short distance from Berne, on the Burlington Railroad, is 
 located the Gold Fish mine of the company. In the Black Hills it 
 has the reputation of being one of the richest value mines. Ore 
 from the Gold Fish shows fine \alues, and although extremely rich 
 veins are small, on account of their values small veins yield large 
 profits. The vein is a vertical in the slates, hornblende and quartz, 
 embraced in granite walls 1,200 feet apart, the surface of which has 
 been well developed. It is the intention of the company to imme- 
 diately erect a lo-stamp mill at this mine to treat the rich ores. 
 
 The Ruby and Eva groups are located in the Hill City district, 
 and aside from the ore bodies are valuable, especially for their tim- 
 ber, a most valued adjunct to successful mining. Such forests of 
 virgiii pine timber as are included within the boundaries of these 
 mining claims are daily becoming of more value, since timber is 
 becoming scarcer and scarcer in the Black Hills. 
 
 Gentlemen from eastern Iowa are prominent in the management 
 of the Gladiator Consolidated Gold Mines and Milling Company. 
 The president is S. G. Hammans ; secretary, VV. N. !McKay, and 
 treasurer and manager, C. H. Crabtree. The company is capitalized 
 for 4.100,000 shares, of which i,goo,ooo shares have been set aside 
 as treasury stock. The principal office is in Des Moines, Iowa, in 
 the Iowa Loan and Trust building, while what is designated as the 
 home office is at Deadwood. S. D. 
 
AT THE ORO HONDO. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 163 
 
 ORO HONDO MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Oro Hondo Company controls a property including 1,100 
 acres adjoining the Homestake territory on the southeast, covering 
 the central or mother lode of the Homestake belt system of ore 
 bodies. 
 
 The Orq Hondo acquired this vast territory by purchase and 
 consolidation of the holdings of 50 individuals and companies, who 
 had exploited the surface and constructed small mills for the treat- 
 ment of the ore. They had scratched the surface outcroppings of the 
 great lode, as it were, and proved its continuation for a mile or 
 more through the ground, but lacked the necessary capital to equip 
 it with the large plants of mining and milling machinery called for 
 in the handling of low-grade ore bodies. 
 
 Conditions were ripe for another stupendous gold manufac- 
 turing enterprise. The Homestake had paved the way, and had 
 befen 25 years in solving vexing problems. The unlimited extent of 
 the fissure ore bodies, the most practical and efficient processes of ore 
 treatment and the enormous profits in the business had been un- 
 covered and laid open to the light of day. 
 
 With the knowledge of the great company available as a 
 criterion, and with a territory promising equally rich in resources 
 and results, the Oro Hondo Company entered intelligently upon the 
 great undertaking. 
 
 PITCH OF THE ORE. 
 
 The great ore body is known to pitch downward, going southerly 
 from the Homestake workings. The plans of the Oro Hondo were 
 fully considered and matured. The trend of the lode and pitch of 
 the ore were well known. It was believed that great depth would be 
 necessary, perhaps, to reach and then to open up levels in the ore 
 body from which a supply for big mills could be drawn. The 
 Oro Hondo's three-compartment shaft, with a full equipment of 
 modern machinery, was located 1,600 feet southerly from the Elli- 
 son shaft of the Homestake mine, and in a position calculated to 
 squarely penetrate the big lode on Oro Hondo ground. Results 
 have fully demonstrated the wisdom of the well-laid plans. 
 
 The Oro Hondo shaft entered ore near the surface, which de- 
 veloped in solidity, quantity and value in its descent, and at a depth 
 of goo feet the character and value of the massive ore indicate the 
 proximity of the ore body of the great mother vein. 
 
 The ore, apparently in quantity and carrying values fully up to 
 the Homestake average, has been found at a depth that was an- 
 ticipated, and further opening up with levels and cross drifts will 
 place the Oro Hondo Company at the mill building stage. 
 
 MILL SITES AND WATER. 
 
 The ,0ro Hondo Company has options on mill sites and water 
 for large milling operations at three different points, with railroad 
 facilities for delivering the ore from its mines to the mills. The 
 Burlington railroad passes over the Oro Hondo ground within 200 
 feet from its main shaft. The company will construct a large and 
 modern milling plant, with cyanide attachment and all the ap- 
 proved appHances dictated by 25 years' milling practice on the belt. 
 
 The Oro Hondo is one of the great mines of this famous region. 
 If doubts ever existed they have been expelled by the stern logic of 
 events — development of pay ore in depth and quantity. It is on the 
 threshold of mill construction and will pass in due time to the 
 productive stage. Its friends should not be impatient of results, but 
 remember that large outlays of money and time are necessary to 
 place such a vast enterprise on a dividend basis ; for when it gets 
 there a great manufacturing business will have been established of 
 the most permanent and profitable nature. 
 
 DEPTH OF SHAFT. 
 
 The shaft, now a little over 900 feet deep, is being hastened 
 with all possible dispatch. Three shifts of miners, working eight 
 hours each, with the aid of compressed air drills are rapidly deepen- 
 ing the hole. Not a moment's time is lost. All energies of the 
 company are to-day devoted to bringing the property to the mill- 
 building stage. 
 
 PRESENT IMPROVEMJBNTS. 
 
 In the shafthouse has been installed first-class mining ma- 
 chinery. Hoisting engines, capable of raising 1,1000 tons every 
 twenty-four hours from a depth of 2,000 feet, an air compressor of 
 size sufficient to furnish power to operate underground drills, a bat- 
 tery of heavy boilers and an electric lighting plant for the mine and 
 surface works comprise the machinery. A well-equipped black- 
 smith shop, where the necessary work required around a mine is 
 performed, and a carpenter shop in which timbei-s are made for 
 placing in the mine, complete the surface equipment. In the mine, 
 at the 600-foot level, there has been installed a mS'mmoth pump, 
 capable of caring for any water that may be encountered. Three 
 hundred feet from the hoist the Burlington railway has put in a 
 sidetrack where coal and other supplies are unloaded. 
 
 THE company's PERSONNEL. 
 
 The Oro Hondo is controlled by a responsible, reputable and 
 energetic management, and financed with large capital for all pur- 
 poses of developing its great resources and placing it on a going 
 basis. Men connected with it have served an apprenticeship of 
 many years in the mines of the Western states. The president is 
 a man practically born and raised in a mining camp, and besides giv- 
 ing the property a great deal of his personal attention, has money to 
 put into execution any of the plans. 
 
 The Oro Hondo Mining Company has a capital stock of ten 
 million dollars, in a similar number of shares of a par value of 
 $1.00 each. The president is B. H. Tatem of Helena, Montana. 
 The secretary is Henry J. Mayham, one of the shrewdest mining 
 operators of the West. W. L. Tatem, son of the president, is 
 assistant secretary and treasurer, and has charge of the offices at 
 Lead City. W. A. Mears & Co. of Philadelphia are the fiscal 
 agent, and Mr. Mears has taken an active interest in the work and 
 has expended freely the large sums necessary to bring the mine up 
 to the mill-building point, which it is felt is now at hand. 
 
015 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 i6s 
 
 PLUMA MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Surrounded on three sides by territory of the great Homestake, 
 and running to within a few feet of the big mills, hoists and surface 
 workings of that company; a tract embracing no acres of the 
 choicest of mining ground at Lead City, directly on the strike of 
 big veins of the easterly side of the Homestake system, such as the 
 Caledonia and others worked at Terraville in big open cuts ; equipped 
 with a complete forty-stamp mill, abundance of water for large 
 operations, excellent sites for enlarging the mill capacity, tramway 
 connecting mine and mill, first-class machinery installed in all of 
 the surface and underground workings ; as a whole, spoken of often 
 as "the cream of the Lead City district;" such are the possessions 
 of the Pluma Mining Company. 
 
 For the past three years this progressive corporation has been 
 acquiring ground in the vicinity of its first purchases, until it now 
 owns the Pluma, Oella, Tenbroeck, Blue Star, Robert E. Lee, Mer- 
 ritnac, Capital, Lark, Willie Fraction, High Lode, Gold Finch, Little 
 Monitor, Flower of the Hills, Golden Dream, Excelsior, Clara Ne- 
 vada and St. James claims and fractions, all patented, together with 
 the Pluma Mill Site and .Sheckel Placer, at Pluma, covering the 
 site of the reduction works and water supply. The property ex- 
 tends up to within a few feet of the Amicus mill of the Homestake, 
 only a couple of rods east of the Old Abe hoist, 400 feet east of the 
 Ellison hoist, 300 feet from the Caledonia open cut; it covers the 
 major portion of that part of Lead City known as Highland Park, 
 or Washington, extending across the gulch to Cyanide No. i of the 
 Homestake ; in fact, right in the heart of the rich mineral area on 
 the easterly side of the big vein system. Four of the main Home- 
 stake veins are traceable through the property. The Caledonia, 
 Monitor and other lodes are known to be among the richest of the 
 Homestake Company, and have been opened up on Pluma territory. 
 
 The principal developments on the big veins consist of open 
 cuts, pits, tunnels and shallow shafts at various points, big ore show- 
 ings in railroad cuts of the Northwestern railroad, in wells in Wash- 
 ington (of which mention will be made later) and in the Tenbroeck 
 shaft. This shaft is 500 feet deep, with a twenty-foot sump. The 
 largest development is on the 300-foot level, where some 600 feet of 
 drifting has been done. The formation encountered was for the most 
 part in a hard hornblendic schist, showing values up to $2 per 
 ton, the assays running uniformly from $1.20 to $2. This is a 
 good indication, since the mineralized zone is certainly in proximity, 
 and the pay streak may be expected to be encountered at almost 
 any time. The bottom of the shaft assayed $3 per ton. Dr. Floyd 
 Davis, a consulting mining engineer of Des Moines, says he believes 
 the Monitor vein (one of the big ore bodies of the Homestake) will 
 be encountered in this drift at about 650 feet from the shaft. The 
 shaft is equipped with a first-class steam^ plant, containing boilers, 
 hoisting engine, air compressor, etc., all in first-class condition. 
 From the shaft to the upper terminal of the aerial tramway, some 
 200 feet distant, a grade has been made for a small track over 
 which the mine cars, loaded with ore, will be conveyed to the bins, 
 and from- there transported to the mill. 
 
 The vein exposed in the Northwestern railroad cut is some 140 
 feet wide, showing assays of $2 per ton— a good average for sur- 
 face ore. In the Minnie tunnel, about 150 feet from the entrance, 
 a strong vein, assaying $4.50 per ton, is opened. On the Flower of 
 the Hill claim, just east of the Ellison hoist, the main Homestake 
 vein outcrops, showing good values and width. In numerous wells 
 in Washington good ore has been found. The wells were sunk 
 
 by tenants of tTie Pluma company, who only recently told of their 
 finds, since they were afraid their surface rights would be forfeited, 
 they would be compelled to move their houses and vacate so that 
 the mines could be opened up. Some of these wells are as much as 
 80 feet deep, and in nearly every one a good grade of free milling 
 ore has been found. The width of the ore body cannot be exactly 
 estimated, but it probably approximates 200 feet. 
 
 At Pluma, 4,000 feet from the mine, and connected with it by a 
 Bleichert self-acting wire rope tramway, is the forty-stamp mill of 
 the company. It is in good condition, and contains boilers and 
 engine for double that number of stamps. The company will at 
 once begin the work of adding to this mill a complete cyanide plant 
 of 300 tons daily capacity to handle the tailings from the amalgama- 
 tion process, thus pursuing the milling method which the Home- 
 stake has found so profitable. Then, at some future time, forty 
 more stamps will be added to the mill, giving the company a com- 
 plete 300-ton daily capacity stamp-amalgamation-cyanide plant, mod- 
 ern in every respect. The Pluma company's water supply comes 
 from Whitewood creek, from a large well just in front of the mill, 
 and could be drawn from Gold Run by settling the water flowing 
 down that gulch, which comes from the Homestake mills at Lead 
 City. However, this is a problem of the future; since Whitewood 
 creek and the big well will furnish water for more than 100 stamps. 
 In many features the Pluma company has excellent physical facili- 
 ties for mining and milling. The ore will be transported over the 
 aerial tramway, which is downhill from mine to mill, requiring no 
 power to operate. Water is abundant, facilities for delivering mine 
 timbers, fuel and supplies to the mine and mill excellent (the 
 Burlington and Northwestern systems both crossing the. ground), 
 and with careful management the Pluma should bec6'me one of the 
 big dividend-payers of the future. 
 
 Overlying the big veins are the horizontal Cambrian deposits — 
 conglomerate, quartzite, shale, etc. The conglomorate beds have 
 been worked, and to-day 100,000 tons of $S ore are in sight in 
 the workings. The quartzite ores are fairly well developed, show- 
 ing large bodies of $4 to $S ore, while on the Capital claim 
 late exploitations have disclosed a body of siliceous ore assaying 
 $37 per ton, average. The company intends as soon as the shoot 
 is opened sufficiently to make regular shipments to smelters of this 
 material. Mining, transportation and smelting would protebly cost 
 $10 to $12 per ton, and the treatment of forty tons per day of $30 
 ore would mean the accumulation of a neat treasury reserve. Un- 
 doubtedly the company will realize a large amount of money from 
 this source alone, since large bodies of the same character of ore, 
 though lower in value, are exposed at different points on Lookout 
 mountain. Approximately, 1,300,000 tons of this ore worth $4 to 
 $5 a ton are explored. Estimating the mining and milling at $2 
 per ton, a conservative figure, there should be a profit of over $2,000,- 
 coo in this deposit alone. But the long-lived vertical veins of the 
 Homestake system, mentioned first in this description, will be the 
 great producers of the Pluma company's wealth, and will be worked 
 for generations to come. 
 
 The Pluma Mining Company has a capital stock of 5,000,000 
 shares, par value, $1 each. The president is G. W. Marquardt, 
 Des Moines ; secretary and manager, T. A. Harding, Des Moines ; 
 superintendent, A. Fillion, Lead. Offices are 304 Good Block, Des 
 Moines, Iowa. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 167 
 
 DOLPHIN & COMSTOCK GROUP. 
 
 The peculiar geological formation known as the Homestake 
 "Belt System" is, technically speaking, a mineralized or enriched 
 zone in the Algonkian slates. Its lateral extent covers a belt of 
 territory a mile wide and a couple of score of miles long. It is 
 dotted along its course or strike by numerous mines, some of them 
 in the embryo stage, and others fully developed paying properties. 
 The ores of the Homestake are to the trained eye of the expert 
 almost an open book. They are different in appearance from any- 
 thing else in the Black Hills. They are, on the surface, pinkish to 
 reddish chloritic schists, iron-stained quartz, decomposed and altered 
 hornblende, etc., and covered on the higher hills by "caps" of 
 porphyry. 
 
 Leaving Lead City, the home of the Homestake, and following 
 along the course of the veins toward the southeast, the first prom- 
 inent outcroppings are noticeable in Yellow Creek, a mile from 
 the southerly end of the big company's holdings. 
 
 The Dolphin & Comstock group is situated on Yellow Creek 
 and adjoins on every side the holdings of energetic and vigorous 
 companies. It is the property of Willis Malkson, who has the 
 largest coal and transfer business of Lead and also interested 
 in the hauling of mining machinery, and James Halloran of Lead 
 City, a miner of wide experience, who was a prime mover in the 
 consummation of the Hidden Fortune and other large sales of 
 mines ; H. J. Mayham of New York, and other small owners. The 
 group includes 75 acres of land to which United States patent 
 has lately been secured, joining the Wasp No. 2 on the west, the 
 Minneapolis on the south and the Oro Hondo on the east. 
 
 A great deal of development work has been done on the. 
 
 ground in the way of shafts, pits and tunnels, and one of the big 
 veins of the Homestake system opened. That it is the same char- 
 acter of ore has been proved time and again by assays and analyses. 
 The gold values from $1 to $10 a ton, with an average of about $4.50. 
 
 In 1878 two tenderfeet discovered ore on the property and 
 milled about $10,000 worth in a crude plant near the present site 
 of the town of Pluma. The material handled was a good grade of 
 free-milling ore, and notwithstanding the excessive and almost pro- 
 hibitive costs of mining, transportation and milling, the two partners 
 made money enough to satisfy them, and they left the country with 
 their spoils. The ore must have been worth $15 per ton, as labor 
 was high, the road to the mill was not of the best, and hauling to 
 the plant by teams of oxen cost at least $S a ton, while the owners 
 of the mill were not treating ore for a mere song. This portion 
 of the early history of the ground is well known to many of the 
 pioneers of the Black Hills, who recall with smiles the departure 
 of the operators after they had cleaned up their modest "stake." 
 
 The ground is admirably located as regards transportation and 
 milling facilities, the main line of the Burlington Railroad being 
 not more than half a mile distant, with a survey for a proposed 
 spur running across the ground. There are excellent mill sites on 
 the ground, with a living stream of water which would furnish 
 enough of that necessity for a large plant. Apparently it is only a 
 question of a short time when this ground will be secured by capi- 
 talists, who will develop it further and erect big mills for the 
 reduction of the ores. Mills are all that are needed to make the 
 mine a dividend payer, as all the geological and physical conditions 
 are present that go to make a valuable property. 
 
 MAGNOLIA MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Incorporated under the laws of South Dakota. Capitalization, 
 1,250,000 -shares; par value, $1 each. Principal office, Deadwood, 
 S. D. Officers: F. M. Gants, president; P. T. Baird, vice-president; 
 O. U. Pryce, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 Owns 90 acres of mineral land, mill site, and water-right along 
 Burno gulch, one mile east of Carbonate Camp. A cyaniding ore 
 is exposed which carries ifrom $4 to $12 per ton gold. Developed 
 by shafts and tunnels. There is a heavy growth of pine timber upon 
 the property. 
 
 MORNING GLORY MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Incorporated under the laws of South Dakota. Capitalization, 
 1,250,000 shares ; par value, $1 each. Principal office, Deadwood, 
 S. D. Officers : William E. Tew, president ; Dr. W. E. MacLaugh- 
 lin, vice-president ; A. C. Johnson, secretary and treasurer. The 
 above officers reside at Willmar, Minn. O. U. Pryce, general man- 
 ager, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 Owns 60 acres of mineral land at the head of Falsebottom 
 Creek, in the phonolite belt. The formation is phonolite and por- 
 phyry, and the property is traversed by well-defined veins of blue 
 quartz. A tunnel, which has reached a distance of 234 feet, is being 
 driven to intersect these veins at right angles. Assays from these 
 veins show good gold values and the ore carries some silver. 
 
 GOLDSTAKE MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Incorporated under the laws of South Dakota. Capitalization, 
 1,250,000 shares ; par value, $1 each. Principal office, Deadwood, 
 S. D. Officers : O. U. Pryce, president ; Captain E. 'P. -Mitchell, vice- 
 president; Charles F. Galloway, secretary and treasurer; .George- W. 
 Wilkins, mine superintendent. Principal office located- at- Dead- 
 wood, S. D. 
 
 Owns 150 acres of mineral land and a valuable water-right 
 along Elkhorn gulch, and between Elkhorn and Falsebottom creeks, 
 immediately west of the Penobscot company's holdings. The 
 
 ground is in a direct line with the Homestake and Columbus prop- 
 erties, and it has been demonstrated that the great veins of the 
 Homestake traverse this territory. It has several well-defined 
 veins that prospect well so far as they have been developed. The 
 Homestake free-milling veins can be traced by the outcrop to the 
 Columbus mine, the same extending across the Goldstake for a 
 distance of 1,800 feet. The main tunnel will intersect these great 
 veins at a depth of over 500 feet from the surface, developing the 
 property in the most economical manner possible. 
 
i68 
 
 BLACK HILLS I L LU ST R AT E TJ . 
 
 OHIO BEAVER CREEK MINING, MILLING AND DEVELOPMENT CO. 
 
 In the Nigger Hill district of western Lawrence county, one of 
 the favorite mining camps of the Black Hills, the Ohio Beaver 
 Creek Mining, Milling and Development Company owns 1,076 acres 
 of mineral land, adjoining the Golden Empire and Tinton Com- 
 pany's holdings. 
 
 Apparently the mines are in one of Nature's favored spots, for 
 both gold and tin are found in paying quantities. The Tinton Com- 
 pany, adjoining, is operating a 100-ton tin mill with good success, 
 and the Golden Empire Company is profitably working the placer 
 deposits near by. Gold is found in veins and blanket formations 
 and in the placers, and the tin occurs in veins near the granitic 
 rocks and in the placers as well. 
 
 Flat bodies of ore are found at -various points on the property. 
 They are shale deposits of low gold value but of immense propor- 
 tions, amenable to cyanidation and giving great indications of 
 becoming producers of wealth. In fact, the company is considering 
 the immediate erection of a 300-ton cyanide mill to handle this 
 class of ore. Two shafts have been sunk about 40 itA and an open- 
 cut 100 feet in the brown shale, showing values as high as $30 per 
 ton. A 200-foot tunnel has been driven through green shale to a 
 porphyry dike, disclosing values in the shale of from $2 to $5 per 
 ton gold. 
 
 Quartz veins in the slates are opened at numerous points, show- 
 ing good average grades of milling ore, amenable to amalgamation, 
 followed by cyanidation. 
 
 The placer deposits of Beaver Creek, Potato Creek and Idle 
 Creek have been worked for years by the former owners of the 
 property, and would to-day prove handsome producers if equipped 
 with new and first-class placer machinery. The gold occurs in 
 
 uniformly heavy particles, nuggets worth several dollars often being 
 encountered. 
 
 The tin veins on the northerly portion of the holdings are not 
 being worked to any extent at present, as the company is con- 
 fining itself to operating on the gold deposits. The tin, however, 
 is destined to become an important factor in the company's future, 
 since the deposits have been opened sufficiently to show percentages 
 indicating commercial value. The ore occurs in large vertical veins; 
 extending to great depths. In all the placer operations on the 
 company's territory tin has been found with the gold. 
 
 Dr. Lentz, president of the company, has introduced a complete 
 assay outfit into one of his offices in Columbus, Ohio, and has a 
 competent man in charge of the furnace. A cyaniding outfit is also 
 installed to test all the ores sent from the mines. This gives a clear 
 understanding of what is going on and a perfect comprehension to 
 the eastern stockholders. A representative is already on the ground 
 erecting a permanent experimental cyanide plant, and the purpose of 
 the company is to erect a 300-ton mill in the near future. 
 
 Abundant water and timber for mining and milling as well as 
 waterpower for generating electricity flow in the creeks on the 
 property. Spearfish Falls station on the B. & M. R. R. is six miles 
 distant. 
 
 The company has a capital stock of $1,000,000, the shares having 
 a par value of $1 each. Dr. T. C. Lentz of Columbus, Ohio, is 
 president and treasurer ; Frank L. Stein of the same city is secre- 
 tary. Among the directors are Dr. Lentz, David Clark and William 
 Watson, who live on the property ; Sebastian Hitzel and Dr. O. N. 
 Ainsworth of Spearfish, S. D. The principal office is at Colum- 
 bus, Ohio. 
 
 HOME Of- PAVe-^^ARK, FORMER OWNER. 
 OF PROPE,RJ»frS OF TH& 6HI0 BEAVER CRECK. 
 
 PORPHR.Y DVKe,- where IT CUTS TH& 
 UME-. 
 
 ;a'n indication of THfePROP&RTV S vast 
 
 FOrU VIEWS OF THE OHIO BBAVRR CREEK. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 169 
 
 MINNESOTA MINES COMPANY. 
 
 The fact that the cyanide process as apphed to the treatment of 
 raw ores has worked a revolution in the metallurgy of gold is 
 demonstrated every day in the Black Hills, where new companies 
 are constantly being formed, having in view the erection of cyanide 
 plants to handle the immense bodies of low grade for which the 
 section is justly famous. 
 
 The district in the neighborhood of Maitland is, in the parlance 
 of the geologist, "highly mineralized," or, in other words, exhibits 
 upon underground development great quantities of ore well adapted 
 to handling by the cyanide process. This district has forged rapidly 
 to the front in the past two years, and seems destined to become one 
 of the best and richest sections of the Hills at no very distant date. 
 
 Ever since the Maitland mine was opened, the camp seems to 
 have taken on a new lease of life, property in the section rapidly 
 advancing in value until to-day it is held at fancy prices, and hard 
 to secure even at that. Among the new companies owning property 
 in the vicinity of Maitland is the Minnesota Mines Company, an or- 
 ganization composed principally of Minneapolis capitalists 
 
 Their property adjoins the Maitland mine on the south and west, 
 and covers a portion of the town site of Maitland. The same ore 
 formations run through both properties, and when the Minnesota 
 Company completes its cyanide mill, we may expect to hear good 
 things from it. A great portion of the property was purchased 
 from the Garden City Mining Company, practically a defunct organ- 
 ization, and the balance from individual owners. 
 
 As an indication of the value of the property, it may be said that 
 the old Garden City Company, long before the introduction of the 
 cyanide process, and before it was known of in the Black Hills, built 
 a crude chlorination mill. It was operated for a short time and closed 
 down, as the process was not applicable to the ores. Now, at the 
 Maitland mine, adjoining, the cyanide process is applied to similar 
 ores, from the same mineral formations, with eminent success. The 
 Maitland mine is producing gold at the rate of $25,000 to $30,000 per 
 month. Had the old Garden City Company known of cyanide be- 
 fore it made a failure of its chlorination mill, and had it erected a 
 plant of that character instead, it is safe to say that it would have 
 been paying dividends to-day, instead of selling its holdings to a 
 vigorous new concern. 
 
 The Minnesota Mines Company owns 150 acres of land, and in 
 the dozens of openings shows immense deposits of low grade cyanid- 
 ing ore. Four tunnels and two shafts (40 to 80 feet deep, respec- 
 tively) all show commercial ore. The company intends to erect a 
 lOO-stamp mill with cyanide vats, for the treatment of the ores, 
 and judging from the experience of the adjoining property, it 
 should be a payer from the start. 
 
 The Minnesota Mines Company is capitalized for $1,500,000 in 
 shares of par value of $1 each. The president is Frank E. Little 
 of Minneapolis, a well-known mine operator ; vice-president, William 
 Rowe, the present mayor of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Henry M. 
 Little of Minneapolis is secretary and treasurer. The company's 
 office is at 615 New York Life Buildings, Minneapolis. 
 
 WASP No. 2 GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 When the property now owned by the Wasp No. 2 Company 
 was discovered and located in the early nineties the mine was a 
 great producer of high-grade smelting ore from the Cambrian for- 
 mation, and after producing over $500,000 it was believed that the 
 mine was worked out. It practically was, in so far as the high-grade 
 shipping ore was concerned, and that was the only kind of siliceous 
 ore that was considered valuable in those days. But with the advent 
 of the cyanide process, and under an able and conservative manager 
 — the present incumbent, John Gray — a miracle was performed. 
 Gray's partners told him that he was crazy to attempt the handling 
 of $4 and $5 rock (it seemed poor after shipping stuff that would 
 assay $100), but nothing daunted, he built the mill and put it in 
 operation. Within a few months the mill was paid for in full, and 
 a good surplus was being accumulated. The Wasp No. 2 imme- 
 diately achie\'ed fame as being a pioneer in the handling of the 
 quartzite by the cyanide process, and having reduced the cost of 
 mining and milling to a sum so small as to seem insignificant, the 
 mine and its operations were closely watched. The mine was run 
 two months on ore that was not worth more than $1.60 per ton, 
 and a small dividend was paid, at that. It is doubtful if there is 
 any mine in the world -where the treatment of the raw ore from 
 mining to production of bullion is so cheaply done as at this plant. 
 
 Owing to the peculiar occurrence of the pay stuff, its charac- 
 ter, etc., it can be most easily mined. The ore is nothing more nor 
 less than the Cambrian quartzite, occurring in blankets eight to 20 
 feet thick, over which lies a few feet of shale ore and on top of all 
 from two to six feet of soil. The soil is removed and vertical holes 
 drilled in the ore from the top downward. The hole which was 
 
 drilled in the midddle of November was 19 feet deep, drilled with 
 1%-inch steel. The bottom was enlarged or "chambered" first with 
 five sticks of dynamite, second with 15 sticks, third with 75 sticks, 
 fourth with 2CO sticks, fifth with three kegs of black powder, and 
 lastly with three and one-half kegs of black powder. The hole was 
 then ready for the charge, which consisted of 40 kegs of black pow- 
 der. The fuse lighted and the blast let off, the men return to find 
 3,000 tons or more of ore broken. The big blast had cost in labor 
 and powder about $550 — or 13 cents for each ton of rock broken. 
 In all departments the costs are reduced to the minimum, not alone 
 by such- wholesale operations as the blasting just mentioned, but by 
 close attention to detail. Only in that manner can the low-grade 
 stuff be successfully handled. 
 
 The mill is of the ordinary dry crushing cyanide type, capable 
 of extracting the gold from 120 tons of ore every 24 hours. It is 
 located close to the mine, the ore being transported to it in small 
 cars drawn by mules. One of the most valuable products of the 
 property aside from the gold is wolframite, a material selling for 
 $280 per ton in Philadelphia. The wolframite on this property is 
 of a very queer character, inasmuch as it contains gold, some of it 
 assaying as high as $150 per ton. 
 
 The Wasp No. 2 Gold Mining Company is capitalized for $500,- 
 000 in shares of a par value of $1 each. The president and treas- 
 urer is D. A. McPherson, Deadwood ; vice-president, John Blatch- 
 ford, Terry; secretary W. L. McLaughlin, Deadwood, and general 
 manager, John Gray, Terraville. M. E. Hiltner is mill superintend- 
 ent, and Adolph Holstein, mine superintendent. The mine and mill 
 are situated at Flatiron, S. D. 
 
I70 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 PORTLAND MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Portland Mining Company is credited with having made 
 the first concerted attempt at the reduction of the Bald Mountain 
 siliceous or refractory ores. It was in 1880, before the birth of the 
 cyanide process, before matte smelting was attempted and before 
 chlorination had been tried. In that year this company completed a 
 small pan-amalgamation mill at its mine, near the present town of 
 Portland, and after exhaustive tests found that but 30 per cent 
 of the gold and SO per cent of the silver could be saved by this 
 process. Everything known by the metallurgists of that day in 
 connection with the process was attempted, but the result was a fail- 
 ure. 
 
 Then for over ten years practically nothing was done by the 
 company, as no process was known by which the gold could be 
 saved. In the early nineties, when matte smelting wias introduced 
 and proved successful, the mines were again worked, shipping the 
 ores to the smelter in Deadwood. Shortly afterward the chlorina- 
 tion process was introduced to the Black Hills, and the Portland 
 company erected a mill embodying that treatment method at Dead- 
 wood. After several years the plant was destroyed by fire, and 
 the company again found itself without suitable reduction works. 
 Finally in igoo the company leased a stamp mill at Blacktail, on the 
 
 Northwestern Railroad, transformed it into a wet crushing syanide 
 mill, and successfully operated if until the summer of 1902, when 
 by purchase the Columbus Consolidated Company came into pos- 
 session of the plant, compelling the Portland company to vacate 
 the premises. 
 
 At present the ores are shipped to the Lundberg, Dorr & Wil- 
 son mill, at Terry, one of the most complete and modern wet crush- 
 ing cyanide plants in the Hills. Ores running from $8 to $35 per 
 . ton are handled, and an average saving of 75 per cent of the values 
 effected by the process. A steady output of 30 tons per day is main- 
 tained, the ore coming from the upper contact in the Cambrian for- 
 mation, and from the lower contact, some 560 feet below. 
 
 The Portland Mining Company has a capital stock of $250,000, 
 the shares having a par value of $100 each. It owns 75 acres of 
 patented land in the Bald Mountain district, including the apex of 
 Green Mountain. The total production to date amounts to prac- 
 tically $1,000,000. George M. Curtis of Clinton, Iowa, is president; 
 W. M. Thompson of Jackson, Mich., treasurer; H. W. Seaman 
 of Chnton, Iowa, secretary, and H. S. Vincent of Deadwood, super- 
 intendent. 
 
 CLINTON MINING AND MINERAL COMPANY. 
 
 This company owns 36 acres of patented land adjoining the 
 Portland, and is operated in conjunction with that company. The 
 ore is all mined from the upper contact, values running about the 
 same as the Portland, and 30 tons daily are shipped to the Lund- 
 berg, Dorr & Wilson mill, at Terry. 
 
 The Clinton has been operated since January, 1896, and has 
 
 produced $240,000 from ores shipped to Deadwood and Omaha 
 smelters. 
 
 The Clinton Mining and Mineral Company has a capital stock 
 of $100,000, the shares having a par value of $10. The president is 
 G. E. Lamb; vice-president, Charles F. Curtis; secretary and treas- 
 urer, H. W. Seaman, all of Clinton, Iowa ; and the superintendent 
 is H. S. Vincent of Deadwood. 
 
 POTSDAM GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 In the latter part of 1902 there was organized among the suc- 
 cessful mining and business men of Deadwood the Potsdam Gold 
 Mining Company. Its purpose was to develop 550 acres on the 
 Ragged Top Plateau, and to construct mills when the mine was 
 opened to a point when such action would be justifiable. 
 
 The property of this company is well situated, adjoining the 
 holdings of the Spearfish and Deadwood-Standard companies on 
 the west and south. These companies are both dividend payers, 
 operating their mills on the same character and practically the same 
 value of ore as is exposed on the Potsdam ground. The ore is a 
 silicified lime, running from $4 to $6 per ton on the average, while 
 assays as high as $30 and even $50 are occasionally obtained. The 
 experience of the two companies proves that this class of ore can 
 be successfully treated by the cyanide process. The Spearfish mill 
 handles 300 tons and the Deadwood-Standard 125 tons a day. 
 
 The ore occurs in shoots six to fifteen feet in thickness, lying 
 near the top of the ground. It is easily reached by open cuts. 
 
 affording the cheapest kind of mining. Stripping off a foot or so of 
 the soil exposes the ore. A splendid mill site and water right are 
 owned on Spearfisli Creek, inunediately below the mine. A short 
 distance from the mill site the tracks of the Burlington Railway 
 afford excellent transportation facilities. 
 
 The Potsdam Gold Mining Company is capitalized for 2,500,000 
 shares of a par value of $1 each. Three-fifths of this stock was 
 placed in the treasury for obtaining funds for development and mill 
 construction, the balance being used to purchase the property. Wil- 
 liam Lardner, a miner of over- a quarter of a century's experience, is 
 president ; John Gray, general manager of the Wasp No. 2, is vice- 
 president; W. L. McLaughlin, general manager of the Horseshoe, 
 is secretary ; A. J. Malterner, of the firm of George V. Ayres & Co., 
 hardware, is treasurer, and R. N. Ogden, of the law firm of Mc- 
 Laughlin & Ogden, assistant secretary. The general office is at Dead- 
 wood. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 171 
 
 ECHO GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 This is one of the new mining companies operating on the 
 northerly strike of the Homestake and Columbus Belt in the vicinity 
 of Maitland. Its ground contains a series of free-milling lodes in 
 the regulation Belt formation, namely quartz veins in chloritic and 
 talcose slates and hornhlendic rocks. The formation is traversed 
 by numerous eruptives of the porphyry family, which conform to 
 the strike of the lodes and stratification of the schists. A later 
 intrusion of phonolitic dikes cuts the latter transversely. Explora- 
 tory work indicates deposits of telluride ore in contact with the 
 phonolite and porphyry dikes, as well as free-milling quartz veins. 
 
 The Echo holdings adjoin the territory of the Beltram Mining 
 Company on the west and lie between the Columbus and Penobscot 
 
 companies' possessions. The company is incorporated under the laws 
 of South Dakota with a modest capitalization of $300,000, divided into 
 1,200,000 shares of the par value of 25 cents each. The mines were 
 purchased and paid for by Dr. John P. Thorndyke and associates, 
 business men of the New England states. The branch office is 
 located at Manchester, N. H., and W. L. Mason of that city is sec- 
 retary; Dr. W. C. Tillotson, of Rockville, Conn., is treasurer, and 
 Major A. J. Simmons, of Dead wood, S. D., is general manager of 
 the company. 
 
 Systematic development work has been inaugurated and the 
 mines are being opened up with prospects highly satisfactory to 
 the company. 
 
 THE MOWEE MINE. 
 
 One of the most unique properties of the Black Hills in so far 
 as the character of the ore is concerned is the Mowee mine, owned 
 by Aaron Dunn of Deadwood. It comprises no acres, two miles 
 southeast of Deadwood, on Spruce Gulch. A variety of base metals 
 is found in the ore, including lead and zinc, with occasional pieces 
 of native copper, cadmium and nickel. The ore is found in the 
 Cambrian measures and the particular contact from which this 
 material is mined is 40 feft above the quartzite. The shoots have 
 a regular dip of about one foot in four to the northeast and are 
 from 18 to 20 feet thick. The ore from analyses made from smelt- 
 ing shipments contains approximately 10 per cent of zinc, 10 per 
 cent of lead, 5 per cent antimony, 48 per cent iron, a little lime and 
 the balance silica. The precious metal content shows $2 to $4 per 
 ton gold and two to five ounces per ton silver. 
 
 Rich streaks are encountered, carrying excellent values in gold 
 and silver. In fact, shipments were made which gave returns of 
 $58 per ton at the smelters. Competent authorities state that the 
 ore can be concentrated and the zinc and lead separated from the 
 iron at a nominal cost per ton. The Mowee joins the property of 
 the Lexington Hill, and the same quartzite the Lexington Hill 
 Company is working evidently underlies the Mowee group. On 
 adjoining claims included in the Mowee group there are 2,000 
 tons of ore in sight assaying from $8 to $12 per ton, which would 
 net well if treated by the cyanide process. A great deal of develop- 
 ment work, both in shafts and tunnels, has been done on the prop- 
 erty and it is well opened up. 
 
 Mr. Dunn is now giving the mine his personal attention and 
 making experimental tests which will determine the best treatment. 
 
 The balance of the most notable properties of Lawrence County follow alphabetically: 
 
 Argonaut Lode Claim. — Consists of 10 acres patented, owned 
 by E. McDonald and Mrs. Joe Treweek. Siliceous ore bodies of 
 good size and value are exposed. 
 
 Bald Eagle Group.— Owned by J. W. Fowler and A. C. Tippie 
 of Deadwood. Consists of 150 acres. Three veins of free-milling 
 ore in the slates are capped on the higher elevations by siliceous de- 
 posits of the Cambrian. A thousand feet of tunneling has been 
 done on the veins and some shallow shafts develop the siliceous 
 measures. Water enough to run a small cyanide mill flows in 
 Lost gulch, which has its head on the property. 
 
 Bear Gulch. Group. — Consists of 600 acres owned by Conners 
 Brothers of Spearfish, surrounded by the Golden Empire mines, near 
 Nigger Hill. Veins show tin, gold quartz and siliceous ores. An 
 incline shaft 100 feet deep shows good pay values in a large body, 
 as well as some copper. Good placer grounds in the vicinity of 
 the vein have been intermittently worked. 
 
 Beltram Gold Mining Company.— Incorporated under the 
 laws of South Dakota. William Sauntry, president, Stillwater, 
 Minn. ; H. J. Mayham, vice-president, Denver, Colo. ; A. Z. Conrad, 
 secretary, New York, N. Y. ; Beltram Sauntry, treasurer, Stillwater, 
 Minn. 
 
 The property consists of more than 700 acres of ground, ad- 
 j'oining the Columbus on the south, the Penobscot on the north, 
 and the Wells-Fargo group of Golden Reward ground on the east. 
 It is a consolidation of several large interests, one of the principal 
 being the Golden Gate Company. 
 
 This ground produced $253,000 from 16,000 tons of ore taken 
 from less than three acres of ground. Other sections of the ground 
 have produced a great deal of shipping ore. Development work 
 
 consists of seven shafts and fifteen tunnels which open up large 
 bodies of free milling siliceous ore. 
 
 The proposition is an enormous one and will require an amal- 
 gamation-cyanide plant of great capacity to in any way encroach 
 properly upon the veins. The personnel of the company officers 
 shows financial ability to do this. 
 
 Big Four Mining and Milling Company. — Incorporated 
 under the laws of South Dakota and capitalized for 2,000 shares at 
 $500 each. 
 
 The company owns forty-two acres of mineral ground located 
 along Deadwood gulch, one and one-half miles above Central City. 
 The main shaft is now about 200 feet. deep and is equipped with a 
 steam hoist. The formation is porphyry and phonolite. Some ex- 
 cellent values have been found in the latter, which leads the owners 
 to anticipate large bodies of ore and rich values as greater depth is 
 reached. 
 
 The property is in a good ore belt, the ore body shows up well 
 in character and values and the equipment for the mine's develop- 
 ment is very complete. The stock is held mainly by Iowa capitalists. 
 
 Big Bonanza and Buxton Mines. — Owned by Lundberg, 
 Dorr & Wilson, who have an improved cyanide plant at Terry, the 
 first in the hills run by electricity. The ores handled were thrust 
 aside years ago by the former owners of the mines as too low grade 
 for profitable treatment ; the present proprietors are reaping a 
 harvest by the new methods. 
 
 Big Hill Consolidated Gold Mining and Reduction Com- 
 pany. — This company owns 260 acres of land on Bear Gulch, near 
 Nigger Hill, eight miles from Spearfish. Cambrian quartzite and 
 shale ores are disclosed in numerous workings. One shaft has 
 
172 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 been sunk 69 feet and another 60, with numerous others shallower. 
 Among the tunnels one 160 feet penetrates good ore. Two shaft 
 houses have been erected and machinery is now being installed. 
 The company has $1,000,000 capital, in shares of $1 par value. 
 Principal stockholders are John Wolzmuth, A. S. Gates, Henry 
 Leppla, D. O. Craig, Perry Whaley, Otto Craig and O. N. Ains- 
 worth, all of Spearfish. 
 
 Break of Day Group.— Consists of 300 acres on the east side 
 of Spearfish canyon, six and one-half miles from Spearfish, and 
 owned by Henry Leppla, Capt. Wm. McLaughlin and M. D. Edger- 
 ton, of Spearfish. Ores are verticals in the Cambrian and veins 
 of phonolitic character, requiring smelting. Tunneling and cross- 
 cutting amounts to 275 feet and open cuts measure 60 feet in all. 
 Branch. Mint Mining and Milling Company.— Owns 200 
 mining claims, amounting to 1,800 acres, of which 1,500 acres are 
 patented. The property has in the past produced some $800,000, 
 and is at present being equipped with an immense cyanide mill, 
 more adapted to the ores than the processes previously employed 
 by former owners. This plant will contain 180 stamps, and will 
 start by July i, 1904, with 120 stamps. When completed it will 
 have a capacity of 900 tons per day. Ore will be treated from the 
 Hoodoo and Union Hill veins, the former 125 feet wide and de- 
 veloped to the 600-foot level by some 2,500 feet of tunnels and 
 shafts, and the latter a 50-foot ore body in the porphyry which has 
 produced $150,000. A railroad three miles long costing $50,000 
 will connect mine and mill. The company has a capital stock of 
 $10,000,000, in shares of $1 each, par value. James, D. Hardin is 
 president and general manager; Charles S. Hardin, vice-president, 
 both of Two Bit, S. D. ; I. C. Hartman, Lancaster, Pa., secretary 
 and treasurer, who, with N. T. Nelson of Deadwood and Frank 
 Rupert, Wilmington, Del., form the board of directors. 
 
 Carrie Group.— Two full claims (forty acres in all) in the 
 Garden City district. Located by Mrs. W. A. Quimby m May, 1902. 
 She later sold to a company. 
 
 Castle Bock Mining and Milling Company. — Located 
 nine miles southwest of Spearfish. Consists of 200 acres. Quite 
 well developed by open cuts, shafts and tunnels, making in all 
 several hundred feet of work. The ore is amenable to cyanidation, 
 as has been determined by tests, and shows in small stringers $8 
 to $40 per ton, though on the average it is low grade. Incorporated 
 for $1,000,000 capital, shares $1 each. President, J. W. Driskill ; 
 vice-president, G. F. Stebbins ; secretary and treasurer, M. D. Edger- 
 ton ; superintendent, Hiran Dotson, all of Spearfish. 
 
 Cleopatra Gold Mining Company. — Incorporated under the 
 laws of South Dakota. Capitalized for 1,000,000 shares of $1 each. 
 J. M. Lawson, president, Aberdeen, S. D. ; A. S. Reed, secretary, 
 Aberdeen, S. D. 
 
 The company owns 180 acres, of which 100 are patented, on 
 Squaw creek near M'aurice station, on the Burlington Route. Its 
 property is developed by 1,000 feet of tunnels and a shaft 100 feet 
 deep. The company owns a fifty-ton cyanide mill which ran for 
 fifteen months on ore from an upper contact which averaged $6 
 per ton. 
 
 Dakota Mining and Milling Company. — Incorporated un- 
 der the laws of South Dakota and capitalized for 300,000 shares at 
 $1 each. John Hunter, treasurer ; T. J. Steel, manager, Dead- 
 wood, S. D. 
 
 The mines of the company, consisting of the Gold Standard, 
 Lucy Rehl, Jack Pot and Gunnison groups, are located at Bald 
 mountain. A wet-crushing cyanide mill of 120 tons daily capacity 
 is in operation at Deadwood. It is proposed to erect a mill of larger 
 capacity at the mines in the spring of 1904, should investigation 
 prove that a sufficient supply of water can be had. While con- 
 siderable high-grade ore has been mined and shipped to smelters, 
 the average grade is low. A run of 40,000 tons through the present 
 mill gave a bullion recovery of $138,095. The company is owned 
 almost entirely by local capitalists. 
 
 Deadwood Standard Gold Mining and Milling Company. 
 — Owns 212 acres of patented ground adjoining the Spearfisli mine 
 at Ragged Top, and a 125-ton cyanide mill. The orv occurs in 
 blankets in the limestone, averages $5 per ton. Treatment by cyanide 
 leaves a fair profit, and the company, besides making permanent 
 improvements, accumulating a treasury reserve, etc., has paid $6,000 
 in dividends after fourteen months' work. The company has a capital 
 of $1,500,000, in shares of $1 par value. The president is W. O. 
 Morrison; vice-president, Ed. Hanschka ; treasurer, S. B. Morrison; 
 and secretary, J. S. Morrison. Principal office is at Deadwood, 
 
 Dizzy Mining Company.— Own 200 acres on False Bottom 
 creek, below the Penobscot. Shaft 100 feet to quartzite discloses 
 ore body of good grade. Capitalized for $500,000 in shares of one 
 dollar par value. Herman Ullrich of Chicago is president and 
 H. H. Francis of Custer, general manager. 
 
 Florence Group. — Consists of 31 acres of patented ground near 
 the head of Big Strawberry gulch, and known as the old "Hewitt 
 ground." It produced, from ore shoots on the Cambrian quartzite, 
 some $12,000, principally in silver. Since the slump in the white 
 metal the mine has not been worked. Owned by A. L. Reed. L. D. 
 Bailor, Thomas Neary, A. E. Dyer and S. H. Sweet, all of Lead. 
 
 Gilt Edge Maid Mining Company. — Incorporated un- 
 der the laws of Illinois. Capitalized for 1,000,000 shares at $1 each. 
 G. A. Duncan, general manager, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 The company owns 100 acres of patented ground on Strawberry 
 gulch, two miles west of Galena, including the famous Dakota Maid 
 and Gilt Edge mines. Ores are refractory in character and contain 
 good values. Arrangements have been made for building a 150-ton 
 cyanide plant on the property. 
 
 Golden Crest Mining Company. — Owns 256 acres of ground 
 on the divide between Two Bit and Strawberry gulches, three miles 
 from Galena. A ten-stamp cyanide mill is kept in operation on ores 
 from the Cambrian measures. A portion of this ore is mined from 
 surface pits and open cuts, and the balance from the 220-foot shaft. 
 Management states that the company is making money, though no 
 dividends have been paid. Mill has been operated steadily for 
 four months (to February 15). Capital stock, $1,000,000, par value 
 of shares, $1 each. Robert L. Bailie is president and treasurer and 
 Edwin Henderson vice-president and secretary. Both are of Detroit, 
 Mich. Frank M. O'Brien is mine superintendent and F. M. Strout 
 mill superintendent. 
 
 Golden Reward Consolidated Gold Mining and Milling 
 Company. — Incorporated under the laws of South Dakota. Capital- 
 ized for 1,000,000 shares of $10 each. E. H. Harriman of New 
 York, president; Harris Franklin, vice-president and general man- 
 ager, Deadwood, S. D. ; William Letson, assistant secretary, Dead- 
 wood, S. D. ; John Blatchford of Terry, superintendent. 
 
 The mines of the company, consisting of 3,100 acres of patented 
 ground, are located at Bald Mountain and Ruby Basin. The com- 
 pany owns a matte smelter with a capacity of 500 tons daily (375 
 tons of siliceous ore and the balance pyritic and copper ore) and a 
 dry-crushing cyanide plant with a capacity of 200 tons daily, both 
 located at Deadwood. The total output of the company to December 
 I, 1903, was $16,500,000. The ores treated are from the mines of 
 the company and custom ores. The smelting ores of the company 
 average $20 per ton, and cyaniding ore $10 per ton. 
 
 Much other information regarding this property is given in 
 the general mining articles. 
 
 Home Mining Company.— Owned entirely by A. W. Coe of 
 Deadwood. The mine is on City creek, within the limits of the 
 city of Deadwood, consists of 50 acres of patented ground. Two 
 veins are disclosed, one 17 and one 14 feet wide, carrying 40 per cent 
 of iron pyrites, making the ore valuable as flux for smelters. Car- 
 ries $1.60 in gold and 50 cents silver to the ton, besides one-half 
 of one per cent copper. 
 
 Horseshoe Mining Company.— Incorporated under the laws 
 of Wyoming. Capitalized for 10,000,000 shares, par value $1 each. 
 W. L. McLaughlin, general manager, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 This company owns 2,100 acres of patented ground, 1,000 acres 
 of which is on Bear gulch and the balance at Ruby basin and Bald 
 mountain. Large bodies of cyaniding and smelting ores are ex- 
 posed. The company owning the property at present has been in 
 possession since January i, 1902. Previous to that time the Horse- 
 shoe Mining and Milling Company produced over $2,500,000 in gold, 
 principally from a chlorination plant at Pluma. The Horseshoe 
 Company owns the control of the National Smelting Company, 
 which has a smelter at Rapid City, used to treat the higher grade 
 ores from the Horseshoe mines. 
 
 The Horseshoe Company also has a 500-ton cyanide mill at the 
 Mogul mine near Terry. Last winter certain vicissitudes, attributed 
 to alleged mismanagement in the financial department, brought about 
 a change of officers, and the control of the company is now in the 
 hands of Pittsburg capitalists, who seem to prefer to not give a 
 statement at present. In a general way, however, it may be said 
 that the properties of the Horseshoe are vast and rich in values ; 
 therefore, with conservative management, the company ought soon 
 to be restored to a dividend basis. 
 
 Iron Creek Mining and Development Company. — Owns 
 173 acres of land on Iron creek, three miles northwest of the Spear- 
 fish mine at Ragged Top, The property is probably on the same 
 ore belt, assays show fair cyaniding ore similar in character to the 
 Ragged Top ores. The company is capitalized for $1,500,000, in 
 shares of $1 each, par value. The officers are : W. H. Disney, presi- 
 dent ; W. W, Quillian, vice-president; George Hendy, treasurer; 
 B. A. Coleman, secretary and general manager; and C. A. Carlson, 
 mine superintendent. All of these gentlemen are of Terry, S. D., 
 which is the main office of the company. 
 
 Jupiter Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Has 30 acres 
 in Black Tail gulch with a lOO-ton cyanide plant on the ground ; 
 the ores are cement, lying on archaian slates, and average from $4 
 to $6 per ton. The company is organized under laws of Wyoming, 
 with capital stock of $2,000,000, in $1 shares, of which $1,200,000 
 is treasury stock. The directors are F. T. Sanders, president; 
 D. A. McPherson, vice-president ; H. A. Wattson, treasurer ; Burt 
 Rogers, secretary, and John W. Sisson. 
 
 Lida Group.— Owned by A. W. Coe and the estate of H. C. 
 Smith. Consists of 140 acres (20 acres patented) on north Bare 
 Butte creek. Quartz veins carrying good gold values are opened. 
 Tunneling on the property amounts to 600 feet, and 300 feet of 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 ^73 
 
 shaft work has been done in opening up the ore bodies. In all 
 practically $io,oco worth of development work has been accom- 
 plished. 
 
 Maitland-Keystone Gold Mining Company. — Has about 44 
 acres, patented, located in the Garden City district south of the 
 Penobscot mine at Maitland. Considerable development work has 
 been done and an excellent equipment is on the ground. The ore 
 is mainly of the low grade siliceous, calling for cyanidation, and 
 high values are found in places. 
 
 The company is incorporated under laws of South Dakota, with 
 capital stock of $i,25o,oco, in shares of $1 each. The treasury re- 
 serve is i,oco,oco shares. Principal office is at Deadwood. 
 
 The officers are Horace Jones of Minneapolis, president ; J. 
 Edgar Mills of Sioux City, vice-president ; and O. U. Pryce of 
 Deadwood, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 Minna Mining Company. — Incorporated under the laws of 
 South Dakota. Capitalized for $1,250,000 divided into 250,000 
 shares of $5 each. Otto P. Th. Grantz, president, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 The company owns thirty acres of ground located at the head 
 of Strawberry and Two Bit gulches. The ore is siliceous in char- 
 acter. Shipments made to th.e smelter at Deadwood averaged $40 
 per ton in gold and silver. 
 
 Minneapolis Consolidated Mines Company. — Has 375 acres 
 (1V2 miles) south of the Homestake and now being patented. There 
 is a blanket formation of high value ore on the property and a 
 three-compartment shaft has been sunk 145 feet ; this will be cross- 
 cut at 200 feet in search of the Homestake vertical vein. Machinery 
 for the hoist is arriving and being installed ; also compressor, 60- 
 horsepower engine, derricks, etc. The ore is free milling. The 
 company is capitalized for $6,000,000, in shares of $1 each. A. C. 
 Paul of Minneapolis is president ,with offices in the New York 
 Life Building. 
 
 Monarch. Mining Company. — Owns 57 acres of patented land 
 at Two Bit, three miles from Deadwood. The mine has been worked 
 under lease for four years by George Bachman, the ore being 
 shipped to the Golden Reward and Denver smelters for treatment. 
 An average of all shipments to January i, 1904, shows $64 per ton 
 in gold. The ore occurs in small verticals in the Cambrian. These 
 verticals are from three to seven inches wide. The company has a 
 capital of $2,500,000, in shares of $1 par value. The president is 
 A. D. Wilson of Deadwood ; vice-president, J. P. Haynes, Chicago ; 
 secretary and treasurer, A. W. Coe, Deadwood. 
 
 Omaha Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Owns 120 
 acres on False Bottom creek, below Maitland (and adjoining the 
 Penobscot and the Dizzy mines). Is being developed on the quartz- 
 ite, where it is stated good values are found. The company has a 
 capital stock of $i,coo,ooo. Par value of shares, $1 each., .'William 
 H. SchmoUer of Omaha, is president; W. H, Ostenberg of Wahoo, 
 Neb., is treasurer; F. A. Mathis of Omaha, is secretary; H. H, 
 Francis of Custer^ general manager and Herman Reinbold of 
 Omaha consulting , engineer and director. Operations are about to 
 start for the sinking of a shaft and a flat formation ore body is 
 expected at 115 feet, as at the Dizzy mine. 
 
 Omaha Group. — Consists of 40 (patented) on Blacktail gulch. 
 Owned by E. McDonald of Deadwood, M. H. French of Denver 
 and Mrs. Joe Treweek and Sam Woodruff of Lead. Siliceous ores 
 are exposed in various workings. 
 
 Pennsylvania Gold Mining and Milling Company — Owns 
 280 acres of patented ground three miles west of Deadwood, in the 
 Phonolite belt. Smelting ore has been shipped worth $46, $26 and 
 $14 per ton in different lots,' after deducting shipping and treatment 
 charges. One vein is 16 feet wide, with rich stringers. A shaft is 
 being sunk to open it at depth. The capital stock amounts to 
 $125,000, subject to change. J. Henry Cochran, of Williamsport, 
 Pa., is president; A. P. Perley, of Williamsport, vice-president; 
 C. E. Bennet, of Montoursville, Pa., secretary; A. B. Worthington, 
 of Muncy, Pa., treasurer. 
 
 Penobscot Mining Company. — On April 11, 1902, Alexander 
 Maitland started work on a tract of ground near the old town of 
 Garden City. He had undertaken the development of 1,200 acres 
 of mineral land of which but little was known. Work ou the 
 40-3tamp mill was started late in the summer and the plant was 
 put in commission January i, 1903, since which time it has run 
 continually. 
 
 From the main shaft, which is 220 feet deep, a tunnel has been 
 run east and west 2,000 feet long. Thirteen cross-cuts from this 
 tunnel running north and south are all in ore. It is safe to say 
 that at least one-half of the length of this tunnel is ore and that 
 no cross-cutting of the same length in the Black Hills has shown so 
 much pay material. The ore shoots are in Cambrian formation, are 
 ten to twelve feet thick and have a general course of north and 
 south. 
 
 The ore which is taken to the mill, amountmg to about 115 
 tons per day, is worth $10 to $11 per ton. Ore which is sent to 
 smelters is worth $30 per ton. Up to the present time 25 to 35 
 tons per day of this character of ore have been produced. 
 
 In character the surface improvements, which compose the town 
 of Maitland, are second to none in the region. M'r. Maitland spent 
 
 his money courageously at the start, and the mine is already one of 
 the most productive in the Hills. 
 
 The Penobscot Mining Company has a capital stock of 500,000 
 shares. Alexander Maitland, lieutenant-governor of Michigan, is 
 president and treasurer, and his son, A. F. Maitland, secretary. 
 The management of the mine is under the immediate control of 
 F. R. Baldwin. 
 
 John Gross is mill superintendent and Otto Peterson is mine 
 superintendent. 
 
 Piedmont Group. — Consists of no acres and includes excel- 
 lent water right. On main Bare Butte creek, crossed by the Burling- 
 ton railway, a 30-foot vein showing good values has been opened. 
 Development consists of 150 feet of shaft and 200 feet of tunnels. 
 
 Puritan Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Has 56 acres 
 in Strawberry gulch, 2% miles from Deadwood. The formation is 
 a flat one and the vein 16 feet thick. There is a shaft 80 feet deep 
 and a 600-foot drift at that level uncovering ore of lead and silver, 
 running $26 per ton in value ; this will enable concentration to 
 $300 per ton and it is proposed to soon erect a 20-stamp mill and 
 concentration plant. 
 
 Capital stock $1,000,060, in .■shares of $1 each. W. J. McGoffin, 
 president ; C. S. Snow, treasurer ; F, S. Hutchins, secretary. 
 
 Seabury-Calkins Gold and Silver Mining Company. — 
 Incorporated under . the laws of South Dakota. Capitalized for 
 $1,250,000, divided into 250,000 shares of $5 each. Otto P. Th. 
 Grantz, president, <De.adwood, S. D. 
 
 The company owns ten acres of patented ground at Carbonate 
 camp. A hematite ore is exposed carrying from eight to twelve 
 ounces of silver per ton. Verticals in the limestone formation assay 
 as high as $200 a ton gold. 
 
 Seim Mine. — Olaf Seim, manager, Deadwood, S. D. 
 
 Consists of sixty acres of patented ground adjoining Deadwood 
 on the south. A vein of pyritic ore suitable for flux at the matte 
 smelters has been worked for several years. Two tunnels, one 560 
 feet in length and the other 530 feet, show a vein 80 feet wide. 
 
 Solo and Pine Groups. — Consist of no acres, owned by James 
 Julius, et al, of Lead, S. D. Adjoined on north by Pennsylvania 
 and Gladiator, on south by Globe and east by Homestake. A 
 twenty-foot vein of ore is developed by two shafts, one 65 and the 
 other 60 feet deep, showing values up to $20 per ton, and averaging 
 a good grade of milling ore. 
 
 South Homestake Mining Company. — Owned by Carl L. 
 Price, J. B. Baker and others, Lead, S. D. 
 
 This property consists of 140 acres of patented ground on the 
 divide between Whitewood and Yellow creeks, adjoining the Home- 
 stake. Several large ore ledges show up on the surface. Capital 
 is being raised to carry on extensive development work, 
 
 Spearfish Gold Mining and Keduction Company. — Incor- 
 porated under the laws of Colorado. Capitalized for 1,500,000 shares 
 of $1 each. W. S. Jackson, president, Colorado Springs, Colo. ; 
 O. N. Brown, general manager. Cyanide, S. .D. 
 
 The company owns 400 acres of ground, nearly all patented, 
 at Cyanide postoffice, about two and a half miles from Crown Hill 
 station, on the Burlington Route, in the Ragged Top district. It 
 has a 300-ton dry-crushing cyanide mill. The mines and mill are 
 worked very economically. Lime ores averaging only $7 a ton pay 
 a handsome, good profit, and those of less value can be treated 
 advantageously. In the general mining articles a very thorough 
 description is given of these ore bodies. The Spearfish is one of the 
 dividend payers of the Hills. 
 
 Star and Winchester Group. — Consists of 50 acres of pat- 
 ented ground at Englewood^ owned by E. McDonald, Sol Star and 
 R. N. Ogden, of Deadwood. Cambrian ores in good bodies and of 
 fair grade are opened. 
 
 The Tinton Company, operating at Nigger Hill, in western 
 Lawrence county, has built a lOO-ton tin mill. The vein, which 
 is over 100 feet wide, and can be followed for miles on this and 
 adjoining properties, has been well developed to supply the mill. 
 The plant is equipped with late improved concentrators. A neat 
 village, run on the co-operative plan, has been built. The presi^ 
 dent is Charles Waite, Chicago ; secretary-treasurer, E. W. Noakes, 
 Chicago; general manager, M. H. Lyon, Deadwood. As this book 
 goes to press we learn that the company is already shipping its ore 
 to Liverpool, England. 
 
 Titanic Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Incorporated 
 under the laws of South Dakota. Capitalized for 1,000,000 shares 
 of $1 each ; 500,000 shares set aside as treasury stock. H. P. 
 Bartlett, president, Deadwood. 
 
 The company owns 637 acres of patented ground at Carbonate 
 camp adjoining the Iron Hill mine. Two thousand feet of tunneling 
 has been done and a two-compartment shaft, thoroughly equipped 
 with hoisting and pumping plant, is down 250 feet. 
 
 Twentieth Century Electric Mining Company. — Adjoins 
 the Spearfish company's mines on the north, and following up Iron 
 creek on the opposite side of Spearfish canyon from the Spearfish 
 mine. Lime and quartzite ores assaying about $4 per ton are dis- 
 closed, making a good cyaniding proposition. The company has a 
 
SOME WELL-KNOWN MINES OF PENNINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 faille Cavanaugh Tin Mine at Oreville. 
 
 Placer Gold Mine of L. A. Rlcliards, Near Pactola. 
 
 Montezuma Mill at Eochford. 
 Old Montana Mill at Nahant. 
 Golden Summit Mine. 
 
 Hoist of the Gertie Tin Mine at Hill City. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 175 
 
 capital stock of $1,500,000, in shares of $1 par value. The president 
 is A. W. Coe ; vice-president, J. M. Fish ; secretary and treasurer, 
 A. G. Coe, all of Deadwood. 
 
 Two Jolins Mining Company.— Albe Holmes, superintendent, 
 Deadwood. 
 
 This company owns 140 acres of patented ground one mile from 
 Crown Hill station. A shaft is now being sunk to quartzite, which 
 is expected to be reached at a depth of 320 feet. Large bodies of 
 low-grade ore, capable of profitable treatment by cyanidation, have 
 already been bpened up, and Mr. Holmes expects soon to put up 
 a mill. 
 
 There will be no lack of capital for the purpose, as the owners 
 are Eastern men of great wealth. 
 
 TT. S. Grant Mining Company.— Owns 20 acres of patented 
 land adjoining the Segregated Iron Hill on the south. Extends 
 south onto Cold creek. Siliceous ore is opened in a tunnel on 
 Cold creek, which has been driven 100 feet. There are numerous 
 other tunnels on the ground and one 30-foot shaft. The company 
 has $250,000 capital, the shares having $1 par value. Stewart 
 Thompson of Deadwood is president and John Baker secretary and 
 treasurer. Principal office, Deadwood. 
 
 Wauconda Mining Company. — Has 250 acres about two 
 miles from Rouhaix, the home of the Uncle Sam. Some of the 
 claims are already being patented, much development work has 
 been done and the company is installing a is-horsepower hoist and 
 a Cornish sinking pump. The capital stock is $2,000,000, in shares 
 of $1. The company is working under the laws of South Dakota, 
 with main office at Waukegan, 111. J. R. Bracher is president; 
 E. W. Brooks, treasurer, and J. E. Pratt, secretary. Sam H. Brad- 
 bury of Waukegan is the fiscal agent. The proposition is one of 
 large bodies of ore and cyanidation. 
 
 Wasp No. 3 Group.— Small tract of land at Yellow creek 
 owned by McShane Bros, of Lead. About 2,000 tons of ore worth 
 $20 per ton have been produced, and large amounts of low grade 
 cyaniding material left standing. The mine adjoins the Wasp 
 No. 2, on which a cyanide mill is successfully operating. 
 
 Zulu Group. — Consists of 90 acres on the west side of Little 
 Crow Peak, seven miles west of Spearfish, near Carbonate Camp. 
 Is the property of Milton C. Conners and M. D. Edgerton. The 
 ground extends from the apex of the mountain to Spearfish river, 
 covering large bodies of low grade cyaniding ore. Developed by 
 200 feet of tunnels and 60 feet of open cuts. 
 
 PENNINGTON COUNTY MINING. 
 
 Pennington, the largest mining county of the Black Hills, has 
 the unique distinction of containing within its boundaries deposits, 
 some of them in commercial quantity, of nearly all of the metals 
 and minerals known to the geologist. Aside from gold and silver, 
 which are the best known, are veins of asbestos, graphite, cinnabar, 
 mica, tin, coal, copper, wolframite, arsenic, spodumene, lepidolite, 
 feldspar, pyrites of iron, gypsum, etc. 
 
 Pennington county as well contains some of the largest 
 streams of water of any of the Black Hills counties, such streams 
 as Rapid, Castle, Battle, Spring, Box Elder and Elk creeks ; square 
 miles of finest virgin pine forests ; good railroad accommodations ; 
 in fact, all of the physical adjuncts to successful and economic 
 mining. 
 
 Pennington county extends from the South Dakota-Wyoming 
 state line, in the most rugged portion of the mountains, eastward 
 to the Cheyenne river. It contains mines, fine farming lands, 
 nurseries and cattle ranges. Its resources are as varied as any 
 western county and it is peopled with a good class of American 
 citizens, honest, industrious and sober. Rapid City, the county 
 seat, is elsewhere mentioned, and is but an example, on a larger 
 scale, of the most thriving towns of the county. 
 
 The Burlington railway penetrates, the western end of the 
 county, passing through a rich mineral section, and the North- 
 western skirts the foothills, touching Rapid City. These trunk 
 lines furnish excellent railroad facilities, but one of the richest 
 mineral sections of the county, Pactola and Silver City, are now 
 without a railroad. The Black Hills & Missouri River railroad, 
 however, will tap it on its east-west line from Rapid City to 
 Mystic, on the Burlington. Some fifteen miles of grading are 
 completed, and bridges finished and track laid on eight miles of 
 this road, while the directors give out that the forty miles between 
 Rapid City and Mystic will be completed and equipped within a 
 
 year. Along the surveyed route, following Rapid creek, are the 
 mining camps mentioned and great quantities of timber that will 
 be available for mining purposes. It will give an outlet to the 
 smelter at Rapid City for the ores that would now have to be 
 transported by team, and its completion will undoubtedly mean 
 much for the future of Pennin.gton county. 
 
 L. A. Richards, operating near Pactola, in Pennington county, 
 seems to have evolved the only practicable process for handling 
 the low grade placer deposits of that section which has as yet been 
 given serious consideration and trial at the hands of the miner. He 
 makes application of the cyanide process in extracting the values, 
 not depending alone on the riffles in the sluice boxes to catch the 
 gold. It is well known that gold often occurs in so finely a divided 
 state that it will practically float on water, and on agitation will 
 remain suspended. Mr. Richards saves this gold by cyanide. His 
 process is briefly as follows : 
 
 The gravel is raised from a pit by an automatic chain elevator 
 and dumped into sluice boxes 33 feet long with Hungarian riffies 
 set I inch apart in the bottom. These riffles serve to collect the 
 greater part of the coarser gold. Thence the material passes over 
 grizzlies (iron bars set V2 inch apart), the finer portion going 
 through sluices 100 feet long with %-inch Hungarian riffles. The 
 coarse portion rejected on the grizzlies goes to the boulder pile as 
 refuse. At the end of this sluice box is a i6-mesh screen onto 
 which the material flows. That portion passing the screen goes to 
 the cyanide vats and the balance to the refuse piles. 
 
 Mr. Richards says that he saves 28 cents worth of gold per 
 cubic yard of gravel in the cyanide, and 40 cents per yard in the 
 riffles. The whole operation does not cost one-third of that. 
 
 A description of many of the best properties will give a thorough 
 idea of the varied and great deposits of Pennington county, so 
 prolific in paying veins, timber and streams. 
 
o — 
 
 S5 7 
 
 o a. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 177 
 
 LAKOTA GOLD MINING AND REDUCTION COMPANY. 
 
 One of the oldest mines in Pennington county is known as the 
 Grizzly Bear, and is the property of the Lakota Gold Mining and 
 Reduction Company. The mine was discovered about twenty-five 
 years ago, and, like many others, has during that time passed 
 through a good many hands, and finally come into the possession 
 of a strong corporation. In the early days of the mine certain por- 
 tions of the vein were removed and treated in small stamp mills. 
 From the best evidence obtainable, this ore was worth from $25 to 
 $100 per ton. But such a practice of '.'robbing'' the ore deposit 
 would not pay, and the day of the "pocket hunter," or specimen 
 seeker, was brought to a close. 
 
 During the years prior to the acquirement of the mine by the 
 present owners nearly $200,000 was taken out. Two stamp mills 
 were built, one containing five and the other twenty stamps. They 
 were intermittently worked on the higher-grade ore of the vein, as 
 what is pay stuff now was considered waste then ; there are great 
 quantities of low-grade ores exposed. The time has passed when 
 the mine can be worked in a crude and unscientific way, and for the 
 purpose of properly equipping the mine with modern machinery, 
 brains and capital, the La.kota company was organized. 
 
 The old mills have long since been removed, and on the site of 
 the larger one there is to be erected a plant of the latest modern 
 design, carefully planned to handle the ore at the least cost and 
 effect the greatest saving of the values. The mill will contain ten 
 stamps, and after amalgamation the tailings will be treated by the 
 cyanide process to recover the refractory values. The plant will 
 be so constructed that it may be cheaply and quickly increased in 
 capacity as more ore is opened. The mine, too, is to be equipped 
 with a splendid steam hoisting plant, with air compressor and drills. 
 
 The lumber for these buildings was sawed from timber growing 
 on the company's own. ground, in the company's own sawmill. 
 
 The main vein, a fissure in the slates having a strike or course 
 of northeast-southwest and a dip of 45 degrees from the horizontal, 
 traverses the company's property for over a mile. It has a width of 
 from three to thirty feet, and is a good quality of milling ore from 
 wall to wall. The walls are the Algonkian slates, the home of the 
 deep fissure, and the vein proper a mixture of quartz, spar and 
 pyrites. Assays made at random show values of from $3.40 to $946 
 per ton, gold. With the equipment the company will have for the 
 mining and milling of its ore, material having a value of $3.50 per 
 ton will show a profit. 
 
 A great deal of work, approximately 2,200 feet, has been done 
 upon the ore, opening the vein in 24 shafts, 15 cuts, 4 drifts and 6 
 tunnels. In the tunnels and shafts immediately behind the mill site 
 there are absolutely blocked out on four sides 25,000 tons of ore, 
 which would make, without opening up another pound, two years' 
 supply for the ten-stamp mill at its quota of forty tons a day. But 
 estimating the ore body from showings made in tunnels and other 
 openings lower down on the hill, but not connected with the work- 
 ings mentioned, there are over 100,000 tons in sight. This is a fair 
 and just estimate in itself, as the ore body is undoubtedly continuous 
 and of uniformly good value for the entire distance. 
 
 Such fissure veins as the one mentioned have wherever de- 
 veloped in the vicinity shown great depth and increasing values. For 
 instance, at the Holy Terror at Keystone, the ore is richer at the 
 bottom, 1,200 feet, than at the surface. As depth is gained, how- 
 ever, the values become more refractory. They are, as a rule, in- 
 cluded in the iron pyrite, which, on the surface, is oxidized, leaving 
 the ore susceptible to thorough treatment by amalgamation, and it 
 can be successfully recovered by cyanidation. The unoxidized zone 
 in these veins; is found at varying depths, sometimes 200 feet, and 
 sometimes 500 feet. At the Lakota mine the refractory or unoxi- 
 dized zone has not yet been encountered. 
 
 N. O. Ford, consulting engineer for the company, states in a 
 report that "the tailings of the old mill, of which there are thousands 
 of tons, average $3.55 per ton." Thus it is easy to see where a 
 great portion of the values in the ore were lost when it was treated 
 in the crude mills in which no appliances for saving the gold were 
 installed excepting amalgamating plates. This gold can be re- 
 covered by the cyanide process. 
 
 Not only the vein described, but other mineral bearing deposits, 
 crop out at different points on the property.' These other veins will 
 all in the due course of time receive their share of development 
 work, and undoubtedly ore bodies will be discovered in the future 
 of which the company has no cognizance at present. All these bits 
 of evidence indicate that the company is the o^i^'ner of a large and 
 valuable mineral estate, and that at some future time the milling 
 equipment at present planned will be too small to handle the output 
 of ore that will be daily made. Looking into the future, the com- 
 pany has in mind the possible installation of an electric-power gen- 
 erating plant near the Burlington Railroad, two miles away. Here 
 coal can be cheaply secured, and the electricity to operate the bigger 
 plant may be economically generated and transmitted to the mine. 
 The spot chosen is an ideal one for such a plant, and, should the 
 occasion warrant, it will be built. 
 
 Water and timber — two essentials to economical mining — are 
 plentiful on the ground of the Lakota company. The greater por- 
 tion of the property is covered with a heavy growth of Norway pine, 
 which, with the sawmill already installed, can be cheaply transformed 
 into lumber and mine timbers, while the otherwise valueless portions 
 of the trees can be used for fuel under the boilers in the mill and 
 hoist. The water comes from numerous springs, one of which is 
 situated 300 feet above the mill site and half a mile distant. A pipe 
 line from it delivers the water at the boarding house, offices, and 
 will flow directly to a large reservoir above the mill. 
 
 Nearly all of the work done so far has been under the direction 
 and supervision of Mr. Charles W. Linn, secretary of the company. 
 A great deal of development has been accomplished, lumber has been 
 sawed for the mill and hoist, a boarding house, stable and office have 
 been constructed, and, to cover all, only a very modest sum, $20,000, 
 has been spent, considering the value received. 
 
 The Lakota Gold Mining and Reduction Company has a capital- 
 ization of $2,500,000, divided into 500,000 shares of a par value of $5 
 each. The company owns 292 acres of ground five miles northeast 
 of Hill City. All but 100 acres are patented. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 179 
 
 COL. JAMES A. CLARK'S COMBINED GROUPS SITUATED ABOUT KEYSTONE. 
 
 One of the largest groups of mines under the management of 
 one man, in Pennington county, is held by Col. J. A. Clark and asso- 
 ciates. The property is near Keystone, and covers a wide strip of 
 the most 'valuable mineral section of the county. Veins of gold and 
 silver have been well explored and show good values, while devel- 
 opments on copper ore bodies are now in progress. The estate 
 contains a number of the most valuable veins explored in the Key- 
 stone and Copper Mountain districts — communities noted for their 
 large deposits of low-grade ores. 
 
 Colonel Clark has made Keystone and the Holy Smoke camp, 
 as his residence two miles from the town is known, his home for 
 the past nine years, and much of his time has been spent in amal- 
 gamating the interests of more than a score of small owners in the 
 vicinity, preparing for the uniting of them under one head, a com- 
 pany backed by sufficient capital to make its success an assured 
 fact. Expansion and combination of company interests are the 
 watchwords in western mining, and to these points Colonel Qark 
 has spent the most of his time for the past years. He has at last 
 succeeded far beyond his expectations, and has control to-day of 
 some 3,700 acres of ground. 
 
 The major portion of the ground lies west and northwest of the 
 town of Keystone, extending from Copper Mountain, near Sheridan, 
 to Harney City, and one large group of claims, the Dakota Girl, 
 is five miles southwest of Keystone, on Little Squaw creek. The 
 ground covers some of the finest standing timber in the Black Hills, 
 and jealous operators have even gone so far as to assert that the 
 colonel was securing the ground for its valuable accessories in that 
 line. But in justice to the integrity of Colonel Clark it may be 
 said that the price paid for the ground far exceeds the sum at 
 which the timber could be sold, and that mining, pure and simple, 
 is being daily carried forward; and to use the words of the -gentle- 
 man himself, "the property has not been purchased for timber or 
 other speculative purposes outside of mining, and to imagine that 
 such is the case is pure fallacy." 
 
 The following table gives the name and location of the various 
 groups controlled by Colonel Clark, in addition to which there are 
 held about i,Soo acres under bond, and title to which will pass to 
 the colonel some time this year : 
 
 Name. Acres. 
 
 Vulcan M. and M. Company 102 
 
 Sitting Bull group 52 
 
 Minneapolis group 100 
 
 Eagle Mountain group Soo 
 
 King Oscar group 500 
 
 Belt group 350 
 
 Harney City group 500 
 
 Chicago group 200 
 
 Gold Band ^roup 2C0 
 
 :,, " Smith & Palmer group 240 
 
 Gold Wedge grouji 200 
 
 Goddard group 200 
 
 McGowan & Hopkins group 300 
 
 Dakota Girl group 240 
 
 Total 3.684 
 
 On the property of the Vulcan Mining and Milling Company, 
 which is patented, there have been sunk two working shafts, one 85 
 
 and the other 106 feet in depth. From the bottom of the 106-foot 
 shaft 42 feet of drifting has been done, opening the vein. The ore 
 is, concentrating and of good commercial grade. Several other shal- 
 low shafts, tunnels and pits disclose vein matter on the property. 
 The deep shaft is equipped with a first-class whim, blacksrriith shop, 
 etc., all enclosed within a substantial house. This property is at the 
 Holy Smoke camp, one of the claims of the company bearing that 
 name. 
 
 On the Minneapolis group several extensive openings have been 
 m.ade on the vein, showing good milling ore in large quantities. This 
 property adjoins the Vulcan on the north, and it is here that Colonel 
 Clark will make his headquarters, having just completed an elegant 
 log house. The highly-mineralized nature of the country may be 
 better understood when it is known that in sinking a well near the 
 house on this property a large vein of quartz, intermingled with 
 hornblende, and the whole carrying a great deal of 'iron pyrite, was 
 struck at a deptn of fifteen feet. This ground has been surveyed 
 for patent, and title will be secured at once. 
 
 The Eagle Mountain group is located on the great copper 'belt 
 which extends through the Black Hills >for miles, and crops out 
 most prominently on the Blue Lead at Sheridan. Practically the 
 same surface showing is made on both the Eagle Mountain and 
 Blue Lead mines, and it is but fair to presume that the one is the 
 extension or continuation of the latter. The property is being de- 
 veloped by a three-compartment shaft. This shaft will be sunk to 
 water level, following the vein from its outcrop on the top of the 
 hill, and at that point extensive lateral workings will be driven to 
 determine the size of the ore body. Should it contain copper in 
 paying quantities. Colonel Clark's backers stand ready to erect a 
 smelting plant in which to treat the ore. 
 
 The King Oscar group shows small and large veins of free- 
 milling gold ores, verticals in the slates. The property has been 
 well developed by open cuts, shafts and tunnels. Ore is- disclosed 
 in 25 different places. An excellent camp has been established here, 
 good, commodious log buildings having been erected for the use of 
 the miners as boarding-houses, bunk houses, superintendent's 
 quarters, etc. 
 
 The Harney group, formerly known as the Wheelock property, 
 in honor of the former owners, exhibits large low-grade veins of 
 free-milling and concentrating ore._ Six or "more tunnels have been 
 driven on the property, and the veins are opened in forty places 
 altogether. The tunnels vary in length from 60 to 150 feet, and are 
 well timbered and driven to show up the ore bodies to the best ad- 
 vantage. This ground has been surveyed for patent and the applica- 
 tion made. Near the northwest corner is an immense bar or hill of 
 placer gravel, to which some attention will be given. It is an enor- 
 mous deposit, and the water to work it successfully can be secured 
 from Battle creek, which flows at its edge. 
 
 The other properties listed above all show more or less valuable 
 mineral deposits, but as our space is limited, only the most valuable 
 and best-developed are mentioned here specifically. 
 
 With such a large acreage, and so many veins of ore, it would 
 be most surprising if this property should fail to become a wonder- 
 ful producer and dividend-payer. Only one of the veins that have 
 been disclosed, equipped with a mill, should be enough to prove the 
 value of the property. 
 
 It is understood that Colonel Clark has eastern associates who 
 are financially able to carry out all plans. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 i8i 
 
 J. T. HARRINGTON'S INCA AND OTHER PROPERTIES. 
 
 There is probably no better-known mining operator in the Black 
 Hills than J. T. Harrington. He has been in the Hills since 1880, 
 and has been miner, mill man, successful prospector and lucky owner 
 successively since then. To his friends he is known as "Jerry," 
 big-hearted, true and loyal. He has been careful and conservative 
 in all of his ventures, and seems to have a knack of looking into the 
 future. He will invest in a piece of mining property that he believes 
 is a locality that will soon "come to the front," and nine times out 
 of ten he does not have to hold the ground long before there is an 
 anxious purchaser. For instance, he surmised that the Garden City 
 district was on the eve of a boom, and he interested himself in some- 
 thing over 250 acres of ground in the locality. Before a year had 
 passed a strong company (the Penobscot, described on another page) 
 was organized, and they wanted Mr. Harrington's ground, and 
 wanted it bad. They got it, at an advance of considerable over his 
 purchase price. And, again, he purchased nearly the whole of the 
 Qover Leaf mine at one time and another, buying out the old owners 
 for a mere song. Everybody thought he was foolish, investing in 
 a mine flooded with water, and in such shape that it was thought 
 it would never be opened again. But he kept his own counsel, and 
 before long had sold the mine, to the surprise of his friends, and 
 had $80,000 in the bank as the result. 
 
 He has various properties in the Black Hills, and should his 
 hopes materialize on them as they have on his holdings in the past, 
 we may look for several paying mines. But he says he does not 
 want to sell them. He is perfectly content to operate them himself, 
 and he is in no hurry about the working of them, either. He says 
 that many a good man has ruined himself by hurrying to make 
 money. Mr. Harrington says : "I will start the Inca mill in the 
 spring. I am in no hurry, and the wagon road from the mine to the 
 mill is in bad shape. Oh, yes ; the mill is ready to run on a day's 
 notice. It is perfect. But it will do just as well to wait till spring." 
 
 THE INCA. 
 
 That is one of Mr. Harrington's favorite properties, the Inca. 
 It is located near Mystic, a station on the Burlington Railroad in 
 Pennington county. It is on the top of Fairview Mountain (a peak 
 most aptly named; pen cannot described the beauty and grandeur 
 of the panorama spread at one's feet). But the mine. The vein is 
 a big, free-milling vertical in the slates; no one knows how deep it 
 goes or how long it is, but Mr. Harrington owns 3,000 feet of the 
 length. It was a great producer in the early days, and is excep- 
 tionally well opened up. It is developed sufficiently to supply a mill 
 of 100 stamps, and the ten-stamp mill which is to be operated in 
 conjunction with the mine could be operated for years without mak- 
 ing an impression on the ore reserves. The width of the vein has 
 not been determined, as the majority of the work has been confined 
 to a streak of ore worth $50 a ton which lies next to the hanging 
 wall. Cross-cuts run thirty feet show no sign of the foot wall, but 
 surface indications are such that the owner is inclined to believe 
 that the vein is about 300 feet wide. The workings are almost on 
 the top of Fairview Mountain, and consist of three tunnels and an 
 open cut, a shaft 175 feet deep in ore all the way connecting the 
 two upper tunnels. Mr. Harrington proposes at some future time 
 to run a big tunnel in from further down the mountain, which could 
 easily tap the vein at a depth of soo feet and afford an easy method 
 of mining. 
 
 On one side of the Inca mine is Rapid creek, and on the other 
 side Castle creek — two of the largest streams in the Black Hills. 
 
 The mill is located on Castle creek, a little over a mile from the mine. 
 The two are connected with a good wagon road, affording a down- 
 hill haul all the way from the mine to the mill for the ore wagons. 
 But Mr. Harrington thinks that when the mill is enlarged it will 
 be located on Rapid creek, since the dip of the vein is in that direc- 
 tion, and less tunneling would be necessary from the base of the 
 mountain in order to tap it. 
 
 The mill contains ten stamps, silver-plated coppers and Wilfley 
 tables. It is a model little plant, and ready to start any minute. It 
 is operated by a steam engine, although with but little effort a ditch 
 could be constructed which would give a sufficient waterpower to 
 easily operate it. Castle creek is a swift-running stream, and its 
 possibilities for developing power by means of water motors are 
 almost unlimited. With the mill already upon the ground, the Inca 
 mine is easily a first-class proposition. With its big mass of $4 to $S 
 ore and the elegant milling facilities, it is undoubtedly an embryo 
 dividend-payer. 
 
 THE TRANSVAAL. 
 
 Another one of Mr. Harrington's properties is the Transvaal 
 mine, consisting of 167 acres of patented property near Custer Peak, 
 m southern Lawrence county. Various free-milling veins have been 
 opened, but particular attention has been paid to one body of ore 
 which is about 30 feet wide and running full length of the property, 
 or 5,000 feet. The principal developments consist of a shaft 85 
 feet deep, with numerous shallow shafts and open cuts. The values 
 in the ore average $3 to $7 a ton, and to extract the values the owner 
 contemplates a free-milling stamp mill with a cyanide annex, similar 
 to the Homestake milling system, as the ore is similar in character 
 and values to the ore of that famous property. 
 
 Such a mill is contemplated for erection at once, and experts 
 who have visited the ground declare that the mine is fully capable 
 of supplying the plant with ore in sufficient quantities and of good 
 enough values to make the future of the property assured. Good 
 timber and splendid water facilities — two important adjuncts to suc- 
 cessful mining — are included in the holdings. 
 
 THE TOMAHAWK. 
 
 At Nemo, in the southern end of Lawrence county, Mr. Harring- 
 ton owns another mining property — the Tomahawk. Included within 
 the boundaries are 640 acres of land. The main vein is developed 
 by a shaft 100 feet deep which shows an ore body fully 50 feet wide, 
 which averages by assays $4 a ton. It is another free-milling propo- 
 sition, similar to the Transvaal. 
 
 To mine transport and extract the values from the ore would 
 cost less than $3 a ton, thus leaving a neat profit on the operation. 
 The vein is big. Development has shown it to be fully 600 feet 
 wide, and it has been prospected along its course already for over 
 9,000 feet. Here again Mr. Harrington's vigor proclaims itself. He 
 says that he will build a mill at this mine in the spring of 1904, and 
 that he has ore blocked to supply a big plant for years. The latter 
 is very true. It is a big vein, and opened up as it is, could supply a 
 mill for years and scarcely scratch the face of the ore bodies. 
 
 Interested in this property with Mr. Harrington is John F. Saw- 
 yer of Nemo, South Dakota, a veteran prospector, and they hope ere 
 long to hear a stamp mill's familiar music as it pounds out the 
 precious metal. As manufacturers they need never consult market 
 quotations on the price of their product — it is ever the same, $20.67 
 per fine ounce. 
 
THE TWO VIEWS AIK.IVE ARE OF THE EMI'IIIE STATE. THE FIVE LOWER VIEWS ARE OF THE GOLDEN WEST. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 183 
 
 EMPIRE STATE MINING COMPANY, 
 HILL CITY, S. D. 
 
 (Formerly the Golden Slipper Grounds.) 
 
 The Golden Slipper mine was first discovered in 1893, and 
 after the mine was opened a small mill was utilized, in which some 
 $46,000 in gold bullion was recovered in the following six years. 
 The mine passed through the usual vicissitudes incidental to many 
 mining operations, lying idle a year and a half, and filled with 
 water, the shaft at that time being 250 feet deep, following the vein 
 on the incline. 
 
 The present company secured the property in November, 1900, 
 and immediately after unwatering the mine, sunk the shaft an addi- 
 tional 172 feet, and opened up ore for the purpose of testing, for 
 which an experimental ten-stamp mill was erected. Five stamps 
 of the plant have been dropped at various times, and a total of 
 $9,000 has been produced from about 250 tons of ore. The con- 
 centrates have been saved on a Wilfley table, and have netted well. 
 Evidently the tailings from the concentrators should be treated by 
 cyanidation. A good value is contained in them, and for that rea- 
 son not a pound has been allowed to escape, but all are held in a 
 dam erected for the purpose. The experimental plant has fulfilled 
 its purpose, and is to be replaced by a larger mill at once, with an 
 up-to-date cyanide plant. It has proven the values in the ore to 
 be of exceptional grade, and that the same may be saved by amal- 
 gamation and concentration, and the values in the tailings should 
 also be saved by the cyanide process. 
 
 A mill site has been secured on falmer gulch, where this 20- 
 stamp mill will soon be erected. The location is an ideal one — the 
 ore can be delivered by gravity, the water from the living stream, 
 while the fuel supply would come from the hills above, thus afford- 
 ing a downhill haul for .all the commodities required. 
 
 There are two distinct veins opened in the Golden Slipper mine 
 to a depth of 462 feet. They are united to a depth of 55 feet, where 
 they divide and continue downward, with a dip of about 17 degrees 
 from the vertical. The veins are 'fissures in the archean slates and 
 the walls are well defined and regular. The smaller vein, which 
 is the richer, on the lower levels, has a width _of four and one-half 
 feet, and is of blue quartz. The other vein is 11 feet wide, and of 
 lower grade. Both veins carry high percentages of mispickel and 
 pyrite, which is found to be rich in gold. 
 
 The machinery equipment at the mine consists of a ten-stamp 
 mill, with copper plates and Wilfley table, Lidgerwood hoist, Sulli- 
 van two-stage, 8-drill compressor, lOo-horsepower boiler, black- 
 smith shop, water-tanks for fire protection, and boarding and bunk 
 houses. 
 
 J. B. Safford, who has been in charge of the workings of the 
 Empire State company, is an old and experienced miner, having 
 served his apprenticeship on the famous Comstock lode, in Nevada, 
 beginning there in 1859. He has learned his profession well, and 
 has conducted all the operation of the mine on lines of strictest 
 economy. 
 
 The Empire State Mining Company has a capitalization of 
 $1,000,000, divided into a like number of shares, each having a par 
 value of $1. The officers are as follows: E. Dickinson, president; 
 H. S. Burkhardt, first vice-president; H, H. Sessions, second vice- 
 president; C. F. Cooke, third vice-president; J. B. Safford, fourth 
 vice-president and general manager; A. A. W. Burkhardt, secre- 
 tary; A. J. Farley, treasurer. The' main office is Hill City, S. D., 
 with a branch at 702 Great Northern building, Chicago. 
 
 GOLDEN WEST MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Five miles west of Rochford the Golden West Mining Com- 
 pany has recently possessed itself of what appears to be a most 
 valuable piece of mining properly. Like all other favorites in the 
 Black Hills, it is a big low-grade proposition. But the natural 
 advantages at hand are of a character enjoyed by few Black Hills 
 companies. There is a waterpower flowing i,oco cubic feet of 
 u-ater per minute in a creek having an average grade of over 75 
 feet- per mile. The ground is covered with a heavy growth of the 
 finest Norway pine to be seen in the district. Fuel and mining 
 timbers are assured for years to come. And the ore body itself 
 is of a character that from present explorations will equal anything 
 ever found in Pennington county. It is an immense dike or vein of 
 mineralized hornblende, perhaps an altered schist impregnated with 
 hornblende. The grade is low — $3.50 per ton — but on ore of that 
 value a good profit can be made. 
 
 The company owns two distinct groups of mining claims, the 
 Benedict of 200 acres and the Yellow Bird of 57 acres. Applica- 
 tions for patents have been made. On the Benedict an ore shoot of 
 very soft material 100 feet wide between walls and 4C0 feet long 
 has been explored by over 900 feet of underground workings. Con- 
 servatively, 150,000 tons of ore are exposed, of a value of $3 per 
 ton. The ore is most easily mined, hardly any powder being used. 
 In doing the 900 feet of development work mentioned, not over 
 5CO pounds of powder was used. On the Yellow Bird, $12,000 
 worth of ore is in sight. 
 
 The company believes that the ore from the Benedict can be 
 mined and milled for less than $1 per ton. Several hundred tons 
 were treated in a sampling mill last summer for a total expense on 
 that small scale of $1.60 per ton. With a larger plant, and work- 
 ing on a larger scale, the costs would be proportionately reduced. 
 
 The new mill will be situated 2,700 feet from the mine, con- 
 nected by an aerial tramway. The plant will be operated by water- 
 power from a flume 7,000 feet long, giving a fall of 107 feet, gen- 
 erating 140 horsepower — enough to treat. 250 tons of ore per day 
 by the Chilian process. The mill will be equipped with two six- 
 foot Chilian mills of latest pattern, with Blake crusher and rolls, 
 reducing the ore very fine before it is delivered to the pulverizers. 
 After amalgamating, the ore will pass to settling cones, where the 
 sands will be separated from the slimes for cyanide treatment of the 
 former, the latter carrying practically no values. 
 
 The sampling mill last summer ran 76 twenty-four-hour days, 
 crushing a little over 11 tons per day, or 860 tons in the period. 
 Bullion recovered amounted to $3,006, or about $3.50 per ton. The 
 ore was taken from the various workings in the course of develop- 
 ment, and from a large open cut. The mill was the crudest kind of a 
 Chilian pattern, and while this was saved on the plates, nearly the 
 same amount was lost in the tailings that could be recovered by 
 cyanidation. 
 
 Charles E. Curtiss, the president, is an inventor of note (having 
 invented the McCormick corn-shredder), as well as being a civil 
 engineer. He spent his early life in the Rocky mountains following 
 that profession. He will take charge of the construction of the new 
 mill, and will devote one year to getting everything in shipshape 
 order. 
 
 The Golden West Mining Company has a capital of $3,000,000 
 (of which $r,coo,coo has been retired), the shares having a par 
 value of $1 each. C. E. Curtiss is president ; N. C. Fisher, vice- 
 president; W. R. Selleck, for 34 years treasurer of the McCor- 
 mick Harvester Company, is treasurer ; E. J. Kennedy is secretary 
 and general manager. The principal office is in Chicago. 
 
i84 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 THE CLARA BELLE GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Frank Hebert, one of the early pioneers of the Black Hills, in 
 the year 1886, discovered and located the Clara Belle mine in Pen- 
 nington county. The surface indications on the Clara Belle were 
 wonderfully rich. Ore was found which might easily rank with the 
 best ever discovered in the Black Hills, and the property at once 
 achieved a reputation that has remained with it to this day. Mr. 
 Hebert is one of those indefatigable workers and prospectors who 
 have learned their lesson in the hardest school — that of experience. 
 His knowldge of mining was not limited to that of the Black Hills 
 alone, for he had operated in other western mining districts. He 
 at once proceeded to open up his bonanza by the best means at 
 hand, investing his small capital and working underground with 
 the men himself. Thus for fifteen years, by close attention to duty, 
 he succeeded in opening up the Clara Belle to a depth of 200 feet 
 and erecting a small mill. 
 
 But as is the case with many lanother mine, there came a time 
 when Mr. Hebert was unable to conduct the operations alone and 
 unaided, and he found it necessary to organize a company. So in 
 April, 1901, the Clara Belle Gold Mining Company was incorporated 
 with a capitalization of $1,000,000, divided into shares of a par value 
 of $1 each. Stock was sold for the purpose of erecting a hoist and 
 sinking a shaft to a level below that of the old workings. This 
 shaft has now reached a depth of 250 feet and is well timbered for 
 the entire distance. 
 
 The Clara Belle vein is one of the true quartz fissures of the 
 southern Black Hills. It has a width of ten feet, enclosed between 
 well-defined walls of the algonkian slates. Four feet of the vein 
 
 next to the hanging wall is the richest, although the entire vein 
 from wall to wall is a good grade of milling ore. The vein dips 
 about 15 degrees from the vertical. 
 
 The property .of the Clara Belle company is situated eight miles 
 north of Custer City, between Oreville and Sylvan lake, on Bear 
 gulch. It consists of 75 acres in a solid group. Over half of the 
 property is covered with a heavy growth of pine timber, which will 
 be sufficient to supply lumber and fuel for mining operations for 
 many years to come. On the banks of Bear gulch, a mountain 
 stream fed by never-failing springs, is located the mill of the com- 
 pany, which contains two Tremain stamps, giving a capacity of ten 
 tons per day. The ore after crushing flows over amalgamating 
 plates, where the free gold is saved, and this summer the company 
 will install a cyanide annex to recover the refractory values. From 
 this little mill, which is regarded by the company merely as an 
 experimental plant, to be succeeded some day by a larger and more 
 complete affair, has been produced about $15,000 in gold bullion. 
 The ore which was treated in this mill was worth at least $10 per 
 ton free milling, while much of it is worth over $50 per ton. Al- 
 though this ore shows almost fabulous values, Mr. Hebert places 
 the average of the ore at from $6 to $8 per ton in future operations 
 with a big mill. Late reports say the ore is richer than ever. 
 
 Frank Hebert is president of the Clara Belle Gold Mining Com- 
 pany ; F. A. Gira of Custer is vice-president ; Charles Hebert is treas- 
 urer, and L. M. Hebert, secretary, all being residents of Oreville, 
 Pennington county, S. D. The principal office of the company is 
 located at Oreville. 
 
 I'OUIt VIEWS OP THE CLAEA BELLE ABOVE GEOUND. 
 
SUNFLOWER MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Prominent Omaha capitalists two years ago organized and in- 
 corporated under the laws of South Dakota the Sunflower Mining 
 and Milling Company, purchasing the Sunflower group of eight 
 claims, or i6o acres, four miles west of Hill City, Pennington 
 county. The property was originally four claims located by one of 
 the pioneers of the county, John Truax, some 20 years ago, but 
 was abandoned by him. and relocated by Christ Baysel, Mary Bay- 
 sel, P. W. Kuhns and James Hodge, by whom it was transferred 
 to the company. 
 
 The principal developments on the veins consist of a vertical 
 shaft 100 feet deep, with cross-cut 22 feet, on claim No. i, showing 
 a strong vein of auriferous arsenopyrite ore. The cross-cut runs 
 into the vein from the foot wall, and the opposite side of the ore 
 body has not been reached. Ore from the shaft assays from $3 
 to $12 per ton, a test run on ore from the 40-foot level showing $4 
 per ton free gold and 7 per cent of concentrates worth $60 per ton. 
 
 A shaft 30 feet deep on a parallel vein shows three feet of 
 milling ore in the bottom. A cross vein of silicious ore, not show- 
 ing on the surface, crossing between shafts i and 2, is opened by a 
 vertical shaft 40 feet deep. The vein was only a few inches wide 
 when discovered, and having increased to four feet at 40 feet depth, 
 gives promise of a large ore body at greater depth. This silicious 
 ore shows values of from $10 to $16, and a test run of 25 pounds 
 made at Deadwood showed $12.25 per ton. 
 
 A tunnel is now being driven from the south, from near the 
 foot of the hill, which at about 250 feet from the portal will tap 
 both the pyritc and silicious ore bedies. This tunnel has just en- 
 countered an ore body, the dimensions of which have not been de- 
 termined, but is similar in appearance to the ore in shaft No. i. 
 
 The property is well timbered, and none of it has ever been 
 utilized. It will furnish mine timbers, lumber and fuel for years to 
 
 come, thus providing the company with essentials oftentimes prov- 
 ing costly. Seven springs, combining to form a creek, would furnish 
 water for ^ large stamp mill, which if necessary to obtain a further 
 supply, another creek 800 feet distant tov/ard the south can be util- 
 ized to supply any deficiency. 
 
 Although the company has not yet entered the mill building 
 stage, it is safe to presume that the treatment method to be pur- 
 sued will be crushing by stamps, amalgamation and concentration, 
 while the ore from the silicious vein has been found to be amenable 
 to the cyanide process, and a portion of the mill will probably be 
 arranged for treating it by that method. The concentrates would 
 • be shipped to smelters for treatment. 
 
 In toto, the Sunflower company is developing ore bodies which 
 are among the best in the Hill City district, has natural advantages 
 in the way of timber and water that are second to none, while the 
 short distance to railroad makes transportation a small item. The 
 stock is largely held by Omaha and Council Bluffs business men, 
 and the directors are all men of means and high standing. The 
 management of the company is entrusted to Christ- Baysel, a promi- 
 nent mining engineer of Omaha, assuring the company of careful 
 and conservative operations at the mine. In regard to its personnel 
 the company is especially favored, as all the directors are preemi- 
 nently successful business men, of a quality not likely to make mis- 
 takes. 
 
 The Sunflower Mining and Milling Company has a capital 
 stock of $600,000, in shares of $1 each par value. The directors are 
 C. B. Liver, O. Younkerman, G. W. Icken, Dr. M. C. Christensen, 
 George S. Davis, E. G. Meilhede and Christ Baysel. The officers 
 are C. B. Liver, president; O. Younkerman, vice-president; G. W. 
 Icken, secretary and treasurer, and Christ Baysel superintendent. 
 The principal office is at Omaha, Neb. 
 
 WORKINGS AT THE SUNFLOWER. 
 
VIEWK IN CKXTER ARE OF THE AISEKI IKICN (JOLl) AIININ(! AXll JIILI.l.Xi; CDMrANYS I'KOI'EKTIES. VIEWS ABOVE AND BELOW 
 
 ARE OP THE DAKOTA-CALUMET COMTANVS I'ROI'ERTIES. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 187 
 
 ABERDEEN GOLD MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Three miles east of Hill City, on the strike of the vein known 
 as the "J. R.," is eighty-five acres of mineral land belonging to 
 the Aberdeen Gold Mining and Milling Company. Just across the 
 north and west lines is the J. R. mine, from which a few years ago 
 (i8qi2 to i8giS) some $90,000 was produced. More properly, the 
 shaft from which this ore was hoisted to the surface is 250 feet 
 from the boundary line, and the vein exposed on the Aberdeen is 
 evidently a continuation. 
 
 In order to open up the mine for large production the com- 
 pany is engaged in sinking a shaft, following the vein. The ore 
 body shows a width of one and a half to two feet, and assays show 
 mill rock with $10 of free gold. The shaft is equipped with a first- 
 class whim, and in passing it may. be mentioned here that the shaft 
 is as well timbered as any in the Black Hills. An especial air of 
 good workmanship and careful timbering is noticeable about the 
 
 surface workings at the mouth of the shaft, and bespeaks good, care- 
 ful management. 
 
 The vein is a fissure in the slates, filled with quartz, and at 
 places wonderfully rich. That it extends to great depth has been 
 proven at the J. R., where it has been followed to nearly 600 feet 
 below the outcrop. 
 
 The Aberdeen Company is backed largely by capitalists of 
 Eastern South Dakota, and they stand ready to furnish the money 
 for a mill when it shall be needed. 
 
 The company is capitalized for 500,000 shares of a par value of 
 $1 each. The president is ex-State Representative Patrick Daley, 
 who has assumed charge of the operations at the mine. Mr. Daley 
 is a careful business man, and the operations are conducted eco- 
 nomically. The vice-president is C. J. McLeod ; secretary and treas- 
 urer, William Austin. These gentlemen, with M. H. Kelley and 
 Isaac Lincoln, form the directorate. The principal office is at Hill 
 City, S. D. 
 
 DAKOTA-CALUMET COMPANY. 
 
 The Dakota-Calumet Company owns a large acreage near 
 Sheridan, Penningtpn County, covering the extension of the "Blue 
 Lead" copper lode, and has erected for the treatment of the ores 
 a modern and well equipped copper matting smelter. With the 
 starting of this plant the. Black Hills will enter the list of copper 
 producing mining districts, and be known as a mining section with 
 other metalliferous products than gold. 
 
 In the past not a great deal of attention has been paid to copper 
 in the Black Hills, and the Dakota-Calumet Company is the first 
 to erect a smelter. And although the Blue Lead or Copper Moun- 
 tain has been known and recognized by prospectors for more than 
 a quarter of a century, up until a few years ago no systematic de- 
 velopment of the copper mines had been attempted. 
 
 On the Dakota-Calumet property a vein or zone of ore is 
 opened near the top of the hill above the smelter, carrying oxides 
 and carbonates, of copper. The ore occurs in deposits from ten to 
 thirty-five feet wide, and is of uniform good quality. Several 
 dozen surface pits and tunnels show the great mass of ore to best 
 advantage, but the company is now sinking a three-compartment 
 shaft to further explore and develop the ore. It is proposed to open 
 stopes at deep levels from this shaft, and the principal ore supply 
 for the mill will be procured from them, although in the course of 
 time all of the ore in the cuts near the surface will be worked. 
 
 From the shaft to the mill a gravity Bleichert wire rope or 
 aerial tramway has been built for conveying the ore to the plant. 
 It is 1,400 feet long, and operates on the jig-back system, or, in 
 
 other words, when the loaded bucket of ore arrives at the mill it 
 automatically dumps and returns to the mine, while the bucket on 
 the opposite ropes comes down and discharges its load. The oper- 
 ation being continuous, a large amount of ore can be handled by this 
 method in a day. 
 
 The smelter is equipped with two eighty-horsepower boilers, 
 an eighty-horsepower Bates Corliss engine, a No. 6 Connellsville 
 blower, sufficient to supply air for two furnaces similar to the one 
 installed and an eight-drill Sullivan air compressor. The smelting 
 is done in a forty-two by eighty-four-inch copper matting furnace. 
 Ore bins at the plant have a capacity of 500 tons of ore and fluxes. 
 The plant is equipped throughout with all labor-saving devices, and 
 is constructed with especial view of economy in operations. 
 
 Among the other surface improvements of the company are a 
 large and comfortable boarding-house, roomy bunk house, offices 
 and superintendent's quarters, well designed and equipped labora- 
 tory, blacksmith shop and pumping station a few hundred feet from 
 the smelter wJiere the water supply is secured. 
 
 The Dakota-Calumet Company has a capital stock of $3,000,000, 
 in 3,000,000 shares of a par value of $1 each. The president is 
 Hon. Chas. Foster, of Fostoria, Ohio; vice-president, Saml. A. Bax- 
 ter, Lima, Ohio; treasurer, Henry C. Ellison, Cleveland, Ohio; 
 , secretary, Wm. F. Numan, Lima, Ohio ; superintendent, A. C. 
 Overpeck, Sheridan, S. D. Offices are maintained at Lima, Ohio, 
 and Sheridan, S. D. 
 
 The balance of the most notable properties of Pennington County follow alphabetically: 
 
 Black Eagle Mining Company of Deadwood. — Has 112 acres 
 (patent near consummation) about four miles southeast of Roch- 
 ford, Pennington County. The property is well timbered and plenty 
 of water can be had from Castle creek, about a half mile from the 
 south line of the property, where the company owns a water right. 
 Five prospect shafts, averaging 65 feet each, have been sunk on 
 the ground and nearly 800 feet of tunnels and from 400 to 500 feet 
 of cross-cuts have been run for development purposes.- In one 
 shaft a cross-cut at 23 feet shows a vein of ore 18% feet wide, and 
 at 46 feet depth a cross-cut shows 34l^ feet of width on the vein. 
 Average assays of the first showed $30 and of the latter $14.20 in 
 gold per ton. Strong mineralization is found at other points. It 
 is a free milling proposition and the company is erecting a Hunt- 
 ington mill as a sampling plant and will run -for the present 50 tons 
 daily until a thorough test nm of 2,000 tons has been made. Sub- 
 
 sequently a large mill will be erected to run by water power. A 
 diamond drill will shortly be utilized to work over the entire prop- 
 erty. The company is incorporated under the laws of South Da- 
 kota with capitalization of $1,000,000, in shares of $1 ; the offices 
 are located at Logansport, Ind. E. B. McConnell is president, P. A. 
 Bonebrake is vice-president ; M. J. Beach is secretary and treasurer, 
 and H. E. Fischer superintendent and engineer. 
 
 Black Hills and Duluth. Copper Mining Company. — Owns 
 Soo acres on Spring creek, western Penning:ton county, on which 
 300 feet of work with a diamond drill has disclosed a 30-foot vein 
 of copper ore. The vein carries copper pyrites in considerable 
 quantity, 1,680 pounds sent to Omaha returned over 300 pounds 
 pure copper, worth between $50 and $60. It is capitalized for 
 3,coo,ooo shares of a par value of $1 each. F. A. Towner of Custer, 
 
MEMBERS OF SOCIETY OF THE BLACK HILLS PIONEERS. 
 (The center portrait should read Geo. V. Ayres instead of Geo. V. Evans.) 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 189 
 
 is president; M. J. Bailey of Custer, secretary, and W. F. Hanley 
 of Custer, treasurer. The principal office is at Custer City, S. D. 
 
 Burlington Mining Company.— Owns 118 acres on divide 
 between Friday and Marshall gulches, nine miles northwest of Hill 
 City. Shows a small vein of rich gold ore, which is being followed 
 by a shaft. Assays run up to $100 per ton. Capitalized for 
 $1,500,000 in shares of $1 each, par value. J. B. Taylor. Hill City, 
 is president and superintendent; J. L. Bentley, Deadwood, secre- 
 tary, and D. A. McPherson, Deadwood, treasurer. 
 
 Butte Mining and Milling Company.— Owns 60 acres adjoin- 
 mg the Mamstay property on the north (near Keytsone). A tun- 
 nel 280 feet in length and shaft 30 feet deep shows a large body 
 of low grade ore. Capitalized for $300,000 in shares of $1 each, par 
 value. W.. H. Benham, Columbus, Neb., is president; O. T. Roen, 
 Columbus, treasurer; O. C. Shannon, Columbus, secretary; George 
 D. Willis, Keystone, general manager. 
 
 Copper ClifE Mining Company.— Capital stock $1,000,000, in 
 shares of $1 each. B. F. Brazer, president; Charles A. Fohrman, 
 vice-president and scientist; E. W. Eldridge, secretary and treas- 
 urer, and A. S. White, business manager. 
 
 The_ property of 410 acres is located near Rochford and the 
 proposition is one of amorphous graphite, which is used principally 
 for making paint pigment. There is said to be at present 120,000 
 tons in sight and it is estimated that the property will yield at least 
 six million tons. A change of name is contemplated to distinguish 
 between a manufacturing and a copper proposition, which latter it 
 is not. The factory and offices of the company are in Chicago, 111. 
 
 Cumberland. Mining and Milling Company. — Owns 52 acres, 
 30 acres patented, 3 miles southeast of Hill City. Company is de- 
 veloping one of the well-known old mines of Pennington county, the 
 J. R., and has a vertical shaft 240 feet deep, giving 600 feet depth 
 below the outcrop. The former owners produced about $60,000 
 from the high-grade ore. Capitalized for $1,500,000, in shares of 
 $1 each, par value. F. C. Crocker of Hill City, is president and 
 general manager; Jackson Crocker, vice-president; James Graham, 
 Hill City, secretary-treasurer. 
 
 Dora Belle Mine. — Consists of one ten-acre claim adjoining 
 the Holy Terror on the west. Owned by James Stewart and Mike 
 Cronin, of Keystone. Developed by a tunnel 80 feet in length, 
 showing quartz stringers, and the owners believe that by sinking the 
 solid vein will be found. Situated in a locality favorable to the 
 making of a good piece of property. 
 
 Gertie Mining and Milling Company. — Owns 155 acres, 35 
 acres patented, near Hill City, S. D. The company is developing 
 a meritorious tin property, and has a shaft 500 feet deep showing 
 eight feet of solid ore with the foot wall not yet in sight. At the 
 surface there are two veins with 20 feet of country rock between, 
 dipping in slightly different directions.''"But one of these is explored 
 to any depth. Capitalized for one million shares of one dollar each, 
 par value. L. Q. Wright, of Cleveland, is president; F. H. Trude, 
 Chicago, vice-president; E. C. Johnson, Hill City, secretary and 
 treasurer. 
 
 Gold Standard Development Company. — Organized under 
 laws of South Dakota, with capital stock of $1,000,000, in shares of 
 $1 each. Henry Robinson of Akron, O., is president and treasurer ; 
 M. E. Robinson is vice-president, and Harvey Musser is secretary. 
 The other directors are George Phillips and James Duncan. The 
 property is located two miles from Pactola and one and one-half 
 miles from the Wyoming & Dakota railway, now building; it con- 
 sists of 1,800 acres, well timbered and watered, and a portion has 
 been already patented. Rapid creek is only one and one-half miles 
 distant. Several shafts have been sunk on the ground, the deepest 
 being no feet; and cross-cuts are now being run at the hundred 
 foot level to determine the width of the vein, which assays from 
 $1.50 to $40 and will probably average $5 per ton gold. The vein 
 is a vertical and apparently free milling ore. This vein can be 
 traced a great distance on the surface and all development work 
 so far has been confined to this, although other good veins have 
 been found on the property. 
 
 Gopher Gold Mining Company.— Owns 200 acres five miles 
 northwest of Hill City. The principal development consists of 
 four shafts — one 100 feet, one 180 feet and the others shallower. 
 Some 400 feet of drifting and crpsscutting has been done. A small 
 vein of free milling ore has been opened. It is capitalized for 
 $1,000,000 in 100,000 shares of $10 each, par value. A. D. Arundel 
 of HiII City, is manager. 
 
 Highland Group. — Consists of 60 acres, unpatented, the sole 
 property of Fred H. Whitfield, of Rapid City. Ground situated 
 near Silver City, Pennington County. Developed by a 60-foot in- 
 cline shaft, showing good body of gold and silver ore. The mine 
 is equipped with a complete lo-stamp mill, and the holdings in- 
 clude water right, timber land, etc. 
 
 J. C. Sherman's Pactola Properties. — Mr. Sherman came to 
 Pactola (then called Camp Crook) in March, 1876, and has prob- 
 ably handled more mining properties than any one in the district. 
 He owned at one time the well known Omega group, which he sold 
 to New York parties. He developed the Amaqueen mines near 
 Custer Peak, 15 miles south of Lead City, and he owns the Harvest 
 
 mine of lead, gold and silver, located half a mile from Pactola. 
 He IS actively at work on this mine and has sunk a shaft 55 feet, 
 all in ore with high assay. 
 
 He confidently expects to reap his "harvest" from this mine 
 and he ought to know, being probably better acquainted with the 
 mines of this district than any one in the Black Hills to-day. 
 
 Lucky Boy Mine. — Consists of ten acres adjoining townsite 
 of Keystone. A vein carrying good gold values, first discovered in 
 a tunnel, showed considerable improvement at 200 feet that it was 
 decided to sink 200 feet more, and a strictly first-class mining plant 
 was installed^ to do the work. A shaft 7x17 feet (three compart- 
 ments) is being sunk. The machinery consists of 150 horsepower 
 hoist good for 1,200 feet, 16x30 Corliss air compressor, boilers, etc. 
 The property is owned by Walter Read and T. J. Neacy, owners 
 of the Filer & Stowell Machinery Company of Milwaukee. 
 
 Mainstay G. M. and M. Co.— Owns 35 acres near Keystone, 
 S. D. Explorations on the vein show an ore body 137 feet wide, 
 claimed to be good milling ore (gold). On the 200-foot level shows 
 equally as strong as nearer the surface, and is evidently a big low 
 grade ore body, half the values free-milling and the balance con- 
 centrating and cyaniding should recover. Equipped with hoist, com- 
 pressors, 30-stamp mill, and a cyanide annex to the plant is pro- 
 posed, when production will be resumed. Capitalized for one 
 million shares of one dollar each par value. E. S. Burnham, New 
 York, is president; Dr. A. W. McCandless, vice-president; A. W. 
 Trimpi, secretary-treasurer; T. R. Griffiths, general manager. 
 
 Maloney Blue Lead Copper Mining & Smelting Company. 
 — Incorporated under laws of South Dakota and capitalized for 
 $3,000,000 in shares of $1 each. R. M. Maloney of Deadwood is 
 president and treasurer. The property consists of 345 acres of pat- 
 ented and 35 acres of unpatented ground east of Hill City and 
 near the Keystone branch of the Burlington railway. It is a cop- 
 per proposition. 
 
 Mineral Group.— Known as the Cochran Mine. James Coch- 
 ran, owner, Rochford, S. D. This group consists of 50 acres, located 
 at Myersville. The ore is a free-milling quartz averaging $4 to $8 
 per ton. Mr. Cochran owns a 20-ton Huntington mill which he runs 
 during the summer months, and has produced $35,0000 in gold to 
 date. The property is developed by two shafts 100 feet deep, 200 
 feet of 'drifts, and large open cuts from which the ore has been 
 milled. 
 
 National Smelting Company.— Incorporated under the laws 
 of Maine. Capitalized for $1,500,000, divided into 300,000 shares of 
 $5' each. W. L. McLaughlin, general manager, Deadwood, S. D. ; 
 Th. Knutzen, superintendent, Rapid City, S. D. This company is 
 practically the same as the Horseshoe Mining Company, and is op- 
 erated in conjunction with the latter corporation. The company 
 owns a 300-ton matte smelter at Rapid City, one of the best equipped 
 and most complete plants of its kind in the United States. It was 
 completed in May, 1902, and was purchased by the present manage- 
 ment on September i of the same year. 
 
 Omega Mine. — Consists of 300 acres, near Pactola. Shows a 
 large body of low grade free milling ore, developed by 150- foot 
 tunnel, numerous cross-cuts and a shaft. Owned by George W. 
 Clark of New York City. 
 
 Oriole Mining Company.— Incorporated under the law.s of 
 South Dakota and capitalized for 1,000,000 shares of $1 each, of 
 which 400,000 shares are in the treasury. J. N. Wright, general 
 manager, Custer, S. D. This company's property of 116 acres is 
 developed by a 100-foot shaft and 100 feet of drifting. One carload 
 of ore shipped to Denver brought ^66 per ton. 
 
 E,edfern Gold Mining & Milling Company. — Incorporated 
 under the laws of South Dakota and capitalized for 1,000,000 shares 
 of $1 each. John Croft, president, Deadwood, S. D. ; J. W. Baker, 
 secretary, Deadwood, S. D. ; Peter Stankovitche, manager. Lead, 
 S. D. The company owns twelve claims of 240 acres two miles 
 southwest of Redfern station on the Burlington Route. Develop- 
 ment work shows indications of large quantities of ore, which a 
 five-stamp experimental mill proves can be worked at a profit. 
 Five stamps are being added and active development work carried 
 on. 
 
 Biobhie Burns Group. — Consists of 90 acres 5 miles west of 
 Rochford, near the Golden West mine. Partially developed and 
 shows a seemingly large body of hornblendic ore, assays averaging 
 $3.50 free milling. Owned by Dr. L. D. Bailor, Lead City; E. H. 
 Sheppherd, Rochford, and W. A. Quimby, Lead City. 
 
 Sallie Cavanaugh Mine.— Consists of 240 acres one mile 
 from Oreville, Pennington county. Shows large veins of good 
 quality tin ore. Three thousand feet along the strike of the vein 
 is owned, making a well developed proposition with the numerous 
 open cuts and shafts in that distance. The vein has an average 
 width of eight feet. A gold medal was given the owners at the 
 Chicago World's Fair for the purest cassiterite, taken from this 
 property. Owned by Mrs. Jeff McDermott, Oreville, Thomas 
 Sweeney, James Halley and others of Rapid City. 
 
 Standby Mine.— J. B. Baker, manager. Lead, S. D. This 
 property is located at R.ochford, on the main line of the Burlington 
 
VARIOUS PROPERTIES OF CUSTER COUNTY.— THE CENTRAL VIEW SHOWS THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATION AROUND CUSTER PARK. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 iqr 
 
 Route, and consists of 75 acres of patented ground and 150 horse- 
 power water right on Rapid creek. It is equipped with a 60-stamp 
 mill, air compressor, etc. There are large bodies of low-grade ore 
 which in the past have been treated by the free-milling process. 
 It has been found that only about 30 per cent of the values can be 
 saved by this process, and plans are under way for the erection 
 of a concentrating and cyaniding annex to the mill. Extensive ex- 
 periments tend to prove that the values can be successfully ex- 
 tracted by these methods. 
 
 Sunbeam Mining' & Milling Company.— Incorporated under 
 the laws of South Dakota. Capitalized for 1,000,000 shares of $1 
 each. J. N. Wright, vice-president, Custer, S. D. ; James Graham, 
 manager, Hill City, S. D. Tlie company owns 60 acres of unpat- 
 ented ground seven miles northwest of Hill City, on Friday gulch. 
 This property is known as the "Hawk Wright ground," and has a 
 reputation for richness, fine free-gold specimens having been taken 
 from the vein. The ground is equipped with a hoist, compressor, 
 etc., and a lo-stamp mill. This property is watched with great in- 
 terest, as the vein at a depth of 425 feet is very rich, giving values 
 of from $20 to several thousand dollars per ton.. 
 
 Tamarack Group. — Consists of 320 acres 1.5 miles west of 
 Rapid City, near Rapid Creek. Shows a big mineralized zone i,8oQ 
 feet wide of quartz and slate. A tunnel is being driven to tap the 
 
 vein at several hundred feet depth. Owned by P. B. McCarthy of 
 Rapid City. 
 
 The Bullion Gold Mining & Milling Company. — Has cap- 
 ital stock of $s,ooo,ooo, in shares of $1 each. Officers are F. H. 
 Long, president ; E. S. Hartwell, vice-president ; J. F. Huntoon, 
 secretary and treasurer. The property consists of 80 acres located 
 at Keystone. A tunnel of 160 feet has been driven 100 feet below 
 the outcrop and another has been driven 1,000 feet, which is 400 
 feet below the outcrop. Three cross-cuts from foot wall show a 
 workable vein 70 feet wide and the hanging wall not yet reached. 
 Where the 1,000-foot tunnel cuts the vein the ore averages $7 per 
 ton, some of it running much higher. Mr. Long is pursuing active 
 operations. 
 
 Tin King Mine. — Consists of 60 acres, near Oreville, owned 
 by E. C. Hunt, of that postoffice. A large tin vein is exposed in 
 numerous workings. 
 
 Tykoon Mining Company.— Incorporated under South Da- 
 kota laws with capitalization of $1,000,000 in shares of $1 each. 
 W. E. Holmes, secretary. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The property con- 
 sists of 200 acres, partly patented, adjoining the town of Key- 
 stone. The ore is adapted for amalgamation and concentration and 
 is treated in a ten-stamp mill. One tunnel 600 feet long cuts five 
 veins from 6 to 43 feet wide. A shaft 100 feet deep, with cross- 
 cut of 150 feet, cuts three veins from 6 to 22 feet wide. 
 
 CUSTER COUNTY MINES AND MINING. 
 
 Ever since the discovery of gold in Custer county, mining has 
 been the chief pursuit of the citizens. Placer mining flourished 
 in the early days, and is followed to some extent yet, although 
 the fields are gradually becoming worked out. Still, the gravel 
 of French creek and its tributaries has given employment to many 
 men during the last fifteen years in the recovery of the placer 
 gold. Tenderfoot gulch is another placer creek of Custer county, 
 and gave its share of gold to the world. Placer mining being the 
 easiest accomplished under ordinary circumstances of climate and 
 physical condition, is the first attempted in a new country, but the 
 attention of the prospector is soon directed to the more substantial 
 class, lode or quartz mining. 
 
 In 1876 the first discoveries of quartz ores were made in 
 Custer county, numerous miners claiming to have been the first 
 discoverers of "ore in place," or veins. Wonderfully rich speci- 
 mens were found, the veins further exploited, and upon the excel- 
 lent showings made stamp mills were built. 
 
 But, like the hopes of many of the pioneers in a new section, 
 they were destined to be crushed. Though the veins produced 
 rich ore near the surface, ore that yielded good profits in the 
 amalgamating mills, it was found that at no great depth the char- 
 acter changed. The gold which on the surface had been released 
 by the elements from its associated base metals (oxidized, as it is 
 called) was lower down still intermingled and combined witii 
 them, and could not be saved in the stamp mills. Thus, knowing 
 nothing of the new processes which have since Jsten devised for 
 the treatment of- such ores, the mills were abandoned. One mill in 
 Custer county was 'operated on ore that was worth at least twenty- 
 five dollars a 'ton and four-fifths of the amount was lost owing to 
 improper devices for saving it. No -attempt was made to save the 
 gold other than by amalgamation, while to-day the mills are 
 equipped with cyanide vats and ninety per cent of the values 
 recovered where not one-third was returned before. 
 
 There is still another cause for the abandonment of at least 
 one particular mine, and that was that the mill was not even a 
 second or a third class stamp mill. It was a stamp mill first oper- 
 ated in the zinc fields of Illinois, moved from there to Colorado, 
 discarded as worn out, brought to Deadwood and operate for a 
 short time, discarded again and taken to this mine in Custer county. 
 It was poorly erected, the mortars being set on a log, vihich in 
 turn laid on soft soil near a bog, with the result that as the 
 stamps dropped in it it swayed to and fro. The mill was "hung 
 up" for repairs about half the time, and finally had to be abandoned 
 since it could not be made to crush ore enough to pay for ordinary 
 expenses and repairs. From the tailings of this mill, which ran 
 twenty-five years ago, the writer has many times panned gold and 
 amalgam, while a few years ago people in the vicinity made money 
 placer mining the tailings. Thus has Custer county been ever 
 handicapped by misunderstanding and misapplication of milling 
 
 processes, and is only to-day awakening to the possibilities of the 
 new metallurgical methods. 
 
 The veins of Custer county, that is gold veins, occur as fissures 
 in the slates, having a variety of dips and courses. In other words 
 there is no great regularity or vein system evident in the county 
 save in one instance. Mineral Ridge. Probably the intense volcanic 
 action which forced Harney Peak and its attendant mass of- granite 
 mountains to the surface distorted the slates for miles in every 
 ' direction. Cracks or fissures were formed such as one sees in 
 the earth on dry, hot days in summer, and were in turn filled by 
 vein matter. Small, rich veins are the rule, large, low-grade ones 
 the exception. Wonderfully rich ore is mined from veins from a 
 foot to ten feet in width. 
 
 The great pity is that sufficient depth has not been secured in 
 Custer county to accurately estimate the value of the veins. 
 Mining has been accomplished near the surface, where as explained 
 the rich free-milling ore is found, and ' the veins in many cases 
 abandoned when the refractory streaks are encountered. 
 
 The ores in these small veins are of such a character as wduld 
 indicate that they extend to great depths. Tellurides of gold and 
 silver-sylvanite and calaverite — and tellurides of gold, silver and 
 bismuth — tetradymite — are minerals that have a deep-seated origin. 
 Undoubtedly, then the veins have come from far toward the cen- 
 ter of the earth, and they may, and will be, followed one day fot 
 thousands of feet in their downward courses, and will prove the 
 producers of millions of dollars. True, business-like, scientific 
 gold mining has only just begun in Custer county. 
 
 Aside from gold, Custer county's mineral resources are most 
 varied and valuable. The largest producing mica mine in the 
 Black Hills is but two miles from Custer City, the county seat, 
 v.'ith many other producers and prospects near by. It has a record 
 of production amounting to $200,000. Excellent marble is mined 
 at various points in the Harney range of mountains, and in the 
 foothills to the east and southeast. A fine quality of building 
 stone, sandstone and lime, is quarried in the foothills. Rare ele- 
 ments, such as platinum, palladium, osmium, irridium, cobalt, etc., 
 are found in the veins. Copper is well distributed through veins 
 in the western part of county, occurring in fissures breaking 
 through the carboniferous limestone. Tin veins are abundant and 
 show fine values. Some of the Harney Peak Company's best prop- 
 erty is located in Custer county. Iron veins are occasionally found, 
 immense bodies of hematite like Iron Mountain being not infre- 
 quent. 
 
 Water and timber for the miner are well supplied by nature. 
 Practically the entire county is covered with an exceptionally heavy 
 growth of Norway pine, the extreme western end being probably 
 the best timbered of all. Thus Custer county exhibits and holds 
 forth to the investor all of the geological and physical advantages 
 for economic mining which could be asked for, and at some time 
 in the near future dozens of mills will be successfully working on 
 Custer county ores where to-day there is one. 
 
RUBERTA MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 The Ruberta Mining and Milling Company was organized in 
 the latter part of the year 1902, purchasing the property known 
 as the "Old Charlie" mine, situated four miles southwest of Cus- 
 ter ; also four miles from the Burlington railway, on Four Mile 
 creek. The mine was discovered and located by Charles Holmes 
 in 18S0. He found free gold cropping in several veins on the sur- 
 face. 
 
 The first concerted attempt at working the mine was made by 
 a company of Michigan capitalists, who built a 20-stamp mill. They 
 handled about _l,oco tons of ore and produced about $7,500. Since 
 then the mine has been operated by various leasers and has pro- 
 duced several thousand dollars' worth of gold, some of the ore run- 
 ning as high as $10 per ton on the plates. The mine could not be 
 made to pay, as the ore is not free-milling jn character, only a por- 
 tion of the gold being amenable to the amalgamation process. It 
 was, of course, necessary, in order to make the ore pay to handle, 
 to mine only the very richest portions of the veins, and in this way 
 a few dollars a ton could be saved on the plates, while tailings 
 worth $20 a ton and more were turned down the stream. 
 
 It has been demonstrated that the concentrates and slimes car- 
 rying the principal values, and which were not saved, assayed some- 
 
 1 1 
 
 /^roper/y of /?uberfci/yl/nin^ 
 cin(jfjy//JIjn^ Company. 
 
 times as high as $200 per ton, and occasionally up to $i,coo per ton. 
 Cyanide will save these values, and this is the method by which 
 the Ruberta company will treat the ores. 
 
 The first work of the Ruberta company on coming into pos- 
 session of the property was to retimber the 200-foot shaft and make 
 it a safe working place for the miners. Then a drift was run from 
 the bottom a distance of 40 feet following the vein, and another 
 drift of similar length run east, cutting the vein and formation and 
 exposing several smaller ore bodies. Mr. Olds, the general mana- 
 ger of the company, sank this shaft himself before incorporating 
 the company, spending approximately $25,000 in development. 
 
 The hill on which the mine is situated is a perfect network of 
 veins, at least twenty different ore bodies being disclosed in the 
 workings. They have practically the same dip and trend, and in- 
 crease rapidly with depth. The veins vary in width from a few 
 inches up to eight feet, and converging, or enlarging, as they do, 
 it is the belief of experts that they will be found to unite at a depth 
 forming a big' ore body. It is believed that at 350 feet a monster 
 
 vein will be found, as, from indications, a large number of the small 
 fissures will be fo'.'.nd to have joined. 
 
 An open cut 150 feet long, 30 feet wide and 30 feet deep is 
 practically all ore, giving good results by the free-milling process. 
 A vertical shaft has been sunk 20 feet north of the cut to a depth of 
 ICO feet, opening several veins, some of which assayed as high as 
 $2,000 per ton. The ores found carried tellurides of gold and were 
 only partially free-milling, and carried a portion of their values in 
 sulphides. Fifty feet below the surface in this shaft a drift was run 
 to cut the formation. Several veins were encountered, and the val- 
 ues were shown to increase with depth. At the bottom of the shaft 
 another cross-cut was run on the same course to determine the 
 continuity of the veins which had been opened above. All the 
 veins previously discovered were found, and showed increase in 
 width as well as value. Six veins were cut in the lower drift within 
 a distance of 60 feet from the shaft. 
 
 On the east side of the claims a tunnel has been driven in under 
 the big open cut, towards the main vertical shaft. This tunnel taps 
 the veins at a depth of about 100 feet, and shows good values. 
 
 The property is equipped with a new air compressor, hoist, 
 pumps, and all material for continuous working. The hoisting en- 
 gine is built to raise ore from^ a depth of 600 feet. 
 
 The company is erecting a mill which will contain six Merralls 
 rapid crushing stamps, reducing the ore to one-quarter-inch parti- 
 cles, after which it is delivered to rolls and reduced to any desired 
 fineness. After amalgamating, the ore will be treated by the cya- 
 nide process. The cost of mining and milling should not exceed 
 $2.50 per ton, and the mill will save 90 per cent of the values in the 
 ore. Mr. Olds believes that the average value of the ore will be 
 not less than $15 per ton — a very conservative estimate, considering 
 the fact that 100 assays from the vein in the incline shaft averaged 
 $44 per ton from the surface to the bottom. The property is- cov- 
 ered with good timber, and plenty of water can be readily secured, 
 both from the mine and from surface springs. 
 
 The Ruberta Mining and Milling Company has a capital of 
 $750,000, divided into 750,000 shares of a par value of $1 each. 
 W. W. Olds of Custer, S. D., is president and general manager; 
 A. J. Branyan of Cleveland, O., vice-president; J. R. Smith of 
 Custer, secretary, and W. F. Hanley of Custer, treasurer. The 
 company owns 140 acres of property, held by the annual perform- 
 ance of assessment work. 
 
 MAY MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Ten miles southwest of Custer City, on Lightning creek, is the 
 property of the May Mining and Milling Company, consisting of 120 
 acres. The mine exhibits very peculiar geological conditions, appear- 
 ing to be entirely of volcanic origin, entirely different from sur- 
 rounding sections. Several large diorite dikes form one of the walls 
 of the veins, the opposite wall being either schist or quartzite. The 
 veins are verticles, and, having undoubted eruptive walls, may be 
 safely considered to extend to great depths. 
 
 The veins are as, a rule narrow, but very rich. Their width 
 rarely exceeds four feet. The ores show a plentiful sprinkling of 
 free gold to the naked eye, and as an instance of their value, it 
 may be stated that $80 was panned out in two hours by one man 
 from the decomposed ore occurring on and near the surface. 
 
 The principal developments consist of two shafts gn the veins, 
 one being 100 feet deep, with 30 feet of drifting at the bottom fol- 
 lowing the ore. Good values were returned from assays and pan 
 tests. Four hundred feet from this opening another shaft was sunk 
 100 feet to prove the continuity of the veins, the same ore being 
 found as at original discovery. 
 
 The veins have a slight dip to the southwest and their general 
 course is northeast. The values developed are sufficient to warrant 
 the erection of a free-milling and cyaniding mill, and the company 
 is contemplating the construction of a plant of that character. 
 Water in abundance can be easily secured, and the property is cov- 
 ered with a heavy gro\Yth of pine timber. 
 
 The May Mining and Milling Company is incorporated with a 
 capital of $750,000, the shares having a par value of $1 each. The 
 president is I. M. Donaldson; secretary-treasurer, J. R. Smith, and 
 general manager, W. W. Olds, all the gentlemen being residents of 
 Custer City. The main office of the company is given as Custer 
 City, S. D. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 195 
 
 GRANTZ GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Grantz Gold Mining Company is the owner of two tracts 
 of land in the southern Black Hills, one known as the St. Elmo 
 group, five miles south of Hill City, in Pennington county, and the 
 other, the Roosevelt group, nine miles northwest of Custer City, in 
 Custer county. Both properties are surveyed for patent, and consist 
 of 163 and 210 acres each, respectively. 
 
 The St. Elmo is one of the old mines of the section, and has 
 passed through several hands, finally over two years ago coming into 
 the possession of a company headed by Otto P. Th. Grantz, a 
 miner of nearly half a century's experience. The ground adjoins 
 the Clara Belle mine, and the ores of the two are identical in char- 
 acter. In fact, the underground workings of the two properties are 
 connected where the Qara Belle owners had taken ore from their 
 extension of the St. Elmo vein. 
 
 Under former management and ownership the mine was robbed 
 of the better portions of the veins, mining being carried on in a 
 most unworkmanlike manner. The richer parts of the ore body were 
 gouged out, timbering was poorly done, the stopes rendered unsafe 
 for workmen, and the property in general suffered from mismanage- 
 ment. 
 
 Mr. Grantz himself took personal charge of the operations of the 
 company on its organization, and the first work inaugurated was the 
 sinking of a large working shaft to open the vein below the old 
 stopes, admitting of cheap mining combined with safety for the men. 
 This shaft has been sunk to a depth of 208 feet vertically, and drift- 
 ing to the vein will soon be in progress. When the vein is opened 
 at this level the property will be in shape to produce ore to the best 
 advantage. 
 
 The St. Elmo is equipped with a first-class ten-stamp mill, com- 
 plete, built by the last owners. After this mill was built it was 
 operated only a short time. Good results were obtained, considering 
 the fact that no attempt was made to save any of the values save 
 the free-milling portion, or that caught on the amalgamating plates. 
 Undoubtedly a large portion of the values in the ore were lost in 
 the tailings from this crude milling operation, and it is the intention 
 of the Grantz company to add to the mill a complete cyaniding equip- 
 ment before attempting to treat any more of the ore. 
 
 The following table gives the value of the bullion shipped to 
 the United States Assay Office during a portion of the year 1896. 
 The number of tons is taken from the records of the company : 
 
 Tons. Gold value. 
 
 43 ? 561.29 
 
 28 30930 
 
 13 14930 
 
 32 511-94 
 
 31 430.66 
 
 72 77783 
 
 30 33179 
 
 57 • 636.24 
 
 Total. .306 $3,708.35 
 
 Average per ton, in gold, $12.12. 
 
 This is a splendid showing, as $2.50 per ton is an outside figure 
 for the cost of mining and milling the ore. The ore is delivered into 
 bins at the top of the mill by wagons from the mine, the two being 
 
 about one-half mile apart, and downhill all the way from mine to 
 mill. The machinery of the plant is first class, and could be made 
 read}' to run upon a day's notice. There is lumber delivered at the 
 mill for the cyanide annex, and several hundred cords of wood piled 
 up would furnish fuel for many months. In addition to these 
 assets, the property is covered with heavy pine timber in suffi- 
 cient quantities to furnish the mine and mill with timbers and fuel 
 for years to come. Several springs and gulches furnish the water 
 used in the reduction of the ore. 
 
 Quite a different state of affairs exists at the Roosevelt mine, 
 the other property of the Grantz company. Here the company is 
 engaged in developing an almost virgin piece of ground. With the 
 exception of a forty-foot shaft and a small open cut, practically no 
 development had been done upon the property until Mr. Grantz took 
 hold. Since then a large working shaft, two-compartment, has been 
 sunk to a depth of ninety feet, encountering the vein on its north- 
 ward dip, and considerable drifting, nearly 200 feet, accomplished on 
 this level. It is proposed to sink this shaft several hundred feet 
 deeper, as the course and dip of the ore shoots have now been de- 
 termined and the company has a good basis of knowledge to work, 
 from. 
 
 On the surface the vein is well exposed in an open cut. The 
 ore body has a width of four to six feet of high-grade shipping ore, 
 with occasional stringers that assay up into the thousands. From 
 177 assays made during 1902 and the early part of 1903, an average 
 of $83.03 per ton in gold was returned. 
 
 The ore is a bismuth telluride — tetradymite — occurring in 
 spherical crystals. This telluride carries a high percentage of gold, 
 as eight assays on it give average values of $10,361.65 per ton. 
 There are also found specimens showing sylvanite, and free gold 
 is frequently discovered. The surface indications of the Roosevelt 
 may be said to approximate those of Cripple Creek during its early 
 history, with perhaps even better values exposed than were dis- 
 covered there. Experts from the Colorado camp have no hesitancy 
 in declaring their belief that the Roosevelt will prove richer and 
 better with depth, since such is the history of tellurides ores. 
 
 A comfortable camp has been established at the Roosevelt. 
 Among the buildings are boarding-house, bunk house, assay office, 
 ore house, blacksmith shop, stables and cottages for the employes. 
 The buildings were constructed of lumber sawed from timber 
 cut on the company's ground, and though for several months dur- 
 ing the summer of 1902 a sawmill was in constant operation, hardly 
 a scar was made in the heavy forest. 
 
 The Grantz Gold Mining Company has a capital stock of 
 2,500,000 shares of a par value of $1 each. The principal office is 
 at Deadwood. 
 
 Otto P. Th. Grantz is president. He is a miner of repute, hav- 
 ing been in the West nearly all of his life, coming to the Black Hills 
 at an early date. Some four years ago he sold valuable property 
 in North Lead to the Hidden Fortune Gold Mining Company, after 
 netting himself from three carloads of ore $67,000. Mr. Grantz also 
 acts as general manager of the company, giving the affairs his per- 
 sonal attention. George V. Ayres, hardware and mining supply mer- 
 chant of Deadwood, is secretary and treasurer. Other directors 
 are James McDonald, Hill City; D. M. Gillette, R. H. Graves and 
 Asa Baldwin of Deadwood and Herbert S. Shaw of Denver. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 197 
 
 THE CUYAHOGA MINING COMPANY. 
 
 The Cuyahoga Mining Company was organized in the spring 
 of igoo under the laws of the state of South Dakota with a capital 
 of $500,000, the shares having a par value of $1 each. The property 
 of the company consists of a group of twenty-nine contiguous and 
 adjoining claims aggregating 580 acres in the Iron Mountain dis- 
 trict of Custer county, four miles from Keystone on the B. & M. 
 railway, as illustrated in the accompanying map; also two claims 
 at Spokane, two and one-half miles from the first-mentioned prop- 
 erty, containing veins of silver-lead ore, and one claim one-half mile 
 from Glendale, on which a fine showing of the valuable mineral 
 mica has been made. 
 
 On the main group of the company the principal development 
 consists of a tunnel 700 feet long running north and south at right 
 angles to the formation. At a point 100 feet 
 from the portal of the tunnel a quartz fissure 
 in the slates 20 feet wide has been opened. 
 Careful assays have demonstrated this vein 
 to have an average value of $4.10 in gold per 
 ton. Two hundred and six feet from the 
 portal a vein loi feet wide, assaying from $5 
 to $15.12 per ton in gold, is disclosed. The 
 vein is divided by a characteristic horse of 
 slate 30 feet wide. 
 
 One of the most curious formations ex- 
 hibited in the Black Hills is found in this 
 vein. A large opening or cave was encount- 
 ered 30 by so feet and 25 feet in height. It 
 was practically filled with an ash or decom- 
 posed quartz which was easily removed, and, 
 in order to thoroughly prospect this ore body, 
 the hoisting engine shown on the opposite 
 page was installed and a shaft sunk to a depth 
 of 35 feet. Following the vein at this depth 
 the vein has the same general characteristics 
 as ore first discovered. 
 
 Continuing on through the cave, 350 feet 
 from the entrance the tunnel penetrates a vein 
 of graphite containing 25 per cent of the pure 
 mineral, while near the breast of the tunnel 
 was discovered a vein of tin ore 50 feet wide, 
 carrying the white metal in good percent- 
 ages. On the surface a vein of gold ore has 
 been opened which, has not yet been penetrated 
 by the bore, from which assays as high 
 as $21 per ton have been returned. Careful surveys have estimated 
 that a depth of 550 feet will be gained on this vein by means of the 
 tunnel. 
 
 This is probably one of the most important tunnel developments 
 in the Black Hills, as it well illustrates the numerous bodies of min- 
 eral of different characters which are encountered in the section. 
 As has been noted, there were discovered in this tunnel veins 
 of gold quartz, graphite and tin ore, together with appreciable quan- 
 tities of copper at numerous points. 
 
 In order to handle these enormous bodies of low-grade ore, 
 which must be treated economically and on a large scale, the com- 
 pay will erect a large cyanide plant, as numerous tests have demon- 
 strated the adaptability of the ores to this treatment method. Lum- 
 ber for this plant will be sawed in the company's own mill, the 
 trees cut from the virgin forests, which cover large portions of 
 the territory. The first step toward the construction of this plant 
 will be the erection as early in the spring as feasible of a sawmill 
 
 in which the lumber will be made. The company, by the way, owns 
 one of the finest forests of Norway pine in the southern Black 
 Hills, enough for many years' supply of fuel, lumber and mine 
 timbers. 
 
 At the mouth of the tunnel a power house and blacksmith shop 
 have been erected, containing a lOO-horsepower boiler and a 12 by 12 
 Norwalk air compressor sufficient in size to operate three drills, 
 while it also furnishes power for the underground hoist and pumps. 
 
 Other surface improvements consist of boarding-house, assay 
 office, with complete outfit, four dwellings and a stable. 
 
 All of the operations of the company have been conducted on 
 lines of the strictest economy, although the buildings have been 
 erected most substantially. Scarcely $35,000 has been expended by 
 
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 the company in development work and in making the improve- 
 ments mentioned. 
 
 The officers of the Cuyahoga Mining Company are H. A. 
 Henke of Qeveland, O., president; H. G. Wickoff of Paynesville, 
 O., vice-president; J. A. Foerstner of Qeveland, O., secretary; 
 H. C. Hemann, also of Cleveland, treasurer, and F. A. Gira of Cus- 
 ter, general manager. The secretary's office is 521 The Cuyahoga, 
 Cleveland, O., and the manager's office, Custer City, S. D. 
 
 The gentlemen comprising the directorate of the Cuyahoga 
 Mining Company are men of large means, principally of Cleveland ; 
 and Mr. Gira, the manager, is also of that city. He is fortunate 
 in having the entire confidence of the directorate and has accepted 
 the responsibility by making his home at Custer until he shall have 
 developed the mine to such an extent that it will no longer require 
 his presence on the spot. In other words, he has sacrificed every 
 other interest to the one in hand and carries with him every ele- 
 ment of success for that reason. 
 
1 98 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 THE GOLDEN BANNER MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 The property of the Golden Banner Mining and Milling Com- 
 pany is situated about eight miles northwest of Custer City, in Cus- 
 ter county, S. D. It consists of 192 acres of land, covering the 
 veins for a distance of 1,000 feet along their outcrop. The ores of 
 the Golden Banner company are free-milling and concentrating in 
 character; in other words, to save the values the material is to be 
 treated in a stamp mill. First, the free gold recovered by amalga- 
 mation and the concentrates saved by machines. 
 
 At the sawmill, which the company has erected, is installed a 
 boiler and engine of sufficient power to operate a small stamp mill. 
 The company intends to build this stamp mill adjoining the saw- 
 mill so that both can be operated by the same power. Excavations 
 have already been made for the stamp mill, and it will probably be 
 completed during the present year. With the equipjnent of five 
 stamps much can be- determined regarding the possibilities of the 
 ore deposits and their commercial value. 
 
 The ore is found in quartz veins, a series of these parallel 
 bodies running the length of the property in the direction of nearly 
 east and west. These veins are separated by a few feet of slate, 
 which is of sufficient value to pay for milling. The widest point 
 yet opened on the ore body shows it to be over 60 feet across. The 
 greatest depth yet attained is 65 feet, showing the ore to be continu- 
 ous and of uniform value for that distance, with a probability that 
 it continues to immeasurable depth. It is a big low-grade proposi- 
 tion, and if $2.50 to $3 per ton can be saved by amalgamation, a neat 
 profit will be made, since with large stamp mills and mining upon 
 
 a heavy scale,' the total cost of breaking the ore, transporting it 
 to the mill and treatment would not exceed $1.25 per ton. 
 
 As an indicator of the value of the ores,' the result of a little 
 trial test will be mentioned. Six years ago nine wagonloads of 
 ore were taken from the dump at the mouth of one of the shafts. 
 This ore was hauled to a crude mill on Spring creek, where, after 
 considerable delay, the gold was finally recovered. Each wagon- 
 load consisted of very nearly a ton of ore, and the gold recovered 
 amounted to $18.70, or a little better than $2 per ton. No attempt 
 was made to save the concentrates, which are of good value, and 
 Messrs. Downing and Yerxa, who conducted the test, believe that 
 only a small portion of the gold was recovered, since the mill was 
 such a crude affair that it was impossible to do close work. This 
 test clearly shows the possibilities of the mine, and as a big low- 
 grade proposition it ranks favorably with others of the Black Hills. 
 
 Some $3,100 has already been spent by the Golden Banner com- 
 pany erecting a sawmill, sawing lumber and constructing a water 
 ditch, erecting a barn, blacksmith shop, whim, shaft house, etc. 
 About 25,000 feet of lumber was sawed, all of which has been used 
 in the construction of these buildings. All the lumber for mining 
 and the building of the mill can be sawed from trees on the com- 
 pany's ground for $4 per 1,000 feet. 
 
 The president of the Golden Banner Mining Company is Isaac 
 Downing; secretary and treasurer, 'W. E. Benedict; superintendent, 
 A. J. Yerxa. It is capitalized for 750,000 shares of a par value of $1 
 each. The general office is located at Custer City, S. D. 
 
 SHOWING SURFACE IMPROVEMENTS ON GOLDEN BANNER PROPERTY. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED . 
 
 199 
 
 THE EXTREME GOLD MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 A little over a year ago J. N. Wright, one of the prosperous 
 mining operators, a pioneer citizen of Custer City, succeeded in 
 interesting with him several capitalists of Washington, Pa., and 
 other Eastern points, in an enterprise which was incorporated as 
 "The Extreme Gold Mining & Milling Company," under the laws 
 of South Dakota. Under the control of the company are 320 
 acres of unpatented property situated three miles northwest of 
 Custer City on Ruby Creek. A great deal of the property is heavily 
 timbered ; in fact, a quarter of a million feet of lumber which was 
 cut and sawed for the company scarcely made an impression on 
 the forest which it owjis. 
 
 The main vein owned by The Extreme Company is a true 
 fissure in the slates, from ten to fifty feet thick, producing a quartz 
 heavily impregnated with arsenopyrite. To treat this ore The Ex- 
 treme Company decided a year ago to erect a mill embodying the 
 principles of crushing by stamps, amalgamating, concentrating and 
 cyaniding. If it were not for the arsenopyrite it would not be 
 necessary to concentrate before cyaniding, but it is well known 
 that this mineral has a deleterious effect on cyanide solutions ; con- 
 sequently it is elinjinated from the ore by concentrators before the 
 pulp is treated in the cyanide vats. 
 
 Hundreds of assays have been made from this vein, showing it 
 to carry values from $2.20 to $408 per ton in gold. Mr. Wright 
 believes that the ore will average, as it is delivered to the mill, from 
 $8 to $10 per ton. Another vein which this company owns is a large 
 ore body, a fissure in the slates, forty to fifty feet wide, and con- 
 tains som.e very rich streaks. The average value is placed at $4 
 to $S per ton. 
 
 The mill which the company is running contains ten stamps, 
 and its adaptability to the treatment of the ores is being thoroughly 
 demonstrated. The tailings from the mill assay from $1.20 to $1.40, 
 although the cyanide annex has not yet been finished. When this 
 annex is in operation, probably ninety per cent of this value will 
 be saved. The mill was erected by the company with a view of 
 demonstrating in the most practical manner its value as applied to 
 the ores of the company. It is constructed in such a manner that 
 it may be increased in capacity as conditions warrant, and in the 
 future we may hope to see a plant containing at least sixty stamps 
 and having a daily capacity of 250 tons in operation at this point; 
 at least, such are the hopes of the company. An air compressor 
 will be placed in the mill sufficiently large to furnish power for the 
 hoist pumps and drills at the mine. A dynamo will furnish electric 
 lights for the workings, both surface and underground. 
 
 The ore is hauled now from the mine in wagons, but future 
 plans call for a gravity tramway connecting the hoist and mill, 
 affording a cheaper delivery of ore than by any other method. 
 Whether this will be an aerial rope tram or of another character 
 has not yet been decided. 
 
 Dr. J. Y. Scott, of Washington, Pa., is president of The Ex- 
 treme Gold Mining & Milling Company; W. F. Wright, of Custer 
 City, vice-president ; Dr. W. H. Chambers, of McKeesport, Pa., 
 secretary; W. J. Andrews, of Washington, Pa., treasurer; J. N. 
 Wright, general manager, and Isaac Downing, superintendent. The 
 company has a capital of $1,200,000, divided into a similar number 
 of shares each having a par value of $1. The principal office and 
 place of business js Custer City, S. D., while a branch office has 
 beeui established at Washington, Pa. 
 
 THREE WINTER VIEWS AT THE "EXTREJIE" CAJIP. 
 
:rrri 
 
 ■J-I/lYFiO 
 
 ALBION TUNNEL. 
 
 MINERAL. EIDGE BELT, CUSTER COUNTY, VIEWS AT VARIOUS POINTS. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 20I 
 
 MINERAL RIDGE BELT. 
 
 Five miles south of Custer City is one of the most important 
 geological formations in the Black Hills. For a distance of more 
 than four miles a continuous body of pay ore is shown in a series 
 of mines covering the strike or course of the formation. It is 
 known as Mineral Ridge Belt. 
 
 For the past twenty-five years the various owners have held 
 their claims on the belt, cheerfully doing the annual assessment 
 work required by United States law to hold them, and in the 
 course of that time some of them have been opened to a con- 
 siderable extent. 
 
 The various owners of these claims are unable to handle them, 
 and a wonderful opportunity for the investment of capital is offered.. 
 It is an immense low-grade proposition, requiring, to be placed 
 on a paying basis, the expenditure of thousands of dollars for 
 erection of mills. It is not by any means a small proposition, for 
 the average low grade of the ore would necessitate big milling 
 operations to place them on a paying basis. 
 
 The general characteristics of the belt may be summed up 
 as follows : The outcrop of the veins, the hard quartz and diorite 
 walls, weathering slowly, have left a long mountain or ridge stand- 
 ing, which reaches to a height somewhat above that of the sur- 
 rounding country. The general course of this ridge is northwest 
 and southeast, in general conformity to Black Hills geology, witli 
 deep ravines and gulches paralleling it on either side for nearly its 
 entire distance. The ores are contained in banded veins of quartz, 
 talcose slate and hornblende, from 30 to 200 feet in width, inter- 
 lappihg and paralleling, with a general course of northwest and 
 southeast. The belt is really a system of parallel, interlapping 
 ore bodies, the exact boundaries of which are so hard to determine 
 that at first glance they seem to be one big vein four miles in length. 
 
 The gold values present in ore are both free and in concen- 
 trates, averaging close to and above four dollars per ton. In 
 the opinion of the writer amalgamation and cyanidation would 
 successfully extract the values, and it is fair to presume that, with 
 the natural facilities at hand, the im,mense quantity of ore in sight 
 and a conservative management, this could be accomplished, includ- 
 ing mining and delivery at the mills, for less than two dollars per 
 ton. 
 
 Nearly the whole belt is covered with an exceptionally fine 
 grov/th of pine timber, and sawmills, conveniently located, could 
 supply mining timbers, lumber, etc., for the operation of the prop- 
 erty, while a large amount of the refuse timber, dead trees, etc., 
 could be utilized to advantage as fuel under the boilers. Water 
 could probably be procured either at Bear Springs, a steady flowing 
 and sufficient supply, or it might instead be advisable, if larger 
 milling operations were carried on than the Bear Springs supply 
 would accommodate, to convey the ore by rail to the Cheyenne 
 river, where any amount for practical operations could be procured. 
 
 In toto. Mineral Ridge Belt presents to-day an opening, for 
 the judicious investment of capital, that will bear the closest scrutiny. 
 
 Among the properties along the belt might be mentioned the 
 following : 
 
 The Newark mine, owned by Henry Pilger of Custer City. It 
 is developed, by shaft, to a depth of 100 feet, showing good values 
 in the ores. A large acreage is owned, and included is a water 
 rig'ht. This property is at the northerly end of the belt as here 
 described. 
 
 A short distance northeast of the belt, and paralleling it, is the 
 Mayflower mine, controlled by Henry Pilger and Judge A. T. Feay 
 of Custer City. A stamp mill was built ■ on this mine in the early 
 days, but the crude methods employed were not successful. A deep 
 shaft has been sunk and the vein is well opened up. As a test 
 some 2,800 pounds were sent to Denver. Assays of $14 were 
 returned, and the . metallurgists reported that $12 per ton could 
 be recovered by the cyanide process. 
 
 The Turk mine, owned by James McKenna of Custer, is the 
 producer of some of the highest grade ore found on the belt. 
 Telluride ores assaying a hundred dollars a ton and better are 
 exposed in the workings. 
 
 The Columbia mine, owned by Thomas I. Wheeler of Custer, 
 has been well developed by the owner. A large tunnel is being 
 driven to tap a vein shown in openings higher up the hillside. The 
 property shows large amounts of Jow-grade ore. 
 
 The Evening Star group, owned by A. T. Feay, B. R. Wood, 
 C. W. Robbins and James Demereau of Custer, consists of no 
 acres, showing numerous veins of medium and low grade ores. 
 Considerable exploratory work has been done. 
 
 The Bonanza, consisting of five claims, is the property of 
 Butterfield Bros, of Custer. The principal developments consist 
 of a so-foot shaft and 40-foot tunnel. A 30-foot vein of low-grade 
 ore is exposed. 
 
 The largest development on the belt is on the property of 
 Henry Albion of Custer, where a tunnel several hundred feet in 
 length has penetrated the ore body for a considerable distance. The 
 usual ore of the belt is disclosed, namely, a low-grade free-milling 
 material. 
 
 J. P. Foran, Charles Ostrum and Elmer Ruddock each own 
 groups of claims on the belt, on which the developments have 
 shown ore deposits in conformity with the belt rule, and have each 
 performed on their properties large amounts of valuable work. 
 
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BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 203 
 
 SAGINAW GOLD MINING COMPANY. 
 
 This property consists of 317 acres and is located eight miles 
 northwest of Custer City, on the north fork of French creek. The 
 grounds are heavily timbered with the Norway pine, and a part of 
 the property is a 160-acre ranch through which the north fork of 
 French creek flows. This is a very apparent advantage, as water 
 for milling operations is at hand. 
 
 The property is a large one, and a great deal of development 
 work has been done, most of it under the personal supervision of 
 Mr. L. P. Woodbury, the president of the company, who has ever 
 given the company his unceasing attention. 
 
 DEVELOPMENTS AND EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 The proposition is one of semi-low grade ore with wide veins. 
 The three veins upon which the principal work has been done so far 
 have been explored in shafts, tunnels and surface pits along their 
 course for practically 500 feet. In several diamond drill holes 
 (crosscutting the three veins a number of times) they are again dis- 
 closed at a depth of about 500 feet. A number of other veins are 
 known to occur on the property but have not been developed to 
 any great extent up to this time. 
 
 EXPERT OPINIONS. 
 
 On this point W. J. Rattle, a mining engineer of ^repute of 
 Cleveland, Ohio, says : "The out-croppings and general character 
 of the veins on the Saginaw property are indications that there 
 are a large number of veins in an immense network underlying the 
 grounds." 
 
 The three veins mentioned above have an average dip of 22 
 degrees toward the southeast, and range in width from 18 inches to 
 over 8 feet. They are true fissures, or quartz lodes in the 
 schists, carrying gold in the native state, in iron pyrites and arsen- 
 ical pyrites. By the use of the diamond drill a most interesting 
 geological feature was discovered, namely, that the three veins 
 converge at about 500 feet depth, forming an ore body nearly 20 
 feet wide and a shaft has been started to tap the veins at the depth 
 mentioned which is now down nearly 200 feet. 
 
 LARGE TEST ORE RUNS. 
 
 Henry E. Wood of Denver, a metallurgist of national reputation, 
 has tested a great deal of the Saginaw ores. A recent shipment 
 to him of 33 tons assorted to :onvey an idea of the values in the 
 low-grade ore, gave returns of $8 per ton, and at the same time 
 a test of 600 pounds of selected ore showed values amounting to 
 $86 per ton. Numerous other tests have shown the gold values 
 to run from a few dollars to over a hundred, and a conservative 
 estimate of what might be expected as a general average is given 
 as $10 to $12 per ton. 
 
 PROPER TREATMENT. 
 
 Treatment of the ores will be by a combination of amalgamation, 
 concentration and cyanidation. This, Mr. Wood says, will cost not 
 
 to exceed $2.25 per ton with a proper equipment and accomplished 
 in a mill handling at least 100 tons per day. 
 
 As an example of what can be done on the lower-grade ores 
 by a combination of these processes, the following returns from 
 Mr. Wood are self-explanatory : 
 
 From the sample of 33 tons of low-grade ore he made these 
 tests and the value in each instance ran $8 per ton; the difference 
 in tests was a difference only in the size of the screen mesh, but 
 the results were the same — $8 per ton; and he used amalgamation, 
 concentration and cyanidation and these are the treatments he recom- 
 mends, and by the combined treatment he has been able to extract 
 $7.20 (or go per cent) of the values. He has already made specifica- 
 tions for a loo-ton mill on the proper processes as above and these 
 will be followed in the near future as soon as a little more cross- 
 cutting has been done. A conservative estimate on the amount of 
 ore already blocked out down to 500 feet on the three veins, and 
 figuring on a low average width of the veins as shown, gives a 
 total of 2,250,000 cubic feet or something over 200,000 tons, enough 
 to supply a loo-ton mill over six years. In all probability the prac- 
 tical results will far exceed these estimates both in the values of 
 ore and the amount of ore in sight down to the 500 feet explored' — 
 as we have purposely given particular prominence to the treatment 
 of the lowest grade ore ($8) yet found, whereas much of it runs to 
 very high values and in large quantities as shown above by the test 
 of 600 pounds of ore giving value of $86; on this score a test 
 by Mariner & Hoskins, well-known assayers of Chicago, show 
 values ranging from $55 to $90 and the Dominion of Canada Pro- 
 vincial Assay Office (at Belleville, Ont.) shows values ranging 
 up to $4g.20. 
 
 IMPROVEMENTS TO DATE. 
 
 Improvements upon the property at present include the shaft 
 house and blacksmith shop ; a saw mill where all timber and lumber 
 used by the company is cut ; an assay office 16x20 feet ; office build- 
 ing of three rooms ; bunk house of three rooms ; boarding house of 
 five rooms; several miners' cabins and frame cottages, large 
 barn, etc. 
 
 The shaft machinery is enclosed in a building 35x55 feet, and 
 includes a 14x16 Norwalk high altitude air compressor; a Mono- 
 gram hoist capable of raising ore from 500 feet depth ; 8s-horse- 
 power boiler, and all blacksmith tools, feed purnps, water tanks, etc., 
 necessary. The shaft is two compartment, substantially timbered, 
 and good progress has been made by the use of compressed air 
 drills. 
 
 Fifty-five acres of the property have already been patented 
 and application has been filed for the balance. 
 
 The company is incorporated under the laws of South Dakota 
 with a capitalization of $1,500,000 in shares of $1 each. L. P. Wood- 
 bury of Chicago, is president, with offices at 1021 Stock Exchange 
 building, Chicago. W. Schlichter is secretary and treasurer; the 
 directors are L. P. Woodbury and R. L. Boyer, Chicago; Benjamin 
 Eilber of Ubly, Mich. ; O. W. Mosher of New Richmond, Wis. ; and 
 Howard N. Wagg of Chicago. 
 
204 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 THE WHITE CLOUD GOLD MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Four miles north of Custer City on Laughing Water creek the 
 White Cloud Gold Mining and Milling Company owns 27s acres 
 of the choicest mineral land of Custer county. The claims adjoin 
 and practically surround the celebrated Gold Fish mine of the Glad- 
 iator Consolidated Company and cover, in addition to the numerous 
 quartz veins, over 200 acres of excellent timber land, sufficient for 
 all requirements for mining and domestic purposes. Laughing 
 Water creek, which extends across the property, is a stream in 
 which flows water sufficient to supply any stamp mill the company 
 may erect. 
 
 Cyrus W. Robbins recently made a report on the property of 
 the White Cloud company in which he speaks very flatteringly of 
 the indications for future value. The ore is found in fissure veins 
 of white quartz, the gold being both in a free state and combined 
 with pyrite and tetradymite. On a low hill having a general course 
 of northwest and southeast, four of the largest and strongest veins 
 of gold-bearing quartz have been opened. Their outcrop may be 
 traced the entire length of the property, or nearly two miles, being 
 the extension of the ore bodies opened in the Gold Fish mine. 
 Assays give returns of gold all the way from $3 to $40 per ton, 
 taken at different times and from various points where the veins 
 have been opened, and it is perfectly safe to estimate the average 
 value at $7 per ton. 
 
 Cyaniding will undoubtedly be the treatment pursued by the 
 company in the extraction of the values from its ores. By this 
 process, which has come to be the most general in use throughout 
 
 the Black Hills, the values can be recovered for $1.50 per ton. 
 Estimating mining at $1.50 to $2 per ton, it will be readily seen that 
 the operation of the mill on the class of ore mentioned will be 
 highly profitable. 
 
 AH of the claims have been opened by discovery shafts the reg- 
 ulation ten feet in depth, while many of them have been continued 
 to a greater distance. Several other shafts have been sunk to a 
 depth of 25 feet. In every one of the openings one or more of the 
 four veins mentioned have been disclosed. These veins have a width 
 of from four to twelve feet. On the Gold Ring claim an open cut 
 eight by twelve feet shows a vein four feet wide; on the east of 
 this is a vein fully ten feet in thickness, and another on the west 
 side has a width of four feet. 
 
 The officers and directors of the White Qoud Gold Mining 
 and Milling Company are all citizens of Custer City. Absalom Wil- 
 cox, the president, is one of the pioneers of that section; C. E. Na- 
 son, vice-president, has been prominently identified with mining in 
 the vicinity for several years; J. E. Pilcher, secretary, is an assayer 
 and conducts a general drug business ; T. W. Delicate, the treas- 
 urer, is cashier of the Custer County Bank; J. A. Collins, superin- 
 tendent and general manager, is a man of large experience in the 
 mines. The directors consist of A. Wilcox, S. R. Shankland, C. E. 
 Nason, William Tarrant, J. E. Pilcher, J. A. Collins and F. A. 
 Gira. The company is capitalized for $1,000,000, being organized 
 under the laws of the state of South Dakota, and the main office 
 is at Custer City, S. D. 
 
 AT THE WHITE CLOUD. 
 
BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 205 
 
 ARGYLE FULLER'S EARTH COMPANY. 
 
 Argyle Fuller's Earth Company.— The company is mining 
 Fuller's Earth from a bed fifteen feet thick and of unknown lateral 
 extent, and the proximity to railroad, two miles, gives cheap trans- 
 portation facilities, which enable the company to compete with the 
 material mined from England. The company has the promise of a 
 railroad spur to the property in the future and the output will be 
 enlarged and cheapened. The Fuller's Earth overlies a bed of 
 Henault pumice sand (named after the discoverer, the president of 
 the company) four feet thick, which is sold as an abrasive, a sub- 
 
 stitute for the best Italian ground pumice. Nature has here pro- 
 vided this pumice sand already ground and of unequaled purity, 
 analyses showing Q2 per cent silica and 2 per cent iron with some 
 mica and manganese. The company has a capital stock of $500,000, 
 divided into 100,000 shares of a par value of $5 each. Owns 640 
 acres near Argyle station on the Burlington Route, in southern 
 Custer County. Denis Henault is president, H. A. Albien vice- 
 president and treasurer, and J. S. Putnam, secretary. All of these 
 gentlemen reside in Custer City, where the principal office of the 
 company is. 
 
 CUSTER MOUNTAIN MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Custer Mountain Mining Company.— This property is about 
 two and one-half miles east of Custer and comprises 512 acres. 
 The _ character of the ore is such that it will be treated by the 
 cyanide process; assays show $4 to $15 per ton of gold and some 
 silver. The vein is a vertical formation and the 80-foot shaft 
 already down the vein has not dipped six inches from the perpen- 
 dicular; it shows already a width of 12 feet at least and the foot 
 wall has not yet been reached. About 30 feet of tunneling has been 
 done. Water was struck in the shaft at 60 feet. Up to date a 
 
 windlass has been employed, but the company is about to install a 
 hoist for more active operations. 
 
 There are many other quartz veins on the property showing at 
 the surface ; but nothing has yet been done on them. 
 
 The capital stock is $1,000,000, in shares of $1 each. 
 
 The officers are Denis Henault, president; John Virtue, vice- 
 president; John Oak, treasurer, and Will Nevin, secertary. 
 
 The property has two springs for milling purposes and is excep- 
 tionally well timbered. 
 
 IVANHOE GOLD MINING AND MILLING COMPANY. 
 
 Ivanhoe Gold Mining and Milling' Company. — One of the 
 
 prominent mine building enterprises of Custer county is the Ivanhoe 
 Gold Mining and Milling Company, operating at Camp Ivanhoe, six 
 miles east of Custer, S. D. The company owns a tract embracing 
 250 acres, on which it is pushing development work, with all the 
 prospects of ultimate success. Five distinct gold bearing veins, 
 from eight inches to seventeen feet in width, are shown on the 
 property and surface values give an average of $9 to $16 per ton 
 in gold. 
 
 One shaft on the property has been sunk to a depth of 105 feet, 
 and the company is now installing a hoisting plant and intends 
 sinking it to 500 feet to fully determine the value of the ground. 
 The equipment includes a loo-horsepower marine boiler, lo-drill 
 air compressor, 600-foot hoist, pumps, drills, blacksmith shop, assay 
 office, etc. A commodious boarding-house for the employes has 
 been erected, as well as quarters for the superintendent. 
 
 The company has a capital stock of $1,000,000 in shares of $1 
 each, par value. Dr. Herman F. Ratte of Custer is president ; 
 Dr. David A. Smith of Lead City, vice-president; Charles P. 
 Doney of Indianapolis, Ind., treasurer, and Charles J. Sine of 
 Custer, secretary and superintendent. 
 
 The machinery is all of the most improved patterns and careful 
 attention was given to its selection before having it installed. 
 
 THE IVANHOE CAMP. 
 
 THE MAGGIE MINE. 
 
 The Maggie Mine, belonging to Ed N. Davis of Custer and 
 Herman Reinbold of Omaha, shows a vein from which analysis 
 gives 24.S per cent copper, 17 per cent nickel, 3.5 per cent cobalt, 
 10 ounces silvier and $18.26 gold. The vein is 14 feet wide, of 
 
 hornblendic schist and quartz, with very rich shoots. The group 
 includes 240 acres, 13 miles east of Custer, on French creek, and is 
 well watered and timbered. 
 
 PROVIDENT MINING COMPANY. 
 
 Provident Mining Company. — Capital, $50,000 paid up. 
 
 This company took the business of Herman Reinbold & Co., 
 formerly of Custer, S. D. and Omaha, Neb., and makes a specialty 
 of mining and shipping rare minerals, like tungstall, spodumen. 
 
 etc., and owns properties in various parts of Custer and Penning- 
 ton counties; the company is shipping and exporting ores for chem- 
 ical and technical purposes. Herman Reinbold is president and 
 C. Reinbold, secretary, with headquarters at Omaha. 
 
2o6 
 
 BLACK HILLS ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 PARKS GROUP. 
 
 Parks Group. — The property is in the Roosevelt district, ten 
 miles northwest of Custer City, and exhibits several strong veins 
 showing excellent values, with occasional assays up in the hun- 
 dreds of dollars. Several veins from six inches to three feet in 
 width are exposed, all carrying gold. Development would undoubt- 
 
 edly open up a good mine here, as the $2,000 which has been already 
 expended has sufficed to exploit the veins to good advantage. The 
 property consists of four claims and a fraction, or 45 acres, near 
 the head of French creek, owned by August Fisher, of Custer City. 
 
 The balance of the most notable properties of Custer County follow alphabetically: 
 
 Baltimore Group. — Two large veins are exposed on this 
 ground, one fourteen feet wide of solid quartz, which it is claimed 
 shows excellent gold values. Another vein is 200 feet wide, with 
 stringers assaying $7 to $8 per ton, while some assays have been 
 returned as high as $700 per ton. The property adjoins the Ex- 
 treme Company's holdings, two miles northwest of Custer City. 
 The group consists of eleven twenty-acre claims, unpatented, 
 amounting to 220 acres, owned by J. Foran and John Wilhelm of 
 Custer City. 
 
 Black Hills Porcelain, Clay and Marble Company. — Incor- 
 porated under the laws of South Dakota. Capitalized for 
 3,000,000 shares of $1 each. Offices at Custer, S. D., and Chicago, 
 111. C. E. Mason, general manager, Custer, S. D. 
 
 This company owns 2,000 acres of unpatented ground in Custer 
 and Pennington counties, containing marble, mica, lithograph stone, 
 kaolin clay and black granite. Some lithograph stone is being 
 shipped, blocks as large as six feet square, said to be equal in 
 quality to the best Bavarian stone, being obtained. 
 
 Golden Mortar Mining, Milling and Development Com- 
 pany. — This company owns two groups of unpatented claims, one 
 mile apart, six miles west of Custer City. On the Fraction group a 
 vein has been followed fifty feet in depth, showing good values in 
 gold. On the Golden Mortar group is exposed and developed by 
 a shaft 60 feet deep a vein 30 feet wide. The company has a 
 capital stock of $1,200,000, the shares having a par value of $1 each. 
 The president is E. G. McQure ; vice-president, W. H. Chambers ; 
 treasurer, W. F. Wright; secretary, W. W. Wright; superintend- 
 ent and general manager, J. N. Wright. The headquarters are at 
 Custer City. 
 
 Grand Junction. — This claim proper was located in 1878 by 
 C. C. Crary of Custer, who put up a small stamp mill, and shortly 
 sold out. His successors sold in 1882 to St. Louis parties, who 
 built a forty-stamp mill, but owing to gross mismanagement the 
 mine was forced to close down. Thousands of tons of ore were 
 mined from the vein, which is sixty feet wide and can be traced 
 for half a mile in length, making an open cut 200 feet long, 75 feet 
 wide and 70 feet in depth. The property consists of ten acres pat- 
 ented and fifty unpatented. Seven miles north of Custer City on 
 Spring creek is the location. 
 
 Granite Beef Group. — A vein ten feet wide is opened in 
 showing a great variety of metals, included among them are gold, 
 silver, platinum, irridium, copper, manganese, iron,_ bismuth, etc. 
 The ore shows pay values, but owing to the complexity of the con- 
 tents and the base elements, no process has been devised for its 
 successful treatment. The mine is owned by C. W. Robbins, James 
 
 Demereau and A. T. Feay, of Custer City. Consists of 90 acres, 
 unpatented, two miles southeast of the city, on Mill creek. 
 
 Hartford Mine. — The property of C. C. Crary, who located 
 the Grand Junction but afterward sold, and J. C. Spencer, the pro- 
 prietor of Sylvan Lake. It adjoins the latter mine and the vein 
 can be traced across the property. ' Mill tests from the ores have 
 shown good values. Consists of 50 acres, 10 of which are pat- 
 ented. 
 
 Interstate Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Owns 640 
 acres of unpatented property eight miles northwest of Custer City 
 on which several shafts have been sunk, showing telluride ores in 
 good quantity and fair values. J. H. Godden, Emmettsburg, Iowa, 
 is president; E. H. Soper, same city, treasurer; F. S. Applemen, 
 same city, secretary; W. R. Millham, Custer, general manager. The 
 capital stock is 1,000,000 shares of a par value of $1 each. 
 
 Leroy Mining and Milling Company. — Consists of 185 acres 
 near Custer, well timbered and showing three veins of free milling 
 quartz telluride ore with good gold values. A shaft has been 
 sunk IIS feet and a drift run 57 feet at the 100-foot level. 
 
 The shaft was run down on cross vein which was two feet 
 wide at surface and is 3 feet wide at loo-foot level ; it is expected to 
 cross-cut two parallel veins which are 3x5 feet wide, respectively, 
 at surface. Assays show from $6.40 to $10.50 per ton. Capital 
 stock, $1,000,000, in shares of $1 each. F. H. Cook of Minneapolis 
 is president; Austin Q. Millar of Mirmeapolis, secretary; A. T. 
 Feay of Custer, vice-president, and J. H. Sinclair of Denver, con- 
 sulting engineer. 
 
 Omega Group. — One hundred and seventy-five feet of shaft 
 work has exposed on this property a large vein of low-grade free 
 milling and concentrating ore. Is situated on French creek, close to 
 water, and the ground well covered with timber. The property is 
 three miles east of Custer City, and is owned by Ed Rogers of 
 Custer and D. W. Webster .of Hill City, the former owning one- 
 quarter and the latter three-quarters. The property consists of 55 
 acres. 
 
 Sunrise and Otis Groups.— Owned by Charles Hayward, 
 Charles Upham, Dan Holden and A. Feay of Keystone. 
 
 These groups consist of 70 acres of unpatented ground located 
 at the head of Big Squaw creek. They adjoin the Chilkoot and 
 Detroit groups, and show the same ore bodies. 
 
 Wabash Gold Mining and Milling Company. — Property 
 located near Custer. Capital is $100,000 in shares of $100 each. 
 Incorporated under laws of South Dakota. Stock held mainly in 
 Milwaukee. W. T. Durand^ president; Henry Mannegold, vice- 
 president; Gustav Wallaeger, Jr., secretary and treasurer. 
 
MISS TIPPIE AS QUEEN OF THE CARNIVAL AT DBADWOOD. 
 
 This book is published by the Baldwin Syndicate, 315 Vine St., Philadelphia. 
 Printed by the Blakely Printing Co., Chicago. 
 
X 
 
THE ONLY DOUBLE-TRACK RAILWAY 
 
 BETWEEN CHICAGO AND THE 
 
 MISSOURI RIVER. 
 
 THE PIONEER LINE TO THE BLACK HILLS 
 
 /^-^ 
 
 iHE Chicago & North- Western Railway is the 
 
 pioneer railway line from Chicago to the 
 
 West and Northwest. Its rails were laid 
 
 into the Black Hills in 1881 , forming the 
 
 first all-rail connection between this rich 
 
 region and the outer world. Its excellent 
 
 train service between Omaha, Council 
 
 Bluffs, Des Moines, Sioux City, St. Paul, 
 
 Minneapolis, Superior, Duluth, Chicago, 
 
 Milwaukee, Peoria and the East, and Hot 
 
 Springs, Rapid City, Deadwood, Lead, 
 
 Belle Fourche and other Black Hills points, is 
 
 unexcelled. 
 
 AH agents sell tickets via 
 
 The North-Western Line 
 
 H. ,R. McCULLOUGH, 
 
 Third Vice-President, 
 
 W. B. Kniskern, 
 
 Passenger Traffic Manager, 
 
 CmcAcxj, III. 
 
 G. F. BiDWELL, 
 Manager, 
 
 W. A. Gardner, 
 
 General Manager, 
 
 C. A. Cairns, 
 
 Gen'l Pass'r and Tkt. Agt., 
 
 J. A. KUHN, 
 
 Ass't Gen'l Frt. and Pass'r Agt., 
 
 N. & W. Div., Omaha, Neb.