THE BLACK HILLS; O R, THE LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. A COMPLETE HISTORY Of the Black Hills of Dakota from their First invasion in 1874 to the Present Time, Comprising a Comprehensive Account of How They Lost Them; of Niimerous Adventures of the Early Settlers; Their Heroic Struggles for Supremacy against the Hostile Dakotah Tribes, and their Final Victory; The Opening of the Country to White Settlement, and its Subsequent Development./ BY ANNIE D. TALLENT. ST. LOUIS: NiXON-JONES PRINTING CO. 1899. PftESERVAT«)N COPY ADDED f o5l Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1899, by ANNIE D. TALLENT, In the offlce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. FG51 To My Fellow-Pioneers This Work Is Respectfully inscribed. iwl8S687 INTRODUCTION. By some strange influence upon the jjrocesses of the human mind, trifling occurrences and incidents in the lives of nations, as well as individuals, frequently assume large proportions, and grow in interest year by year as they go by. "As distance lends enchantment to the view," so time throws the glamour of romance over receding events. Belief in these bits of proverbial wisdom, and the hope that the mellowing influence of nearly a quarter of a century may have likewise invested the unwritten chapters of Black Hills pioneer history with added interest, together with the helpful encouragement of many friends throughout the Hills, first induced the author to undertake the task result- ing in the production of this little work. It seemed proper, too, that the part enacted by those who stood in the front ranks, in the thick of the fray, in the sanguinary battle for the settlement of the Black Hills, should be placed upon record before they " shuflied off the mortal coil," or, ere passing years should leave but a shadowy memory of their courage and brave endurance, and future generations be thus compelled to accept the story of their struggles and heroism as a vague and unsatisfactory tradition. The original plan and scope of the work did not con- template a full and comprehensive history in all its broad significance, but a compilation of all information in relation to the Black Hills, obtainable without labored research, (V) CONTENTS. Chapter I. PAGE The Dakotahs 1 First Invasion of Black Hills 4 First Movement Looking Toward Colonization of Black Hills in 1872 5 Adventures on the Border 8 Chapter H. The Custer Black Hills Expedition 13 Gold E'ound by Indians 17 Organization of First Expedition 18 Chapter III. Preparations for the Journey 20 Sioux City Gold Hunters 25 The First Defection 27 Chapter IV. Crossing the Niobrara 32 Bill of Fare on the Plains 36 Sickness in Camp ... 40 Almost a Tragedy within the Fold 42 Chapter V. Crossing the Bad Lands 45 A Death in Camp 47 (ix) X CONTENTS. PAGE An Amusing Incident 49 First Sight of tlie Black Hills 52 Chapter VI. Crossing the Cheyenne River 53 Indians Discovered 53 Strike Custer's Trail and Journey through the Black Hills — A Revelation 57 Reach French Creek and find Gold 60 Christmas Day in the Black Hills in 1874 .... 63 Chapter VII. Building Stockade ^Q Life in Stockade during Winter of 1874-5 ... 67 Messengers carry out the Glad Tidings .... 75 Two More Leave the Stockade 81 Stockade Party taken out of the Hills by the Gov- ernment 84 Chapter VIII. Riding out of the Hills on a Government Mule . . 87 Reach Fort Laramie 94 Terrible Experience of Troops sent after our Expe- dition 96 AStreet Interview with " Wild Bill '^ 100 Chapter IX. The Black Hills — Its Mountains, Forests, Climate, Productions, etc 103 The Black Hills never the Home of the Indians . . Ill Some Indian Traditions 112 ImmJorration to Black Hills in 1875-76 .... 115 CONTENTS. XI Chapter X. PAGE The First to Enter the Bhick Hills in 1875 ... 118 The First Expedition in 1875 120 Scientific Expedition sent to Black Hills .... 123 Chapter XI. The Cession of the Black Hills 130 Advent of Gen. Crook in Black Hills 134 Miners Leave Hills by Order of Gen. Crook . . . 136 Miners Return to Hills 138 The Cavalry Force Withdrawn 139 Custer City in 1875 140 French Creek the Mecca of Pioneers in 1875 . . . 141 Chapter XII. Some of the Pioneers of 1875, and how they got to the Black Hills 143 The Major Part of the Expedition 158 Chapter XIII. How Some of the Pioneers Fooled Uncle Sam . . 160 Chapter XIV. Firf^t Discovery of Placer Gold in Northern Hills . 171 First Locations on Deadwood Gulch 176 First to bring Merchandise to the Black Hills . . 181 First Gold Dust taken out of Black Hills .... 187 Chapter XV. Early Freight and Passenger Transportation to Black Hills r . . . . .' 189 Early Postal Facilities in the Black Hills .... 193 XU CONTKNTS. Chapter XVI. PAGE The Yellowstone Expedition or the Indian Campaign of 1876 199 The Custer Column 203 Chapter XVII. News of the Terrible Disaster reaches the Black Hills 222 The Summer Campaign — Gen. Geo. Crook . . . 227 Chapter XVIII. The Year 1876 in Black Hills 236 Some of the Expeditions of 1876 236 Chapter XIX, Montana Expeditions 249 The Centennial Party 259 Outward-bound Pilgrims 262 Chapter XX. Chapter of First Events 264 Second Suit in Equity in the Black Hills .... 266 First Person Killed 268 Chapter XXI, Custer in 1876 287 Massacre of Metz Family 294 Hostiles Returning: from Little Big Horn . . , , 295 Raids on Custer 296 Scalped a Man Alive 298 CONTENTS. Xm CHArTER XXII. PAGK Rapid City iu 1876 • . 803 Block House Built 314 Upper Rapid 314 Location of Ranches in Rapid River Valley in 1876 . 314 CHAPrEH XXIII. A Trip from Cheyenne to Deadwood in 1876 . . . 316 A Personal Reminiscence 325 Chapter XXIV. Placer Mining in Deadwood Gulch in 1876 . . . 332 Placer Mining Processes 336 Hydraulic Placer Mining 339 Early Quartz Mining in the Black Hills 341 Peculiarities of Miners 344 Chapter XXV. Deadwood in 1876 346 Sunday in Deadwood — Pioneer Days 354 Deadwood by Lamplight 355 How We Celebrated Our Natal Day in 1876 ... 356 Platting of South Deadwood 361 First Mulder in Northern Hills 362 Murder of Wild Bill 366 Chapter XXVI. Indian Raid on Montana Herd . 370 Wolf Mountain Stampede 373 Telegraph Line Reaches Deadwood 376 Failure of Bill for Territory of Lincoln . . . . 380 XIV CONTENTS. Chapter XXVII. PAGE Black Hills opened to Settlement 383 Judges of the Black Hills District and Circuil Courts 384 Highway Robbers and Road Agents 385 How a Deadwood Lady Saved Her Watch .... 389 Deadwood Famous Treasure Coach 390 Chapter XXVIII. Custer County 395 The Mines of Custer County 398 The Mica Mines of Custer County ...... 403 Custer City 405 Sylvan Lake 406 Custer in 1877 408 Hermosa 415 Chapter XXIX. Pennington County — Its organization . . . . 416 County Seat 420 Schools and Churches 422 Library Association 425 Secret Orders — Manufacturing 427 Chlorination Works — Water System of Rapid City. 428 School of Mines 432 Rapid City — Incorporated 435 Rapid City Fire Department and Banking Institutions 438 Chapter XXX. Horse Stealing Around Rapid City in 1877 . . . 443 Mining Stampedes in Rapid City 444 CONTENTS. XV Chapter XXXI. PAGE Hill City 448 Queen Bee — Sberidan . . 455 Rochford 458 Pactola . 462 Harney 465 Hayward 466 Rockerville 467 Castleton, Sitting Bull, Silver City, and Keystone . 472 Chapter XXXH. Lawrence County . 476 Deadwood 479 The Great Fire 486 Deadwood' s Water System 488 The Great Flood 490 Chapter XXXIII. New Deadwood 496 Deadwood's Reduction Works 496 Deadwood's First Railroad 498 Banking Institutions 501 Chapter XXXIV. History of Homestake Mines ^ . 508 Lead City 517 Emergency Hospital 524 Hearst Free Library — Newspapers, etc 524 Chapter XXXV. Central City 528 Churches 530 XVI CONTENTS. PAGK Terraville 535 Crook City 537 Chapter XXXVI. Speai-fish 540 Chapter XXXVII. Horse Thieves and Cattle Rustling on the Northern Frontier 559 Fight with Exelbee Gang — Sequel to the Fight . . 562 How Spearfish came to be called " The Queen City " 565 Spearfish Normal School 566 Organization 571 Chapter XXXVIII. Galena Silver Camp 576 Terry 579 Bald Mountain Refractory Ore Deposit 582 Chapter XXXIX. Our Pioneers 592 Society of Black Hills Pioneers 593 Black Hills Pioneers and Historical Society of 1877 . 605 Chapter XL. Meade County 607 Sturgis 612 Schools, Churches 617 Banks, Manufactures, and Water System .... 622 Electric Light System 625 CONTENTS. XVn Chapter XLI. PAGK Fort Meade 631 Tilford 635 Piedmont 636 Black Hawk 639 Chapter XLU. Fall Kiver County 640 Thermal Springs 642 Chapter XLIII. Hot Springs of Minnekahta 655 Public Institutions — Fire Department and Electric Light Systems 659 Cascade, Wind Cave 670 Edgemont , 672 Chapter XLIV. Butte County 675 Minnesela 678 Belle Fourche . 679 Cattle Shipping Industry 684 Building Wyoming & Missouri River R. R. ... 684 Cattle Out6ts of Black Hills 685 Chapter XLV. Organization of Dakota Territory and Subsequent Struggle for Statehood 687 Sioux Treaties 687 Assessed Valuation of South Dakota 695 South Dakota Permanent School Fund 696 xvm CONTENTS. Chafter XLVI. PAGK The Treaty of 1889 for the Great Sioux Reservation in Dakota . 697 The Messiah Craze, etc 700 The Arrival of a Military Force at Pine Ridge . . 703 The Advent of Gen. Miles and the Disarmament of the Hostiles 708 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOKS. -r^ i.- • .... Fiont. Frontispiece Stone Showing Record of Early Black Hills History 10 H. N. Ross ; ' ■ o! The Pioneers of 1874 f^ces p. 24 The Gordon Stockade, 1876 ^^ Eaf Witcher, March, 1875 J^J^ The Needles near Harney's Peak Devil's Tower showing Millions of Tons of Fallen Rocks Prof. Walter P. Jenny f'^^^s p. 124 Red Cloud Spotted Tail ' ' ' ' J ' ' ^7o Wm. Lardner ^«^« P' ^^ Fred. T.Evans f-<^«« P- f^ H. N. Witcher f^^««« P' ^^^ Transportation from Pierre to Deadwood ' ' ' JZ^ Sitting Bull ; ■ ■ 919 Gen. Custer's Last Charge taces p. 212 Gen. Custer's Last Battle faces p. 220 ^ /-, - . faces p. 22b Gen. Custer 988 Sioux Indians in War Costumes ^6Q Attack on Wagon Train en route to Black Hills in 246 1876 Black Hills Treasure Coach Dr. D.W. Flick tkcesp. 26b A. W. Merrick • • • ^^^^^ P' ;J^ Porter Warner f^««« P- f„^ Col. James M. Wood f^«^^ P- -'^ Jack Langrishe ^''^'' P- ^^^ (XIX) XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Capt. C. V. Gardner faces p. 280 Milton E. Pinney faces p. 282 Judge Thomas Hooper faces p. 288 Custer in 1876 289 S. M. Booth. . faces p. 292 Scene at Red Canyon after the Murder of the Metz Party 293 Thomas E. Harvey faces p. 300 Ellis T. Peiice, Bhick Hills Humorist . . faces p. 302 John R. Brennan faces p. 306 Block House at Rapid City — 1876 313 Capt. Jack Crawford, the Poet Scout 327 No. 4, above Discovery, on Deadwood 333 Cabin on Claim No. 2, Deadwood Gulch .... 335 White Rocks Overlooking Deadwood . ... 347 Deadwood in 1876 349 Witcher's Freight Train on the Streets of Deadwood in 1876 353 Gen. A. R. Z. Dawson faces p. 360 James Halley faces j). 378 Judge Granville G. Bennett faces p. 383 Hon. Gideon C. Moody faces p. 385 Custer City faces p. 404 Sylvan Lake 407 Joseph Kubler faces p. 411 The Start for Harney Peak 413 A Distant View of Harney's Peak . . . faces p. 418 Rapid City in 1878 421 Richard B. Hughes faces p. 424 Rapid City Chlorination Plant and School of Mines faces p. 428 Beecher's Rocks, near Custer 430 Rapid City, Looking North, in 1899 . , . faces p. 436 Judge John W. Nowlin faces p. 442 Hill City in 1876 449 Old U. S. Courthouse, Sheridan .... faces p. 456 Rochford at the Beginning of the Boom, 1878 . . 460 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XXI Stage Coach, Main Street, Deadwood 481 Deadwood after the Great Flood of 1883 .... 493 The Deadwood & Delaware Smelter, Deadwood, South Dakota faces p. 497 Sol. Star . faces p. 502 Frank J. Washabaugh faces p. 504 Deadwood from Forest Hill faces p. 506 The Great Homestake Works at Lead . . faces p. 512 The Homestake Hoisting Works, 2,000 Horse-power used. Lead City 516 Lead City, Black Hills, South Dakota . . faces p. 522 Central City in 1878 529 Seth Bullock faces p. 534 Terraville Gold Mining Camp 536 Crook City in 1876 538 Speartish in 1876, with Lookout Mountain in the Background 544 Spearfish Town in 1877 552 Picture Gallery in Spearfish in 1877 556 Terry, Mining Center of the Great Refractory Ore District of the Black Hills 580 Golden Reward Gold Mine, Deadwood 585 Kildonan Chlorination Mine at Pluma, between Dead- wood and Lead 589 Spearfish in 1895 faces p. 572 Group of Presidents of Society of Black Hills Pio- neers faces p. 598 Building Erected at Lead by P. A. Gushurst, faces p. 601 Sturgis in 1899 faces p. 609 Meade County Courthouse 611 Street Scene in Sturgis, 1898 626 Rough Riders Leaving Sturgis for Cuba, May, 1898. 629 Fort Meade, Bear Butte in the Background, faces p. 632 "Comache" 635 Horseshoe Curve on the Fort Pierre R. R, between Lead and Piedmont 637 'Col. Wm. Thornby faces p. 647 XX 11 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Dr. R. D. Jeuniugs faces p. 652 The First House on the Original Town-site of Hot Springs, built by Dr. R. A. Stewart 656 South Dakota Soldiers Home, Hot Springs . . . 660 Interior of Plunge Bath, Hot Springs . . faces p. 664 Hot Springs faces p. 668 Cowboy Scene in the Black Hills 676 Cattle Shipping Pen at Belle Fourche 680 Grand Council Between Friendl}^ and Hostile Chiefs. 704 Buffalo Bill Holding a Conference with Sitting Bull faces p. 707 /' THE BLACK HILLS; OIR The Last Hunting Ground of the Dakotahs. C H x\ P T E R I. THE DAKOTAHS. As this book is designed to be only a history of the events and incidents connected with the white settlement of the Black Hills, as stated in the introduction, it seems unnecessary to go back to the races that had occupied this portion of the great American continent long centuries ago, and of which we have no knowledge save that which is based upon vague tradition, nor does it seem necessary to more than briefly refer to the mournful history of the tribes of the great Sioux Nation, or the Dakotahs, who have been driven from the East towards the setting sun until their last and most cherished hunting ground was lost to them forever. The Dakotahs, or Nadowessioux — abbreviated by the French explorers and trappers to Sioux — were doubtless a valorous people considered from an Indian standpoint, and are credited with many deeds of wonderful prowess in their numerous conflicts with the hostile tribes to the eastward, against whom they maintained their broad possessions for at least 200 years undisturbed — and we know not how much longer. (1) 2 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, About the middle of the seventeenth century the Dako- tahs occupied a vast stretch of territory extending from the 48° of north hititude to the Missouri river, and stretching westward to the main range of the Kocky Mountains. In 1837 they ceded to the United States all their land lying east of the Mississippi river, since which time they have been losing their once wide domain slice by slice until at the time of the invasion of the Black Hills in 1874, they were confined to the limit prescribed by the treat}^ of 1868, which will be referred to farther on. My readers need not be told in detail how that once pow- erful people were reduced in numbers, by almost constant conflicts with other tribes to the eastward of the Great Lakes, nor of how, by the numerous French and Indian wars, and their consequent defeats, they were finally forced to abandon the country, so long occupied by them, around the small lakes and headwaters of the Mississippi, and driven down and westward onto the plains of the Missouri, preceded by the Cheyennes, nor of the various cessions of their territory made by them to the general government, nor of how they fought the onward march of civilization, inch by inch, until all the Western frontiers were marked by a trail of the blood of innocent women and children ; or, mayhap, by their capture and torture even worse than death ; nor of the consequent wars with the United States, by which they were almost exterminated, and finally driven to the wall. All this is already a matter of common histor}^ vfith which most school girls and boys are familiar at the present day. It is well known that, up to the year 1877, there had been almost perpetual hostilities on the part of the Indians, on the excuse of broken treaties, etc., the suppression of which cost the government many millions of treasure, as well as the sacrifice of thousands of human lives, and which decimated the Indian tribes, till now there is but a pitiful remnant of them left. While it cannot be claimed that treaty obligations have not been sometimes violated on the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 3 part of the government — as in the cases of Colorado and Montana, when vast hordes of adventurers and gold-seekers crossed and recrossed the Indian domain, despite treaty stipulations, frightening and killing the game upon which they almost solely depended as means of sustenance. The treaty of 1868, guaranteeing to the Indians as a permanent reservation, all the territory lying between the Missouri river on the east, and the western boundary of Dakota on the west, and from the north boundary of the State of Nebraska on the south', to the forty-sixth parallel of latitude on the north ; also stipulated that the country north of the Phitte river in Nebraska, and east of the summit of the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming, should be held and considered unceded Indian territory, and that no white person or persons should be permitted to settle upon, or occupy any portion of same, nor to pass through without the consent of the Indians; and also conceded the right to the Indians to hunt south of the North Platte, as far as the Republican Fork of the Smoky Hill river, for a terra of years, or, as long as the buffalo might range in sufficient numbers to justify the chase, and prohibited soldiers from entering the unceded territory, north of the Platte. The treaty of 1868 also stipulated that the govern- ment should remove all military posts and government roads within the limits of their reservation, the right to establish which was granted by the treaty of 1851. In the following year, 1869, notwithstanding the treaty of 1868, all Indians found oft' their permanent reservation, were considered hostile, and under the jurisdiction of mili- tary authority. That the provisions of the above treaty were sometimes violated by the Indians there can be no doubt, and that its provisions were disregarded by the invasion of their reservation in 1874-5-6 is indisputable, but, ignoring the ethical side of the question, should such treaties as tend to arrest the advance of civilization, and retard the development of the rich resources of our country, ever have been entered into? This is a question which de- 4 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, mands much thoughtful consideration. Although haviog^ deep-seated convictions on this troublesome Indian problem, as it is not within the province of this book to give them expression, the question may as well be turned over to the moralist and political economist for discussion. FIRST INVASION OF THE BLACK HILLS. Prior to the year 1874, that portion of the Indian Ter- ritory known as the Black Hills, was a part and parcel of the happy hunting ground of the red man, and had for long centuries lain in an isolation almost complete as " Darkest Africa." Up to that year none of the several expeditions sent to this Western country for the purpose of exploration or subduing the hostilities of the Indians, had succeeded individually or collectively in penetrating the mountain fastnesses of the Black Hills, with the sole ex- ception of Gen. Harney, who, with members of his staff, climbed the rugged peak, which was honored with that brave officer's name, and on its lofty summit unfurled our national emblem for the first time to the mountain breeze, and under its sacred folds pledged to it their allegiance and undying loyalty in numerous bumpers of sparkling cham- pagne, as evidenced by the many empty bottles discovered on the spot by the pioneers about two decades later. And thereby hangs a romantic tale. The first military and scientific expedition sent out for the purpose of exploration, known as the Warren Expe- dition, failed to consummate the plan of penetrating the Black Hills, as will be seen by the following extract from the report of Lieutenant Warren to the government. He says: " Setting out from Fort Laramie on the 4th of September, 1856, we proceeded direct for the Black Hills, via Ravv Hide Butte, Old Woman's Creek, the Southern Fork of the Cheyenne, and Beaver Creek; up a branch of this last stream we entered the Hills (the foot-hills). We continued north to the vicinity of Inyan Karce (or the peak which makes the mountain), a remarkably high ba- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. saltlc peak, one of the highest of the mountains and so far to the north that we had a full view of the prairie beyond. Here we were met by a very hirge force of the Dakotahs who made such earnest remonstrance and threats against our proceeding into their country that I did not think it prudent for us as a scientific expedition to venture further in this direction. Some of them were for attacking us im- mediately, as their numbers would have insured success, but the lesson taught them by Gen. Harney, in 1855, made them fear they would meet with retribution, and this I endeavored to impress upon them. We were at this time almost in sight of the place where these Indians had plun- dered Sir George Gore, in 1856, for endeavoring to pro- ceed through their country." The expedition of Capt. Reynolds, sent out in 1859 with the object of exploring to the north and west of the Black Hills, around the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Mis- souri river, its line of march being along the northern slope, and on its southward march the western slope of the Black Hills, made no attempt to enter the Hills; so I think the assertion is justified that no military or scientific expe- 'dition ever penetrated the interior recesses of the Black Hills until the year 1874. FIRST MOVEMENT LOOKING TO THE COLONIZATION OF THE BLACK HILLS, IN 1872. It is a matter of unwritten history, however, that an unsuccessful attempt was made to organize a formidable expedition to colonize the Black Hills in 1872, the project having its origin in the exceedingly fertile brain of Charlie Collins, then editor of the Sioux City Times, Iowa. It may not be out of place here to refer back to an earlier scheme which, while not pertinent to this history, will reveal the peculiar mental bent of this adventurous man. His first dream, beginning in 1869, was of a gigantic colonization scheme which contemplated the founding, somewhere on the banks of the Missouri river, a powerful b THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Irish-American empire, whose guiding star would lead towards the British dominions on the north. The plan devised by himself and his co-operator, John P. Hodnett, then U. S. Assessor for Dakota Territory, was to orsran- ize, in different parts of the country, colonies of Irish- Americans to enter homesteads and settle upon that portion of the Sioux (Brule) reservation lying on the east adjacent to the river, opposite the mouth of White river, so that — as in substance stated by himself — when " England's dif- ficulty," and "Ireland's opportunity" should arise, a patriotic army of Irish-American colonists could conveni- ently, and without interference, invade the British domnin and wipe out, root and branch, their long-time oppressors from the face of the American continent. Thus it will be discerned that the scheme, while desio;netl for the betterment of the condition of native and American born Irishmen in this country, had the eartnarks of Fenian- ism plainly impressed upon its face. The plan was submitted to the Fenian Convention held in St. Louis in the fall of 1869, which resulted in the selection of a committee to visit the region referred to and examine its resources, and if satisfactory to inaugurate the work of colonization. Its projectors even succeeded in securing the passage of a bill through Congress, authorizing a colony corporation, for the management of affairs — the purchase of land, agri- cultural implements, etc., designating for officers such names as A. T. Stewart, Jim Fiske, Jr., Ben Butler, Wendell Philips, and others whose names were then house- hold words. So popular became the apparently philanthropic scheme that a famous millionaire dry goods merchant offered a half million dollars, to aid in furtherance of the project. In short, the committee selected to visit and report upon the resources of the region of prospective settlement, being, for the most part tenderfeet, unaccustomed to the terrible hardships of a journey over the untrodden wilds of Dakota, returned with a very poor opinion of the Indian domain, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 7 and submitted a majority report unfavorable to the scheme. A minority of the committee, who reported favorably, had selected the site where Brule City now stands, as the seat of empire, and named it Limerick. The majority report however, dealt a vital blow to the project and it collapsed. Mr. Collins then turned his attention to the scheme for the settlement of the Black Hills as before stated. To boom the enterprise and attract public attention, he during the spring and summer of 1872, published in the Times a series of highly sensational articles which were dis- tributed broadcast over the land, announcing that an expedition was organizing in Sioux City with the object of exploring and revealing to the world the hidden mysteries of the Black Hills of Dakota. En passant, it should be stated here that Charlie Collins, although erratic and visionary to a degree, was a writer of no mean ability — a man of generous impulses and liberal to a fault, thoroughly westernized in feeling and sentiment, and withal a born organizer. With facile pen he por- trayed in glowing colors the golden treasure concealed within the rock-ribbed hills and the gulches of the land he pictuied ; drawing for the most part on his resourceful imagination for material, or rather for the immaterial, as the existence of gold in the Black Hills was then scarcely more than a vague conjecture, based on Indian tradition. Albeit these articles had the effect of drawing many to Sioux City, to which its enterprising people were, naturally, by no means averse. Among those who were thus attracted was T. H. Russell, a frontiersman of consid- erable experience, having been a pioneer of Colorado, and familiar with mining life among the camps of the Rockies. Through the Indian wives of some of his mountaineer acquaintances he had gained an intimate knowledge of the traditions of the existence of gold in the Black Hills, in which traditions he was a firm believer. On his arrival in Sioux City he was naturally greatly disappointed to find that the expedition so glowingly de- ^ THE BLACK HILLS; OK, scribed in the columns of the Times, as yet existed only on paper; however, entering into the spirit of the enter- prise, Collins and Russell, jointly with others, began at once the work of org-anization. Prominent among the organizers were Charles S. Soule, manager of the Northwestern Transportation Company, Dan Scott, editor of the Sioux City Journal; Harnett & Howard, and man}' others. Gen A. C. Dawes, general passenger agent of the Kansas City & St. Joe Railroad, also lent valuable assistance to the project. Pamphlets were compiled and published at the Times oflSce, setting forth the grand possibilities of the Black Hills, their distance from Sioux City, cost of transporta- tion, etc. Plentifully supplied with these pamphlets, Capt. Russell made a tour of the towns along the Missouri river as far down as Kansas City, judiciously distributing his literature to such as, in his judgment, were liable to join. The success of the trip proved all that could be desired, hundreds from the Missouri river towns enrolling members of the expedition, which was dated to start on September 1, 1872. As, apparently, no care had been taken to keep the expedition secret, the movement tinally attracted the attention of the military authorities of the government, when Gen. Hancock, then in command at Fort Snelling, issued the following peremptory order to the post commanders on the Missouri river: "That any expedition organized for the purpose of penetrating the Black Hills, be immediately dispersed, the leaders arrested and placed in the nearest military prison." This order inflicted the death blow to the projected expedition to the Black Hills in 1872. All preparation immediately ceased, and the expedition was abandoned, much to the disappointment and disgust of the organizers. ADVENTURES ON THE BORDER. It is claimed upon authority, which we have no good reason to dispute, that adventurous parties, at different LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAIvOTAHS. V dates, as far back as 1859, and perhaps before, had, despite the vigilance and extreme hostility of the Sioux, who guarded their domain against encroachment with a jealous eye, made some discoveries of the precious metkl in the country west of the Black Hills in the Big Horn Mountains ; and had also, according to Indian traditions — substantiated by tangible evidences discovered by prospectors in 1876-7 — ventured around the western and northern bases and a short distance into the foothills or spurs of the Black Hills. There was a story published years ago, for the authenticity of which I am not able to vouch, and which, therefore, must be accepted at its face value, that a party of nineteen men detached themselves at Fort Laramie from a large party of gold hunters en route for California — influenced by cur- rent reports of rich gold discoveries in the Black Hills, made their way thither, found rich gold deposits, and worked claims, and were all massacred by the Indians, save one, who shortly after died. Prospectors coming into the Hills during the great rush of 1876, claim to have found proofs corroborative of the above story in the shape of old sluice boxes, gradually crumbling into deca}^ corroded mining implements, and other evidences that gold hunters had mined in some of the gulches along the northern border of the Hills, even as far back as 1833. Among the private collection of fossils and other curios in possession of John Cashner, of Spearfish, St)uth Da- kota, there is a simple flat stone, carefully preserved and framed, which furnishes material for an exceedingly inter- esting bit of early Black Hills history. It is an irregular sandstone tablet about twelve inches square and two and one half inches thick, bearing an inscription which, if genuine, reveals a truly pathetic story. This tablet was discovered in March, 1887, in the middle draw of Look- out Mountain, by Lewis Thoen, of Spearfiir'h, while quarry- ing for builduig stone. It was found concealed under a large, flat rock, the crevice between which and the ground 10 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, underneath was filled in by the drifting sands of years and overgrown with vegetation, giving the discovery every appearance of genuineness. Learning of this cold, mute witness of an early Black Hills tragedy, the author, partly to gratify a natural curi- osity and partly to be enabled to vouch for its existence, visited the cabinet of Mr. Cashner and found the stone as above described. On the tablet is inscribed, apparently by the blade of a pocket knife and in somewhat irregular lines, as will be seen by the accom)mni ng cut, the follow- ing tragic story. On one side is recorded: "Came to these Hills in 1833, seven of us DeLacompt Ezra Kind G. W. Wood T Brown R Kent Wm King Indian Crow, all ded but me Ezra Kind. Killed by Inds beyond the high hill got our gold June 1834." On the reverse side : " Got all of the gold we could carry our pony all got by the In- dians. I have lost my gun and nothing to eat and Indians hunting me." This story, besides having in itself many of the elements of probability is, as related by old hunters who had spent years amongst them, also verified by Indian tradition, which tells that upon a time, a band of Sioux hunters in quest of game, came upon a stream, muddied, as they sup- posed, by beavers, and in following it up, found the small LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 11 party of gold hunters, swooped down upon them, killing all but one, who escaped, and appropriated their gold, which was afterward sold to the Hudson Bay Company for $18,000 (or probably its equivalent in fire water, beads, and other glittering gewgaws so dear to the hearts of savages). The fact that this tradition tallies with the record on the stone tablet, certainly entitles the story to much credence. The supposition is, that this gold was mined in the vicinity of Gold Run, about twelve miles from Lookout mountain, in a direct line. The theory appears to be that Ezra Kind, after making his escape from the Indians, went into hiding in the middle draw of Lookout mountain, where he inscribed his sad story on a piece of sandstone, which he concealed under a large rock, where he hoped it might some day be found ; then either died from starvation or was finally killed by the Indians. The spot where the tablet was accidentally discovered, which was also visited, seemed well adapted for the cache, being some ten or twelve feet below the level of the ground about it, two large scrub oaks marking the spot. Back towards the mountain about 100 yards, the draw deepens to eighteen or twent}' feet and is overhung with large bushes, making an admirable place for concealment from Indians. The publication of the story of the above discovery in some of the principal newspapers of the country brought letters from parties who claimed to be relatives of some of the unfortunate missing men, which tends to strengthen somewhat its credibility. Father De Smet, the venerable Catholic missionary, often visited the Hills with his savage proteges, but how far into the interior of the Black Hills proper he ever penetrated, is uncertain. Let it be borne in mind that what was named the Black Hills embraced a large scope of territory extending from the I03d meridian of longitude on the east to the Big Horn and Wind rivers on the west, and from the Laramie and 12 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Sweetwater rivers on the south to the Yellowstone on the north, so that it is quite easy to believe that portions of that territory had been visited and prospected for gold at a much earlier date than 1874. In speaking of the Black Hills proper, reference is had to the main uplift, embraced between the two forks of the Cheyenne river. It may safely be asserted then, that no adventurous spirits ever penetrated very far into the interior of the Black Hills previous to the year 1874, and, as we have no positive proof of any such exploration, it may be assumed that up to that time they had remained a vague mystery. However, they were destined to remain a mystery no longer. Thenceforth the beautiful pine-clad Black Hills were no longer to echo to the shrill war-whoop of the Sioux, nor the turf of the fair, smiling valleys lying be- tween, respond to their stealthy tread. In 1874 the camp- fires of the red man were extinguished in the Black Hills, never again to be rekindled. The spirit of adventure and aggression was then abroad in the land ; the handwriting was on the wall. The gold-ribbed Black Hills were to be snatched from the grasp of savages, to whom they were uo longer profitable even as a hunting ground, and given over to the thrift and enterprise of the hardy pioneer, who would develop their wonderful resources and thereby advance the interests and add to the wealth of our whole country. AST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. IS^ .CHAPTER ir. THE CUSTER BLACK HILLS EXPEDITION. On July 2cl, 1874, ao expedition under the command of Gen. Geo. A. Custer, left Fort Abraham Lincoln with ten companies of cavalry, two of infantry, a detachment of white and Indian scouts, interpreters, miners, teamsters, etc., in all about 1,000 men, under orders from the Gov- ernmental Department, to make a reconnoissance of the country from that point to Bear Butte on the north of the Hills, and explorations of the country adjacent thereto, on the southwest, south, and southeast, and into the interior eastward for the purpose presumably of learning some- thing of the topography and geological formation of the Hills, and also of their general character and possible resources. The prime object of the expedition, however, would appear to be to ascertain their exact geographical position, relative to the military posts, Lincoln and Lara- mie, with a view to the establishment of other posts within or near the Black Hills, in case future complications with the Sioux rendered it necessary. The following extract from the report of William Lud- low, chief of engineers, Department of Dakota, accompany- ing the expedition, will make clear its real object : — " In case of any future complication with the Sioux, or the needs of bordering civilization should make it neces- sary to establish military posts on this reservation, indica- tions all point to the Black Hills as the most suitable point, both on account of their geographical position, and on the abundance of wood, water, and grass to be found there. To explain the value of its position, it should be stated that the trails from the camp of the hostile Sioux on the 14 THE BLACK HILLS ; OK, Yellowstone to the agencies near the Missouri, where live the reservation Indians, and where the issues of annuities are made, lead by a southeasterly course through the Hills, the abundance of game, and ample security of which make them a ready refuge in time of war, and. a noble hunting orround in time of peace. It was therefore desirable to gain positive information regarding them, and to connect them as well, by reconnoissance with the posts of Lincohi and Laramie. To accomplish these results was the object of this expedition." In this connection the opinion is ventured that there might have been another object underlying the action of the government, and one of more vital interest to the peo- ple of the countr}^ who were looking with covetous eyes towards this rich domain, namely, their ultimate redemp- tion from the hands of the Indians, and their consequent opening to white settlement, in case the vague rumors that had reached the world, of their fabulous richness, should be borne out by the facts. Be that as it may, a hasty exploration was made — all that was possible in the limited time tixed for the work (sixty days time), sufficiently extensive, however, to answer the purpose for which the expedition was organized, and to gain a partial knowledge of the formation of the Hills, and their general topographical features. The expedition entered the Hills on the west, at a point near Inyan-Kara, penetrated southeastward as far as Harney's Peak, thence southward across the southern limits of the Hills to the south fork of the Cheyenne river. From this point, Charlie Reynolds, Custer's chief of scouts, was sent alone across the Indian infested country with dispatches to Fort Laramie, and it is alleged that the famous scout suffered exposure and privations on the jour- ne}', from the effects of which he never fully recovered. Returning to Harney's Peak the expedition spent a few days prospecting in the region of the Peak, then took up their march along the Box Elder, and finally after some LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 15 difficulty found its way out of the Hills at a point nearly opposite Bear Butte, which embraced all the territory explored. But very little prospecting was done, and that principally on the heads of the streams draining the area around Harney's Peak, where only five days were spent, the longest time at any one point, in j)roof of which I will quote from General Custer's Report to the War Department, in detail- ing the work of the expedition, the following : — "It will be understood that within the limits of the Black Hills we were almost constantly marching, never halting at any one point for a longer time than one day — except one, and that was near Harney's Peak, where we remained five days; most of the command, however, being employed in operations during the halt. From this it will be seen that no satisfactory or conclusive examination of the country could be made regarding its mineral deposits ; enough, however, was determined to establish the fact that gold is distributed throughout an extensive area within the Black Hills. No discoveries, as far as I am aware, were made of gold deposits in quartz, although there is every reason to believe that a more thorough and extended search would have discovered it. Seeking for gold was not one of the objects of the expedition; consequently, we were but illy-prepared to institute or successfully prosecute a search for it, even after we became aware of its existence in the country." It will be seen from the above that, although prospects of gold were found in the gulches of the streams flowing from the region of Harney's Peak, no deposits of gold in quartz were discovered. The fact was revealed to the pio- neers of 1874 in their search for gold, very shortly after, that the prospecting done by the Custer expedition was a mere bagatelle; besides, there was such a wide discrepancy of statement in the reports of the experts accompanying the expedition, in regard to even the existence of gold in the Black Hills, that the public mind was thrown into a 16 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, greater degree of uncertainty than before, for, while Gen- eral Custer and the mining experts of the expedition claimed to have found gold. Prof. Winchell, geologist, was equally positive in his claim that he did not see a single one of the shining particles. The sequel has demonstrated. H. N. ROSS, Oue of the Mining Experts of tlie Custer Expedition of 1874. however, that the Professor probably did not see the gold because he wouldn't. There is an old adage which says : " There are none so blind as those who won't see." Be that as it may, it was left to the pioneers of 1874 to relieve the public mind from the uncertainty into which it LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 17 was thrown by these conflicting reports, and to prove ta them beyond any doubt the existence of the precious metal in which the people of the country were, at the time, more deeply interested than in any other question. In this state of uncertainty they awaited, with no little anxiety, a report from the pioneers who were already on their peril- ous way before the final reports of the Custer expedition were made public. GOLD FOUND BY THE INDIANS. Such of my readers as are familiar with the history of the early missionaries among the Indians, will doubtless remember the stories told of the wonderfully rich speci- mens of gold, platinum and other precious metals shown by the Indians at the mission, and who, when asked where they were found, would always point in the direction of the Black Hills, but would never consent to conduct any white person to the place, they having doubtless been warned against the cupidity of the whites by their friends^ the missionaries. In view of the recent rich discoveries in the Hills it is quite safe to believe that right in or near the Black Hills, those wonderful specimens were found. DE SMET EXPLAINS THE USE OF A GUN TO THE INDIANS. The subjoined story has been handed down from those missionary days, which the writer is sufficiently credulous to believe. In substance the story runs thus: " De Smet, in one of his trips among the Sioux Indians, before the discovery of gold in California, promised a Sioux chief a present of a pistol, the use of which he had been at some trouble to explain. Accordingly he procured a horse pistol at one of the fur companies' trading posts, some powder, and caps. On his return to the home of the chief he redeemed his promise, purposely neglecting to bring any bullets. The chief overcame the difficulty by going away and returning after a brief absence 2 18 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, with a handful of yellow metal nuggets, which he requested be melted into bullets. The missionary, finding that the nuggets were gold, cautioned the Indians against making known the existence of gold in their country, as the ' pale faces ' ^yould undergo untold hardships to possess it." So, it will be seen that the region of the Black Hills and westward of them was renowned, in the legends of the Indians, for their precious metals, and judging from the rich specimens obtained by the Jesuit Missionaries, this country will prove something more than a mere glittering generality. ORGANIZATION OF FIRST EXPEDITION. Upon the return of the Custer exploring expedition in the summer of 1874, Collins and Russell, deeming the time auspicious for such a movement, renewed their efforts to organize a Black Hills Expedition. In furtherance of the scheme they proceeded at once to Chicago, opened an office on Clark street, and began the work of drawing in recruits. Their efforts were being rapidly crystallized by the enroll- ment of numerous members, but the publicity given the enterprise soon attracted the attention of Gen. Sheri- dan — then stationed at Chicago, who immediately issued orders to the commanders of the frontier posts, similar to the one issued by Gen. Hancock two years before, which again dealt a vital blow to the project. Apparently abandoning the enterprise, they gave up their office in Chicago and returned to Sioux City, where the following dispatch was sent to the Associated Press by Chas. S. Soule: "In view of the recent order of Gen. Sheridan, the Collins & Russell expedition has been aban- doned for the present." This dispatch was merely a blind to put the military authorities off their guard, for right upon its heels, hundreds of letters marked " confidential" were mailed from the Times office, in reply to those asking for information in reference to the expedition — stating that the dispatch promulgated was a blind; that the expe- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAlvOTAHS. 19 dition was a foregone conclusion ; and also, cautioning all who contemplated going to keep their own counsel and make known their intentions only at the Times Office. How many of those numerous correspondents reported at headquarters has not been ascertained, but it is a well- known fact that despite the gigantic efforts of those indefa- tigable workers, the expedition, in point of numbers, did not materialize to any great extent, as only twenty-six men, all told, had the hardihood to dety the authorities and undertake the perilous journey. These few got together, made their secret arrangements, purchased their supplies and equipments — paying for them in cold cash out of their individual pockets, as far as knovvn — and launched secretly out for the Black Hills without exciting the slightest sus- picion on the part of the Government officials or creating a single ripple on the surface of affairs in the pioneer outfitting city. This first expedition to the Black Hills has been called by some the Gordon expedition, in honor of John Gordon, the leader of the expedition on its journey into the Hills. This appellation, however, appears to be a misnomer, as it cannot be ascertained that the guide of the expedition was in any direct way sponsor for its organization. It appears from reliable data obtained, that Collins and Russell, by virtue of their mutual eflbrts to effect an or- ganization in conjunction with other prominent citizens of Sioux City, as before recorded, are rightfully entitled to that distinction. Therefore, by that token, the first expe- dition will be recorded on the pages of this history as the Collins-Russell Expedition. 20 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER III. PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY. The following account of the secret preparations for and the journe}' of the expedition over the plains to the Black Hills, with incidents of the trip, partakes somewhat of the nature of historical narration, rather than a bare record of facts, which it is hoped may render the reading thereof less tiresome. Sioux City, the scene of the first movement for the invasion of the Sioux domain, was, at the time of the open- ing of this story, an enterprising and rapidly growing young city, not far back from the threshold of the then Western frontier — an admirable outfitting point for the unsettled regions to the Westward, and favorably located geographically for carrying out the enterprise of its bold projectors, who were then projecting the secret arrange- ments for the perilous journey. Almost any day during the latter part of September, 1874, there might have been seen small groups of determined looking: men standing on the street corners, or in the hotel lobbies — engaged in earnest discussion of some apparently absorbing topic — an occurrence common enough in any well regulated city; the only thing remarkable about these gatherings being that their personnel was always the same, and whenever closely approached they would immediately disperse, a circumstance which might have led a critical observer to suspect them of some dark conspiracy, and if any curiously inclined person had felt disposed to follow their movements, when the shadows began to fall, they might perhaps have been found at some pre-appointed LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAH8. 21 place in secret conference behind closed doors. Stranf^ers they were, for the most part, who had gathered there, from widely separated localities — extending from the northern lakes to the southern gulf — drawn thither by the current rumors that an expedition was about to leave that convenient point for the Black Hills. Bright, crisp October comes, and if we board a ferry boat and cross over to the west bank of the treacherous Missouri river with its numerous snags and shifting sands, we will find our little party of Black Hills adventurers rendezvoused in a grove near by a small village named Cov- ington, making active but quiet preparations for break- ing camp, and, strangely enough, with them a woman and small boy — the former none other than the author of this story. Speculation was rife around the little community, and many questions were asked as to the destination of the outfit, but the men were absolutely non-committal, and it was then demonstrated that a woman too, can sometimes keep a secret. The necessity for secrecy becomes obvious when it is known that the movement was in direct viola- tion of the express orders of the United States government, whose vigilance the expedition hoped to escape. Preparations for the journey were soon completed. Tents were hurriedly taken down, carefully folded, and with their poles strapped to the sides of the respective wagon boxes ; bright, new cooking utensils, coffee pots and frying pans predominating, were fastened in artistic array along the outside wherever convenience and taste dictated. The inevitable water buckets were suspended from the wngon reaches underneath, and last but by no means least the "grub boxes," were lifted to their places at the rear, where they were held in place by an arrange- ment similar to that employed for the baggage of passen- gers on the early stage coaches, when everything was in readiness for moving. In the afternoon of that memorable day of October 6th, 22 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, 1874, the first expedition to the Black Hills cut loose its prairie craft from its moorings on the banks of the " Rig Muddy," and followed the " Star of Empire," westward right through the heart of the .Sioux reserve. As the train filed out of camp on that October day — the new wagons, whose white covers bore a " strange device," gleaming brightly in the afternoon suii, in the lead, the horsemen on the flanks, the pedestrians — among whom I tripped jauntily along in the rear — it must have presented an imposing pageant to the very few observers. The expedition, in its entirety, was composed of twenty- six men, one woman, and a boy, six canvas-covered wagons, each drawn by two pairs of fat, sleek, and a few of them soniewhat frisky cattle — by the way, they were neither so fat nor sleek, and not in the least frisky at the end of the journey. There were also five saddle horses, and two beautiful gre\diounds, whose frequent frantic chases after the poor timid antelope and rabbit, proved the source of much diversion to the expedition on its long, monotonous march across the bleak, treeless plains. Those long-limbed, pointed-nosed, fleet hounds — named, respec- tively, Dan and Fan, were noble specimens of their kind, of indisputable lineage, and the pets of the entire party. When a few miles out from the starting point, the train halted for the night, when the question, as to who should lead the expedition, and pilot the piratical craft safely to its destination, came up for consideration. After some lively canvassing, as to the best man to intrust with so im- portant an undertaking, the choice finally fell upon John Gordon, who, claiming to have traveled over the country as far as the foot-hills, several years before, was deemed the best fitted, by virtue of such knowledge of the route, to be our guide and leader. However, the expedition had not proceeded far on the journey beyond the line of public travel before it became apparent that our guide's knowledge of the geography of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF TIIK DAKOTAIIS. 23 the country was, to say the least, somewhat vague and un- certain. He had, doubtless, penetrated the country over government roads, used for the transportation of supplies for the military posts to the west of the Black Hills, but not, it was thought, in the direction of the objective point of the expedition. Be that as it muy the train was enabled by the aid of a small pocket compass, carried by Lyman Lamb, who took daily bearings, to keep the general direc- tion, and, although the train may have traversed a good deal of unnecessary territory, our leader was indefatigable in his efforts to find the most practicable ground over which to travel, and finally landed the expedition safely — though somewhat the worse for wear, in the Black Hills. It was his daily custom to ride out every morning in advance of the train to mark out the line of march for the day, by virtue of which he was entitled to unbounded credit. The expedition was splendidly equipped with munitions for its defense — each man having provided himself with the most approved Winchester rifie, besides small arms, and sufficient ammunition to last by economy for a period of eight months. Fidelity to history compels me to record, however, that at divers times, some of our men indulged in the careless pastime of firing their precious cartridges at tarfjets, on which occasions I had orrave misojivings as to whether there would be any left to kill Indians with in case it became necessary. At times I was strongly tempted to expostulate with them on their thoughtless waste of ammunition, but I quickly controlled that inclination, con- cluding that, perhaps, they knew their own business — at least they might think they did and take occasion to remind me of that fact. I did, however, venture to approach them timidly one day when I thought them uncommonly reck- less, and say solemnly : " Boys, don't you think you will need all this ammunition that you are virtually throwing away when we get out among the Indians?" " Oh, shoot the Indians," answered one of the boys, irreverently. 24 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Now, deeming this a potent unci convincing argument against the position I had assumed, and plainly significant, I meekly yielded the point and referred no more to the subject. Our wagons were packed to the guards with sundry pro- visions, chiefly flour, bacon, beans, also sugar, coflee, a modicum of tea, a limited quantity of canned goods, butter, etc. It was estimated that our supply of the staple articles was sufiicient to last, at least, eight months, and, as the owners of each outfit purchased their own sup[)lies, the luxuries were more or less abundant, according to the purses of the purchasers. Besides the supply of munitions and provisions, we were provided with all the necessary paraphernalia for camping, mechanics' tools, and, to complete the outfit, with picks, shovels, and gold pans. Let it l)e understood that the members of the expedition, while arranging for the journey, had been divided into what is called, in army parlance, messes, a kind of copartnership being entered into, the respective partners pooling their resources tor the purchase of supplies and other property necessary for transportation, with the understanding that, at dissolution, the assets be equally divided among the partners. The grouping was as follows: No. 1 being composed •of Capt. Tom Russell, Lyman Lamb, Eaf. Witcher, and Angus McDonald. No. 2, B. B. Logan, Dan McDonald, or Red Dan, Dan McDonald, or Black Dan (the last two, bearing the same patronymic, were distinguished by the color of the shirts they invariably wore), James Dempster, James Powers, J. J. Williams, and Thomas Quiner. 3d, John Gordon, J. W. Brockett, Newton Warren, H. Bishop, Chas. Long, Chas. Cordeiro and Moses Aarons. 4th, R. R. Whitney, Harry Cooper, David Aken, and John Boyle. 5th, Chas. Blackwell, Thos. McLaren, Henry Thomas, D. G. Tallent, Annie D. Tallent, and Robt. E. Tallent, then a Jaoy nine years of age, making twenty-eight in all. a 03 H 2; LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 25 Now that we had got safely away from Sioux City, the problem was how to escape suspicion. So on the canvas covers of the wagons was painted, in large, red letters, "O'Neill's Colony;" intended as a misleading device, which, however, turned out to be a rather transparent one, as very few seemed to be deceived thereby. The people of the small towns through which we passed, along the route, regarded our train with a good deal of justifiable curiosity, and our ears were frequently greeted with such questions as: " Hullo, where are you going? " " Where are you bound for, strangers? " For answer their attention was usually called to the painted words on the canvas. " Oh, you can't fool me ; " " What are you giving us? " and other localisms would be heard in reply. If they had only been permitted to have taken a look into the hidden recesses of our wagons, and discovered the aforesaid picks, shovels, and gold pans, their evident suspicions would have been amply verified. No doubt vague rumors had reached those people in advance that an expedition was on its way to the Black Hills, in reference to which the subjoined extracts from Nebraska newspapers will show the trend of public opinion. SIOUX CITY GOLD HUNTERS. The West Point Republican says the following extract from the Oakdale Journal refers to the Sioux City party under Capt. Russell, a well-known and reliable frontiers- man, and adds; " Although attempting a dangerous task, we apprehend that every man fully realizes the situation and is prepared to face death at any moment." Here is what the Oakdale paper says : — " We were misinformed last week in regard to the des- tination of the supposed emigrant party which passed up the valley recently. Instead of being sturdy sons of toil 26 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, destined, in the future, to delve in the rich soil of Holt County, their destination was the Eldorado of the North- west — the coveted gold fields of the Black Hills. They were resolute, determined looking fellows, and one scarcely knows which to do first — admire their courage or condemn their judgment in thus venturing into an Indian country in the present temper of the red men. That they will have to fight their way inch by inch, across the Sioux territory, is a fact patent to every one conversant with the facts in the case. " We fear they have counted without their host, for they go into a country where dwell Indians enough to surround their little party a hundred deep. If they are captured they have no reason to expect mere}' at the hands of the relentless, bloody Sioux." Until we had left the last vestige of civiliztition behind us, each day of our journey was very much like the pre- ceding one, the same routine of camp duties to perform, such as pitching tents, gathering wood, building fires, over which our evening meals were cooked at night, and taking down and folding tents, preparing our hasty breakfast just as the autumn days began to dawn. Each member of the party was required to serve his turn in the performance of all camp duties, which was really no hardship at that stage of journey, as no night patrol to guard the camp was necessary. Our train traveled r.ather slowly, each day covering an average distance of from fifteen to twenty miles, not a bad record, when it is considered that cattle are not noted for their speed. Spots, well supplied with wood and water, and favorable for grazing, were selected for camping grounds, usually by some one sent out in advance for that purpose. At night, upon ariving at the ground selected, no time was lost, each man proceeded with alacrity in the perform- ance of the duties falling to his share. Supper being LAST HUNTING GROUND OF TIIK DAKOTAHS. 27 disposed of and the remnants gathered up — not even one very small basketful — a couple of hours were then spent in telling stories and singing songs, and, by the way, there were some capital story-tellers in our party, and a few exceptionally tine singers — notably, young Harry Cooper, whose rich tenor voice, as it doated out on the still night air, made one think of the New Jerusalem. The only drawback to the enjoyment was, that by the rules adopted I was required to furnish my share of the entertainment by singing a song or telling a story. Story- telling being more in my line, I would sometimes rehearse a tale calculated to " harrow up the soul, freeze the young blood," etc. — usually one in which tomahawks and scalp- ing-knives conspicuously figured. At the close of these outdoor musicals all would retire to their tents to sleep — perchance to dream of home or " the girls they left behind them." I must confess here that I really enjoyed those social hours spent around the smouldering camp-tire after our days' journeys were ended. Yes, it was truly glorious out under heaven's dark canopy, with its myriads of bright stars twinkling lovingly down upon us like a very benediction — more especially so in that we realized that we were soon to become trespassers and outlaws without the pale of civili- zation. THE FIRST DEFECTION. Soon after we left the little village of Norfolk behind, and were slowly nearing the last settlement, one of the members of our expedition became suddenly very ill — so alarmingly sick that he felt it necessary to at once sever his connection with the enterprise, of which he had been one of the chief promoters, and speedily return to Sioux City. Now, I was uncharitable enough to think, at the time, that the poor fellow just became " awfully " home- sick, ^.n^\ my opinion has not materially changed since 28 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, then. As it is not essential to this history, and for fear that I may have done him a mental injustice, his name shall be withheld. Yet, after all, there perhaps was not one of us who did not experience occasional twinges of homesick- ness as we approached the danger line, and visions of exposure, hardships, sickness, and even death rose up be- fore us, and the fierce warwhoop of the Sioux was already ringing in our ears. The outlook was by no means allur- ing, and one could scarcely be blamed for turning his back upon such a prospect. Besides, it is certainly no discredit to be homesick, but rather a proof that in all the wide world there is no place like home. This defection left the expedition with only twenty-five men to face the perils of the journey over the plains. However, we were in a measure compensated for our loss by a valuable addition to our number, soon after. A little later, one of our members, whom for prudential reasons we shall designate as Mr. A., incidentally came across a man who was the owner of a very diminutive donkey, which he was anxious to sell — otfering him at what he represented as a great bargain. Mr. A., being of a speculative turn of mind, and thinking -that he knew a good thing when he saw it, after carefully diag- nosing his small anatom}^ purchased the little equine for a reasonable consideration. After a critical examina- tion of the property I mentally decided, without prejudice, that the expedition had lost but little by the exchange, and, in behalf of the donkey, I will say that only on two' or three occasions had we reason to be sorry that he joined the expedition. However, when it was afterwards seen what prodigious burdens were loaded upon the docile little creature, and the way he was yanked about by the bits — emphasized by an occasional vigorous kick, I came to the conclusion that the poor little beast had indeed fallen into rather hard lines. Ah, me, many were the wordy combats I had with the pur- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 29 chaser on account of what 1 deemed cruelty to amimals — in which, much to ray discomforture, I always came out second best. I was on safe ground from a moral stand- point, but as he was the owner of the property he had a decided practical advantage. I was reminded one day dur- ins: active hostilities, that the donkey was his and that he felt at liberty to kick him whenever he was in a kicking mood without asking leave of any one. It is highly amusing now to recall these exciting pas- sages on the journey over the plains — and all on account of a donkey. It is quite remarkable now how a trip over the plains, with all its trying discomforts, brings to the surface the most unlovely elements of a man's character, or a woman's either for that matter. Now don't let anyone be led into the belief that our comrade was a monster of cruelty — far from it. On the other hand, he vvas one of the kindest and best fellows in the outfit. He merely wanted to demonstrate to the some- times headstrong little creature, that he was master, and felt compelled to resort to heroic methods to convince him of the fact. We had now arrived at our ostensible destination, O'Neill settlement, on the western verge, while really, our journey had but just begun. All the exposure, the hardships, and dangers had yet to be encountered. As there no longer seemed to be any great necessity for secrecy, our plans and objects were prettv freely discussed with the few settlers at this point, with the understanding, however, that no information be given regarding our movements. The people looked upon our undertaking as foolhardy in the extreme, and used all their native eloquence in trying to persuade me, at least, to change my mind and return before it was too late. But all their well-meant advice went for naught. Did I ever feel tempted to turn back? No, not at this 30 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, stage of our journey, but later on, when trouble and mis- fortune seemed to gather darkly over us, when the pitiless storms of winter overtook us, when sickness and death entered our midst, and bore away one of our little band — then, ah, yes, I would have hailed with glad thankfulness any opportunity to return to the comforts and safety, of home, but no such opportunity was likely to occur. Turning back, after we had penetrated the hostile coun- try, was altogether out of the question, even if such a course had been permitted, as the exposure and danger of a backward journey would have been as great, if not even greater, than to advance, so the only way was to keep together and press resolutely on to the end. After a day spent in the O'Neill settlement for rest, our journey westward was resumed, and I now recall, how utterly horrified those kind people looked as our train pulled out of camp. They assured us that we were rushing headlong right into the jaws of tleath, and to be candid I was much of the same opinion, yet we were not disposed to profit by their well-meant advice. When about two days out from the last settlement, we were met by a party of United States surveyors who had been seut out to establish the Nebraska State line, but who, on account of the Indians, were forced to return without fully completing the work. They urged us not to proceed on our journey, saying that the Sioux had on their war paint and feathers, and in no mood to permit white men to enter their domain. The expedition was not to be intimi- dated, but, despite all warnings to the contrary, and fully conscious of the perils ahead, proceeded along the valley of the Elkhorn river, about on the line now occupied by the N. W. & M. V. R. R. to a point about half way between O'Neill and Long Pine, not far from old Fort Niobrara, where our train diverged to the right, then trav- eling in a northwesterly direction to the Niobrara river, which was reached on the 31st dav of October. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 31 Three weeks had now elapsed since leaving camp on the bank of the Mississippi river, yet only a very small part of our journey had been accomplished. The novelty, as well as the poetry of the trip, had by this time entirely worn off, and had instead become pain- fully realistic and prosaic. A few of our number would have willingly turned their backs on the promised land and returned had it been possible. Our stock had already begun to show the effects of their Ions: march. 32 THE BLACK HILLS *, OR, CHAPTER IV. "CROSSING THE NIOBRARA." At this point the expedition encountered the first real diflSculty of the journey. It was found that ice had already formed on both sides of the river, while in the middle of the stream the current was very swift. The bed of the channel was covered with quicksand and very treacherous, hence any attempt to ford the river at that time seemed like a hazardous undertaking. After a brief consultation on the difficulties of the situation, it was decided to halt, and remain for a few days to give the stock time to feed and recuperate, or, until, by the melting of the ice on the edge of the stream, the crossing might be safely effected. We were astir at dawn on the following morning, and found, much to our satisfaction, that the ice, the result of a higher temperature, was fast losing its hold upon the banks, and, piece by piece, floating swiftly down with the current. During: the halt several of our men started out to make a reconnoissance of the country ahead of us as fur as the Fort Randall road, on the Keya Paha, to ascertain the most practicable route, and also to look for any signs of the proximity of Indians, returning late with the report that no Indians had been seen. At 10 o'clock on the morning of the 2d of November, preparations were completed for crossing the treacherous stream, and by noon we were all landed safely on the opposite side, albeit not without a hard struggle, as the quicksands on the bed made it extremely difficult for the cattle to keep their feet, the shifting sands causing some of them to fall several times durins; the crossing. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 33 Let it be understood that henceforth on our journey, all orders from headquarters were to he obeyed to the letter, " without asking the reason why or daring to make reply." By the wa}^ have my readers ever observed how prone some men are, when vested with a " little brief authority," to become arbitrary and domineering? I have, and it is enough to make the angels weep. Of course, now that we were no longer under the protection of the law, the neces- sity of having a leader became apparent. It also became vitally important that certain regulations and rules of discipline be laid down and rigidly enforced. All fully realized that if every man was permitted to be a law unto himself, it would result in confusion worse confounded. From this point our march was continued north and west, following for some distance the line of the Nebraska State survey, thence in the same direction to the Keya Paha river and the Fort Randall Government road. While in camp at this point a small detachment of United States cavalry, with an ambulance, was seen passing along the road to the westward only a short distance away, but notwithstanding the fact that our stock was scattered all around, feeding in plain view, we were not discovered, strangely enough. Their appearance naturally created no little excitement in our midst for a short time. I remem- ber we were all in mortal fear lest the irrepressible donkey might betray us into the hands of the soldiers, it being his custom to indulge in the pastime of braying lustily from the time he was set free from his burden on reaching camp, and all along through the silent watches of the night, at short intervals until the dawn of the morning, and, although he was Lilliputian as to size, his braying was as loud, sonorous and prolonged, as the notes of a fog horn on the orreat lakes. However, as good luck would have it, he did not bray at that crisis, at least not until the soldiers were well out of hearing, and had disap- peared from sight beyond an adjacent hill, when we again breathed freely. 3 34 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Forsooth, that little midget of a donkey was the source of a great deal of trouble and inexpressible anxiety to us all along the line through the hostile country on account of that unfortunate habit of his. While we all felt it neces- sary to walk around on tip-toe, so to speak, talk in sub- dued whispers and extinguish our fires before dark, he would bray away at his own sweet will without let or hindrance. Finally we were forced, in sheer self-defense, to resort to the expedient of putting a muzzle on him for several nights during the most critical part of our journey; of course, that had to be discontinued as he must eat if he was expected to carry burdens, besides, we felt it was not quite democratic to suppress freedom of speech. We now began to realize that we were treading on for- bidden ground — that we were without the pale of the law and cut off from communication with the outside world — that henceforth danger would menace us from every quarter. At any time we were liable to be met or overtaken by roving bands of Indians, who we felt sure would look with no favor upon our aggressive movements. On the other hand, we were still more afraid of the authorities we had secretly defied. We were in constant expectation of seeing a troop of cavalry come upon us from the rear, seize our train, burn our wagons and supplies, march us back in disgrace, and possibly place us in durance vile. To guard against such a contingency, a rather curious piece of strategy was resorted to. Every few miles our train would move round several times in ever-increasing circles, then off in another direction, zigzagging over the ground in what I thought a very peculiar manner. At first I was greatly surprised and somewhat alarmed at these erratic movements, and really thought that the boys had suddenly taken leave of their senses, but when it was explained to me that it was done to lead possible pursuers off our track I was greatly relieved and felt assured that LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 35 the heads of our men were still level. In fact, I regarded the maneuvering as a wonderfully brilliant conception. It now became necessary that some precautionary meas- ures against probable Indian depredation should be adopted ; therefore, a code of such rules and regulations as were needed for our own personal safety and the protection of our stock, was agreed upon, which were in substance as follows: — All camp duties must be completed, and fires extinguished before dusk. No loud talk or other unnecessary noise shall be allowed. All members of the expedition owning stock shall be required to perform guard duty at night — three to patrol the outskirts of the camp until midnight, then three others to take their places until morning, or day- light — no members shall be exempt from guard duty, except in cases of sickness. These requirements seemed comparatively light, at first, but, as the train advanced into the Indian country, and the storms came, and the weather grew colder and colder, the thermometer going sometimes to twenty -five or thirty de- grees below zero, with no fires to warm by, they became a terrible hardship. Not a few murmurings were heard from the men who had this hard duty to perform, and as the days went by and no trouble came, a spirit of insubordina- tion began to manifest itself — in truth, there was for a time some talk of a mutiny, which was, however, averted by the better judgment of the majority. This standing night guard was especially a hardship on those who were compelled to leave their warm beds, and go out into the bitter cold at midnight to patrol their beats until the morning. Their boots became as hard and un- manageable as cast iron, with the extreme cold and frost, and it was with the greatest difficulty they succeeded in pulling them on. As they tugged, pulled, pounded, and struggled with their refractory footwear, I could hear from my comfortable quarters on the ground floor of my bed- room, frequent and rather forcible ejaculations, which 36 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, sounded to me wonderfully like snatches of a prayer, or quotations from the "Litany," as they floated in to me through the folds of my tent. I suspected at the time, — not without good valid grounds, however, that they were not intended for either. I felt a great sympathy for the boys, and often advised them to go to bed with their boots on, but, although they received my suggestion with some degree of tolerance, my advice was never followed. BILL OF FARE ON THE PLAINS. Perhaps some of my readers may like to know how we fared during our long journey over the plains. Well, until the settlements were left behind, we lived on the fat of the land through which we passed, being able to procure from the settlers along the route many articles which we were after compelled to do entirely without. From that time to the end of our journey, or rather until we returned to civilization, the luxuries of milk, eggs, vegetables, etc., could not, of course, be had for love or money. Our daily " bill of 'fare," which, in the absence of menu cards, was stereotyped on memory's tablets, consisted of the following articles, to wit: For breakfast, hot biscuit, fried bacon, and black coffee ; for dinner, cold biscuit, cold baked beans, and black coffee ; for supper, black coffee, hot biscuit, and baked beans warmed over. Occasionally, in lieu of hot biscuits, and for the sake of variety, we would have what is termed in camp parlance, flapjacks. The men did the cooking for the most part, I, the while, seated on a log or an inverted water bucket, watching the process through the smoke of the camp fire, which, for some unexplainable reason, never ceased for a moment to blow directly in my face, shift as I might from point to point of the compass. I now recall how greatly I was im- pressed with the dexterity and skill with which they flopped over the flapjacks in the frying-pan. By some trick of legerdemain, they would toss up the cake in the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 37 air, a short distance, where it would turn a partial somer- sault, then unfailingly return to the pan the other side up. After studying the modus operandi, for some time one day, I asked permission to try my skill, which was readily granted by the cook, who doubtless anticipated a failure. I tossed up the cake as I had seem them do, but much to my chagrin, the downcoming was wide of the mark. The cake started from the pan all right, but instead of keeping the perpendicular, as by the laws of gravitation it should have done, it flew off, at a tangent, in a most tantalizing manner, and fell to the ground several feet away from the pan, much to the amusement of the bo3^s. I came to the conclusion that tossing pancakes was not my forte. To relieve the monotony of our daily fare, our tables (?) were quite frequently provided with game of various kinds, such as elk, deer, antelope, grouse, etc., large bands of antelope being seen almost daily along the route over the plains. Each outfit had their own hunters, who supplied, for the most part, their respective messes, with game, but Capt. Tom. Russell, who was the real " Nimrod " of the party, and a crack shot, bagged much more game than he needed, which surplus was distributed among the camps. Besides being a good hunter and skillful marksman, Capt. Tom Russell ever proved himself a brave and chivalrous gentleman, during the long, trying journey, and somehow I always felt safer when he was near. There were several others in the party, too, who won the reputation of being skilled hunters, and judging by the marvelous stories told of the great number of deer, elk, and other animals killed, which could not be brought into camp, they deserved to stand at the head of the profession. If there is anything in the wide world, more than another, of which the average man feels proud, it is of the quantity of game he captures. Speaking of game brings to mind an experience, the very remembrance of which always causes an uprising and revo- lution in the region of the principal organ of digestion. 38 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Some of the boys, in their very commendable desire to pro- vide the camp with game, one day captured an immense elk, bringing in the choicest parts for distribution among the different messes, and judging from the flavor and texture of the flesh of the animal it must have been a denizen of the Hills since the time of the great upheaval, and to make a bad matter worse, our chef for the day conceived the very reprehensible idea of cooking the meat by a process called " smothering." Having a deap-seated, dyed-in-the-wool antipathy to smothered meats of all kinds, 1 employed all the force of my native eloquence in trying to persuade him to adopt some more civilized method of cooking, but no, he was determined to smother it or not cook it at all, as by that process, he said, all the flavor of the meat would be re- tained, and he continued: "If my way doesn't suit you, cook it yourself." Accordingly it was cooked his way and brought to the table — the word table is here used figuratively — and truth compels me to admit that it looked very tempting, so, as I was abnormally hungry that night, I conveyed to my mouth, with a zeal and alacrity worthy of a better cause, an exceedingly generous morsel of the meat ; but, oh, ye shades of my ancestors ! it was speedily ejected and then and there I pronounced it the most vil- lainous morsel I had ever tasted in all my checkered career, and the cook was compelled to concur in that opinion. "Ugh!" although more than two decades have passed since then, I can taste it yet. The trouble, however, was more in the elk than in the cooking. All formality was thrown to the winds at meal time, each one helping himself or herself with a liberality and abandon, that was truly astonishing and, I might add, alarming, in view of the fact that our larders were becom- ing rapidly depleted, and that we were completely cut off from our base of supplies. Our coffee was drank from tin cups and our bacon and beans eaten from tin plates. Yes, we had knives and forks — not silver, nor even silver- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAIIS. 39 plated, yet we enjoyed our meals, for with appetites whetted with much exercise and fresh air we were always ravenously hungry, and could eat bacon and beans with the keenest relish. Strange as it now seems, while journeying over the plains I was for the most time blessed, or cursed, with a voracious, almost insatiable appetite — in fact, was always hungry during my waking hours, and what is most remark- able, none of the others were afflicted with the malady. At the outset of the journey I had protested strongly against the kind of food on which we were being regaled, declaring that I never could be tempted to eat such abom- inable stuff, and prophesying my own demise from starva- tion within a month. Later, however, as I trudged along on foot in the rear of the wagon, I would often, between meals, stealthily approach the wagon, surreptitiously raise the lid of the " grub " box and abstract therefrom a great slice of cold bacon and a huge flapjack as large around as the periphery of a man's hat — and a sombrero hat, at that — and devour them without ever flinching or exhibit- insf the slightest disijust. IN THE HEART OF THE INDIAN COUNTRY. As we advanced further into the Indian domain, Capt. Russell and our leader Mr. Gordon began to bring back to camp startling reports of fresh trails discovered, and moc- casin tracks recently made, giving unmistakable evidence that the dreaded savages were not far away. " Well, boys, we are almost sure to have a moccasin dance to-night, and we must be prepared to give the braves a fitting welcome," warned the captain. However, as we were not treated to an exhibition of their terpsichorean skill, nor molested at that time, the conclusion was reached, that these fresh trails were made by the Indians returning from their sum- mer hunt, to winter quarters at their various agencies. All unconscious were they of the near proximity of the invaders, who, though brave, were not insensible to the 40 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, perils which at the time surrounded them, and, figuratively speaking, slept nightly, on their arms, to be ready for an attack at the first warning cry from the faithful sentinels on guard. We were in great danger of being discovered at any moment, as we Avere crossing their trails every day at this sttige of our journey — and frequently their camp fires were found yet burning, SICKNESS IN CAMP. Soon after leaving the settlements, a number of our little party, including myself, were stricken with a malady which finally culminated in the death of one of our number, and in view of the exposure and hardships, and manner of living, it seemed a miracle that more did not succumb to their dreadful effects. Baked beans, hot biscuits, and alkali water, are not conducive to longevity. About this time two or three other members of our expedition began to show acute symptoms of home-sickness, viz. : Charles Blackwell, the sickest on the list; Eaf. Witcher,and, to confess the truth, I had had by this time several spasms of the disease myself, although I had reso- lutely refused to acknowledge it. Eaf, however, having a good saddle horse, and therefore, in a sense, independent of the train, determined to return to civilization at all hazards — which he felt that he was at perfect liberty to do. His arrangements were speedily made. The contents of his grip, such as needles, thread, buttons, pins, etc., etc., were divided among his friends, the pins falling to my lot. He bade us all " God speed " on our dangerous journey that night, as he was to start on his homeward march before the dawn of the following day. But, alas, the " best laid plans o' mice and men aft sans; ajjlee." A council was called that night (I was never admitted to their conferences), at which a preamble and resolutions, something like the following, were adopted : — Whereas, we, in council assembled, have by sagacity and shrewd management, succeeded in eluding the vigilance of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 41 the powers that be, up to date ; and whereas we believe that any direct or indirect comraunication with the outside world would be dangerous to the success, and prejudicial to the interests of our expedition ; therefore, be it resolved, That no member of the expedition shall be permitted to return to civilization which we all voluntarily left; and, be it fur- ther resolved. That any attempt to return shall be deemed treasonable to the expedition, and that the offender shall be punished, by being disarmed and placed under guard, until the dangerous inclination subsides. This seemed an arbitrary proceeding in a democratic country like the United States, where every man is guar- anteed the liberty of going or coming, according to the bent of his own inclinations, provided in so doing he does not interfere with the rights of others, but, it must not be forgotten that we were at the time a law unto ourselves. Eaf. made a vigorous protest against this high-handed exercise of power. " Perhaps some of 3'ou think that I am afraid of the Indians; but I want you all to understand that I am no coward," said he, " I am just heartily sick of this whole disagreeable business," he added. That no braver fellow ever shouldered a Winchester is believed; that he possessed a wonderful amount of pluck, and was capable of great physical endurance is shown later. Im- pelled by a spirit of true democracy, I ventured a plea for individual personal liberty, and got snubbed for my pains. The jiowers were inexorable. Eaf. became afterward rec- onciled to the situation, — saying to me one day a little later : " Well, this is a rather unpleasant experience, but, if you are able to endure the fatigue, the exposure, and all the other disagreeable things of a journey like this, surely I ought not to complain." " I believe," he continued, " if you were not here we should become totally demoralized." Such an expression was, of course, very comforting to me, as I had always felt myself a great incumbrance to the expedition. 42 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, ALMOST A TRAGEDY WITHIN THE FOLD. Shortly after crossing the South Fork of the White river, an occurrence took phice which came very near resulting in a terrible tragedy. According to the account given by one who was an eye-witness of the unfortunate affair, the trouble originated substantially as follows: — John Gordon, the leader of our party, who, by some curious and illogical process of reasoning had evolved the strange idea that he owned the expedition in fee simple and in consequence of this foolish delusion, exercised the little brief authority conferred upon him with all the arro- gance of an autocrat, on the one side, and Charles Cordeiro, in whose veins bounded the hot blood of a long line of Moorish ancestors, and who was stanch and true to the tra- ditions of his race, on the other side, were the prime factors in the difficulty. The country through which we were traveling at the time being broken and very rough, Mr. Gordon in his capacity of leader had ordered some work done along the line of march to render it more practicable for the passage of our train. Mr. Cordeiro being a little slow in obeying the mandates of the august leader, was duly reprimanded for his want of alacrity, and a few bitter invectives — more forcible than euphonious — were hurled at the delinquent. Mr. Cordeiro then, I believe, returned the compliment by inviting his opponent to take a journey to the tropical domain presided over by Pluto and his fair queen Proserpine. Mr. Gordon, not willing to be outdone in politeness, then applied to Mr. Cordeiro an epithet or cognomen not recog- nized in the nomenclature of our race, which naturally aroused the ire of the fiery Moor, who prided himself greatly on his ancestry, to such a white heat that he quickly raised his gun, leveled it directly at the heart of his traducer, and fired, missing his mark. Just before firing, however, he heard a cry of: "Hold, don't shoot I " and turning his LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 43 head suddenly to see whence the cry proceeded, he looked right into the muzzle of a gun in the hands of Mr. Bishop, one of Mr. Gordon's backers ; in so doing his aim became unsteady, his gun deflected a little, hence his failure. In endeavoring to extricate his revolver from his belt, after his gun had missed, he stumbled and fell, when Mr. Gordon rushed upon his fallen foe with drawn knife, and in his uncontrollable rage would probably have finished his victim then and there, had it not been for the prompt and brave interference of Lyman Lamb, who opportunely rushed upon the scene, seized the hand of the excited leader and wrested the knife therefrom. By this time others of our party had gathered around the scene or conflict and insisted that the disgraceful exhibition be brought to a speedy termination. THE TWO VERSIONS. Mr. Cordeiro claimed that Mr. Gordon was advancing toward him with his hand upon his revolver, at the same time saying: " Now, Charley, let's settle this matter right here." Gordon, on the other hand, alleging that he did not have his hand on his revolver, but simply said; " Now, Charley, let's have an understanding." Which version is correct is not known. Mr. Gordon and his sympathizers were clamorous in their demands that summary punishment be meted out to the offender, but the level-headed and unprejudiced members, who were largely in the majority, said no ; and they would have prevented any violence at the risk of their lives. Finally after a good deal of argument pro and con, the belligerents consented to accept terms of peace, which were, that Mr. Cordeiro be dispossessed of his arms for a period of ten days, when they were to be restored in case of peaceable behavior. A resolution was also passed, making it a high crime for any member of the party to threaten the life of any other member, under a heavy penalty, the nature or extent of which is not now remembered, possi- 44 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, bly, the death penalty. The opposing forces then stacked their arms, and sweet peace once more reigned in our midst. Which was considered the more guilty party? Well, opinion among the members was pretty evenly divided. How many of us would be willing to tamely accept insult? Human nature manifests itself the same out in the soli- tude of the inhospitable prairie, as in more settled com- munities, and even the most amiable of our race anywhere, will scarcely submit to be trampled upon beyond a certain point. And that point is where forbearance ceases to be a virtue. s^^-^f^'SPKil LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 45 CHAPTEli IV. CROSSINQ THE BAD LANDS. Long before reaching the White river, water became very scare — long stretches of barren arid countrj' were being traversed, without finding a drop, either for ourselves or stock — snow having to be melted at times for both purposes. Upon reaching the White river we were reduced to the necessity of loading one of our wagons with blocks of ice, cut from the almost solidly frozen stream, which was melted from time to time as it became necessary for our own use, or for watering our stock. The water thus secured was in a high degree offensive and nauseating, wholly unfit for man or beast, and not until nearly famished with thirst could I be tempted to drink a drop of the vile compound. How often in those trying days did our minds wander back to an " old moss- covered bucket, as it rose dripping from fondly remem- bered wells." Oh, the boon of clear, sparkling, cold water — more precious by far than the nectar of the gods. Thus laden with the unpalatable conglomeration of chalk and congealed water — and I know not what other ingre- dients, which was to serve us for drink for the two or three days following — we continued on our dreary march across theMauvaises Terres, or Bad Lands, and language is inade- quate to describe the utter desolation of the country through which we passed. Long ranges of hills, cut up by a perfect labryinth of ravines or gorges into all sorts of fantastic shapes, into various architectural forms, resem- bling fortresses, castles, and even small villages, confronted us on every hand. There was but little vegetation, with here and there a solitary pine tree to relieve the barrenness 46 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, in this noted paradise of the scientists. The only sign of animal life to be seen while crossing this *' Inferno," was a single mountain sheep that stood on the extreme summit of one of the white chalky bluffs to our right, making a wonderfully attractive picture as with head erect he sur- veyed in apparent wonderment our slowly moving train, doubtless the first spectacle of the kind he had ever witnessed. Was he sole monarch of that entire God-for- saken domain? At any rate I felt convinced that no human being could long abide in such a place. Numerous evidences that we were traveling over a region that had at some time in the dead past been the bed of an ocean were discovered; pieces of fossil bones, and petrified shells of various kinds and large size, lay scattered over the surface, some of which we gathered. Of course, those things called up interesting reflections, but as we were not at the time in search of the fossilized remains of animals, large or small, vertebrate or inverte- brate, that had existed in prehistoric times, nor very scientifically inclined, we paid but little attention to those wonderful deposits. I would like to ask, who would be scientific, with feverished tongue and parched lips, and visions of the scalping knife flourishing over their heads? Besides we were nearly suffocated with the alkali dust that rose in clouds at every step and every revolution of the wheels of our train — notwithstanding it was almost winter. The whole aspect of this region of desolation suggested the thought, that a Heaven-directed curse had, at some time, swept over the land, withering and consum- ing everything in its path, both animate and inanimate. It must be borne in mind that this region was seen at its worst, being the time when all vegetation was cut down by the frost. It is asserted that, in many portions of the Bad Lands, the grasses grow quite luxuriantly, and frequently springs of good water are found. We, however, failed to find any such luxury as a spring of water (or water of any kind that was fit for drink), and oh, the intolerable thirst! LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 47 I would have been willing to have given my kingdom (had I one), not like Richard III. for a horse, but for a single draught of the water that comes bubbling up from the depths of some cold mountain spring. A DKATH IN CAMP. On the morning before our train reached the valley of the Bad river (but I am at a loss to understand why it is called a river, as there was not a drop of water to be found within a radius of several miles of the valley), the condition of our sick patient became so serious, that it was suggested and urged by some of the more humane of the party that the train halt for a few days, or until the suf- fering man got better. I think none of us realized that he would die. It was decided, however, that, as we were in the very heart of the hostile country, delay would be danger- ous and unjustifiable, in that the lives of the whole party would be jeopardized — and, it was argued, that his bed could be so adjusted, that by traveling slowly he would suffer no great discomfort. Accordingly, one of the wagons was emptied of its contents and a comfortable bed prepared upon which the sick man was laid, nevermore to rise. All that day I walked along on foot by the side of the wagon, withthe lono;ao;onizinoi; wails of thedvino: man ringing in my ears; every cry piercing my heart like a two-edged sword, he begging to be shot, and thus relieved from his terrible suffering. This thought no doubt was suggested to his mind by the sight of a gun strapped to the canvas above his head, which was very soon removed. About one hour before arriving at our camping ground his cries ceased, and we all fervently hoped he had fallen asleep. Upon reaching camp and looking into the wagon it was seen that he, indeed, was peacefully sleeping, the sleep that knows no wakening. " Ah, pity 'tis, 'tis true," that the poor pilgrim had fought the supreme battle alone, with no tender hand to wipe away death's gathering teardrops, or smooth his dying pillow — but — yes, did not the pitying 48 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, angels hover above and around hira, even 'neath that coarse canvas? Gloom, like a dark pall, hung over our little camp on the dreary, lonely prairie that night. Death was in our midst and every gust of wind that blew adown the valley seemed laden with the wails and groans of our departed companion. I must record here that everything kinds hands could do, with the medicines available, was done for his relief and comfort. Now, notwithstanding the extreme dangers of the situa- tion, it became imperative that we camp for a day in order that the last sad rites be [jcrformed for our dead comrade, J. J. Williams, a skilled artisan, and a genius in many ways, taking charge of the preparations for the burial. A coffin of small hewn timber.s, strongly pinned together with wooden pins, was constructed, in which the body was decently laid, then a cover, also, of hewn timbers was pinned down in like manner. Surely no prowling wolves or coyotes could ever reach him in his impregnable bed! A grave was then dug on a little grassy eminence over- looking the lonely valley, then sadly and tenderly his comrades lowered him into his final resting-place, there to await the call of the last trumpet on resurrection morn. A cross, also of small, smooth, hewn timber was erected over his grave. On the ))edestal of the cross was written the following inscription: " Died on the 27th of Novem- ber, 1874, on his way to the Black Hills, Moses Aarons, aged 32 years. ' May he rest in peace.' '' No audible prayer was uttered; no funeral dirge was sung ; each one stood reverently with bowed, uncovered head, around the grave until the first earth fell upon his rude cofiin, then turned sadly away. I would give much to know whether that solitary grave has remained undis- turbed, all the long years since then. There is a tradition handed down to us, that Indians will never disturb a grave surmounted by a cross, as they LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 49 have the greatest veneration for this symbol of Christ's death, — hence the erection of the cross. At 3 o'clock p. m. November 28th, the simple ceremo- nies being over, our train moved on, leaving our late com- panion in that desolate spot, far from home and friends, where the summer's breeze and winter's blast would wail a perpetual requiem athwart his lone grave. It all seemed to me peculiarly sad at the time, and I could but look back with wet eyes at the slowly receding cross, bathed in the pale light of a late November sun, until it was finally hidden from my view. Ah, how deeply I felt impressed with the inscrutable mysteries of Providence ! But it was not for us to understand why a man, more or less accustomed to the hardships of life, should be cut down in all the glory and strength of his young manhood, while a delicate woman, wholly unused to exposure, or any of the privations and hardships incident to such a journey, should be given strength to endure and overcome all the diflSculties of that terrible march. Truly " God's ways are mysterious and past finding out." AN AMUSING INCIDENT. It has been said that there is but a step from the sublime to the ridiculous ; so likewise there is but a step from the pathetic to the ludicrous ; for, right upon the heels of the sad and impressive scene we had just witnessed, followed an incident which caused a good deal of amusement in our midst, and illustrated how very near laughter and tears are together. Mr. Blackwell had the good fortune of captur- ing a beautiful silver gray fox, the skin of which is ac- counted of great value, and after divesting the beauty of its sheeny outer garment he left the carcass to be food for the hungry coyotes that were very numerous on the plains. However, the ravenous beasts came very near being cheated out of the feast intended for them, and by one of the hearty pioneers, too, who innocently supposing the flesh 4 50 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, good for food lingered behind the train for the purpose of securing the coveted meat. Shortly after reaching camp that night the donkey was seen approaching in the reflected rays of the sinking sun with the carcass of the fox standing bolt upright, stiff and stark on his back (frozen solid), and a more ludicrous spectacle could hardly be imagined. When the attention of the boys was called to the approaching donkey and his nude rider, with the owner marching gaily along beside them, the comical looking proposition created no end of merriment in the camp. It was perfectly irresistible. When told that foxes were considered wholly unfit for human food, the poor fellow very reluctantly gave it back to the wolves. He did not see why foxes were not quite as wholesome and palatable as the opossum, the woodchuck, and the squirrel ; neither did I. In marching across the Bad Lands we found a great scarcity of both fuel and water, and had not the precaution been taken of loading wood onto the wagons before leaving the White river, the inevitable black coffee and hot bread would have been for awhile unknown quantities. The diflSculties of the march increased as the days went by. The cattle became completely worn out from their long journey over the rough, untraveled ground, without being allowed suJ9Scient time to feed. Their hoofs became worn to the quick, and it looked as if some of them would have to be abandoned on the plains to die. To partially relieve them, they were provided with leather shoes, divi- ded to fit the hoofs, which for a time remedied the diflSculty, this, however, affording only temporary relief to the poor, emaciated creatures that were becoming day by day less able to carry their rapidly diminishing loads. Slowly and toilfully we crept along over the hard frozen ground, with nothing to relieve the tiresome monotony of the march, save the amusement afforded us by the daily chases of the greyhounds after some kind of game. If the game happened to be a band of antelope, they, with a LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 51 snort of defiance, would scamper away over the prairie with almost lightning speed, those not especially singled out by the hounds, turning now and then, with heads erect, and nostrils distended, to view the situation, and make sure that there was really sufficient cause for so much alarm on their part ; and it was truly a beautiful sight. The hounds, selecting their victims from the band, would (Dan in the lead) scud away after them, in a perfect frenzy of ex- citement, usually running them to some point beyond our reach of vision, so that vve rarely knew the real denouement of the exciting chase. If, on the other hand, the game chanced to be a rabbit, the chase proved to be a very dis- appointing and unsatisfactory affair to both Dan and Fan, on account of its shortness, as they were soon run to cover. The rabbit, bounding away in great leaps, covering a dis- tance of twelve or fifteen feet at a jump, would suddenly disappear in its burrow, not far away, the dogs then returning, with a wofuliy crestfallen expression on their intelligent faces, and their tails dangling down, in a truly despondent manner. Nevertheless, we all felt exceedingly grateful to them for even this temporary diversion along the dreary road. Let none of my readers be deluded into the belief that there was anything, either very romantic or pleasant con- nected with this part of our journey, unless shivering over the dying embers of a camp fire, silently watching the day- light gradually fade into darkness, until all the surround- ing desolation was overspread with the sable wings of night, and then creeping, benumbed with cold, into bed, be romantic, or unless getting up at the early dawn, partaking of a hastily prepared breakfast, none too tempting to the appetite, and trudging off through the snow, day after day, be considered a pleasure. If any one labors under such a foolish delusion, let such individual take a journey under like conditions and circumstances, and be disenchanted. 52 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, FIRST SIGHT OF THE BLACK HILLS. We bad our first glimpse of the Black Hills about ten o'clock a. m., December 31st. The Black Hills! The Black Hills ! passed from lip to lip. A glad cry of relief went forth at the sight, and every heart sang preans of joy and thankfulness, that our destination was so nearly reached. We could see plainly, away in the distance, to the left of us, the long line of dark shadowy hills, dimly outlined against the blue sky, and to the right, Bear Butte, standing alone like a huge sentinel guarding the entrance to that unknown land. Of course, the Hills were yet along distance away, but our goal was always after in sight to buoy up our spirits. Several days before sighting the Hills some of our poor cattle had become so reduced and footsore, that it seemed impossible for them to proceed any farther with their loads. It appeared as if some would be compelled to abandon their wagons and stock of supplies, and make their way into the Hills as best they could with such provis- ions as they could carry, or adopt the alternative of going into winter quarters on the bleak prairie. This terrible alter- native, however, was happily averted. The owners of the bet- ter conditioned stock acted the part of the good Samaritan, by relieving the disabled cattle of a part of their loads, thus increasing that of their own already overburdened stock. Two or three hundred pounds, more or less, was loaded on to the submissive donkey, and thus lightened we were all able to proceed together on our journey greatly to our relief. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 53 CHAPTER yr. CROSSING THE CHEYENNE RIVER. On the morning of December 3cl we found our train on the crest of a high precipitous bluff, near the point where the waters of Elk creek swell the current of the Cheyenne river, and in something of a dilemma. To descend the almost perpendicular front of the bluff with the wagons looked impossible. Descend we must, however, or take the alternative of turning back, and trav- eling many miles in search of a more practicable point. Finally, they hit upon the expedient of letting the wagons down the steep incline by means of ropes, with which, for- tunately, the party was well supplied. The cattle were unhitched, and driven across, and down the vertical bluff first, then the wagons, one by one, were lowered by means of ropes to the valley below. INDIANS DISCOVERED. At this time occurred the most exciting episode of the entire journey. As the last wagon was being lowered, some one discovered moving objects a mile or so down the valley. Field glasses being brought to bear revealed that the ani- mated objects were nothing more nor less than about two score of Indian ponies, feeding along the valley of the river, — a convincing evidence that their owners were near at hand. " Ah, then there was hurrying to and fro," but •* no gathering tears, nor tremblings of distress." Oh, no, just a firm compression of the lips, a flashing of the eye, then a hurried examination of Winchesters, a buckling on of cartridge belts, and the boys were ready for action at the first sign of hostility on the part of the Indians. A fight 54 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, seemed inevitable, and there were no cowards in our little band of men. I was speedily and rather unceremoniously ushered into a covered wagon out of sight — under protest, however, for I am nothing if not curious, but there was some con- solation in the thought that from my point of vantage, everything that transpired could be plainly seen. The reason assigned for such summary procedure was that the presence of a woman might lead the Indians to suspect that the party contemplated a longer stay within their domain than would be agreeable to them. Very soon two mounted braves came dashing up the valley toward us, being very careful, however, not to come within gunshot of our train ; then after a hasty survey of the situation, with a shrill warwhoop, they rode back at full speed to report the number of pale faces and their apparent strength. Orders were then given to cross the river and halt for dinner, although an hour earlier than the usual time for our noonday meal. Soon after going into camp, five mounted Indians rode into our midst, and remained until the train was ready to pull out. The Indians improved the time by trying to barter away their ponies for ammunition and guns ; and no doubt they would have given several of their ponies for one of the Winchesters, with which our party was equipped, and which they examined with a great deal of interest. Of course we had neither guns nor ammu- nition to barter away for ponies nor money. These Indians seemed quite friendly, and to do them justice, they were really quite respectable looking Indians, as Indians go, but like all their race, the most inveterate of beggars. They were fitted out with a goodly supply of flour, bacon, sugar, and tobacco — yes, we had tobacco, and pipes too. From my safe retreat 'neath the canvas, through a con- venient aperture, I had a " bird's-eye " view of the whole procedure and to tell the truth, I felt much uneasiness on LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAK0TAH8. 55 seeing the liberality with which the boys were doling out their precious stock of provisions to the graceless savages. In truth, I could scarcely refrain from uttering a warning cry from my hiding-place, from which I hoped soon to emerge, but I remembered the ammunition episode in the early part of the journey, and heroically closed my lips. When the train received its marching orders the Indians, laden with the generous contributions, returned to their camp, a short distance below. These Indians, who proved to be a band of Cheyennes returning from a summer hunt to winter quarters — are reputed to be less warlike than many of the other tribes, — at all events, they gave us no farther trouble. Perhaps they stood in wholesome terror of the formidable equipments of our expedition and thought discretion the better part of valor. Had we en- countered an equal number of the fierce and bloodthirsty Sioux, doubtless I should have a far different story to relate, or, perchance, there might not have been one left to tell the tale. I am of the opinion, however, that our plucky little band would have proved more than a match for the sneaking savages, as they were on the constant lookout, and always prepared for a surprise. After this encounter, and, in view of a possible attempt to run off the stock of the train, a double guard was placed to patrol the outskirts of the camp, to watch the cattle, for several nights thereafter, when, as we were not molested, the force was reduced to its original number. Two days after leaving the Cheyenne river, one of our cattle gave up the struggle, unable to proceed a step far- ther. The worn-out beast was unhitched from the wagon, the yoke removed from his galled shoulders, and he was turned out on the prairie to die, and the last we saw of the poor bovine he was lying exhausted on the ground, but, true to his instincts, chewing his " cud" vigorously. As we approached the Hills, they began to assume a more definite shape. Instead of the great banks of vapory clouds as at first sight, there rose up, bold, rugged, abrupt 56 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, mountains, all along their eastern limits, and the striking resemblance of Bear Butte to a huge bear, as outlined from our point of view, became easily discernible, growing more and more clearly outlined, as the train drew near. Two days before reaching the point of entrance, it ap- peared that in a few hours, at most, we could reach the Hills, and I was greatly surprised when told that they were yet forty miles away.. The next morning, they were so very near that I felt an impulse to reach out my hand and pluck a twig from the evergreens on the hillsides, — so deceptive is distance, in the rare atmosphere of the Black Hills, — especially to the unaccustomed eye. The delusion is not near so great when one becomes accustomed to the climate, the philosophy of which I do not understand. At length on the 9th day of December our feet fir?t pressed Black Hills' soil, at a point about four miles below Sturgis, where we took dinner in the midst of a howl- ing snowstorm. Here we found a well-defined wagon road made by the heavy supply train, accompanying the Custer expedition on its exit from the Hills in the preced- ing August. On reaching the foothills at this point, to guard against an ambushed foe it was deemed advisable to press into service a day guard, an advance and rear guard, and also two flank guards, whose duty it was to patrol the ridges along each side of the moving train to apprise the party of any threatened danger, and it was no easy duty. We expected to find Indians galore in the Hills, skulking behind the bushes and trees, and I now recall how I mag- nified every bush and shrub along the top of the ridges, into the tufted heads of so many redskins, peering over the crests of the hills at our train. However, as no apparent danger seemed to threaten us, and as no evidence of the presence of Indians had been found, after two days the extra guard was released from dut}'. Our first camp within the limits of the Hills was made in a canyon about two miles below where Piedmont now is, on the night of December 9th, wherefrom the train LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 57 marched in a southerly direction up over the hill and down into the Box Elder Valley at a point not far from the mouth of Jim creek, then following up the Box Elder to the north fork of that stream and over the divide to Little Rapid creek, thence almost due south across Castle, Slate, and Spring creeks to our destination, two and one- half miles below Custer. When we first struck the Custer wagon trail, we found along the way, horseshoes, kernels of corn, and other evidences that civilized people had but recently traveled over the ground, which so reminded me of home, or, I might as well confess the truth, I became for the first time so utterly homesick that — what did I do? Well, 1 sought the most convenient log, sat down npon it, and proceeded to shed a torrent of unavailing tears — and they were no crocodile tears, either. Would not some of my readers have been equally weak, I wonder? Through the mystic influence of associations, very small things are, under circumstances, wonderfully potent in their appeal to the human heart. So in this case even a few grains of corn, scattered along the wild mountain trail, had the power to burst open the flood-gates and let the current of tears rush forth. On the first night spent within the limits of the Hills, we all had a pretty bad Indian scare, which caused some- thing of a panic in the camp. Long after the camp fires were extinguished and the guards posted on the outskirts, the inmates of the camp were suddenly aroused by the low warning cry of: " Boys, for God's sake, get up quick and get your guns, the camp is surrounded by Indians ! We're in for it this time, sure." The boys sprang up, pulled on their cast iron boots, grabbed their guns and rushed forth to meet the foe. I sat bolt upright in my lowly bed, and listened — my heart beating a rapid tattoo, meanwhile — but could hear nothing but the dismal howling of the hun- gry timber wolves, which, it finally turned out, two of the guards had magnified into the blood-curdling warwhoop of 58 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, the Sioux. A few of the boys had never heard an Indian warwhoop; hence the mistake. As our route was taken through some of the wildest por- tions of the Hills, the journey through them proved a de- lightful revelation — one continuous poem, replete with all that is grand, sublime and beautiful. We found the Black Hills a profound solitude, with peace, like a guardian angel, reigning over the whole wide expanse, and without a single vestige of civilization; and as we marched along under the shadows of the lofty hills, I remember how greatly I was impressed with their vastness, and our own comparative insignificance and littleness. Up and down over the rough divides our jaded cattle laboriously made their way. Down steep and dangerous declivities, into dark canyons, where the sun never shone save at midday, and where it seemed so awfully hushed, as to be almost oppressive, we pursued our course. All along the route could be seen in places, on one hand, huge rocks piled high one upon the other, with almost mechanical regularity and precision, as if placed there by the hand of a master workman — a great wall of natural masonry; on the other the everlasting hills, covered with majestic pines, that looked like stately sentinels guarding the valleys below, towering far, far up above our heads ; then anon low lying ranges of hills, clothed with dense for- ests of pine, and away in the hazy distance, other ranges rising up like great banks of clouds against the horizon. For myself, 1 confess that I had then no knowledge of the geography of the country we were traversing, but as I remember the localities, it was on the divide between Rapid and Spring creeks that we first saw Harney's Peak, tower- ing up in rocky grandeur, to the left of our line of march. A noticeable feature of the country through which we passed, as we neared our objective point, was the many beautiful glades, with their scattered bunches of pines and hemlocks — a vivid picture of which I have in my mind as they appeared to me then, with the bright winter's sun LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 59 shining down through their branches, fleckino; the brown earth beneath, with patches of burnished gold — spots where one might expect to see fairies dancing and skipping about on moonlight nights. A tit abode it seemed for our first parents, — in the days of their primeval inno- cencj, — ere woman tempted (?) man to sin. In passing through some of the deepest, darkest canyons of the Hills, my imagination would run riot at times, and I could not help glancing furtively from side to side of the ravines to see whether there were any gnomes or hobgob- lins peering out at us from between the crevices of the great rocks, where these irrational creatures are supposed to hold high carnival, and I confess that I always felt a trifle relieved when we emerged from those uncanny places. Altogether the journey through the Hills was a rare treat to one who had never before been among the mountains. The entire landscape was one well calculated to impress the beholder with awe, and incline him, if aught earthly could, to fall prostrate at the footstool of the Great Unseen behind all its wonderful majesty and beauty ; and to make the scene still more impressive, an awful silence — a silence which only primeval forests know — hung over all. No sound was to be heard amid the solitude, save our own voices, which sounded strange and unnatural; the rumbling of the wagons over the rough trail, and the cracking of the drivers' whips, which reverberated from hill to hill and through the corridors of the woods in the most romantic manner. By the way, the drivers seemed to delight in cracking their whips and hallooing to the cattle, simply, I suspected, to hear the delightfully romantic effect. Lyman Lamb was one of the Jehus of the party, and he showed himself quite as expert in that capacity as he has since in keeping county records. He did not, however, like the scriptural Jehu, ride in a chariot, drawn by fiery steeds, but on the contrary, drove his own cattle, walking by their side from the start to the finish, and the wonder- 60 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ful skill and dexterity with which he wielded his prodigious whip, and cracked its long lash, would have made a pro- fessional *' whacker " green with envy, and excited my most profound and lasting admiration. In all the vicissitudes of that long, trying journey Mr. Lamb proved himself one of Nature's noblemen — fearless and intrepid, and one upon whom it is always safe to rely. Our march through the Hills was necessarily slow, owing to the weak condition of the cattle, it taking just two weeks from the time we entered the Hills to reach French creek. At last, after a hard journey full of bitter experiences, we arrived at our objective point, about two and one-half miles below Custer, on December 23d, 1874, having been seventy-eight days en route. As soon as the train came to a halt, some of the boys rushed to the wagons for shovels and gold pans, and hast- ened to Hnd the place where the miners of Custer's expedi- tion claimed to have found the gold. Soon they were seen returning to camp waving their hats aloft in a very excited manner, myself joining them, by frantically waving my much traveled and weather-beaten hood in genuine sympa- thy. Eureka! They had found particles of gold in the bottom of each gold pan, and my readers may be assured that there was great rejoicing in our camp on French creek that winter's night. Our poor emaciated cattle were unyoked for the last time, and turned out to subsist as best they could for the winter. Our tents were pitched, suppers prepared and eaten with the usual informality, and we then sat around our blazing camplires in the heart of the wilderness, not singing songs and rehearsing tales, as of yore, when we yet reposed under the folds of the American flag, but talking of and thinking out the difiicult problem that confronted us; some, perchance, indulging in waking dreams of the piles of gold that were almost within their grasp. Ah, if we could only have lifted the curtain, and taken a glance into the future, at the long years of weary waiting, our LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 61 bright hopes would have given phice to dark despair. In mercy, " Heaven from all creatures hides the Book of Fate." I often wonder if any of the little band of pioneers, who sat dreaming around that camp fire on French creek that night, have ever yet realized their hopes, or are they still chasing the illusive phantom, that somehow always man- ages to elude their grasp. I am quite clear on one point, and that is, that the author of this story has been reaching out for more than two decades after that delusive " will-o'- the-wisp," and is still employed in the same fruitless occupation. Now that our journey was ended for a few months at least, our camp arrangements must be of a more permanent character, so we pitched our tents on the hill slope north of French creek near a copious spring and proceeded to make our surroundings as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances and limitations. A wearied and worn, tattered and torn combination we were, to be sure, on reaching French creek on that 23d day of December, 1874. How could it be otherwise? I was painfully aware that I, at least, was in a very sorry plight. My shoes, especially, were in a sadly demoralized condition — a thin apology for shoes, although the second pair since leaving the haunts of man. What did I do for shoes? Why, I made a pair of moccasins of a deer skin that had been tanned and prepared by one of the boys for the purpose, and very comfortable moccasins they were, too. Did I walk much of the way on the journey? Oh, yes, all of the way after leaving the settlements, except dur- ing a week of sickness, and a few short rides on the back of the little burro. Now some may regard such a feat as something quite wonderful, but there was really nothing remarkable about it, when it is remembered that the distance traveled was only from ten to fifteen miles a day, and the gait exceed- ingly slow — a mere pleasure walk. Anyhow, who would ride in a heavily loaded wagon drawn by worn-out, footsore 62 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, cattle? Not I, indeed. Of course the ground traversed was very rough, and sometimes covered with snow, hence the deplorable state of my footwear. Had it not been for certain precautions taken by us pedestrians on our way'into the Hills, some would have been barefoot in all likelihood, long before reaching the end of the journey. When there was snow on the ground we '* packed " our feet to protect them against the loose snow, as well as the cold. Now I venture to assert that some of my readers do not even know what packing the feet means. I didn't know before I started to the Black Hills, and took a regular course in the art. Well, it means simply to bind a gunny- sack — now don't pretend not to know what a gunnysack is — snugly around the feet and ankles, then bind it on with a stout cord to keep it in place. There is nothing equal to it as a protection to the feet, and I regard the man or woman who originated the idea, as a genius and a benefactor of the pioneers. Try it when you cross the plains on foot in the winter. The next day, December 24th, was wash day, and day of general repairs in camp, and a formidable undertaking it was, as may be easily imagined. We had tubs, wash- boards, and plenty of soap in the outfit, but we were obliged to take turns in washing as there were not quite enough tubs to go round. When the garments were washed, they were spread on the bushes to dry, and when dry were ready to wear, as they were never ironed, every- thing being done after the most primitive fashion. It is needless to say that the boys did their own washing and mending. Lest some might think that we had ignored the laws of hygiene while en route, I want to state that frequent short halts had been made for washing and bathing pur- poses, notwithstanding the danger, for although branded as outlaws, we were not barbarians. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 63 CHRISTMAS-TIDE IN BLACK HILLS IN 1874. Yule-tide had come, and it was hardly to be expected that the children's patron saint would think of running the gauntlet of the Indians to visit our obscure camp among the wilds, so, inspired by the spirit of " Peace on earth and good will towards men," and feeling that something should be done to keep the festive season green in our memories, I bethought me of a Christmas tree, without the genial saint. There were plenty of evergreens that could easily vie with the time-honored holly and mistletoe on every side, and beautiful Christmas trees near at hand in the valleys, but what was the good of a tree with nothing to put on it — no books, no toys, no confections, nothing but picks, shovels, gold pans, and an ox chain for orna- mentation, and these would hardly be appropriate. The fondly remembered Christmas stocking was thought of, but here the same difficulty occurred. The whole category of supplies from baked beans down failed to furnish anything suitable for a Christmas gift, and so my great mental struggle to make the " eve " seem like Christmas went for naught. Christmas morn dawned upon us, and at no time since our journey began did we realize so keenly how far re- moved, both by distance and environments, we were from home and all that it implies. Completely cut off from the whole Christian world with its precious privileges ; no Merry Christmas greeting from the loved ones away back towards the rising sun; no sweet chimes of Christmas bells fell upon our ears; no grand organ notes, pealing forth the glad Hosannas, reached us among the mountain fast- nesses ; no church privileges — but, wait — was not the whole visible expanse a church, grander by far than any cathedral ever built by human hands? Was there not a powerful sermon in the beautiful quartz that lay scattered about on the hillsides, and a great moral lesson in every 64 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, tree and bush that grew upon their lofty crests? Were not the mournful cadences of the wind, as it whispered through the pine branches above our tents, more touching than the sweetest song; and the awful silence that brooded over each hill, valley, and beautiful glade, more potent to lift the thoughts Heavenward, than the grandest choral music ever chanted by human voices? These were the thoughts that rose up in my mind, as I sat musing at the opening of my tent, on that Christmas day, nearly a quarter of a century ago. What of our material comfort? Did we have a Christmas dinner? Alas, no. Roast turkey with cranberry sauce, plum puddings, and mince pies were not much in evidence on our tables that day — nothing but our coarse evcry-day fare, and no doubt the thoughts of every one of our little band went back over the dreary intervening waste, to the good cheer of the dear old homes. The day after Christmas the storm clouds gathered, and soon snow began to fall, — coming down in great feathery flakes until the whole landscape was covered to a depth of two or more feet, on a dead level, and our tents were al- most literally snowed under. Then the wind rose and blew a terridc gale — driving the loose snow before it, and piling it in great banks in the valley below, and the cold became intense. Being on the southern slope of the hill we did not feel the cold much, but the cattle suffered terribly, both from cold and hunger, especially the latter, as they could not reach the cured grasses, — so abundant in the snow- covered vallev. At niofht great fires were built of pitch pine logs, piled high, which threw out light and heat in every direction. The poor cattle, attracted by the grateful warmth, would come into camp and stand in a long line on each side of the fire, until somewhat thawed out, when they would wander back, one by one, into the darkness and fierce storm. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 65 Was it reason or iastinct that guided those dumb brutes in, systematically arranging themselves in rows, near the fire, and then leaving their comfortable positions without any compulsion, just as if they felt themselves intruders. In less than a week the great storm was over and the weather became as warm and balmy as a June day. 6Q THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, CHAPTER yil. BUILDING THE STOCKADE. The time had now come when we must look the situation squarely in the face. We were in the Black Hills, but how long we would be permitted to remain was a problem which the future alone could solve. But whether our stay was to be long or short, the exigencies of the situ:ition demanded that safer and more comfortable quarters be at once pro- vided. The storms of midwinter were upon us, and danger, for ausfht we knew, might be even then lurking behind each bush and tree. Therefore, to guard against exposure and possible danger, the plan for building a place of defense was matured and speedily executed. Skillful and willing hands were soon at work, and despite the fact that the work began in the midst of the worst snowstorm of the winter, in about two weeks the formidable structure, commonly known as the Gordon stockade, was completed and ready for occupancy. For the benefit of those who have never seen that early stronghold, I will give a description of the structure, as I remember it after the lapse of nearly a quarter of a cen- tury, and, in view of the memorable winter spent within its gloomy walls, I am not likely to forget a single feature, from the top to the base, or from the great wooden gate to the opposite wall. The walls of the stockade were built of heavy pine timber, thirteen feet in length, set close together in an upright position, three feet in the ground, forming an inclosure eighty feet square. Along the line of contact, between the timbers, other smaller timber were pinned with heavy wooden pins. At each of the four corners of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. (i7 this iuclosure were bastions, standing out six feet from the main structure, — each provided with four embrasures, and alono; the two sides and one end, at intervals of about eight feet, were portholes. A large double gate twelve feet wide, built of hewn timber strongly riveted together with wooden pins, completed the structure, this gate being the only entrance to that impregnable fortress of the Hills. It has been pronounced by those who are good judges of defensive works the strongest fortification of the kind ever built in the West. Capt. Mix, in his description of our stronghold to Gen. Bradley, on his return with the pris- oners to Fort Laramie said: " Why, if they had resisted I should have been obliged to return to the fort for artillery to dislodge them." At any rate, once within its strong walls we felt that we could defy the Indians as long as our ammunition lasted or until we were starved out. But would our ammunition last; would our provisions hold out until relief came? That was the problem. Within the walls of the stockade were built seven log cabins, three on each side and one opposite the gate, with a space of about six feet intervening between them and the walls, designed for the sharpshooters at the portholes, and the bastions, leaving a large area in the center of the in- closure. In one of these log cabins the author spent the never to be forgotten w^inter of 1874-5. It is much to be regretted that ruthless hands were permitted to destroy that great early landmark of the Black Hills, which might have been preserved as a memorial to the pluck and perseverance of the men who built it. It is said that not a single stick is left to mark the spot where it stood. LIFE IN THE STOCKADE. The seven cabins within the walls of the stockade, in which we were doomed to drag out the weary monotonous days of winter, were more or less pretentious, according to the taste and skill of the builders. The first cabin on the right was conspicuous because of 68 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, the peculiar construction of the roof, which consisted of small hewn timbers with a groove chiseled out in the center of each to carry off the water. As a substitute for shino^les it was an ingenious contrivance. This same cabin had a THE GORDON STOCKADE — PHOTOGRAPHED IN 187G. floor of hewn logs, a door of hand-sawed boards, a chim- ney, a fire-place, and an opening for a window, but no sash. This model cabin was built by what was known on our journey as the " Logan " outfit — each wagon with all its accessories and appurtenances, being called, while en route, an " ontfit." Well, this Logan aggregation consisted of a half-dozen fine muscular fellows from the pineries of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 69 Wisconsin, who were not afraid of work, and not very much afraid of Indians. Some of them, as their names indicated, were brave Scotsmen, whose ancestors, at least, came f rae the hills o' bonnie Scotland. The second on the right belonged to the " Whitney " pro- position, the personnel of which was R. Whitney, D. Aken, John Boyle, and Harney Cooper, the young artist who charmed us all by his glorious voice while journeying over the plains. The third on the same side, which compared favorably with the tirst, though of a somewhat different style of architect- ure, was constructed by Lyman Lamb, T. H. Russell, and Angus McDonald, who, poor fellow, was crushed to death by the falling of a tree, a few years ago, near Deadwood. This cabin was planned by Lyman Lamb, who also drew the plan for the great stockade. The cabin opposite the gate, a well-built and substantial structure, was occupied by John Gordon, the leader of the expedition, H. Bishop, the owner of the aforementioned greyhounds, Chas. Long, and N. Warren, dubbed "Uncle Nute," and the best-natured man in the expedition. " Uncle Nute," by the way, was a master of the art of song. His voice could be heard blithely and joyously singing from early morn to dewy eve without cessation, in fact he sang always except when asleep, and his constant refrain was somethino; about beins; "Down in the coal mines under- neath the ground, and digging dusty diamonds all the season round." The next cabin to the right in the circuit, and the most unpretentious of the seven, was our house, a low square structure without gables, consisting of one room which served the purposes of kitchen, dining room, bed room, and parlor. Like the others it was built of logs, not hewn but round as nature formed them, with not a single mark of ax or adz to mar their symmetry. The roof which slanted at an angle of about forty-two and a half degrees was constructed of poles covered over with alternate layers of 70 THE BLACK HILLS *, OR, hemlock boughs and mother earth. I think the poles were of the quaking asp variety, at least I thought so, when the wintry winds swept through the great open gate. It had a chimney, too, a sort of a nondescript affair, and a wide fire- place with a large flat stone in front of it, and several stones of lesser magnitude, arrayed with an eye to artistic effect, in a circle on the outside, otherwise our cabin was guiltless of floor or carpet. There was an opening front- ing the area for a door, over which was hung a large coffee sack for a portiere, and a small square opening just opposite for a window, over which was tacked a piece of cloth bear- ing in large red letters the following legend, " XXX Extra Superfine," which completed the main part of the edifice. Moreover, ourhouse had a wing — a right wing, whose sole occupant was Chas. Cordeiro, the Moor. Now, although this annex was, architecturally si>eaking, a part and parcel of the main building, there was no communication between the two parts, save a small square opening cut through the log partition, for the mutual accommodation of the dwellers on each side, and through which reciprocal courtesies were daily interchanged. For instance, among our scanty sup- ply of cooking utensils was a small iron kettle — perhaps the only one in the expedition, which our near neighbor took occasion to borrow, whenever he had a pot of beans, or a leg of venison to cook, — on the other hand, he had a sharp two-edged axe, which he always kept whetted to the keenness of a razor, to which we were ever made welcome, on demand. As these articles were being passed back and forth through this convenient aperture, our neighbor, when looking through from his little dingy room with his super- naturally intense black eyes, made a very suggestive picture, to me suggestive of a prisoner peering through the barred windows of a prison cell. The next cabin on the left of the entrance was occupied by Eaf Witcher and Henry Thomas, and the last in the circuit belonged to Chas. Blackwell and Thos. McLaren, our former copartners, — the firm having dissolved by LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 71 mutual consent, just before moving into tlie stockade. The inside furnishingrs of these cabins were of the crudest kind, all being cut or hewn from the pine trees hard by. Not a very attractive home, my readers may think. No, but the best that could be provided with the facilities at hand. Now, all this may be very dry and uninteresting to the reader, and may not mean much, as viewed through the mist of over twenty intervening years, but it meant a great deal to those early pioneers — it meant untold hardships and deprivation of the comforts of life, and in giving these small details, it has been the desire of the author to present a true picture of the comfortless homes that afforded them shelter and place of refuge at that trying time, as by these glimpses into the past, something is shown of how, by brave endurance and self-sacrifice, the way was made clear for the civilization which followed. A CONFLAGRATION IN CAMP. That life in camp on French creek, pending the building of the stockade, was not wholly barren of exciting incidents, will be shown by the following somewhat dramatic events, in which myself and the donkey enacted the leading parts. Among our camping equipments was a gorgeous red, white and blue striped tent, — a thing of beauty and of pride, patterned after the stripes of our national flag, rep- resentino^ the thirteen original colonies now embraced in our Union of States, and in which the various members of our firm were mutually interested. Well, one day when alone in camp, while indulging in my usual post-prandial nap, with my head uneasily reclin- ing on a huge roll of bedding within the tent, I felt a sort of dreamy sensation of abnormal warmth creeping over me, which grew hot, and still hotter, until the superlative of heat was reached, when I suddenly awoke to find myself almost completely enveloped in flame and smoke. At a glance I saw that the entire front of the tent was in 72 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, a blaze, which was spreading above and around me with lightning rapidity. Springing up, I hastily tore the op- posite end of the tent free from its fastenings and scram- bled out, dragging, by the strength of sheer desperation, the roll of bedding after me. Just at this critical moment, when I had given up the tent as doomed to utter destruction, one of the men, oppor- tunely, came into camp for some mechanical tool, and, seeing my dilemma, he quickly severed the guy ropes, thus letting the burning tent to the ground, when, by some vig- orous tramping, the fire was soon smothered, but leaving only a few smoke-blackened fragments of the once beauti- ful canvas, that had protected us from the wind and rain, snow and sleet, for so many dreary nights in crossing the plains. Ah ! I could have wept. When the stockade builders returned from their work that night, I lost no time in revealing to those affected, the story of our irreparable loss — hiying much stress upon the lamentable fact that we were then left without even a shelter over our devoted heads, and told them how it hap- pened. No, I didn't tell them that I was asleep when the cause of the disaster originated. I explained to them how a small stream of flame had stolen out from the camp fire near by, and crept slowly and stealthily tentward, until it communicated with the canvas, and — '* Well, where were you all the time, while the fire was cr-e-e-ping up to the tent?" interrupted one of the boys, sarcastically. " Where was I? Why, I was in the tent, of course." 1 answered, guiltily. "And you didn't see the fire a-coming, eh?" he re- turned. " Well, no, not until it was too late," I meekly replied. "That's rather strange," he said, with just a hint of suspicion in his tone. He then plainly intimated that, in his opinion, the catas- trophe was altogether the result of criminal carelessness on LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS, 73 my part. I silently stood accused, with not a word to offer in iny own defense. " Well, now, Tom, what's the use of crying over spilled milk? " chimed in another of the boys. Now that the ordeal was over, impelled by a spirit of conciliation, I brought forth the charred remnants and laid them, as a peace offering, at their feet, with the suggestion that they apportion them, per capita, among them. " Great Scott," said Tom, " what can we do with these rags? You might as well throw them in the tire and let them burn like the balance." " Oh no, I won't do that," I said. "You nia}^ need thera to patch your pants with when the flour sacks are all gone." "That's what," said another. So the gaudy pieces were put away and portions of them were finally used for the above mentioned purpose. THE DONKEY GETS A GOOD SQUARE MEAL. While the stockade was in process of construction, I was, of necessity, left the sole guardian of the camp properties, supplies, etc., and therefore felt morally responsible for their safety. I was not alone, however ; my only companion was the donkey, who spent his time for the most part within the precincts of the camp, prowling around and gazing with pleading eyes and ears erect in at the opening of each tent — probably to spy out the lay of the land. That don- key of ours, since his advent into the Black Hills, had sub- sisted chiefly on mountain scenery and the choice tid-bits of bacon rinds and gunny sacks that had been thrown out by the campers. Well, one day he took it into his long, wise head to treat himself for once to a good square meal, so, protruding his head and shoulders into one of the tents he seized about a half side of bacon, which was carefully wrapped in a piece of canvas, then, backing out with his ill-gotten booty, pro- 74 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ceeded to masticate it at his leisure. I think he knew beforehand just where to find it. Observing the whole daring procedure from a distance, and keenly realizing that I would be called upon to give an account of my stewardship, I immediately rushed to the rescue of the pillaged property. With that end in view, I approached the head of the little gourmand and was about to grasp the canvas that hung suspended from his mouth when he turned his heels upon me like a flash, and kicked as only that branch of the equine race can kick. But, skill- fully dodging his vicious heels I escaped the contact. Several like attempts to rescue the property were made with similar results. Having an unbounded regard for the heels of the mule race, and deeming '* prudence the better part of valor," I then stood at a respectful distance and watched the bacon, canvas and all, disappearing down the burro's throat. It was with feelings of no little trepidation that I ap- proached the owners of the pillaged tent that night and in- formed them of what had happened during their absence, and of my heroic eff'ort to save their property. After tell- ing them how the donkey bad eaten the entire proposition, one of them queried: "Did he fry the bacon, or eat it raw?" "No," I replied. " He didn't wait to cooi? it; he seemed to prefer it raw." To my great relief the boys regarded the whole affair as exceedingly comical, but for the life of me I couldn't see where the fun came in. The 16th of January found us all settled in our respective quarters within the walla of the stockade. Every night at sundown the huge gate was closed and securely barred, after which there was no egress. Yet, even within those formidable walls, with the gate strongly barred, I did not feel that we were any too safe. Having no sentinels posted out, how easy for Indians to stealthily approach the stock- ade in the night or early morning, while its unguarded inmates were profoundly sleeping, scale its walls and mas- sacre every one. Visions of such a possibility often came LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 75 up before me, while I lay awake at night, listening to the midnight howlinors of the wolves and the occasional scream of the wild cat, which sounded so like the human voice, that I sometimes felt absolutely sure that the savages must be right upon ns. I could almost sec the sheen of their brandishing scalping knives in the dark. However, such visions were soon banished — giving way to a more healthy condition of mind. Now that we were safely entrenched and domiciled for the present, what of the future? Everything for which the expedition was undertaken had now been accomplished. The long hard journey with its varied vicissitudes had been made, and gold, the prime object, had been found. What next was to be done? Evidently it would not do to remain inactive in our safe retreat until our store of provisions was exhausted, or until our ammunition was all gone. Plainly, communication must be opened with the outside world at all hazards, and at once, before the Indians should start on the warpath, thirsting lor vengeance on the tres- passers on their rightful domain, and before the govern- ment should take extreme measures to prevent reinforce- ments from reaching us. MESSENGERS CARRY OUT THE GLAD TIDINGS. We all felt satisfied that as soon as the people were as- sured of our success, immigration would at once begin, but to accomplish this some one must undertake the dangerous journey back to civilization. Who would have the hardi- hood to undertake such a ride over the bleak prairie in the depth of winter? No difficulty was experienced on that score, as Gordon and Witcher were not only willing, but anxious to bear out the glad tidings, and both having good saddle horses, they were of course conceded the honor. As the intelligence to be sent out must be accompanied by actual gold as an indisputable voucher, much had to be done in the way of making preparations for the journey. 76 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, A rude rocker was constructed out of one of the wagon boxes, when several days were spent in rocking out gold from the bed of French creek, resulting in the production of a sufficient quantity of the glittering scales to prove its existence in paying quantities, beyond dispute. Many letters, too, had to be written to our respective friends, for not since the day we left the settlements had a single word been communicated to those left behind. Be- sides, on the day we left camp on the banks of the " Big Muddy," the irrepressible Charlie Collins, who was present to bid the expedition Godspeed on its dangerous journey, exacted a ))romise from several members of the party, myself among them, to send back, at the first opportunity, letters for publication in the Sioux City Times, of which he was then editor, and as fortunately we were supplied with material the promise was faithfully kept. On the 6th day of February, 1875, a pack horse was loaded with the necessary supplies, blankets, ammunition, etc., when the two plucky men, John Gordon and Eaf Witcher, mounted their horses and started away from the stockade with the gold, and numerous messages to friends, on their winter's journey, across the untraveled, snow-cov- ered plains ; civilization, home, and friends before, and an uncertain fate behind for Sioux City. Many doubts were expressed as they rode away and disappeared in the timber as to the probability of their ever reaching their destination. For twenty-three days they braved the storms and keen cutting winds of the prairie, subsisting on poorly prepared food, frequently being unable to procure the necessary fuel to boil a cup of coffee. For twenty-three nights they wrapped their blankets about them and laid down on the frozen ground or in a hole excavated in a snow drift, and during much of that time their horses had to paw away the snow to reach the grass which afforded them but a bare sustenance. Poor brutes ! The route taken by them was in a southeasterly direction to the Niobrara river, thence along the valley of that stream LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE OAIvOTAHS. 77 EAF WITCHER, Taken March 1, 1875, on his return from the Black Hills to Sioux City. 78 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, to Yankton, thence down the Missouri river to Sioux City. Three days before reaching Yankton their supplies became so nearly exhausted that they were reduced to quarter rations, and the horses had almost reached the point of starvation. When about a day's journey distant from Yankton, Mr. Gordon's horse gave out and he was obliged to halt a day to let him recuperate. Meanwhile Eaf, who it is alleged gave Mr. Gordon the slip, was ridino- awav on his more powerful American horse post- haste to Sioux City, reaching that point twenty-four hours in advance of his comrade. When Gordon arrived next day with the gold Eaf was having a gala time indeed. He was being feted and banqueted, and I don't know but that he was carried around the streets upon the shoulders of some of its citizens. As to that tradition is silent. Be that as it may, when poor Mr. Gordon arrived on the scene, the enthusiasm of the people had reached its zenith. The people of Sioux City naturally felt much gratified and elated at the success of the first expedition, as it was at that post it had equipped only a few months before. When the letters, with glaring headlines, appeared in the daily papers on the following morning, there was a perfect furore of the wildest excitement, which however was not long confined to Sioux City alone. The story soon spread to the remotest bounds of our country, and became the al- most universal topic of conversation. From that time government lines were drawn closer around the Sioux domain, and hundreds soon began to gather along the borders, seeking for some loophole to slip through; many succeeded, some failed, as we know. When our messengers left the stockade the mutual understanding was, that they would immediately proceed to organize another expedition, steal a march on the govern- ment, and return to our relief with reinforcements and additional supplies. Now some may come to the conclusion, from this scheme, that the pioneers of 1874 were regular fillibusters; but no, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE UAKOTAHS. 79 they were neither fillibusters, freebooters, nor pirates, but peaceable, law-abiding citizens of the United States — how- ever, '* with keen eyes to the main chance." Mr. Gordon, in accordance with the plan formulated, lost no time in organizing another expedition, which man- aged somehow to elude the vigilance of the government, and get pretty well on its way to the Hdls, when it was in- tercepted by a military force, the wagons and supplies burned, and Gordon, the leader, placed under military surveillance. The twenty-two men, now left in the stockade, spent the long, weary weeks of waiting, according to their various inclinations ; some rocked gold on French creek, when the weather was favorable, others spent their time in prospect- ing and hunting during the day, and — well, I hardly know how they did spent the long winter evenings. It is thought, however, that some of them played whist and the old- fashioned game of euchre, or an occasional friendly game of draw poker for pastime, as such terms as "Honors are easy," '' I pass," etc., could frequently be heard from the neighboring cabins. Why, what else could they do, in the absence of newspapers and books, to occupy the mind? By the way, I did manage to smuggle in "Milton's Paradise Lost," and a funny romance, entitled "The English Orphans," on leaving civilization, which were read, re-read and read again, until every word from Alpha to Omega was printed in ever-living characters upon the tablets of my memory. So imbued did I become with the spirit and sentiment of those works, that I felt at times, as if paradise was indeed lost to me, — never to be regained, while at other times I felt myself growing very much like "Sal. Furbish" in the English Orphans. Didn't I enjoy life in the stockade? Oh, that mine enemy might be con- demned to spend a winter under like circumstances and conditions, — but no, I could not wish that even my deadliest foe be so cruelly punished. Imagine yourself imprisoned within the gloomy walls of 80 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, an inclosure, and more closely confined within the still gloomier walls of a cell-like cabin, with no work for mind or hand to do, and with an uncertain fate hanging over your head, and you may be able to form a faint conception of the misery of life in the old stockade during the memo- rable winter of 1874-5. The very remembrance causes ague chills to creep rapidly along the spinal column. Sooner by far would I take my chances with the Sioux Indians out on the open plain. This gloomy picture of life in the stockade, let it be understood, its but a reflex of my own individual experience, and not of my companions, who perhaps took a more optimistic view of the situation. Yet, it is certain that time hung heavily on the hands of every one within the walls of the stockade. When vigilance began to relax and the warm days of early spring came I frequently ventured out to wander about on the sunny slopes of the adjacent hills, incidentally looking for gold which I expected to find scattered about quite plentifully along the hillsides and in the gulches. No, I didn't find any worth speaking of. I was pre-emi- nently a tender-foot then, since, however, I have had numer- ous object lessons, which have made me a wiser if not better woman. In taking these long rambles I was very careful not to lose sight of the stockade, as despite its gloom it afforded a haven of safety in case of danger. These pleasant excursions were brought, by. an amusing incident, to an abrupt termination. One day while seated on a large boulder of quartz on the top of a low hill drink- ing the wonderful beauty of the surrounding landscape, my eyes chanced to glance down the valley below, when they became riveted by a sort of fascination on a clump of bushes, among which I detected a slight unnatural move- ment. While looking, lo, the bushes became violently agitated, swaying back and forth in a very suspicious manner as if an Indian was lurking among its branches. I hesitated no longer. Over boulders and jagged rocks I went down the slope, but 1 have never been quite able to LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 81 understand just how I readied the bottom of that hill. All I know is that I got there and didn't stand on the order of my going. Along up the valley I ran with the fleetness of a professional sprinter, through the bushes, over fallen trees, clearing every obstruction with a bound. I fairly flew, fear adding speed to my wings, until reaching within a short distance of the stockade, when I was forced to make a slight detour to avoid the bullets that were coming directly towards me on my line of flight. The boys were shooting at a mark blazed on a tree a little below the stock- ade, where I stopped to look back to see how many Indians were following on my trail, and I must confess to a feel- ing of no little disappointment that I was not being pur- sued by a band of Sioux, in war paint. Such a splendid chance to become the heroine of a thrilling adventure and a hair-breadth escape was lost. I arrived at the stockade breathless and excited, and when questioned as to the cause of my perturbation, I an- swered, evasively, "Oh, nothing much. It was probably nothing more than a mountain lion, or wild cat, or per- chance an innocent rabbit." It is needless to say that from that time I kept religiously behind the entrenchments. TWO MORE LEAVE THE STOCKADE. Shortly after Messrs. Gordon and Witcher left for Sioux City with the gold, two more of our number began to devise ways and means for returning to civilization. To accomplish their purpose, they by their combined ingen- uity, planned a small vehicle to transport their supplies, blankets, and other belongings to Fort Laramie. The affair was to be a kind of dual combination of part cart and part sled, and really showed a good deal of foresight on the part of the designers, who shrewdly reasoned that while there was deep snow in the hills there might be none outside. No, they were not intending to draw the very peculiar rig themselves, although if their going out had hinged upon that alternative, they would not for a moment 6 82 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, have hesitated to hitch themselves? to the car, but fortune smiled upon the two homesick tender feet for once, at least. Blackwell and McLaren were providentially the owners of a single ox — free from all incumbrance, that was to be used as the motor power, and for which a kind of harness was made of skins and such other material as was available. This one emaciated ox was all that was left to the poor fellows of their original investment in the expedition. On the morning of the 14th day of Februar}^ their unique contrivance being complete, the vehicle was loaded with provisions, blankets, etc., the motive power attached, and the fragile-looking outfit was ready to pull out on its terribly perilous journey to Fort Laramie. It would indeed be difficult to imagine anything more grotesquely ludicrous than the spectacle they presented, as they marched away from the stockade. Of course, we all felt sad to see them go, but we could not help laughing at the little outfit as it started away from the stockade. The poor, bony, half-starved ox trigged out in his motley harness, hitched to the Liliputian vehicle — not much larger than a good-sized hand sled, piled up high with its load of supplies, blankets, etc., and the wheels of the con- trivance strapped on top, venturing out in the winter, on a journey of two hundred miles through a hostile country, was a sight — the very pathos of which made it irresistibly funny. It scarcely seemed possible that they would ever reach Fort Laramie alive. As night approached, the wrecked craft returned. Some- thing had given out or weakened, obliging them to put back to the stockade for repairs. The next morning they started away again, and the poor fellows were seen no more. Blackwell and McLaren never returned to the Hills, for, according to their own declaration, they had had enough of them to last the balance of their lives, and would have turned back long before reaching the Hills, had it been possible. Mr. Blackwell especially was homesick from LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 83 the day be left the last settlement. A brave fellow he was, nevertheless. " Well," he said one day, while en route, " this is the worst pill I was ever compelled to swallow," and as I have swallowed a good many doses of the same kind of pills, I am prepared to vouch for the probable correctness of his assertion. The infection spread, for about three weeks later, or on the 6th of March, four others of our already small band marched away from the stockade for Fort Laramie, viz., Newton Warren (happy Uncle Nute), D. McDonald (Red Dan), J. J. Williams, and Henry Thomas, — but, ah, I for- got, there were five of them — the donkey left the Black Hills at the same time for good, and never after did his musical notes echo through the picturesque hills of the great Golconda. Two of the deserters, having saddle horses, rode away with blankets strapped onto their saddles behind, and guns across the pommels in front ; another had the donkey, but tradition is silent as to whether he rode him out or packed him with his belongings and walked by his side, — that must be left to conjecture. J. J. Williams, with gun across his shoulder, and pack on his back, walked out, and through the deep snow of the trackless forest it was no easy task, methinks. Our force was now reduced to eighteen men. Six weeks had elapsed since our messengers had left us, and grave doubts began to arise in our minds as to the probability of reinforcements ever reaching us. Perhaps by this time the strong arm of the government had inter- vened to prevent any farther trespass on the Sioux domain. Still we looked anxiously from day to day for some tidings from the men, who had carried the proof of our safety and success to the world. Our situation, nothwithstanding the strength of our position, was neither an enviable, nor a pleasant one; realizing, as we did, that the Indians would soon be leav- ing (if they had not already left), the agencies on their mission of revenge. In view of this, well knowing the THE BLACK HILLS; OR, modes of the iDclians, every precaution was taken to guard against their depredations, or an attack. All combustible substances, such as fragments of pine, brush, etc., were gathered into piles and burned; even the grass for some distance around the stockade was burned to the roots. Every one familiar with the methods of the Indians knows, that burning the enemy out is their sure resort, when all other means fail. During the month of March, 1875, the pioneers of 1874 surveyed and platted the first town site in the Black Hills, on French creek, in that little dimple in the hills where stood the stockade. By the aid of a picket, rope, and a small pocket compass, the site was laid out into blocks and streets and christened Harney City in honor of the great Indian fighter, Gen. Harney. Log.. foundations were laid on the corner lots of the principal streets by the fortunate ones who drew them. It is now amusing to recall how anxious I was to draw a desirable or central corner lot, in what was confidently prophesied was destined to become the metropolis of the coming golden empire. April was finally ushered in with one of the blinding snow storms so common in Dakota during that month. The wind blew fierce and cold, piling up the snow in drifts all throuf^h the nooks and crannies of the Hills, and scatter- ino- our poor cattle in every direction — anywhere to find shelter from the driving storm. THE STOCKADE PARTY TAKEN OUT OF THE HILLS BY THE MILITARY. One evening during this storm, just as the great gate was about to be closed and barred for the night, four men, unheralded and unbidden, rode boldly right into our stronghold, causing no little consternation and excitement in our usually quiet little community. At first sight they were thought to be the vanguard of our expected reinforce- ments, but upon a second look it was seen that two of our visitors were in military uniform, while, in the other two LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 85 we recognized the familiar faces of our quondam comrades, J. J. Williams and Dan McDonald, who, as emissaries o/ Uncle Sam, had also donned soldier's clothes. The blue coats and brass buttons betrayed their mission. It devel- oped then that the four men who had left the stockade on the 6th of March, had after a hard journey of eight days reached Fort Laramie in safety, though not without en- countering Indians. As the little party were crossing the head of Red Canyon, they were confronted by two well- armed mounted braves riding directly towards them. Na- turally the boys were slightly alarmed at the prospect of an encounter with the two burly savages, but they immedi- ately leveled their guns at the approaching Indians, who by frantic gesticulations made it known that they were not hostile, but " good Injuns." They also encountered a large band of Indians and squaws with papooses, on the Cheyenne river, who made no hostile demonstrations. After a few days for rest and recuperation two of the party proceeded on their journey homeward, while the other two were detained to guide the soldiers back to the quarters of the pioneers in the Hills. And that is how we were at last found. The four mounted men who rode, unannounced, into our midst on the evening of the 4th of April, proved to be J. J. Williams, Dan McDonald, and two lieutenants in the Sec- ond United States Cavalry, detailed from their camp twelve miles below, bearing orders to our party to make imme- diate preparations for leaving the Black Hills. The entire force sent to remove the trespassers, consisted of a troop of cavalry, about twenty-five pack mules and a large train of wagons, to carry rations and forage, and an ambulance for the use of the female trespasser, all under the com- mand of Capt. Mix, of the Second United States Cavalry. We were proclaimed prisoners, although no formal arrests were made, and given just twenty-four hours to hunt our scattered stock and make other needful prepara- tions for leaving the stockade. Instructions were given, 86 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, that nothing but the necessary articles of clothing, blank- ets, etc., and enough provisions to serve until reaching Fort Laramie, could be transported. The next day was a busy one — a day spent in preparing to give up all that we had risked our lives to attain. Some started out in search of the stock, that had been scattered to the four winds by the storm, while others were putting" together such few articles as could be taken, and caching or hiding such property as must be left behind. All mining implements, mechanics' tools, chains, etc., had to be left. The writer of this story cached a trunk containing all her worldly goods, and although she has been searching diligently for more than two decades, her eyes have never yet been gladdened by a sight of the trunk, or a single article of its contents. The limited time allowed us for preparations had ex- pired. The search for the stock had proved, in part, fruitless — only about half having been found; our goods and chattels had been cached and our little bundles tied up, and we were ready to be marched out of the land of promise, to that from which we came. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 87 CHAPTER YIII. RIDING OUT OF THE BLACK HILLS ON A GOVERNMENT MULE. I woiulcr if any of my fair readers ever rode a govern- ment mule, or any kind of a mule for that matter, for a mule is a mule the world over. If not, they, of course, know nothing of the exhilaration, the real keen enjoyment such a ride affords, and have lost much of earth's pleasures. I have had that delectable experience, and it furnished me more genuine amusement to the square inch than I ever had either before or since, and this is how it happened. The troops ordered in to take us out of the Black Hills, sup- posing it impracticable to reach the stockade through the rugged hills with their wagons, went into camp, about twelve miles below, thus making it necessary to send in pack mules to carry out our belongings. About 9.30 o'clock on the morning of the sixth of April, a troop of cavalry with their high stepping, glossy steeds, and about twenty-five pack mules, put in their appearance at the stockade, and, as everything was in readiness, it took but a short time to load and strap our goods on to the pack saddles. That being accomplished, it developed that there was one more mule than was needed for packing pur- poses. Now, to this extra pack mule — whether by pre- vious design or otherwise is a matter for conjecture — was assigned the honor ( ?) of carrying out the first white woman to enter the Black Hills. The boys, or most of them, having no saddle horses, of course had to walk to the camp below, so started a little in advance driving the few cattle that were found before them; but — what was 1 to do? Just as I was revolving this vital question in my mind, one 88 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, of the men having charjre of the mules — or a muleteer — appeared at the door of our cabin, where I stood in a some- what uncertain state of mind, and inquired: " Well, mum, what are you a goin' to do? Kide or walk? " Fully appre- ciating his generosity in thus allowing me the choice of two alternatives, I told him with some asperity, that I had walked into the Black Hills, and, if necessary, could easily walk out, but, I added, "as the snow is pretty deep, I would prefer to ride if there is a way provided." '* Did you ever ride much on horseback?" he asked. I very modestly informed him that I was a skilled horse- woman, and was perfectly at home on the saddle, as I had ridden more or less from childhood up. '* Oh, well, I think we can fix it all right. The command is ready to march, and we had better be a startin'," he said. Thus urged I donned my hood and wraps and followed him out through the wide gate, with a throb in my heart, and a tear in each eye — I felt it was for the last time — and there, before my astonished vision, stood the prancing, dancing steed I had been expecting to ride, transformed into an old, scarred mule, several hands higher than any mule I had ever seen before; with head bowed down with the weight of accumulated years, and a long apprenticeship in military service, and the full modicum of " cheek " of the traditional government mule, and, to cap the climax, a masculine saddle on his back. I stood aghast. " Jupiter, Olympus," I cried, " you don't expect me to ride that beast to camp, a distance of twelve miles, do you?" " I guess you'll have to, or walk," he answered. After making a careful mental estimate of the distance from the saddle to the ground, 1 concluded it would be an extremely hazardous undertaking, so I pleaded; " No, 1 can't do it. If I should be thrown, it would be almost certain death." "All right, you're the doctor," he answered nochalantly. Now, if I had been modeled after the pattern of the "new woman," or if I had been a little less conservative, thedif- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS, 89 ficulty, in part, might have been overcome. However, I finally concluded to accept the situation, so asked the muleteer to tighten up the saddle girth a little and I would try it. Did you ever know of a woman venturing on a saddle, without first making sure that the girth was safely tight? My attendant signified his willingness to humor my whim, so unbuckling the strap, he gave it a vigorous pull, when the mule, in physical protest against the proceedings, besan to increase, by inflation and expansion, his already abnormal circumference ; and, in further protest, uttered a series of such alarming groans or grunts, at the same lime looking back with appealing eyes, moist with unshed tears," as much as to say, ''Please, don't," that I was moved to relent, thinking that the poor brute was in the last throes of dissolution. So I told the man to leave the girth as it was, and I would take my chances. At that moment, the inspiring bugle notes gave the sit^nal" mount," when the whole command simultaneously vaulted into their saddles — that is, all but the muleteer and I. Another bugle signal of " Forward, march ! " was sounded, and the column marched on in double file. I was struck at the time by the beauty and perfection of ihe discipline maintained in the regular army. " Now, just put your foot in my hand, and I'll help you onto the mule," said my attendant. I did as directed, and with an agile spring that would have done credit to an acrobat, I was landed safely into the saddle. " There you are," said he, and sure enough, there I was, perched on the back of a " government mule." He placed my foot in the stirrup, carefully arranged my some- what abbreviated riding skirt, then after one long, lingering look at the old stockade and its environments, to get a last impression of the place where I had spent so many weary, anxious days and nights, we started off down the valley at a tolerably brisk pace, soon overtaking and joining the calvacade which was a little in advance. Just at this junc- 90 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, ture we came to a point where French creek crossed the gulch, and do you suppose that mule could be induced by any peaceable measures to wade the stream? No, not a bit of it, I urged and coaxed and patted and thrust my heel vigorously into his side (I had no spurs), but without- avail. Forced to resort to heroic methods, I threatened a while (no, I didn't punctuate my threats with any very strong adjectives) and finally dealt him a sudden blow with my whip (a willow rod cut from the bushes bordering French creek), whereupon the mule suddenly reared, and made a flying leap across, landing on the opposite side on all fours. Of course I was greatly astonished at such an eccentric feat on the part of the mule — especially so, as I had considered him old enough to be more dignified, but was not in the least disconcerted. I managed somehow to maintain my equilibrium on the saddle, notwithstanding the fact that I was taken completely off my guard. '• Be careful now and hold fast to the saddle or he will throw you in to the middle of next week," cried my escort in apparent alarm. So as I had no ambition to be precip- itated into the future in such an unceremonious man- ner, I did afterward hold on to the saddle with such a grip that no natural forces — not even an earthquake, could have unseated me. At each of the crossings of that crooked, meandering stream, the mule resolutely refused to go into the water, always leaping across after his own fashion. However, after several crossings were successfully made I had learned to adapt myself to the motions of the mule, and had gained so much confidence in my own skill that I soon loosened my vice-like grip on the saddle altogether. At one of the crossings, while I was fiercely struggling to obtain the mastery over the stubborn proclivities of the mule, a dashing young lieutenant suddenly wheeled out of his position on the flank of the column, rode back, and politely off'ered to exchange mounts with me. What im- pelled him to such an act of gallantry was, and is, largely LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 91 conjectural ; however, as I had a pretty well-grounded sus- picion that some of the troopers, both privates and officers, were having a good deal of amusement at our expense — that is, at mine and the mule's — I positively but courte- ously declined the proffer. Did they select that mule for my use with " malice prepense?" or did they not? That was the question. With this suspicion uppermost in my mind I assured him that I was well satisfied with my mount and was getting along splendidly. I was determined to ride that mule to camp despite his eccentricities, or die in the attempt; besides, to be candid, I would not have dared to venture on the back of the splendid, high-mettled animal rode by the dashing, debonnair young lieutenant. After about two hours' ride we came in sight of the mil- itary camp dotted over with numerous white tents, and the blue-coated soldiers, who had already reached camp, mov- ing about under the scattered trees. A little removed from the others was noticed a smaller group of tents, the head- quarters of Capt. Mix and his staff — a distinction always observable in military camps, I have learned since then. Anxious to avoid making any further display of equestri- enneship, I decided to dismount at this point and walk into camp, a distance of a quarter of a mile or such a matter, so I slid down from the saddle — as gracefully as could be expected from such a lofty position, but instead of stand- ing on my feet as I naturally expected to do, I fell to the ground in a helpless heap, benumbed in every limb, utterly paralyzed. The muleteer, who had kept faithfully at my side since leaving the stockade, quickly dismounting, very compassionately offered to assist me to my feet, but I per- emptorily ordered him away and told him to hasten with all possible speed into camp, with my mule, and tell the boys that a woman was lying helpless, perchance dying, back on the trail, desiring immediate spiritual consolation. The obedient muleteer had not proceded far towards camp, however, before a peculiar sensation, like the puncture of a million needles, began to creep over me, and when upon 92 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, essaying to rise, I found that I could stand on my feet ; the blood went coursing through my cramped members and soon I was briskly wending my way into camp, none the worse for my twelve miles' ride on a government mule. On my arrival at camp I was escorted to a comfortable tent, that had been provided for my accommodation, where I was directly visited by Capt. Mix, whom I had not before seen. Very soon the captain's aid appeared at the entrance and handed in a sumptuous lunch — a lunch that would have tempted the appetite of the most dainty epicure — with the compliments of Capt. Mix, and to which my readers may be assured ample justice was done. Enjoy it? Well, rather; I had become very tired of bacon and beans straight. Here we were told by Capt. Mix that we had been in far greater peril than we dreamed of, for, he said, on reaching a high point about fifty miles from the Hills, with his command, the signal fires kindled by the Indians who had already surrounded the Hills could plainly be seen, and also that forced marches had been ordered that our imperiled little party might be reached before being mas- sacred by the incensed savages. It was found on reaching camp, that an ambulance had been provided to convey the female prisoner from the Black Hills, much to said pris- oner's gratification. The next day, April 7th, at the customary bugle signal, the march was resumed towards Foit Laramie, nothing of special importance occurring until nearing Red Cloud Agency. When a few miles distant from that point the train was met by a Frenchman, named Baptiste, bearing a message from the agent in charge at the post, warning Capt. Mix of the hostile attitude of the Indians, who were, he said, making threats of saguinary vengeance on the invaders as soon as they showed their faces at the agency, and advising the captain to conceal all the Black Hillers under the canvas of the wagons of the train. Capt. Mix told the boys of the fate in store for them, and LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 03 advised them all to get to cover as quickly as possible; the boys, however, resented the proposition with much scorn. They were not made of the kind of material im- plied in such a course. Not only did they not hide under the canvas covers, but on reaching the agency they cir- culated freely among the Indians who were gathered there in large number awaiting their arrival — of course their guns were well in band, and no doubt their very boldness disarmed the savages — but instead of proceeding to wreak vengeance on the real culprits, they seemed to vent their entire displeasure on the only innocent member of the party. The ambulance in which I was seated was imme- diately surrrounded by about a dozen of the most diabolical looking specimens of the human form it had ever been mv misfortune to see. They surveyed me with such malio-Qaut curiosity from every possible point of view, expressing their entire disapproval of meby numerous suggestivegestures and grunts, that I really became greatly alarmed for mv own pei'sonal safety, and ordered the curtains of the ambulance closed that I might be hidden from their vindictive gaze. Even then their hideous faces could be seen peerino- in at me through every nperture, causing a sensation to creep over me, as if pierced by a dozen sharp-pointed arrows. I don't know why, but those mistaken and misguided savages seemed to regard me as the arch-trespasser of the party — the very head and front of the whole offending; and I feel sure that had it not been for the presence of the troops, I would have been speedily disposed of then and there, and my scalp would have graced the belt of one of those inhuman savages. We were afterward informed that the military force had some difficulty in preventing an out- break, so wrought up were the Indians over such a wanton breach of their treaty rights. Our stay at the agency was not a prolonged one, and greatly was I relieved when the welcome bugle notes sounded the signal to " march !" Although prisoners, we were treated with the utmost 94 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, consideration by both oflScers and men on our march to Fort Laramie. Every day a carefully prepared lunch was sent to our tent with the compliments of the gallant cap- tain. Whether this was done as a mere act of common courtesy, or prompted by a feeling of commiseration for my truly forlorn appearance, and my "lean and hungry look " was, and is still, an open question. I am afraid the latter is the correct interpretation thereof. REACH FORT LARAMIE. In about ten days from the time we left camp in the Hills, we came in sight of Fort Laramie, and the American flag floatino' proudly above the government buildings, the sight of which caused the fires of patriotism, that had been smouldering within us for the six months previous, to burn up with renewed intensity, for, be it understood, we were all patriotic Americans to the core, and, like the prodigal son, were returning to the paternal arms of Uncle Sam. When about two miles from the fort, a gay cavalcade of ladies, on horseback, were seen approaching the train, pre- sumablv to meet their returning husbands and friends, and incidentally to get a glimpse of the prisoners, whom they regarded with excusable curiosity. They brought the alarming information that the Platte River was swollen nearly out of its banks, and so rapidly rising, that in less than an hour it would be impossible to ford the stream. There was no bridge at that time. The train pushed on with all possible speed, soon reaching the banks of the turbulent Platte. On the surface of the stream, logs, roots of trees, and even some whole trees, roots and branches, and all manner of debris went rushing alono" with the dreadful swish of the current towards the Missouri. There was no time to be lost, so the horses with their heavy wagons plunged in, heading up stream and almost floating on the bosom of the powerful current, and reached the opposite shore in safety. The ladies on horseback, the troop of cavalry, and the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 95 pack mules, including my friend, forged ttirough the angry waters; the ladies with skirts sweeping the stream, accom- plishing the daring undertaking first. We were then marched to the fort where we were detained two days, enjoying its hospitality, when the party was released, without parole, and given full transportation to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where we arrived with neither flour in our sacks, nor scrip in our purses. Here the members of the first expedition to penetrate the Black Hills separated, the author and family remaining in Cheyenne during the summer of 1875 awaiting develop- ments in the Sioux problem ; the rest of the party, after a short delay, boarding a train for Sioux City, the point from which the expedition had embarked in early October of the preceding year, where they were received right royally by its citizens. When our returning expedition had reached to a distance of about ten miles from Cheyenne, it was met by that stanch friend and abettor of the enterprise, Charlie Collins, who had traveled all the way from Sioux City to bid the pioneers welcome home. Yes, we were back again within th. pale of civilization and the law, after an absence of nearly seven months. Thus ended the memorable journey in and out of the Black Hills, with its dangers and hardships, of the first expedition, the members of which gained nothing save a very dearly-bought experience. The way had been opened, however, for the mad rush which speedily followed — in fact, it had already begun ere we reached Fort Laramie, for, as was afterward learned, a party of men were hanging about Red Cloud Agency, wait- ing to slip into the Hills as soon as the troops having the prisoners in charge had fairly passed out of sight. Some of the members of the first expedition returned to the Hills during the summer of 1875, others in the early spring of 1876 — to whom reference will be made further on — while a few never returned, preferring not to face the 96 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, perils and hardships of a second journey to the new Eldo- rado. Not all the gold of Ophir, nor the wealth of India, would have tempted some of those few to repeat their first experience. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE OF TROOPS SENT AFTER OUR EXPEDITION. It was then learned that as soon as it became known to the military authorities that an expedition had really been organized iind was already on its way to the Black Hills, troops were immediately ordered out from Fort Kobinson, and other military posts, to overtake or intercept the expedi- tion and bring it back to suffer the penalty for disregard of government orders. The expedition was not to be found, however, by any of the parties sent out, as the sequel has shown, owing, in part, no doubt, to the skillful maneuvering and the bewildering gyrations of our train along the line. The troops ordered out from Fort Robinson had a ter- rible experience in their fruitless search after our party, which was at the time safely encamped on French creek. The command consisting of Troop D., Third Cavalry, under the captaincy of Brevet Brig. -Gen. Guy V. Henry, and about fifteen men of the Ninth Infantry under Lieut. Carpenter, with wagons, rations, etc., for thirty days, started from Camp (now Fort) Robinson, the 26th of December on their winter's maich toward the Black Hills. By the time the Cheyenne river was reached, the weather became so intensely cold — the thermometer going down to forty degrees below zero — that the hands of both officers and men were terribly frozen. They entered the Hills a short distance, but find- ing no trail started back on their homeward journey braving the keen cutting wind from the north and barely escaping being frozen to death. The story of their fearful suffering during their homeward ride, is best told in the language of the captain in command, in his graphic and LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 97 interesting published account of his experience, a short time since. He says: "The cold was so intense that it was impossible to ride. Dismounting, we led our horses, as they, poor brutes, in their suffering, struggled to escape from their riders, Avho, in their frozen condition, had trouble to prevent. Our trail was lost or obliterated by the snow; our eyes were absolutely sightless from the constant pelting of the frozen particles, and thus we struggled on. A clump of trees or a hill for shelter from the killing, life-sapping wind, would have indeed been a sweet haven. " With frozen hands and faces, men becoming weaker and weaker, many bleeding from the nose and ears, the weakest lying down, and refusing to move, — a precursor of death ; with them the painful, stinging bite of the frost, had been succeeded by the more solid freezing, which drives the blood rapidly to the center and produces that warm, delightful, dreamy sensation, the forerunner of danger and death. They had to be threatened and strapped to their saddles, for if left behind death would follow, and an officer's duty is to save his men. Ours now was a struggle for life; to halt was to freeze to death, to advance our only hope, as Red Cloud could not be far awav, and some of us might be able to reach camp with life, thouo-h with frozen limbs. " Weakened, till we could no longer walk, in despera- tion, the command, ' Mount,' was given. Stiffened and frozen, we clambered into our saddles. Forward, gallop, and we all knew this was a race for life. We were power- less. Brain nor eye could no longerlielp us. The instinct of our horses, would alone save those who could hold out. So, on we rushed, life and home in front, death behind. Suddenly, turning the curve of a hill, we came upon a ranch, inhabited by a white man and his squaw, and we were saved. Had the sun burst forth with the heat of summer, our surprise and joy could not have been greater than they were, to find this place of refuge and safety in 98 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, the wilderness, and to be saved from the jaws of death by a 'squaw ranch!' I have since passed this ranch, and nothing has ever awakened stronger feelings of gratitude than the sight of that hovel. The horses were put in the corral. Those that were running wild with their .power- less riders were caught. Men were put under shelter, and the process of thawing out frozen parts commenced, with its attendant pain and suffering. " Every oflBcer and man was frozen; some suffered more than others; and to this day many are suffering from the effects of this march by the loss of members. Even where there is no physical disability freezing leaves a nervous prostration, from which one never recovers. We found ourselves about fifteen miles from our post, and so great was the cold, that we could not persuade an Indian to carry a message to Red Cloud asking that wagons and ambu- lances be sent to our assistance. " The next day we received medical attention, and the helpless were carried to the post. " There could not have been a greater contrast between our departure and return. Entering my own quarters, I was not recognized, owing to my blackened swollen face. All my fingers were frozen to their second joints ; the flesh sloughed off, exposing the bones. Other flesh gradually grew afterward, except on one flnger, the first joint of which had to be amputated, while the joints of ray left hand are so stiffened by freezing and extraneous deposits, that 1 am unable to bend or close my fingers." The above narrative shows what many other officers and soldiers in the past have had to undergo on the plains in the performance of duty, and not a winter but has its maimed and suffering victims, who have borne their share in the battle of civilization, rendering victory possible through the protection of settlers, the building and exten- sion of railroads, and the peopling of the Great West. It is very easy indeed, for us, pioneers, to believe that the above tale of fearful suffering is not in the least exag- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 99 ge rated, when we recall that, at the very time our pursuers were struggling in the icy embrace of a veritable blizzard, right in the teeth of a genuine Norther, that cuts like a razor, we were piling up great log fires to ward off the intense cold, even though protected from the piercing wind by the surrounding hills. It is more difficult, however, to understand why they should turn on their homeward ride, in the face of such a storm, with the thermometer forty degrees below, instead of remaining in the shelter of the Hills until the cold abated, having plenty of rations, forage, etc., with them. It appears that Gen. Henry, erroneously supposing that our expedition had entered the Hills at some point on their southern limits, expected to either overtake us or strike the trail that would lead directly to our camp in the Hills, when in fact we had entered at a point almost dia- metrically opposite. Manifestly we had a very narrow escape from capture, as it could not have exceeded thirty miles from the point reached by the troops to our camp on French creek. It was learned, too, that a detachment of soldiers had also been dispatched on our trail from Fort Randall on the Missouri river. It transpired that as soon as the band of Cheyenne Indians, encountered by our expedition at the Cheyenne river crossing, had reached their agency, they gave information of having met a large party of white men traveling towards the Black Hills, when the military authorities at the above named post immediately sent a company of mounted infantry in hot pursuit. This com- pany succeeded in finding our wagon trail which was fol- lowed into the Hills to some point on the Box Elder creek, when, their rations becoming exhausted, it was forced to give up the pursuit and return to the post. Soldiers attached to that company afterwards told that our train could not have been more than a day's journey in advance of them, as they had spent the night before turn- ing back near our recently abandoned camp fires. From 100 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, this, it appears that the company were not at all anxious to overtake and capture the expedition when so near its journey's end. A STREET INTERVIEW WITH WILD BILL. One day during the summer of 1875, while walking along one of the principal streets of Cheyenne with a friend, there appeared sauntering leisurely towards us from the opposite direction a tall, straight, and rather heavily built individual in ordinary citizen's clothes, sans revolver and knives ; sans buckskin leggins and spurs, and sans every- thing that would betoken the real character of the man, save that he wore a broad-brimmed sombrero hat, and a profusion of light brown hair hanging down over his broad shoulders. A nearer view betrayed the fact that he also wore a care- fully cultivated mustache of a still lighter shade, which curled up saucily at each corner of his somewhat sinister looking mouth, while on his chin grew a small hirsute tuft of the same shade, and, barring the two latter appendages, he might easily have been taken for a Quaker minister. When within a few feet of us, he hesitated a moment as if unde- cided, then, stepping to one side, suddenly stopped, at the same time doffing his sombrero and addressed me in good respectable Anglo-Saxon vernacular substantially as fol- lows : — " Madam, I hope you will pardon my seeming boldness, but knowing that you have recently returned from the Black Hills, I take the liberty of asking a few questions in regard to the country, as I expect to go there myself soon. ' My name is Hickoc' " I bowed low in ac- knowledgment of the supposed honor, but I must confess, that his next announcement somewhat startled me. " I am called Wild Bill," he continued, " and you have, no doubt, heard of me, — although," he added, " I sup- pose you have heard nothing good of me." " Yes," I candidly answered, " I have often heard of Wild Bill, and his reputation at least is not at all creditable LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAIIS. 101 to him." " Bat," I hastened to add, " perhaps he is not so black as he is painted." " Well, as to that," he replied, " I suppose I am called a red-handed murderer, which I deny. That I have killed men I admit, but never unless in absolute self- defense, or in the performance of an official duty. I never, in my life, took any mean advantage of an enemy. Yet, understand," he added, with a dangerous gleam in his eye, " I never allowed a man to get the drop on me. But per- haps I may yet die with my boots on," he said, his face softening a little. Ah, was this a premonition of the tragic fate that awaited him? After making a few queries relative to the Black Hills, which were politely answered, Wild Bill with a gracious bow, that would have done credit to a Chesterfield, passed on down the street out of sight, and I neither saw nor heard more of him until one day early in August, 1876, when the excited cry of " Wild Bill is shot," was carried along the main street of Dead wood. During our brief conversation he incidentally remarked that he thought I possessed a good deal of " sand " to undertake so h)ng and dangerous a journey into the Black Hills. Now, while Wild Bill, no doubt, intended that sentiment as a great compliment — it being his ideal of " pluck," — would you believe I did not at first quite like the imputation. You see I was not as well versed in Western phraseology then, as I have since become. It was a rather startling experience to be " held up " in the main thoroughfare of a large, busy town, in broad day- light, by a noted desperado, yet Wild Bill performed that daring exploit with a single wave of his swift unerring right hand. No reflection is meant on his memory when it is hinted that perhaps he was not well up in street etiquette. Be that as it may, I have been strongly im- pressed ever since with the thought that Wild Bill was by no means all bad. It is hard to tell what environments 102 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, may have conspired to mould his life into the desperate character he is said to have been. Before coming to Black Hills in 1876, Will Bill was at one time sheriff somewhere in the State of Kansas — in which capacity he is reputed to have been a holy terror to law- breakers. He was also for many years notable as a gov- ernment scout, having acted in that capacity during the Civil War. The greater part of his life had been spent on the plains, among the lawless element of the Western border, where, as an officer of the law, he was brought in frequent conflict with all such desperate characters as usu- ally infest the frontier setllements; murderers, horse- thieves, road-agents, and other criminals, who seem to believe that the world owes them a living which they are bound to have at any cost. Wild Bill was in consequence mixed up in many a desperate encounter, in which the first to press the trigger came off victor, and he was usually the first. Perhaps the most remarkable peculiarity in the make-up of Wild Bill, was his wonderful nerve, and marvelous swiftness as a shot — his aim being steady, and his shot like a flash of light, it is easy to believe that he never allowed a man to get the drop on him. Whether he possessed any redeeming traits is a dis- puted question ; that he had numerous ardent admirers is an admitted fact. This bold dashing frontiersnian, who met his fate in the Black Hills, upon a time, met a daring and accom- plished equestrienne of the circus ring, called Madame Agnes Lake, and mutually admiring each other's dashing characteristics, they finally loved and were married in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1874. The widow survives her murdered husband and now lives somewhere in the State of Kansas. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 103 CHAPTER IX. THE BLACK HILLS. The Black Hills, apparently an upheaval from the bed of a vast ocean, having its existence away back in the misty past, or, at some prehistoric period, comprising an area of about 6,000 square miles, are situated in South- western Dakota, and Eastern Wyoming, the greater part, or about two-thirds of the entire area, lying in South Dakota and embraced between the north and south forks of the Big Cheyenne river, ^vhich encircles them on three sides, north, east, and south. Along their entire eastern limits, rise up bold, rugged, and lofty ranges of hills, trending northeast and southwest, and extending several miles into the interior, giving them the appearance of almost com- plete inaccessibility, as seen at a distance by one approach- ing them from the east. A nearer approach and explora- tion, however, will discover the fact that such is by no means the case, as along any of the numerous streams that gather their waters in the hollows of the jagged granite peaks and flow eastward to the plains, will be found practi- cable avenues of entrance to the interior. The highest point of this wonderful uplift is Harney's Peak, in the granite region of the southern Hills, which extends its giant naked crest above its surrounding sister peaks, to an elevation variously estimated at from 7,500 to 8,200 feet above the level of the sea. From the summit of this dominant peak, one may behold, spread out, a glorious panorama of pine-clad hills, luxuriant valleys, and far-reaching undulating plains, — which look, in the dis- tance, like the billows of old ocean, and perhaps no more enchantinor scene ever greeted the human vision. 104 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, This peak was named in honor of Gen. W. S. Harney, one of the first Peace Commissioners who were sent out by the Government and succeeded in effecting a treaty with the Sioux in 1865. :^ ^MiM THE NEEDLES NEAR HARNEY's PEAK. The second highest point is Crook's Tower, — to the northwest of Harney's Peak, which rises up to an altitude of 7,140 feet above the plane of the sea. Terry's Peak, in the northern Hills, claims a height of 7,076 feet above the ocean level, and Inyan Kara, west of the Hills, aspires to an altitude of 6,063 feet above the plane of the sea. This LAST HUNTIXG GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 105 peculiar formation stands alone in the midst of a plain just west of the Hills proper, and bears the appearance, as its name signifies, of having been thrown up from the center of an earlier upheaval leaving the rim of the earlier uplift intact. The name Inyan Kara interpreted from the Indian tongue, signifies, " A mountain within a moun- tain," — as appropriate as the name is musical. Bear Butte, north of the main uplift and distant there- from about eight miles, rises up in solitary grandeur, 4,400 feet above the plane of the sea and 1,200 feet above the surrounding plains. The dim outlines of this lone mountain, about which cling many interesting Indian tra- ditions, could be seen by the longing eyes of the travel- worn pioneers for days before reaching their ultima (hide, and perhaps never " since the morning stars sang to- gether " was the sight of a mere inanimate object hailed with greater thankfulness. Bear Butte is entitled to be- come historic — to be remembered in song and story as in the past in Indian tradition, in that it served as a conspicu- ous landmark to the early explorers to the west and north- ward, and later to the pioneer, guiding him from afar to the golden gate, which it overlooks, and where it will forever keep its lonely vigil. The most unique geological elevation in the region sur- rounding the Black Hills is the " Devil's Tower," which rises up from the valley of the Belle Fourche river like a hnge fossil tree trunk, 800 feet high and a mile in circum- ference at its base. This structure, which is believed by those who have examined its formation to have once formed the pith of a volcanic cone, is gradually disintegrating and falling away, and will doubtless eventually crumble to a con- fused pile of broken rocks. The mountainous region of the Black Hills includes the Harney range of granite peaks and ridges, which extends in an almost complete circle from the Buckhorn spurs north of Custer City, around to the castellated and massive pile known as Calamity Peak, about two miles east of that city ; 106 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, the limestone region in the west, and the volcanic uplifts, viz. : Terry's Peak, Crow's Peak, Bear Butte, Inyan Kara, Bear Lodge, and Devil's Tower, in the northwest. The elevation of some of the principal points in and near the Black Hills, as ascertained by the observations and cal- culations of Samuel Scott, mining engineer of Custer City, is as follows: — (Above the ocean.) Harney's Peak 7,403 ft. Inyan Kara 6,063 ft. Crook's Tower 7,140 ft. Sundance Mt 6,023 ft. Terry's Peak 7,070 ft. Crow's Peak 5,772 ft. Bear Lodge 6,828 ft. Black Buttes 5,650 ft. Custer's Peak 6,812 ft. The most attractive features of the Black Hills region to the pioneers were the magnificent forests of pine covering the lower ranges and extending far up the lofty mountain slopes; and the beautiful groves of spruce and fir trees that grew along through the canyons of the Hills, stretching up their graceful heads, oftentimes 100 feet toward the top of the vertical walls on either side — always strongly sug- gestive of the thought that they were reaching up to greet the light of the sun's rays, whenever that orb deigned for a brief time to shed its beams down into their dark recesses; also the many charming natural parks afterwards found throughout the Hills, sometimes, strangely enough, right in the heart of the heavily timbered region, surrounded by lofty mountains and well watered by copious springs. Notably among the productive watered parks found hidden among the mountains in the depths of the forest is what is called Boulder Park, lying about six miles northeast of Dead- wood, containing approximately a thousand acres of land. Groves of ash, oak, elm and a few other varieties of deciduous trees were found to exist on the northern slopes of the Hills, and to a limited extent on their eastern and southern basis, while the many streams flowing therefrom, were found fringed with an abundant growth of cotton- wood, box elder, birch, willow, etc. LAST IIUNTINU GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 107 The forests of the Black Hills are not to-day what the}' were twenty years ago. Those remorseless civilizers, the ax and the saw, have shorn them of much of their primitive luxuriance and beauty — denuding large areas of their most devil's tower, showing millions of tons of fallkn rock. valuable timber, leaving in their places nothing but unsightly stumps. Despite the stringent laws enacted for the pro- tection of Black Hills forests a great deal of wanton destruction of valuable timber is carried on year by year. 108 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Another active agent, that has made sad havoc in the forests of the Bhick Hills is the extensive timber fires that almost yearly sweep over the Hills, through the most heavily wooded territory, leaving in their pathway charred trees divested of all beauty. The timber of the Black Hills is, for the most part, pine of an excellent quality and of suitable dimensions for being sawed into lumber for build- ing and various other purposes — in short the forests of the Hills are among the many of their valuable resources, and upon which, by reason of ever-increasing industries, there will be in the future extraordinary demand. The area of the Black Hills covered by an excellent quality of pine timber is estimated at 3,000 square miles, which will produce an adequate supply for all local demands for generations yet to come. PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE BLACK HILLS. Between the successive mountain ranges of the Black Hills are rich, fertile valleys covered with a luxuriant growth of grass and susceptible of a high condition of cultivation. Agriculture is carried on extensively in the numerous valle3^s interspersed throughout the Hills, im- mense crops of cereals, also potatoes and other tubers, in fact all kinds of vegetables being raised with wonderful success. Wild fruits, such as plums, grapes, cherries, currants, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, and june- berries are found in great abundance, and of large size and excellent quallity, pronounced by experts to be equal if not superior in flavor to the cultivated fruits of the same kind. Although no extensive attention has yet been given to fruit culture, experiment has proven that many varieties of apples and pears can be successfully cultivated. System- atic efforts have been made by nursery men near the east- ern slopes of the Hills towards fruit culture, and several kinds of fruit, not indigenous to the Black Hills, have been grown with the most gratifying results. Perhaps LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 109 the most extensive and successful fruit culturist in the Black Hills is C. Thompson, whose nursery is located a few miles out from Rapid City and upon whom was bestowed the award for the size and quality of fruit exhibited at the Dakota State fair. The soil of the valleys and plains surrounding the Black Hills is also exceedingly productive in the cereals, and all vegetables suitable to that latitude, the extensive beds of gypsum surrounding the Hills furnishing an inex- haustible source of fertilization to the lands lying adjacent thereto. The entire region outside of the timbered area is covered with an abundant growth of buffalo grass, which to-day furnishes grazing for thousands of cattle, horses and sheep, without other sustenance throughout the entire year. This "bunch grass," which principally grows in the valleys and on the bench lands, makes its appearance early in the spring, reaches maturity in June, and cures where it stands, retaining all its nutritive qualities, thus constituting the best autumn and winter food for stock that nature has provided. THE CLIMATE OF THE BLACK HILLS. The climate of the Black Hills though in many respects peculiar to itself, depends, — like all mountainous region, greatly upon locality. Through the dry season, extending from May to October, comparatively little rain falls on the surrounding plains, while through the mountainous region rainfalls are frequent and copious, and the more heavily, timbered the region the more frequent the showers. The mountains serve as condensers, gathering and precipitating the moisture, with which the atmosphere is charged, by evaporation from remote localities, while the plains may be dry and parched by long continued drouth. Dark thunder clouds, heavily charged with electricity, frequently hover over the mountain tops, and, after dis- charging their abundant moisture over the forest region, break and fade away before reaching the edge of the plains. 110 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, Doubtless, the more extensive culture of timber areas on the treeless portions of the Hills region, will result in a corresponding increase of precipitation. No great depth of snow falls save in the limestone ranges of the Hills where it remains the greater part of the season from December to May. Much more snow falls in the northern than in the southern Hills, or on the val- leys outside, and it remains longer. The heaviest snow falls in the months of March and April, and sometimes even in May. The great flood of 1883, which wrought such destruction in the northern Hills, was occasioned by a heavy fall of snow in early May, followed by a warm rain. The temperature of the Black Hills varies with elevation and topography. In exceptional cases in the history of the Hills, the thermometer has been known to indicate a range of 122 degrees, from twenty-five degrees below to ninety-seven above, seldom, however, reaching more than ninety-four degrees above to twenty degrees below zero, the main tem- perature varying according to location from eight to ten degrees. Owing to the dryness of the climate, in this favored region, the extremes of heat and cold are not felt as in the humid atmosphere of eastern localities in the same latitude. DRAINAGE. In the drainage system of the Black Hills the principal streams are the Belle Fourche, or north fork, and the south fork of the Big Cheynne river, the Red water, Sand, Spear- fish, Whitewood, False Bottom, Alkali, Bear Butte, Elk, Box Elder, Rapid, Spring, Battle, French, Beaver, Red Canyon, and Fall River. Of these. Sand, Spearfish and False Bottom creeks, empty their waters into the Red- water, a tributary of the Belle Fourche, while all the other above named streams discharge into the South Fork of the Big Cheyenne river. A notable feature of the drainage system is that a number of the streams flowing eastward from the Hills, sink and find a subterranean channel as they approach the foothills, the water rising again to the surface, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. Ill a short distance below, but sometimes carrying no surface water to the streams of which they are tributaries. As a matter of fact, the only streams of the system which unfailingly discharge their waters into the main rivers, throughout the year, are the Red water, Spearfish, Rapid and Fall River creeks, the first three of which, furnish ample power for manufacturing and milling, besides a large surplus for irrigation purposes. Numerous springs producing an abundant supply of pure, soft water, are found in every part of the Black Hills. MINERALS OF THE BLACK HILLS. The most notable characteristic of the Black Hills reofion is the abundance and wonderful variety of its mineral pro- ductions. Although young in point of development, they have already in operation some of the most productive gold mines in the world, and they are known to contain silver, iron, copper, galena, tin, nickel, plumbago, cobalt, mica, asbestes, antimony, salt, arsenic, and almost every other known metal. The oft repeated assertion that the Black Hills are the richest mineral region of equal area in the world is no doubt true. THE BLACK HILLS NEVER THE HOME OF INDIANS. No evidence that Indians had at any time made the Black Hills their home was found by the first pioneers, which, to them, was a matter of no little surprise, because contrary to all preconceived ideas on that point. The romantic mental picture drawn of the Black Hills, as the Indians' elysium, whither they hied them from the heat and fatigue of the summer hunt, to rest under the grateful shades of their beautiful groves, and smoke the pipe of peace or war, according to their mood, while the squaws gathered the wood, built the fires, and cooked the meals, the dusky maidens and boys meanwhile disporting themselves, ac- cording to their savage fancies, such as target practice with the bow and arrow, running, jumping, etc., sports of which 112 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, the young braves are excessively fond; and the war dances, the ghost, and other dances, in the deep ravines, where the warwhoop would be sure to ring out with the most telling- effect, was completely dissolved. It seems plain enough that the tastes and proclivities of savages cannot be gauged from a civilized standpoint, for, as it appeared, the Black Hills with all their varied attractiveness possessed no charms for the red men, while to white men they would have been a veritable paradise. Ample evidences were afterwards found that they fre- quently visited the foothills, for the purpose of supplying themselves with lodge poles, rarely, however, venturing very far into the interior. The reason for this avoidance of the Hills is believed by many to be their superstitious fear of the terrible thunder storms, which frequently occur in the Hills, when the lightning, doubtless attracted by the mineral, sometimes plays fantastic freaks, that would make even the most philosophical pale-face quail. It has been asserted by those familiar with the habits of the Indian, that, when caught in the Hills by a threatened thnnder-storm they would fly with a piercing shriek and in the wildest terror, out towards the plains, at the first flash of lightning, and the first low rumblings of thunder. SOME INDIAN TRADITIONS. Of the many curions Indian traditions and legends handed down from the dead centuries, none, perhaps, are more in- teresting to us than the superstitions of the Dakotahs in regard to the Black Hills — superstitions having their origin in the fertile imaginations of these simple-minded people, living so close to the heart of nature, which they are wholly unable to comprehend. Owing to their com- plete ignorance of the infallible laws governing the great forces of nature, they are led to invest everything that is awe-inspiring and grand, all the magnificent, and, to them, incomprehensible objects in nature, with human or superhuman powers. Everything that moves, such as LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 113 the sun, moon, wiod, clouds, etc., they clothe with attri- butes of a god or man, in proportion to the power with which they are impressed. Accord ini>: to Indian folk-lore, thev believe that the Great Spirit sits enthroned, under some one of the lofty peaks of the Black Hills who, in his angry moods, shoots forth tongues of forked lightning, and hurls out forged thunder- bolts from his abiding place, sometimes accompanied by violent wind, which, they claim, is kept stored in great tanks for such occasions, all of which they regard as direct manifestations of his dire displeasure, — and the terrible -electrical storms that occasionally sweep over the Hills, twisting, splintering, and tearing up by the roots the great giants of the woods, leaving them lying in bewildering confusion along the mountain slopes, they regard as an exhibition of his still more wrathy paroxysms. It is not surprising, then, in view of this belief, that the Indians should have given the Black Hills an extremely wide berth. They, evidently, had no desire to approach or spend much time around the throne of an incensed deity. Another superstition of theirs was, that the evil spirit had his realm in the dark ravines and gorges of the Hills, whose malign influence caused the sun to refuse to shine down into their dark recesses, Avhile others of their numer- ous deities had their abodes somewhere among the moun- tain ranges. Still another story, — one of much significance current among the Sioux, w\as that a white man was kept confined, under one of the lofty mountains of the Hills, doomed to perpetual imprisonment, as a warning to tres- passers upon their happy hunting ground. As the story goes, this prisoner, who, inconsistent as it may seem, is allowed to sally forth occasionally for a constitutional, is a person of colossal proportions, and is reputed to leave, in his perambulations, footprints twenty feet long,/^ Which one of the Indian deities is his custodian, or to what na- tionality the prisoner belongs, tradition saith not. More- over, there are other strange legends, which are told and 114 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, accepted by them, with the same blind, unreasoning cred- ulity, that has characterized, to a more or less extent, all the primitive and uncivilized nations of the world. The year 1874, beginning the first epoch in the pioneer history of the Black Hills, and the two subsequent years of 1875-6, forming as they do, the era comprehended between their invasion by the first expedition, and their legitimate occupancy in the early part of 1877, were truly momentous ones, a period pregnant with exciting and tragic events, not unmixed with incidents both pathetic and ludicrous, mau}^ of which occurred under the author's own observation, and in a few of which she participated. Although those early pages, as a result of the then crude conditions, have to record a few cases of high crimes, and some of lesser magnitude, it may safely be asserted, that far less lawlessness prevailed during their chaotic period, than in any other mining region of which we have informa- tion. The stains upon the white pages of our history are comparatively few^ though not far between. All through the summer of 1875, the United States troops were kept exceedingly busy in an unsuccessful attempt to keep back the hordes of gold seekers, who were continually making their way into the Hills, from every point of the compass, and in driving out those who had succeeded in eluding their vigilance. Vain effort ! Expe- rience has show'n that adventurers or hunters after the yellow metal will not and cannot be stayed; — as well attempt to stop the swollen current of the Father of Waters at its flood tide, in its resistless rush to the Gulf, — throw obstacles across its course, and it will remorselessly sweep them out of its path, or overflow, and cut a new channel for its mighty volume of waters to speed on its way to the sea. Miners, methinks, when determined to reach a region where gold is reputed to exist, are quite as slippery as the proverbial eel, that slips through the hand, despite the firmness of the grasp. The case of the Black Hills furnishes an exemplification of the aptness of the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 115 above comparison, for even had a cordon of soldiers with extended bayonets, in close contact, been placed around the Hills, doubtless some loophole would have been found to slip through. IMMIGRATION TO BLACK HILLS IN 1875-6. Immediately upon the removal of the first expedition from the stockade in 1875, adventurers began to make their way into the Hills, but not until late in the fall of 1875 and the spring of 1876 did the great rush of immigration take place, when, over every practicable route to theHills,^ representatives of every trade and profession under the sun came rushing along, figuratively, tumbling over each other in their headlong haste to be the first to reach the New Eldorado, each individual sanguine of realizing fabulous wealth on reaching the end of his journey. Some were in companies, varying in size, with wagons well loaded with supplies, and munitions of war; others on horseback, with blankets and guns strapped on their saddles, their waists encircled with cartridge belts and bristling with revolvers, knives, etc., — veritable mov- ing arsenals — while many were on foot, with all their equipments swung on a stick over their shoulders, some- times traveling by day and hiding by night, resorting to various devices to cover up their trials, thus hoping to escape the vengeance of the marauding Sioux, who were, in the spring of 1876, on the warpath, fierce for the scalps of any poor pilgrim who might be found treading with sacrilegious feet on their cherished hunting ground. Yet, alas ! many of them met their death at the hands of the ambushed foe, — how many can never be known. However, the numerous new-made graves, seen along the various highways into the Hills, marking the scenes of the dark tragedies enacted near by, revealed in mute but elo- quent language, the sad fate of not a few, — graves of the poor victims, whose mutilated bodies were oftentimes found and hastily buried by other pilgrims following in their 116 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, wake — graves with only a small piece of pine board to serve as a monument to mark the spot, and with no other epitaph than the one simple word — " Unknown," inscribed thereon. Yes, unknown, yet who had mother, wife, or sister, perhaps, who long waited and watched till the heart ached and the eyes grew weary, for some message from the absent ones who would never return. We have all seen advertisements in some of the news- papers, of the Black Hills, reading thus: "Information wanted of , so and so (giving name, age, description, etc.), who left his home for the Black Hills in 1875 or 1876, as the case might be, since which time he has not been heard from. Any information regarding him will be thankfully received, etc." Many of those missing ones, perchance, lie buried in some of the unknown graves scattered along the lines of early travel into the Black Hills. A journey into the Black Hills in 1875-6 from any point, was one fraught with danger, involving in 1875 the great probability of capture by the United States soldiers, and in 1876 that of meeting the deadly Sioux, who were then in open and active hostility. Thus they were literally fac- ing possible death at every step of their journey over the plains. Notwithstanding the danger, the steady influx continued, some being forced to turn back before reaching their destination, the majority, however, managing to slip through into the Hills. In one short year the whole aspect of the Black Hills was transformed from a wilderness into a scene of busy life, furnishing to those who had seen them in all their primi- tiveness a striking contrast indeed. The impressive silence, the profound solitude, that had therefore reigned supreme over the hills and valleys, was rudely broken. All along the banks of various streams and in numerous gulches of the Hills, never before trodden by civilized feet, might be seen the tents of hundreds of busy prospectors dili- gently delving for the shining particles with pick and J LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 117 shovel, whose noise awoke the slumbering echoes of the surrounding hills ; and scores of others might be seen sitting prone, along the edges of the streams, with gold- pans filled with gravel, scooping up the water, whose How and ebb washed off the lighter substance, leaving that of the greater specific gravity in the bottom of their pans ; then with magnifying glasses eagerly peering into the little arcs of black sand left in the bottom of their pans to dis- cover the traces of gold. Did they find gold? Oh, yes, they always found colors, each one claiming an average of from fifteen to forty cents to the pan from grass roots down to bed-rock. 118 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER X. THE FIRST TO ENTER THE HILLS IN 1875. According to the most reliable information obtainable, the first to reach the Black Hills in the spring of 1875, was a small party, of which Wade Porter, Thos. Monahan, Rob't Kenyon, Wm. Coslett, Alfred Gay, and others, were members; with a sprinkling of squaw men and half-breed Indians. This party had rendezvoused near Red Cloud Agency in April, 1875, awaiting the return and passage of the troops having the prisoners in charge, ready to follow back their trail to the stockade. It is to be presumed that no time was lost, and that ere the troops had reached Fort Laramie with their prisoners, this party had entered the wide open gates of our once boasted stronghold in the Hills, and taken possession of the recently vacated cabins within the walls, — even before their rude hearthstones had hardly time to grow cold, — and it is further reasonable to suppose that no time was lost by them in ferreting out, and bringing forth to the light of day the various pieces of property that had been so carefully cached only a few days before, and, perchance, the cattle that had been driven to the recesses of the Hills by the furious snowstorm, at the time of the exodus of their owners, were soon found and appropriated by them, — all of which, no doubt, should be regarded as the legitimate booty of those having the good fortune of finding them. But I draw the line at the trunk. What became of the cached trunk? That is the problematic question.. Alas ! did it too fall into the hands of the half-breeds and squaw men? To a moral cer- tainty some man found that trunk and appropriated its contents, but what use a man could possibly put some of the garments and other articles to, is somewhat puzzling. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 119 It certainly needed no wonderful detective skill to have found its hidin«-place, as the attention of anyone entering the third cabin on the left of the entrance to the stockade, would at once be attracted to a rather suspicious looking spot in one of the corners of the cabin floor, — which would betray the secret. When I say floor, I mean ground floor, literally. According to a plausible theory, they first raked off the debris from the surface, then shoveled away a few inches of Mother Earth, removed the poles that spanned the small opening, and there about three feet below the surface it stood fully revealed; the trunk being lifted out, and the lid pried open, the work of desecration began. Garment after garment of the owner's personal wardrobe was taken out and curiously scrutinized, — they no doubt wondering what, or how each article was to be utilized, — nothing extremely elaborate, it must be confessed, yet- all she possessed. But the half has not yet been told. On reach- ing the bottom of the trunk, a small mahogany box was found in which was deposited, among other trinkets, a little golden locket, enwrapped in a small piece of tissue paper, grown yellow with the passage of years, which en- closed the shadow of a face, — a very dear face. A romance? Oh, no, there was no romance whatever con nected with that long-treasured memento, — only the pictured face of a much beloved classmate, who bad, years before, left her work unfinished and crossed over the border into the spirit land. The loss of this picture cut deep. The owner of that wardrobe was for many years after diligently searching for a dusky maiden, trigged out in the garments abstracted from that ill-starred trunk, and with a little golden locket suspended from her bronzed throat, or, perchance, from one of her dusky ears, — but without reward. The loser has long since ceased to regret the loss of her wardrobe of twenty years ago, but the picture never; and woe betide the luckless maid, or fully-matured dame, red or white, who is ever found wearing that cherished locket. 120 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, This same little ptuty of golden hunters, who had fol- lowed up so quickly the exit trail of the first pioneers, after being comfortably domiciled in the deserted cabins, and possessing themselves of such cached property as could be found in and around the stockade, which included picks, shovels, gold pans, etc., proceeded without un- necessary delay to the work of prospecting, — some mining in the abandoned works on French creek, others scatter- ing out through the Hills in search of richer fields. How- ever, they were not long left uninterrupted in their labors. The military authorities soon learning of their bold escapade through the lines into the Hills, at once sent a detachment of mounted soldiers, lead by Raymond, a scout in the government service, to remove them, or any others who might be found in the Hills, to the agency. In the early part of May those of the party who remained on French creek were one day surprised and captured, with their provisions, and escorted back to Red Cloud agency, where, after a short duress, they were set at liberty and their property restored to them. It is to be presumed that their outward march was not characterized by the headlong haste with which they entered the Hills, not many days before. However, they soon returned to the Hills by a cir- cuitous route. The other members of the party who escaped capture — among whom was Wade Porter, remained in the Hills, until the arrival of the Jenny Expedition, in June, with which they prospected to some extent under the protection of Col. Dodge's command, and were not afterwards disturbed, until they, with hundreds of others, who, in the meantime, had entered the Hills, were ordered out by Gen. Crook on August 10th, 1875. THE FIRST EXPEDITION IN 1875. The first well-equipped expedition to embark for the Black Hills in the spring of 1875 was organized and out- fitted at Sioux City, through the efforts of John Gordon, who, it will be remembered, left the stockade with Eaf LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 121 Witcher, in the depth of winter, February 6th, and rode back over the bleak plains to Sioux City, bearing the shin- ing particles that were to set the whole country in a wild delirium. Obviously, no time had been lost by Gordon, in carrying out the plan agreed upon, before leaving the stockade, of fitting out an expedition as speedily as possi- ble, and returning with reinforcements and supplies to the imperiled little band, left entrenched among the mountains. The state of the public mind was highly auspicious at the time for the organization of a Black Hills expedition evi- dently, for in a little more than sixty days from the time the two hardy messengers left the Hills, the organization was complete; outfits were purchased and every one ready for marching orders. The members numbered 174 men, and two women, one of whom was the wife of Major Brockett — a member of the Collins and Russell expedition of 1874; the other a German woman, whose name is not positively known. It is believed, however, that she was Mrs. Schlawig, whose husband kept a brewery in Dead- wood in 1876. The train consisted of twenty-nine wagons, heavily freighted with provisions, saddle horses and all the other adjuncts of a well-equipped expedition. The train was scheduled to leave Sioux City on the 20th of April, 1875, but owing to the mass of ice floating in the river the ferryboat was unable to cross, causing a delay of several days. On the morning of the 25th the whistle of the steam ferry blew the signal that the channel was clear, when the impatient gold adventurers hurried to the land- ing and were all soon landed on the opposite side of the river. On the following morning, April 26th, the train, under the captaincy of John Gordon, marched away from the west bank of the Missouri — ^ strangely enough, with- out attracting the notice of Uncle Sam's watchful agents — and proceeded on its way westward across the State of Nebraska unmolested until, reaching a point on the Nio- brara river between Snake and Antelope creeks, near the present site of Gordon, Neb., where, at 6 o'clock in the 122 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, morning on the 25th of May, a company of infantry under Capt. Walker, and two troops of cavalry, and a battery of two Gatling guns, from Fort Robinson, in command of Capt. Mills, surrounded the expedition, seized and burned nearly the entire train, with its valuable cargo of mer- chandise, besides the blankets and personal belongings of many of the party. One of the wagons, however, was saved from the general holocaust by the bravery and pertinacity of a woman — Mrs. Brockett. Mrs. Brockett occupied a seat on this wagon on the top of a load of merchandise belonging to her husband, and do you suppose she could be induced to yield up her point of vantage on that load of goods? No, indeed ; not she ! Most women would have meekly yielded, but Mrs. Brockett didn't. She could neither be persuaded, cajoled, nor frightened into giving up her " dead cinch " on that load of merchandise, but sat as immovable as a rock and as imperturbable as the famed Egyptian sphinx. The officer in command was completely nonplussed. He was too gallant a gentleman to order violent hands laid upon a lady; neither did he feel quite justified in turning a Gatling gun upon her, and of course it wouldn't do to cremate her alive; so, after exhausting every kind of strategy known to military tactics, he was finally compelled to face the wagon about with its load of merchandise — including the plucky Mrs. Brockett, who, with the rest of the party, were marched back under military escort to Yankton, where they were set across the river and admon- ished not to return with trespassing intent. John Gordon, the leader of the expedition, was taken into custody and conducted to the nearest military prison (Fort Robinson), where he was held until August, 1875, when he was taken to Omaha, Neb., for trial, and released by Judge Dundy, of that city. The train of this expedition belonged to the Sioux City and Black Hills Transportation Co., that being the initial trip of the line. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 123 Despite the discouraging fiiilure of his second adventure Gordon, after his release, with admirable pluck and per- severance returned to the Hills, but hard luck seemed to follow him. The fickle goddess refused to smile upon his etiforts and would not be propitiated. Meeting our former leader on the streets of Dead wood, one day, late in the 70's, I ventured to inquire how things were " panning out " for him in the Black Hills. He frankly confided to me that he had not as yet succeeded in striking "pay gravel." '* Every venture has so far proved a disastrous failure; and what is worse, I am several hun- dred dollars out of pocket," he answered. By way of encouragement, I told him, in reciprocal confidence, that we, too, had gotten clear down to bed-rock, with not a dollar in sight, and as a further solace, took occasion to remind him that the brave were not always rewarded with success. Since that day I have never seen the leader and guide of the first expedition to the Black Hills. SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION SENT TO THE BLACK HILLS. In the spring of 1875, after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, and even before the first expedition was re- moved from the stockade, the government, foreseeing the inevitable consequences of such discovery, and antici- pating the difficulty of preventing trespassers from entering upon the Sioux reserve, and, at the same time, unwilling that the then existing treaty stipulation should be violated, deemed it expedient that immediate steps be taken, in the interest of miners as well as for the protection of the In- dians, towards securing the right, by new treaty, or other- wise, to enter the Black Hills portion of the Sioux reserva- tion for the purposes of prospecting and mining. Preliminary to this, however, inasmuch as there were many conflicting rumors in regard to the existence of gold in paying quantities, the government decided to send reliable parties into the reputed gold-bearing region, to ascertain the true value and extent of its mineral deposits, 124 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, or other possible resources. A report of the result of such investigation would furnish substantial information upon which to base an intelligent judgment, in the event of any subsequent negotiations for the acquisition of the Black Hills, and their abandonment by the Indians. Accordingly, an expedition for that purpose was organ- ized under the direction and control of the Interior Depart- ment and Walter P. Jenny, was appointed to take charge of the work, — receiving his commission, March 26th, 1875. On April 25th the expedition, fully manned and equipped, was gathered at Cheyenne, Wyoming, ready to embark for the Black Hills, to enter upon the important work intrusted to it. Owing to some misunderstanding, however, the nec- essary transportation facilities had not been furnished,, which necessitated a delay of nearly a month. At length, on the 20th day of May, everything being in readiness, the expedition started for Fort Laramie, where it was joined by a military escort, under the command of Lieut. -Col. R. T. Dodge, 23d Infantry, when the whole party moved on Black Hills- ward. As the extent and scope of the work to be accomplished, was designed to be of far-reaching importance, both from a material and scientific standpoint, it was deemed advis- able to change the original plan by adding to the corps an astronomer and topographer, Capt. P. H. Tutlle, of Cam- bridge University, and Dr. V. T. McGillicuddy, at present of Rapid City, South Dakota, being commissioned to the respective positions. As much of the history of the Black Hills during the year 1875, is embodied in the reports of officers in charge of the scientific and military expeditions ordered into the Hills, and is therefore a matter of public record, I feel justified in copying such reports, either as a whole, or in part, as the only available source from which to obtain absolutely correct information in regard to the work and movements of said expeditions. From Prof. Jenny's published account of the movements PROF. WALTER P. JENNY, Photographed about March, 1878, and a good representation of the youthful Geologist, at the time of the Black Hills Scientific Expedition in 1875. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 125 of the expedition under his charge, after leaving Cheyenne, I copy the following: — " Arriving at Fort Laramie on May 20th, all arrange- ments were consummated, and crossing the Phitle on the afternoon of the 24th of May, we joined the military escort, furnished by the War Department, consisting of Lieut. -Col. E. T. Dodge, Twenty-third Infantry, com- manding; Lieut. M. F. Trout, Ninth Infantry, adjutant ; Lieut. J. F. Trout, Twenty-third Infantry, quartermaster; Lieut. J. G. Bourke, Third Cavalry, topographer ; and Surgeons Jaquette and Kane, with two companies of the Ninth Infantry under Capts. A. H. Bowan, Munson and Lieut. DeLaney; two companies of the Second Cavalry under Capt. Spaulding and Lieuts. C. F. Hall, J. H. Cole and F. W. Kingbury ; four companies of the Third Cavalry under Capts. W. Hawley, G. Russell, and W. H. Wessels, and Lieuts, A. D. King, R. G. Whitman, James Lawson, J. G. Foster, and C. Norton, with a train of seventy-five wagons. " This large command, numbering full 400 men, would seem at first unnecessarily strong for the mere purpose of protecting from Indians those who were pursuing the in- vestigation in the Hills, but the attitude of the Indians on the penetration of this, the most cherished spot of their reservation, could not be foretold, and it was known that they had been not a little agitated by the invasions of Gen. Custer in the previous year, and by the subse- quent visits and operations of miners. Though no bands of Indians were met during the work, our safety and free- dom from their visits were probably due to the well-known magnitude and strength of the expedition. " A great measure of the success of the exploration is due to the hearty co-operation of the oflicers of the com- mand, but particularly to the commander. Col. Dodge, whose unwavering interest and determination to make the work successful, and whose constant assistance and court- esy were especially valuable and grateful during the entire 126 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, course of the work. To Lieuts. Norton and Foster, who were detailed for topographical work, Dr. McGilli- cuddy is indebted for assistance in the prosecution of his mapping. " Reaching the Black Hills on the east fork of the Beaver on the 3d day of June, the work of the survey was soon begun, and a permanent camp was established on French creek near the stockade erected by the miners during the previous winter. In order to pursue the work more rap- idly and thoroughly a division of the party was made, as follows : — " Mr. Jenny, with a corps of assistants, assumed more particularly the investigation of the mineral resources of the country, prospecting the gold deposits, etc., while the remainder of the party, Mr. Newton, Dr. McGillicuddy, and Capt. Tuttle continued the topographical and more com- plete geological study of the Hills. As the work of the survey progressed northward the main body of the escort of troops was transferred from one base of supplies to another, so as to keep up with the course of the expedi- tion. In this manner, with scarcely a day's remission from work, the surve}' continued until the entire area of the Black Hills between the forks Of the Cheyenne had been mapped, and its geology and mineral resources de- termined, as fully as the rapid progress would permit. " Having passed over the entire country, and accom- plished the object of the expedition, the various parties assembled on the Cheyenne, at the mouth of Rapid creek, and began the march homeward, reaching Fort Laramie via White River and the agencies of Spotted Tail and Red Cloud, on the fourteenth day of October, after an absence of four months and twenty daj's." Having disbanded the expedition at Chej'enne, the offi- cers of the survey returned east, and assembled in Wash- ington early in November to complete their reports. While in the field, the various discoveries of the presence of gold in the different districts were announced to the Comrais- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 127 sioner of Indian Affairs at Washington, and a preliminary report by Mr. Jenny on the mineral resources of the Hills, accompanied by a small preliminary map by Dr. McGilli- cuddy, was published in the annual re})ort of the Commis- sioner of Indian Affairs for 1875. The completed obser- vations of the mineral resources, climate, etc., possessing immediate and particular interest, were, by resolution of the Senate, called for in advance of the final report, and with a preliminary map were published in 1876. The subjoined account, given by Professor Jenny, of his meeting with the miners on French creek, may be read with interest: — " When I reached French creek, June 16th, 1875, about fifteen men were found camped four miles above the stock- ade, where they had been at work for several weeks, and had staked off claims, built small dams and were digging ditches, preparatory to commencing sluicing on the bars along the banks of the streams. These miners were very enthusiastic in regard to the mineral wealth of the gulch ; they were reporting from five to twenty-five cents to the pan from the gravel, and made the most extravagant state- ments as to the yield which would be obtained as soon as they commenced working with sluices. But they were working under unfavorable circumstances, the water supply was very small — not exceeding fifty miner's inches, with every indication that it would soon fail entirely, and the grade of the valley was so small that it was difficult to get a good head of water for sluicing. " On testing, by washing the pay gravel from the different prospect holes already opened, with a pan, and weighing the gold obtained, it was found that the usual yield along the streams was from four to eight colors to the pan (about one-tenth to one-fifth of a cent), and in favorable and somewhat limited localities, from a half cent to as high as one and a half cents were obtained from the gravel from off bed-rock. " The gravel bars were rich enough in gold to pay if exten- 128 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, sively worked under more favorable circumstances, but too poor to yield a remunerative return for the labor employed, except in a few limited deposits of gravel near the extreme head of the stream.'* The following is a copy of Professor Jenny's dispatch to the Department at Washington from camp on French creek : — " Camp on French Creek, June 17th, 1875. To Hon. E. P. Smith, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C . : I have discovered gold in small quantities on the north bend of Castle creek, in terraces of bars and quartz gravel. Arrived here yesterday. About fifteen men have located claims on the creek above here and have commenced work- ing. Gold is found southward to French creek at this point. The region has not been fully explored, but the yield of gold is small and the richness of the gravel has been greatly exaggerated. The prospect, at present, is not such as to warrant extensive operations in mining. Walter P. Jenny, E. M., Geologist of Exploration of the Black Hills." The thought may here occur to the mind of the reader, as it has to mine, that the results of the work of explora- tion of the Black Hills for mineral deposits, as shown by the reports of Professor Jenny to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, was by no means of an encouraging nature. The infinitesimal prospects obtained were not calculated to inspire the belief that the placer min- ing in the territory examined could, by even the most approved processes, be made very remunerative. Of course, the existence of gold was demonstrated and much other valuable information obtained, in reference to their geology, topograph}^ etc., yet the result certainly furnished but small evidence that the Black Hills would ever become the great mineral producing country into which it has since developed. But, when it is remembered LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 129 that the marvelous placer deposits of the northern Hills had not yet been discovered, and when it is considered that no systematic mining was practicable and the pros- pects obtained were merely pan tests, from the surface down to bed-rock, at more or less widely separated points, the homeopathic character of the prospects obtained ceases to be a matter of surprise. However, by years of persist- ent work, with an ever-abiding faith in the final outcome, it has since been demonstrated that the Black Hills is pre- eminently a gold-producing country. Discoveries have been made, and are being made, almost daily, in both the northern and southern Hills, that have proved a wonderful revelation to the mining world. 130 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XI. THE CESSION OF THE BLACK HILLS. AH attempts of the government to keep the people out of the Black Hills, proved from the first unsuccessful. From the time the first expedition succeeded in secretly launching its " prairie craft " and eluding subsequent pur- suit, and in finally planting its banners amid the natural battlements of the Hills, right within the " holy of holies " of the hunting ground of the Sioux, it became evident that the government would soon be compelled to yield to the popular demand, that some arrangement be made with the Indians, looking to the relinquishment of their claim to the Black Hills portion of their reservation. As a matter of fact, it was no part of the governmental policy, that this resourceful land should any longer be reserved for the sole use of savages, but to make favorable terms for its relin- quishment possible it was necessary that an effort be made to maintain inviolate the provisions of the then existing treaty; therefore to accomplish the desired end, two things had to be done: first, to appoint a commission to treat with the Indians for the cession of the Black Hills, or for their occupancy for mining ; second, to remove by military force, as far as practicable, all trespassers from the Indian reserve. In pursuance of that policy, on the 18th day of June, 1875, a commission was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, for the purpose of treating with the Indians ; and on the 20th of September of the same year, the combined council of commissioners and Indians rendezvoused on the White river, about eight miles from Red Cloud Agency. The representatives of the government present were as LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 131 follows: Hon. Wm, B. Allison, of Iowa; Brig. -Gen. A. H. Terry, U. S. A.; S. D. Hinman, Santee agency; W. H. Ashley, Beatrice, Nebraska; Hon. A. Comings, Missonri ; G. P. Beauvais, St. Lonis, Missouri; A. G. Lawrence, Rhode Island. The following tribes of Indians were represented: The Ogalallas, Mineconjons, Brules, Uncapapas, Blackfeet, Sans Ares, Yanktons, Santees, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes. As might have been expected, their deliberations proved barren of good results. Owing to the dictation of a few degenerate, renegade white men, and the Indians half- breeds, their demands were so exorbitant as to render negotiations at that time out of the question. From $30,000 they raised their price finally to $70,000, in addi- tion to which they wanted large herds of cattle, and horses, agricultural implements, the most approved guns, plenty of ammunition, and palatial residences that would compare favorably with those occupied by the wealthv pale-faces, with tapestry hangings, upholstered furniture, etc., for their chiefs; and it is hard to tell what their limit might have been if the conference had continued lono^er. The commissioners, of course, refused to consider these unreasonable demands, and the council broke up, without accomplishing their object. It is stated by a gentleman who was present on that occasion, that before the pow-wow closed the Indians had become insolent and defiant, and when negotiations came to an end, some of the chiefs assumed an attitude of decided hostility, — hostility indicating that they would much like to bear away the scalps of the commissioners as trophies, in lieu of the $70,000 and other property de- manded for their land. For a time an outbreak seemed imminent, which, however, was happily averted by the wiser counsels of the few. It goes without saying that the failure of the commission to treat with the Indians was a source of keen disappoint- ment to the hundreds of miners in the Hills, who were 132 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, being so persistently harassed by the soldiers as to render any extensive or successful prospecting impracticable; and also to many who were standing outside the golden gate waiting for the permission and consent of the government to enter the forbidden country. Miners became clamorous for what they regarded as their rights, which they were determined to have at all hazards — if not with, then with- out, the consent of the government. President Grant was quick to see that some further effort must be made to relieve the embarrassment of the situa- tion, as the following extract from his message to Congress in reference to the matter, will show: — "The discovery of gold in the Black Hills, a portion of the Sioux reservation, has had the etfect to induce a large emigration to that point. Thus far the effort to preserve the treaty rights of the Indians of that section has been successful, but the next year will witness a large increase of such emigration. The negotiations for the relinquish- ment of the gold lands having failed, it will be necessary for Congress to adopt some measure to relieve the embar- rassment growing out of the causes named. *' The Secretary of the Interior suggests that the sup- plies now appropriated for that people, being no longer obligatory under the treaty of 1868, but simply a gratuity, may be issued or withheld at his discretion." Congress then took the matter under consideration, which resulted in the appointment of a second commission by the Secretary of the Interior. In August, 1876, this commission met ao'ain in council with the representatives of the various tribes, under instructions from the Interior Department to treat with the Indians on the following specific terms: — 1st. The Indians to relinquish all right and claim to any countrv outside the boundaries of the permanent reserva- tion, as established by the treaty of 1868. 2d. To relinquish all right and claim to so much of that said reservation as lies west of the 103d meridian of longi- tude. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 133 3d. To grant right of way over the permanent reserva- tion to that point thereof which lies west of the 103d meridian of longitude, for wagon and other roads, from convenient and accessible points on the Missouri river, not exceeding three in number. 4th. To receive all such supplies as are provided for by said act and said treaty of 1868, at such points and places on their said reservation and in the vicinity of the Missouri river, as the President may designate. 5th. To enter into such agreement or arrangement with the President of the United States as shall be calculated and designed to enable said Indians to become self-sup- porting. Negotiations this time proved successful, and on Septem- ber 26th, 1876, at Red Cloud Agency, the following eupho- nious and suggestive signatures (in Indian chirography, 1 suppose), were attached to the treaty, namely: Red Cloud, American Horse, Young-Man-Afraid-of-His-Horse, Little Wound, Red Dog, Afraid-of-the-Bear, Three Bears, Fire Hunter, Quick Bear, Red Leaf, Five Eyes, White Bow, Good Bull, Lone Horse, Two Lance, Bad Wound, Veasel Bear, High Bear, He-Takes-the-Indian-Soldier, High Wolf, Big Thunder, and Slow Bull. The above treaty was ratified by Congress, and approved by the President, on February 28th, 1877. The territory ceded by this treaty is embraced between the two forks of the Cheyenne river, and is bounded on the west by the 104 degree meridian of longitude. It will be seen by studying the provisions of this treaty, that by its terms the Indians from a material standpoint lost much, and gained but little. By the first article they lose all rights to the unceded Indian territory in Wyoming from which white settlers had then before been altogether excluded ; by the second they relinquish all right to the Black Hills, and the fertile valley of the Belle Fourche in Dakota, without additional material compensation; by the third conceding the right of way over the unceded portions 134 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, of their reservation ; by the fourth they receive such sup- plies only, as were provided by the treaty of 1868, restricted as to the points for receiving them. The only real gain to the Indians seems to be embodied in the fifth article of the treaty. The Indians, doubtless, realized that the Black Hills was destined soon to slip out of their grasp, regard- less of their claims, and therefore thought it best to yield to the inevitable, and accept whatever was offered them. They were assured of a continuance of their regular daily rations, and certain annuities in clothing each year, guar- anteed by the treaty of 1868, and what more could they ask or desire, than that a living be provided for themselves, their wives, their children, and all their relations, including squaw men, indirectly, thus leaving them free to live their wild, careless, unrestrained life, exempt from all the burdens and responsibilities of civilized existence ? In view of the fact that there are thousands who are obliged to earn their bread and butter by the sweat of their brows, and that have hard work to keep the wolf from the door, they should be satisfied. THE ADVENT OF GEN. CROOK IN THE BLACK HILLS. In the early part of July almost simultaneously with the appointment of the first commission to treat with the Sioux for their occupancy Gen. Crook arrived in the Hills with a military force, for the purpose of expelling all persons to be found in the Hills without the consent and sanction of the government. This, it is believed, was undertaken more from consider- ations of policy in order to conciliate the Indians, who, it was thought, would refuse to negotiate, until trespassers were removed from their territory, than with any ex- pectation, or even hope, that the effort would prove successful. As a matter of fact Gen. Crook was plainly inclined to give the miners a wide latitude, and fulfilled his mission, it seemed, in a sort of perfunctory way. Major Pollock, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 135 however, who was in command of the military forces, was disposed to execute his orders to the very letter, and is credited with a great deal of "pernicious activity," in harassing the miners, — forcing them to dodge about from point to point to escape arrest and expulsion, and sometimes, in extreme cases, in placing them in " durance vile," and feeding them on hard tack and water. In short, Major Pollock kept the miners in perpetual hot water, during his nearly four months stay in the Black Hills. One day, about the middle of October, a squad of cavalry, while scouring the Hills in search of trespassers, surprised a small party of some half-dozen miners, who were prospect- ing on Castle creek, took them into custody, relieved them of their property, and escorted them to military headquar- ters at Custer, where they were put in the " guardhouse," or some kind of an inclosure prepared for recalcitrant miners. After being kept prisoners for several days, they were sent to Cheyenne to be tried before the United States commissioner, who, concluding, doubtless, that he had no valid right to hold them, soon released them, and restored their property. Among these prisoners were Wade Porter and T. H. Mallory, prominent miners in the Hills in 1875, both of whom had returned to the Hills, after having voluntarily left about the middle of August, in compliance with the order of Gen. Crook. This, it appears, was their second offense, in consequence of which they were made an exam- ple of. Soon after their discharge, nothing daunted, they with others again returned to the Hills, late in the fall of 1875, and remained during the winter following. The history of these few is also the history in part of hundreds of other prospectors who were driven out at the point of the bayonet, only to return at the first favorable opportunity by some circuitous route, and re-enter at some other point, then scatter out through the gulches of the Hills. These offensive and defensive movements were kept 136 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, up during the entire summer of 1875, the solution of the problem being no nearer at its close than at the beginning. MINERS LEAVE THE HILLS BY ORDER OF GEN. CROOK. Pursuant to instructions from the government, Gen. Crook, on the 10th day of August, issued a call to the miners to meet at the stockade near Custer, for the pur- pose of entering into preliminary arrangements for leaving the Hills, until some terms for opening the country to set- tlement could be agreed upon with the Indians, and also, incidentally, to make rules and regulations for the protec- tion of their claims, pending negotiations. As one of the conditions of their voluntary exodus the miners presented a petition to the commanding general, asking that six or more men of their own choosing be permitted to remain in the Hills to guard their claims durina: the absence of their owners. Gen. Crook, who was in full sympathy with the miners, was disposed to allow them every reasonable op- portunity for throwing any kind of a safeguard around the property they were so reluctantly leaving, expressed a willingness to grant their petition, and further, would allow them five days in which to make preparations for leaving, provided they would then go out of the Hills, without compelling him to resort to force. Believing that their own interests would be best served by complying, the miners unanimously agreed to the proposed terms. On the following morning, August 11th, a town-site company was organized, a site of a mile square was laid out and platted and named Custer. The blocks were divided into lots which were numbered from one up to twelve hundred. Tickets bearing these numbers were deposited in a box, from which on that day several hundred miners drew slips and became the owners of the lots corre- sponding in number with those drawn from the receptacle. A list of the names of lot owners was given into the custody of the men chosen as guardians of the miners' property interests, during their temporary absence. The men LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 137 chosen to remain in the Hills were ; Saml. Shankland, Thos. Hooper, A. D. Trask, Robt. Kenyon, W. H. Wood, Alex. Thompson, Alfred Gay, and H. F. Hull. August 15th, 1875, hundreds of miners of their own volition turned their backs upon the new found Eldorado. RED CLOUD. Other miners, not within the reach of Gen. Crook's procla- mation, upon hearing of the action taken at the stockade, also left the Hills a few days later. Let it be understood, however, that a considerable number of miners and pros- pectors, scattered about at remote points, were never reached. A few others also, who were prospecting with the 138 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Jenny Expedition, among whom were John W. Allen, Brown, Carlin, Flarida, and Warren (our " Uncle Newt "), were not molested. There were a great many miners yet left in the Hills, and others constantly coming to take the places of those who had left. SPOTTED TAIL IN THE BLACK HILLS. During the month of August, 1875, one of the head chiefs of the Sioux Nation, and twelve braves of his tribe, with their ponies, trappings, and dogs, accompanied by an Indian agfent, arrived in the Black Hills, the object of the visit being to investigate and judge for themselves of the true value of the territory to be relinquished, — such knowledge to be used to the advantage of their people in the approaching council. That their estimate of the value of the Black Hills and their resources was great was evi- denced by the extravagant consideration demanded therefor a month later. MINERS RETURN TO THE HILLS. After the failure of the commission to agree upon any terms with the representatives of the Sioux, for the opening of the country to settlement, the miners, who had volun- tarily left the Hills at the request of Gen. Crook, with renewed determination returned and repossessed them- selves of their abandoned claims, also with them hundreds of others who entered the Hills for the first time. The cavalry, meanwhile, were kept exceedingly active in their attempts to keep back the invaders, which efforts proved fruitless, as, if driven out at one point they were sure to re-enter at another. THE JENNY EXPLORING EXPEDITION COMPLETES ITS WORK. The Jenny Exploring Expedition, having finished theim" portant work that had been intrusted to it, left the Hills with its military escort, about the first of October, 1875. On the outward march Col. Dodge reported having met LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAllS. 139 California Joe with about forty or fifty men, on the south fork of the Cheyenne river, en route for the Hills. THE CAVALRY FORCE WITHDRAWN. About the 1st of December, 1875, Capt. Pollock and his cavalry force were withdrawn from the Hills, at which SPOTTED TAIL. time all military opposition to immigration ceased. About the same time, the Indians doffed their feathers, rubbed off their war paint, and suspended active hostilities for the winter, to be renewed with increased violence and added horrors in the early spring of 1876. All opposition bein^y removed, the rush began. Not only miners who 140 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, could now prosecute their search for gold without molesta- tion, but men of all professions; business men with their stock in trade; groceries, dry goods, restaurant furnish- ings, sawmills, saloon fixtures, billiard tables, etc., came for a time without let or hindrance. It is estimated that at least 11,000 people came to the Black Hills during the winter of 1875-6 — from November 15, 1875, to March 1, 1876 — the great majority of whom came first to Custer. CUSTEK IN 1875. Custer is beyond question entitled to the proud distinc- tion of being the pioneer town of the Black Hills. Being the objective point of a large percentage of those coming to the Hills during the wiuter of 1875-6, it suddenly grew from a small mining camp of a few unfiuished cabins to a town of very formidable proportions. During the first three months of the year 1876, 1,400 buildings were erected on the site where, at the close of 1875, there had stood but one solitary finished building. It is somewhat difficult to realize that on the spot where, less than two years before, civilized feet had never trod, but which meanwhile had become historic ground, a town of such magnitude should exist. Fact, however, is sometimes stranger than friction. During that period, structures of both lumber and logs sprung up on every hand as if by magic. The clear air of the beautiful park was resonant from morning till night, seven days in the week, with sound of ax, ham- mer, and saw; the surrounding hillsides swarmed with men, busy in felling trees and cutting them into logs to be used in the construction of cabins or hauled to the mill to be sawed into lumber. Ah, pity 'tis, that the beauty of our magnificent forests and groves should have to be so marred ! This pioneer town of the Black Hills was built of struc- tures both large and small (some of them quite pretentious) to be used for various purposes, all kinds of business being represented . LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 141 There were hotels, restaurants, dry goods and grocery stores; also meat shops, shoe shops, sawmills, and saloons galore. Before the great stampede to Deadwood Gulch in the spring of 1876 Custer could boast a population variously estimated at from 6,000 to 10,000 people, in which numer- ous families were included. FRENCH CREEK THE MECCA OF THE PIONEERS OF 1875. French creek was the " Mecca " towards which the hundreds of gold-seekers, who came to the Black Hills during the year 1875, first turned their eager faces. It had already become historic. It was on the borders of French creek, that Ross and McKay, the staunch miners who accompanied the Custer Expedition, found their most en- couraging prospects. On French creek, also, on Decem- ber 23d, just as the winter's sun was sinking behind the western Hills the boys of 1874 panned out the first shin- ing particles, that gladdened their eyes and realized their hopes; and, too, on one of its banks, mid winter's snows and storms they built, in an incredibly short space of time, the strongest fortification of the kind ever constructed on the Western frontier, as well as the cabins within its walls, cabins that afforded temporary shelter and protection to hundreds of the miners and tenderfeet who subsequently came to the Hills. On the banks of French creek was washed out, with the aid of a rudely constructed rocker, the bright, coarse gold that was conveyed by two plucky men, in dead of winter, hundreds of miles over a bleak prairie, to Sioux City, to convince the world that gold in the Black Hills was not a myth, but a glittering reality. This French creek gold then, was the lodestone that at- tracted so many to that locality in 1875. I think it may be safely stated that nine-tenths of the miners coming into the Hills during that year, did their first prospecting on French creek, whence they scattered out to explore other localities, principally along the streams, having their head- 142 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, waters in the Harney Peak area, viz. : Spring, Rapid, Box Elder, and Castle creeks, some going north into the Bear Lodge region, where it is claimed numerous large-sized nug- orets were found. Along the above named streams placer gold was discovered, in perhaps paying quantities, but the o-lowing reports that were, during that summer, scattered broadcast over the land were doubtless greatly exaggerated, or perhaps in some instances the product of an exuberant fancy. However, the visible evidences of the real metal in the hands of many honest and legitimate miners, were sufficient to establish the fact that the Black Hills was des- tined to become pre-eminently a gold-bearing country and sufficiently encouraging to induce all classes, reckless of consequences, to join in the race towards the many gates opening into the Hills. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 143 CHAPTEE XII. SOME OF THE PIONEERS OF 1875, AND HOW THEY GOT TO THE BLACK HILLS. Among the many who were attracted to the Black Hills during the first year of their civilized, or it would better be said, half-civilized, existence, and who were intimately identified with their early history and subsequent develop- ment, are the following, naming them in the order of their arrival as to date as far as known : Dr. D. W. Flick, Sam'l Shankland, A. D. Trask, Joseph Reynolds, Thos. Hooper, Frank Bryant, VVm. Lardner, H. B. Young, Emil Faust, V. P. Shenn, and John R. Brennan. Besides those above named there are hundreds of others who were more or less conspicuous figures in the fleeting drama of 1875, some of whom have long since left the Hills, others still residents, but of whom the writer could gain no direct or even indirect information. However, the experiences of these few, whose adventures have come to her knowledge, will illustrate those of the majority, per- haps, of the pioneers of 1875. Dr. Flick and Mr. Shankland were both members of the second expedition to embark for the Black Hills in 1875, and among the few of a large party, who, after great hardships and exposures, and by a good deal of strategy to avoid falling into the clutches of the military, which was then the great bugbear, finally succeeded in reaching their goal, in the early summer of that year. Dr. Flick has the distinction of having built the first los: cabin erected in the Black Hills in 1875, and Mr. Shank- land was one of the seven men left to guard the property of the expelled miners during that year, and both have been residents of the Black Hills since then. 144 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, In this connection it seems apropos that a brief account be here given of the trying experiences of that second expedition, which it is believed may prove interesting. Early in the spring of 1875, a few days after the Gordon party had slipped quietly away from the banks of the Big Muddy, a large party of other gold-seeking adventurers, numbering 150, were gathered at Sioux City, awaiting transportation to the Black Hills. They soon entered into contract with the H. N. Witcher Transportation Company to carry their goods and equip- ments to the Black Hills for eight cents per pound avoir- dupois, then with a few saddle horses and a small pack train the expedition started on its journey westward, under the pilotage of Eaf Witcher, along the Niobrara river, south of the Nebraska State line, and thus quite outside of the Indian reservation. When about 300 miles from Sioux City, near the point where Gordon's train had been captured and burned a short time before, the expedition was overtaken and joined by another party of something more than 100 men, under the guidance of Capt. Ely, of which Judge Rhinehart, now of Lead City, was a member, making altogether a formidable asfsregation. The journey westward proved an uneventful one until reaching Snake river, a small tributary of the Niobrara, where an event occurred which somewhat dampened the ardor of the gold-seekers, and threatened the success and even the very existence of the expedition itself. Up to that time, although the party had been constantly on the alert, through fear of governmental interference, no serious apprehension had been felt of an attack by the Indians. However, at this point they were made unpleasantly aware that Indians in plenty were near at hand. One day a half dozen of the party, who had been de- tailed to serve as scouts along the line of march, came rush- ing headlong and excited into line, bringing the startling information that a large band of from 1,500 to 2,000 LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 145 Indians had been encountered, who had relieved them of their blankets. As a matter of fact there were only 250 of the savages — quite enough, however, to strike terror to the heart of a tenderfoot. Naturally almost the entire party was thrown into a state of intense excitement and alarm ; some wrung their hands and wept, while the majority at once proceeded to put the expedition on a substantial war footing. Selecting a favorable position the wagons of the train were quickly formed into a kind of corral for the pro- tection^of the stock; the tents were pitched outside, their guns got in readiness, and thus fortified and equipped they awaited in fear and trembling the expected enemy. At this juncture Dr. Flick, who did not believe in the hostility of the Indians, electrified the expedition by announcing- his readiness to so in search of the savage rob- bers, and try to recover the lost blankets, provided one of the men who had been relieved of their property would go with him to locate the Indians. One of the scouts reluc- tantly consented to risk his life in an attempt to regain possession of his almost indispensable bedding. So the two started bravely out in the probable direction of the Indians, but had not proceeded far, when, upon reaching the summit of a hill, they discovered coming up on the opposite side, a legion of Indians making directly towards them. Waiting until they had nearly reached the brow of the hill, the two men faced about, and re- turned to camp, followed closely by the Indians, who, when within a short distance of the camp, halted, presumably to hold a council of either war or peace. After a brief deliberation, twelve of the band, headed by their chief. Lame Lance, advanced a safe dis- tance directly towards the camp of the pale-faces (and 'Some of them were abnormally pale at the time), when they laid their guns on the ground, in token of their peaceable intentions, and went through a sort of pantomime, very expressive to those who understood its significance, and which, being interpreted, meant *' We good Injuns." 10 146 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Upon being beckoned to approach, they came into camp, leaving their guns on the ground, where they had laid them. The chief, in the manner characteristic of his race, stated that the band were merely on a hunting expedition, and in proof of the honesty of his statement presented a document signed by the Secretary of the Interior permitting them to hunt off their reservation. After the usual amount of begging — they are born beggars, these red men of the plains — the twelve braves returned peaceably to their own camp, carrying with them a generous supply of crackers, sugar, tobacco, etc. Emboldened by this success, numerous others of the band came into the camp of the expedition asking for more, and when refused, they became insolent and defiant, making themselves exceedingly troublesome, by peering into the wagons of the train, as if determined to help themselves to whatever they wanted. Finally, however, they were driven away and a strong guard of armed men placed around the camp and corral. As the members of the expedition, for the most part, had but small confidence in the good faith of their savage neighbors, believing the old saying that there are " no good Indians but dead Indians," their camp in plain view seemed a constant menace to their security, and thus no sleep came to their eyes nor slumber to their eyelids that night, with the exception of a few vvho were made of sterner stuff. Anxious to put miles of distance between the two camps, bright and early the next morning the train resumed its march directl}^ westward, but not towards the Black Hills. From this time the Black Hills fever began rapidly to wane. Apparently the train and mem- bers of the expedition, the majority of whom were tender- feet, had no intention of directing their course towards the Hills, seeming determined to keep outside of the Indian reservation. A few who were really anxious to go to the Black Hills insisted that the train cross the Nebraska line into the reservation and make directly for the Hills, and thus, perhaps, avoid collision with the military. It was LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 147 becoming plainly evident that the expedition was doomed to go to pieces. At this juncture Dr. Flick, hoping to ward off such a disaster, mounted a wagon — I suspect there were no stumps thereal)Outs — and made a vigorous speech, urging the duty of loyalty on the part of every member to the original purpose of the expedition, insisting that fear of Indian hostilities was utterly groundless, etc., and, as a matter of fact, there was but little danger from that quarter, at that early date in 1875, as by the summary removal of the pioneers of 1874 from the stockade, a short time before, the government had shown a determination to respect the treaty rights of the Indians, and they were satisfied. On reaching the mouth of Antelope creek, about 400 miles from Sioux City and eighteen miles south of the Nebraska State line, the climax came. The roll of mem- bers being called, out of the entire expedition only four- teen men signified a willingness to undertake the rest of the journey to the Black Hills. Early the next morning, June 23d, 1875, during the " wee sma'" hours, a small party with the following personnel : Messrs. Dunlap, Shankland, Flick, Berry, Wright, Timmish, Burns, Mitchell, Bushnell, At- chinson, Webster, Nelson, and Forbes, with eight pack an- imals, left the expedition to its fate, and pulled out for their original destination, — Valentine Dunlap being constituted as guide. At 12 o'clock the next night, after traveling over a bluffy country, with short intervals of rest, the little party camped on the head of White Earth creek, where they partook of a midnight supper of cold beans, bread and cofi"ee. At daylight they started out towards the White Earth river — camping at 9 o'clock a. m. for break- fast. They had hardly commenced their meal, before two Indians were discovered on a bluff above their camp, and supposing them to be government scouts, they deemed it advisable to pack up without finishing their breakfast and hurry on towards the Hills, before being overhauled by the military. Hungry and tired as they were — having 148 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, been in camp onl}^ about forty minutes, they quickly packed ttieir belongings and traveled on with their jaded animals, as rapidly as possible over the rough untraveled country towards the Black Hills, until they had put about twenty- five miles between them and the point where they had seen the supposed government scouts, — when, having been fortunate in finding a small slough or depression on the prairie, affording sufficient water for the purpose, they camped, prepared and drank a cup of coffee, then threw themselves down on the broad prairie for a few hours' sleep. After a short rest, they started out again, traveling with all the speed of which their worn-out pack animals were capable, reaching Wounded Knee at 11 o'clock at night, where they went into camp. Their sole anxiety and desire was to escape discovery and arrest by the soldiers, who they feared were then warm on their trail. We must not lose sight of the fact, that this adventurous little band were traveling on foot, and leading their pack mules, which, of course, greatly increased the danger of discovery; — for whoever heard of a mule that would not, without the slight- est compunction, betray even his very best friend? On the evening of the third day after leaving the expedition the party arrived at the White Earth river, completely exhausted from almost constant travel and loss of sleep. Crossing that stream the next morning and going on in the direction of the Hills about twelve miles, they suddenly found them- selves confronted on every hand by a bewildering maze of seemingly insurmountable bluffs. The very worst portion of the Bad Lands, in all their confusing grotesqueness, stared them in the face. The guide (Dunlap), after having climbed to the summit of one of the high chalky bluffs to survey the prospect, declared that it would be impossible to scale their precipitous sides with the pack mules, and if they attempted to go round them, they would become irre- mediably lost amid the intricate labyrinths of the cuts, gulches, gorges, etc. *' We must go back on our trail, and LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 149 try to find a more practicable route," said the guide. The majority of the party, relying upon the judgment of their leader, in whom they reposed the utmost confidence, as he claimed to be an experienced frontiersman and to have spent several years among the Indians, seemed willing to follow his advice. Dr. Flick alone strenuously opposed any retrograde movement, preferring to take the chance of being lost among the gloomy defiles of the Bad Lands rather than invite the extreme probability of running head- long right into the arms of a body of United States troop- ers. " I, for one, shall no longer follow the leadership of a man who would guide us blindly back into the very danger we have been most anxious to avoid," said the doc- tor. " I propose going to the Black Hills right along this line, and those of you who turn back will have good reason to regret it," he continued. After spending some time in discussing the situation pro and con, the doctor, who had resolved to push his way in a direct line to the Hills at all hazards, began making preparation for his lone journej' amid many protests. After putting together his outfit for the trip, the problem of transportation came up for solution. To carry his blankets and other equipments with sufficient provisions for an indefinite time, seemed An impossibility. Finally, after a great deal of per- suasion, Chas. Webster, who held an undivided half interest in a diminutive, half-starved pack pony, with a saddle-worn abrasion on his back as large as the crown of a man's hat, in which the doctor also held a proprietary interest, was induced to risk the undertaking. "There's no danger of our getting lost. When we come to a hill we can't climb, we'll just go around it. We'll get to the Hills all right, and it won't take us many days, either," urged the doctor ; " and," he continued, " when we get there, I believe we shallfind someone from whom we can get supplies enough to keep us from starving, at least." After packing the little undivided pony with such arti- 150 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, cles only as might be most needed, thus reducing the load to the least possible minimum of weight, the two plucky men started, straight as the swallows fly, for the Black Hills, uncertain as to what their fate might be. Upon woins: a little distance, thev turned and waved their hands (I suspect they had no handkerchiefs) in token of fare- well to their comrades, whom they expected never to see again. Let us now leave the twelve who are about to double on their trail, and follow the two lone adventurers into the Hills. After a hard day's march over and around the barren precipitous bluff, through the ashes of that desolate region, — which has aptly been compared to Hades with its fires extinguished — they had the unexpected good for- tune of camping that first night on the opposite bank of the Cheyenne river. Early the next morning, after a fruo-al breakfast of bread alone, thev resumed their march Hills-ward, reaching the mouth of a clear, sparkling stream, teeming with fish, at 8 p. m. June 27th, where they camped for the night. The next morning they pro- ceeded with much difficulty up the stream, which the doctor named "Tanglefoot" — Squaw creek, a branch of Battle creek — because of the almost impenetrable growlh of underbrush along its banks. "I thought it the most beautiful stream I ever laid eyes upon," related the doctor. The sight of the fish was certainly one which might have filled the heart of Isaac Walton's least ardent disciple with great gladness, — and how much more, then, that of the two half-famished pilgrims who had not tasted meat for many days. Did you find no game on your journey into the Hills, Doctor? " I inquired. " Oh, yes, plenty of it; elk, deer, grouse, and other game, but I did not dare to shoot for fear of discovery," replied the doctor. What a shining example of self-denial, to be sure, for a crack sportsman, who could at that time, in nine cases out of ten, bring down a bird on the wins at the first shot. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 151 It was with extreme difficulty that our two travelers pushed their way up through the heavy uodergrowth, along the beautiful "Tanglefoot," with their frail pony, handicapyjed as he was with his load of blankets, beans, and camp paraphernalia. " VV^by," said the doctor, "our poor little pack-horse became so weak that we actually had to push him up hill." They were at last forced to lighten his load, by throwing off their supply of beans of forty pounds avoirdupois, which they thought could safely be dispensed with, as they had not indulged in the luxury of beans since leaving the Cheyenne river, the hazard involved in cooking them being considered too great ; besides, everything was wet and sodden, as it rained continuosly during their entire trip. Any gold hunters, prospecting along Tanglefoot Gulch, during the few succeeding weeks, mioht have found the flotsam and jetsam of a small cargo of Black Hills " grub," if not gold, to reward them for their search. Going north after leaving Tanglefoot, they soon found themselves at or near the base of Harney's Peak, and on the fifth day after leaving their companions in the Bad Lands, they climbed the dizzy heights to the summit of one of the jagged peaks of that ridge of the Harney Peak range called the " Needles," and looked down and abroad upon the glorious panorama of wooded hill, green valley, and smiling glade — a scene more beautiful, perchance, than had ever before dawned upon their visions. No sign, how- ever, of human life and activity was visible in all the wide expanse. Can we be the only human beings in the Black Hills? was the mental query that occurred to them. Not a very cheering possibility truly to the two solitary men amid the fastnesses without supplies. Descending from their lofty outlook into the valley below they traveled on and soon dropped into the valley of a little bubbling stream (Willow creek) dancing gaily southward into French creek. Cautiously descending the stream, and watching closely for some trace of human occupancy, — 152 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, either soldiers, miners, or Indians, they were soon rewarded by discovering, clearly silhouetted against the southern sky, what appeared to be the figure of a man, moving along the crest of a distant hill, in advance of them. Keeping the object ever in view, they hurried on at a rapid pace, until within hailing distance, when the doctor, making a kind of trumpet of both hands, called out through it in his most sonorous and penetrating tones: " Hullo there, white man or Indian?" "Indian," came back in the unmistakable but welcome accents of a white man. In double quick, the two tired and hungry men climbed the hill and were at his side. " My name is Flick," said the doctor, at the same time extending his hand, " and my companion's name is Web- ster," he added, introducing his fellow-lraveler. "My name is Van Horn, and there is my camp," re- turned the man pointing to a group of tents, and a number of canvas-covered wagons, just at the foot of the hill. " Well," ventured the doctor, " we are tired and raven- ously hungry, and nearly barefoot, as you can see, and would like some breakfast. We have eaten nothing for the past five days but bread straight, — and bread made of flour and water alone, at that." They were at once conducted to the camp below, and treated with the miner's proverbial hospitality, to a good square rdiner's meal, the first in many days. Thus, after a hard journey over hills, across yawning ravines, through valley and glade, sleeping on the ground at night without tents to protect them from the rain that had drizzled down almost unceasingly both day and night, and living on bread alone, our two heroic pioneers had at length found a temporary haven of rest. After spending a few days, enjo3nng the prodigal hospi- tality of Van Horn's camp, meanwhile prospecting a little on their own account, they made their way to the military headquarters of Col. Dodge's command, then stationed at LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 153 the stockade near Custer. Here the doctor found and in- troduced himself to Capt. G. Russell of the Third United States Cavalry, and a brother mason, to whom he made known their most urgent needs. It Avill be remem- bered that they had been forced to throw overboard their cargo of supplies, on the Tanglefoot, and, in consequence, were almost, if not entirely, out of the staple articles of diet. After an interchange of fraternal grips, Captain Russell asked, " Now, Doctor, what can I do for you? " " Well, first I need a pair of boots, as you can plainly see," answered the doctor, at the same time, holding up for the captain's inspection what, by a liberal stretch of the imagination, might once have been considered a very respectable boot, but which, by virtue of mile after mile of travel on foot, through bush and bracken, and over jagged rocks, had well-nigh lost all resemblance to the "thing of beauty" and of pride, it once had been. " Number nine will do." " Next, I want about twenty- five pounds of bacon and a sack of flour," and — "Oh, yes, I would like a can of baking powder and a modicum of salt," concluded the doctor. The articles were promptly ordered brought from the commissary stores, and delivered without price or condi- tions. Some days after. Doctor Flick, no longer afraid to shoot, captured an immense mountain grizzly, whose shaggy cuticle he presented to Capt. Russell, with his compli- ments, — not Bruin's compliments but the doctor's. We will now go back and ascertain the fate of Dunlap and his trusty followers. As soon as the two deserters from their ranks had disappeared behind an intervening bluff in the Bad Lands, they, with some misgivings doubt- less, as to the consequences, commenced their backward march towards the White Earth river, upon reaching which they turned up the stream in search of "Sawyer's trail," which the guide assured them was not far distant. 154 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, The party had not proceeded more than a half mile when a bunch of horses was seen grazing on the river bottoms not more than a mile away. Bringing them into nearer view by the aid of a magnifying glass, they were discovered to be United States cavalry horses. Instantly realizing their peril, they quickly led their horses behind a convenient bluff, where a hurried consultation was held as to the best plan of escape from the soldiers, whose mission they felt convinced was expressly to capture them. " Now we are in for it," said the guide in a low voice. They really were in pretty close quarters, as the general topography of the country made it impossible for them to fall back or advance any distance from their position behind the bluff without coming directly into view. Hoping to discover some way out of their dilemma, the guide crept stealthily up to the edge of the bluff on his hands and feet, when he saw the troopers already mounted and about to march out on their trail of the day before, which they had just left in search of " Sawyer's trail." It seemed certain that in half an hour the soldiers would trace them to their hiding-place, in view of which certainty they became intensely excited. " Some of us will prob- ably be captured, in any event, and all of us if we remain together," said the guide. " We had better separate, take different directions, and hide ourselves as best we can until dark, when possibly some of us, under cover of the night, may effect our escape," he urged. Acting upon this advice, without loss of time the members of the " hemmed in " little party, with their respective belongings, scattered out, panic-stricken, in ever}"" direction — every man for himself. Shankland, Berry, Wright, and Timmish started off in the direction of the river, which they hoped to reach in time to hide themselves and animals among the timber and brush along its banks. Traveling on with their utmost speed through the friendly protection of the brush, not daring to take time to look back, thinking the soldiers LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 155 might be right upon them, they fortunately soon found a hiding-place among the rocks of a deep canyon making out from the river, and admirably fitted by nature for such a purpose, where they remained until night safe from imme- diate capture at least. Before entering their " rocky retreat " they were joined by Porter and Forbes, who had followed almost directly upon their heels in their precipi- tous flight. When darkness at last spread over them its protecting wings they breathed more freely, and ventured out from their confined quarters among the rocks, in search of a more roomy spot, where they could spread their blank- ets for a much-needed rest and sleep, and thus forget for a time their dangerous environments. Thinking themselves quite safe from discovery, as their feet had left no prints on the hard rock leading to their position in the canyon, they decided to remain for a few days for recuperation, during which time they subsisted entirely upon uncooked food, not deeming it safe to build fires. Becoming tired of the general monotony ot life in the canyon, on the second morning, ere the dawn of day, they led their horses out of their retreat and iigain took up their line of march towards the Black Hills, haunted by an ever- present fear of arrest by the military. The details of the march into the Hills need not be narrated at length. A brief outline, marked by a few of the principal incidents of the journey, being deemed sufficient. The party soon came to an inviting little grove convenient to water, where they camped and remained for two days and three nights, taking frequent observations, meanwhile, from an adjacent hill, looking for government scouts. Upon one occasion they were rewarded by seeing two mounted men about a half-mile distant, which again threw them into a panic ; fortunately, however, they were not discovered. " We talked in whispers, and took every precaution against discovery, and just waited for fate to decide our destiny," related my informant. On the third day they resumed their march, and after 156 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, traveling about twelve miles over a level prairie country, they came to the ever-dreaded Mauvaises Terres, where in one of the deep gorges they camped for the night, feeling, for once, secure from arrest — as they thought neither man nor beast could often be tempted to enter such a desolate region. The next day they made their way through a long winding canyon, too narrow in places, to admit of pas- sage, often being compelled to widen the same by the use of picks, and sometimes being obliged to unpack and carry their freight on their backs through the more difficult places, and finally, after ten mortal hours of toil- ing through its devious windings they emerged into a flat country where, finding a little water of very inferior quality, the}^ camped for the night. The next day they leached and crossed the Cheyenne river, then traveling on with light hearts, but very tired feet, keeping all the time a sharp lookout for scouts, they reached what they called Trout creek, near the foot- hills, July 4th, where they spent the night without shelter of any kind from the furious rain-storm which occurred dur- ing the night. They started from camp the next morning, drenched to the skin, but joyous in the bright anticipation that, before the setting of the sun, they would besafely in the Black Hills, and l)eyond all danger of pursuit from the rear. However, in consequence of a heavy storm, which pre- vailed throughout the day, they were compelled to take refuge in a deep gorge in the foot-hills near which they found their first gold, panning out as high as ten cents to the pan. Notwithstanding these encouraging prospects, owing to a scarcity of water and danger of capture, they decided not to drive their stakes at that point, but proceed further into the mountains. The following day, July 6th, after traveling about fifteen or twenty miles, they found themselves among the moun- tain ranges. Apprehending now but little danger of cap- ture, they deemed it safe to halt for a couple of days and prospect a little as they went. Accordingly on July 7th, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 157 Shankhmd, Berr3',iind Porter, went about six miles further into the mountains, looking for gold, returning to catnp at nicrht, with nothins; but a mountain groiiso to reward them for their day's labor — their first game in the Hills, which, being dressed, was impaled on the end of u pointed stick, cooked before a pitch pine fire, and eaten without salt for supper. The next day, July 5th, the same party mounted their horses and rode back to the gulch where the gold had been discovered, for the purpose of ascertaining whether water could be found which might be conducted by means of a ditch to the point prospected, in which they were wholly unsuccessful. The trip, however, proved not altogether without com- pensation, ns they had the satisfaction of killing a huge mountain grizzly, whose choice cuts furnished their camp with the luxury of bear's meat for a few days. On July 9th, after partaking of a breakfast of " bear on slapjack," they moved on some eight or ten miles and halted at the junction of two small streams, where the day was spent in supplying their sadly depleted larders with the fish in which the stream abounded. Following up the southwestern branch of the stream, some nine miles over a rough, unbroken country, they came upon the deserted camp of their former guide (Dunlap), which seemed to have been vacated not more than three hours before. The names Valentine Dunlap and Oaks Texas were discovered written in pencil on a birch tree near the camp. Following up Dunlap's trail until all trace of it was lost, then keeping on in a southerly direction for several miles, they again came into the trail of their quandom guide, whom they were exceedingly anxious to overtake, that they might learn something of the fate of the other members of the party. With this object in view, they hurried along on the fresh trail of their guide over several miles of heavily wooded country into an extensive park, with a stream of water running through its center (Custer's Park). Ever watchful were they for some evidence of the presence 158 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, of the military, who, if in the country, thej suspected might be encamped not many miles from the base of Harney's Peak. For the purpose of reconnoitering the vicinity, Shankland and Porter mounted their horses and rode out to an elevated point, about two miles from camp, from where they discovered a large number of horses and mules and four men herdino^ them. " We could hear the men chopping wood in their camp and also hear the dogs barking. We did not know what party it was, but thought it might be Jenny's military escort. Our plan was to steal quietly into the vicinity of the camp, and wait for an op- portunity to interview some one happening to be out alone," related my informant, Mr. Shankland. Early the following morning, before the sun had tipped the lofty peaks, Shankland and Berry started out on foot to locate the military camp which they felt assured was not far away, soon coming to a point where the whole camp stood out in bold relief, before they were aware of its immediate vicinity. Falling back out of sight, they counseled to- gether as to the best method of procedure, finally agreeing to climb up behind a large cliff of rocks, that loomed up not more than two hundred yards from the center of the camp, from where much that was said could be distinctly heard and understood, " We might have been taken for a couple of representatives of the Lo family, contemplating a raid upon the camp," said Mr. Shankland. We will now leave the vigilant men behind the cliffs overlooking the camp of Col. Dodge's command on French creek, and go back along the line to the mouth of Antelope creek, where, nearly three weeks since, we left THE MAJOR PART OF THE EXPEDITION. After the small party of fourteen men left the expedition for the Black Hills on the morning of Juue 23d, the train at once pulled out westward until reaching what is called the " Sidney Cut-off," where another separation took LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 159 place. From this point some of tlie party turned their faces towards the Black Hills, while the majority took up their line of march to Sidney, Nebraska, whence they scattered where they listed. Among those who went towards the Hills from the Sidney Cut-off was Judge Rinehart, now of Lead City. No doubt many of the expeditions embarking for the Black Hills in 1875 may have had an equally trying if not altogether similar experience. 160 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, CHAP TEE XIII. HOW SOME OF THE PIONEERS FOOLED UNCLE SAM. The following account of how Joe Reynolds and his two companions bribed the government employees at old Fort Laramie to smuggle them across the swollen Platte on the government ferry boat, will illustrate some of the cunningly devised artifices practiced by gold-seeking adventurers to elude the watchfulness of Uncle Sam's soldiers at that frontier post in 1875, and will also show what imperfect knowledge some of them had of the geography of the Black Hills. It was early in May, 1875, very soon after the reuioval of the Collins and Russell party from the stockade that Joseph Reynolds, Jas. Corneille, and Billy Jacobs, of Georgetown, Colorado, moved by an inspiration, suddenly made up their minds to go to the Black Hills. It did not take them long to put themselves in light marching order, for within forty-eight hours after their hasty decision they were equipped with good saddle horses, pack animals, guns, and provisions for sixty days, and on their way to the New Eldorado. Included in their outfit was a bottle of '* anti- dote " for sudden colds, snake bites, and kindred maladies, which was to be used solely for medicinal purposes. On reaching Fort Laramie, they found the Platte river swollen away out of its banks, and more than two hundred other Black Hill adventurers encamped nearby, waiting for the river to get down to low water-mark, so that they might steal across undercover of night, away from the mili- tary reservation into the Sioux territory. Finding further progress barred for the time being, the trio decided after studying the situation, to leave their stock of supplies at LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 1(31 the fort in charge of one of their number, while the other two made a flying trip to the Hills, with rations for ten days, to examine their resources, the result of which was to determine their future course. But how to get across the turbulent river was 3'et an unsolved problem. In the belief that every man has his price, the}' decided finally to offer a bribe to the wagonmaster of a govern- ment train, with Avhom they had fallen in on their way from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie, who was about to board the ferry with a load of Indian supplies for Red Cloud Agency, to take them across the river as a part of his outfit. So Joe, as spokesman of the party, approached the wagon- master, and after a short preliminary talk leading up to the delicate proposition he purposed making, laid bare his plans. He told him he would give him ten round dollars to slip his little party across the river with his load of Indian freight, and explained how it could be done without detection. As the plan outlined by Joe seemed both feasible and safe, the wagon-master, after a little apparent hesitancy, said: "All right, I'll do it; make your arrangements and we'll drive onto the boat." Following closely along the lines dictated by Joe, they were soon taken across the river without exciting any sus- picion. While in transit, Corneile, the custodian of the flask, bethought him that, inasmuch as they would want to recross the ferry in the near future, it would be the part of wisdom to cultivate the friendship of the ferryman. So, pulling the flask from his pocket, and holding it tempt- ingly towards him, said, blandly, " Won't you take some- thing?" "Well, yes, I don't care if I do," responded the ferryman with alacrity, — and he did. After traveling about twenty miles with the train, they diverged to the north — the trainmaster having told them that by keeping due north he thought they would strike French creek. So north they went, striking the Hills somewhere on their western limits on May 30th, 1875. 11 162 THE BLACK HILLS ; OH, Continuing in the same direction, they made a complete "arc of a circle" around the western and northern limits of the Hills, climl)inor to the summit of each prominent point to take their bearings, and, if possible, locate French creek. It is needless to delay the narrative, by giving the details of their erratic wanderings. Let it suffice to state that they climbed successively, Inyan Kara, Devil's Tower, Bear Lodge Peak — where, while waiting for a dense fog to clear away, they did some prospecting with fairly encouraging re- sults — then through Spearfish valley and south to Custer's Peak, and finally, on the 15th day of June, they climbed to the bald summit of Harne^^'s Peak, where for the first time they located French creek which they reached on the same day in a sorry condition. They had been on the march for twenty days, with- out having seen a white man, ten of which they had subsisted solely on venison straight, without salt. The next day, while prospecting in a shallow tunnel which had been dug by the stockade hoys, they heard the sound of human voices, which they feared might belong to Indians; but soon distinguishing the accents of their own beloved vernacular, they hastily emerged from the tunnel to meet and greet their white brothers, one of whom proved to be A. D. Trask, now of Pactola, Pennington County. No sooner was the hearty interchange of greetings over than Reynolds asked Trask how much " grub " he had in his party. " Grub ! " answered Trask, " well, we have a small jar of salt that I found cached under one of the cabins in the stockade which has been our main diet for the past twenty-four hours." Now, we all know that salt as a con- diment is all right, but very unsatisfactory as a steady diet. " Have you more supplies than you really need? " inquired Trask of Reynolds. " More than we really need ! Why, man alive, we haven't had a morsel to eat for ten days but venison, and venison without salt at that," an- swered Reynolds. " We have plenty of that and to spare," LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 163 added Reynolds, cheerfully ; " and as you have the salt, we shall fare pretty well." By the way, that little jar of salt is the only single article cached by the stockade party that has come to the writer's knowledge. Within the next two days quite a number put in an ap- pearance at the stockade, when a miners' meeting was called, for the purpose of organizing a mining district on French creek. The meeting, at which sixteen men were present, was held in the open, a short distance above where Custer City now stands. Officers were chosen, a district organized, rules and regulations to govern the same were passed and a recorder duly elected, but, as the min- utes of the meeting have been lost, it is impossible to give details of its proceedings. It is related, however, that an exceedingly warm discussion was had, relative to the rule establishing the size of placer claims, the minority insisting upon twenty acres, the majority favoring 300 feet in length along the gulch, from rim to rim, which was the rule estab- lished. This is believed to be the first mining district ever organized in the Black Hills, and A. D. Trask, of Pactola, the first recorder chosen. The morning after the meeting, the two men, having be- come convinced that the Black Hills was a pretty good country, and also that a more varied diet would prove con- ducive to health, mounted their horses and hied them away to their base of supplies at Fort Laramie. On their appear- ance at the ferry landing, the ferryman, recognizing them, seemed much surprised at the puzzling situation, which they soon made clear by confessing that they had been to the Black Hills, and that their joining the train was merely a bit of strategy. They then and there entered into a conspir- acy with the ferryman, by which he was to take them across the river in three days for a consideration of ten dollars. According to the plan they were to come to the landing at 11 o'clock p. m. of the third day and scratch on the can- vas at the back of his tent, when he was to slip quietly out and shove them with their outfits across. The Platte river 164 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, was not yet fordable and the 200 or more gold-hunters were still awaiting near its banks. As it ueared the eleventh watch of the night of the third day, Reynolds, Corneile, and Jacobs, led their horses away from camp and made a circuit around the outer limits of the post, to avoid the sentinels who were placed at intervals to guard the garrison against external savage attack, or in- ternal conspiracy. Stealthily and noiselessly they were picking their way towards the ferry landing without the clatter of a hoof, — the horses seeming to appreciate the necessity for caution, when like a thunderbolt from a cloudless sky, they were startled nearly out of their boots, by the [)rolonged cry of " Eleven o'clock and all is well,''' but a few yards away from them. They came to a dead halt, paralyzed, scarcely daring to breathe. The darkness fav- ored them, for the watchman passed around on his beat, so near that with an outstretched arm they could have almost touched him, but he did not discover them. As soon as the sound of his footsteps died away they hurried to the land- ing, led their horses over the approach, whose shifting sands gave back no sound, onto the ferry. The signal was given but not a word was spoken. The ferryman came quietly out, unlocked the ferry, shoved them across and received his price. They went again north to Bear Lodge Peak, where they prospected for a short time, thence to French creek, where they remained prospecting for both placer and quartz until ordered out by Gen. Crook, in August of that year. Mr. Reynolds, with commendable enterprise, resolved not to leave the Hills, without taking with him something upon which to base an estimate of their mineral richness, so during the five days grace allowed the miners in which to make necessary arrangements to leave the Hills, he had 2,250 pounds of quartz mined from a ledge, situated about three and one-half miles above Custer City, then employed the Case Brothers, who had a wagon and team, to transport the same to Cheyenne, paying them therefor two cents per LAST HUNTING GROUND OF tAe DAKOTAHS. 105 pound, or $45 for the load. On reaching Cheyenne he sampled the ore and sent it to Georgetown, Colorado, to be tested. According to certificates of assay, the highest fjrade samples yielded seventeen dollars of gold per ton of quartz. That was the first ton of quartz of any kind, transported out of the Black Hills for treatment. Robert Florman, who had prior to his coming lo the Black Hills spent many years of his active life in a number of the most prominent mining regions of the United States, notably Colorado, Montana and New Mexico, in which he succeeded by shrewdness and unflagging energy in realiz- ing several handsome fortunes, only to be lost in other less fortunate mining speculations, made his advent on French creek on July 14th, 1875. After a short stay on that stream, he went north to S[>ring creek, near the present site of Hill City, where he prospected quite extensively for placer gold, and also for gold in quartz during the summer of 1875, leaving the Hills late in the fall of that year. Returning to the northern Hills with his family in the early spring of 1876, he was fortunate in securing by purchase, a claim on the famous " Deadwood Gulch," where he remained as long as the working of his claim proved profitable. Mr. Florman afterwards became engaged in several other mining enterprises throughout the Hills, becoming in 1885 or 1886 a resident of Rapid City, to which he has unre- servedly pinned his faith to the present time. He erected a number of the finest, most substantial, as well as the most expensive business blocks in Rapid City, and in doing this he staked his all upon the '' hazard of a die," and lost. Mr. Florman by his thorough and extended knowledge of mines and mining and sagacity will doubtless yet wrest a fortune from the wonderful mineral resources of our coun- try. What Mr. Florman does not know about ores of various kinds is hardly worth knowing. 166 THrf BLACK HILLS ; OR, As apropos to the above, I will here rehite a brief story, in which is interwoven a sad episode, of the journey of Mr. and Mrs. Florman with their three little children from Cheyenne to the Black Hills in the spring of 1876, which forcibly illustrates the pluck, the nerve, the real heroism of one of the women pioneers of the Black Hills. As all early pioneers traveling over that route have good reason to remember, every step of the journey after leaving the protection of Fort Laramie was then menaced by the most deadly peril, yet in the face of this, almost alone most of the way, every breeze wafting back to them reports of the terrible Indian atrocities being perpetrated farther on towards the Hills, they with their helpless little children pushed resolutely onward to their destination. Women of less courage and determination could scarcely have borne the intense mental and physical strain of such a journey under like circumstances. Mr. Florman and family, with six men, arrived at the stage station, on the Cheyenne river, on or about April 24th, 1876, where they found encamped a party of about forty emigrants, including a number of women, in the most intense excitement and alarm. Here they also found ample evidence that the red demons had been putting in their murderous work. The four horses belonging to the Cheyenne and Custer Stage Company had just arrived at the station, brinsing in the four men of Col. Brown's party, who had been attacked and dangerously wounded, — one fatally, — only a few miles up Red Canyon. On that same evening, the report of the massacre of the Metz party was brought into the station, which, of course, greatly increased the alarm of the already panic-stricken emigrants. Many, — especially those with families, urged that the party return at once to Fort Laramie, nearly 200 miles aw^ay. Mr. Florman, however, opposed such a movement, insisting that the danger of returning to the post would be greater than that of the short march on to LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 167 Custer, and proposed organizing a party for tlieir mutual safety, that would be bound to stand by each other tlirough evil as well as good report, until reaching Custer City. An organization, consisting of thirty-nine men, was soon ertected, the members of which were Jules Coffee of Lara- mie, with fifteen cowboys who had just arrived at the station; the incoming stage with its ten male passengers ; one Henry Feuerstein, with six men, and Mr. Florman's party of eleven, which included Mrs. Florman and their three children. This party started at 7 o'clock on the fol- lowing morning, with their armor buckled on for Cus- ter, — keeping their guns well in hand and their eyes on the alert for an ambushed foe. All along the trail through the Red Canyon, at intervals, they discovered shocking evi- dences of bloody deeds. They first came to the point where Brown's party had been attacked, the scene indicat- ing that there had been a fierce conflict. The stage was found lying in a ravine, riddled with bul- lets, and besmeared with the blood of the victims; their belongings, torn and hacked to pieces, lay scattered along and about the trail. Traveling about two miles further up the Canyon, they came upon the body of Mrs. Metz, — shot through the heart — who seemed to have been the last one of the party killed, as she had, apparently, run away from the scene of the first attack. Half a mile further on was found the body of the driver, and about a half mile still further on lay Mr. Metz, close to the wagon — shot through the head, and several times through the body. The col- ored woman was not found by the Florman party. What was to be done? The bodies could not longer be left there as food for the vultures and coyotes. Here Mrs. Florman exhibited the nerve, the spirit of self-sacrifice, that stamps her as a true heroine. Despite the probability that the deadly savages might be hiding in ambush, not far away; despite the fact that the poor, mutilated bodies had lain for many hours uncared for, 168 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Mrs. Floiman, with the courage of the Spartan women of old, [)roceedecl at once to aid in preparing the dead — as far as the limitations would })ermit, for decent Christian burial. With gentle, tender hands, she helped to straighten out and compose the distorted members of the murdered woman ; arrayed the body in the best garments that could be found among the scattered contents of the rifled trunks ; then, after washing the face and brushins^ back the dishev- eled hair with caressing touch, her noble, self-imposed task was finished. Brave woman ! May thy crown be set with precious jewels, whose brilliancy time can never mar ! The remains were then placed in a wagon, that had been brought for the purpose, and sent back, under escort, to the Cheyenne stage station for temporary burial. This grewsome duty being performed, the stage passen- gers, apparently forgetting their compact, mounted the stage and started off at a ra»)id pace towards Custer, but were speedily brought to a dead halt by the loud peremp- tory cry of, "Halt! or you are dead men." Looking back they saw Mr. Florman, with gun in hand, [)ointed directly at them, and believing fiom the dangerous gleam in his e^-e that he meant business, they prudently halted. One of the passengers said afterwards: " I tell you, boys, Mr. Florman looked as though he really meant to shoot." They excused their course by saying that they considered the real danger of the journey past. Mr. Florman, how- ever, thought otherwise, — as any one familiar with the habits of the Indians would have thought. He knew that the party were liable, at any moment, to be pounced upon, from behind some projecting headland or point of rocks, by the skulking savtiges. On that same evening they arrived at Pleasant Valley, where they found a large freight outfit, which give them a feeling of comparative security for the night. The next morning they pulled out for Cus- ter, where they arrived at noon, safely within the lines of the city guards — " the Custer minute men." LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 169 John W. Allen, another representative miner, came to the Black Hills in the early part of July, 1875. After prospect- inor at different points on French and Spring creeks — work- ing for a time, it is stated, with good results on what is known as '* Stand Off Bar," on the last named stream, he joined the Jenny Exploring Expedition, with which he remained during its stay in the Hills, greatly aiding it, by bis extensive mining knowledge, in ascertaining their mineral resources. He was a member of the board of trustees of the first township organization of Custer ; also in the early spring of 1876 aided in the town- ship organization of Rapid City, in which he had the most unbounded faith. So great was his confidence in the future of the " Gate City," the "Denver " of the Black Hills, that he induced his less sanguine brother, Jas. W. Allen, to leave a lucrative business in Cheyenne and come and get possession of as many town lots in the future Denver as was possible. Jas. W. Allen, however, took but little stock in the prospective Denver, declaring, much to the disgust of his far-sighted brother, that he would not accept as a gift the whole town-site proposition. John W. Allen later went to Deadwood, where in com- pany with other parties, he engaged in extensive placer min- ing. He, jointly with Col. Daniel Thompson, became the owner of 42,000 feet of the deepest gravel beds on that gulch, to operate which they constructed several hundred feet of bed-rock flume with all the necessary protective appliances against floods. Nothwithstanding those expen- sive appliances, however, the terribly destructive flood of 1883 either washed away or buried under heaps of debris their almost entire work. LUer Mr. Alien went to the Alaskan gold fields, and somewhere among the icy glaciers he to-day lies buried. A familiar figure to the early settlers of the Hills, espe- cially of Custer, was Tom Hooper. He was one of the 170 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, seven men who were permitted to remain in the Black Hills when the hundreds of miners were ordered out by Gen. Crook in August, 1875. Aided by a detachment of United States soldiers, Mr. Hooper made the first survey of the Custer town-site, in August of that year, using a small pocket compass and a couple of picket ropes for the pur- pose, making the plat of the site on a twelve-inch square piece of birch bark stripped from a tree on French creek, which plat has unfortunately been lost. In March, 1876, when the town was organized into a city, the people of the Black Hills, in convention assembled, established a Black Hills Superior Court, of which Tom Hooper was elected judge — a court whose jurisdiction was to be co-ex- tensive with the entire Black Hills. In short Tom Hooper was closely identified with all the early movements, look- ing to the welfare and advancement of the pioneer town of the Bhick Hills, in which he was the first to practice the profession of law. He is now a prominent attorney at law in Sundance, Wj'oming. LAST HUKTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 171 CHAPTER XIY. FIRST DISCOVERY OF PLACER GOLD IN THE NORTHERN HILLS. It appears from trustworthy information, that the first exploration of that portion of the northern Hills, border- ing on Whitewood creek, was made by Frank Bryant and party in August, 1875. It is quite generally known that the government expedition, under Professor Jenny, al- though penetrating and prospecting the country as far to the northward as Bear Butte creek and other portions of the Hills to the northwest, made no explorations along Deadwood and Whitewood creeks, and the rich placer deposits, later found in the gulches of those streams, were to that expedition an entirely unknown quantity. It seems beyond reasonable doubt, therefore, that Bryant and his little party of gold hunters, uncovered with pick and shovel, and washed out the first gold taken from White- wood and lower Deadwood gulches. Perhaps there are not many of our early pioneers who have had a more checkered experience, in all that goes to make up a miner's life with its vicissitudes, than Frank Bryant, and an account of some of his early adventures may prove of interest to those who care for pioneer history. Frank Bryant, with a party of six others, viz. : John Pearson, Thos. Moon, Richard Lowe, James Peierman, Samuel Blodgett, and George Hauser, seven in all, arrived in the Hills, from some Missouri river point, in August, 1875, making their first camp at Spring Valley. On their way to the northern Hills, — their objective point, the party did its first prospecting on a small tributary of Elk creek, with unpromising results. Frank Bryant was the possessor of a small map, fur- 172 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, nished him before startiog by Tom Liibarge, Charley D& Gray and Lephiere Narcouter, old employees of the Amer- ican Fur Company, which served the party as a guide to their objective point. The second place prospected by the Bryant party was at the mouth of Spruce gidch, on what was called on their map the Chaw-Skaw-Skaw-Walkapalla (afterwards named Whitewood creek), a beautiful stream of clear water, run- ning then about 200 miners' inches, where was found good prospect on the surface gravel. Fortunately, having a saw in their outfit, they whipped out enough luml)er to construct eight boxes, twelve feet long each, and com- menced sluicing, but not being wholly satisfied with the results of the experiment, they soon began to look around for richer "diggings." This party built at the mouth of Spruce gulch, the first cabin in the northern Hills. One of the part}', Sam Blodgett, who had, while hunt- ing, come upon a gulch, which to him looked favorable, after reporting the same to the other members of the party, returned to the gulch with John Pearson, to see what could be found, and the first dirt panned by them was taken from the point of the bar, on which now stands the Deadwood High School building. Other bars, for a distance of 300 or 400 yards up the creek, were also prospected, but as nothing encouraging was found, no locations were made. The places last prospected were on what was later called " Deadwood Gulch." This, as far as known, was the first prospecting done on Deadwood gulch. About the middle of September the party left their works^ on the Whitewood, on a fruitless search for richer diofo-infjs. Turning their faces towards Terry Peak, they prospected on the way, Nevada and White Tail gulches (then un- named), without finding pay gravel; then crossing to the opposite side of the peak, they prospected the Spearfish and its tributaries with similar results: the}' then pro- ceeded down the Spearfish valley to the vicinity of Spear- fish Buttes where they went into camp. On climbing the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE 1JAKOTAH6. 173 Bulte 500 or 600 feet one of the purly discovered, about three miles farther down the valley, a large cluster of tents which proved to be Col. Dodge's camp. Not wishing to be oaptured by the soldiers, of which there was not the slight- est danger from that source, as Col. Dodge's command was not looking for miners, they secreted their camp until night when they pulled out under the cover of darkness for Sand creek, where they arrived on the morning of the next day. Here they hunted and jerked venison for a couple of days, when the little party divided up and went their respective \va3's. Moon and Lowe followed Col. Dodge around to Bear Butte, whence they made their way back to the Missouri river for home, thoroughly disgusted withthe BlackHills. Blodgett and Hauser joined the soldiers at Custer, and shortly after left for Fort Laramie. Bryant and Pearson went to Black Buttes, thence southeasterly to the head of Spring and Slate creeks, but finding no satisfying prospects they con- cluded to return to their abandoned works on the romantic Chaw-Skaw-Skaw-Walkapalla. On their way back they almot^t ran into the arms of a detachment of United States troops, only escaping arrest by hurriedly leading their sure- footed animals up among the shelving rocks of a precipitous ledge. When the shadows began to fall they ventured out of their hiding-place and slipped into the edge of the sol- diers' camp, and had a confidential talk with a teamster, named Robinson — afterwards, one of the locators of the Big Missouri mine at Lead — who advised them to qo to Fort Laramie and join Gen. Crook's command about to start for the Big Horn. The Black Hills having been stripped of their charms, the two weary gold-hunters accepted Robinson's advice, and bright and early the next morning were on their way out to join Gen. Crook for the Big Horn. It is needless to state that Pearson was as glad as though he had found a gold nugget to get away from the Black Hills, and it is surmised that Bryant shed no copious tears at leaving. 174 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Oil their way out they had an exciting and somewhat amus- ing adventure which came near getting them into serious trouble, and illustrates " how great a matter a little fire kindleth.'" On the second day of their journey outward, they came upon a water-hole, about ten feet in diameter and two feet deep, the rim of which was cut up with the tracks of wild animals, as if large herds of sheep and cattle had watered there, and at the time of their arrival there were thousands of wild bees on the spot, some drinking on the edge of the pool, others whirling and buz- zing around overhead. It is reasonable to presume that there were some lively jigs danced around that water-hole among the angry bees for a while. Well, anyone who has ever been in a hornets' nest can appreciate the situation. At a critical juncture, Pearson conceived the unhappy thought of setting fire to the grass, as a means of putting an end to the vicious onslaught of the bees. He started the fire, and as the wind was blowing a small gale at the time, and the grass was as dry as powder, it burned like a flash and spread over the prairie with the speed of a race horse, and the two men had to fight like Trojans to save their animals and packs from destruction. Finding it im- possible to put out the fire they had so thoughtlessly kin- dled, and also fearing that the smoke, which could be seen for a long distance, might attract the notice of the Indians, they hurried away from the scene of conflagration as rapidly as their limitation would permit. On the fourth day outward they camped at the old Government Farm, where they met Frank Norton, Ed. Davis, and Frank Smith on their way to the Black Hills, with whom they exchanged jerked venison for the staff of life (bread), — a glad exchange, as they had been subsisting for several weeks on "jerk" straight. On the Platte river they met Ed. Murphy, who afterwards made a stake on «' Deadwood " gulch and later out of the Yellow creek mines. Ed. was hospitably entertained by the " boys," LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 175 who treated him to some venison of their own "jerking," which he pronounced very fine. The next day they visited the Fort, and found much to their disappointment that Gen. Crook was not going to the Big Horn. To make a long story short, they were soon on their way back to the BUick Hills, Pearson going by wngon to the southern Hills, and Bryant, with W. H. Coder, William Cudney and two other men with whom he had become ac- quainted at Laramie, going directly to the northern Hills, and on the 8th day of November, 1875, Bryant was again camped on Whitewood creek, occupying the cabin built in August of the same year. On the same evening, Novem- ber 8th, 1875, a notice was posted on a tree, about fifty feet east of the cabin, claiming — " by virtue of discovery — 300 feet below the notice, and 600 feet below Discovery Claim and 300 feet above Discovery Claim for mining pur- poses. (Signed) Frank Bryant, Henry Coder, William Cudney." J. B. Pearson later went to the northern Hills with the Lardner party, and was among the first locaters on Dead- wood gulch, where he continued placer mining until some time in 187(3, when, it is alleged, he commenced the erec- tion of the second stamp mill in that vicinity, which was put in operation in April, 1877, operating for the most part on ore from the Black Tail mine, which he had located. He operated his twenty stamp mill for about three years, when he disposed of his property and pros- pected for a time in the southern Hills. In 1883 he became engineer of the De Smet mill at Central City. Mr. Pearson located what was known as the Giant and Old Abe mines, now the property of the Homestake Company, on Decem- ber 11th, 1875. These are believed to be the earliest quartz mines located in the Hills. 176 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, THE FIRST LOCATORS ON DEADWOOD GULCH. During the suaniier of 1875, William Lardner, who has the distinction of beingr amono; the first locators and one of the organizers of the first mining district, established on the great " bonanza gulch," with a small party of gold- seekers and a well-equipped little pack train, arrived in the Black Hills from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Soon after their arrival in the Hills they made their way to the north, in quest of the shining metal, — exploring as they went some of the streams and their tributaries, having their source in the Harney Peak region, and finally in early October pitched their tents on Little Kapid creek, a short distance above its mouth, near the point known as " Ross' Bar." One day, during their stay on that stream, two men, short of i)rovision.s, — a very common occurrence in those days, — arrived at their camp and reported that favorable indications of placer deposits had been encountered on a stream in the northern Hills. Those two men were J. B. Pearson and Dan Muskle, the latter of whom, it is inferred, had penetrated the Hills to Deadwood gulch and discovered good indications of the existence of placer gold, but becom- ing short of supplies, was forced to leave without making any location. How, when, and where Muskle fell in with J. B. Pearson is not understood, as the latter not many days before had parted with Frank Bryant at Fort Laramie. At any rate they came to the camp of the Lardner party together, and were supplied with provisions, when the whole party pulled up stakes and started for the northern Hills. The entire party was composed of Wm. Lardner, Ed. McKay, Joe Englesby, Jas. Hicks, Wm. Gay, Alfred Gay, J. B. Pearson, Dan Muskle, and Haggard, — nine in all. They lost no time in loading their pack-horses with blankets, picks, shovels, gold pans, and the necessary sup- plies, of which they had an abundance, caching the balance, for which they afterwards returned, when the party went LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAH8. 177 northward across the north fork of Little Rapid ; the head- waters of Whitewood, White Tail, and Little Spearfish creeks, through snow knee-deep, then over the rough mountains, through the Bald Mountain region to the new diggings on Deadwood gulch, where, a little below the mouth of Blacktail, " Discovery " claim was located in November, 1875. This was doubtless the first location made on the great bonanza gulch. All of the original locations made by this party were, it appears, made above " Discovery " — No. 9 falling to the lot of Wm. Lardner and No. 4 above to Wm. Gay. As if by the irony of fate none of the fabulously rich claims, located a few weeks later below "Discovery" were secured by those first locators on Deadwood gulch. Seemingly with pernicious intent, those industrious little animals, the beavers, had constructed a dam across the stream, on what proved to be one of the richest claims on the gulch, thus backing up the waters of the creek, forming a veritable little lagoon across the narrow valley from hill to hill. Owing to this circumstance, and the further fact that the gulch below was covered with a dense growth of under- brush, and strewn with a bewildering confusion of dead timbers, lying across each other at every known or conceiv- able angle, the outlook for prospecting was not considered inviting. At a miners' meeting held in December, a mining district was organized, and appropriately named the "Lost Min- ing District" — the first organization of the kind in the northern Hills. Wm. Lardner was chosen recorder of the district, and by the rules established to govern the same, was vested with the right to charge a fee of $1,50 per claim for recording locations. Of that little group of pioneers, who so eagerly and hopefully pushed their way through the deep snow to Deadwood gulch twenty-three years ago, Wm. Lardner alone remains in the Black Hills. All the other members of the party, excepting McKay, are reported dead. The 12 178 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, tragic fate of one of the number, Wm. Gay, is doubtless well known to most of those who knew him in the early days. Wm, Gay was sentenced and hung in 1896 for shooting and killing an officer of the law in Montana. Poor fellow, he did not meet his fate with the fearless- ness and daring characteristic of him. When brought face to face with his awful doom, he who had braved the innum- erable dangers of years of frontier life, and had, perchance, many a time in his checkered career looked into the muz- zle of a gun aimed at his heart without flinching, cowered and cringed at the foot of the gallows in the most pitiable and abject terror. About three weeks later, or towards the last of Decem- ber, 1875, Mr. Lardner returned with pack horses to Little Rapid creek for the cached property, and reported the new rich discovery to a small party of prospectors on Castle creek, who the following day packed their tools and other belongino-s, and followed on his trail to Deadwood gulch. This second party, composed of J. J. Williams, W. H. Babcock, Eugene Smith, and Jackson, arrived on Deadwood gulch about the 1st of January, 1876, all of whom located claims below " Discovery." It is asserted that Jackson located No. 1 below and afterward sold his claim to Hilde- brand and Harding, experienced miners from Montana. J. J. Williams located No. 22 below Discovery, from which in a period of three months he washed out $27,000 in gold dust. He afterward sold his claim on Deadwood, and located No. 14 above Discovery on Whitewood creek from which he realized $35,000 of the precious metal, the reward of his indomitable perseverance. Mr. Williams helped lay out and found the city of Deadwood, of which for more than two decades he has been a resident, and where he is now engaged in the honorable avocation of a worker in wood. The next to find their way to Deadwood gulch, were Wade Porter and Oscar Cline, about the middle of January, 1876. Porter had altogether a remarkable experience, as W.M. LARDXER, ■One of the party making first locations on the famous " Deadwoocl Gulch" in November, 1875. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 179 will be shown by the following brief recapitulation of his early career in the Black Hills. It will, perhaps, be re- membered that he was one of the lirst party to reach French creek in 1875, and one of those of the party who escaped capture by the military squad dispatched to sum- marily remove them from the Hills. Hearing of the exodus of the miners in August, he soon after voluntarily left the Hills for Fort Laramie, where after a few days stay he joined a party of about thirty men fitted out with a large pack train, led by one Mallory, and started for Iron creek in the northern Hills, where Mallory reported havino- found rich diggings. Owing to a scarcity of water for sluicing purposes in that region, Porter with several others left Iron creek and went to Castle creek where he had formerly prospected. He had not been there long before the whole party was rounded up by a squad of Capt. Pol- lock's troopers, taken to Custer and placed in the " cruard pen," where they were kept for several days, when they were taken to Cheyenne, tried before a United States commis- sioner, and released. Soon after their release a number of the party, including Porter, equipped themselves and ao^ain started for the northwestern Hills, by a circuitous route to avoid the soldiers. After prospecting a few weeks on Sand and Bear creeks. Porter and Cline decided to return to the gold diggings on Castle creek, and it was on this trip that they struck the trail of the Lardner party, on the Little Spearfish, which led them to Deadwood gulch, where they located claims in January, 1876. One of the first of the Black Hills pioneers to catch the gold infection that began to spread over the land in the spring of 1876 was V. P. Shouu, whose imposing presence and distinctive personality is, doubtless, well-remembered by the early settlers of the Hills. Mr. Shoun was one of the 176 members of Gordon's unfortunate expedition, whose goods and chattels were seized and burned by mill- 180 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, tary authority, while en route to the Black Hills in the spring of 1875. Soon after the release of the captured party, on the east bank of the Big Muddy, opposite Yank- ton, Mr. Sboun re-equipped and was again making his solitary way across the black prairies — ever on the alert for the " blue coats," — for the Black Hills. At Spotted Tail Agency, where he tarried for a while to recuperate, he •organized a small party of seven men, equipped with as many Sharp's rifles, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, twelve pack ponies, and four saddle horses, and thus reinforced, resumed his journey to the Hills about October 1st, 1875. To guard against surprise by the soldiers, who were then vigilantly watching the approaches to the Hills, two of the party were kept on duty both day and night as scouts. When near Buffalo Gap, two troops of soldiers were seen by the scouts, who soon communicated the alarming intel- ligence to the other members who, by hiding behind 'a protecting hill, escaped discovery. Mr. Shoun had pretty ofood reason for wanting to give the United States soldiers a wide berth, for had he not seen them only a few months before apply the match that caused all his belongings, as well as those of his fellow-travelers, including clothing, supplies and much of their bedding, go up in smoke? On reaching Custer, the party was taken in charge by D. T. Snively, and by him conducted to the protecting shelter of the stockade, then occupied by Sam Shankland and Robert Kenyon, who had been permitted to remain in the Hills by Gen. Crook, to look after the interests of the miners, a man named Murphy and two other men. In order to avoid a collision with Major Pollock's soldiers, Mr. Shoun secured the services and connivance of Bob Kenyon, who had become familiar with the topography of the Hills, to pilot them around the dreaded " blue coats," and put them on the trail for the north. By the courtesy of Bob, they were soon on their way towards Harney's Peak, where they hoped to find a safe asylum among the fastnesses, for a time at least. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 181 On the 25th of October, the party selected a camping ground amid the dark, deep defiles of the Harney Peak range, where they unloaded their pack ponies, and stored their supplies among the slelving granite rocks, then led the ponies, relieved of their burdens, to an open park about ten miles distant, to graze. The spot selected for a camp- ing ground must have been an ideal hiding-place, judging from Mr. Shoun's own standpoint, of which he says, using his exact diction : " We camped in such a place at the foot of Harney's Peak, that the devil himself could not have found us." Later Mr. Shoun went north to Dead wood gulch, and was one of the early claim owners and workers on that historic gulch. Owino; to the strict military espionage maintained along the lines to the Hills, in the spring of 1875, it had been found a losing venture to attempt the transportation of jn'ovisions in any considerable quantities, hence those com- ing to the Hills later were outfitted for the most part with pack animals carrying supplies for only a limited period, some for sixty, some for thirty days, and strangely enough a few, trusting to kind Providence for the future, with a little more than enough to last them to the gold fields, consequently having no base of supplies, miners and pros- pectors were frequently reduced to uncomfortable straits for something to eat. THE FIRST TO BRING MERCHANDISE TO THE BLACK HILLS. Amonor the first to brino; merchandise to the Black Hills to supply this demand of the miners and prospectors, was H. B. Young, then of the firm of Cuthbertson & Young,, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. In early November, 1875, Mr. Young arrived in the Hills from Cheyenne, in charge of several loads of goods for the firm of which he was a mem- ber, making Hill City, then a mining camp of considerable importance, his base of commercial operations during the winter of 1875-6. Early in May, 1876, taking the current at its flood, he transferred his headquarters from Hill City 182 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, to Deatlwood, where he carried on an extensive jobbing trade with the retail dealers of Dead wood and other mining camps for the firm of Cuthbertson & Young, which was amonof the first to engage in wholesale commercial trans- actions in the Black Hills. Later Mr. Young turned his attention to mining opera- tions, his first venture being the purchase of 100 feet of the Homestake mine from Alex. Engh and Henry Har- ney, who together owned a one-half interest in the mine, the purchase price being three hundred dollars. In the fall of 1877, Mr. Young sold his fractional inter- est in the mine to a representative of the Homestake Com- pany for the handsome sum of $10,000, or at the rate of $150,000 for the whole mine. During the time between the purchase and sale, Mr. Young had made extensive de- velopments on his fraction, taking out large quantities of ore for treatment, thereby greatly enhancing the selling value of his property. Late in the fall of 1877, the firm of Cuthbertson & Young secured from the Homestake Company the con- tract for the transportation of the Homestake eighty stamp mill; the hoisting machinery and other appurtenances of the plant, from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the Homestake mine, at the rate of six cents per pound, realizing therefrom the sum of $33,000, which may appear to those not con- sidering the time, distance, and difficulties involved, a large sum. The transportation of 275 tons of unwieldy machinery 250 miles in the depth of winter, over a comparatively un- traveled country, handicapped with the frequent necessity of repairing roads, building bridges, etc., was no small undertaking. A part of the Homestake machinery was carried to the Hills by an ox freight train, owned by A. J. Parshall of Cheyenne, via Ked Cloud and Crook City. When the out- fit reached the vicinit}^ of the latter point on the route, it was caught and locked for many days in the fatal embrace of the memorable snowfall of March, 1878, when every LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 183 bovine — save nine, of the 100 head of cattle, perished from exposure and starvation. Who of the early residents of the Hills will not remem- ber the sreat snowstorm beo:inninoi; March Gth, 1878? I said snowstorm, but, as a matter of fact, there was no storm about it. There was no wind, no, not even a gentle zephyr to fan the feathery flakes into uneven billows as they fell. Thick and fast, however, they dropped flutter- ing down, straight from the clouds to earth, until its whole face was covered with a foot, — two feet, — three feet, — four feet, on a deed level, of the " beautiful." The un- precedented snowfall tinally came to an end, — as all things will, but not before grave fears were entertained that the Black Hills was doomed to be irrecoverably snowed under. It has been said that every misfortune has its compensat- ing features. Be that as it may, the deep snow of 1878 proved a veritable Klondike to the idle men and boys about Dead wood, as its business men were freely paying one dollar per hour to men for shoveling the snow from the roofs of their buildings, that were giving way under the immense pressure. Conspicuous among the pioneers of 1875 was John R. Brennan, who, by unyielding perseverance and indomitable pluck during his years of residence in the Black Hills, has succeeded in reaching the topmost rung of the ladder of success. He was prominent among the few brave men, who, in the face of great danger, located and founded Rapid City, and whose experiences during those perilous times were more thrilling, perhaps, than ordinarily fall to the lot of pioneers. Mr. Brennan may be accounted one of the representative citizens of the Black Hills, by virtue of which numerous positions of honor and trust were from time to time conferred upon him during his long and con- tinuous residence therein. In March, 1876, Mr. Brennan was n^ade a member of the first Board of Trustees of Rapid City. He opened 184 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, and kept the first hostehy in Rapid City in a twelve by fourteen feet log cabin, situated on Rapid street between Fifth and Sixth streets. In 1878 he built and opened the American House, on the corner of Sixth and Main streets, which was consumed by fire in 1888. He was made presi- dent of the Hotel Harney Company, the building being constructed under his direction, and opened by him in 1886, the ownership passing from the company to Mr. Brennan in 1888. In 1877 Mr. Brennan was appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction for Pennington County by Gov. Pen- nington, was also appointed first Postmaster of Rapid City during the same year; was at one and the same time Ex- })ress. Stage, and Union Pacific Agent, for a period of ten years. In 1888 he was appointed President of the Board of Trustees of the School of Mines of Rapid City, by Gover- nor Church, holding the oflSce for four years. In 1892 he was appointed State Railroad Commissioner by Governor Sheldon, for two years, and was elected to the same position, in 1894, for two years. It is thus a pleasure to record that one of the early pioneers of the Black Hills has occupied important niches in their history. The subjoined account of the journey of the party of which Mr. Brennen was a member, and some of their experiences after reaching the Hills, may prove of interest to residents thereof. John R. Brennan, in company with Geo. W. Stokes, N. H. Hawley, and George Ashton, left Denver, Colorado, for the Black Hills, about the middle of October, 1875, with teams and wagons loaded with all the requisite equip- ments for such a journey, including provisions adequate for six months. On reaching Cheyenne, an inventory of the cash on hand was taken, when it was found that the combined wealth of the party was just twenty dollars. However, with this meager cash capital, but with a large surplus of determination and pluck, they pulled out from Cheyenne for the Hills. On the seventh day out from LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 185 Denver, they reached the Phitte river, near Fort Laramie, where they went into cam[) for seven days — this delay being made to avoid meeting with a squad of soldiers who were reported on their way out from the Hills to the Fort with a number of prospectors under arrest for trespassing on the Indian Reserve, and for the still further purpose of receiving; recruits. While in camp on the Platte, they were joined by a party of forty-five men, also bound for the Black Hills, among whom were California Joe (the noted scout), Dido King, afterwards commissioner of Lawrence County, and popu- larly known as " Honest Dick," Geo. Palmer, John Argue, Robert Ralston (who was captain of the party), and James Hepburn and wife — the only woman in the party. This Mrs. Hepburn, who died a few years ago in Cen- tral, near Deadwood, was probably the first woman to enter the Hills in 1875, — barring Calamity Jane, who it is asserted, came in with Professor Jenny's military escort at an earlier date. As soon as the military escort arrived with their prison- ers at Fort Laramie, the party immediately broke camp and departed precipitately for the Hills via the Govern- ment Farm, Raw Hide Buttes, and Cottonwood, crossing the Cheyenne river at the point where Edgmont now stands ; then up Red Canyon through Pleasant Valley to Custer Park, arriving there on November 12lh, 1875. Here the party found and took possession of three log barracks built by the soldiers, occupying them for one night only. The next day they went down French creek to the stock- ade, two and a half miles below, where they remained and prospected five or six days, when, dividing into small parties, they scattered out to different points in the middle and southern Hills. Brennan, Stokes, Palmer, Hawley, Byron, and Argue, located on what is known as Palmer's gulch, built three substantial log cabins and established themselves in their winter-quarters. 186 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, On December 20th, 1875, a miners' meeting was held at the cabin of Brennan, Stokes, and Pahner, which was as far as known the first regular miners' meeting ever held in the Black Hills, the minutes of whose proceedings have been preserved. Below are the full proceedings: — Meeting called to order by J. R. Brennan. Present: Geo. W. Stokes, Geo. Palmer, N. H. Hawley, G. Byron, Dick King, John Argue, T. C. Brady, Gus. Williams, and California Joe. After objects of meeting were stated; on motion, T. C. Brady was elected chairman, and Geo. W. Stokes, secretary. The following business was then transacted: — Moved and seconded that the gulch be named '* Palmer Gulch," and that a mining district be formed to be known as Palmer Gulch Mining District. Motion carried. Moved and seconded that a committee of two be ap- pointed to draft laws to regulate the district. Adopted. Geo. Stokes and T. C. Brady were chosen to draft laws to govern the district. On motion the Montana Company located on Stand-off Bar on Spring creek were invited to attend the meeting on the 25th inst. to assist in making laws to govern the district. Nominations for recorder for the district were called for. John R. Brennan, being the only name presented, was chosen recorder of the Palmer Gulch Mining District. Reading report of committee on laws, price for recording claims was fixed at one dollar per claim ; size of claim was fixed (temporarily), 200 feet up and down the gulch, and from rim to rim. California Joe was then called upon to tell the meeting what he knew, in a general way, about the Hills, he having spent the summer with Professor Jenny in their explorations. Joe was very enthusiastic on the subject, saying that, in his opinion, the Black Hills was the richest country in the LAST HUNTING GUOUNO OF THE DAKOTAHS. 187 United States, that he had prospected as far north as Elk creek, and south to French creek, and had found splendid ))rospects in every place between those two points. He called the attention of the meeting to the fact, that he had located and staked the first quartz claim in the Black Hills, said claim being situated one mile below his cabin on the gulch. On motion, meeting adjourned to meet again on Decem- ber 25th, to hear the report of the committee on laws. Geo. W. Stokes, Secretary . This party prospected and worked nearly the entire winter on Palmer gulch and Spring creek, running a drain ditch 1,800 feet and sinking forty or fifty prospect holes, without realizing enough to pay for sharpening and repairing tools. In the latter part of February, 1876, John R. Brennan in company with W. P. Martin, A. Brown, Mart. Pensinger* Wm. Marsten, Thos. Ferguson, and Dick King, left the party, went to Rapid valley and then located Rapid City on February 25th, 1876. THE FIRST GOLD DUST TO BE TAKEN OUT OF BLACK HILLS. Emil Faust, also a pioneer of 1875, left Cheyenne, Wyoming, in October, 1875 ; with two four-horse teams, and wagons loaded with provisions for the Black Hills. By considerable stratagem, and making some tedious detours, to avoid meeting the soldiers under Capt. Pollock, who were leaving the Hills for Fort Laramie about that time, he succeeded in reaching Custer on the 24th of Decem- ber, 1875, where he remained during the winter. Pro- visions becoming very scarce in the Hills, Mr. Faust in company with D. G. Tallent, who was returning from his second trip to the Black Hills, left Custer for Cheyenne, in the early part of March, 1876, taking with him $1,000 in gold dust for the purchase of supplies. This gold dust 188 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, was mined from the placer deposits of French, Spring, and Castle creeks, and was the first gold of any considerable quantity carried out of the Black Hills. Their journey was by no means over a bed of roses, as will be seen. On reaching the vicinity of Hat creek, they were overtaken by a terrific snowstorm — a veritable Dakota blizzard, and having no forage for their horses, and not much provisions for themselves, both came very near perishing with cold and hunger. As the snow was too deep for the horses to reach the grass, they were forced to dole out to them their scanty supplies to keep the poor beasts from starvation. Even the contents of their "grub- box," — including a lot of nice ham sandwiches — had to be fed to them, while they themselves went "awfully'' hungry. However, half-starved as they were, when the storm abated somewhat, they pushed their way through the snow and slush, towards Fort Laramie. At the " Govern- ment " farm they providentially met Judge Kuykendall with a small party on his way to the Hills with merchan- dise for the Deadwood market, of whom they procured in exchange for Black Hills gold dust enough supplies to last until reaching Cheyenne. This is but an instance of the terrible hardships and privations endured by many of the early pioneers while traveling over the dreary wastes to the Black Hills. After investing the $1,000 of gold in provisions for the miners Mr. Faust returned to the Hills, where he has ever since remained, and is now one of the prosperous, business men of the great mining metropolis of the Hills, Lead City. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 189 CHAPTER XY. EARLY FREIGHT AND PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION TO THE BLACK HILLS. When the tide of emigration began to flow towards the Black Hills, in the early spring of 1875, the necessity for means of transportation for passengers and freight over the plains became apparent, and a few shrewd men of cap- ital, seeing in this necessity an opportunity for profitable investment, lost no time in organizing companies and establishing lines from different points to the Black Hills for that purpose. Nor was their judgment and penetration at fault, for, during the years prior to the advent of the first railroad, the immense freight and passenger traffic between outfitting points and the Hills, not only yielded large results to the operators, but was an important factor in ''the business economy of the Black Hills; and from those standpoints may be regarded as the most prosperous years in their entire history. The pioneer organization for the transportation of freight, was called the Sioux City & Black Hills Transportation Company, — the company being Fred. T. Evans, Judge Hubbard, John H. Clark, John Hornick, — Sioux City capitalists— of which Fred T. Evans was president. The first train of the line left Sioux City on April 26th, 1875, with the goods and equipments of Gordon's ill-fated expeditionrwhich was almost totally destroyed by the mili- tary — wagons, goods and all, — at the point on the Nio- brara route near where Gordon, Nebraska, now stands, as before related. During the years 1876-7, this company shipped their merchandise from Sioux City up the Missouri river by steamer, first to Yankton, afterwards to Pierre, then 190 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, from those respective points by wagon to the Hills. In 1878, their shipping point was changed from Sioux City to Chamberlain to connect with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul R. R., whence their goods were shipped by steamer to Pierre, and from there by wagon to all points in the Black Hills until 1888. This Evans' Transportation Company employed varying from 1,000 to 1,500 men and wagons, from 2,000 to 3,000 oxen, and from 1,000 to 1,500 mules, and the freight traffic of the line was some- thing immense. Although the men employed on the line had frequent encounters with the Indians, the only loss sustained by the company during the period of its existence was 200 oxen stolen, and one man killed by the Indians at Crook City, in March, 1876, and two men killed and ten mules stolen in 1877 on the Cheyenne river. Following closely upon the heels of the organization of the Sioux City and Black Hills Transportation Company came that of the Witcher Company, which carried on a very extensive freight business with the Hills during the first four or five years of its history. This company commenced operations along that line in the spring of 1875, the first train of the line starting on its initial trip a few days after the departure of the Gordon party with the Evans' transportation train. It may be remembered that this unfortunate expedition, destitute of the quality of cohesion, broke up into frag- ments, while en route on the old Niobrara trail to the Hills. Subsequently the Witcher Company shipped their freight from Sioux City by boat to Yankton and Pierre successively, thence overland by wagon to different points in the Black Hills. Several other freight lines, doing a more or less exten- sive business with the Hills, were established prior to the opening of the country to settlement in 1877, notabl}' Dick Dunn & Newbanks' transportation lines, running from Pierre, and J. M. Woods, Bramble and Miner, Jewett & Dickinson from Sidney. FRED. T. EVANS, Who started the first passenger and freight transportation train from Sioux City to the Black Hills in April, 1875. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAIIS. 191 The first regular express and passenger line to the Black Hills, called the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Line, running first from Cheyenne, afterwards from Sidney to Deadwood, was established during the year 187G. The company, Messrs. Gihiian, Salisbury and Patrick, com- menced operations along the line laid out, and made an earnest and determined effort to push the work to a speedy completion, and put the line in full operation in the early spring of that year, but owing to the persistent hostility of the Indians and their consequent depredations, it was found utterly impracticable. Their relay stations were burned, their stock run off, and their general agent killed by the Indians. Thus handicapped, they were compelled to par- tially suspend operations temporarily. However, despite the difficulties in the way, work was soon resumed, and some time in July a splendid four-horse coach, loaded with passengers, succeeded in safely reaching Custer. On its return trip, however, when a few miles out from Custer, the coach was attacked by a band of Indians, who after a chase of several miles, killed the driver, cut the horses from the coach and drove them away, harness and all, leaving the passengers stranded on the trail, who were in consequence compelled to walk back twelve miles to Custer for a new start. The difiiculties of establishino^ a line of coaches 300 miles over an intensely hostile country are not easily surmounted, yet by an unyielding perseverance, the obstacles were at last overcome, and on September 25th, 1876, the first through coach of the line reached Deadwood. In addition to its passenger traflSc, this line carried large consignments of fast freight and express matter, amount- ing, it is estimated by some, to about 40,000,000 pounds annually. All Western and Southern, and a considerable portion of Eastern mail for the Hills was carried over this line. All of the Homestake bullion up to 1881, and nearly all of the early gold product of the Black Hills, was transported by the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Com- 192 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, pany during the perilous years, when " road agents," under the guise of honest men, surreptitiously watched the ship- ments, and " hold-ups " were a common occurrence, and when the golden treasure had to be guarded by intrepid nervy men armed with shot-guns. The old historic Deadwood Treasure Coach that has since been " held up" and robbed, in regular Black Hills style, in numerous of the large cities of the United States and in many parts of the old world, to the intense delight, amid the wild plaudits of tens of thousands, among whom were some crowned heads, was planned and built by Superin- tendent Voorhees, of the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company, for the safer transportation of Black Hills gold. The Northwestern Express, Stage, and Transportation Company, organized under the laws of Minnesota, with R. Blakely as president, and C. W. Carpenter as secretary and treasurer, commenced running a daily line of stages in connection with the Northern Pacific Railroad from Bis- marck to Deadwood on May 1st, 1877. In October, 1880, the line was transferred to Pierre, to connect with the Chi- cago and Northwestern Railway, and in 1886 was transferred from Pierre to Chadron, Nebraska, to connect with the Fre- mont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad on its com- pletion to that point. In 1880, the company established a line of splendid Concord four-horse coaches, between Pierre and Deadwood, which it is estimated carried an average of 5,000 passengers yearly for a period of five years, during which time the line carried all the Northern and a large percentage of the Eastern mail for the Black Hills. The Homestake bullion was transported by this company, from Deadwood to Pierre, during the years 1881 and 1882. The heavy weight transportation alone on this line amounted to 11,000,000 pounds annually, employing 250 men, 600 horses and mules, and 2,000 oxen. On the completion of the F. E. & M. V. R. R. to the Hills, all that kind of passenger and freight traffic with the Black Hills soon ceased and the lines discontinued. H. X. WITCHEK, Who established the second passenger and freight transportation line from Sioux City to the Black Hills in April, 1875. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 193 Stage coaches, ox and mule trains are now relegated to the dead past. The rumbling of the dashing tally-ho; the long strings of tired cattle, toiling slowly along with the trains of heavily freighted wagons; the ear-piercing crack of the long lashes of the picturesque bull-whackers, and the pro- longed braying of the mules, are no more seen nor heard on the business thoroughfares of our cities. EARLY POSTAL FACILITIES IN THE BLACK HILLS. Prior to the opening of the country for settlement in February, 1877, and the subsequent establishment of regu- lar United States mail service for the Black Hills, the peo- ple, having been thrown upon their own resources for means of communication with the outer world, were com- pelled to avail themselves of chance opportunities for send- ing out letters — business or otherwise, — and had also to depend upon the same uncertain means for return messages. The large accumulation of mail for the Black Hills, at the various outfitting points, was usually intrusted to the care of trains leaving these points for the Hills, and as these trains were frequently held in siege by the hostile Indians for many days at a time, the mail did not always arrive when expected. However, after weeks of anxious waiting on the part of the long suffering people, it would, in most cases, reach its destination. On its arrival in Deadwood, the principal distributing point of the Hills, it would be taken in charge by a self-constituted postmaster, and labo- riously arranged in alphabetical piles, ready for delivery — the modus operandi being as follows : The addresses were read aloud; each person upon the call of his name would elbow his way through the immense crowd of eager letter- seekers, to the delivery window, where, by the payment of fifty cents in " coin of the realm " or its equivalent in gold dust, he would receive his long looked for letter or letters. Fifty cents may seem a large price to pay for a single letter, but when it is considered that several clerks had to be employed in arranging and handing out the mail, and 13 194 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, several others in weighing up the gold dust received in payment therefor, besides the percentage to the carriers, it was not, perhaps, unreasonable. In the summer of 1876, about the last of July or per- haps the first of August, followed the Seymour and Utter Pony Express Mail Service with its corps of daring intrepid riders, conspicuous among whom were Charlie Utter (Colorado Charlie), H. G. Rockfellow, and Herbert Godard. Mounted on the fleetest of bronchos, with mail sacks strapped onto their saddles, and their guns and cart- ridges thrown across the pommels ; silently and swiftly they flew over the Indian infested trail, first between Fort Laramie and Deadwood, and afterwards between Sydney and Deadwood, with, the thousands of white-winged mes- sages, never, as far as known, losing a single paper, or fail- ing to arrive on schedule time. Although the service called for only a weekly mail, the riders by a frequent relay of fresh ponies, sometimes made the trip in the incredibly short space of forty-eight hours, much of the distance being traveled under cover of the night to avoid contact with the Indians. For this dangerous service the company received tsventy-five cents for each letter delivered, but as the number of letters varied from 2,000 to 3,000 each trip the compensation was not insignificant. That the riders had many thrilling experiences with the redskins on their trips, goes without saying ; that they some- times, too, had very narrow escapes, is illustrated by the following story from the pen of a 3'^oung pioneer of 1876, (R.B.Hughes): — '* Among the riders employed by Seymour and Utter, to carry the mail from Deadwood to Fort Laramie, was Brant Street, now living the life of a quiet farmer in Dodge County, Nebraska. Street was engaged to ride pony express, and for a month or so went through the expe- riences common in those days to all men in that dangerous occupation. He carried, besides the mail sack tied to his saddle, nothing save a Remington rifle and a bag of cart- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 195 196 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ridges slung across the pommel of the saddle. One after- noon, he was riding along on his down trip, about eight miles north of Hat Creek Station, not expecting trouble, for the Indians had been unusually quiet for a week or more, when a volley was fired upon him from the bush, and, in an instant, as he afterwards told the story, the world seemed to be full of redskins. His horse fell dead at the first fire. One ball struck the pommel of the saddle and another knocked the heel from his boot. Extricating himself from the saddle as quickly as possible, and pulling off the gun and cartridges, he ran as fast as he could to a little arroyo close by, into which he threw himself at full length. " As he ran the bullets sang and whistled about his ears and kicked up the dust at his feet. The Indians were rap- idly closing in on him when he emptied his cartridges on the ground, and, as he expressed it, commenced pumping lead back at them. So warm did he make it for the Indians, that they soon began to look for cover and long range, from which they kept up an intermittent fusillade until night fell, when they withdrew. Street said after- ward that the three or four hours he spent hugging the ground seemed longer than so many days at any other time of his life. The nerve of the man is shown in the fact that after darkness had settled down he crawled out to his dead horse, disengaged the pouches of mail, and carried them on his back to Hat Creek Station." Brave and swift though these riders were, one of them at least is known to have fallen a victim to the deadly bullets of the redskins, as about the middle of August, a Sidney express rider was found scalped beside his mail bag, be- tween Castleton and Deadwood. In connection with this private mail service, a post office was established in Deadwood, not for the distribution of mail as in regular United States service, but for a safe depository, where the people could go and get their mail LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 197 under certain restrictions. Upon the arrival of the ex- press, the pouches were emptied of their contents and the letters arranged alphabetically as before, when the letters would be handed out as called for — only one person's mail could be called for at a time. By right of priority, first come first served, each new one claiming mail, regardless of sex, being required by an unwritten law to take his position in the line in the rear, so that if one desired to get the mail of a friend, he would be compelled to take his place in the rear of the column and wait his turn. Of course it took a long time to call out two or three thousand letters from the voluminous piles and weigh up the gold- dust postage, and for that reason the line was usually long drawn out, a quarter of a mile, more or less, and those having to repeat the operation grew proportionately tired. There are many doubtless in the Black Hills to-day, who after the lapse of twenty -one years, grow tired at the recollection of having stood in line for three or four hours awaiting their turns to get a letter from the old home. After two months of pony express mail service, the line was sold out to Mr. Clippenger of Fort Laramie, whose service proved so unsatisfactory to the people, that finally all mail matter for the Hills was ordered to be given into the care of the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company for transportation, such service being at first rendered free of charge. Occasionally, before the establishment of the Pony Ex- press Service, letters for the Hills were intrusted to the care of parties of gold-seeking adventurers to be delivered directly into the hands of the parties addressed when found. Sometimes such persons were not readily found, in which case, letters frequently passed through several hands before reaching their addresses, and I now recall two occasions, on which I received very badly soiled, tattered and torn missives, bearing the unmistakable ear-marks of 198 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, having been perused by other eyes than those for whom they were intended. However, we could not afford to be too fastidious in those days, and were glad to get even second-hand news. Such were the postal limitations in the Black Hills in 1876. V LAST HUNTING GROUND CF THE DAKOTAHS. 199 CHAPTEK Xyi. THE YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITION; OR, THE INDIAN CAMPAIGN OF 1876. The Yellowstone Expedition of 1876 furnishes the theme for a tra-ic chapter in the history of the Blacii Hills. While the campaign may be considered by some more a matter of general history, inasmuch as the expedition had its inception in the necessity for throwing protection around the people of the Black Hills and the outlying settlements against the depredations of hostile Sioux, and also in that the Black Hills would more directly lose by its failure or profit by its success, than any other portion of our com- mon country, it may be regarded as essentially a part of Black Hills history. Howbeit, believing it to be such, it seems fitting that a brief account of that memorable cam- paign, the causes leading thereto, its object and results, be recorded on these pages, that the name of the dead hero, whose trail the first pioneers followed into the wilderness, may be ever kept green in their memories. Primarily, the invasion of the Black Hills in 1874, and the subsequent failure of the Sioux to obtain redress for such violation of treaty obligations in their council with the United States Commissioners in 1875, followed by the unrestricted influx of gold-seekers into their domain, — acrcrravated, doubtless, by a long list of fancied wrongs, tre^asured up for years, - yet unavenged, engendered the bitter hostilities, which resulted in the crowning tragedy of 1876 — the tragedy of the Little Big Horn. The more direct and immediate cause, however, precipi- tating the conflict, was the refusal of certain bands of hostite Indians to complv with the request of the Indian Department, that they be compelled to settle down on their 200 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, SITTING BULL. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 201 reservation, subject to the control of the Indian agents. It was to compel obedience and bring in these recalcitrant bands, who were roaming at will over a very large scope of the Western public domain, — but rarely visiting their agencies (only when rations were drawn), that the cam- paign iinown as the Yellowstone Expedition, was authorized by the War Department and placed under the direction of Gen. Sheridan, in the winter of 1875-6. About this time. Sitting Bull, the " medicine man " of these hostile bands, learning of the contemplated aggres- sive movements, began to concentrate his savage forces, and away out westward among the mountains of Southern Montana, he planted the hostile standard — at a point he thought admirably located for his purpose — not too far away to preclude the possibility of making dashing raids on the distant settlements, yet near enough to the impreg- nable ramparts of the Big Horn mountains, to which, if closely pursued, he could make his escape, and at the same time accessible to foreign territory, where needed recruits could be obtained. Pending the military warlike movements, the wily Brule chieftain — the most uncompromising and relentless of the foes of the pale-faces, and his savage coadjutors, the vin- dictive Uncapapas, Chief Gall, and Crow-king, and the reckless Crazy Horse, the ruling spirits of the hostile forces, were rapidly gathering in recruits from nearly all the tribes of the Sioux nation. Couriers and runners were sent out with the " war pipe " to the various reservations to stir up the spirit of war among the agency Indians; hundreds of them from both the upper and lower agencies, including all the renegade outlaws of the various tribes, hastened to swell the hosts of Sitting Bull on the Yellowstone. The plan of the campaign for subduing these savage forces, which finally numbered in the aggregate from 6,000 to 8,000 Indians and squaws, including nearly 3,000 of the most warhke braves of the Sioux nation, was briefly as follows : A column from the Department of the Platte under Gen. 202 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Crook and one from Fort Abraham Lincoln, under Gen. Terry to be joined by Gen. Gibbons' command from Fort Ellis, on the Upper Yellowstone, were to co-operate, and in conjunction, surround and capture the hostile bands, or drive them onto their respective reservations. In the execution of the above plan, about the 1st of March, 1876, Gen. Crook, in command of the first column consisting of ten companies of Third Cavalry and two of the Fifth Infantry, comprising altogether less than 900 men, moved out westward from Fort Laramie in quest of the savage foe, going into camp on the Powder river near old Fort Reno, where he remained on account of severe storms for several weeks, meanwhile reorganizing his army. Soon after their arrival in camp. Gen. Reynolds, with the force of cavalry and pack-train, proceeded down the river and when about fifty miles below, on the 17th of March, he was met and repulsed by Craz}^ Horse and his baud of 100 lodges, which obliged him to return to camp, and it was at the time of this delay and repulse that the Indians left their agencies by hundreds to join the hostiles. As soon as the weather made it practicable. Gen. Crook resumed his march with a little more than 1,000 fighting men (a force wholly inadequate, as it turned out, to cope successfully with the enemy in an almost totally unknown country), and about 200 more as scouts, teamsters, and packers, reaching Goose creek — a branch of the Tongue river — about the first of June, where he made a permanent camp. The ♦' hostiles," on the approach of Gen. Crook, of whose movements they kept themselves thoroughly well- informed through the medium of scouts and spies who were ever diligently scouring the country on the watch for any threatened danger, sent out a large party of their best fighting braves to discover the real strength of the approaching army, and, if expedient and practicable, precipitate a conflict. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS, 203 On the 17th of June, Gen. Crook encountered these Indians somewhere near the headwaters of the Rosebud, where a battle ensued, in which the expedition was defeated and compelled to retreat — without, it is believed, any serious loss — placing it, however, for the time being, practically out of the campaign. The victorious Indians after repeated fruitless attempts to decoy Gen. Crook into ambush in the canyons of the Rosebud, faced about and returned on their trail to the village near the Little Big Horn — the very trail, doubtless, struck and followed up by Custer and his brave troopers to their death eight days later. The Sagacious Sitting Bull and his allies, upon being warned of the advance of Gen. Custer's column from the east, and easily discerning in the general movement the net that was being woven around them, determined not to be caught in its meshes unprepared, so with admirable foresight, they had located their village along the west bank of the Little Horn — thus commanding its waters — the key to the situation, and in near proximity to the Big Horn mountains, whither they could send their squaws if need be, and make their own escape perfectly safe from pursuit amid their frowning battlements. It was near this their chosen vantage ground, insolent and defiant in their conscious strength, that the yelling savage hosts of Sitting Bull, in all their gaudy panoply, and fairly bristling with the most approved arms, closed around and blotted out of existence, by sheer force of numbers, Custer and five troops of his beloved Seventh — soldiers as valiant and brave as ever bestrode a horse or shouldered a carbine. THE CUSTER COLUMN. On the morning of May 15th, the second column of the Yellowstone Expedition, with Brig. -Gen. Terry in command of all the forces, numbering in the aggregate about 1,200 204 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, men, and 1,400 animals, left Fort Abraham Lincoln to join in the campaign against the hostile Sioux. As the long line of cavalry, infantry, artillery, mounted scouts, pack mules, ponies, with the long train of supply wagons, marched out from the garrison, conspicuous at the head of the column might be seen Gen. Custer — every inch a soldier — and the gallant Seventh Cavalry with the twelve companies of splendidly disciplined troopers, mounted on their glossy, prancing, well-trained horses, the sheen of their carefully polished accoutrements gleaming brightly in the morning sun, making, methinks, to any lover of military display, a pageant worth going a long distance to see. These brave soldiers and their heroic leader, while fully realizing the hardships and dangers which lay before them, and being inured to the hardships of Indian cam- paigns, with resolute faces and courageous hearts, confident of success — for had not the very name. Seventh Cavalry, been ever a synonym of victory, — pressed forward to defeat and death. Ah ! did no thought or premonition, no vision of the awful calamity that awaited them on the bluffs, overlooking the picturesque valley of the Little Big Horn, come to them meanwhile? We cannot know. But let us follow their movements along their line of march thither, till the curtain drops, behind which the closing scene of the drama was enacted. On the 20th of May, after four days' march, the expedi- tion reached the Little Missouri river, about forty-six miles distant from Fort Lincoln, where a halt of one day was made for the purpose of ascertaining the truth or falsity of rumors current at the fort, that hostiles were gathered in large force on that stream and prepared to give battle. Gen. Custer, with four companies of cavalry, a number of scouts, himself acting as guide, rode up the valley of the Little Muddy about twenty miles and back, without finding Indians or even any recent trace of them, which LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAH8. 205 settled the question of Indians thereabouts beyond doubt. However, as the savages were liable to be encountered at any time, scouts were kept constantly employed scouring the country in advance, and on the flanks of the column all alona: its line of march. Traveling directly westward, over a country then before untraveled by white men, the command reached the Powder river, about twenty miles above its mouth, June 9th, from which point the expedition marched northward down the river, through the almost impassable Bad Lands, — at first regarded as altogether impracticable for wagons, — to its mouth, where the nearly exhausted supply of rations and forage was replenished from the loaded boats, which had steamed up the Yellowstone for that purpose. From this point, a large scouting party and several troops of cavalry under Major Keno, were sent out in advance to discover, if possible, some trace or trail leading to the rendezvous of the hostiles, who were supposed to be not very far away. After three days for rest and recuperation, on the 15th of June, Gen. Custer, with six companies of cavalry, the Gatling battery, scouts and pack mules, moved west from the mouth of Powder river, — leaving all unnecessary incumbrances, such as wagons, tents, etc., behind — to the mouth of Tongue river, about forty miles distant, reach- ing that point on the evening of the 16th, Gen. Terry and staff following up the Yellowstone by steamer. From the mouth of Tongue river the column then continued its course westward to the mouth of the Rosebud, about mid- way between the Tongue and Big Horn rivers, which was reached on June 20th. While in camp, at the mouth of the Rosebud, the scout- ing party returned and reported that the trail and deserted camp of a village of 380 lodges, indicating a force not less than 1,200 in all, had been discovered; also reporting that the Indians could have been overtaken in thirty-six hours, as the trail appeared to be not more than a week old. Had this scouting party of perhaps more than 500 well- 206 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, equipped soldiers and scouts, at once pressed forward oa this fresh trail, instead of returning to the main division of the column, thereby losing much valuable time, the entire village, it is believed, would have been overtaken, surprised and captured, and thus, perchance, the terrible fate of Custer and his gallant command might have been averted. Evidently this failure to follow up the Indians placed Cus- ter in great jeopardy, by giving the hostiles an intimation of his near approach, and giving them time to reach and join the forces on the Little Horn, and also opportunity to mature plans for effective offensive or defensive operations. All plans being arranged, and preparations made, at noon of June 22d, — only three short days before the fatal battle, — our Gen. Custer with his gallant Seventh, his force of Ree and Crow scouts, and pack mules for carrying the necessary rations, moved bravely on up the valley of the Rosebud, hopeful of accomplishing great results ; confident of achieving an easy and speedy victory over a small village of only 1,200 Indians. Fatal mistake ! Gen. Terry with the regiment of infantry and Gen. Gibbons' command, was to proceed up the river as far as the steamer could go, and then march to the point where he could co-operate with Gen. Custer. Taking up the trail where the scouting party had turned back, Custer cautiously followed it up over the divide be- tween the Rosebud and Big Horn rivers, preceded by his faithful and trusty scouts, who kept up a line of communi- cation with the advancing column. The Crows soon became aware that they were nearing the dreaded Sioux — they could scent their natural enemies from afar. At about 11 o'clock on the night of the 24th, in response to " officers' call," all troop commanders assembled at the headquarters of the commanding general and received marching orders — important information had been brought in, making it necessary to move forward at once — the hostile village had been precisely located by the scouts. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 207 The bugle call of " boots and saddles" was sounded and the sleepy troopers were soon in their saddles, and on their tortuous march through the brakes of the Wolf mountains, never halting until the morning. The 25th, the fatal day of the battle, dawned delightfully ; the run rose in brightness resplendent — the sun whose last slanting rays were to cast their mellow beams athwart a scene, such as the world has rarely, if ever, witnessed. As the day advanced and the command were nearing the enemy, Custer ordered that no trumpet call be sounded except in an emergency ; and instructed his officers to keep their respective troops within supporting distance of each other— not to get ahead of the scouts, nor linger too far in the rear. He told them in impressive words how much he relied upon their discretion and judgment, and above all upon their loyalty whatever might come. His tone and manner was gentle and subdued, with none of the usual brusqueness that characterized Gen. Custer. Was not the dark shadow of their coming doom brooding over him? The 3,000 fighting warriors w^ere by this time fully aware of the proximity of the long-haired chief and his handful of soldiers, and their spies were, even then, lying prostrate on the opposite slopes of the bluffs watching the advanc- ing column over their crests. Before noon of that day, the command had crossed the divide, when Custer divided his regiment into three battalions, which before 1 o'clock were ready to advance along the lines indicated in their orders, against the enemy. Capt. Benteen's battalion of three troops, consisting of troop " H," Capt. Benteen; troop " D," Capt. Wier; troop " K," Lieut. Godfrey ; were ordered to a line of high bluffs on the left of the trail, three or four miles distant, to reconnoiter the field and prevent the escape of the Indians in that direction, and report the situation to the commanding general, and fight if necessary. Major Reno in command of the advance battalion, com- posed of troop " M," Capt. French; troop " A," Capt. 208 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Moylan ; troop " G," Lieuts. Mcintosh and Wallace, under orders to charge the village, followed the trail, crossed the river at the ford, and marched his troops down towards the enemy, massed along the left bank of the Little Horn. Gen. Custer with his battalion of five troops, viz.: troop " I," Capt. Keogh and Lieut. Porter; troop " F," Capt. Yates and Lieut. Riley; troop *' C," Capt. Tom Custer and Lieut. Harrington; troop " E," Lieuts. Smith and Sturgis; troop " L," Lieuts. Calhoun and Crittenden; with scouts, numbering all told not more than 300 men, prepared to take his position on the bluffs to the right, at the lower end of the village. For the last time those brave boys in blue cheerfully responded to the inspiring trumpet call of '* mount." Once more in obedience to the bugle call, sweet and clear, of " Forward, March ! " they rode bravely along the trail of the savages until near the ford, then up onto the bluffs to the right, overlooking the Little Horn. " Boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of — " but, the curtain drops. Well, what then? The sequel and scene of conflict tell us that, in a brief space, there was a short, fierce, terrible battle — the true details of which can never be known. We only know that not one of that gallant three hundred ever rode back to rehearse the story of Custer's last battle. The annihilation was complete. Ah! that was not all. What did the fiends incarnate then do? It is not at all difficult to conceive and draw a mental picture of their work. We can plainly see in the picture a burly savage — malig- nant hate portrayed in every lineament of his ugly painted face, with glistening blade in hand, bending low over each prostrate form — perchance, many not yet dead. We can see the reeking scalp of each separate victim waved exult- antly in the air, and now we can see them stripped of their clothing and their pockets rifled. We can see the murder- ous bandits flitting about all over the battle-ground among the dead, in a general scramble after the arms and accou- trements of the dead soldiers, which, with such few horses LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 209 ns had escaped the awful carnage, are handed over to the squaws and other non-combatants ; and lastly, we can see them mount their ponies and ride in hot haste, and red- handed, to attack the beleaguered battalions on the bluffs above. It did not take them long to accomplish all this, as there were legions of them, and, moreover, the picture is not overdrawn, but literally true. The following particulars of the movements of Major Reno and Capt. Benteen in their two days' fight on the Little Big Horn, are gleaned partly from official reports, and partly from an article on the subject by Lieut. Godfrey, one of Custer's troop commanders in Capt. Ben- teen's battalion. As Lieut. Godfrey was a participant in the battles, he is entitled to be regarded as unquestionable authority on the subject. The story, shorn of all unnecessary details, is substan- tially as follows : — Major Reno, after crossing the ford, moved his column down the valley of the Little Horn, in a line skirting the timber for perhaps two miles, then formed his battalion into a skirmish line, extending out from the timber across the valley — with the Ree scouts on the left, and advanced down toward the Indian village. The Indians who had rode up the valley to meet the soldiers, made a pretext of retreating — developing strength meanwhile, and firing occasional shots. Suddenly, at the opportune time, they made a bold dash on Reno's left flank, forcing his command back into the timber on the river bank, and putting the Ree scouts to an ignominious flight. It is told that the cowardly Rees fled precipitately — never stopping until they reached the supply camp, at the mouth of the Powder river. Reno, not seeing Custer within supporting distance, did not obey the order to charge the village, but, being forced back on the defensive in the timber, ordered his troops to dismount and fight the enemy on foot. His position — sheltered by the timber, and protected to an extent by the 14 210 ' THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, river bank, was a good one, and it is thought could have been maintained for a long time without serious loss, Howbeit the Indians surrounded the command on every side, and sent their death-dealing missiles fast and furious into their ranks. Major Reno — on finding himself bespat- tered with the blood of his faithful scout (Bloody Knife), who fell riddled at his side, and hemmed in by overpower- ing numbers, at least five to one — gave the order to " mount and get to the bluffs," but owing to the noise of battle and the confusion, the order was not heard or not understood. It would appear that the troops were becom- ing sadly demoralized. The order of " mount and get to the bluffs " was repeated, and again not understood, and not until one of the troop commanders standing near Reno, communicated the order to the other troops, was it understood. The command then, for the most part, mounted and made a hasty retreat across the river at a lower ford, and without the least semblance of military order, scrambled up the bluffs on the right. While crossing the river a number were shot — among them was the brave Capt. Hodgson, who, when he fell from his horse into the river,, cried out in despairing tones, ** For God's sake don't leave me here." At that moment a soldier held out the stirrup of his saddle and told him to take hold of it. Grasping the stirrup, he was dragged through the water to the oppo- site side, but when climbing the bank of the stream, he was struck by another ball and fell back into the water. An attempt was afterwards made to recover his body, but without success. When scaling the bluff, it became apparent that but few of the Indians had followed up Reno's retreat, for reasons which soon became manifest. How long Reno's fight in the timber lasted is uncertain, as estimates of the time vary; probably, however, not more than twenty or thirty minutes. Reno's casualties, nearly all of which occurred during the retreat, were three officers, thirteen enlisted LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 211 men and scouts killed; one officer, one interpreter and fourteen soldiers and scouts missing. Soon after Reno's disorderly retreat to the bluffs, he was joined by Benteen's battalion, followed by the pack train on their way to join Custer. At that time Capt. Benteen, the hero of the Little Big Horn, first learned of Reno's fight and defeat in the valley. Just about the time of this junction of Reno and Benteen, it was discovered that the Indians for the greater part had abandoned the pur- suit of Reno's retreating troops, but upon looking down the river it was seen that the bottom was swarming with mounted warriors, riding excitedly to and fro, evidently in great consternation; soon they were seen to ride swiftly down the valley out of sight. It was at this very time that the Indians, having been warned of the appearance of more soldiers farther down the bluffs, surrounded and utterl}^ annihilated Custer and his men. It seems inexplicable, and only upon the hypothesis that they feared the movement of the Indians might be a ruse to decoy them from their point of vantage, that no con- certed movement of the two battalions was made, at the time of this diversion, to reach Custer. In view of the facts, however, such a theory becomes liaseless, as they obviously knew that a battle was in progress on the bluffs below; they knew that Custer was having a fight with the Indians, for, says Mayor Reno in his official report : " Almost at the same time I reached the top (of the bluff), mounted men were seen to be coming towards us, and it proved to be Capt. Benteen's battalion H, D, and K. We joined forces and in a short time the pack train came up. Still hearing nothing of Custer, and with this re- inforcement I moved down the river in the direction of the village keeping on the bluffs. We heard firing in that direction and knew it could be only Custer. I moved to the summit of the highest bluff, and seeing and hearing nothing, sent Capt. Wier with his company to open com- munication with the command. He soon sent back word 212 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, by Lieut. Hare that he could go no farther. I at once turned everything back to the fir^t position, and which seemed to me best." Capt. Benteen on learning that Capt. Wier and his bat- talion had, without orders, gone down the river with his troops, moved the other two troops of his command down the river in the direction Capt. Wier had gone, and from the top of the high bluff got his first view of the Indian village, and discovered Wier's troops in full retreat fol- lowed closely by the Sioux. What could a single company of calvary do against hundreds of armed savages? It is plain then that it was after the junction of Reno's and Benteen's battalions, that the Custer battle was in prog- ress, and not simultaneously with Reno's fight in the valley, as is supposed by some. Yes, they knew that Custer was having a fight with the Indians; shot after shot was heard from the direction of Custer's battle-ground, perhaps a little more than two miles below. What did those shots mean? They meant that Custer was having a fierce conflict with the red hosts that drove Reno in disorder to the bluffs a half hour before. Then again they heard two distinct volleys in rapid succession. What did those volleys mean? They meant that Custer was in deadly peril — a signal to the soldiers he had so often led to victory to hasten without delay to his support. Custer's last desperate appeal reached the ears of the five or six hundred soldiers above, but no response came. Alas, the opportune time soon passed, for in less than one hour the Indians, flushed with their bloody victory, were hasten- ing to drive them from their position ob the bluffs. Had the officer superior in command rallied the entire forces to his support, at the sound of the first shot from Custer's field, he would have won and deserved immortal honors. Strange as it appears, they seemed to feel no appre- hension that Custer was in any real danger, believing that he was perfectly able to take care of himself, but how they could think so in view of Reno's disaster a short time before is somewhat puzzling. GKNHkAL Custer's last chai:ge. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 213 It is believed, upon the very unsatisfactory information drawn from Indians who took part in the battle, that the ammunition of some of Caster's troops became exhausted, that two of his troops had dismounted to do battle on foot, and that their horses, made frantic by the waving of blankets and the yelling of the Indians, had been stampeded, bearing away with them the reserve ammunition in the saddle-bags. It will be understood that when Benteen jomed Keno on the bluffs, he was on his way with the pack train to join Custer, in obedience to an urgent order — Custer's last order-which read as follows: "Benteen, come quick! Big Village ; Bring packs. Cook, Adjutant. P. S. Brintr packs." This order would indicate, that from some favorable point he had discovered the full strength of the Indian village, and realizing that the situation was desperate, had sent for reinforcements, and more am- munition. About the time that Reno was moving in line down the valley toward the Indian village, some of his men saw Custer and a few of his battalion, standing dismounted on a bluff, cheering and waving their hats as if giving en- couravrement to Reno's men; and that was the last seen of him or any of his men, until found dead on the battlefield. It is said, that the bluff where Custer was last seen was the one to which Reno escaped with his demoralized troops about an hour later. The Indians, after the Custer battle, returned red- handed to the siege of the bluff, with a determination to wipe out, if possible, by virtue of numbers, the residue of the regiment. In brief, the Indians in a very short time gained^possession of the surrounding points of vantage, and began to pour deadly shot, thick and fast, into the ranks of the soldiers, who, being on the defensive, could do little more than to maintain their positions ; making occasional bold sorties to drive back the besiegers whenever they became too aggressive. When night came, the Indians, by that time in possession of all the surrounding hills, had the 214 THE BLACK HILLS; OR two commands completely environed, and had not darkness intervened to put a stop to further hostilities that night, they would, in all probability, have shared the fate of Custer. That night, after the battle was over, the united tribes of Indians held high carnival in the village below, in savage celebration of their bloody victory — nor did they in the least try to conceal their unbounded joy. Hundreds of huge bonfires were built through the village, and what with the continuous discharge of firearms (they had plenty of ammunition), the beating of tomtoms; wild exultant whooping and yelling, scalp-dancing, etc., pande- monium reigned supreme. All the night through they kept up their savage orgies in which, it is thought, human heads were paraded, — as several were found afterwards severed from the bodies. They were working themselves up to a pitch of frenzy that boded no quarter on the mor- row to the weary men on the bluffs, who could from their position hear and see neurly the whole fantastic proceed- ing, —not a very inspiring spectacle under the circum- stances, one would think. When the fighting had ceased for the night, and the Indians had for the greater part withdrawn to the village, scouts were dispatched to find some trace of Custer's com- mand, but they soon returned, reporting that the country was full of "Sioux." By this time, when they could breathe more freely, and think more rationally, everybody beoan to wonder what had become of Custer. " What's the matter with Custer?" " Why don't he send us word what he wants us to do?" All sorts of speculations were indulged in, and all kinds of theories advanced but the true one. The general opinion expressed was that he had had a battle, was repulsed, and had gone down the river to meet Terry, and would soon return to their relief. The most intense excitement prevailed among the troops on the bluffs. A curious hallucination, in which there is something inexpressibly pathetic, took possession of the men — arising doubtless from the excessive mental and LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 215 physical strain of the day past. Some imagined they could see, in the refracted light of the numerous Indian bonfires on the opposite bluffs, columns of troops advancing over the ridges ; they fancied they could hear, amid the din and / confusion of their savage orgies, the tramping of horses, the command of officers, and even the trumpeter's call. So confident were some that either Gen. Crook or Gen- Terry's command was approaching, that guns were fired, and "stable call" sounded to let them know their exact position, and that they were friends. One man mounted a horse and galloped along the line, crying, " Don't be discouraged, boys, Crook is coming! " Poor fellows, it was but a phantasy ; no reinforcements came to their support for the morrow's battle. Realizing that with the dawn of day the Indians would return to the siege, the whole of that terrible night was spent in making preparations for their defense. The soldiers were put to work digging trenches, and as there were but few shovels and spades in the command, all kinds of implements, axes, hatchets, halves of canteens, tin cups, and even table knives and forks were brought into service. Long before the sun had tipped the distant mountain peaks, and while the tired soldiers were yet digging in the trenches, the Indians opened fire upon them, — a few straggling shots at first, but as the day advanced they were heavily reinforced, and the firing became more gen- eral, fierce and furioU'S, but not as effective as the savages could wish for, as many of the troops were then in their rifle pits. Finding their shots were being to a great ex- tent wasted, they adopted the policy of trying to exhaust the ammunition of their opponents, by a few cunning devices designed to invite the fire of the troops. The first invitation was to stand as a target, in full view, for a min- ute, and then drop suddenly out of sight, which they soon found to be a rather dangerous experiment; then they tried the ruse of raising a hat and blanket on a stick or pole, but the soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry had fought Indians too often to be deceived by such old fashioned tactics. 216 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, In brief, a continuous fusillade was kept up on both sides, with an occasional volley from the Indians, for the greater part of the day. Some brilliant sorties were made by troop commanders of Benteen's command, which it would appear was most exposed to the fire of the Indians, who made numerous attempts to run into his lines. At one time Benteen made a bold charge against an aggressive party of Indians, driving them nearly to the river. At about one o'clock p. m. when the situation was most critical, the ammunition being nearly exhausted, the Indians for the most part withdrew. Up to this time this soldiers, having been entirely cut off from the river, had suffered intensely with thirst. Their tongues had become parched and swollen, their lips were cracked and bleeding ; every drop of moisture in the glands of the body having been absorbed. In the hope of finding relief they resorted to chewing grass roots, but without ef- fect. As a last resort, raw potatoes were sparingly doled out to the famished men, which in small measure lessened their terrible suffering. The sickening stench from the rapidly decomposing dead added to the horrors of the situa- tion. The wounded and the dying — ah, pitying heaven ! — lay under the burning rays of a pitiless sun, begging in vain for a drop of water to cool their fevered tongues. Dr. Porter, the army surgeon, never leaving his post of duty, moved like a ministering spirit from one to another of his suffering patients, doing what he could, but without a drop of water with which to cleanse their bleeding wounds. Numerous attempts had been made by volunteers to reach the water but they were as often driven back by a rain of bullets from the Indians, who were ever on the alert. Capt. Benteen once made a bold charge to the river under the protection of a skirmish line exposed to a galling fire, in response to the piteous appeal of the wounded soldiers, which brave act alone is suflScient to render his name immortal for all time. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 217 At about 2 p. m. the Indians returned to the attack, driving the soldiers again into the trenches. They kept up a kind of desultory firing until about 3 o'clock p. m. when they withdrew altogether. Later in the afternoon a few horsemen appeared in the valley below and set fire to the grass, and at 7 o'clock they were seen to emerge from behind the cloud of smoke and move in an immense mass across the plateau between the two Horns towards the Big Horn Mountains. Had they abandoned the siege for good, or was it another ruse? Perhaps they were moving their squaws, papooses and non- combatants away to a safe distance, intending to return with all their fighting warriors for a last desperate attempt to drive the soldiers from their intrenchments. Perchance information of the near approach of Terry's and Gibbon's commands with Gen. Custer's battalion had been heralded to them and they were hurrying away to the fastnesses of the mountains to avoid them. These were the various theories suggested in reference to the last movement of the Indians. As the sequel proved, the latter theory was the true one in all save that Custer and his battalion were not of them. The two days' fight resulted in the loss of eighteen killed and fifty-two wounded. The commands, doubtful as to the real intentions of the Indians, remained in their position that night. At about 9 o'clock the next morning, June 27th, the third day after the Custer battle, their attention was attracted by a cloud of dust rising in the distance down the valley. The first thought was that the Indians were returning for a last desperate attack. The tired soldiers again began to make hurried preparations for the expected battle. Soon, how- ever, they became satisfied that the approaching forces were soldiers, and not Indians, as their march seemed altogether too slow for the dashing savages. After nearly an hour of suspense, the cavalcade appeared in sight. No gray-horse troop was to be seen in the column ; 218 THE BLACK HILLS; OU, SO it could not be Terry, or Custer would be with him. Then it must be Crook's command. Cheer after cheer was given for Gen. Crook who was coming to their relief. They had not yet learned that Crook's command had been placed hors de combat on the headwaters of the Rosebud ten days before. They were not long kept in uncertainty, for soon a scout came into their lines bearing a note from Gen. Terry to Custer dated June 26th, which stated that two Crow scouts had given information that his (Custer's) column had been whipped and nearly all killed, but that he did not believe their story and was coming with medical aid. The scout told that he had tried to get within their lines the night before, but could not as the Indians were on the alert. Let it be understood here that no attack of the Indian village on the 25th was contemplated in the plan of opera- tions nor anticipated by Custer, but finding himself con- fronted by the enemy sooner than expected, he felt com- pelled to make the attack on that day, or allow the Indians to escape. Soon after an officer of Terry's command came into their lines, and the first question asked of him was: " Where is Custer?" " I don't know," replied the officer, but I suppose he was killed. We counted 197 dead bodies as we passed the battle-ground, and I don't suppose any escaped." That was the first intimation they had received of Custer's fate nearly two whole days and nights after the battle. " Gen. Terry and staff, and officers of Gen. Gibbon's command, soon approached and their coming was greeted with prolonged cheers. " The grave countenance of the General awed the men to silence. The officers assembled to meet their guests. There was scarcely a dry eye; hardly a word was spoken, but quivering lips and hearty grasping of hands, gave token of thankfulness for the relief, and grief for the misfortune," relates Lieut. Godfrey. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 219 On that evening, the 27th, the dead, killed in Reno's two days' fight, were buried ; the wounded were removed to the camp of Gen. Terry, where they could receive the treat- ment and care of which they were in such sore need. On the morning of the 28th the soldiers left the bluffs to bury the dead of Custer's command. Let us precede them, and view the scene where the heroes fell ; — the scene of Custer's last battle. Let us march in sad and silent procession, down the valley two miles (perhaps more) and climb the first con- siderable bluff on the right of the Little Horn, and about a half mile therefrom and there — ah, what a sickening, grewsome spectacle meets the horrified gaze ! All over the battle-ground lay the nude, mutilated bodies of the dead soldiers ; officers and men, rider and horse, all lying in promiscuous blending; some with faces upturned to the blue and smiling sky; others, with faces prone to the earth, as if biting the dust; some wearing an expression of sweet, restful peace; others a pained, horrified expression ; many mutilated bej^ond recognition. Heaps of exploded cartridges lay thickly strewn over the battle-ground. On the hill known as " Custer's Hill," where the gal- lant commander with three of his troops evidently made their last determined stand, we find Custer, victor in many a previous hard-fought Indian battle, with a bullet hole in his temple, and another through his body, but with no other marks of disfigurement. A little distance away — we hardly recognize the face so horribly mutilated, of the brave, large-hearted Tom Custer, and hard by lies the young, inexperienced Boz, (Boston Custer), whom his brother, the General, so much delighted to tease — and the mother's darling. God pity her. A little to the left of Cust-er's field is " Crittenden's Hill," where the dismounted troops of Calhoun and Keogh desperately fought and fell — where the same sad spec- tacle confronts us. Some of the dead are found down near the river ; these, it is thought, were trying to make their 220 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, escape, or, perhaps, had been dispatched as messengers to Reno's command on the bluff above. This, however, is wholly conjectural. The terrible mutilation of the body of Capt. Tom Cus- ter is laid at the door of the monster Rain-in-the-Faee, who had sworn to be avenged on the gallant officer, who had the courage to arrest him for the crime of murderinof two defenseless men near Fort Lincoln. Upon an occa- sion, when Rain-in-the-Face was drawing his ration at his agency, Capt. Custer stepped up behind him, pinned down his arms and manacled him, in the presence of hundreds of Indians ; had him taken to Fort Lincoln and placed in prison. He afterwards made his escape, vowing that he would tear out and eat the heart of his brave captor at the first opportunity. That he fulfilled to the letter the first part of his vow is known, and that he fulfilled the latter is believed. Among those killed on Reno's retreat from the valley was Charlie Reynolds, one of Custer's long tried and most trusted scouts. It is related that the brave fellow sold his life very dearly. After exhausting the cartridges, in both his gun and revolver, he was seen to deal such a fierce blow with the latter, on the head of an Indian, in close combat, that it broke, thus leaving him at the mercy of the enemy. He soon fell shuttered by a volley of bullets. Reynolds was with Custer on his expedition into the Black Hills in 1874, at which time he was sent with dis- patches from the Cheyenne river to Fort Laramie, through the hostile country, enduring hardships and privations, from which he never fully recover. His early life was wrapped in complete mystery. If he had a secret that darkened his life, as some suspected, he guarded it well, as he skillfully evaded all questions, even from his most intimate friends, referring to his antecedents. All of the slain were buried on the battle-ground where they fell — ground afterwards (in 1879) set apart by the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 221 government as a national cemetery, where an imposing monument was erected to the memory of the dead. In August, 1879, Gen. Custer's remains were removed from their temporary resting-place and buried with impos- ing honors at West Point, N. Y., where they now repose, almost in the shadow of the buildings where he was trained in the science and tactics of civilized warfare. Custer's body appears to have been the only one to es- cape mutilation. Whether the sacrilegious hands of the savages were stayed by a sentiment of admiration for the wonderful bravery of the fair-haired chief, or by a super- stitious fear of the wrath of the great Manitou, is a matter for speculation. It is related that Chief Gall, on being questioned as to the reason why Custer was not scalped, said: "No one knew him from anyone else. His hair was cut short, and we could not tell him from any other." This statement, however, seems highly improbable, as he had often been seen by muny of the Indian chiefs engaged in the battle, and also wore the uniform of his rank, which in itself would distinguish him from any of the others. Rude stretchers were soon constructed to convey the wounded of Reno's two-days' battle to the forks of the Big Horn — a distance of perhaps twenty miles — where they were placed on board the steamer Far West, which con- veyed them to Fort Abraham Lincoln, with the news of the awful disaster to the gallant Seventh Regiment. 222 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XYIT. NEWS OF THE TERRIBLE DISASTER REACHES THE BLACK HILLS. News traveled slowly in 1876, before the advent of rail- roads in the Northwest, and was long reaching the people of the Black Hills. All information of the movements of the forces sent out against the hostiles hud then to be carried either down the Missouri by steamer to Eastern points, or across a long stretch of country over the trails west of the Hills, to Fort Laramie, thence by mail to the Black Hills; so, not until about the 10th of July did the awful tidings, that crushed the hearts and blotted all brightness out of the lives of the anxious wailing wives of the slain heroes of the Little Big Horn, reach them at Fort Lincoln; and not till ten days later did the shocking news, that meant so much to the people of the Black Hills, reach Deadwood (the center of population in the Hills in 1876), and other points in direct communication with the outer world. The intelligence came to the people of the Hills like a mighty blow from an unseen hand — stunning, striking them dumb by its very suddenness. At first, many refused to believe the shocking story. That Custer had met with reverses they admitted was probable, that his entire bat- talion had been annihilated was not believed possible. However, as the source from which the information emanated left little room for question, soon all doubt of the truth of the story vanished. All were in a state of intense excitement in the city of Deadwood. An extra of the Pioneer was speedily struck off, and distributed along Deadwood, Whitewood, and tributary gulches. That great throbbing, busy mining camp, with its thousands of cosmo- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 223 politan population, was stirred to the depths, from center to circumference, as tlie news spread from claim to claim. The scene presented along the main street of Dead wood, on the evening of that day, when the miners gathered in from all the neighboring gulches, was one not soon to be forgotten. The excited, swaying, jostling masses, surging to and fro on both sides of the long, narrow street ; the eager groups of men gathered at the doors of numerous business houses in excited discussion of the terrible dis- aster, gave evidence of how deeply and universally the people of the Hills of all classes were touched by the unex- pected calamity. Even the many gambling resorts that lined the street were silent for the nonce; the roulette tables, the faro banks, and other games had lost their fascination, and the click, click, clicking of the chips fell not for a brief time on the accustomed ear — alas, how brief ! The story of Custer's tragic death soon reached the remote mining camps scattered through the Hills, and no doubt the eyes of many a hardy miner and prospector in their lone huts under the shadow of the Hills, grew moist at the revelation, for many of the early prospectors knew him well, and loved him. Mingled with the general expression of sorrow and regret at the fate of Custer and his men, were bitter denunciations of the dilatory policy of the government in dealing with the Indians, thereby permitting the lives and property of the people of the Hills to be jeopardized. The Indian campaign had, thus far, proved barren of good results. Crook's column had been reversed; Terry's column had met with dire disaster; Sitting Bull and his warriors had escaped to the mountains, bearing with them the trophies of victory. The hedge of security that had temporarily been thrown around the Black Hills had been pulled down and torn up by the roots, leaving their borders exposed to the ravages of the savage hordes, who, the people feared, might any day swoop down from the moun- 224 THE BLACK HILLS ; OK, tains upon the exposed settlements *' like wolves on the fold." And our worst fears were in a large measure real- ized, for soon after, returning bands of the hostiles began again to ply their work of murder and theft in and around the Hills, frequently making bold dashes right into the limits of thickly-settled communities, driving off stock be- fore the eyes of their owners, and killing whenever it was possible. For two months during the summer of 1876, notwithstanding the excellent organizations for protection and defense, the people of the Hills were terrorized by the boldness of their operations, which will be specially referred to further on in this work. The following verses, couched in the expressive dialect of the plains, from the pen of an early Black Hills pioneer, Capt. Jack Crawford, the " poet scout," to his friend, Buffalo Bill, a brother scout, lamenting the sad fate of Custer, under whom they both served, is well worth pre- serving, not only on account of its merits, and the popu- larity of the author, but as a specimen of real Black Hills literature : — 1. Did I hear the news from Custer? Well, I reckon I did, old pard. It came like a streak o' lightning, And you bet, it hit me hard. I ain't no hand to blubber, And the briny ain't run for years, But chalk me down for a lubber If I didn't shed regular tears. 2. What for? Now, look ye here. Bill; You're a bully boy, that's true. As good as ever wore buckskin. Or fought vv'ith the boys in blue. But I'll bet my bottom dollar, Ye had no trouble to muster LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 225 A tear, or perhaps a hundred, When ye heard of the death of Custer. 3. He always thought well of you, pard ; And, had it been Heaven's will. In a few more days you'd met him, And he'd welcome his old scout Bill ; For, if you remember, at Hat Creek I met ye with General Carr, We talked of the brave young Custer, And recounted his deeds of war. 4. But still, we knew even then, pard. And that's just two weeks ago. How little we dreamed of disaster. Or that he had met the foe. That the fearless, reckless hero. So loved by the whole frontier. Had died on the field of battle. In this, our Centennial year. I served with him in the army. In the darkest days of the war, And I reckon, ye know his record, For he was our guiding star. And the boys who gathered round him To charge in the early morn, War' jest like the brave who perished With him on the Little Horn. 6. And where is the satisfaction, And how are we going to get square? 15 226 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, By giving the reds more rifles? Inviting them to take more hair? We want no scouts, no trappers, No men who know the frontier, Phil, old boy, you're mistaken, You must have the volunteer. 7. Never mind that 200,000, But give us 100 instead. Send 5,000 men toward Reno, And soon we won't leave you a red. It will save Uncle Sam lots of money, In fortress we need not invest. Just wallop the devils this summer, And the miners will do all the rest. The Black Hills is now filled with miners. The Big Horn will soon be as full, And which will present the most danger To Crazy Horse and Old Sitting Bull — A band of 10,000 frontiersmen. Or a couple of forts, with a few Of the boys in the East, now enlisting? Friend Cody, I leave it with you. 9. They talk about peace with the demons, By feeding and clothing tbein well, I'd as soon think an angel from heaven Would reign with contentment in hell. And some day these Quakers will answer. Before the great Judge of all For the death of daring young Custer, And the boys that around him did fall. GEXERAL CUSTER. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 227 10. Perhaps, I am judging them harshly? But I mean what I'm telling ye, pard, I'm letting them down mighty easy, Perhaps, they may think it is hard, But I tell you the day is approaching. The boys are beginning to muster. That day of the great retribution, The day of revenge for our Custer. 11. And I will be with you, friend Cody, My weight will go in with the boys, I shared all their hardships last winter, I shared all their sorrows and joys. So tell them I'm coming, friend William, I trust I will meet you ere long, Regards to the boys in the mountains, Yours truly, in friendship still strong. THE SUMMER CAMPAIGN. Although the Yellowstone Expedition had, up to that time, met only with disaster and defeat, the campaign was by no means abandoned. The respective commands of Gens. Terry and Crook were soon heavily reinforced, and on the thirtieth day of July — a little more than a month after the battles of the Little Big Horn — an order was received by those officers from Gen. Sheridan to unite their forces and move at once against the hostiles gathered on the Rosebud. In pursuance of instructions from headquarters in Chi- cago, on the morning of August 5th, Gen. Crook, with the Second, Third, and Fifth Cavalry regiments in com- mand of Lieut. 'Col. Carr, and ten companies of the Fourth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Infantry under Major Chambers, 228 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, numbering in the aggregate about 2,000 well-equipped sol- diers with a force of volunteer and Crow scouts, accom- panied by pack trains, set out from his base, on Goose creek, to join Gen. Terry, stationed on the Yellowstone. The command took up its line of march, down the valley of the Tongue river, thence in a northwesterly direction, over the intervening mountainous bluffs to the valley of the Rosebud, striking the trail over which Custer and his com- mand bravely marched to their Waterloo six weeks before. On the 10th a junction was effected with Gen. Terry about thirty-five miles above the mouth of that stream, but as might reasonably have been expected, the birds had flown — the wary warriors, anxious to avoid a battle with the soldiers, in their somewhat weakened condition, had taken flight. It soon became apparent, from the divergent trails, after leaving the valley of the Rosebud, that the hostile forces had separated into bands, and it subsequently developed that Sitting Bull and his adherents had turned their steps toward the Canadian border, while Crazy Horse and his following had branched out in the general direction of the Black Hills. Without loss of time, Gen. Terry's Fifth Infantry regiment was countermarched to the Yel- lowstone, for the purpose of patrolling the river and inter- cepting, if possible, the fleeing savages ; but they were not to be caught, as they had made good their escape across the river, and were already on their way towards a place of refuge on British soil. The next day, August 11th, hoping to overtake the hostile bands that had fled to the eastward, the combined forces crossed the divide, following the trail of the Indians to the Tongue river, then down the valley of that stream, for two days' march, then over the divide and down the valley of Powder river to the Yellowstone, where they arrived on the 17th, without sighting a single Indian. After their long forced march over the rough divides, and down the valleys of the streams, the command, appar- ently abandoning all hope of overtaking the enemy, de- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 229 cided to halt for a few days for rest and recuperation on the banks of the Yellowstone. On the 24th the united forces moved up the Powder river about twenty miles, and on the 26th Gen. Terry re- turned with his command to the Yellowstone, while the forces of Gen. Crook, fortified with the regular rations of hard tack, bacon, etc., for fifteen days, began their terrible march eastward across the country, in distant pursuit of the fugitive bands. For ten days they plodded along for the most time through rain and mud, bivouacking at night on the sodden ground; enduring, with the soldier's pro- verbial philosophy, all the trying discomforts of the march without a murmur, reaching the head of Heart river, on the evening of September the 5th. As up this time no Indians had been seen, the conclusion was reached that they had turned their course in the direction of the Black Hills, which conclusion determined the subsequent move- ment of the commanding general. In the gray of the following morning, September 6th, Gen. Crook instead of continuing his course east to Fort Lincoln — as some of the weary soldiers hoped he might do, being the most available point at which to replenish their nearly exhausted supplies, — marched his command due south, through a wholly unknown country, crossing the Cannon Ball, the two forks of the Grand and the Moreau rivers towards the Black Hills, under the most inauspicious circumstances. Many of the trails appeared to lead in the direction of the Hills, to whose people Gen. Crook, fully realizing their imminent peril, was anxious to give protection. Gen. Crook's command was at this time in a truly deplorable condition. Eatious were well-nigh exhausted; officers and men being forced to resort to horseflesh to sat- isfy gaunt hunger. Horses became so jaded that many had to be abandoned altogether; thus compelling cavalrymen to join the ranks of the infantry, who, footsore and weary, had often to wade through mud nearly knee-deep, — the 230 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, rain beins; almost incessant durins; the last week of that memorable march. Mud and water covered the face of the land along the valleys of the streams, and the exhausted soldiers were fortunate indeed if they had not to lie in pools of water at night — not a very delectable bed for a tired body. In short, it may be said that Crook's command suf- fered hardships, exposure, and privations during the closing days of the summer campaign against the hostiles, rarely paralleled in the annals of military marches. Nothing daunted, however, by the difficulties in the way, the expe- dition marched bravely on as rapidly as the limitations would permit. Tiring of the monotony of horse steak straight, on the night of the 7th of August, Capt. Mills, with 150 of the best mounted troopers of the Third Cavalry, was detailed to make a dash ahead to the nearest settlements for the purpose of procuring supplies for the command. On reach- ing the vicinity of Slim Buttes he surprised a village of Brule Sioux, under Chief Eoraan Nose, capturing about 400 ponies and other property, including a quantity of dried meat, and making a number of the braves prisoners. Among the property found in their possession was a Sev- enth Cavalry guidon, a number of saddles and officers' uni- forms, the gauntlets of the brave Capt. Keogh, and three Seventh Cavalry horses — proof that the band were red- handed from the Little Big Horn. A courier mounted on the swiftest horse was dispatched in hot haste to meet the approaching column, with news of the surprise and capture, and a request from Capt. Mills that a force be sent with all possible speed to his support, as there was danger that the escaped warriors might return with reinforcements, sufficient to overpower him. The news of the surprise and capture was hailed by the soldiers with exceeding delight, and the prospect of having a pas- sage with the hostiles inspired them to a high degree of enthusiasm — for in truth, they would have preferred more fighting: and less marching through the rain and mud — be- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 231 sides, they felt that they were owing the savages a big debt, which they were exceedingly anxious to pay. Without delay the cavalry forces eagerly galloped to the scene of danger, and closely in their wake followed the infantry. Before noon of that day the command had arrived. It was learned from the prisoners that Crazy Horse's village of 300 lodges was only twenty miles away, but owing to the fatigue of the men, and the jaded condi- tion of the horses, it was deemed advisable not to move against the village, but to wait for an attack by the Indians. As was anticipated, about four o'clock p. m. Crazy Horse with his warriors dashed upon the scene, with fierce warwhoop, brandishing their arms and otherwise demonstrating their fell purpose of speedily annihilating Gen. Crook's entire command and recapturing their ponies. This time, however, they reckoned without their hosts. Quickly the command formed into a line of defense around the captured village and property and opened a brisk fire upon the attacking savage forces. It is no part of Indian fighting tactics to stand in solid phalanx to be shot at, as do trained soldiers, so, in the manner peculiar to them, the mounted warriors rode wildly hither and yon for a short time, then circled round and round the environed village, meanwhile returning the fire of the troops, in search of a pregnable point through which they could make a sudden dash and recapture the lost ponies. No such weak point was to be found in the lines, the command standing as firm and solid as a stone wall. The lines stood bravely and unflinchingly facing the shot of the yelling savages, until darkness put a stop to the conflict, when the Indians withdrew, bearing away the dead bodies of a number of their braves, without accom- plishing their purpose. In this fight at Slim Buttes Gen. Crook lost twenty men, while Crazy Horse it was thought lost many more; how- ever, their loss could not positively be ascertained, as 232 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Indians always bear away their slain warriors, when they fall, at any personal risk. By the time the smoke of battle had cleared away, the soldiers again began to realize that remorseless hunger was gnawing at their vitals; to satisfy which fortunately the dried meat, a part of the fruits of Capt. Mills' con- quest, was available, — an agreeable change from the horse meat, upon which they had principally subsisted for the few previous days. The command camped that night on the field of battle, and in the early morning resumed its march Black Hills-ward leaving the First Cavalry battalion, under Major Upham, to destroy the village. Hardly was the rear of the main column out of sight, before the Indians renewed the attack, but being severely repulsed, they withdrew and were not again seen. The march of Crook's command from Crow creek to Crook City, — which has fittingly been designated the "Mud March," was one long to be remembered by the soldiers. Some of the nearly famished infantry men were disposed to give up the terrible struggle altogether; a few succumbed, and sank down in their tracks from sheer ex- haustion, unwilling to make any farther exertion, and only by much urging and persuasion could they be induced to stagger to their feet and renew the struggle. Numerous cavalry horses, worn out by the hard forced march and insufficient feed, had to be left behind. On the 13th Capt. Mills, who had again, on the night of the 10th, been dispatched ahead to the settlements, started back supplies to meet the command, which had that same day crossed the swollen Belle Fourche and encamped on the south bank of that stream. Relief was near at hand, for soon after going into camp the hearts of the hungry soldiers were made glad by the arrival of a small herd of beef cattle, followed a little later by several wagon loads of supplies, forwarded by citizens of Deadwood to relieve the needs of the soldiers of the command. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 233 In response to an invitation from ttie Common Council of the city Gen. Crook and staff visited Dead wood, where they were accorded a hearty welcome and generous hos- pitality, in grateful recognition of the services of the gal- lant commander in behalf of the people of the Hills. A public reception, at which the polished and genial Gen. Dawson acted as master of ceremonies, was held, when his many friends in Deadwood and surrounding camps had an opportunity of grasping the hand of the brave Indian fighter. On the 27th, in acknowledgment of the courtesies extended on that occasion, Gen. Crook sent the subjoined letter to Deadwood, from headquarters at Omaha : — Headquarters Dept. of the Platte, ) Omaha, Sept. 27th, 1876. 5 Gentlemen: At this, the earliest moment, I desire to acknowledge the courtesy of the resolutions passed by your honorable body, inviting me to accept the hospitality of your city, and likewise to express, in behalf of myself and staff, a most grateful appreciation of kindness bestowed upon us while with your. To your Mayor, E. B. Farnum, and Messrs. Kurtz, Philbrook, and Dawson, for the thor- ough manner in which their duties as a committee were carried out, I desire to make known our feelings of lasting indebtedness. Your obedient servant, Geo. Crook, Brig. -General. To Mayor and Council of Deadwood. After a few days of much-needed rest, Crook's com- mand marched from Crook to Custer City, where it remained in camp until the early part of October, when, after a short reconnoissance down the south fork of the Cheyenne river, it returned to Bufi'alo Gap, thence pro- ceeded directly to Fort Niobrara in Nebraska, where the expedition disbanded October 14th, 1876. Thus, after nearly nine months of uninterrupted service, ended the Yellowstone Expedition of 1876; and although 234 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, tKe great Indian campaign was marked by no signal victories in battle, it resulted in effectually breaking up the gigantic combination of the hostile tribes, driving their standard- bearer, a fugitive, towards the Canadian border, and scat- tering other hostile bands in the direction of their agencies, whither many of the least warlike soon went, thus accom- plishing in great measure the object for which the campaign was inaug-urated. In disbanding Gen. Crook made the following address to his command : — "In the campaign now closed, I have been obliged to call upon you for much hard service and many sacrifices of personal comfort. At times you have been out of reach of your base of supplies in most inclement weather, and have marched without food and slept without shelter. In your engagements you have evinced a high order of discipline and courage; in your marches, wonderful powers of en- durance, and in your deprivations and hardships, patience and fortitude. •' Indian warfare is, of all warfares, the most trying and the most thankless. Not recognized by the United States Congress as war, it possesses for you all the disadvantages of civilized warfare, with all the horrible accompaniments that barbarism can invent and savages execute. In it you are required to serve without the incentive of promotion or recognition, in truth, without favor or the hope of reward. The people of our sparsely settled frontier in whose defense you have labored, have but little influence with the powerful communities in the East; their repre- sentatives have little voice in our national councils, while your savage foes are not only the wards of the government and supported in idleness by the nation, but objects of sympathy with large numbers of people other- wise well-informed and discerning. You may therefore congratulate yourselves that in the performance of your military duty you have been on the side of the weak against LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE UAKOTAHS. 235 the strong, and that the few people on the frontier will remember your efforts with gratitude. General George Crook." Soon after the disbandment of Crook's command, in October, a detachment of soldiers under command of Major Brown, was sent from Fort Robinson to protect the people of the Black Hills from the depredations of Crazy Horse, who maintained a hostile attitude towards the people until April, 1877, when he surrendered and active hostilities on the part of Indians came to a close. However, not until about four years later, after having met with several bad defeats at the hands of Gen. iNIiles, did the Sioux tribes manifest a willingness to surrender and return to their agencies, which they finally did about the 1st of June, 1881, when they came down the Missouri river in steamboats by the hundreds to the Missouri river agencies. 236 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XYIII. 1876. The year 187(3 may be accounted the crucial period of Blacli Hills pioneer history. It was essentially the chaotic period; the era of disorder and crime, when, in the absence of civil law, might struggled for the mastery over right ; the period when danger followed closely on the trail of the wayfarer, all along the line of march into the Hills, hover- ing on their flanks during the day, and stalking about their carapfires at night; the period when danger lurked behind each cliff and headland along the borders, and peered in at the door of every rude cabin in the mining settlements, near their limits; the year when the pioneers had to do yeoman service in battling with the blood-thirsty Sioux for the establishment of civilization in the Black Hills, many losing their lives, others escaping death by a very narrow margin indeed. In short, the year 1876 was one prolonged tragedy. Ah, what memories cluster around those four simple figures! Even as I write them, many of the scenes of that exciting period come trooping past, in mental review ; familiar faces and figures rise up in spectral phalanx like the ghosts of those who were but are not. SOME OF THE EXPEDITIONS OF 1876. The spirit of dangerous unrest, stirred up by the emis- saries of Sitting Bull, at the different agencies, in the early spring of 1876, when immigration to the Black Hills was at its flood, resulted in filling the country with numerous marauding bands of painted warriors, armed and equipped for the Yellowstone, who hung along the lines of travel LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 237 for the purpose of plunder and theft, incidentally killing all those who interfered with the accomplishment of their purpose. Their early operations consisted principally in running off the horses of the many expeditions making their way over the plains to the Hills. Of course, they were not always successful, but it sometimes happened that an expedition, despite the vigilance of its members, would wake up of a bright morning to find its train of loaded wagons stranded on the broad prairie, minus the major part of the motive power, in which case pursuit of the thieves immediately followed. A posse of plucky men would quickly saddle the few horses that were left, buckle on their cartridge belts, mount and give chase. Following up the trail of the red thieves, they would sometimes over- take them and recover the stolen property, at the cost perhaps of two or three of their number; more frequently, however, the stolen stock was never recovered. The horse-stealing proclivities of the Indians is exem- plified in the case of the Hildebrand party while en route to the Black Hills in the spring of 1876. This expedition, of which L. F. Hildebrand and family were a part, left Bismarck for the Black Hills, about the last of March, 1876. Mr. Hildebrand had been an old- time prospector and miner in Montana, and was therefore schooled in the successes and reverses of mining camps, as well as the dangers incident to Western pioneer life, and had also doubtless learned something of the natural moral turpitude of the red man. At all events, at the end of the first day's march, the expedition closely corralled their wagons, secured their horses with picket ropes a short dis- tance away, and encircled the camp and stock with a body of armed guards, as a precaution against possible attack. A visit on the first night out was hardly looked for, but contrary to their expectations, at about 3 o'clock on the morning of April 1st, just as the moon had disappeared behind the western horizon, a large band of Standing Kock hostiles made a sudden dash through the line of guards 238 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 239 and commenced a rapid firing on the camp — some of the band, meanwhile, trying to cut loose and stampede the horses. In an instant after the first sound of alarm the whole camp was aroused, and the men were rushing through a storm of bullets to protect and save the stock. Mr. Hii- debrand with the aid of his two eldest sous, mere lads at the time, succeeded in securing his individual stock and leading them safely within the circle of wagons. All, how- ever, were not so fortunate, as in less time than it takes to relate the occurrence, the Indians, with twenty-two head of horses belonging to the expedition, were riding away with the speed of the wind towards the cottonwoods along the Missouri river bottoms. Quickly a posse was organized and started in hot pursuit on their trail, overtaking the band about twenty miles distant from camp, and by some lively skirmishing recovering every head of the stolen prop- erty. Soon after, however, the Indians surrounded the posse, and in an attempt to recapture the stock a fierce fight took place, resulting in the death of one and the wounding of two of the pursuing party, and the killing of nine of their horses. The battle raged for three or four hours, ending in a victory for the owners of the stock, who then returned to camp with the thirteen head that had escaped the deadly bullets of the red skins. The Indians were, by no means, always responsible for the many thieving raids made on the herds of expeditions along the lines in 1876. Their white brethren of the craft were not a Avhit behind them, and, if possible, even more dangerous from the standpoint of actual loss. At a very early date in 1876, regularly organized gangs of white horse thieves — if a horse thief can be called white — began plying their nefarious vocation of stealing and running off stock, regardless of ownership, wherever found and when- ever a safe opportunity offered itself ; and the oi:)erations of these banded robbers were so shrewdly planned, and skillfully carried out, aided and abetted, as they were believed to be, by accomplices under the guise of respect- 240 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ability and lionesty, that the stolen property was seldom recovered. Sometimes whole herds would be spirited away in the night and led over devious ways and effectually con- cealed amid the fastnesses, leaving no clue that might lead to their hiding-place. Perhaps the most serious loss inflicted by these outlaws in 1876 was sustained by Chas. Sasse & Co., in the spring of that year, in Red Canyon, where Persimmons Bill's gang despoiled him of every hoof of the stock belonging to his train, leaving him stranded with his family and loads of valuable merchandise, in the dangerous bloody canyon. On the 11th day of March, 1876, Mr. Sasse and family, accompanied by a small party of men, left Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a train of 100 mules and twenty-five wagons, freighted with a $10,000 cargo of " Early Times " whisky for the Black Hills market. I say Black Hills market, because it is neither reasonable nor safe to even in- sinuate that Mr. Sasse was transporting, through a danger- ously hostile country, such a quantity of the " fiery fluid " for his sole individual use. Be that as it may, as I first asserted, Mr. Sasse & Co. left Cheyenne with $10,000 worth, in real commercial value, of '* Early Times " whisky for the Black Hills, which finally found its way into the Deadwood market. This was probably the first extensive cargo of that kind of merchandise brought to the Black Hills. Besides the train of loaded wagons, Mr. Sasse had a team of horses and a wagon for his family and the transporta- tion of their private belongings. The journey proved devoid of accident or interesting in- cident until reaching to within a day's march of the Chey- enne river stage station, where his team gave out, and, as no Indians had been seen, he decided to halt for a day's rest. They had not been long in camp before Indians were discovered on the distant blufi's overlooking the trail, when Mr. Sasse, realizing the extreme danger of delay, at once pulled out with his exhausted team to try to overtake the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE UAKOTAHS. 241 train. On reaching the stage station (the suspected head- quarters of the gang, then kept by Persimmons Bill and two brothers, one of whom, a veritable giant, was known as Big John) they were approached by the proprietors and urged to remain at the station that night, as the redskins were thick on the trail. Viewed in the light of the subsequent wholesale theft, they seemed suspiciously anxious, to their credit be it said, that Mrs. Sasse should not be with the train at the time of the intended raid, as there might be occasion for more or less shooting. However, Mr. Sasse, heedless of their importunities, pressed on and joined the train in Red Canyon. That night while the camp was wrapped in mid- night slumbers, all unconscious of the impending calamity, the gang, according to their prearranged plan, stole stealth- ily into camp and quietly took possession of 100 mules and a span of horses, and noiselessly led them away out of the can- yon , then over divergent routes to a secure hiding-place . The next morning an attempt was made to trace up the stolen stock, but all clue being lost in the bewildering mazes of the numerous devious trails, the property was never found. Upon discovering the state of affairs in the morning, Mr. Sasse was forced to return to the Cheyenne river station and enlist the services of Big John to transport his family to Custer City. Perhaps few of our early pioneers had a more thrilling experience with the savage marauders than Capt. C. V. Gardner, who, with others, literally fought their way to the Black Hills through bands of hostile Sioux in the spring of 1876. It was on the occasion of his second visit to the Hills that Capt. Gardner's right of way into their once happy hunting-ground was disputed mile by mile with the red men, his first trip being made over an unmolested trail without " let or hindrance." To all lovers of adventure, the following brief account of Capt. Gardner's first and second journey to the Hills may be of interest. 16 242 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Capt. Gardner, with whose name all old residents of the Black Hills are familiar, arrived in Cheyenne in the early part of March, or perhaps the latter part of February, 1876, en route for the New Eldorado. During the latter part of the former month, after having purchased the necessary equipments for the journey, including a wagon heavily freighted with merchandise and supplies, he left that early outfitting point for ihe Black Hills, leaving his goods in charge of his partner, known afterwards in the Hills as '< Deaf Thompson." Mounting the stage with his sturdy rifle by his side, he sped on his way to Fort Laramie, thence by mail wagon to old Red Cloud Agency. Here he provided himself with an Indian pony and employed a half- breed Sioux to guide him over the unknown country to Custer at an agreed compensation of $25.00, and all he could realize on the Black Hills mail committed to his (Gardner's) charge by the postal authorities at Red Cloud. A little after midnight Capt. Gardner and his dusky guide left the agency, and directing their course by the pole- star Black Hills-ward, sleeping nights under the blue starlit canopy without shelter, with lariat ropes secured to their wrists as a safeguard against thieving Indians, reached Buffalo Gap on the third day out from the agency. Travel- ing up Buffalo Gap Canyon three or four miles, they found on the trail three disabled wagons, from which the horses had been cut and driven off, and lying about, flour sacks and trunks, torn and broken open and contents scattered to the four winds, — the handiwork of the Indians. Continu- ing their journey towards Custer, when near Point of Rocks, they came upon the party, whose outfit lay demol- ished and scattered back in the canyon, consisting of about forty persons including families, the latter in the most pitiable state of alarm, some wringing their hands in grief — lamenting the killing of one of their comrades by the Indians. With this forlorn party Capt. Gardner camped for the night, going into Custer on the following mornino;. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 243 After a brief stay of three days in Custer, satisfied as to the prospective outlook for the Black Hills as a gold-pro- ducing region, the captain started back on his journey for Cheyenne with a returning empty freight train and about 200 disgusted tenderfeet who were turning their backs upon the Black Hills for all time ; no incident worthy of note occurring on the outward trip save that of finding while in camp at Red Canyon, the arrow-pierced body of the colored woman of the Metz-family-massacre. On reaching Cheyenne Capt. Gardner purchased 60,000 pounds of merchandise, contracted with Chas. Hecht, then of Cheyenne, to transport the goods to the Black Hills at the rate of thirteen and one-fouith cents per pound, and again started for the Hills by stage to Fort Laramie. At the Platte river he joined a large party of gold-seekers, also destined for the Black Hills, among whom were Geo. Boland, Dick Horsford, and Jack King, popularly known in the Hills as the Black Hills rhymist, and brother of " Honest Dick," than whom braver men never crossed the hostile plains to the Black Hills. The party reached Hat Creek Station without molestation and camped for the night. The next morning, however, their tribulations bet^an, for while at breakfast a band of Indians made a dashing raid on the herd and tried to stampede their stock, but, after a brisk skirmish they were driven off without loss on either side. The train then, with an advance guard, preceded by six mounted men dispatched ahead as scouts, traveled on toward the Hills until reaching a point on the route known as " Down Indian Creek," when the scouts were seen riding back toward the train at full speed, followed closely by a half dozen redskins. When within about twenty rods of the advance guard, the scouts took position behind a little knoll where they hoped to be able to defend themselves until the advance guard came to their assistance. The Indians, however, quickly rode around to the opposite side of the knoll and fired, killing one of the scouts and his horse at the first shot, whereupon 244 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, the others made a dash for the train which had in the meantime corralled their wagons. Soon thereafter the train was attacked by about fifty Indians, who, directing their fire against the weakest points of the corral, kept up a con- tinuous fusillade, which was gallantly returned from behind the barricade of wagons for the space of two hours, when the Indians withdrew, bearing away five dead braves as the result of the battle, — the train losing two horses. At the close of the battle some of the party, tenderfeet, whose courage was on the wane, concluding that they already had enough of Indian fighting to last them the rest of their lives, proposed that the train return at once to God's own country, and abandon any farther attempt to reach the Black Hills. A few demurred, agreeing, how- ever, to leave the question to the decision of the majority. Accordingly, after burying their dead companion, a meet- ing was held at which every member voted to take the backward trail but six, viz.. Jack King, Geo. Boland, Dick Horsford, Capt. Gardner, and two others. In compliance with the decision of the majority, the train then reversed its course and marched back towards Fort Laramie. After traveling all da3s continually harassed by the Indians, they were opportunely met by Chas. Hecht's and Street and Thompson's transportation trains accompanied by twenty-five or thirty well-armed men. The situation being explained, the incoming and outgoing trains went into camp together for the night. Thus reinforced, the timid members of the homeward bound party took renewed courage, and at a joint confereuce held that night, they almost unanimously decided to turn about and fight their way through the hostile lines into the Hills. The next day at about nine o'clock, another unsuccessful attempt was made to run off the stock of the train, shortly after which the camp was surrounded by, as nearly as could be estimated, about 500 yelling Indians. A participant in the fight that followed thought that the whole Sioux nation might have been engaged in the attack, judg- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 245 ing from the hailstorm of ballets that came hurtlins: against O 3 the barricades from every direction, many of which went whizzing through the openings between the wagons in un- pleasant, not to say dangerous, proximity to their heads. The trainmen, however, returned the compliment by pay- ing the red-skins back in their own coin, to the extent of their ability, from behind their breastworks of loaded wagons. After an hour's fierce battle of bullets, the In- dians ceased firing and left, to renew the attack later, with increased numbers, when the train immediately pulled on for Hat Creek Station. As the prospect for reaching the Hills, against such de- termined opposition, seemed remote, they decided at this critical crisis to invoke the protection of Uncle Sam's sol- diers. Capt. Gardner and Billy Waugh were delegated to go as messengers to Fort Laramie to petition the command- ing officer at that post, for a military escort into the Hills. Mounting the fleetest horses belonging to the train, the two messengers started back on their perilous ride for Fort Laramie, but, on reaching Raw Hide Buttes at 3 o'clock in the morning, they providentially found encamped, near the Buttes, a company of cavalry and one of infantry, under Capt. Egan, sent out from the fort on a scouting expedition after Indians. Capt. Egan, upon learning the mission of the messen- gers, and appreciating the dangerous situation, readily con- sented to escort the imperiled train, at least beyond the point of danger. Without a moment's loss of time Gard- ner and Waugh then returned, with all possible speed, to Hat creek, when the train pulled out for Indian creek where Capt. Egan had promised to overtake them — which he did on the following day. After the arrival of the mil- itary, Capt. Gardner was placed in charge of the train, by the commanding oflScer, who, after establishing a military post at that point, where the infantry remained, started out with his troops to scour the surrounding country for marauding Indians. The train again pushed on, but after 246 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, traveiiDff about ei^ht miles one of the waofons became disabled, necessitating a halt for repairs. They had hardly got the wagons corralled, and dinner in process of preparation, before again the alarming cry of Indians ! Indians ! was heard from different points in the camp. The cry came just as Capt. Gardner, who it appears was the breadmaker of his mess, had his hands in the soft ATTACK ON WAGON TRAIN EN ROUTE TO THE BLACK HILLS IN 1876. dough. Speedily withdrawing his hands from the mixture, without waiting to wash the sticky substance from them, or even to discard his kitchen apron — with face, per- chance, artistically flecked with flour, he, with several others, snatched their guns and hastened with all possible speed to the summit of an adjacent hill nearly a half mile distant from where legions of Sioux warriors, in paint and feathers, were seen making directly towards them. Quickly they retreated towards the camp, frequently turning their faces to see if the tufted heads of the savages had yet appeared above the crest of the hill. Upon reaching LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE UAKOTAHS. 247 camp, a messenger was at once dispatched to Capt. Egan's post on Indian creek to notify the command that the train was surrounded by Indians, and in need of speedy assist- ance. The messenger was a brave lad, not more than seventeen years of age, who had volunteered his services for the dangerous undertaking. Mounting a swift horse, away the courageous boy flew over the backward trail for Capt. Egan's post. He had hardly disappeared from view before hundreds of whooping Indians came dashing over the crest of the hill, soon surrounding the corral at long range. After wildly circling around the train two or three times, after the manner of Indians, they opened a deadly fire against the barricade of loaded wagons, from behind which the boys hurled back cold lead at the red besiegers, as rapidly as they could load and reload their guns. At the end of three terrible hours, the Indians suddenly ceased firing, and disappeared in a twinkling, almost as quickly as if the earth had opened beneath their feet and swallowed them. With marvelous swiftness they sped away over the hills out of sight. With the wonderful keenness, peculiar to these children of nature, they had in the heat of conflict seen or scented approaching danger. Just at the moment of their disappearance Capt. Egan and his troopers were seen riding with the speed of the wind towards the camp, their beautiful white horses panting, with nostrils dis- tended, and flecked with foam. They had ridden hard to the rescue of the imperiled train. In scouting for In- dians Capt. Egan's pack mules had got mired, obliging him to return to his post, where he arrived just as the messen- ger boy put in an appearance, so that no time was lost in going to the relief of the train, and moreover, if the wagon axle had not broken, necessitating a halt for repairs, the train would doubtless have marched right into the deadly embrace of hundreds of hostile Sioux, and have been nearly if not totally wiped out of existence; — thus it would seem that those two mishaps had worked to- gether for the safety of that train. A fatalist would say, 248 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, that an overruling Providence had interfered to save that brave band of pioneers from utter annihilation. The following morning, the train once more started for the Hills, this time under military escort, Capt. Egan hav- ing consented to accompany the party to Custer, which was finally reached without farther trouble. On nearing Custer the train was met by nearly the entire male population of the city, on their way out to the relief of the beleagured freight outfit, rumors of the dangers that had hedged it about having reached the city, whose supplies, by the way, had gotten to low-water mark. As the story goes, there was a big pow-wow and dance in the pioneer city that night, in celebration of the narrow escape of the 185 gold-seekers, where " all went merry as a marriage bell." Tradition says that after the ball was over, there was a sort of spectacular performance, in which Doc Peirce, ably supported by Capt. Gardner and Tom Hooper, — the pioneer legal light of the Black Hills — enacted the leading- role. Numerous others were in the cast, but taking minor parts. It is said " there was a hot time in the old town that nisht." LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 249' CHAPTER XIX. MONTANA EXPEDITIONS. The great gold-producing State of Montana yielded a gen- erous tribute to the large stream of gold-seekers entering the Black Hills in 1876, furnishing no insignificant proportion of their total population. It has been estimated that nearly one-twelfth of the population of the Black Hills in 1876 came from that State, which is believed to be an overesti- mate. Howbeit, it was notable that a liberal percentage of those engaged in placer mining operations, on Deadwood and tributary gulches during that year, were old Montana miners. The most formidable expedition, perhaps, in point of numbers and the magnitude of its equipments, coming to the Black Hills in 1876, was organized in Montana. In February, 1876, a movement was inaugurated in Helena, Montana, having for its object the organization of the first expedition from that State to the Black Hills. Notices of the contemplated expedition were published in the press, and also posted in the various mining camps throughout the State, inviting all who desired to join such an enterprise to rendezvous at a designated point on the Yellowstone, by a stated time, for organization. For a few weeks thereafter, all trails led the Black Hills fever-infected Montanians to the recruiting point on the Yellowstone, whither the leaders had preceded them for the purpose of enrolling members. An organization was soon effected, when, on the 20th day of March, 1876, the expedition of 100 pack mules, a long train of supply wagons, and a party of over 200 men, having in its ranks experienced miners, thrifty ranchmen, and skilled mechanics, each animated by the ambition and determination to become speedily rich, if 250 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, riches were to be found in the new gold region, marched away from the banks of the Yellowstone on the old Boze- man route for the Bhick Hills. As they marched along the old trail they passed over the historic spot where nearly ten years before the tragedy of Fort Phil Kearney was enacted, when a wood train with a small military escort was surrounded and attacked by 2,000 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians almost within sight of the fort. When first attacked Col. Fetterman, com- mander at the fort, in answer to a signal from a neighbor- ing hill, hastened to the rescue of the train with a force of nearly 100 soldiers, including officers, every one of whom after a hard gallant struggle lasting two hours was lying dead on the battle-ground, — not a white man was left to rehearse the awful story. The wrecked wagons of the de- molished wood train were yet lying in a confused heap at the foot of a hill near the trail. The expedition continued its course across the dry fork of the Powder river, to the Belle Fourche, and down that stream to Bear Lodge, thence across the country to Spear- fish valley, which was reached May 20th, 1876. The ex- pedition had two encounters with the Indians in the Bear Lodge mountains, in one of which a member of the party named Geo. Miller was killed. Among the members of this expedition were R. H. Evans, G. H. Jones, Jas. Ryan, G. W. Read, F. R. Cooper, G. W. Rosenbaum, J. E. Cook, Mike Burton, Hiram Ross, and J. A. Walton, nearly all of whom settled along the broad fertile valley of the Spearfish, where for two score years they have demonstrated the wonderful agricultural possibilities of the valleys of the Black Hills. Any one traveling down the valley of the Spearfish of an early summer's day will now be confronted, every mile of the way, by a scene fair indeed to look upon. Richly culti- vated farms — they cannot now be called ranches — for the most part divided and fenced into fields of more or less acreage, according to convenience or the adaptability of LAST HUNTING GUOUND OV THE DAKOTAHS. 251 the soil for certain crops, some of them covered with wav- ing grain, fast ripening for the sickle, with here and there large patches of the tubers, such as can be grown nowhere in the world outside of the Black Hills ; others covered with rich pasturage, dotted over with fat, sleek kine, com- modious farm houses, delightfully embowered amid shade trees, many of them planted by the hands of the owners years before; with luxuriant vegetable gardens in the background, — will be found all along the margin of the river from the Queen City to where Spearfish mingles its ■crystal waters with the red soil stained waters of the Red- water, altogether making a picture of thrift, cosy comfort, and pastoral beauty that is deliciously refreshing, especi- ally to a denizen of the mountains. On the 26th of May, 1876, this enterprising colony of Montanians took the first step towards reclaiming the vir- gin soil of the Spearfish valley from the hands of its savage claimants by locating and staking ranches. Commencing at a point a little more than a mile below the site of Spear- fish, locations were made for several miles down the stream, when they were numbered and drawn by lot. Ranch No. 1 fell to the lot of R. H. Evans, which he still owns, and where he still lives. On this ranch Mr. Evans built the first log cabin of the colony, where he spent his two years of bachelorhood in the Black Hills, and it was to that log cabin of one room that, in 1878, he brought his bride, a Miss Pettigrew, and the first school- ma'am of Spearfish, where they lived until an increasing family warned them to provide more spacious quarters. The cabin is still suffered to stand near its present com- modious home, within which stands the first stool made in the valley — valued relics of early days. Let the old log cabin stand. Bolster it up and guard it well. Let no desecrating hand touch a single log or chink or a pole of the roof that sheltered an early pioneer. Let no jack- knife fiend whittle a single chip from the old three-legged stool that served him as a chair. At about the same 252 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, date Joseph Rarasdell located a ranch a little farther up the valley, a part of which is now Rarasdell's addition to Spearfish. Somewhat later, Otto Uhlig from Deadwood,. located the ranch that is now, in whole or in part, Uhlig's addition to the city of many additions. J. E. Cook and Mike Burton located ranches on what is known as Centen- nial prairie, where they soon established the " Montana herd," and built a stockade for the safe keeping of the large amount of stock committed to their charge, — a pre- caution which, despite the unremitting vigilance and bravery of the proprietors, did not always prove a certain safeguard against the red horse-thieves, as will be shown farther on. About a month later, a second, but somewhat smaller expedition arrived in the Hills over the same route, from Montana. About the first of August, 1870, another expedition,, composed in part of Western men, and in part of tender- feet from different sections of the East, reached the Black Hills from Bismarck. Among those comprising the West- ern contingent of the expedition, were Sol. Star, Seth Bullock, and John Manning, men to whom the exciting shifting scenes of a big mining camp were no novelty, they having already passed through the trying tenderfoot stage of Western life among the booming mining camps of Montana. They had, it is presumed, a few years before, foresworn the luxuries and comforts, and thrown aside the conventionalities, of Eastern civilization, and followed the guiding Star of Empire westward until it stood over the buried treasure among the spurs of the Big Horn Moun- tains, where they had, doubtless, experienced some of the vicissitudes and encountered some of the dangers incident to a frontier life, and had become what is termed Western- ized, in all that the term implies. Well, let us see. From the standpoint of a Western pioneer they must needs have subsisted for several consecutive weeks on bacon, beans, flapjacks, and black coffee, and slept at least a month on LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 253 the ground floor of a tent. They must necessarily have chased, or have been chased by, Indians a few times, and have been " held up" by road agents a time or two, to entitle them to their credentials from the tenderfoot grade of Western life. However, having spent some time amid the fascinating excitement of a gold-mining camp, they were unable to withstand the alluring reports from the newly-discovered placer mines of Dakota, and so resolved to go to Dead- wood, the pole-star of attraction in 1876. An arrange- ment of their affairs being completed, they with a party of thirty-five men, left Helena, Montana, for Fort Benton, the head of navigation on the Missouri river, where they loaded their merchandise, supplies, and other equipments on to a steamer, took passage, and sailed down the river to Fort Lincoln. On reaching Bismarck they joined a large party of gold-seeking adventurers from the East ; secured transportation on a freight train about to leave for the Hills, and took up their line of march overland for the Black Hills. Belonging to the party from the East were J. K. P. Miller, Jas. McPherson, and Al. Burnham, names familiar in the business circles of Deadwood for many years. The two first-named gentlemen could not be termed tenderfeet, as they had spent considerable time in different parts of the West. Al. Burnham, on the contrary, was a self-con- fessed, unfledged tenderfoot, having never before been west of the Father of Waters. However, he was one day siezed by a spirit of adventure, and, being full of daring, he resolved to cut loose from the trammels and narrow environments of the matured East, and enjoy for a time the freedom and breadth of the vague indefinite West, with its dream of grand possibilities. With this object in view, one bright morning in the early spring of 1876 he, with grip-sack in hand, left his Eastern home in Michigan on his journey to the region of his dreams, the mountains of the boundless West. At 254 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Yankton, after a tedious delay of a whole month, awaiting the clearing of the channel of the stream from ice, he boarded a boat and sailed up the river to Fort Buford; but went no farther in the direction of the setting sun. Whether the Far West had lost its glamor, or the hostile attitude of the Sioux had caused him to cut short his jour- ney in that direction, or whether he had lost his reckon- ings, is not known. At any rate for some occult reason, he changed his mind and took passage on the next boat down the river for Bismarck. It would appear that Mr. Burnham had a pretty hard experience on his overland trip to the Black Hills. He not only had to pay a good round price for the transporta- tion of his belongings, but had also to work his passage all the way from Bismarck to Deadwood by whacking oxen for the transportation trains. It is told that the master of that outfit, in addition to freight charges, at first demanded ten dollars per capita for the privilege of walking along beside the train, — that, however, may be an exaggerated story» It is inferred that complete harmony and the utmost brotherly love were not distinguishing features of the over- land journey of that expedition to the Hills — that is, all did not pull in the same harness, apparently. On the last day of July, John Manning and a few others of the party arrived in Deadwood, having pulled out from the train at some point on the latter part of the route. On the first day of August, 1876, Sol. Star, Seth Bul- lock, James McPherson, J. K. P. Miller, and Al. Burnham, reached Deadwood just in time to see demonstrated the kind of material Deadwood was in part composed of in 1876. The next day W^ild Bill was assassinated in broad daylight. Continuing the business copartnership entered into before leaving Helena, Montana, Star & Bullock imme- diately secured a desirable business lot on the corner of Main and Wall streets, by the payment of $1,100 00 pur- chase money and proceeded at once to prepare the ground LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 255 for building. A commodious building was soon erected on the site, in which the company, with the keen foresight of shrewd business men, established the hardware business along its various lines and on a scale commensurate with the demands of a large and growing mining commu- nity. The business was carried on in this building until the property was destroyed by the great fire which swept away almost the entire business portion of the young city in 1879. Nothing daunted by their disastrous loss the company soon rebuilt a larger and more commodious structure upon the a^hes of the old, with the addition of a large fire-proof building of brick, and re-established the business along the same lines, but on a more extended scale than before, where it was continued until removed in 1895 to give place to the handsome stone structure, the Bullock Hotel, now occupying the site. The business was then removed to the building next door west of the Bullock Hotel, where it is still carried on by the later members of the firm. For many years the company of Star & Bullock has stood high in point of reliability and business integrity among the leading business firms of Deadwood, where, as individual members of society, they have ever been wide awake to all that pertained to the advancement and pros- perity of their adopted city. Individually they have been honored with various positions of trust and responsibility in municipal and county affairs, during their long continu- ous residence in the Hills. Mr. Star has the honor of having been chosen as member of the council of the first city organization of Deadwood in the fall of 1876. On May 24th, 1879, he was appointed postmaster of the Deadwood Post Otfice by President R. B. Hayes. In 1884 he was elected to the mayoralty of the municipality of Deadwood, and re-elected for every suc- cessive term thereafter until 1892 inclusive, and was a^ain re-elected in 1896 for a terra of two years, and is therefore now at the head of Greater Dead wood's city government. Mr. Star's long, almost uninterrupted service in the inter- 256 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ests of Deadwood, tells more eloquently than can mere words of his executive ability; his skillful management of intricate municipal affiiirs; his exceeding popularity, and above all his loyalty and devotion to the best interests of the city at the head of whose government he now stands. Mr. Bullock enjoys the distinction of having been Law- rence County's first sheriff. He was appointed by Gov. Pennington to the shrievalty of the newly organized county and assumed its duties at a critical period in the history of the great mining region of Deadwood, where, for the major part, centered the population of Lawrence County in 1877. It was at a time when valuable mining and other property was frequently in dispute, and whose rightful owners were sometimes dispossessed and kept at bay at the muzzle of a shot-o;un or six-shooter: at a time when all kinds of lawlessness, horse-stealing, cattle-rustling, etc., were rampant in the valley north of the Hills, and hydra- headed immorality was in full swing in the highways and by-ways of Deadwood ; when desperadoes and crooks galore were prowling about the streets in sheep's clothing, seeking whom they might devour. Deadwood albeit was no worse than all other large new mining camps where outlaws are wont to congregate. The time had now arrived when law and order must be evolved out of all this seething chaos of iniquity. It was a pretty difficult as well as perilous problem that the first sheriff of Lawrence County was called upon to grapple with. However, Mr. Bullock was well equipped by experience for the work required of him, he having served in the same capacity out among the mining camps of Montana, and was possessed of the nerve and courage to perform his sworn duty ; no connivance at wrong-doing, or collusion with wrong-doers, can be laid at his door. He would ferret out and follow the trail of a criminal with all the keenness of a sleuth on the track of a deer, but, when once in his custody, he was equally ready to uphold the law, in protecting his prisoner against a clamorous mob, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THK DAKOTAHS. 257 17 258 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, seeking to mete out summary punishment to the law- breaker. It is the universal verdict of the early settlers that to Sheriff Bullock was largely due the comparative peace and security prevailing in the county during the term of his appointment. John Manning, who succeeded Mr. Bullock as sheriff of Lawrence County, was elected by the popular vote of the county at the election of November, 1877, for a term of one year, and was re-elected to the position in November, 1878, for a term of two years. The conditions confront- ing Sheriff Manning were similar to those existing during the incumbency of his predecessor. Lawlessness had not ceased to exist, far from it, consequently the duties of sheriff of Lawrence County in 1878 were by no means a sinecure. Arrests requiring plenty of pluck and nerve, and sometimes involving great personal hazard, were of almost daily occurrence, in the execution of which duties Sheriff Manning was never known to show the " white feather." The extensive litigation, following the establishment of regular courts in the Hills, largely increased the volume of sheriff's business along the line of process serving, during Mr. Manning's terms of office, making the position one much sought after, because of the rapidly accumulating fees. That Sheriff Manning performed the various ardu- ous duties of his office to the entire satisfaction of the majority of the electors of Lawrence County, is fully attested by his re-election for a second term of two years. J. K. P. Miller and James McPherson will be remem- bered as two of Deadwood's most prominent business men, for many years. Soon after their arrival in Deadwood, they established jointly the largest wholesale and retail grocery house then in the Black Hills, whose business ex- tended far beyond the locality of the city and the adjacent mining camps, into the remote towns of the Hills. In connection with this business they opened, late in the fall of 1876, the second banking house established in the Black LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 259 Hills under the firm name of Miller & McPberson. The firm stood high in the commercial circles of Deadwood and were regarded individually as two of its foremost and most valued citizens. Mr. Miller was the head and front of the enterprise for building the little stretch of steam railway, now running hourly between Deadwood and Lead. He carried on a flourishing trade for many years, or until broken health compelled him to throw off the burden and responsibilities of active business life, and seek rest and possible restoration to health in other climes. Finally, however, death claimed him for its own. Al. Burnham, although coming to the Hills a tenderfoot, certainly possessed none of the average tenderfoot's fatuity in expecting to find a royal road to wealth by picking up golden nuggets along his pathway in the Black Hills. Pre- eminently self-reliant and practical, he at once took up the pursuit of professional architect and builder, thus compel- ling brawn and brain to solve the problem. Doubtless many of the finest structures which grace the streets of Deadwood to-day were planned and fashioned by his skill- ful hands. During his twenty-one years of residence in the Hills, Mr. Burnham has been an esteemed and loyal citizen of Deadwood. THE CENTENNIAL PARTY. The party bearing the above distinguishing title was organized, for the purpose of exploring the gold fields of Dakota, at Ames, Iowa, in January, 1876. The organiza- tion, consisting of only fourteen members, comprised the following names: John Johnston, Hugh Johnston, G. W. Rogers, agent Chicago & N. W. Railway, B. A. Little, R. H. Miller, A. Olson, J. M. Moulton, E. P. Cronen, W. U. Tel. Co., W. H. LaRue, N. Nickson, Lafayette Evans, T. Kinney, W. A. Noland, and a Mr. Otto. Nearly all were residents of Ames and vicinity, none others being eligible to membership according to the regulations. Of the hundreds of applicants for membership from other parts of 260 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, the State, Dr. Overman alone was permitted to sign his name to the roster of the party. By a suspension of the rules, against the admission of strangers into the organi- zation, Dr. Overman was taken into the exclusive circle on the score of former friendship. However, the doctor failed to complete his arrangements in time and thus did not reach the Black Hills until three months later. John Johnston, the leading spirit of the enterprise, was dis- patched to Chicago for supplies and equipments for the party; preliminary preparations were soon made, and on the 1st day of March, 1876, the Centennial Party of four- teen men, with two loaded wagons, left their comfortable homes, in the midst of a wild March storm that reached almost the magnitude of a blizzard, and marched away westward through Sioux City and over the old Elkhoru route for the Black Hills, under the captaincy of John Johnston. Nothing notable occurred on the journey until reaching O'Neill, the last settlement on the route, where they decided to rest for a day, one of the party being sick. While in camp at O'Neill, a buckskin-clad scout rode into camp with a message from another party of gold adventurers, asking them to delay their journey a day longer, or until the other party could overtake and join them, which was ngreed to. " Buckskin," as he was ever after called, went back with the message, and on the following day a well-armed and equipped party of eighty-one men and seventeen teams joined them. Jack Daly, for many years a resident of Lead, was one of the new part3^ " Buckskin " attached himself to, and was afterwards considered one of, the Centennial Party. On the arrival of the party in Custer little was to be found of an encouraging character; scores of empty houses, a few men scattered along French creek prospect- ing, and a good many other men doing nothing, was by no means inspiring to the members of this little party, who were mostly tenderfeet, and a feeling of bitter disappoint- ment began to creep over them ; in short they began to LAST HUNTING GROUM) OF THE DAKOTAHS. 261 wish themselves back in their comfoitable positions in Araes, Iowa. The sick member of the party was sent back by a returning freight train, and the thirteen left Custer for Hill City, where they found just five men and some more empty houses, which decided them to go no further, as they had already seen enough of the Black Hills to satisfy them that they were by no means what they were reputed to be. A vote was taken on the question of re- turning to the States, which resulted in twelve to one in favor of going back, the dissenting vote being that of John Johnston, whose wishes in the matter could not be alto- gether ignored, as he was the largest stockholder in the property of the outfit. After discussing the question into the " wee-sma' " hours of the morning, Mr. Johnston finally agreed to let the twelve take one of the wagons and enough provisions to last them out, and he would take the other wagon and the remainder of the supplies, and con- tinue his journey to the north of the Hills. However, when the division of the property commenced, five of the twelve changed their minds, and joined Mr. Johnston on his trip to the north, the other seven returning to the States. Of course there is perhaps nothing remarkable, or even unusual, in all of this. It is notable, however, that this Centennial Party gave its name to that large stretch of country around the headwaters of False Bottom creek, known as Centennial Praiiie. " Buckskin " and others while out on the prairie cutting hay, one day in eTuly, 1876, christened it " Centennial Prairie," in compliment to the Centennial Party, a name which has clung to it ever since, and will continue to cling to it for a long time to come. To a member of the Centennial Party, John Johnston, also belongs the distinction of having:: estab- lished in connection with Capt. Gardner, the first news- paper published in Spearfish City, compelling its success under conditions which would make the average journalist hesitate. It is notable too that a member of this Centennial 262 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Party (Mr. Johnston) was among the first to settle at the head of the Spearfish valley in 1876, and who, ever since the founding of the Queen City of the Hills, has been intimately identified with every movement looking to its growth and prosperity. Mr. Johnston has also been a real force in the promotion of numerous mining enterprises, having spent time and money with a lavish hand in the development of various raining properties throughout the northern Hills during the past twenty years. OUTWARD BOUND PILGRIMS. While this continuous stream of emisjration was making its way over the hostile plains from the North, South, East, and West, in the spring of 1876, many of those who had entered during the previous fall and winter, finding them- selves stranded in Custer in the spring without a dollar in their pockets, and no faith in the country, and their little stock of " grub " which they had been economically eking out through the winter diminished to nearly the last pot of beans and the last slice of bacon, disappointed, disheartened and disgusted, went .out of the Hills any way to get out, figuratively shaking the dust of the Black Hills off their feet (not gold dust) in testimony against them, and many of them hurling back bitter anathemas as they went. Tenderfeet they were, for the most part, who, lured by the golden reports and buoyed with hope, had left com- fortable homes, innocently believing that the coveted treasure was to be picked up along the wayside by the handfuls. Failing to realize their expectations they de- nounced the glowing reports sent out broadcast over the land as a delusion and a snare. Ah, the poor fellows had yet to learn a lesson — the lesson which teaches that it is only by months, yea, sometimes years, of hard, unceasing toil, under crushing discouragements and disappointments, that even the few of those who dig for gold realize their dreams. Yes, those outward-bound pilgrims were mostly LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 263 tenderfeet, and as many of them with badly worn shoes, some nearly barefoot, had to walk out, it is easy to believe that their feet were painfully tender ere reaching their homes ; that some of them never reached their destination is well known. 264 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XX. CHAPTER OF FIRST EVENTS. The first town-site laid out and platted in the Black Hills was Harney City. The site for the prospective Harney City — the city of such wonderful future possibilities ( ?) — was regularly surveyed and platted in March, 1875, in the valley of French creek, near the stockade. The work of laying out the site into streets and blocks was done by Lyman Lamb, Thos. H. Russell, and other members of the partes it being accomplished by the use of a small pocket compass and a picket rope. Harney City, however, was but a dream of its founders, as it never ma- terialized beyond a few foundations on the most desirable corner lots. The first miners' meeting ever held in the Black Hills, met on French creek, a short distance above the present site of Custer City, on or about the 17th day of June, 1875. There were sixteen persons present at the meeting, among whom were A. D. Trask, now of Pactola, Joseph Reynolds, and Jas. Corneile. A mining district was organ- ized, of which A. D. Trask was chosen recorder. Custer is entitled to the distinction of being the first town built in the Black. Hills. It was laid out and platted on the lOlh of August, 1875; the work of surveying being done by Thos. Hooper, aided by a detachment of United States soldiers of Major Pollock's command, the inevitable pocket compass and picket rope being used for the pur- pose. The first plat of the pioneer city was made by Thos. Hooper on a piece of birch bark 12x12 inches square, as before stated. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 265 The first ton of gold-beariog quartz taken out of the Black Hills for treatment, was mined and transported to Chey- enne, Wyoming, by Joseph Reynolds, in August, 1875. The ore was mined from a ledge about three and one-half miles above Custer City. It was freighted out to Chey- enne where it was sampled and shipped to Georgetown, Colorado, for treatment; the test from best samples re- sulting in seventeen dollars in gold per ton of quartz. The first buildingr erected in the Black Hills — barring the seven log cabins within the walls- of the stockade — was put in course of construction by Dr. D. M. Flick. The building was a substantial hewn-log structure, designed as a home for his family whenever the way was made clear. When this pioneer building neared completion the doctor consented to leave the Hills with the exodus of miners, in obedience to the order of Gen. Crook in August of that year. Soon thereafter the building was completed by Capt^ Pollock and occupied by him as military headquarters dur- ing the remainder of his stay in the Hills. After the withdrawal of the military forces from the Hills, Capt. Jack Crawford, the poet-scout, took possession of and occupied the building undisturbed until one bright morning, about the middle of April, 1876, when Dr. Flick drove up to the door of his residence with his family and household goods, to find it appropriated by somebody who was absent at the time — the doctor didn't know, and didn't care a continental who. In nowise daunted by the unfavor- able aspect of the situation, he unloaded his goods, took formal possession of the building, and awaited develop- ments. It is needless to say that the doctor made himself quite generally at home, Mrs. Flick meanwhile making active preparations for dinner. Just as the family was seated at the table enjoying their noonday meal under their own vine and fig tree, Capt. Jack, with his friend, Attorney T. Harvey, appeared at the door and entered unbidden — doubtless greatly surprised to find 266 THE BLACK, HILLS: OR, what he regarded as a base usurper comfortably domiciled ia his snug quarters. The captaiu, of course, demanded an explanation, as well as an unconditional surrender of the premises, and asked, sternly: " Sir, by what right, and by whose authority are you here?" The doctor replied, de- fiantly : " By right of ownership, and by ray own author- ity, sir. I need none other. That is good enough for me." Capt. Jack, naturally feeling that his most sacred rights had been ruthlessly invaded, ordered the doctor to "vamoose the ranch" instanter and take all his belong- ings with him, or take the consequences. Whereupon the doctor, fully conscious of the righteousness of his position, quickly reached for his trusty Sharp's rifle, which stood conveniently at hand, swiftly leveled it at the " poet- scout," and indicating the door, told him to go. The captain, though brave and fearless, having faced many deadly perils in his lifetime, deeming " discretion the bet- ter part of valor," wisely withdrew, to appear again in another attitude. These conflicting claims resulted in the SECOND SUIT IN EQUITY IN THE BLACK HILLS. Attorney Tom Harvey, in behalf of his client, Capt. Jack Crawford, at once brought action against D. W. Flick for forcible entry and detainer (probably), and in due lapse of time the case was called up for hearing before Provisional- Justice Keifer, and a jury of five miners, good and true. Upon the hearing of the evidence pro and con, Attorney Harvey, in closing for the prosecution, briefly summed his case, in clear, forcible, and convincing language — basing his arguments, we may presume, upon two important points. First, that inasmuch as every square foot of terri- tory, as well as every stick of timber, cut from the trees growing in the valley, or along the mountain slopes of the Black Hills, belonged by virtue of a solemn treaty to the Indians, no title was or could be vested in the defendant. Second, that the building, as proven by competent wit- DR. D. W. FLICK, The builder of the first cabin erected in the Blaclj Hills in 1875. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 267 nesses, had been abandoned by the defendant, and was at the time of forcible entry in the rightful and peaceable possession of his client, therefore, in the absence of title, and by virtue of such possession which — he reminded the jury — was, in all civilized communities, considered nine points of the law, but in the Black Hills was at least ten points, or the whole law, he asked that a verdict be ren- dered in favor of his client, Capt. Jack Crawford, placing him in repossession of the disputed premises. Here the prosecution rested. In answer, the defendant in his own behalf, rising to the full necessity of the occasion, said, with cutting sarcasm, that he was as fully cognizant of the impossibility of acquiring valid title to property in the Black Hills, as the distinguished counsel for the prosecution, and therefore admitted that point, and did not deny the claim to posses- sion, but that he claimed a title far beyond and above all civil law — an equitable claim, under which every man on God's footstool has the divine right to reap the fruits of his own honest labor. The doctor waxed eloquent. He told the jury in telling words, and beautifully rounded periods, of how he had procured the timber from the virgin forests that adorned the hillsides hard by, and had them hauled to the ground selected for a home for his family, where they were hewn, fashioned and fitted in their respective places in the structure — all of which was paid for — in part by the sweat of his own brow, but mostly in the true " coin of the realm" — good lawful money of Uncle Sam. He told also, of how, when the fabric was on the verge of comple- tion, he went out of the Hills — like a true patriot, under military escort, with the full determination of returning at the first favorable opportunity. In his closing peroration, it is easy to imagine that the doctor told the jury that he proposed to defend his rights at all times, and would allow no long-haired, buckskin-clad scout — poet though he be — or any other man, to defraud him thereof. 268 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, It is needless to state that the jury of honest miners, who are ever on the side of justice and right, rendered a verdict for the defendant, D. W. Flicii. Thus ended the second h\wsuit (suit in common law) ever tried in the Black Hills. We are here reminded of a number of similar disputes over property in the Black Hills, which, had they been submitted to the arbitration of a few disinterested parties, would not have resulted, as was sometimes the case, in bloodshed and even death. FIRST PERSON KILLED IN THE BLACK HILLS. The first person killed in the Black Hills after their inva- sion by the first expedition was, probably, a man named Kiese, in July, 1875. The -particulars of the affair, as far as can be ascertained, are, substantially, as follows : Some time in July, 1875, a party of about forty men, including J. J. Williams, a member of the Collins and Russell ex- pedition, was encamped near the Jenny stockade. While in camp, Kiese and a man named Jackson left the camp to- gether for French creek. After a short absence Jackson returned alone, claiming that they had been attacked by a band of Indians, when a few miles out from camp, and Kiese killed as well as the mule he rode. The story not seeming altogether probable, was not believed by many of the party. Jackson soon after disappeared from camp and was no more seen or heard from. A month later, per- haps, the body of Kiese was found covered with brush, in a ravine, not far from the Jenny stockade and Jackson was strongly suspected of having killed him for a consid- erable sum of money that he was known to have had in his possession. Be that as it may, he was certainly killed and his body found. The first hotel in the Black Hills was built in Custer in February, 1876, by a man named Druggeman. The same man also purchased the first town lot ever sold in the Black LAST HUNTING GROUND OF TFIK DAKOTAHS. 269 Hills, the purchase being made of one Jacobs in February, 187(3. The first saw mill in the Black Hills was brought to Custer and operated l)y J. F. Murphy in February, 1876. In February, 1876, the first store of general merchandise in the Black Hills, located in Custer on the south side of Custer avenue, between 5th and 6th streets, was opened and kept by Jas. Roberts, who, it is said, died in Deadwood about the year 1890. The first white child born in the Black Hills was Alvena, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Sasse, now of Deadwood. Little Alvena first opened her wondering, though unap- preciative eyes, on the marvelous beauty of Custer Park, and expanded her small lungs with the pure bracing air, laden with the grateful aroma of the pines that clothe the rugged slopes, surrounding the park in which nestles the city of her birth, on the 11th of May, 1876. Her life, however, was but a brief span, she was hiter taken to Deadwood, where, in the following November, she died. Alvena, the pioneer baby of the Black Hills, now lies bur- ied beneath the reckless tread of many busy feet, some- where on the old cemetery hill, back of the Fourth Ward school building of Deadwood. The first newspaper established in the Black Hills, called the Black Hills Weekly Pioneer, was published by W. A. Laugh lin and A. W. Merrick, under the firm name of Laughlin & Merrick, early in 1876. The proprietors of this important pioneer enterprise, with a faith and courage almost sublime, transported from Denver, Colorado, to the Black Hills, a distance of 400 miles, — in depth of winter, a fully-equipped printing outfit, consisting of a press, a complete selection of type, and all the necessary material for the publication of a daily paper and job office. The first half sheet of the Black Hills Pioneer was printed 270 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, ill Custer in May, 187G, but after one issue, the publishers reloaded their press and other printing equipments, and went with the flood-tide to Deadwood, where it was per- manently established as a weekly publication, — the initial number, consisting of a half sheet, appearing on June 8th, 1876. The first number, which was run through the press by Joseph Kubler, now of the Custer Chronicle, was struck off under inauspicious conditions and circumstances, in- deed, the work being done in an unfinished cabin, which afforded but scant protection from the untoward elements. However, the venture at once proved a great financial suc- cess, — a veritable bonanza. The paper was in great de- mand, thousands of copies being sold every week at twenty-five cents each, many of which found their way to the outer newspaper world, where excerpts from its columns were freely copied. The Black Hills Weekly Pioneer was a wide-awake, newsy sheet in 1876, and made its influence felt far and wide. Not only did it contain information of the rich placer and quartz discoveries and other current news of the great mining camp, but also discussions of many of the important public questions of the day, especially those directly affecting the people of the Black Hills. It is now recalled that the Indian problem, — in connec- tion with the United States government, was roundly abused for its seeming dereliction in duty to the outlawed people of the Black Hills ; the territorial question, the question of county organization, — in which the head of the territorial government of the Dakotas was handled with- out gloves, for not doing what he really had no power to do, received special consideration. The people of the Black Hills believed in the full and unrestrained liberty of the press in 1876. The brainy young R. B. Hughes — familiarly called Dick Hughes, was one of the first compositors on the pioneer newspapers, and it is alleged that the way he manipulated the type exceeded all subsequent records in the Black LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 271 Hills. He was also local reporter for the paper, and is said to be practically the first newspaper reporter in the Black Hills. From this Mr. Hughes drifted into journalism, and in 1878 became connected with the Rapid City JournaU as one of its editorial staff, where he demonstrated that he was a clear-cut thinker as well as a polished writer. Dick is now United States Surveyor-General for South Dakota. Of the brilliant coterie of writers who catered to the Black Hills reading public in 1876, the large-hearted, open- handed Capt. C. V. Gardner alone remains in the Black Hills to-day. Dr. C. W. Myers, Geo. Stokes, Jack Langrishe, and Jack Crawford (an occasional contributor to the department of poetry), having years since left the Hills for other fields. Dr. Myers, a one-time territorial dele- gate, than whom few wielded a readier pen, is reported dead. Owing to ill health, W. A. Laughlin soon severed his connection with the Pioneer, disposing of his interest in the concern to C. V. Gardner. Mr. Gardner, whose capi- tal and talents gave additional life to the enterprise, made his first literary bow to the newspaper readers of the Black Hills on July 1st, 1876, continuing his connection with the paper for a period of about six months, when it was left to the sole management of A. W. Merrick. From the date of its establishment as a daily paper on May 15th, 1877, the Pioneer had a wonderfully checkered history. It had its ins and outs, its fluctuating periods of prosperity and adversity — like nearly all newspaper enter- prises, dependent upon a shifting community for their patronage. Having from that time to share the profits of the newspaper field with another daily paper, the Dead- wood Times, the question of dollars and cents resolved itself into a serious problem, for what with the compe- tition and the largely-increased expenditures of conducting a daily paper, it was finally found that in reckoning up the monthly accounts, pro and con, the balances began to show — as figures sometimes have the disagreeable habit of doing, — on the wrong side of the ledger. Competition 272 TUE BLACK HILLS ; OR, may be the life of trade, but it is financial death to one or the other, if not both of the competitors, in a newspaper business in a narrow field. The management of the Pioneer, during its twenty years of existence, as a daily paper, changed, financially, editor- ially or otherwise, as many as fifteen times, as will appear from the appended record. In 1877 A. W. Merrick appears to be handling the craft alone. In 1878 we find R. O. Adams at the helm, the subsequent changes occurring in the following order: In 1879 Merrick & Adams; in 1880 R. O. Adams; in 1880 R. D, Kelly (two weeks); in 1881 Vanocker & Merrick; in 1885 Frank Vanocker; in 1882 G. G. Bennett (six months); in 1883 A. W. Merrick; in 1884 Edwards, Pinneo Bros. & Merrick; in 1884 Edwards & Pinneo ; in 1885-(3 Bonham, Maskey & Moody; in 1886 \V. H. & F. M. Bonham; in 188(5-7 Bonham & Kelly; from 1887 to 1897 the Pioneer Publishing Company, under the man- agement of W, H. Bonham. On December 1st, 1887, the name Bhick Hills Pioneer, was changed to Dead wood Pioneer. On May 15th, 1897, the Deadwood Daily Pioneer and the Deadwood Daily Times were merged into one daily paper, under the proprietorship of the Pioneer-Times Pub- lishing Company, and the editorial and business manage- ment of Porter Warner, and W. H. Bonham, respectively. When W. H. Bonham became connected with the man- agement of the Pioneer in 1885, it was found to be heavily incumbered with debt, but, although having a cash capital of only $190 to invest in the concern, he succeeded by wise economy and skillful business management, in rescuing the paper from the financial quicksands into which it was rap- idly sinking, and placing it on solid ground, so that when it went into the hands of the Pioneer Publislii ng Company, in 1887, it was practically free from debt. The foregoing record makes it very plain, so plain that those who run may read, that A. W. Merrick made a A. W. MEP.RICK. Publisher of the first newspaper in the Blacli Hills, established in Deaclwood, June 8th, 187G. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 273 noble and gallant struggle to prolong the life of the first newspaper of the Black Hills. The first daily newspaper published in the Black Hills was established in Deadwood by Porter Warner in the early spring of 1876, Mr. Warner arrived in Deadwood froui Denver, Colo., with a complete press, well equipped with the needed fa- cilities and ample material for the publication of a daily paper, during the month of March, 1877. He first rented the upper story of the then newly erected bank building of Stebbins, Wood & Post, on the northwest corner of Main and Lee streets, where, on the 7th day of April, 1877, the first number of the Deadwood Daily Times was issued. The paper was ably and successfully conducted, under the sole management and proprietorship of its founder, Porter Warner, until May 15th, 1897, when it consolidated with the Deadwood Pioneer, under the title of The Pioneer Times. The Deadwood Daily Times is also credited with the distinction of having been the second daily paper published in Dakota Territory. The first case ever coming up for adjudication before a Black Hills tribunal of any kind, was tried by Justice of the Peace Smith of Custer, in February, 1876. The cause of action originated in a dispute between Wm. Coad and a man named Swartout, as to the rightful ownership of a town lot in Custer City. Thos. H. Harvey appeared for Swartout and Thos. Hooper for Coad. Thus it will be seen that Thos. H, Harvey and Thos. Hooper were the first to practice the profession of law in the Black Hills. The first authenticated case of murder in the Black Hills was the killing of Boueyer, a half-breed Sioux, b}' an all-round desperado named C. C. Clayton, in March, 1876. When learning of the affair, a large number of the friends of the murdered man appeared in Custer, to see that even- handed justice be meted out to the slayer of their red brother. 16 274 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Clayton was promptly arrested and tried by a jury, before Police Justice Keifer, of Custer, and found guilty of mur- der in the first degree, with a penalty of death, by hanging, affixed to the verdict. When the prisoner was arraigned to receive his sentence, and just as counsel for the defense was laying down the law to the judge, on the illegality of such procedure on the part of a provisional court, a sensational scene occurred in the court room. A large party of the murderer's sym- pathizers, armed to the teeth, arrived from Deadwood, and filed into the little court room, and there stood, grim and determined, awaiting the decision of the court, prepared to rescue the prisoner in case his life was placed in jeopardy. At this juncture Attorney Harvey demanded the release of the prisoner on the grounds aforementioned, and the judge, concluding that he had no option in the matter, turned him over into the hands of the citizens of the town, who, it is needless to state, escorted him to the limits thereof and turned him loose, with a solemn warning not to show himself again within the limits of the Black Hills. The pioneer banking institution of the Black Hills, — called the Miner's & Mechanic's Bank, was established in Deadwood in the summer of 1876, by J. M. Woods, now of Rapid City. The vault for the safe-keeping of the capi- tal stock, surplus, deposits, undivided profits, etc., of the Miner's & Mechanic's Bank consisted of an ordinary iron safe, which was kept in a frame building, on the east side of Main street, occupied at the time by the store of Bough- ton & Berry. The principal transactions of this pioneer institution consisted in buying and selling gold dust and shipping same per account of its owners, making collec- tions, etc. It is believed that J. M. Woods was its presi- dent, board of directors, and chief stockholder, as well as its cashier, teller, and clerk. That the enterprising firm coined money during those palmy days, when gold dust was lavishly squandered, goes without saying. rORTEU WARNEU, Publisher of the first daily newspaper in the Black Hills, established April 7th, 1877. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 275 J. M. Woods also opened the first harness and saddlery shop in the Black Hills, during the same summer, on the east side of Main street below Wall street. The first religious service ever held in the Black Hills was conducted in Custer by Rev. H. W. Smith, the mar- tyred Black Hills missionary, on May 7th, 1876. This first service was held in a small log cabin without fioor, on Custei' avenue, owned by Joseph T. Reynolds, and at the time occupied by Mr. Clippinger. After a short stay in Custer, Rev. Smith, feeling that duty called him to a broader field for Christian effort, left the comparatively moral atmosphere of the pioneer city for Deadwood, where he arrived on or about the 25th of May, 1876, when he at once began to do battle for the right. He opened and conducted a series of outdoor eveninij meetinss in Dead- wood, on the corner of Main and Gold streets — using a dry-goods, or some other kind of a box, for a platform, and succeeded, by his intense earnestness and sincerity, in nightly drawing around him large numbers of the crowds of miners, fighters, and tenderfeet, who jostled along the narrow street seeking diversion, despite the many counter- attractions on every hand. It is a notable fact — and to their everlasting credit be it chronicled — that none of the motley crowd, gathered around to listen to his earnest teachings, ever attempted, as far as known, to annoy or disturb him in his work. His labors were not confined to Deadwood alone; he sometimes appointed meetings at dis- tant mining camps, and it was in the fulfillment of one of these engagements that he met his death. On the 20th day of August, 1876, a day that will long linger in the memories of the then residents of Deadwood, Rev. Smith — notwithstanding he had been warned of the extreme danger of the trip — with his Bible and prayer- book, his only safeguards, under his arm, started confi- dently away over the old mountain trail between Deadwood and Centennial for Crook City, where he had engaged 276 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, to hold service, but when near a point on the trail, known by old-timers as the **Rest" he was shot to death in his tracks,, by one of the Indian stampeders of the " Montana Herd." Two hunters, who were at the time engaged in skinning a deer near the spot where Smith was killed, hearing a horseman approaching, discovered from their concealed position that the rider was an Indian. Whereupon, one of the hunters, Dan Van Luvin, believing it to be his duty to shoot atanj'thing that looked like an Indian, quickly leveled his gun and fired, killing the horse and badly wounding the Indian. The two hunters then tied precipitately to Dead- wood, collected a party and returned to the scene of the shooting where they fully expected to find a dead Indian. The Indian on the contrary was not dead but sufficiently alive to fire a shot into the party killing one of the men,, but before he could reload his gun, he was riddled by a volley of bullets. Lo, the poor Indian, was game to the last, it being found that Van Luvin's shot had broken both of his legs and one of his arms. Rev. Smith was found lying where he fell, with arms folded across his breast, his Bible and prayer-book resting on his bosom. He was not scalped or otherwise mutilated : per<;hance the savages surmised and respected his calling. He died in the harness, doing his Master's work. His grave, in the cemetery on one of the hills overlooking Deadwood on the south, is marked by a life-sized figure standing on a square pedestal which bears the inscription. It is cut from native red sandstone and was erected in October, 1891, by his " Black Hills Friends." The first gold produced from quartz by process of machinery in the Black Hills, was extracted from ore mined from the Chief of the Hills, situated about one mile above the mouth of Black Tail. In August, 1876, Gardner & Co. and I. Chase pur- chased from the original locators, California Joe and Jack Hunter, a one-half interest in the mine and at once COL JAMES M. WOODS. i LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 277 commenced the construction of a home-made wooden Arastra near the mine for crushing the ore. In the clean-up from the first run made by this crude machine, was found a good- sized nugget, which, in commercial vaUie, was worth about 115.00. The clean-up was made in early part of September, 1876. The first plant for the manufacture of the popular bev- erage (beer) in the Black Hills, was established by L. S. Parkhurst & Co., temporarily at Custer, afterward permanently in Deadwood, in June, 1876. It was in July, 1876, that Jack Langrishe, the idol of the early Western mining camps, blazed the way and estab- lished the first theater for the " legitimate " in the Black Hills. The Langrishe Troupe, which included Mrs. Lan- grishe and two other ladies, with a wagon load of stage accessories and an extensive repertory, arrived in Dead- wood on or about July 10th, 1876, and as there was no building in the embryo city suitable for the purpose, immediate steps were taken to provide a place of sufficient capacity to accommodate the amusement-loving community of that great mining camp. A large frame theater build- ing was put in process of construction on the south side of Main street on the lots now occupied by Max Fischel and John Herman. Soon the skeleton structure was inclosed on its four sides by using part canvas, the supply of lumber not being equal to the demand ; then covered with a canvas roof and laid with sawdust floor ; the internal economy was ar- ranged ; a stage with the necessary entrances and exits was hastily constructed and finished by a few skillful sweeps and daubs of the scenic artist's brush ; rows and rows of rough hard seats, odds and ends of lumber, were nailed together in the big auditorium, when the pioneer theater building of the Black Hills was ready for the first engaofement. 278 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Pending the final touches on the building, the camp was billed for the first show, and indeed it does not seem twenty-one years since the log cabins, sprinkled with a few more pretentious frame business buildings along the nar- row street of the embryo city, the trees, the huge boul- ders and the rocky headlands up and down the gulches, were made radiant by the glaring posters, announcing the firvSt appearance of the celebrated Langrishe theatrical troupe in the Black Hills. The first performance in the new theater building was given on the night of Saturday, July 22d, 1876, on which important occasion the house was crowded to the doors, and doubtless it will be remembered by many that there came up a heavy sweeping rain during the performance which, penetrating through the canvas roof, soon came pouring down in copious streams upon the devoted heads of the audience and actors alike. Yet despite the damp- ness of their environments, the enthusiasm of the audience was not dampened to any great extent, as but few left the house. Who could forego the delight of seeing the inimi- table Jack Langrishe in one of his funny roles? By the waj', Langrishe was held in high estimation by the pla3^-goers of Deadwood camp, not only for his capa- bility as an actor, but for his sterling qualities as a man, by reason of which he usually played to crowded houses, but it was on Saturday and Sunday nights that the man- agement scooped in the gold dust. As an all-round actor Langrishe was considered exceed- ingly clever, but in the arena of old-style comedy he was par excellence, and also a perfect master of the art of facial expression. An occasion is now recalled when his part required that he fail to grasp a point that was as plain as noonday to everybody else, and to follow his changing expression which from that of the densest stupidity gradu- ally brightened, as the light of comprehension began to dawn upon his benighted mind, until his broad good- natured face beamed with the effulgence of supreme intelli- JACK LAXGIUSHK, The old time Black Hills comedian. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF TIIR DAKOTAIIS. 279 gence, was truly a rare treat. We do not often see his equal as a comedian. Mrs. Langrishe too, as leading lady, was an actress of no small ability, and whether she imper- sonated an Irish servant girl fresh from the Emerald Isle, a dude, or a red-headed cowboy, she looked and acted her part to perfection. During the following month, the Langrishe audiences were frequently treated to free shower baths, and usually, as fate decreed it, at the most absorbing stage of the per- formances. About the middle of August, a waterproof roof was substituted for the canvas, in which condition, it is believed, the building served its purpose until 1878, when a new and larger theater building was constructed on Sher- man street, on the lots just south of those now occupied by the B. & M. Railway Depot. This building was destroyed by the disastrous fire of 1879, when Deadvvood was nearly obliterated from the map of the Black Hills. The first masonic funeral services ever held in the Black Hills were conducted in the Langrishe theater building on Main street, in August, 1876, the rites and ceremonies of the order being performed by Sol. Star. The deceased was a man who died at the Woods Hotel, Deadwood. The first duel fought in the Black Hills took place on a street at Crook City on July 18th, 1875, between Jas. Shannon and Thos. Moore, resulting in the death of the former — the challenged party. The occurrence, although not strictly an aflair of honor, and not conducted altogether according to the requirements of the code-duello, was nevertheless a real duel. ' The trouble originated in the saloon of C. D. Johnston* and was the result of an altercation over some money matter, the particulars of which are briefly and substan- tially as follows. Shannon asked of the proprietor of the saloon a loan of $50.00 to back his horse on a race that was to come off. 280 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, which was refused. Failing in this he turned and made a similar request of Moore who also refused the accommoda- tion, which so aroused his ire that he proceeded to assault Moore, who, to settle the difficulty, challenged his assailant to a duel. In the absence of seconds, the principals agreed to choose their weapons and shoot each other at sight, and both started for their guns. Moore soon returned but finding Shannon still unarmed, did not shoot in accordance with the terms, but requested his antiigonist to go at once and arm himself. Shannon then went for his gun, and in about fifteen minutes put in an appearance, when both fired almost simultaneously. Shannon falling mortally wounded at the first shot. Moore also fell, perhaps shocked by the concussion, but was unhurt. The body of the dead duelist was placed in charge of Dr. R. D. Jennings, now a resident of Hot Springs, who impaneled a coroner's jury to hold an inquest, which resulted in a verdict of justifiable homi- cide. Preceding the burial, Mr. A. S. Garrison went out a few miles northeast of Crook City and dug a grave, where Whitewood now stands, but the small funeral procession refused to go so far, as the Indians were much in evidence in the locality at the time, so it halted and buried the body on a hill, about half way between Crook City and White- wood, where the grave may be seen to-day. The first quartz mill to reach the Black Hills was brought in by Capt. C. V. Gardner & Co., during the early fall of 1876. The machinery of this pioneer quartz mill, consist- ing of what is known as a Blake Crusher and a BalthofF Ball Pulverizer, was purchased by Capt. Gardner, at Cen- tral Colorado, and shipped by rail to Cheyenne, Wyoming, whence it was transported b}' the May & Appel fast freight line, to its point of destination near Gayville, passing through Deadwood en route on September 25th, 1876. The plant was operated on the rich conglomerate ore taken from the historic Hidden Treasure Mine, on Spring gulch. Before the close of 1876, about $20,000 in gold was pro- CAPT. C. V. GARDXEU, Who brought the first quartz mill to the Bla-ik Hills on September 25th, 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 281 diiced from the ore, piilverize({ by the tumbling balls in the ■cylinder of the crude little plant. The Hidden Treasure Mine was discovered and located by Thomas O'Neal on May 13th, 1876, and later came into the possession of Gardner & Co. by purchase. The first stamp mill to make its advent in the Black Hills was brought in by Milton E. Pinney in the late fall of 1876. The mill, a ten-battery plant, was purchased by Mr. Pin- ney at Central Colorado, and shipped b}^ rail to Cheyenne, and from there transported by Wood Foglesong, under contract with the purchasers at $12.50 per 100 pounds to Central, where it was erected on the Alpha and Omega property located near Central. Upon the arrival of the mill on the ground, Woolsey, Jones, and Rowland, owners of the Alpha and Omega mines, convej'ed a half interest in their mining property to Pinney & Lorton, in considera- tion of a half interest in the mill, thus giving to each of the contracting parties an equal proprietary interest in the mines and mill. J. M. Brelsford and Aaron Dunn, now of Deadwood, and W. E. Jones, of Sturgis, assisted in the work of building the plant, which commenced dropping its ten stamps on December 30, 1876. This mill was operated, with short periods of interruption, on ore taken from the Alpha or Omega Mines, perhaps it will be more correct to say the Alpha and Omega, until 1885, when the engine and boiler were removed to Sturgis by W. E. Jones to be utilized in A saw mill near that place where they are still in occa- sional use. The worn-out batteries were thrown aside, having served their day. The Alpha Mine, a conglomerate crystallized quartz proposition, was discovered and located by Jas. Wolsey, a Californian, W. E. Jones, and M. V. Rowland, on May 12th, 1876. A little later the Omega mine was located by the same parties, in such a way that it overlapped the richer portion of the Alpha location, at which point of inter- 282 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, section the ore pounded out by the batteries of the first stamp mill was mined. The introduction and successful operation of these two pioneer quartz mills exerted a powerful influence in bring- ing the Black Hills into public prominence as a gold-pro- ducing region; in attracting capital, eager for profitable investment, thereto, and in encouraging new discoveries and future developments. Their operations convinced the world that there was plenty of gold, bright gold, buried beneath the pine-clad hills of the new El Dorado, awaiting similar developments and needing improved and more ex- tensive machinery to convert it into commercial value, and it is thought that those enterprising pioneers who expended their energies, and risked thousands of money in bringing the Black Hills to the fore, are deserving of more credit than the average man or woman in this day and generation think to accord. It may be proper to state here for the benefit of those who know less about mining than an old Black Hills' pioneer, that there is a distinction as well as a difference between a stamp mill and a quartz mill. Paradoxical as it may seem a stamp mill is essentially a quartz mill, but a quartz mill is not necessarily a stamp mill. In a stamp mill the ore is pulverized by stamp batteries, while in a quartz mill other agencies may be employed for the purpose, as in the case of the Bolthoff and Ball Pulverizer brought into the Hills by Capt. Gardner, which pulverized the ore by the rolling and tumbling of iron balls in a huge cylinder. The first gold dust to the amount of $1,000, sent out of the Black Hills, was carried from Custer City to Chey- enne, by Emil Faust, now of Lead City, in the early part of March, 1876. The gold was produced for the most part from the placer deposits along the streams of the southern and central Hills, during the late fall of 1875, and was given into the custody of Mr. Faiist by several miners, to be invested for their benefit in supplies. As there were MILTON E. PIXXEY, Who brought the first starap mill to the Black Hills in the fall of 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 283 no highway robbers on the road, and but few Indians on the warpath at that early date in 1876, the hazard of carry- inw so much sold was, by virtue of these facts, reduced to a minimun. The first large shipment of gold dust from the Black Hills was made by the Wheeler Brothers, late in the fall of 1876. Those old mountaineers had, during the summer and fall of 1876, sluiced out thousands upon thousands of o-litterino: gold from claim No. 2 below " Discovery " on Deadwood gulch. Some alleged that they also worked the lower half of No. 1 below ; the exact number of thousands is not, and probably never will be, known. The amount has been variously estimated at from $50,000 to $150,000, and even more. At any rate, the boys had made a big stake and were evidently satisfied. After going pretty thoroughly over their claim, they sold out the residue of the gold in the ground and in the tailings for two or three thousand more, when they were ready to turn their backs upon the Black Hills with their pockets filled to overflow- ing with Black Hills gold. As the country surrounding the Hills was still filled with depredating bands of the hostile Indians — returned from the battles of the Little Big Horn, and with numerous white desperadoes, who were even more to be feared than the Indians, the question as to the best means by which to ship so large an amount of gold became a matter of grave importance, and one demanding serious consideration. They finally selected and employed a strong guard from among the experienced miners — old mountaineers who, to use a vulgar phrase, had been there before — to escort the train and guard their golden treasure out of the Black Hills, for a consideration of $25 per day, until reaching the railroad. Other miners along the gulches who had a sur- plus of gold dust, upon hearing of this arrangement for shipment took advantage of the opportunity to ship with them, thus increasing the amount of shipment by about ),000 — a tempting bait for an alert road agent. For- 284 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, tunately, however, owing to the secrec}^ with which the arraugements were made, the first large shipment of gold from the Black Hills reached the railway without encoun- tering any serious trouble. The Congregational Church of Deadwood is, beyond ■question, entitled to the proud distinction and honor of having formed the tirst religious society ever organized in the Black Hills. Late in the fall of 1876 Rev. L. P. Norcross was sent by the American Home Mission Society to Deadwood, where he began the work which, after twenty-one years of hard, earnest Christian effort, has culminated in the large and prosperous society of to-day. Few, perhaps, of those who now worship God nnder the domes of commodious church buildings of approved church architecture, with stained-glass windows, cushioned seats and richly-carpeted aisles, heated by furnaces and illumined with incandescent lights, fully realize the uncomfortable environments and limitations under which the nucleus of the pioneer church organization of the Black Hills was formed. At first the devoted and self-sacrificing missionary, sent to bring Deadwood sinners to repentance, and keep others in the straight and narrow path, had, perforce, to conduct his services here and there, wherever a place could be secured for the purpose — in buildings wholly unsuitable for the purpose, whose roofs were not always impervious to rain, furnished with seats of rough boards without cushions or backs, and lighted by a couple of kerosene lamps. In such places Rev. Norcross, from a slightly elevated platform — sometimes a mere box of some kind — read his notes, if it was evening service, by the dim rays of a coal oil lamp, while his listeners sat bolt upright in their backless seats, sometimes shivering with cold. Yes, this is a realistic picture — rather underdrawn. Rev. Norcross held his first -services in Deadwood at the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAIIS. 285^ Internalional Hotel on Main street, at the opening of which service only five persons were present, this number, how- ever, increasing to twenty-five or thirty before its close. After two or three Sundays the building was rented for a meat shop, when, for several Sundays, services were conducted in the dining room of the Centennial Hotel. The Deadwood theater building on Main street was then tendered by its proprietor. Jack Langrishe, which generous otfer, owing to the impracticability of heating the building, and the fact that entertainments were frequently held in the evening, was not accepted. The, society then com- menced holding their meetings in a carpenter's shop in South Deadwood, opposite Boughton and Berry's sawmill, where services were continued for three or four months, the fuel and lights being furnished free of charge by Col. Backus. Occasional services were also held at other places during the fall and winter of 1876 and 1877. About the middle of January, 1877, the church proper was organized, at which time, it is said, nine persons united by letter. In this connection I am reminded of a very amusing incident that occurred, one evening when I was attending services in a building situated, as I remember it, up toward the point of McGovern hill. I think it was in 1877, and the place may have been the first building erected by the Congregational church. Be that as it may, during the ser- vice a brisk shower came up, and soon the rain began to percolate freely through the unfinished roof of the build- ing, when, just as Rev. Norcross began his closing bene- diction, a shrill childish voice piped out, and fell upon the startled ears of the hushed congregation: "Oh, Mr. Norcross! Mr. Norcross, its a-eaking on me! " — meaning leaking — and no mistake it was a-eaking on the little tot, as well as the rest of us, including Rev. Norcross. It is needless to say that the little congregation was convulsed. By the eftbrts of the ladies and private subscriptions, suflScient funds were raised to build a church edifice and 286 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, purchase an organ, which, on July 9th, 1877, was turned over to the trustees of the organization. The first settler to avail himself of the pre-emption law in the Black Hills was Mr. Jones, who made settlement on 160 acres of Section 10, Township 6, Range 2 East, on December 5th, 1879, making filing No. 1 on January 27th, 1879, the same day the plat was received at the United States Land Office at Deadvvood. The first settlement in Black Hills under the Homestead Act was made by Joseph Ransdell, of Spearfish, who made entry No. 1 at the United States Land Office on February 3d, 1879, of 160 acres of Section 10, Township G, Range 2 East of Black Hills meridian. The first man in the Black Hills to avail himself of the act to encourage the growth of timber on the Western prairies was E. D. Knight, who made Timber Culture Entry No. 1 at United States Land Office on April 16th, 1879. The government survey of the township and range in which the first entries are located, was made by Charles Scott in the summer and fall of 1878, and the plat filed in the United States Land Office at Deadwood on January 27th, 1879. The first herd of beef cattle to arrive in the Black Hills was brought in by Mart Boughton and a man called " Skew " Johnston, from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Whether or not " Skew " was his real name, is an open question. The first minstrel troupe in the Black Hills appeared in Custer on August 18th, 1876, and gave their first perform- ance that night in Long Branch Hall. Admission fee, 75 cents. The first livery stable in the Black Hills was opened in Deadwood by Clark & Morill, in the spring of 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 287 CHAPTER XXI. CUSTER IN 1876, Custer narrowly escaped achieving a place on the pages of Black Hills history under another name. It may not be generally known that the pioneer town of the Black Hills was once named Stonewall, in honor of the brave Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Yet it is never- theless a fact, a fact, however, of which it has no reason to feel ashamed, as it in no way reflects discredit upon Cus- ter's fair fame and honored name, to have once borne the suggestive appellation given to that gallant defender of the " lost cause." We have it upon authentic authority that as early as July, 1875, a town-site company was organized, and the present site of Custer laid out, and called Stonewall, which name it bore until its reorganization a month later. On the 10th day of August, 1875, at a mass meeting of nearly all the miners then in the Black Hills, who had gathered there in compliance with the order of Gen. Crook, a new town-site company was organized, and a board of trustees elected, of which Tom Hooper was chosen clerk. On that day a site, one mile square, about two and one-half miles above the stockade on French creek, was surveyed, laid out, platted, and by unanimous choice christened Custer in honor of the brave, intrepid leader of the first military expedition to penetrate the Black Hills, Gen. G. A. Custer. The platted town-site was then divided into lots from one to 1200 and on the 11th day of August, 1875, several hundred miners became (through the medium of a lottery) nominal, if not defacto^ owners of Black Hills real estate to the extent of a town lot in Custer. As before stated, the survey of the site was 288 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, made with a small pocket compas3, the lines laid by means of picket ropes, and the plat drawn on a piece of birch bark twelve inches square, stripped from a tree growing on the border of French creek. By permission of Gen. Crook, a detachment of United States soldiers aided in the work of survey. The plat, which has unfortunately been lost, was drawn by Tom Hooper. Among the first permanent settlers in Custer were D. W. Flick, Sam Shankland, Tom Hooper, and D. K. Snively, whose respective feet trod the ground upon which the prosperous city of to-day stands, even before the site was laid and called Stonewall. In March, 1876, the town of Custer, which then comprised the major part of the population of the Black Hills, asserted itself and assumed the dignity of a full-fledged municipality. A mass conven- tion of the people of the Hills was held, at which all neces- sary city officers were duly elected. This same convention also organized a provisional government for the entire Black Hills, established a superior court, whose jurisdiction was to extend over the uncertain length and breadth of the Black Hills, which court was constituted a tribunal of last resort for all legal transactions within its jurisdiction until such time as regularly authorized courts should be estab- lished by the government. This convention elected Thos. Hooper Judge of the Supreme Court. The municipal officers elected were as follows: Mayor, Dr. Bemis ; Justice of the Peace, E. P. Keiffer; City Marshal, John Burrows. Among the twelve members of the Council were: Capt. Jack Crawford, D. K. Snively, S. R. Shankland, Cyrus Abbey, D. Wright, Emil Faust, — Robinson; others not known. In November, 1876, another election was held and the following full complement of municipal officers elected, viz. : Supreme Judge, J. W. C. White ; City Clerk, S. R. Shankland; City Attorney, G. H.Mills; City Treas- urer, W. H. Harlowe ; City Marshal, Michael Carroll; City Surveyor, A. J. Parshall; City Assessor, Joseph THOMAS HOOTER, Judge of the Black Hills Superior Court, established in lieu of regular courts, by the people of the Black Hills, in con- vention assembled at Custer City, in March, 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 289 Reynolds; Justices of the Peace, I. W. Getchell, W. A. Freeze, and A. B. Hughes; Board of Trustees, G. W. Rothrock, President and ex-officio Mayor, G. V. Ayres, Joseph Bliss, W. H. Bunnell, E. Schlewning, G. A. Clark, W. D. Gardner, D. K. Snively, F. B. Smith, E. G. Ward, M. Woodward, and A. Yerkes. CUSTER IN 1876. Custer, which in the marvelously short period of the three months prior to its emergence from its swaddling clothes had expanded from a few prospectors into a popu- lation of from six to seven thousand souls, was destined ere many months to become nearly depopulated. The alluring reports reaching that southern camp of the rich gold discoveries in the northern gulches of Dead wood and Whitewood, quickly emptied the new city of its entire 11) 290 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, floating population; miners, eager to find richer fields for mining operations; business men actuated by similar eco- nomic considerations, soon followed in their wake, until finally, it is said, only fourteen of the thousands remained in the city to direct its future destinies and to lay the foundation of a more enduring prosperity. Although the blow inflicted upon the aspiring young city was severe, it was by no means vital, it giving only a tem- porary shock from which with wonderful recuperative powers, stimulated by the push and energy of a few deter- mined men, it gradually recovered. Failing to find a place to drive their stakes in the upper gulches, a few of the deserters soon returned, ready to pin their faith to the pioneer city and the southern gulches. One of those who stood resolutely by the town was Samuel Shankland, whom no distant enchantment or big stampede ever had power to swerve from his steadfast loyalty to the town he helped to found. Ever since the day in June, 1875, when he, with one sole companion, stood trembling on a bluff" overlooking the val- ley of French creek, furtively watching from behind a high ledge of micaceous rock, the dreaded blue coats of Col. Dodge's command, he has been true to his first love. As the government had, in the late fall of 1875, with- drawn all opposition to immigration into the Black Hills, so it had also practically withdrawn all protection to the people, thus leaving them in the spring of 1876 to depend entirely upon their own resources for means of defense against the hostilities of the Sioux, who would, with the opening of the buds and the sprouting of grass, be on the warpath. Realizing this danger, the people of the exposed settlements began early to organize for defensive opera- tions against Indian surprises which were sure to come. Custer, owing to its location on one of the principal lines of travel into the Hills, occupied an inviting position for Indian raids, so its citizens, wide awake to the peril that menaced their lives and property, about the middle of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 291 March, 1876, formed an organization, consisting of 125 men, composed of the best bone and sinew of the city, known as the *' Custer Minute Men," to serve as a home-guard. At the head of this organization was Capt. Jack Oawford, the famous government scout, with Chas. Whitehead as his First-lieutenant. The organization was effected none too soon, as early in April hostilities began. These Indian depredations were directed chiefly against small parties of immigrants, making their way into the Hills, while passing through the gloomy defiles of Buff'alo Gap and Red Canyons, springing suddenly out upon them from ambush, capturing their horses, destroying their goods, and often killing the owners who fell bravely defending their property. Frequently small bands of the red thieves would ride their fleet ponies to the limits of the town, dismount and sneak stealthily to where horses were grazing, cut the lariat ropes, then mount and away with ill-gotten booty like a flash. Occasionally, they even made bold dashes right through the town, — yelling like demons in seeming defiance of the settlers, who, mounting in hot haste, would follow in distant pursuit, — usually too late to overtake the bold marauders. The following extract from a letter, written by a well-known and honored pioneer of 1876, Samuel Booth, now deceased, to the Oskosh Times, describ- ing his journey from Sidney to the Black Hills in April, 1876, will pretty clearly illustrate the dangerous environ- ments of the pioneer city at that time. In his closing paragraphs he says : — " Now we find ourselves in the Black Hills proper. The roads are rough and rocky, and the hills are covered with a thick growth of Norway pine. About noon we came upon three wagons that had been captured by the Indians. Everything in them that had not been carried ofi* was destroyed; cofiee mills broken, flour scattered about; harness cut into small pieces, and wagons shot full of balls. About a half mile further on we came to another 292 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, place where there had been a battle; — blood on the stones, — any amount of cartridge shells, and other signs that showed that we were near to business. That night we all stood with our guns in our hands and the next day we drove into Custer — sixteen days from Sidney. " I had slept only a short nap at noon since I left the Bad Lands, and now that we were safe in sight of a thousand men, and where the sound of axes, hammers, and saws, seemed equal to Oskosh, and miners were turning French creek in every direction, my first thought was to get a little sleep. I accordingly threw a blanket on the ground, dropped upon it, and was soon in the land of ' Nod.' How long I slept I do not know, but I do know that 1 was aroused by somebody falling over me, — coffee pots and frying pans rattling, women and children screaming, guns rattling, and last, but not least, about a dozen Indians gal- loping across the valley, yelling like mad. The next minute, and before we could get our guns ready, they had dashed into the timber on the other side of the valley and were gone, taking several head of horses with them. Hurrah, for the ' Custer Minute Men ! ' Saddle and bridle your poor skeleton horses and give chase. In fifteen min- utes they are in motion; — and in an hour and a half they came back leading their poor jaded horses, and thus ended another raid on Custer." The above is a true picture of the temper of the hostiles in 187(3. During the month of April at least three sep- arate parties of emigrants were attacked in Buff'alo Gap Canyon, whose outfits were found in the condition described in Mr, Booth's letter. In one case the scene of attack gave evidence that there had been a fierce conflict between the savages and their victims. Among the first and most atrocious of the bloody deeds committed in the spring of 1876 was the killing of Col. Brown and another of his party, and the massacre of the Metz family in Red Canyon when on their way out of the Hills. S. M. BOOTH, One of Custer's early settlers in 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 293 Col. Brown, familiarly known as Stuttering Brown, agent of the Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage Co., and an- other man, whose name is unknown, were killed, and a man called " Curley " badly wounded, at a point near the mouth of Red Canyon, on April 22d, 1876. Col. Brown was on his way out from Custer to Cheyenne with his two SCENE AT RED CANYON AFTER THE MURDER OF THE METZ PARTY. companions, to look up a more practicable route to the Hills, and to establish stations along the line thereof for the above mentioned company, when they met their doom. The Indians (if Indians they were) swooped down upon the little party from behind a projecting headland, at a time and place, perhaps, when they least expected an attack, mortally wounding the two and dangerously wounding the 294 THE BLACK HILLS ; OK, other. They were found and carried to the Cheyenne river station, where Col. Brown died that night, the other dying the next day. " Curley," the driver of the team, was taken first to Hat Creek station, where he laid for many days in a little log hut, hovering between life and death. As soon as it was possible to move the wounded man he was conveyed to Fort Laramie, where he finally recovered. Many believe that the deed was not committed by the Indians but by a character called Persimmons Bill and his associates, in an attempt to get possession of the horses belonging to the company. More, however, believe the perpetrators to have been Indians. Be that as it may, the horses were taken, while the wagon, riddled with bullets and bespattered with blood, was found, upturned, near the scene of the attack. The scene of the tragedy gave evi- dence that the men sold their lives dearly. MASSACRE OF METZ FAMILY. Two days later, April 24th, the Metz party, consisting of husband and wife, a man who drove the team, and a colored woman, while on their way out from Custer to their home in Laramie City, Wyoming, in passing through Red Canyon were pounced upon by a band of ambushed savages and every member of the defenseless little party brutally massacred. After lying there, scattered along the trail as tempting bait for the hungry vultures for many hours, three of the victims were found, taken to the Cheyenne river stage station, and temporarily buried. After a few days the other victim (the colored woman) was found in a ravine a little distance away, her body pierced with numer- ous arrows. It appeared that she had attempted to escape, was overtaken in her flight and murdered. Mrs. Metz also had attempted to escape, as her body was found nearly a half mile from the point of attack where the demolished vs^agon and goods, scattered broadcast, were found. There was one notable feature about those early Indian attacks, viz. : that they rarely took the provisions of their victims, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 295 and indeed they had no need to as those graceless wards of the government were amply provided with rations. HOSTILES RETURNING FROM LITTLE BIG HORN. From the latter part of May until after the battles of the Little Big Horn, the people of the Hills had a comparative surcease from Indian outrages. A little before the middle of July, however, the hosts of Crazy Horse, who had Hed from that sanguinary battlefield towards the Black Hills before Gen. Crook's pursuing army, separated into numer- ous small bands and emboldened by their recent victory and with whetted appetites, renewed aggressive operations against the outposts of the Hills on the north, south, and east. For the two following months those flitting bandits seemed to be omnipresent and there was no telling when nor where they would make their unwelcome presence felt. Scarcely a day passed that did not bring to light some dark tragedy for which they were responsible. Men were way- laid and murdered in almost every part of the Hills ; trains were harassed and beleaguered along all the lines thereto ; horses were stolen and run off; herds of cattle were driven away, slaughtered and jerked before they could be over- taken; in short, the people of the exposed settlements were kept in a chronic state of horror and suspense. Verily, those were days that tried the souls of the pioneers. In the early part of July, word came from Gen. Crook to Custer that a large band of 800 Indians was making its way towards the Black Hills, with the avowed purpose of driving out the white settlers from their country, creating no little excitement and consternation, — especially among the women and children, of whom there were a consider- able number in the city. On receipt of this alarming in- formation, a meeting of the citizens was called to consider measures for the better defense of the city — when the building of a stockade, large enough to afford a refuge for the population of the city in the event of an attack, was agreed upon. Money and work were liberally subscribed. 296 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, and the next morninof a large force of men was at work upon the building, which was hurried to speedy completion. The immense log structure of 100x150 square feet was built on the north side of Custer avenue, across Seventh street, which point, although central, was not within speedy reach of many residents in case of a surprise. For this reason two of Custer's enterprising citizens — Joseph Reynolds and H. A. Albion — who lived several blocks away from the stockade, determined to construct private fortifications for the benefit of their own respective families and those of their nearest neighbors, to which they would be able to escape, without encountering Indian bullets, at the first signal of alarm. These two fortifica- tions were planned and constructed wholly along under- ground lines, and reflected great credit upon the ingenuity of the designers. An underground passage-way was first dug from their cabins to a distance of about fifteen feet, where a room ten feet square, and just deep enough to permit an average man to stand erect, was excavated ; along the top margin of the excavation were laid hewn timbers, into which numerous portholes were bored, and through which all Indians coming within the range, long or short, of their guns, were to be perforated; a board roof covered with a thick layer of earth completed the works — making altogether an ideal underground fort. Fortunately, the people of Custer were never compelled to take refuge within the fortifications, as no formidable force of Indians ever assailed the city. However, small bands were to be seen, almost daily, skulking around the outskirts of the city, stealing horses and killing many of those who ven- tured outside the city limits. RAIDS ox CUSTER. On July 24th ten heads of horses were run off while the herder was at dinner. A party of ten mounted men started at once in pursuit of the thieves, and, after a long chase, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 297 came, about dark, upon two of the stolen horses, shot through the head, when the chase was given up. On July 27th two teams belonging to a large freight train, about ready to start to Sidney for goods, was driven out a little distance beyond the city limits, to get better grazing until the train should come along. eTust as the horses were unhitched from the wagons and before the harness was removed, seven Indians dashed up with a whoop, captured and drove off the four horses with their harness on, the two men having the horses in charge very wisely running away at the first whoop of the savages. This easy conquest emboldened them to come nearer the city, but they encountered a man the next time who was not so easily frightened, as will be seen. A man by the name of Welch who had camped for the night in one of the vacant buildings on the outskirts of the city, was letting his four horses graze, watched by him- self and son, while his wife was preparing supper within the cabin, when six of the Indians galloped up and at- tempted to drive off the four horses, at the same time firing their guns at the men, one of the balls just grazing the cheek of the elder Welch. "I'll not run a single step for the whole race of yez," he yelled, making a motion as if brushing it away from his cheek. Quickly his Sharp's rifle came to his shoulder, and he began throwing back lead at the would-be thieves, when one of them sank down in his saddle, badly, if not fatally wounded. In the mean- time Mrs. Welch had rushed in between the two firing parties, caught two of the horses and led them into an empty cabin — the other two following, and then with rifle in hand, came out and joined her husband and son in the battle. The Indians, finding the plucky Celts more than a match for them, rode hastily away, two of them riding beside their wounded or dead comrade. As they rode away Mr. Welch, Sr., called out to them, at the same time shaking his fist threateningly toward them, " Bad cess to yez, ye 298 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, thavin', murtherin' spalpeens. By the howly Moses, if oi had a howld of yez, its mesilf would give yez sich a batin' as yez niver dhraraed uv." Two boys who had wit- nessed the whole affray from behind a log, thought they could easily have killed the six Indians, if they had been provided with guns. This raid created intense excitement in Custer. A hundred armed men were in the street in a minute after the alarm was sounded, and in a very brief time twenty-five " minute men," were in their saddles, ready to start in pursuit of the Indians, but were just in time to see them disappear in the thick timber. SCALPED A MAN ALIVE. During those terrible days, a small party, among whom was a man named Ganzio, left Custer for Fort Laramie. When near Hat Creek Station, Ganzio, while looking for a place to camp, a little in advance of his companions, was fired at by a band of Indians as they rushed out from ambush, and he fell. In relating his experience of what followed, he said: *' One of the Indians put his knee on my back, another hit me with the butt of his gun ; then they drew their sharp knife and commenced scalping me. It was too much; I died, or thought I died." Hearing his loud cries, several of the party came running up, just in time to prevent the Indians from fully completing the operation. His scalp was laid back, when he was taken with all possible dispatch to Fort Laramie, and placed in the care of the army surgeon. He lived to relate the horrible experience of being scalped alive. In the latter part of July, a party of four miners with a team and light wagon loaded with supplies, while on their way to one of the northern gulches (I think Potato gulch), where they had been prospecting, were attacked by a band of Indians and the whole party killed. The horses were taken, the wagon riddled with bullets, and their supplies scattered over the ground. Some one who, in passing over the trail soon after, discovered the bodies and the wrecked LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 299 outfit, carried the shocking news to Custer, when a party of its citizens hastened to the scene of the tragedy, about fifteen miles distant, secured and placed the bodies in their own bullet-pierced wagon and brought them to Guster, where, in a spot set apart for Indian victims, a short dis- tance below the city, they were decently buried. A few days after the last recorded atrocity, four other men (haymakers) were killed and scalped within a short distance of Custer. The unfortunate men, who were en- gaged at the time in cutting hay for Ernest Schleuning, Sr., now of Rapid City, went out from Custer on the morning of that fatal day to their work in the hay field, but never returned alive. They had not been gone long before a man came running into the city, breathless and excited, and reported that he had seen Indians out in the direction of the hay field, and that they were up to some deviltry, as he put it. Of course the man did not wait to investigate. In less time than it takes to relate the facts, nearly all the able-bodied men of the city were armed and on their way to the point indicated ; some on horseback dashing over the ground with the speed of the wind, others in wagons rattling along the rough trail, with break-neck speed ; many hurrying along on foot, and all willing and anxious to risk their lives to get a shot at the red dare-devils who were daily committing such wanton butcheries. Arrived on the scene, the Indians were nowhere to be seen, but the work of their gory hands was painfully in evidence. The bodies of the four men were found scalped, and curiously enough, three of them were scalped in sections of four circular pieces each, while the fourth was removed in one piece. The supposition was that there were thirteen Indians, each of whom desired a piece to exhibit as a trophy of his wonderful achievement. One of the murdered men was Wilder Cooper, a half- brother of Attorney Cooper of Sundance, Wyoming, an- other was a young German, name unknown, a stranger in the city, who before leaving that morning, gave to an 300 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, acquaintance his name, the atklress of his relatives, etc., indicating that he either felt a presentiment of his coming doom, or realized that no person could in those days leave the protection of the city without taking his life in his own hands. The bodies of the murdered men were interred in the little graveyard a mile or so below Custer, where to- day, may be found among the tangled underbrush and weeds, the sunken graves of numerous victims of Indian savagery, little slabs of crumbling wood marking the spot where repose their ashes. Custer's first regularly licensed physician was Dr. D. W. Flick, now of Rapid City, who began the practice of his profession in the spring of 1876, and by virtue of priority of residence, was the first in the Black Hills. The climate of Custer, however, proved so deplorably healthy, that the doctor was finally forced to leave that region of perennial health for some more sickly clime. Its first hotel was built in Fel)ruary, 1876, bv a man named Druggeman, who also purchased the first town lot sold in Custer of one Jacobs, during the same month and year. The first store of general merchandise was opened and kept by Jas. Roberts, on Custer avenue, between Fifth and Sixth streets, in February, 1876. Roberts is said to have died in Deadwood during the year 1890. The first saw-mill in the Black Hills was brought to Custer and operated by J. F. Murphy in February, 1876. The fiist legal practitioners were Judge Thos. Hooper and Thos, E. Harvey, — both receiving their first retaining fee in the same case. The first newspaper half sheet printed in Custer was struck off by Laughlin & Merrick in May, 1876 — only one issue being printed. The first established newspaper was the Custer Herald, first published by J. S. Bartholomew & Co. in October, 1876, — continuing about six months. Frank B. Smith, for many years identified with the busi- ness interests of the Hills, was Custer's private postmaster in 1876, all the mail brought to the Hills by pony express THOMAS K. HARVEY, •One of the attorneys in the first law case ever tried in the Black Hills. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 301 for that point passing through his hands. Prior to the establishnient of the pony express, Mr. Smith also handled much of the mail brought to the Hills by trains, purchasing it from the carriers for a safe consideration, then selling: the letters for ten cents apiece at Custer, vvhile those addressed to Deadsvood were taken there and sold for twenty-five cents each, — making a handsome profit by the transaction. Conspicuous among the residents of Custer in 1876, was the versatile Black Hills humorist, E. T. Peirce, familiarly called Doc Peirce, the very "prince of good fellows" among the early pioneers, and their staunch friend. A very interesting. character was he in pioneer days, wherever he chanced to pitch his tent. With an acute sense of the ridiculous there was no occurrence so pathetic that " Doc " could not detect, without the aid of a Roentgen ray, a thread of the comic running through its warp and woof. Viewing things from an optimistic standpoint, he ever saw the silver linino; behind the darkest cloud. Among the " boys " he gained for himself the reputation of being very fond of and much addicted to practical jokes, to which numerous of his unfortunate victims could testify, if they were so disposed, but it was as a story-teller that " Doc" took the " cake." I know of several who have made for themselves a brilliant record in that line, yet, if I were a betting character, I should be willing to wager a quarter that " Doc Peirce " has spun more yarns than any other man who ever emigrated to the Black Hills. Possessing an inexhaustible fund of information and boundless resources, he never failed to make his recitals drawing cards, and whether seated outside the door of his cabin of a summer's eve, deftly touching the strings of his guitar, or whether inside around his rude hearthstone, before the glowing blaze of a pitch pine fire of a winter's night, he never failed to draw around him a crowd of in- terested listeners, who, by their loud merriment, attested their appreciation of the entertainment. 302 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, E. T. Peirce arrived in Custer on March 16th, 1876. In June of that year he went to Deadwood, returning on August 16th, to Custer, where he remained until April 1st, 1878, when he went to Rapid City, and with Dan J. Staf- ford, opened the hotel now known as the International. In the fall of 1880 he was elected sheriff of Pennington County. In 1886 he removed from Rapid City to Hot Springs, where he now resides. Mr. Pierce was also deputy sheriff of Custer County before coming to Rapid City. Among those who lived in Custer, with their families, during the days of peril, were H. A. Albion, A. B. Hughes, Abram Yerkes, Jos. Reynolds, Dr. Flick, Gen. Scott, Harry Wright and W. H. Harlow, Mrs. Chas. Hay- ward, Bob Pugb, afterwards issuing clerk at Pine Ridge Agency, and others. Of the above named H. A. Albion and family are still residents of the pioneer city. Mr. Al- bion was at one time engaged, in connection with S. Booth, in freighting between Sidney and the Black Hills. ELLIS T. PEIRCK, The Black Hills Humorist. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 303 CHAPTER XXir. RAPID CITY IN 1876. Rapid City — now just past its legal majority — was founded on the 25th of February, 1876, thus giving it the prestige of being, in point of age, the second city estab- lished in the Black Hills. It was on the 23d day of Feb- ruary, 1876, that John R. Brennan, Martin Pensinger, Thos. Ferguson, W. P. Martin, Albert Brown, and Wm. Marsten, arrived on Rapid creek from Palmer gulch, in quest of a desirable place upon which to lay the foundation of a city. After having spent nearly the entire winter in digging ditches, and delving in vain, in that auriferous gulch, for the glittering flakes and nuggets, for which Palmer gulch afterwards became famous, they finally concluded that founding cities might prove a more profitable enterprise. Accordingly on that winter's day, they packed their blankets and other equipments, — meanwhile keeping their own counsel, and set out on their new venture, in a north- easterly direction towards Rapid creek, — camping the first night at the point where that swiftly flowing stream comes dashing down from the shadow of the mountains into the broad valley, near what is now known as Cleghorn Springs, about five miles above Rapid City. The next day, February 24th, the party went down the valley of Rapid creek, a distance of about twenty miles towards its mouth, exploring each graceful bend and abrupt turn of the creek for a suitable place to draw their line, returning at night to the foot-hills, without having found a spot with the essential characteristics of their ideal town-site. That night they established a temporary camp, and planted the banner of civilization, at the point of rocks, the present location of the Electric Light Com- 304 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, pany's power house on the north side of Kapid creek, where they were joined by a number of men who had fol- , lowed them from Palmer gulch, surmising that they had left to find new diggings. Among the new arrivals were Sam. Scott, J. W. Allen, James Carney, Major Hutchinson, and Wm. Nuttall. On the evening of the 24th they went into committee of the whole, and held a meeting under a big tree, at the point of rocks, when it was decided to lay out a town-site near the foot-hills on Rapid creek, at an eligible point, looking to the trade of the Hills, as well as to the rich agricultural country in the valley below. They argued and believed that the valley would, in the near future, become the route of extensive travel to the Hills, and that a town at the grand gateway would become the focus of an extensive trade. That their judgment was not at fault and their faith well founded, twenty-one years of commercial prosperity has fully shown. The next day, February 25th, the site was selected, sur- veyed and laid out along the river to conform to the topography of the valley, and, at the suggestion of W. P. Martin, appropriately named Rapid City, after the stream on whose banks it is located. By the aid of a pocket com- pass and tape line, the survey was made by Sam. Scott, assisted by J. R. Brennan, James Carney, and J. W. Allen. The ground laid out, covering an area of one mile square, embraced the original town-site of Rapid City. J. W. Allen was chosen recorder. The six blocks occupying the center of the plat, were divided into lots, and drawn by lottery, each person pres- ent being allowed the privilege of drawing five lots, the rafile taking place at the intersection of 5th and 6th streets, that point being the center of the plat. At a meeting held on the evening of the 25th, a town-site company was or- ganized by the election of a board of five trustees, viz. : J. R. Brennan, Wm. Marsten, J. W. Allen, Major Hutch- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 305 iuson, and Wm. Nuttall, whose prescribed duty was to conduct the affairs of the town in a manner to subserve the best interests of its people. On the day the town was platted, a party composed of Frank Wyraan, Fred Edgar, C. Bates, and United States Marshal Ash, arrived at the camp from Yankton via Pierre, they being the first ones to reach the Black Hills by that route. The first enterprise looking to the up-building of the new town-site was a project for laying out a route of travel between Rapid City and Fort Pierre, with a view of en- couraging freight and passenger traffic from Eastern points over the line to the natural gateway to the Black Hills. In furtherance of the project, on the eighth day of the follow- ing March, J. R. Brennan and Frank Conley accompanied Fred. Edgar, C. W. Marshall and a Mr. Field on a trip of exploration across the country, for the purpose of select- ing the most feasible route to Fort Pierre, accomplishing the journey in six days ; not, however, without experienc- ing the exposure and hardships incident to a March journey across the Dakota plains. It is related that during the trip the party encountered a regular Dakota blizzard, lost a horse, and was twenty-four hours without food. A party of about 100 men, destined for the Black Hills, was found waiting at Pierre, and soon after, another party of equal numbers, led by Gen. Campbell, arrived at Pierre, en route for the same point. By arrangement, Conley conducted Gen. Campbell's party, over the new route to the Hills ; Brennan, meanwhile, proceeded to Yankton, for the purpose of filing the plat of Rapid City in the United States Land Office, then, returning to Pierre, piloted the other party, under the leadership of one Dillon, to Rapid City, where he arrived on April 8th, after an absence of one month. The first cabin built in Rapid City was commenced on the day the town-site was platted, by Sam. Scott, at the corner of 4th and Rapid streets, where it stood an unob- 20 306 THE BLACK HILLS ; OK, trusive landmark, until 1879, when it was decreed that the little old log cabin must go, to make room for the onward strides of improvement. The first hotel in Rapid City was built and conducted by J. R. Brennan, on Rapid street, between Fifth and Sixth streets. The structure in which Mr. Brennan entertained his guests in 1876, was a log cabin 12x14 square feet, but, as to whether it was partitioned into two or more apartments, or left in one spacious room of 168 square feet, tradition is silent. Be that as it may, it is safe to record that its guests were served with the best the market afforded, — to say nothing of the extra luxuries of game and fish, for, be it known that " mine host " of Rapid City's first hotel is a successful Nimrod, as well as a devotee of the hook and line. B}' the way, a funny story is told of the way John Brennan managed the cuisine department of that early hostelry, for the truth of which, however, I am not able to vouch, and, to be candid I do not believe a word of the story. It is related that when transient visitors came to the hotel and called for dinner, Mr. Brennan imme- diately hied him forth to the grocery store and purchased just as much provision as would seem sufficient for their dinners, promising to pay therefor when he secured the money from his customers. He returned, took their orders, and yelled the same into an adjoining room to an imaginary cook, then disappeared behind the scenes and prepared the dinner with his own hands. The first store of general merchandise in Rapid City was established by Oscar Nicholson in March, 1886. Rapid City was surrounded by none of the conditions which characterized the abnormal growth of the early mining camps of the Hills. Having no rich placer dis- coveries to draw the eager rushins; throno; of sjold-seeking adventurers to expand its population, its development depended largely upon its admirable location on the main line of travel from the Missouri river to the eastern gate- JOHN R. BRENNAN. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 307 way to the Hills, and upon its prospective commercial pos- sibilities as a base of supplies for the many mining com- munities springing up therein. The new town was, how- ever, content to pursue the even tenor of its way, confident of achieving ultimate greatness in a gradual and conserva- tive manner. The growth of Rapid City was materially retarded in 1876 by the persistent hostilities of the Indians, who, by their frequent murderous attacks upon parties of travelers making their way into the Hills, struck dumb terror into the hearts of many would-be settlers, especially those of the tenderfoot class. Owing to its exposed position on the eastern limits of the Hills, outside the gate, perhaps some of the early settlements suffered more from the a^orressive operations of the Indians along the line of horse stealing than Rapid City and vicinity. For two months after the middle of March, the few settlers who were determined to stay by the town, were kept constantly on the alert with loaded rifles in hand for the thieving redskins, who were seen almost daily skulking around the outskirts of the town, watching their opportun- ity to creep stealthily to the limits where horses were pick- eted, or with a whoop, make a bold dash, capture and run off horses not their own. That they often succeeded and sometimes failed in their purpose, the following cases will show. On the 14th of March a band of Indians made a bold dash, to the limits of the town and succeeded in ofetting safely away with a herd of twenty-eight horses, belonging to Bob Burleigh, at one time sheriff" of Pennington County, Dan. Williams, Jud. Ellis, John Dugdale, and Ben. North- ington. Encouraged by their success, they returned on April 12th and made another attempt to stampede a num- ber of horses, but this time failed in their purpose. After a brisk interchange of shots the Indians made their escape followed by a hail of bullets from the guns of the settlers. During the unsuccessful raid they succeeded in killing 308 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, a doo; belonoring to Rufus Madison, and demolishino; a wagon. On the 6th day of April, a man named Herman was killed a short distance below Rapid . On the 15th of the same month Capt. Dodge, of Bismarck, was killed near Spring Valley. Capt. Dodge was the leader of a party number- ing about 100 men who made their way across the country from Bismarck to the Hills. When near Rapid City he discovered the loss of a calf from the outfit, and returned alone to look for the missing property, the rest of the party proceeding on their journey to Rapid City. As their leader failed to put in an appearance, and apprehen- sive that he had fallen a victim to the bloodthirsty Sioux, on the following morning a party headed by J. R. Bren- nan, organized and went back on the trail in search of the missing man. Their worst fears were soon realized, as the unfortunate man was found at a point near Spring Valley, his body riddled with bullets; his horse lay nearby, having shared his master's fate. There was every evidence that the brave man made a desperate struggle for his life, but the odds were against him and he was overpowered. The next day, April 16th, another man was killed on the Pierre road about two miles east of Rapid City. On the 6th of May, Edwin Sadler, N. H. Gardner, Texas Jack, and John Harrison, were killed on the Pierre road east of Rapid City, and during the same month S. C. Dodge, Henry Herring, and C. Nelson, were killed and scalped and their bodies burned just above Rapid City. For a period of about two months, from the middle of May, there was a comparative cessation of hostilities around the Hills, the major part of the Indians having left to join Sitting Bull in the Northwest. However, from the middle of July until Gen. Crook's return from his summer cam- paign against the Indians in September, they kept the people of Rapid City and other border settlements in a state of constant terror by their murderous work. On the 22d of August, two men, who were building a LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 309 cabin on a ranch about two miles below town, were attacked by a band of the hostiles, returned from the Little Horn. The men, under a brisk fire, succeeded in reaching their horses that were picketed near by, and made their escape towards Rapid City, making a running fight for a mile or so, when the Indians gave up the chase without capturmg men or horses. As soon as the fugitives reached Rapid, one of its citizens mounted a horse and rode swiftly up the valley to warn wayfarers of the proximity of the savages, which warning, however, was a little too late, as the Indians had preceded°the messenger, and had already succeeded in killing two men at a point about two miles west of Cleg- horn '^Springs. The names of the victims were J. VV. Patterson and Thos. E. Pendleton. On the same day, and about the same time, four men, who were on their way from Deadwood to Rapid City, were attacked at Limestone Springs, on the Crook City and Deadwood road, and two of them killed. The party con- sisted of Sam. Scott, I. S. Livermore, G. W. Jones, and John Erquhart. The two latter were killed, Scott and Livermore making their escape into the woods about a half a mile distant, where they lay secreted until dark, when they made their way to Rapid City, arriving at about 10 ■o'clock p. m. The next morning, fifteen or twenty men, with one of Volin's freight wagons, started up the valley to bring in the bodies of the murdered men, first going for those of Jones and Erquhart, which were found about one-half mile north of the Leedy springs — from which Rapid City now crets its water supply. They then drove over to the old mill site after the other two victims, one of whom was found lyincr on his face in the creek, the other on the trail about 100 "yards away. The bodies, both of which were scaloedand terribly mutilated, were placed in the wagon with the others and taken to Rapid City for interment. While the party was absent on its humane and seif- sacrificincr mission, the men who had arranged to leave the 310 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, couDtry with the Volin train, had become wrought up to a high pitch of excitement, and demanded the immediate removal of the bodies from the wagon, that the train might pull out for Fort Pierre. The proprietor of the outfit ex- postulated with the terror-stricken tenderfeet, to wait until a decent disposition should be made of the dead, but all in vain. Impressed with the feeling that delay meant almost certain death, they insisted that the train must move at once — if not with, without the consent of its proprietor. The bodies were removed from the wagon and laid in ghastly array on the ground beside a log cabin, when the train immediately pulled out for Fort Pierre, and with it went nearly the entire population of Rapid City, fleeing from the terrible Indian-infested country as if a pursuing Nemesis followed closely upon their trail. Out of a population of 200 only eighteen brave men and one courageous woman had the nerve to stay. The names of the nineteen [)lucky ones were: Capt. E. LeGro, J. R. Brennan, Howard Worth, N. Newbanks, Charles N. Allen, Charles L. Allen, Jake Dawson, Mart. Pensinger, Andy Griffith, George Boland, Jim Moody, Hugh McKay, Reddy Johnson and wife, O. Nicholson, Pap Madison, Wm. F. Steele, and Bob Burleigh, and one other not remembered. To the nineteen heroic spirits who, in staying by the town, took their lives in their own hands, the prospect was not a hopeful one. The situation was indeed one well cal- culated to appall the stoutest hearts. Every day the mer- ciless painted foes of the settlers appeared in sufficient numbers to utterly annihilate them, yet their courage — fortified by trusty loaded rifles, their constant com- panions — never wavered during those terrible days of peril. Although hedged about by everpresent personal danger, they did not neglect their duty to the dead. Four rough boxes were made, in which the bodies were laid by strange, yet gentle hands. The boxes were then placed in a wagon furnished by Charles N. Allen, when the funeral cortege, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 311 the first in the annals of Rapid City marched to the ground chosen for burial, on the north side of Kapid creek, where, on the brow of a broad, treeless plateau which sloped gently down to meet that swiftly-tlowing stream, they were buried in one common grave. Some dug the grave while others stood cruard with loaded rifles in hand. John R. Brennan Samuel Scott, Chas. N. Allen, and Capt. E. Le Gro, bur.ed the men, the funeral services being conducted by Oscar Nicholson. Around the grave stood every resident of Rapid Citv and many of those brave rugged men who did not hesitale to face the bullets of the Sioux, found it hard indeed to keep back the rising tears. Erquhart came to the Black Hills from Denver, Col- orado, shortly before he met his tragic death. He was well known in Kansas City, Mo., and Fort Scott, Kansas in both of which cities he had held positions of honor and trust Jones came to the Hills from Boulder, Colo., Pat- terson was from Allegheny City, Penn., and came to the Hills as captain of a party of gold-seekers from Pittsburg. Pendleton hailed from one of the New England States, and was a member of the New England & Black Hills Mining Company. Patterson and Pendleton came to the Hills in the same outfit with Lyman Lamb in the early sorinc of 1876. Afrer a lapse of twelve years, - long after the blood- curdling war-whoop of the Sioux had ceased to echo in and around the Black Hills, and the old trails that had been freely baptized with the blood of many of our early pioneers had been abandoned, to be overgrown with grass, and when peace, security, and prosperity had settled down upon the lovely city of the valley, with its hundreds o enterprising, thrifty population, a praiseworthy movement was set on foot at the suggestion of J. R. Brennan, to remove the remains of the four murdered pioneers from their common grave on the school section on the north side, and accord them a resting-place with the silent majority in Evergreen Cemetery. 312 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, In pursuance of that object, on Saturday, November 10th, 1888, the bodies were exhumed by undertaker Behrens and his assistants, in the presence of a number of those who were present at the burial, twelve years before. The coflSns were found to be in an excellent state of preservation, the inscriptions on the lids being plainly legible. Patterson's coffin was opened and, while the clothing and bones were intact, the tlesh had resolved itself into dust. Lyman Lamb recognized the boots as a pair he had often seen him wear during his lifetime. On the following day, November 11th, 1888, impressive funeral services were held at Library Hall, which was filled to its utmost capacity, — with an overflow of 200 to 300 people. The Mayor and city council were present, in conformity with a resolution adopted by that body, and also the local post of the Grand Army. Many pioneers from other por- tions of the Hills were in attendance to pay their last sad tribute to the memory of their murdered comrades. The citizens of Kapid City turned out en masse, in response to the Mayor's proclamation, large numbers from the sur- rounding country being also present. At the close of a programme of impressive exercises, consisting of appropriate music, prayer, and touchingly eloquent addresses by R. B. Hughes and Revs. Dr. Han- cher and Wilbur, the coffins were borne out, one by one, by their respective pall-bearers, nearly all of whom were early pioneers, and placed in wagons arranged in line in front of the hall. The procession, a full mile in length, then slowly wound its way to Evergreen Cemetery, where, in the four graves previously prepared, the remains were once more consigned to Mother Earth to await the last trumpet call. Revs. Hancher and Wilbur conducted the services at the graves, and when the solemn words, " Earth to earth, ashes to ashes " were recited, John R. Brennan, Sam'l Scott, Chas. N. Allen, and Capt. E. Le Gro — the men who buried the bodies in 1876, threw down the first earth upon their coffins. This time, however, no grim LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 313 sentinels stood around the graves with loaded rifles, to truard them against a savage foe. * iS^I t%-:^(^: '■;fe': On the next clay after the last recorded tragedy two men from Spring creek reported finding a murdered man on the road about seven or eight miles from Eapid City. A 314 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, party of ten went out and found the body as reported, which was buried on the spot where found, and so the carnival of blood went on. The perils became so great that all work was suspended in the valleys of Rapid and Spring creeks, and all settlers within a radius of seven or eight miles concentrated for safety at Rapid City, BLOCK HOUSE BUILT. During the month of August a substantial block house was built on the square, at the intersection of Rapid and Fifth streets, which afforded the harassed settlers a refuge of comparative safety during the remainder of the summer. The building was a two-story structure of logs, with cupola to serve for an outlook, the upper story projecting out two feet on all sides, over the lower story which covered an area of thirty square feet. All extra provisions belonging to the citizens were at all times stored in this block house. That early stronghold of Rapid City was torn down during the summer of 1879, by Frank P. Moulton, then sheriff of Pennington County, and the material used for building a jail. UPPER RAPID. In the early part of March, 1876, another town, called Upper Rapid, was laid out three and one-half miles above Rapid City, by a party from Bismarck, headed by Cali- fornia Joe. Arthur Harvey, now of Pactola, Thos. Mad- den and Wm. Browning, were also among its locators. The land upon which the town was laid had previously been located by California Joe while connected with the Jenny Expedition in the summer of 1875, and is now known as the Wm. Morris and Albert Brown ranches. Owing to the persistent hostility of the Indians, the project was abandoned on August 26th, 1876. LOCATION OF RANCHES IN RAPID RIVER VALLEY IN 1876. Those of the early settlers inclined to rural pursuits, were quick to note the generous agricultural and grazing LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS, 315 possibilities of the bfoad valley of Rapid creek, with its wealth of waters, and were not slow to avail themselves of the golden opportunity to secure a choice of the thousands of rich unoccupied acres lying along the creek from Rapid City to its mouth. Wide smooth acres they were, too, without stumps, or very many stones, or scarcely a tree, save those fringing the margin of the stream, to interfere with the plow in the furrows, or the reaper on the surface. It may well be said that those who had the judicious fore- sight to possess themselves of a ranch on the fertile valley of Rapid creek, where, with its unsurpassed facilities for irrigation, crops never fail, have to-day a property more to be prized than a gold mine. 316 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, CHAPTER XXIII. A TRIP FROM CHEYENNE TO DEADWOOD IN 1876. It was about the time the Sioux Indians, at Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, and the Missouri River Agencies, were rub- bing on their war paint, and donning their feathers, pre- paratory to starting out on the warpath after the scalps of Black Hills gold adventurers in 1876, just as spring was slipping from the lap of winter, and while there were yet banks of snow lying in the bottom of the ravines, and small patches of "the beautiful" lay scattered here and there on the northern slopes of the low sand-hills around the city of Cheyenne, and when the mud lay hub deep in the low depressions along the military highway leading to old Fort Laramie, that a small party of immigrants, six in number, with three two-horse teams, and as many wagons, left that phenomenally windy city for the Black Hills. When I say " phenomenally windy " I speak advisedly — having seen good-sized pebbles lifted from the ground, carried along and toyed with by a fierce " nor' wester," as if they were mere grains of sand, cutting the faces of pedes- trians like keen razors. One of the wagons of the little train was loaded to the guards with merchandise for the Deadwood market — in charge of a man afterwards well known in the Hills as *' Deaf Thompson: " another with sundry supplies, camp equipments, etc., of H. N. Gilbert & Son — Sam, than whom, truer gentleman never rehearsed a story around a camp-fire. By the way, I saw Sam a few weeks since, and he does not look a day older than he did twenty-three years ago when we traveled together, and all shared the same tent, from Cheyenne to Custer. The third wagon carried LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 317 the household belongings of D. G. Tallent, then on his third trip to the Black Hills, and it is needless to state that the writer of this story was part and parcel of said household goods. Yes, it is twenty-three years since that day in early April, when I bade a reluctant adieu to the wind-swept yet hospitable city of Cheyenne, and, seated in a canvas-cov- ered wagon, behind a span of lean, ossified horses, that had been nearly starved to death during a snowstorm on their way out of the Black Hills two weeks before, resolutely turned my back once more upon civilization and all that it implies, to face the discomforts, hardships, and positive perils of a second journey to the golden " mecca " — a journey which proved to be full of exciting situations. There is not much in the way of scenic attractions to engage the interest of travelers along the road from Chey- enne to Fort Laramie — as hundreds who have passed over the route will remember — and it was only the superabun- dance of mud encountered at intervals, claimins: our undi- vided attention, that relieved the journey from the oppro- brium of being called disgustingly monotonous — without even the spice of danger. Several ranches were passed, in convenient succession, where good camping grounds were found, and where accommodations were furnished for man find beast — bear- ing the unpoetic though perhaps suggestive appellations of Pole Creek, Horse Creek, Bear Springs, and Chugwater — after the creeks upon which they were located. The latter creek, by the way, is deserving of a more euphonious name than Chug, as it is really a beautiful mountain stream, whose valley was already covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, in pleasing contrast to the dreary stretch through which we had just passed. Nothing occurred to materially change the original status of our little party until it crossed the Platte river, when our numbers began rapidly to augment and our train to lengthen, for, by the time we were well outside the mill- 318 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, tary reservation, we had expanded into quite a formidable expedition of about ninety well-armed men, twenty-five or thirty wagons, besides a few horsemen. Among the re- cruits were Frank Thulen, Wm. Cosgrove, Billy Stokes, Chas. Blackwell, and D. Tom Smith, all well-known early pioneers. I came within one of being the only woman in the outfit, and that one was Mrs. Robinson, now living at Dakota City, on the Cheyenne river. Although no Indians were encountered on the route, every man in the party, realizing that there was danger all along the line, carried his arms upon his shoulder dur- ing the day, and slept with them by his side during the night with his cartridge belts under his hard pillow. Reports came thick and fast of their atrocious deeds near the foot-hills — brought out by returning freighters, and the numerous tenderfeet who were leaving the Hills at the time. On reaching Hat creek these alarming reports re- ceived full confirmation, and we came face to face with the perilous situation. Curley, one of the victims of the Col. Brown tragedy, was lying at the time dangerously wounded, in a little log hut, at the station, with but small hopes of recovery. When it became known that a man was lying in a cabin near by, riddled with Indian bullets, excitement and consternation spread through the ranks of the expedition, especially along the rank and file of the two women of the party. The men, however, buckled on their armor and prepared for the worst, scarcely daring to hope to escape a conflict with the redskins. Every precaution being taken to t^uard against surprise, the train, flanked by a line of armed men, marched boldly on towards the Hills, preceded by an advance guard of six men — and thereby hangs a tale. Now, in view of the tactics peculiar to Indian strategy and attack, an advance guard per se may be all right and proper, but, when a body of six armed men persist in marching in advance of me, either at short or long range, with the muzzles of their guns pointed over their shoulders at such an an .A?**-.r-rj,..i«»^ •>-;.,. . 1 CABIN ON CLAIM NO. 2, DEADWOOD GULCH. Dudley's mill, in East Deadwood, turning out about 12,000 feet per day, Street & Thompson's and Boughton & Berry's mills, located below Montana, producing 10,000 feet per day each. Boughton & Berry's mill was later removed to South Deadwood. 336 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, " PLACER MINING PROCESSES." The attention of prospectors on their arrival in a new gold field is at once directed to its auriferous placer deposits : first, because they are a pretty certain index of the richness of the gold-bearing ledges, from which by natural processes they have been liberated ; second, because in ordinary operations little capital save that of willing hands and stout arms is needed to remove them from their hiding-places, and by various interesting methods convert them into com- mercial values. These deposits are found by digging down to the floor or bedrock of the gulch, to which, by virtue of its specific gravity, the gold has sifted, or in bars of gold- laden gravel along the courses of streams, and, strangely enough, in some portions of the Black Hills — notably along the borders of Castle creek — placer gold and wash gravel have been found on the tops of high hills. How they came there, I shall not undertake to explain, not being a geologist. Some geologists would say, perhaps, that they were car- ried or pushed along with the rock and debris by the early glaciers on their long, slow journey down from the regions of perpetual ice, and left high and dry upon our hill-tops; others might advance some other occult theory. However, as it is not the province of history to deal in theories, but in facts, let it suflSce to say that the fact remains as above stated, which goes to show that the oft-repeated aphorism that gold is where you find it, is peculiarly applicable to the Black Hills. After the deposit has been discovered and tested through the medium of the pick, shovel, and gold-pan, the first great requisite for sluicing — which is the method that has been most extensively employed in the Black Hills — is an ample supply of water, without which the richest deposits are comparatively valueless; then comes the construction of a ditch for carrying the necessary supply of water from some point above to the place where it is turned into the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 337 sluice. Sometimes a combination of claim owners unite to build the ditch, the water to be used in common, in which case gates are made through which to divert the water from the main canal or ditch to the head of each individual claim ; sometimes the water is leased to other miners who have no interest in the enterprise. In the meantime sluices have been constructed, the sluice consisting of several oblong, open boxes, eighteen inches high and about two feet wide, at the bottom of which are nailed cleats (called riffles) at short intervals to catch the gold, and at the end of the series of boxes a piece of cloth, called an apron, is sometimes attached to save the particles that are washed over the riffles. A little quicksilver is then frequently poured into the boxes above the riffles to attract the gold, when the work of sluicing is ready to begin. The gate is then opened and the water glides through a channel dug for the purpose into the sluice; at first it goes rippling musically over the riffles, then dashes gaily down the slightly inclined plane, and out at the opposite end of the sluice, where it is again turned into the main ditch to be utilized on the claim below, or into the channel of the stream, as the case may be. . A man is stationed at the head of the sluice to shovel the gravel from the dump into the sluice box ; another man armed with a many-tined fork is placed at the lower end of the sluice to remove the pebbles and gravel that are washed down, while a third or middle man, also provided with a fork, is employed in removing obstacles from the boxes all along the line. Every night, or at longer intervals, as may seem necessary, there is had what is called a clean-up. The water is turned off, and the accumulation of gold, black sand, and gravel is carefully scraped from the riffles and the apron at the lower extremity of the sluice into a gold pan, and then taken to a stream of water near by, where the gravel and sand for the most part are washed off. This operation requires a good deal of skill and dexterity, and not everyone can do it successfully — the particles 22 338 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, of gold being liable to float out with the grosser substances, unless saved by the dexterous hand of an expert. All this done, behold ! as a result, $2,000 of gold dust, gold scales,, and often gold nuggets in the pan. This is then taken to the miner's cabin and divested of all dross, when it is ready for commercial exchange. Where the water supply is inadequate for sluicing pur- poses, the old method of washing out the gold by " rock- ing " is resorted to. The rocker, though an ancient ap- pliance for washing out gold, is really a very ingenious contrivance, and deserves to occupy a conspicuous niche in placer mining history as well as a warm place in the affections of placer miners. It has been the accommo- dating agent through which many a stranded miner has secured a "grub stake" when away from his base of supplies. This time-honored afiair, which consists of a box mounted on a pair of rockers, is operated on the principle of a child's cradle. A succession of sieves, graduating in texture, are arranged on a slight incline in the box — on the bottom of which are nailed tiny riffles which catch the gold that makes its way through the meshes of the sieves. Two men are required to operate a rocker — one shovels the gravel in at the top, the other dips up the water with a long-handled dipper and pours it on the gravel with his right hand, while with his left he rocks his cradle — not to a lullaby song, but to the music of the water as it percolates through the gravel, from sieve to sieve, and flows out through a spout at the lower end of the incline. The rocker is a portable concern, and can be easily loaded onto a wheel-barrow and transported from place to place, wherever there chances to be a pool of water, and pay gravel to operate upon. This process was extensively used in washing out the wonderfully rich deposits of Kockerville, where to-day good wages are made through the medium of the despised rocker. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 339 HYDRAULIC PLACER MINES. Another method somewhat similar to ordinary sluicing, but on a far more extensive scale, that has been employed to some extent in the Black Hills, is the hydraulic pro- cess. Ill hydraulic mining, as in sluicing, the first requisite is, of course, the auriferous deposits to be operated upon. These are found as before stated, but the high bar deposit will be taken to illustrate the modus operandi. As these bars are not of a solid rock formation, but accretions of earth, gravel and boulders — mixed with the gold or other mineral that has been liberated, by the action of mountain torrents, and other agencies from veins or ledges above, and washed down and distributed in the soil of the valley or deposited in bars, they are easily broken and disinte- grated, when exposed to the action of a sufficient head of water. Then the mining ditches must be built. These waterways are made by diverting the streams from their natural channels, at some point high enough above the mines to afford the requisite fall, and conveying it by ditch and flume, sometimes many miles along the hill-sides ; around or through jutting rocks and across deep ravines, where it is supported by trestle work, to the place where the water is to be utilized. The water is then conducted from the main reservoir or flume through a pipe which connects at the lower end with a strong wooden or cast- iron box, provided with several openings to which are attached smaller pipes, these being again connected with flexible rubber or canvas hose, which can be turned in any direction, terminating in nozzles with orifices from one and a half to three inches in diameter. A wide sluice is then made, which carries off the loosened material from the mine or bar operated upon, into sluice-boxes provided with riffles after the method of ordinary sluicing. Men are stationed at the nozzle to manipulate the hose, and a very uncomfortable position it seems from my point of view, upon the one and only occasion on which I wit- 340 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, iiessed the process, then the floodgate, which is usually many miles above, is opened, and the water under a power- ful pressure rushes down through ditch, flume, and pipe, with an ever-increasing momentum into the box or bulk- head, then through the distributing pipes into the hose, and out at the orifices with the tremendous force of a bat- tering ram. Continuous streams of water are directed through the nozzles at the base of the bar, undermining it, thus causing the overhanging mass to fall to the base, where by the powerful action of the water it is broken apart and washed down into the sluice; great boulders weighing tons are swept down the slope and toyed with as if they were tiny pebbles. The water flows away down the slope, leav- ing the larger boulders and the coarser gold on bed-rock, while the finer gold is carried along with the earth and gravel through the sluice boxes, where it is caught in the rifties. It goes without saying that the clean-ups must be something vast, if the deposits are rich, when the amount of material that passes through the sluices is taken into consideration. In hydraulic mining it would seem to be essential that the men employed should possess wonderful muscle, as well as feel an utter indiS'erence to water and its effects; those stationed along the line to remove obstructions having frequently to lift and throw aside heavy boulders, and are standing or wading around from morning till night in water knee-deep; while the men at the nozzles are in about the condition of the traditional drowning rat, completely drenched by the sheets of spray that are thrown back by the fierce contact of the water with the bank against which it is delivered. To the student of hydrodynamics the whole process from the head of the flume to the foot of the sluices — and the clean-up may as well be included — is one of exceeding interest. To the observer, it presents fea- tures thai are more than interesting, they are grandly picturesque. The most extensive hydraulic enterprise projected in the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 341 Black Hills was the great Rockerville flume for conducting the waters of Spring creek to the rich, dry placer beds at Rockerville. The flume, which was commenced in 1878, was an immense wooden structure, running from the dam at a point two miles above Sheridan, along a tortuous route, on the side of steep mountains, around abrupt curves, over deep gorges, on lofty trestles to Rockerville, a distance of seventeen miles. It was a gigantic undertak- ing — requiring the use of hundreds of thousands of feet of lumber and the employment of many men, at a cost of from $250,000 to $300,000. The operations by this process on the Rockerville gulch deposits continued about five years, resulting in the pro- duction of over a half million of dollars in gold. Hydraulic flumes were also constructed on Rapid creek, near Pactola, by the Estella Del Norte Company at an immense expense, where operations were carried on for a time. Also the Hydraulic Gold Mining Company, on Battle creek, all of which will be referred to farther on. Placer mining in the Black Hills — as a great mining industry — has long since been abandoned : not because these deposits have been exhausted, by any means. There are to-day, it is believed by miners of judgment and ex- perience, millions of dollars of gold lying buried down deep on the water-washed bed-rock of Spring, Rapid, and Castle creeks, and perhaps other streams, awaiting cap- ital, for the employment of skilled engineers and effective mechanical appliances for exhausting the surplus water on the beds of those streams. That such an enterprise will some day be undertaken, it is believed. EARLY QUARTZ MINING IN THE BLACK HILLS. In the annals of nearly all mining camps, it is found that their stability and permanency have depended mostly upon the quartz mines. It is shown that not the easy placers, that cost little to operate, and moreover soon be- come exhausted, but the capital employed and expended 342 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, in the development and equipment of quartz properties, with engines, steam drills, hoisting plants, mills, and other expensive machinery, and the employment of skilled en- gineers to set them in motion and operate them, and expert miners to extract the ore from the mine in the most judi- cious manner for its proper development, — are what build up and maintain vitality in a mining camp; hence in a new camp the chief interest soon centers in its quartz mines, and the history of the great mining camp of Deadwood is no exception to the general rule. Early in 1876 after the short period of delirious excite- ment, consequent upon the rich placer discoveries, had given place to calm consideration and sober judgment, the atten- tion of prospectors was directed towards the quartz resources of the camp and soon the hills above the gold-laden gulch were being vigorously exploited — by men who knew gold- bearing rock when they saw it — for traces of the ledges whence the marvelous deposits came. "Float" and " croppings " galore were carried daily to the tents and cabins of prospectors, in bags flung over their shoulders, for testing purposes. Then followed what may appropri- ately be termed the " mortar and pestle " era, during which the music of numberless of the tiny one-stamp mills was heard from every quarter of the big camp, morning, noon, and night ; and one was confronted on everv hand, on the street corners, in grocery stores, hotels, and saloons, where men the most did congregate, by the amusing spectacle of men submitting a small piece of innocent rock to the most severe scrutiny, through a magnifying glass, to dis- cover whether it was guilty or innocent of carrying free gold. A change then came over the silent hills, where erstwhile were heard only the howling of the timber wolf, the solemn hooting of the owl, and kindred sounds, and solitude reigned there nevermore. The clinking of picks and shovels, the creaking of many windlasses, and the roar of dynamite, that tore the rocks asunder, proclaimed the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 343 beginning of quartz mining in what was afterwards known throughout the raining world as the great " gold belt " of the Black Hills. Durinty the year 1876 there were more than 150 quartz mines located and in process of rapid development, within a radius of five miles of Dead wood. Among the earliest discoveries were the Golden Terry on Bob Tail, familiarly known as the Frenchman's Mine, and reputed to be the first discovered quartz mine in the " belt," the Alpha lode, discovered on the 12th of May, 1876, by Messrs. Wol- sey, Jones & Rowland, upon which was operated the first stamp mill in the Black Hills; the Homestake, discovered by Emanuel brothers, Alf. Engh, and others; the Hidden Treasure on Spring gulch, discovered by Thos. O'Neal on the 13th of May, 1876, upon which was operated the first quartz mill in the Black Hills; the Chief of the Hills on Black Tail, located by Jack Hunter and California Joe; the Old Abe, discovered by M. Cavanaugh; the Golden Star, located by Smoky Jones ; and others located at nearly the same time, or a little later. The Golden Terry, the Homestake, the Old Abe and the Golden Star have long since lost their identity, having been absorbed with other mines by the capital of the great Homestake Company, that has for the past nineteen years been paying dividends from the product of those early discoveries. Strange, isn't it, and sad, too, when you come to think of it, that the toiling, sweating, powder-begrimed miner rarely reaps the full fruition of his discovery. The early explorations for gold-bearing quartz were, how- ever, by no means confined to the northern Hills. At a very early date in 1876, some promising discoveries were made among the hills bordering on French creek, and other portions of the southern and central Hills. A trip through the valleys and gulches of the Black Hills to-day will disclose the fact that a vast deal of pros- pecting was done during the early years of their history, for both placer and quartz; deserted shafts, with dumps 344 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, of gravel and rock, broken and decaying windlasses, and ore buckets lying near by ; abandoned tunnels, in which sometimes can be found an old pick and shovel corroded with the rust of years, but more frequently filled up with the fallen debris; prospect holes innumerable, and tumble- down log cabins may be seen wherever you go. Nearly every hillside and gulch throughout the length and breadth of the fair domain tell a pathetic story of depleted purses, wasted energies, disappointed hopes, and days, months, yea, sometimes years, of unrewarded toil. Occasionally a piece of expensive machinery will be found going to certain wreck and ruin. Any one who has ever traveled over the road from Rochford to Hill City will perchance have noticed an old wheel lying on the sands on one of the banks of Castle creek, below Ca^^tleton, where it has lain for years, a solemn warning to passing miners. That old decaying wheel is the sole representative of a capital of $10,000 in cold cash, expended by H. C. Smith, former County Commissioner of Pennington County, in a futile attempt to exhaust the water from the gold-laden bed-rock of the valley of that stream. THE PECULIARITIES OF MINERS. Much has been said and more written of the peculiar characteristics of miners as distinct from all other classes of the genus homo that is believed to be erroneous and exaggerated. Their vernacular, their eccentricities, and their personnel have been prolific themes for the pen of the humorist and the caricaturist, ever since the days of "Roaring Camp" and "Poker Flats." The most san- guinary and indefensible murder of the Queen's English has been laid at their doors, and they have been portrayed in garbs that would bring a broad smile to even the face of a stone wall. All this has been told, and more. Now, perhaps it is not right to aim a deadly blow at a cherished tradition, and try to undermine a fixed belief, but, in justice to the mining fraternity, I want to express^ LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 345 the conviction that the popular conception of miners, taking the average Blaci^ Hills miner as a type, comes about as near to the truth as that of the traditional Yankee, who sometimes appears on the comedy stage with striped trousers, swallow-tail coat — mostly tail, — high stand-up collar, and a nasal twang and pronunciation, the like of which was never heard by mortal man since the building of the tower of Babel. Little of what has been said and written about miners is applicable to Black Hills miners, who are an intelligent, and, in many cases, a well-educated class of men. Of course, in a spirit of goodfellowship, they sometimes ad- dress each other as " pard," and most wear overalls and rubber boots, as the nature of their vocation requires, but who ever heard of a Black Hills miner talking like this: — ♦♦ Look er-har, boys, I'm er goin' ercross ter der s'loon an' ax Bill ter chalk me down fer der drinks ferder crowd. Come er long, boys." " All right, pard, we've bin kin' er waitin' for yer ter ax us." 346 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XXY. DEADWOOD IN 1876. In amon.o; the rugo-ed northern hills, at an altitude of over 4,500 feet above the level of the sea, is situated the city bearing the very unique name of Deadwood, so named because of the chaos of fallen dead timbers which once cov- ered the site of its location. Although the name is a good enough one, and was honestly and appropriately bestowed, there are those who think that the great commercial metrop- olis of the Black Hills should have been honored with a more euphonious appellation. As a matter of fact, however, in the fitness of things, it could not very well have been called by any other name. But what's in a name, and, in- deed, what cared its sponsors what the name of the infant city, when eveiy square foot of its foundation was to yield to them a rich tribute of shining gold? At any rate, Deadwood it was named, and inasmuch as its citizens are satisfied to accept matters as they found them, Deadwood it shall remain. The site of the original Deadwood was located on the 26th of April, 1876, by Craven Lee, Isaac Brown, J. J. Williams, and others, below the junction of Deadwood and Whitewood creeks, and laid out down the narrow valley of the latter stream, close under the shadow of Forest Hill, and a more picturesque site could hardly have been chosen. The contracted valley, flanked on one side by Forest Hill, which was then clothed with evergreen trees from base to summit, on the other by rugged hills, above which rise the hoary crests of White Rocks, some 2,000 feet above the level of their base, was barely wide enough at points for the laying out of one narrow street. The site was laid out evidently to conform with the topogra- LAST BUSTING GROUND Of THE DAKOTAHS. 347 „hy of the valley, without regard to the points of the !l: "L. the main street, however, trending nearly north compass, the ^YHITE KOCKS OYEULOOKING DEADWOOD. .od south, and crossed at right a.gles by Lee, Gold, and Wall streets. 348 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, When the howling waste of dead timbers and underbrush was removed from the ground, the work of building at once began. The first structure erected on the platted site was a small log cabin, built by Lee & Brown, at the north- west corner of Main and Gold streets, on part of the ground now occupied by the Nye Block. With the push and energy characteristic of our early pioneers, Lee & Brown had their cabin built and ready for occupancy on the 30th of April, just four days after the site was laid out. Before the laying of the town-site there had been three other cabins built on the ground, the first by J. J. Williams, on ground afterwards occupied by J. Goldberg's store, the second by John Shive, and the third by W. H. Smith. The first frame structure erected in Deadwood was built by C. V. Gardner & Co., in June, 1876, on the lot adjoin- ing the one occupied by Lee & Brown. In this frame building Gardner & Co. opened the first completely equipped grocery store in Deadwood. The second is said to have been opened by Furnam & Brown, followed very closely by Browning & Wringrose. Prior to the opening of these houses, a number of others, among; whom were Judge W. L. Kuvkendall and Cuthbert- son & Young, had carried on a sort of curbstone grocery and provision traflSc with freighters, of whom they purchased only in quantities suflacient to meet the existing demand. The first drug store was established by Julius Deetkin on the east side of Main street, below Lee, in June, 1876. A little later Mr. Deetkin became associated with E. C. Bent,, under the firm name of Bent & Deetkin. The first hotel erected was Gen. Custer House, built by John Scollard, now of Sturgis, on the northeast corner of Main and Lee streets, in June, 1876. This building, a two-story frame structure, was opened to the public as a hostelry in July, 1876, by R. R. Marsh, who retired from the business in December following, and was succeeded by J. J. Sutherland and John Amerman. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAUS. 349 But while the Gen. Custer Hou^se was the first completed it was not the first opened for business. The Grand Cen- tral was built a little later in June of that year, on the west or north side, whichever it may be called — of Main street, and was opened during the same month, first as a restaurant, by C. H. Wagner. Later the building was raised an additional story, after which it was conducted as a regular hotel. ■HhBuI^ ' , m ^ ^ m^^' "'■■ '^^ SW'., I't^'^H ^^4^' •.■/.'2"^MiI^H| ■^'' :■' :U " ^^ T\ tt^^^l "^^^^^Wy^-y": - ''^S^flB^l ^^^^^^^^KStl ' # •• ^^,-^W&Wr!% '"^^^^^^^^■"^■^^^ >**' DEADWOOD IN 1876. The first hardware store in Dead wood, and perhaps in the Black Hills, was opened by Boughton & Berry in a building which stood on the ground afterwards occupied by Star & Bullock's hardware store on the east side of Main street. The first meat shop was opened by J. Shoudy in the spring of 1876 ; and the first regular restaurant, called the IXL, was opened by J. Vandaniker & McGavock. The first saddlery and harness shop was opened during the summer of 1876, by J. M. Woods, on the east side of 350 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Main street, below Wall, and the first livery barn was estab lished during the same summer by Clark & Morill, who also conducted an auction and commission business in connec- tion with the livery. The first jewelry store was opened by M. N. Gillette. It is claimed that Judge Miller was the first law practi- tioner in Deadwood, and Dr. A. W. McKinney the first local physician. The first school opened in Deadwood was a private school taught by Wm. Commode, during the autumn of 1876. The term was taught in a small log cabin that stood on or near the ground now occupied by the Wentworth Hotel. In November, 1876, a second bank was established by Miller & McPherson, in connection with other lines of business. Business enterprises followed each other in such bewil- deringly rapid succession in 1876, that it is indeed difficult to state positively which was first in the race. Each one speedily reared his structure according to his individual fancy or convenience - — with utter disregard to regularity — and opened up his wares for traffic. In four months from the day the first smoke curled up from the rude chimney of Lee & Brown's log cabin, both sides of Main street were crowded with structures of various sizes, shapes, and quali- ties — log cabins, frame buildings, and tents, in one curi- ous medley bent. Even the cross streets, in defiance of the rules and regulations adopted by the town organization^ were appropriated for building and business purposes. The followinof are the names of some of the firms con- ducting business in Deadwood during the initial year of its history : Baer & McKinnis, Janson & Bliss, and Star 8b Bullock (hardware) ; J. M. Woods (banker); Miller & Mc- Pherson (bankers) ; D. Hozeman, Browning & Wringrose, Garrison & Dennee (grocers) ; Bent & Deetkin (druggists) ; Matheieson & Goldberg, Gardner & Brown, Robinson & Ross (grocers); Garlick Bros, (druggists); A. T. Henzie (jeweler); Cuthbertson & Young, W. L. Kuykendall LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 351 (commission) ; Wm. Burton, Vanduniker & McGavock (restaurants); Amerman & Sutherland (hotel); C. H. Wagner (hotel); Matkin & Co. (bakers); Hildebrand & Hardiog, Phillips & Biddle, Gaston & Shankland, Nye & Co., Samuel Soyster, Knovvles & Marshmand, Wm. Le De Moss; and many others. During that brief period about 7,000 were added to the population of Deadwood, among whom were many reck- less adventurers, who scarcely knew for what they came — without other purpose than the possible chance of fleecing unwary and trusting pilgrims. Hotels and other places of entertainment, though numerous, were crowded to over- flowing, beds in which to sleep were at a high premium and a chair on which to sit was regarded as a great luxury. As a matter of fact, many had not the price to advance for either, and were forced to slumber in the shadow of the buildings or standing up in saloons and gambling houses. In the train of the legitimate prospector, came the men of business and professional men — the former with their goods, merchandise, fixtures, etc., and in their wake fol- lowed the gamblers and all kinds of crooks and sharps^ and with them those fixed facts in the moral or immoral economy of nearly all mining camps and municipalities, those human leeches that remorselessly feed upon the earn- ings of weak men — the courtesan. By the latter part of August, Deadwood had become a vast seething cauldron of restless humanity, composed of virtue and vice in about equal ratios, engaged each in his own way in the mighty struggle for gold. Nearly all branches of business were represented in Deadwood in 1876, and the trade along all lines was some- thing immense. Every business man, no matter in what kind of traflBc engaged, made money beyond his most san- guine expectations. Hotels and other eating places which fed hundreds every day were veritable gold mines, and the saloons, of which there were scores, grew rich on the reck- less expenditures of those who dug for gold. 352 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Profits were large and the demand unlimited; wages were high and gold plentiful. Every miner carried his little buckskin sack, filled with gold dust, which he squan- dered right and left with reckless prodigality and abandon. An instance of which I chanced to be a witness is now re- called, when a high-stepping, half-seas-over miner, scat- tered the contents of his well-filled gold sack in the middle of Main street, to see the boys and impecunious men scramble for the shining particles. Let it be understood, however, that all miners were not thus reckless and prodi- gal of their gold, only the major part of them. As gold dust, whose commercial value was then rated at from eighteen to twenty dollars per ounce, was the almost sole medium of exchange, a pair of gold scales and a blower were indispensable parts of the equipment of every business place. En-passant, the most unique and perhaps the most profit- able load of merchandise brought to Deadvvood in 1876, was a consignment of cats. While there were plenty of wild cats among the jungles of the Hills in those days, there were very few of the domestic variety, so taking advantage of the existing dearth, some speculative genius in the East conceived the happy idea of shipping a wagon load of the Eastern surplus to the Black Hills and convert it into gold dust. The load, which was arranged into compartments one above the other, comprised cuts of almost every shade and hue, Maltese, black, white, yellow, gray, and spotted. The average man in Deadwood in 1876 would pay any reasonable price for a " family cat " to keep fresh in his memory "the girl he left behind him," and consequently there was quite an active competition around the wagon in the street as to the privilege of first choice. The Maltese being the prime favorite, commanding the highest price, the maximum being $10.00 in gold dust, and $5.00 the minimum. Ovving: to the difficultv and cost, as well as the extreme danger of transportation, provisions of all kinds commanded LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 353 exorbitant prices, tioiir, at times of great scarcity, having sold as high as $00.00 per 100 pounds, and other staple witcher's freight train on the streets of deadwood in 1876. articles at proportionate prices. To offset the prevailing high prices of goods, however, wage-earners, both miners and skilled mechanics, received from five to seven dollars 23 354 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, per day's work, and mine owners in many cases were making a small fortune every day. Idlers and hangers-on, of whom there were many, of course lived a very precarious existence, oftentimes being forced to go hungry. SUNDAY IN DEADWOOD DURING PIONEER DAYS. There was no austerity nor solemnity about Sunday in Deadwood during the pioneer days. The current of traffic, like time and tide, flowed on seven days of every week, and Sunday was the maddest business day of all. It was not that its business men had lost their reckoning of the days of the week that Sunday was the busiest of the seven, but because that was the day on which the hundreds of miners and prospectors in the surrounding camps and gulches threw down their picks and shovels and came to Deadwood to replenish their stores of supplies, get their mail, have a jolly good time, and spend their week's earn- ings. Naturally the business men, not having braved the dangers of a journey into the Black Hills for their health, were nothing loth to exchange their goods and merchandise and otherwise cater to their pleasures for gold dust, hence Deadwood on Sunday presented a scene of extraordinary business activity and excitement, and one not easily forgotten. Conjure up in your minds one long, rather narrow street, which was practically all there was of Deadwood in the summer of 1876, deeply lined on both sides from one extreme to the other with a dense, dark mass of surging, pushing, struggling, male humanity, every business place open and traffic in full blast. Imagine the arrival upon the scene of several freight trains, heavily laden with merchan- dise, and the bustle and confusion of unloading the same at the doors of the many hustling dealers along the crowded street. Imagine you hear the oaths of the pitiless drivers accompanied by the sharp crack of their long, cruel lashes, the plaintive "mooing" of the tired, panting cattle, and the loud, resonant braying of many mules, and above all LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 355 the incessant rasping of numerous saws and the re- sounding blows of many hammers, and you have a faint mental reproduction of Sunday in Deadwood during the pioneer days, which was but an extreme type of every other day of the week. DEADWOOD BY LAMPLIGHT. Picturesque and exciting as was the exterior aspect of Deadwood during the day, it presented another even more novel and striking view, which the casual observer could gain only by the rays of numerous kerosene lamps. By elbowing your way down the street through a jostling crowd of roystering, rollicking miners, noisy " whackers," untutored tenderfeet, and some more kinds of people, when the shades of evening prevailed and the lamps were lighted, you could have had a glimpse of the true inwardness of Dead- wood during the early period. You would have seen every store, every saloon and gambling resort, all places of amuse- ment, of questionable propriety, bright and alluringly illuminated by many coal oil lamps. Execrable music, produced from antiquated pianos and cracked violins, mingled .with song and hilarious laughter, would have reached your ears from every quarter. By a hasty glance through the wide-open doors of the saloons and gamino' resorts, you would have noticed large crowds of men of all classes gathered, eagerly watching as if fascinated, the many games of chance going on, games in which hundreds of dollars were won and lost in a single night, games in which, alas, many a tenderfoot was tempted to stake his all on the hazard of a die, only to lose. The most notorious as well as the most nefarious of the gambling resorts to be found in Deadwood during the early days, was a place on lower Main street called by the musical name of the " Melodeon," but where the melody came in is not under- tood, unless it might be the mellifluous How of gold dust into the pockets of the robbers, thieves, bunko men, and general cappers, the " Nutshell Bills," the " Pancake 356 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Bills," the " Mysterious Jimmie?," and others of that ilk, who were said to have made that unsavory resort their head- quarters. There was another popular resort on lower Main street, known as the " Variety Theatre," where under the glare of kerosene lamps the Ella La Rues, the Fanny Gar- retsons, the Kittie Leroys and the big-voiced Monteverdes, nightly entertained and enchanted hundreds of men with ribald song and dance and wine and smutty jest, until the " wee-sma ' " hours of the morning. All this I was told and much more, over which it is better to draw the veil. In the living panorama surging along the street it was not an uncommon thing to see groups of gaudily-attired, paint-bedaubed creatures — whom for grammatical accuracy we will call women, some from whose faces the bloom of innocence had not yet wholly departed ; others whose cheeks evidently had years before forgotten how to blush, boldly parading up and down, amid the jostling crowds, at early lamplight — presenting a spectacle suggestive of a degree of depravity not pleasant to contemplate. Albeit, in view of the fact that the people were outlaws, having no license to control affairs — not even municipal license, for several months, there was a remarkable al)sence of disorder in the streets of Deadwood during its pioneer days. HOW WE CELEBRATED OUR NATAL DAY IN 1876. The Centennial Anniversary of our nation's birth was by no means forgotten by the people of the Black Hills, in their eager quest for gold, as was shown by the manner in which the people of Deadwood and its surburban population of miners observed the day. Pioneers never do things by halves, and the fact that they were not regarded by Uncle Sam as citizens, nor accorded any of their rights, lessened not a whit their zeal and patriotism, or their loyalt}' to the flag they still loved, so the great national holiday was celebrated with a vim and enthusiasm worthy of the impor- tant occasion. To make the necessary preliminary preparations for the LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 357 proper observance of the day, hundreds of stalwart miners from the adjacent camps gathered in Dead wood on the evening of the third to aid in the erection of a pole of lib- erty. The tallest and most symmetrical pole that could be found along the mountain slopes was secured and planted in front of the speaker's stand — previously prepared on the north side of Main street, to be ready for the flag at the " dawn's early light." It is needless to state that the celebrators were on the alert for the hour to begin. I was on the alert too, soon after, for at the last stroke of the midnight hour by the cabin clock, or the last tick of the twelfth hour by the watches in the miners' vest pockets the booming of artil- lery began. One hundred salutes — anvil salutes — were fired in reasonably rapid succession, which consumed the major part of the time till daylight — as per mathematical calculation ; yes, an average of twenty-tive booms per hour, in regular sequence, would bring daylight in July, and fig- ures will not lie. It was so soothing to the nerves, you know. At the rising of the sun the national emblem was raised to its position just beneath the little gilded dome surmount- ing the pole of liberty, where it unfurled its bright folds, and floated out to the mountain breeze, and it floated none the less proudly in that the red portion of the emblem was composed of a patriotic lady's garment of " mystical sub- limity " that was neither " russet, silk nor dimity." Then " pent-up Utica broke forth," and volley after volley of musketry, intermingled with the lusty cheering of the crowd, gave full proof that patriotism was neither dead nor dying in the hearts of the Black Hills pioneers. There was one notable feature about the Deadwood Cen- tennial celebration, to wit : The ubiquitous boy with the nerve-destroying fire-cracker was not greatly in evidence — a circumstance for which every woman in Deadwood was, no doubt, duly thankful. The crack of small arms, how- ever, could be heard from every quarter from the right and the left, from the front and the rearof you, which, with the 358 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, singing of patriotic airs and an occasional report from the anvil, continued until nearly noon. At eleven o'clock a. m. Judge W. S. Kuykendall, having been elected president, mounted the platform and called the assembled multitude to order. After an impressive prayer by the chaplain. Rev. C. E. Halley, the Declaration of Independence was read in his own intimitable style, by Gen. A. R. Z. Dawson. The orator of the day was then introduced in the person of Judge Joseph Miller, who made an eloquent, practical speech — dwelling largely upon local interests, and closing with a stirring patriotic peroration. The following Memorial to Congress — prepared by himself, was then read by Gen. Dawson and presented for the signature of the people : — " To the Honored Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, in Congress assembled : " Your memorialists, citizens of that portion of Dakota known as the Black Hills, most respectfully petition your honorable body for speedy and prompt action in extinguish- ing the Indian title to, and the opening for settlement of the country we are now occupying and improving. We have now iu the Hills a population of at least 7,000 honest, loyal citizens, who have come here with the expectation of mak- ing their homes. Our country is rich not only in mineral resources, but is abundantly supplied with timber, and a soil rich enough to sustain a large population. "Your memorialists would, therefore, earnestly request that we be no longer deprived of the fruits of our labor and driven from the country we now occupy, but that the government, for which we have offered our lives, at once extend a protecting arm and take us under its care. *« As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray." It goes without saying that every one to whom the memo- rial was presented, attached his signature. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 359 Celebrations similar to the one in Deadwood were also held in Elizabethtown and Montana City. At the former place Dr. McKinney presided, Dr. Overman read the Dec- laration of Independence, and Attorney A. B. Chapline delivered the oration. At Montana City, two miles below Deadwood, Judge H. N. Maguire delivered an eloquent oration which stirred his hearers to a high degree of patri- otic enthusiasm. In the absence of anvils to emphasize their patriotism, they fired their needle guns into the sides of the mountains and did everything possible with the facilities at hand to make the occasion one long to be remembered. To still further commemorate the glorious anniversary, a notable event in the annals of the big mining camp transpired on that day. In a little log cabin that stood on the ground now occupied by the Central School building, Revillo F. Robinson, the first child born in Deadwood, made his debut on the tumultuous scene, and having made his advent amid the booming of anvil artillery, the music and cheering of loyal multitudes, and patriotic utterances from eloquent lips, iu honor of our Centennial birthday, Revillo should be, and no doubt is, a true and loyal " Young America," and, if he bears out the promise of his early boyhood, Deadwood has good reason to feel proud of her first-born son. Revillo is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Robinson, now living at Dakota City on the Cheyenne river. COLLECTION OF TAXES IN THE BLACK HILLS IN 1876. The exercise of the civil functions of the government over the people of the Black Hills, as far as the collection of Federal taxes was concerned, was not long delayed. By an order of April 12th, 1876, this important function was first assigned by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to the District of Wyoming, but on May 12th, 1876, the order was revoked by the Revenue Department and assigned 360 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, to the District of Dakota, when Gen. A. R. Z. Dawson was sent to Deadwood as Deputy Revenue Collector. Gen. A. R. Z. Dawson — the memory of whose name causes the heart of every old pioneer to thrill with feelings of intense pride — was not only the first to collect United States revenue in the Black Hills, but the sacred words of the great " Declaration " were first uttered by his eloquent lips, and rang out on the Black Hills mountain air on our Centennial natal day ; the first memorial to Congress — in behalf of the outlawed people of the Black Hills — was penned by his ready hand; he also served them as first clerk of the first United States courts held in the Black Hills under the new regime in 1877, and his taking away was a sad blow to the people whose stanch friend he ever proved. The only recognition accorded the people, however, up to 1877, was that of contMbutinor revenue to the government. Bitter protestations were made against what seemed the inconsistent and unjust attitude of the government, and frequent demands were made for recognition, and, if there had been any efficacy in prayer, the Black Hills country would have been a full-fledged Territory in 1876, Sioux or no Sioux. Pending the negotiations for the extinguishment of the Indian title to the Black Hills in 1876, the people were in an almost continuous attitude of supplication and prayer. First through a Memorial to Congress — which was con- veyed to Washington by C. V. Gardner — they prayed that all disqualifications be removed from the people of the Hills, by legalizing the forced occupancy thereof. In July, 1876, the people of Deadwood sent a petition, with the requisite number of signers, to Gov. John S. Penning- ton, for county organization. In July, 1876, they memorialized Congress for speedy action, looking towards the establishment of a separate and distinct territorial government, a government whose enact- ments would be in harmony with the local interests and requirements of the people. Later, a delegate — in the A. R. Z. DAWSON. First United States revenue collector and first cleik of courts in the Black Hills. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 3()1 person of Dr. C. W. Myers — was elected and sent to Yankton and Washington in the interests of the Bhick Hills, without, however, any immediate effect, though not without its influence. In taking a retrospective view of the then existing circumstances and conditions, it is not seen how the government could have pursued any other policy unless, perhaps, in the matter of giving the people more speedy military protection against the hostile Indians. PLATTING OF SOUTH DEADWOOD. The necessity for a larger scope of domain, to accom- modate the increasing business and rapidly expanding pop- ulation of Dead wood, suggested to a few speculative individuals the scheme of building a rival town, adjacent thereto, a town which its promoters believed would, in a few weeks, totally eclipse its imperious elder sister on the north side, in point of business enterprise and population. In furtherance of the project, in the early part of July, 1876, a site was selected, laid out and platted on the south side of and up the narrow defile of Whitewood creek, above the original site of Dead wood. A city organization was effected by the election of a mayor, common council, and all other oflfices necessary to conduct the affairs of a full- fledged city government. By mutual consent the new city was christened South Deadwood, in contradistinction to Deadwood proper. According to the rules of the organization lots were made subject to location upon specified conditions, and perhaps never in the annals of city building was there a greater scramble for town lots than in the case of South Dead- wood. Squatter sovereignty reigned supreme. At night a man would " wrap the drapery of his couch about him and lie down to pleasant dreams," feeling secure in the possession of some desirable city property, and wake up the next morning bright and early to find his ground fenced in, or occupied, either with the tent or the goods K 362 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, and chattels of some other fellow. Frequent disputes arose as to priority of location, in the settlement of which six- shooters and shot-guns were potent factors. The summary manner in which disputes were sometimes settled and lot-jumpers quashed is illustrated by a case of which 1 was an eye-witness. One morning, on Deadwood street, I was confronted with the alarming spectacle of a woman carrying a shot-gun, engaged in an angry dispute, with an unarmed man, who, it developed, had located her property. Upon his refusal to comply with her peremp- tory demand to remove his effects from the ground in dis- pute, she deliberately raised her gun to her shoulder, and aiming it directly at the intruder, said : "I'll give you just one minute, and not a second more, to vacate my property." It is needless to state that the poor man speedily took a vacation. Similar cases were of frequent occurrence in those days. THE FIRST MURDER IN THE NORTHERN HILLS. The first conspicuous crime committed in the region of Deadwood was the killing of a miner named Jack Hinch, by John R. Carty and Jerry McCarty, at Gayville, on the night of July 9th, 1876. The particulars of the tragic affair, as related to me, are substantially as follows: On Sunday night of the day mentioned, Carty, McCarty and a man named Trainor, were engaged in a game of cards in a saloon at Gayville. Hinch, a friend and mining partner of the latter, while watching the progress of the game, concluded that his partner was being swindled, and persuaded him to abandon the game, which brought about the altercation that culminated in the commission of the crime. About an hour after Hinch had retired to his quarters in Turner & Wilson's saloon, Carty and McCarty entered the place, aroused Hinch, and asked him to get up and drink with them. Believing the proposi- tion to be of a conciliatory nature, Hinch started to get up, when McCarty fired two shots at him, and while in LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 363 this half-upright position, Carty attacked him with a hirge sheath knife, together inflicting wounds from the eff"ect of which he died at ten o'clock on the following morning. Realizing what they had done, the perpetrators hastily disposed of their mining property — a rich hill claim, giv- ing one-half to their landlady and the other half to a friend, procured two horses, and made their escape. A large posse of Hinch's friends started in pursuit, scouring the Hills in every direction, but failed to get any trace of the fugitives. A reward of $500 was then offered for their capture. As subsequently developed, Carty and McCarty made their way to Fort Laramie, near which point they separated, the latter going in the direction of Cheyenne, the former joining the logging train of Coffee & Cuny, about to start for Fort Fetterman. When the pursuing party reached Fort Laramie the facts were made known to the commanding oflicer of the post, who assured them that Deputy United States Marshal I. C. Davis would assist them in every way to ferret out the criminals. Davis, on receiving a description of the men, set out in pursuit, overtook the train and captured the man Carty without the least resistance. McCarty, the principal, was never, it is believed, found. On the evening of July 31st, Marshal Davis, accompanied by Mr. Cuny, arrived with his prisoner at Gayville, the scene of the murder. Marshal Davis drove through Deadwood at a mad pace that day, with Carty wrapped up in a blanket on the bottom of the wagon, and everybody turned out to see the fright- ful runaway. It appears that he had been notified back at a point known as " Break Neck " hill, that it would be very unsafe to expose his prisoner in passing through Dead- wood, as Hinch's friends would surely lynch him ; so, after consulting his prisoner, he adopted this bit of strat- egy, which came very near making farther proceedings unnecessary. It is related that on reaching Gayville the poor fellow was so near suffocated with the extreme heat 364 thb: black hills; ok, and want of oxygen, that vigorous measures had to be taken to restore him to consciousness. In the absence of reguharly constituted courts, it seemed necessary, in so grave a cliarge as murder, that the formal- ities of a trial be gone through with; so a miners' meet- ing was called for the next day, August 1st, for the purpose of making preliminary arrangements for trying the prisoner on the charge of murder. The people were stirred up to a high tension over the affair. By 10 o'clock of the following day Gayville was blocked by a vast gathering of excited, turbulent miners from the camps, and citizens from Deadwood, all eager to witness the sequel to the initial tragedy of the gulch. The respective friends of the murdered man and the prisoner were out in large force, armed to the teeth, the former headed by big Bill Trainor — as he was called — clamorous for summary punishment to be meted out to the accused; the latter led by John Flaherty, who afterwards made a big stake in the sale of the De Smet group of mines — equally determined that he should have a fair trial. For a while the prisoner's life seemed to hang in a balance, with the preponderance of weight against him. " Hang him, hang him! " was the cry of Hinch's friends as they surged threateningly toward the place where the prisoner was held in custody. " Touch him at your peril ! " was hurled back defiantly by his friends. At a critical juncture Mar- shal Davis — whose nerve never weakened at the threats and curses of the mob that surged about the prisoner, interposed in his behalf. Mounting a barrel he called the attention of the excited mob and thus addressed it : — " Boys, I have brought this man from Fort Laramie, through a country swarming with Indians, in order that you might try him for his life. When I took him, I gave him his choice to be taken to Yankton and tried by the courts, or to come back to the Hills to be tried by the miners. He chose to come here, and when he did so, I promised him that he should have a fair trial, and by that he LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 365 shall have. Try him and if you find him guilty of murder, hang him and I will help you pull the rope. But, until he has had a fair trial, the man or men who touch a hair of his head, will first walk over my dead body." This bold and manly stand in the performance of his sworn duty, appealed to the miners' sense of justice and quelled the mob. The prisoner, for the time being, was safe. In arranging for the trial, the first step was, of course, to find a man with the requisite legal attainments, and some judicial experience, to preside as judge. After casting about for one who would fill these requirements the choice finally fell upon O. H. Simonton, who had just arrived in the Hills, by ox train, over the Fort Pierre route, and who, it was ascertained, had served in the capacity of justice of the peace, in the stock yards of Chicago. From a panel of forty names twelve jurymen were drawn as follows: E. B. Parker, Ed. Durham, J. H. Balf, John Kane, G. Schugardt, George Heinrich, A. C. Lobdell, C. W. Shule, John W. Gill, S. M. Moon, George Atchinson, and Curley. A. B. Chapline, afterwards a member of the firm of Young & Chapline, was appointed to prosecute the case, Carty securing the services of Mills & HoUis to defend him. The trial of the case, which was held out in the open, continued all through the day, and until 10 o'clock at night, the procedure in legally constituted courts being followed as closely as was possible. Uncomfortably seated on a pile of logs in the vicinage of the court during the long hours of the trial, might have been seen R. B. Hughes (Dick Hughes), with pencil in hand, and paper on his knee, patiently taking notes for "copy" for the Black Hills Weekly/ Pioneer, and by his side, using a part of the same pencil. Rev. Smith, who was waylaid and murdered by Indians about three weeks later. It was proven at the trial that Carty, although an acces- sory to the murder, did not inflict the fatal injuries, in accordance with which fact the jury, after a brief delibera- tion, handed in a verdict of "Guilty of assault and bat- 366 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, tery." The prisoner was discharged by the court, and given save convoy out of the country under a strong guard of armed men, who took him to Deadwood, procured a horse for him to ride, escorted him to the limits of the town, where he mounted, and with an exultant whoop rode away, and the Black Hills saw him no more forever. THE MURDER OF WILD BILL. Late in the afternoon of August 2nd, 1876, the denizens of Deadwood, in the vicinity of lower Main street, were startled by a loud pistol report, immediately followed by the hurried tramping of a multitude of human feet, when the excited cry of '« Wild Bill is shot ! Wild Bill is shot ! " rang out above the wild tumult of the gathering crowd. At almost the same time a man might have been seen backing away up Main street, holding a loaded revolver in each hand to keep at bay a large posse of excited citizens, who were following in close pursuit. After a short chase the desperate man was captured and brought back to No. 10, the scene of the shooting, where he was held in custody to await his fate. A strong guard was placed around the building to keep the prisoner from the clutches of an excited mob, deter- mined to give him short shrift for his crime. Just at a critical time a force of about fifty well-armed men — the body-guard of Carty, who had just been acquitted of the murder of Hinch — arrived from Gayville with their charge. After setting Carty free at the lower end of town they consented to aid in protecting the prisoner from the threatening mob. While Wild Bill was playing cards in Nuttall & Maw's saloon, known as No. 10, wholly unconscious of threatened danger, McCall walked in behind his victim, raised his re- volver and tired, the ball entering the back of his head and coming out at the center of his right cheek, killing him instantly. A meeting of the citizens was called at the theater LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 367 building, at which Judge W. L. Kuykendall was chosen to preside at the trial of the case. Isaac Brown was elected sheriff, a deputy and twelve guards being appointed by the court. Col. May acted as prosecuting attorney, and Judge Miller defended the prisoner. The only evidence given was by the prisoner himself, who testified that Wild Bill had killed his brother, somewhere in Kansas, and confessed to committing the crime in retaliation. The jury chosen to try the case, after a brief deliberation of about thirty minutes, returned a verdict of " not guilty," much to the surprise and dissatisfaction of hundreds of the people of Deadwood, who declared that trial by jury in the Black Hills was pretty much of a farce, and that in future murder cases Judge Lynch would preside. McCall, who immediately left the Hills on his acquittal, was afterwards arrested at Laramie City, Wyoming, by Deputy United States Marshal Balcombe, and taken to Cheyenne, where he was examined before United States Commissioner Burns, held upon the evidence, and sent to Yankton upon a requisition from the Governor of Dakota, where he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hung, — which sentence was promptly executed. Wild Bill's remains were taken charge of and buried by his friends in the old burying-ground overlooking the Whitewood. His remains were afterwards removed to ** Moriah Cemetery," where his ashes now repose. His grave, inclosed by an iron fence, is marked by a rough sandstone obelisk, about six feet in height, surmounted by a bust of the famous scout. This bust has been sadly defaced by relic hunters, by reason of which it to-day bears but a little resemblance to the long-haired, dashing frontiersman of a quarter of a century ago. On the front of the stone beneath crossed revolvers is a curved scroll, bearing, in addition to the ordinary inscription, " Custer was lonely without him." On the evening of the same day, August 2d, while the excitement consequent upon the killing of Wild Bill was 368 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, at its height, a horseman — a half-breed Mexican, came (lashing furiously up the crowded street with a Sioux whoop, bearing aloft an Indian's head, with its long black hair floating back with the wind, furnishing a weird and most disgusting spectacle, which, as may be imagined, caused the tragic affair of the afternoon to pale into insig- nificance. An Indian's scalp was just what the average Deadwood citizen had been devoutly wishing for. As the Indians had been making things exceedingly lively by stealing and running off horses from the settlements along the northern border, the people feared that a direct attack upon Deadwood was imminent, and the excitement became intense. The Mexican's own story of how he gained possession of the ghastly trophy was, that some herders had a brush with a band of red horse-thieves in the vicinity of Crook City, during which one Indian was killed, whereupon he sprang forward under a brisk shower of bullets and attempted to scalp the Indian, but not being an expert at the business, he cut off the entire head. Another version of the affair was that on the day pre- vious, August 1st, the Indians had rounded up all the loose stock around Crook City, and stampeded them across the country before the surprised inhabitants had time to offer any resistance. Among those who made ready to mount and follow in pursuit was one Felix Rooney, who realizing that pursuit would be useless, dismounted and lay down in the grass — holding the lariat-rope to watch the Indians rapidly disappearing in the distance with the property of the settlers. VV^hile there a freighter or cattle " whacker" rode along, dismounted and threw himself on the grass by the side of Rooney — both of whom were well armed. After a short time an Indian in war-paint and feathers dashed up toward Rooney's horse — evidently thinking him picketed. Upon discovering the owner in the grass he immediately seized his rifle, but finding it fast in some way he drew his revolver and fired, whereupon Rooney, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 369 instead of firing his gun, threw himself Hat on the grass, as he imagined shot. It developed, however, that Rooney was unhurt, while the Indian lay dead — killed by a bullet from the unerring rifle of the intrepid "bull-whacker." On the next day, August 2d, the Mexican found the dead body of the Indian, and thinking it would be a good scheme, financially, to secure the scalp, he essayed the operation, but finding he could not accomplish the work scientifically decided to cut off the head. This latter version is perhaps the correct one ; but whether it is or not, the fact remains that the In- dian was decapitated, and the Mexican by fair means or foul, got possession of the head, brought it to Deadwood and paraded it along Main street on the evening of August 2d, on the strength of which he secured from the citizens of Deadwood about seventy-five or eighty dollars, every one of which he " blew in " before the dawn of the following morninof. 24 370 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, C H A P T E K XXyi. INDIAN RAID ON THE MONTANA HERD. Up to this time the people of Deadwood had felt them- selves comparatively safe from Indian attack, not alone because their town was entrenched amid the battlements of the Hills, but because of the cordon of settlements along the northern border, viz.. Crook City, Centennial, and Spearfish, whose people were ever on the alert to keep the red marauders at bay. They were rudely awakened one day, however, from their sense of comparative security by the appearance of the painted savages almost at the gates of the city. During the forenoon of that never-to-be-forgotten Sun- day, August 20th, 1876, they were made aware of their proximity by the sight of fifty or sixty badly frightened horses, rushing madly through town on a wild stampede. The " Montana Herd " as before stated, was established by Burton and Cook on Centennial prairie, where they built a large stockade or inclosure for the protection of the herd at night, the stock for the most part belonging to citizens of Deadwood, and the miners and prospectors of the surrounding camps. As the price of hay and grain was exorbitant at the time, nearly all horses coming to Deadwood were at once sent to the '* Montana Herd " where they were kept for a reasonable consideration, Bur- ton and Cook making daily trips across the mountains to Deadwood, a distance of about six miles, to receive and return the stock. On the 20th of August the Indians made a raid on the herd which resulted in the death of four men, one Indian, and the loss of 100 head of horses. The evening before, LAST HUNTING GKOUNO OF THE DAKOTAHS. 371 the herd was ilriveii into the inclosure as usual, the gate closed and a guard placed on watch, the Indians meanwhile watching the procedure from a near-by bluff. After all had retired for the night, the Indians stole down to the rear of the stockade, and in some way dug out the posts which formed the structure while the guard slept, and suc- ceeded in making an opening large enough for the passage of horses, which it was supposed they intended to stam- pede early in the morning, while all were profoundly sleeping. If so they failed to carry out their programme. The next morning the herd was driven out to feed, as was the custom. Cook had gone to Deadwood the evening before and had not yet returned. Burton had just started for Deadwood, with some horses to return to their owners and had reached about half way between the camp and the foot-hills when, hearing a rifle shot, he looked back in the direction of the camp and saw a large band of Indians swooping down upon the herd. The horses becoming frightened at the reports of the rifles and the unearthly yells of the Indians, started on a wild stampede over the Dead- wood trail, — the fleetest of them eluding their pursuers, some of whom followed them almost to the limits of the town, and it was when near the " Rest" on the old trail between Deadwood and Crook City, that Rev. Henry Weston Smith met his fate at the hands of the Indians on that day. About fifty or sixty of the stampeded horses came career- ing wildly along the main street of Deadwood, causing great consternation and excitement. Some of the horses were caught, and in sL very brief time about twenty-five well- armed men W'ere mounted on the stampeded horses, and away over the trail to the relief of the herders at the stockade. Meanwhile the Indians had rounded up about 100 head of horses and driven them on towards Lookout Mountain, east of Spearfish, then on across the Red water to the north. Finding the herders unharmed, on reaching the stockade 372 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, the party followed up the trail of the Indians, hoping to overtake them and recover the stock. On riding down Spring creek, Isaac Brown, who was a little in advance of the others, saw skulking along a ravine a lone Indian, who opened fire on the party, which was returned without effect on either side. When the main party came up, it advanced cautiously on the position of the Indian, who from his place of concealment behind a clump of bushes could plainly see his pursuers, but could not be seen by them, his exact position being revealed only when he fired. Brown and Holland advanced from an exposed point still nearer the ambushed Indian, who then fired, killing Brown instantly; Holland, guided by the direction of the fatal shot, aimed his gun at the Indian's head, as he supposed, and fired, crying out at the same time: " Come on, boys, I've got him," which were his last words, as at that mo- ment he fell pierced through the body by a bullet from the Indian's gun. All efforts to dislodge him proved unsuccessful ; rocks and boulders were hurled down upon him without avail. Night coming on, the party deciding that any further attempt to dislodge him would be useless and might result in the death of others, withdrew out of range of his gun to consider how to recover the bodies of Brown and Holland that were lying within a few feet of the Indian's hiding- place. A reward of $500 was offered by Brown's partner for the recovery of his body, but as no one felt inclined to risk the dangerous undertaking, the party decided to go to Spearfish, and return in the morning for the bodies. The next day they were found — stripped of their clothing, arms, and ammunition — and conveyed to Deadwood for interment. Papers found on the body of Charles Holland revealed -that he was an Odd Fellow, from Sioux City, Iowa. At that time, August 21st, 1876, the first steps were taken towards the organization of a lodge of that order in the Black Hills. A committee of three '* past grands," viz., LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 373 Judge W. L. Kuykendall, Frank C. Thullen, and Green Todd was appointed to examine applicants for recognition, when a temporary organizition was effected, by whicli organization Charles Holland was buried, Dr. Babcock, of Deadvvood, reading from their ritual the impressive burial service of the order. Isaac Brown's remains were taken charge of by members of the Masonic order, of which he also was a member, and both were laid to rest in the old cemetery overlooking Whitewood creek. THE WOLF MOUNTAIN STAMPEDE. During the month of July, 1876, an untraceable rumor of the discovery of fabulously rich diggings somewhere out among the lower ranges of the Big Horn Mountains, was set afloat, causing the maddest of mad stampedes from the rich mining camp of Deadwood. Although the pretended discoverers guarded the secret of the precise spot of their wonderful find well, it got whispered around that a " bald peak " among the Wolf mountain ranges marked the locality, which all believed they would have little difficulty in finding. Numerous horsemen, and pack outfits galore, surrepti- tiously left Deadwood — some under the cover of night — and made their way westward over the plains, none know- ing whither, each eager to be the first to reach the reputed land of gold and stake off" their claims. After wandering aimlessly for many days over the West- ern plains and among the mountains — like a ship without rudder or compass — in search of the " bald mountain " that looked down upon the hidden treasure, suffering ter- rible hardships and exposure, in the face of deadly peril, the quest was finally abandoned. Some turned their steps southward and reached civilization on the Union Pacific Railway ; others penetrated the Big Horn Mountains and later made their way to the mines of Montana. One party, after having been severely harassed by the Indians, a few meeting death at their hands, reached and wintered on the 374 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Crow reservation. Many fonnd their way back to Dead- wood gulch far wiser, if not richer men. The story of the rich discovery, which turned out to be a cruel fabrication, was circulated, it was suspected, for purpose of profit on the sale of horses, etc. The following excellent doggerel from the ready pen of the versatile Jack Langrishe, is a good portrayal of the sorry, woe-begone appearance of the badly sold Wolf Mountain stampeders on their return to Deadwood : — *« This is the man of whom we read, Who left Deadwood, on the big stampede ; He's now returned, all tattered and torn, From looking for sold on the Big Horn. He has no malt. He has no cat. He has no coat. He has no hat. His trousers are patched with an old fiour sack, With " for family use " to be seen on the back ; His beard is shaggy, his hair is long And this is the burden of his song: ' If ever I hear, if ever I read Of another great or big stampede, I'll listen, but I'll give no heed. But stay in my cabin at Deadwood.' He paid ten dollars the other day For a mule to carry his ' grub ' away, He packed his load in half an hour. Two gallons of whisky, one pound of tlour. He bought a shovel, And borrowed a pick. He sported his watch, And went on tick. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 375 For a side of bacon and a can of lard. Now look at his fate! My ! isn't it hard? He walked all day and most of the night, And now he is back a sorrowful sight, To the cabin he built in Deadwood. PROVISIONAL CITY GOVERNMENT E'OR DEADWOOD. The demand for some kind of municipal government, vested by the concessions of the people of Deadwood with power to enact laws, securing the city against fires, and for the suppression of the reckless discharge of fire-arms within its limits, and other lawless acts placing the lives of its •citizens in jeopardy, and also for the more rigid enforce- ment of the rules and regulations against the use of the streets of the city for building and business purposes, be- came each day more and more apparent. Realizing the necessity of such an organization, a citizens' proclamation was issued for an election to be held in the City Hall on the 11th of September, 1876. Caucuses were held in due form and several different tickets appeared in the field, the principal contest, however, being for Mayor and City Marshal. I am not informed as to whether the cam- paign was conducted along political party lines or not; at any rate the election was held as per proclamation. The result was as follows : — For organization, 1,082 votes; against organization, 57 votes. E. B. Farnum was elected Mayor and ex-officio Justice of the Peace, receiving 637 out of the total vote of 1,139. Keller Kurtz, Sol. Star, A. P. Carter, and H. C. Philbrook were elected members of the City Council. Con Stapleton was chosen City Marshal and John A. Swift, Clerk and Treasurer. To secure revenue for the support of the new municipal- it}', an ordinance was adopted imposing a license for the conduct of each business and the practice of each profes- sion in the city, which license was, it is believed, as a rule promptly paid. 376 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, The following were the number of business houses in Deadwood, taken by order of the City Council, about the last of September, 1876 : — Assayers, 1; auctioneers, 4; amusements, 2; bath- houses, 1; butchers, 3; blacksmiths, 2; bankers, 1; brew- eries, 2; billiard tables, 4; barbershops, 3; bakeries, 6; clothing houses, 11; dentists, 1; doctors, 5; druggists, 4; dry goods, 1; dance houses, 2; fruit dealers, 3; gam- ing tables, 14 ; grocer-merchants, 21 ; hardware, 2; hotels, 5; jewelers, 3; job-wagons, 4; laundries, 8; lawyers, 7; livery stables, 3 ; miliners, 1 ; newspapers, 1 ; painters, 3; photographers, 1; queensware, 3; restaurants, 6; saloons, 27; sawmills, 2; shoemakers, 3; tailors, 3. Monday, September 25th, 1876, should be chronicled as a real red-letter day in the annals of Deadwood, being made memorable by two very important events ; one, the arrival of the first through coach of the Cheyenne and Black Hills stage line, bringing the first lady passenger to Deadwood, in the person of Mrs. R. B. Fay. Among the other passengers on that first trip was Capt. C. V. Gardner, to whom Supt. Voorhees intrusted the grave re- sponsibility of conducting the stage with its load of pas- sengers safely through the hostile lines into the Hills; Mr. David Dickey, an old-time plainsman who had served his apprenticeship on the overland route to California, held the ribbons from Fort Laramie to Deadwood. The run- ning time from Cheyenne to Deadwood was six and one- half days. On that same day the first quartz mill brought to the Black Hills passed through Deadwood, en route to Gay- ville, when a large portion of Deadwood's citizens were drawn out on the street to behold its advent. TELEGRAPH LINE REACHES DEADWOOD. Perhaps the event of most importance to the people of the Black Hills thus far, was the completion of the Black Hills Telegraph Line to Deadwood, on December LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS, 377 1st, 1876. By virtue of the indomitable pluck and the unwavering perseverance of the projector of the enterprise, in the face^of multiplied difficulties and dangers, and after months of waiting on the part of the expectant people of the Hills, Deadwood, the terminal point of the line, was ou that day placed in direct telegraphic communication with the outside world. The enterprise which promised so much for the success and prosperity of the business in- terests of the Black Hills had at length reached its frui- tion, and the citizens of Deadwood were correspondingly jubilant, hailing the event with manifestations of exceeding delight. As soon as the instrument was put in talking condition there followed an interchange of greetings between Cheyenne and the terminal point of the line. Under the skiliful manipulation of James Halley, the operator in Deadwood, the electric current was tiashed over the wire to Cheyenne, announcing to the Mayor of that city the com- pletion of the line, and that congratulations were in order, to which came back in response the following: — *« Cheyenne, December Ist, 1876. " To E. B. Farnum, Mayor of Deadwood: " Your telegram received. Accept thecongratulations of the citizens of Cheyenne, for your people, and our enter- prising citizen — formerly — but now your Hibbard . We have reached you by telegraph line, and we have further completed a contract to shorten the road between Cheyenne and Deadwood, sixty or seventy miles, which will be com- pleted in a short time. We hope our efforts will be recog- nized and appreciated by your people. " C. R. Bresnaham, " Mayor of Cheyenne." In the evening a large crowd of the citizens of Deadwood, and miners from surrounding camps, gathered in front of the telegraph office, ou the north side of upper Main street, '^ to celebrate the event in a manner commensurate with its ■378 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, importance. An immense pile of combustible material — consisting of pine knots, brush, etc., was kindled, which brightly illuminated its picturesque environments, throwing its lurid glare far up the rocky hillsides flanking the narrow gnlch — presenting a scene which is vividly remembered. In the exuberance of their joy, and as expressions of their gratitude that they were at last placed in instantaneous communication with home and friends, and the great cen- ters of trade in the East, with anvil and plenty of gun- powder, numerous salutes were tired that would have dis- counted the most approved artillery. With the booming of anvil artillery, intermingled with the cheering of the crowd, the celebration went gaily on until a late hour, culminating in a ball at the Grand Central Hotel. At the closino; function the creme-de-la-creme of Dead- wood society was present. The dining-room of the Grand Central, illuminated by numerous coal oil lamps, brightened by the gorgeous (?) toilet of the ladies and the somewhat incongruous " make-up" of the men, presented a fetching scene, but the men couldn't help it, you know, if some of them had to appear in business suits, with white gloves and white neckties, as in those days people were forced to adapt themselves to circumstances, and wear whatever they happened to have on hand. Among the gentlemen who honored the occasion by their presence were the following: Captain Hibbard, the hero of the celebration; Mayor Farnum ; Messrs. McPherson, Kehoe, Allen, Adams, Fay; Wagner, mine host of the Grand Central; Merrick, of the Black Hills Pioneer; Judges Whitehead, Keithly, and McCutcheon ; Capt. C. V. Gardner, Doctors Babcock and Myers; Messrs. Berry and Thompson. It may be proper to note that but few of the wives of the above named gentlemen had yet made their advent in the Hills, which fact in no perceptible way detracted from the enjoyment of the occasion. The construction of the Black Hills telegraph line was commenced in June, 1876, bv William H. Hibbard, for JAMES IIALLEY First telegrapher iu the Black Hills; sent the first electric current over the wires from Deadwoocl to Cheyenue, Wyoming^ on December 1st, 1876. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 379 many years superintendent of construction for the Western Union Telegraph Co., but owing to the hostile attitude of the Indians, he was compelled to maintain a large paid armed force to protect the workmen along the line, which, with other untoward circumstances, so nearly exhausted his resources that he was forced either to abandon the project or ask for financial aid from those who would be benefited by the enterprise. Mr. Hibbard choosing the latter course, came to Dead- wood in July and laid the matter before the business men of that city with proposals for a loan, the nature of which the heading of a subscription then opened, will fully explain : — " We, the undersigned, do hereby agree to purchase from W. H. Hibbard, telegraph scrip to the amount set opposite our names, said scrip being guaranteed by said Hibbard to be redeemed in telegraphing at regular rates for the face value thereof over a line to be constructed between Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and Deadwood City, Dakota, and which scrip we agree to receive and pay for at face value in cash as follows, to wit, one-half the amount subscribed whenever said telegraph line shall have been completed to Custer City, Dakota Territory, and the remaining one-half whenever said line is completed to Deadwood City, Dakota Territory." The business men of Deadwood, appreciating the advan- tages of rapid communication with the outside business world, subscribed to the amount of $5,000.00 approxi- mately. Custer also subscribed liberally to the loan, secured and guaranteed in the same manner, one-half to be paid when the line reached Red Canyon, the remaining half when it reached Custer City. Aid was also secured in Cheyenne. Thus financially fortified, the construction of the line was pushed rapidly forward, reaching Custer City during the latter part of October, and Deadwood on the first of December, every dollar of the scrip being after wards redeemed as per contract. 380 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, FAILURE OF THE BILL FOR TERRITORY OF LINCOLN. The urgent petition presented to Congress in July, 1876, for the formation of a separate and distinct Territory, com- prising the mineral region of the Black Hills, supplemented by the continuous earnest efforts of the people to that end, resulted in the formulation of a bill, in furtherance of the project. The bill came before the Senate for considera- tion in February, 1877, and reads as follows: — " A^Bill to establish the Territory of the Black Hills, and to provide for a temporary government thereof: *' Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that all that portion of the territory of the United States, described as follows: Commencing at a point where the forty-third parallel of north latitude intersects with the twenty-fifth meridian of longitude west from the city of Washington, thence following a due westerly course along said forty-third parallel to its intersection with the thirtieth meridian west from the city of Washing- ton; thence north along said thirtieth meridian of longi- tude to its intersection of the Yellowstone river to the center of said channel ; thence following the center of said channel to its intersection with the forty-seventh parallel to the western boundary line of Dakota Territory; thence due south along said boundary line to the forty-sixth parallel of north latitude ; thence due east along said forty-sixth parallel to the twenty-fifth meridian of longitude west from the city of Washington ; thence south along said twenty-fifth meridian to the place of beginning. Be, and the same is hereby organized into a temporary government — by the name of Lincoln Terri- tory. " Sec. 2. That the said Territory of Lincoln, and the sev- eral officers thereof, shall be invested with all the right, powers and privileges, and be subject to all regulations. LAST HUNTING GROUN'D Or THE DAKOTAHS. 381 restrictions and provisions contained in Cliaptei- 1 of Title 23 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, except as herein otherwise provided. ,. ■. , „f .„;,! .< Sec 3 That the legislative power and authority of said Territory shall be vested in the Governor and Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly shall consist of a Council and House of Kepresentatives ; the Council haU consist of nine members, which may be increased to thu- teen members having the qualifications of voters m sa.d '^"'ser4 The House of Representatives shall consist of thirteen members, which may be increased to twenty-seven members, possessing the same qualifications as are herein prescribed for the members of the Council; provided, ha "he ri.ht of voting and holding oifice in said Territory shall be exercised only by inhabitants thereof who are oitizens of the United States. ..Sec 5 That a delegate to the House of Representatives of the United States to serve during such Congress of the United States be elected by the voters of said Territory, qual- ified to elect members of the Legislative Assembly, who shall be entitled to all and the same rights and privileges as are exercised and enjoyed by the delegates from the several other Territories in said House of Representatives pro- vided that no person shall be a delegate who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, and have the other qualifications of a voter in said Territory. ..Sec 6 That when the land in said Territory shall be surveyed under the direction of the government ot the United States preparatory to bringing the same into the market, sections sixteen and thirty-six in each townsh p in said Territory shall be, and the same is, hereby reserved for the purpose of being applied to schools in the State oi States, hereafter to be erected out of the same. '.Sec 7. That the President of the United States, by and with the consent of the Senate, shall be and is hereby authorized to appoint a Surveyor-General for the said Tern- 382 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, tory, who shall locate his oiBce at such place as the Secretary of the Interior shall from time to time direct, and whose duties, powers, obligations, responsibilities, compensations,, and allowances for clerk hire, office rent, fuel, and inci- dental expenses, shall be the same as those of the Territory of Dakota under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, and under instructions as he may deem advisable from time to time to grive." Despite the efforts put forth both at Washington and at home in its behalf the bill failed. When the question of the division of the Territory and its admission into the sisterhood of States as two States came before the people in 1886-9, the question of a separate State for the Black Hills was again agitated by the people of the Hills to no purpose. GRANVILLE G. BENNETT, First Judge of the First Territorial District Court in tlie Black Hills. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 383 CHAPTEE XXVII. THE BLACK HILLS OPENED TO SETTLEMENT. With the ratification of the Sioux Treaty of 1876 by Congress, and its approval by the President on February 28tb 1877, we enter upon a new and important epoch in Black Hills history. By the extinguishment of the Sioux title thereto, the stigma of outlawry was removed from the people and thev became invested with all the rights, priv- ileges and powers of American citizens, and inasmuch as up°to that time they had been, in a great degree, isolated from the rest of the world and entirely outside the pale of the law, they were, as may be imagined, a correspond- inaly gratified people. The coveted territory was at las", secured to them for a habitation all their own, where each from the shelter of his own vine and fig tree could vvatch, unmolested, the coming dawn of a better civd- ization. , , . t • -i It took not long to set all the complex machinery ot civil government in operation, nor for the people to become adjusted to the new order of things. Under an Act of the Territorial Legislature, the bov- ernor appointed three commissioners to organize a county government for each of the three counties into which the Black Hills was originally divided; regular United States courts were established by the government, as also United States postal service, at all important points in the Black Hills In April, 1877, Judge Granville G. Bennett, under appointment by the President, arrived in Deadwood to establish and assume jurisdiction of the courts of the Black Hills, which then formed a part of the First Judical District of Dakota Territory. 384 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, Under the new conditions a radical and salutary change in the material and social economy of the Hills soon became apparent. Capital seeking profitable investment in the many rich quartz mines then in process of develop- ment, began to make its way into the country; enterpris- ing business men, fortified with ample means, ventured into the Hills with their families, and identified themselves with their commercial interests ; others, who had braved the perils of a journey over the plains at an earlier date, but who had prudently left their families behind until the danger was past, or perhaps to see whether a prize or a blank awaited them, in the then uncertain future of the new El Dorado, sent for their household goods, and founded permanent homes in the towns, or on the fertile valleys and plains. JUDGES OF THE BLACK HILLS DISTRICT AND CIRCUIT COURTS. Appended is a list of the judges who have presided over the District and Circuit Courts of the Black Hills since the first establishment of our regular courts i i the spring of 1877 to the present time : — Judore Granville C. Bennett came to the Black Hills under appointment by President Hayes, to establish law and order, in April, 1877. He established courts and assumed jurisdiction on the bench of the First Circuit of the Territorial District Court, which he occupied until September, 1878, when he resigned. Judge G. C. Moody was appointed by President Hayes to fill the vacancy, and presided from 1878 to October, 1882. Judge Wm. E. Church, of Morristown, New Jersey, under appointment by the Garfield administration, occupied the bench from 1882 to 1886, when Judge Chas. M. Thomas of Bowling Green, Ky., under appointment by President Cleveland, suc- ceeded to the bench which he occupied until the termination of the Territorial courts at the close of 1889. HON. GIDEON C. MOODY, First United States Senator from the Black Hills, South Dakota. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THK OAKOTAHS. 385 In 1889, when the southern portion of Dakota Territory was admitted to Statehood, the territory comprising the Bhick Hills was constituted the Seventh and Eighth Judi- cial Districts of the State Circuit Court, the Seventh con- sisting of the counties of Pennington, Custer, and Fall River ; the Eighth of Lawrence, Butte, and Meade Counties. At the first election under the State laws in the fall of 1889, Judge John W. Nowlin, of Rapid City, was elected to the bench of the Seventh Judicial District, which he occupied until November, 1892, when, owing to failing health, he resigned, and Judge Wm. Gardner, of Rapid City, was appointed to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. In the fall of 1893, Judge Gardner was elected to succeed himself, occupying the bench until Janu- ary, 1898, when he was succeeded by the present incum- bent. Judge Levi McGee. In the fall of 1889 Judge Chas. M. Thomas was elected to the bench of the Eighth Judicial District, which he occupied until January, 1894, when he was succeeded by Judge A. J. Plowman, of Deadwood, who presided until January, 1898, when Judge Joseph A. Moore donned the ermine. HIGHWAY ROBBERS AND ROAD AGENTS. Although, with the cession of the Black Hills in 1877, Indian hostilities were reduced to a minimum, and little danger was apprehended from that source, the lines of public travel were still menaced by danger of quite another sort. Instead of being swooped down upon by bands. of yelling, whooping savages, passengers were liable at any time and point on the route, to be confronted by the apparition of several masked figures, silently emerging from some shadowy recess near the road, and to find themselves suddenly looking into the persuasive muzzles of several six-shooters, at short range, or shot-guns at longer range, and greeted, in sepulchral tones, with the per- emptory mandate of " Hold up your hands/' — which dis- 386 ■ THE BLACK HILLS; OR, courteous mandate was usually obeyed with the utmost alacrity. While in this helpless attitude of solemn invoca- tion, they were systematically searched, and relieved of all their superfluous belongings, such as money, watches, jewehy, or other valuables found upon their persons. Occasionally, however, a passenger, with more courage than discretion, would reach for his hip pocket, whip out his revolver like a flash, and fire on the masked robbers at first sight, thus precipitating a fight. Those early knights of the road did their work with a thoroughness worthy of a better cause; indeed they had the profession reduced to a fine art. As some now in the Black Hills who have been put through the course will remember, their modus operandi was as follows: First, after being compelled to dismount and stand in a row, pas- senger's pockets were emptied of their contents, then the internal economy of the men's hats and women's bonnets and coiffures were carefully examined — they were no respectors of persons, those Sir Knights, — then hands were deftly and caressingly passed over their clothing in quest of any bulges or })umps not accounted for b}^ the aver- age human anatomy, and lastly men's boots and women's shoes were pulled off to secure the possible wad of green- backs, or some cherished article of jewelry hidden in the toes thereof. While 1877 began an epoch of material prosperity for the Black Hills, it also began what may appropriately be designated the era of "hold-ups," horse-stealing and *' cattle-rustling." In the early years, before the advent of railroads, when passengers were transported and the gold- dust and bullion product of the Hills was shipped by stage over the plains, the country surrounding the Black Hills was infested by as desperate and conscienceless bands of robbers as ever inflicted their unwelcome presence on anew mining camp. As a consequence " hold-ups " and stage robberies were \evy common occurrences — in fact they were the rule and not the exception. LAST HUNTING GItOUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 387 Perhaps the first attempt at stage robbery within the limits of the Hills was made near Deadwood, on the night of March 25th, 1877, resulting in the killing of Johnny Slaughter, driver of the Sidney and Black Hills stage coach. The stage, it appears, left Custer City on that day with eleven passengers, — ten men and one woman, viz. : Harry Lake, Walter Her, A. G. Smith, B. P. Smith, Chas. Burns, Angus McMasters, Charlie Ostram, Mattie Ostram, and three other names unknown, and $15,000 in cash, in charge of Harry Lake, for Stebbins, Wood & Co.'s bank, now the First National Bank of Deadwood. When five miles north of Hill City the stage became dis- abled, causing considerable delay, as it had to travel slowly. When, at eleven o'clock that night, the lumbering, crip- pled coach, with its load of tired passengers, reached the mouth of Gold Run, about where the Pluma Mill now stands, five men were noticed marching alonor the middle of the road ahead, one a little in advance of the others, who, when the stage approached them, separated two on each -;ide, apparently to let it pass. Just as the stage got abreast of them, one of the men on the left suddenly thrust his gun into the stage and fired. Harry Lake quickly grasped the gun with both hands, and held on to it with such desperate tenacity that the robber, in trying to wrest it from his grasp, pulled him out of the stage on the left. Meanwhile the advance agent had leveled his shot-gun and tired at the driver, who fell dead from the box on the right, the charge grazing the elbow of Her who was in the act of reaching around to his right side pocket for his revolver. Her and Burns, who rode on the box, supposing the driver had jumped otf the box to avoid the shot, also at almost the same moment jumped and made for a place of shelter and long range. The horses, becoming frightened at the shooting, immediately started on a wild run towards Dead- wood with the stage and its five terrified, white-faced pas- 388 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, sengers, followed by a volley from the guns of the robbers ^ who then made good their escape without any booty. It all occurred in a much less time than it takes to tell the stor3^ In their mad flight the wheel horses got tangled up in the lines in such a way as to turn the lead team entirely around, so that after running a distance of about a half mile, they came to a dead halt. Soon after, Lake, Her, and Burns put in an appearance, but the unfortunate driver came not. The passengers, after straightening up the tangled out- fit, proceeded to Deadwood, where they arrived at about midnight. The story soon spread over the city, creating intense excitement and indignation that such a bold attempt at highway robbery should be made almost within the shadow of its buildings. A party, composed of A. G. Smith, John Manning, and West Travis, followed by others, hastened to the scene of the encounter in search of Slanghter, whose dead body was soon found where it fell from the box. Upon examination it was found that thir- teen buckshot had entered directly over the heart, twelve of them forming a perfect circle. This affair of the road, which occurred just before the establishment of law in the Black Hills, was the only " hold-up " ever attempted within the limits of Lawrence County. Seth Bullock, who about this time received his appointment as Sheriff of Law- rence County, took prompt measures to hunt down the perpetrators of the crime, but, it is believed, without success. Again, in July, 1877, the Sidney coach was stopped about four miles south of Battle creek and robbed of the treasure box, and the passengers relieved of their money, watches, jewelry, and baggage. The gold shipments were first sent out in an iron or steel treasure box, under guard of armed men. The officers of the newly-established law in the Hills were ever on the alert for the outlaws, keeping close *' tab " on all persons hanging about the town without visible LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 389 means of support, or suspicious characters lurking in the shadows of public resorts, and their keen untiring vigilance and evident determination to hunt down and drive out the desperate gang from the country made it the part of wis- dom and prudence for them to change their base of opera- tions from the Hills to a less torrid clime, where they felt they would be safe from the terrible sleuth-hounds of Black Hills law. They finally made their stamping ground at Hat creek — a point on the stage route, remote from the settlements of the Hills, where they thought they could ply their avoca- tion of stage robbery with impunity. From this point they continued to hold up and rob stage coaches with great regularity ; in fact robberies became so frequent that the driver always expected to be held up when they had treas- ure aboard, and at certain points on the route looked for a man or men with shot-guns to step out from behind a pro- jecting rock and order him to " halt " and throw out the treasure box. HOW A DEADWOOD LADY SAVED HER WATCH, Despite their seemingly utter lack of sentiment or moral scruples, those early bandits were not always proof against flattery, as the following episode will illustrate. The story runs thus: A lady, the wife of a well-known Deadwood citizen, was, upon a time, a passenger on one of the stage coaches that was held up on the Sidney route. The lady had a watch on her person that she highly valued, and while the robbers were engaged in securing the property of the other passengers she slyly concealed it among the coils of her back h;ur. One of the robbers soon ap- proached her and demanded her money and valuables, which she readily yielded up, with the exception of the watch. The robber either accidentally or otherwise es- pied the watch, reached out and took it, and was coolly transferring it to his pocket, when the lady in imploring accents cried: "Please, Mr. Eobber ! good Mr. Robber I 390 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, dear Mr. Robber! don't take my watcli." The robber, unable to withstand the stirring appeal, and, perhaps, struck by the humor of the situation, with a hearty laugh handed the watch back to its owner. Such generosity, however, was but rarely displayed. Another lady, a sister-in-law of W. H. Harlow, now a resident of Spearfish, when leaving the Hills in 1878, took the precaution before starting of concealing the contents of her purse, amounting to $100 or such a matter, among the intricate meshes of her back hair, hoping to smuggle it through without discovery, but, alas ! at a point on the road known as " Eagle's Nest," the stage was held up and the passengers robbed of all their valuables, and the roll of greenbacks so carefull}^ concealed iu the young lady's hair did not escape detection. THE DEAD WOOD FAMOUS TREASURE COACH. As a last desperate expedient to defeat the purposes of the outlaws. Superintendent Voorhees, of the Sidney and Black Hills Stage and Express Line, had built the historic Deadwood treasure coach, designed expressly for the transportation of Black Hills gold. This famous coach, a familiar object to all old-timers, was a strongly constructed and formidable affair, lined with heavy steel or iron plate, intended to defy the bullets of the desperate bandits. Passengers entering or returning from the Hills by the ordinary passenger coaches frequently shipped their valuables on the treasure coach for greater security, it being regarded as nearly invulnerable. When completed it was put on the road under the escort of five picked men, unerring pistol shots, with Scott Davis as Chief Messeno-er — all armed with shot-gruns and six-shooters, to guard the treasure on its dangerous way over the line. Brave, intrepid, and nervy men were those messengers who guarded the gold dust and the bullion out of the Black Hills during those early days, and the story LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 391 of their daring adventures on their perilous trips is by no means the least interesting portion of Black Hills history. Several trips were made by the new coach without encountering any danger, but a time came later when the true metal of the iron-protected vault on wheels, as well as the nerve of the messengers in charge of the treasure, were put to a crucial test. That occasion was the memorable Cold Springs robbery of 1878. One day, during that year, the treasure coach with three messengers and a telegraph operator named Campbell aboard, and Big Gene, the driver, on the l)ox, drove up as usual to the stage station at Cold Springs without dream- ing that danger lurked about the place. Everything about the premises bore its wonted aspect of security. The stages had never been attacked at the stations. The horses were halted at the door of the station, the driver threw the lines he had held over the six horses to the ground, and was preparing to dismount from the box, when, suddenly, as a thunder-clap from a clear sky, a loud report of fire-arms rang out, and a deadly hail of bullets came hurtlino; asainst the side and throuo;h the coach, killino- Campbell and dangerously wounding Gale Hill, one of the messengers ; Scott Davis, Chief Messenger, also slightly wounded, taking in the situation at one glance, jumped to the ground on the opposite side from where their assailants stood, and made for the heavy timber near by, under cover of which he opened a brisk fusillade on the five desperadoes. So fast and furious came the hail of shot from the timber into the ranks of the robbers, that two of them, impelled by the instinct of self-preservation, finally made a sort of breastwork or Big Gene, whom they had captured and disarmed. Placing the poor fellow in front of them, as a protection, they compelled him to walk towards the spot where Davis was concealed, and when within communicating distance, they warned him to stop firing or take the alternative of seeing: " Bis: Gene " killed then and there. Realizing that 392 THE BLACK HILLS ; OK, the drivel's life was at stake, he ceased firing and, though wounded, started at once for the nearest stage station for assistance. After Davis had ceased firing, the robbers compelled the driver to seize a pick and break open the treasure box, when, after taking possession of its contents, $45,000 in gold bullion, they pinioned " Big Gene " to a wheel of the coach, mounted their horses and rode away, leaving their wounded comrade where he had fallen. During all these proceedings the third messenger was lying stretched at full length on the bottom of the coach, apparently dead. He was not dead, however, nor even wounded, but merely act- ing his part in the tragic drama, and so well did he perform his diflScult role, that not even a suspicion of the truth dawned upon the minds of the outlaws. By feigning death he had saved his own life, and also gained some informa- tion that afterwards proved valuable when the search for the robbers began. The other two messengers were at the station below, where they intended joining the force upon the arrival of the coach. The names of the five bandits were Blackburn, Wall, Brookes, " Red Head Mike," and Price, who, it was ascer- tained, had taken possession of the station and concealed themselves before the arrival of the coach, the stocktenders having been securely bound and gagged, to prevent them giving the alarm. It was several months before the wounded outlaw recovered, from whom a clue was obtained as to the identity of the other members of the gang. The officers of the law immediately got upon the trails of the robbers and followed them up until they were nearly all captured and most — perhaps all — of the stolen treasure recovered. The vigorous measures taken to hunt down the gang that infested the country had a salutary effect, as no other attempt was made to hold up the treasure shipments on that route. It is now recalled that a few, at least, of that desperate israns: of outlaws who infested the Black Hills region during LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 393 the late '70s were brought to justice in Dead wood in the summer of 1877, I think it was, and it was this way: — As I was walking leisurely down Sherman street one Sun- day in July of that year, when in the vicinity of the old log jail my attention was attracted to a wild commotion in the street below, and a horseman was seen speeding avvay over the hills to the right followed by a volley of bullets, the rider turning in his saddle occasionally to tire back at his pursu- ers. Skipping nimbly away out of the possible range of some stray bullet, I saw no more, but upon inquiry later the following facts relative to the exciting episode were eliminated : — D. B. May, a ranchman from Lance creek., on the Chey- enne river, thought he recognized among the motley crowd gathered in front of the post-office, one of a gang that " held up " the Black Hills stage coach about four weeks before, robbing him of $70 in money. Upon communicat- ing his suspicion to others, a man named Goldman approached the suspected individual and slapped him upon the shoulder, whereupon he quickly pulled his revolver and fired, the ball grazing the arm of Mr. May, who promptly returned the fire. The stranger then quickly mounted his horse, which was hitched near by, and made for the hills, emptying the chambers of his revolver at the pursuing crowd as he rode. He had not gone far when a well- directed shot by Deputy Sheriff Cochrane brought both horse and rider to the ground. After clearing himself from his fallen horse he tried to make his escape on foot, but was defeated in this purpose by Sheriff Bullock, who, arriving opportunely on the scene in company with Dep- uty Captain Willard, soon arrested the fugitive and had him conveyed to jail, while he (Bullock) and Deputy Wil- lard started in pursuit of two other men, who appeared to be trying to make their escape and were being pursued by Mr. Gilman. These were also arrested and placed in j.iil. The prisoners gave their names as Prescott Webb, G. W. Webb, andC. P. Wisdom. 394 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, Since the advent of railroads in the Bhiek Hills ship- ments of bullion from the large mines are made only semi- monthly, and the exceeding precaution taken in making such shipments, has reduced the danger of bullion robbery to a minimum. The gold is molded into bricks, varying in size, but usually about ten inches in length, six inches wide, and five inches in thickness, at the offices of the companies. It is customary, I am informed, for the messenger to receive the bullion at the offices of the companies, where it is receipted for, and then taken under guard to the office of the express company over whose line it is to be shipped, where it is securely wrapped and sealed, then placed in the treasure box and conveyed under guard to the railroad station and placed in the express car. The messenger, armed with loaded shot-oun and six-shooter, accompanies the treasure until it reaches a point of safety. During the early shipments by railroads, messengers have been known to guard the bullion as far as Omaha on its way East. Now, however, the heavy bullion [)roduct of the northern Hills is accompanied by the messenger only as far as Rapid City. Richard Bullock, reputed to be one of the nerviest mes- sengers who ever guarded the orold bullion out of the Black Hills, has been employed for many years to guard the semi-monthly shipments of the bullion product of the great Homestake aggrieoration of mines, without ever having lost, COO ^ it is alleged, a single ounce of the millions of treasure intrusted to his care. During the time that Whitewood was the terminus of the first railroad to the Hills, the F. E. & M. V. Bullock guarded the bullion over the stage route between Deadwood and Whitewood, through a mountainous country that was peculiarly inviting to road agents, with- out ever having encountered a single knisht of the road. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 395 CHAPTER XXVIir. CUSTER COUNTY. Custer County originally occupied all that portion of the Black Hills of Dakota, lying betsveen 43^ and 43' 50' north latitude, and betAveeii the 103 and 104 meridian of longi- tude west of Greenwich ; besides a small triangular frac- tion on the northeast, bordering the south fork of the Big Cheyenne river, altogether covering an area of a little more than 3,000 square miles, or one-half of the entire ceded territory. The county, as first defined, may be divided into two nearly equal portions; the one comprehending the moun- tainous and mineral-bearing region, in which is included the greater part of the Harney granite uplift; the other the grazing and agricultural lands outside of the foot-hills, in which is included the fertile valleys of the numerous streams draining that area and a considerable extent of prairie land on both sides of the Cheyenne river. The northern or mountainous portion is covered by an abundant growth of pine timber of excellent quality, and interspersed with many charming parks, — half wood and half glade; the middle and southern portion consisting, for the most part, of high prairie table-lands, becoming mountainous toward the south. The whole area is drained by Spring, Battle, French, Beaver, and Fall River creeks. At the first session of the newly appointed Board of County Commissioners, held in the parlors of the Occi- dental Hotel at Custer, beginning on the 27th of April, 1877, the county was organized and named Custer, in honor of Gen. Geo. A. Custer, who commanded the first military expedition to the Black Hills in the summer of 1874. The meetinss at Custer were held on the 27th of April, 396 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th of May, 1877, during which the county was temporarily located at Hay- ward, by a majority vote of the Board, and, by the way, there is a bit of rather amusinir history connected with the location of the capital of Custer County, which furnishes an example of a little exceedingly sharp practice on the part of one of the commissioners, and the story runs thus : — The appointees for Commissioners of Custer County were M. D. Thompson of Yankton, Chas. Hay ward of Hayward, and E. G. Ward of Custer City, the two latter places being rivals for county seat honors. Custer, not having yet fully recovered from the effects of its suddenly arrested growth in the spring of 1876, had at the time but a meager population, while on the other hand, Hayward had developed into a booming, hustling mining camp, of perhaps 300 people. At the initial session of the Board, M. D. Thompson, the Yankton member, was chosen permanent chairman of the meetings, and when the work of organization, the appoint- ment of subordinate county officers and other preliminary proceedings looking to the establishment of county govern- ment, was concluded, Mr. Haj'ward made a motion to locate the county seat at Hayward, which Ward naturally re- fused to second, thus blocking procedure in that direction, when, after a short discussion, the Board adjourned to meet on the followinoj mornin^r. In the interim there was doubtless considerable influence brought to bear on the neutral member, who, after weigh- ing the matter, finally came to the conclusion that the cap- ital should be where it would accommodate the greatest number of the people of the county, so meeting Mr. Hay- ward he told him to renew his motion at the meeting to be held in the morning. This Hayward did, but, as before, Ward failed to second the motion. The chairman, who had his bit of strategy all figured out, after waiting a few minutes, pulled a cigar from his pocket, bit off the end, fumbled in his vest pockets for LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 397 something which he ostensibly failed to find, then, vacating the chair, approached Mr. Ward and asked him for a match. While lighting his cigar, he requested Ward to occupy the chair, which he did, when he (Thompson) seconded Hayward's motion, which, of course, was carried by a majority of one, and thus Hayward was made the temporar}'^ county seat. The first meeting of the Board at Hayward was held on May 16th, 1877. In canvassing the returns of the election held in Novem- ber, 1877, to elect county officers and permanently locate the capital, there were found, it is claimed, many fraudu- lent votes. Custer, however, claimed the election, which Hayward refused to concede, and, as a sequence, the con- test waxed warm. Tradition says that, to summarily settle the matter, a party of men went to Hayward, took forcible possession of the county archives, and carried them ta Custer ; and further says, that the party was promptly arrested and compelled to return the county property to Hayward. Not until 1879 was the contest adjusted, and the capital permanently located at Custer City, the last meeting of the Commissioners at Hayward being held on October 7th, 1879, and the first at Custer three days later, on October 10th, 1879. The first county officers of Custer County were as fol- lows : — County Commissioners : M. D. Thompson, Chas. Hay- ward, and E. G. Ward. Probate Judge : J. W. C. White. Register of Deeds and ex officio County Clerk: Fred. J. Cross. Sheriff: D. N. Ely. Treasurer: Frank B. Smith. Constables: M. H. Brown, C. A. Scott. Justices of Peace: Theodore Vos. Brough, S. R. Shank- laud, C. L. Spooner. Surveyor: Robt. Harvey. Assessor: A. B. Hughes. 398 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, On November 12tb, 1881, the boundary line between Caster and Pennington counties was definitely fixed, when Huyward was found to be within the lines of Pennington County, some two or three miles. Until 1881 courts were held in ordinary buildings. In that year a fine two-story brick structure was erected at a cost to the county of $12,000, for the payment of which county bonds were issued. Up to this time considerable expend- itures had been made by the county in improving roads and building bridges across the principal streams, showing a commendable spirit of public enterprise on the part of its 2,000 population. In 1882 the assessed valuation of Custer County was $363,329; the tax levy thirty mills, and the total in- debtedness $29,407.29, at which time county bonds were worth 97 cents on the dollar. In 1883 the county was sub- divided on the boundary line between townships Nos, 6 and 7 south, and the southern subdivision organized into Fall River County, thus catting off a considerable portion of the grazing lands from the old county, but leaving for the most part the mineral bearing and the most heavily tim- bered areas to Caster County. This subdivision was made in obedience to the popular verdict of the portion to be segregated. The county has now (1898) an assessed valuation of $784,504.00 ; a total indebtedness of $174,188.86, and con- tained a population of 4,740 in 1896. THE MINES OF CUSTER COUNTY. From the easily exhausted placer deposits of French creek and tributary gulches, the attention of prospectors was, about 1879, first directed to the discovery and devel- meni of the other varied resources of that region of the Hills, which resulted in exposing numerous promising mines of gold, mica, tin, and other minerals, but owing to the absence of facilities for dealing with the product, much of LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 399 the needed stimulus to a vigorous development of mining properties by their owners was lacking during the first years of Custer County miuing history. With the advent of the railroad in 1890, however, a new impetus was given to mining activity in that region. Among the early discoveries in gold-bearing quartz were the " Grand Junction," "Penobscot," " Salmon." " At- lantic," "Old Bill," "Old Charley," "Lightning," " Mayflower," and " North Pole." The Grand Junction was located in April, 1879, by Chas. Crary, F. A. Towner, James Friend, and Joseph Summers. This mine is situated about seven and one-half miles north- west of Custer City, near the boundary line of Custer and Pennington counties. In 1880 a company erected a twenty- stamp mill on the property. In 1881 a new company was organized called the Grand Junction Company, which car- ried on operations for nearly a year, when, in July, 1882, a company of St. Louis capitalists under the name of the Constant Mining Company, purchased the property and erected a forty-stamp mill. This mill was operated on the mine until the winter of 1885, when it closed down, since which time the batteries have been idle. The Grand Junction is a large vertical vein of quartz, full sixty feet in width, with hornblende on the east and a slate wall on the west side. The ore near the surface was partly free milling, but as depth was attained it was found to be in conformation with base metals, and therefore the gold could not be recovered by amalgamation — hence the suspension. Unfortunately for that region of the Hills, this failure to extract the gold from refractory ore by the free milling process did not serve as a salutary warning to future mine owners and operators, for, despite this object-lesson they continued to discover mines which yielded rich returns by chemical analysis, upon which they persisted in erecting stamp mills, until nine were erected in Custer County, upon the best mines in the district, — some of which still 400 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, stand as mouuraents to the deplorable shoit-sighledness of the early mine operators. The Penobscot mine is situated about seven miles north- west from Custer, and was located by A. Wilcox, W. C, Gooch and Joel Mead in 1879. The owners did a small amount of work on the mine, and sold a half interest to Jas. Brodieof Lead City, who was formerly connected with the Old Abe, now the property of the Homestake Co. In 1880 the firm erected a mill on the property and equipped it with antiquated machinery, which was first used in a mill in Colorado, away back in 1860. In 1877, having out- lived its usefulness, it was sold to Messrs. Potter & Powers, who transported it to the Black Hills, and put it in opera- tion on one of the early mines at Central. Provingaltogether unsatisfactory for milling purposes, the machinery was sold in 1880 to Gooch, Brodie & Co., who took it down to Custer County, and put it up at the Penobscot mine. The firm tried hard to pound a little gold out of the Penobscot ore with the condemned batteries, but becoming disgusted with the results they sold the property to Messrs. Fortune^ Wilson & Bull, in 1881, the latter selling his interest to Dr. Broughton of Broadhead, Wisconsin. This company ran the mill for a short time, when the worthless machinery was taken down and moved away. Is it any wonder that the ore refused to yield to such treatment? It will be recalled by those whose memories go back twenty-one years, that other obsolete machinery was brought up from Colorado to the Black Hills, and put in operation on some of the early mines around Central, jeopardizing the repu- tation of the mines, and leaving their owners on the verge of bankruptcy. The Penobscot is a large vein of quartz, which assays $10.00 in gold per ton. A large amount of excavation has been done near the surface, but no great depth has been attained. The property is now in the hands of Edwin Van Cise of Dead wood. The Salmon mine, situated about two miles north of Custer, was located by Messrs. Peterson and Woodward in LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 401 1880. This mine attained early celebrity, for the extraor- dinary richness of the ore at the surface, and the many free gold specimens it produced. No mill was ever erected on the property, which is owned by the Gold Fish Mining Co., and is now in charge of Joseph Pilcher, of Caster. The Atlantic mine was located in 1879 by Henry Frank- lin. This mine, too, was justly famous for its free gold specimens, which were claimed to be the richest ever found in the Black Hills. The mine is now owned by John Wright, of Custer, and Jack McAIeer, of Dead wood. No mill has been erected on the property. The Old Bill mine, situated about four and one-half miles northerly from Custer, was located in May, 1879, by Rich- ard Holiday, Ralph Kenyon, and H. N. Ross, the latter having charge of the mine. The Old Bill is a large, tine vein of quartz, assaying twelve dollars in gold per ton. While there is no mill on the ground, the ore has been milled with good profit. The mine has a shaft sixty feet deep. The Old Charlie mine was located in July, 1879, by Chas. Holmes and A. Sampson. This property, which consists of three claims, is situated about four miles west of Custer. There are numerous openings on the property, the main working shaft which is about one hundred and fifty feet deep, is a double compartment incline, five and a half by nine feet in ore from the surface downwards. A twenty- stamp mill, and steam hoist are erected on the property, and a great deal of ore has been milled, with excellent results ; the ore yielding from five dollars to twenty-one dollars in gold per ton. The property is owned by W. N. Olds and his associates, of New York, and is under the supervision of W. N. Olds, of Custer. When operated on the extensive scale contemplated by the management, the property will doubtless add largely to the gold production of the Hills. The Lightning mine is another of the famous mines of the early days. This mine, which was located in July, 1879, by 26 402 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Frank Weatherby and J. Juderine, is a fine vein of quartz — true fissure in character, and seven feet in width at the one hundred foot level. Since its first discovery the prop- erty has changed hands several times, but is now owned, for the most part, by Leopold Dole, of Omaha, and Henrj' Schenek, of Custer. The mine has changed its original name, and is now known as the North Star mine. The owners of the property — which is now being rapidly de- veloped — design the erection of complete reduction works in the early spring. The ore is reputed to be very rich. The May Flower mine, situated about four miles west from Custer City, on a small tributary of French creek, was first located in 1879, by James McShearer and John P. Forau, of Custer. This mine, which has been quite extensively developed, has a large vein of medium grade, and a three- foot vein of high-grade ore. In 1884 a ten-stamp mill was erected on the property, which, after making a short run, closed down, owing to the impossibility of saving the gold by amalgamation. The assay, by Telluride test, runs from $12.00 to $15.00 in gold per ton of ore. The present owners are J. P. Foran, John Durst, and Harry Paland. Among the most promising of the recent discoveries in Custer County are the " Spokane," " Lizzie," " Bonanza," " Granite Reef" and " Union Hill " mines. The Spokane mine, located by Sylvester Judd in 1891, is situated about sixteen miles east of Custer City and twelve miles from Hermosa, on the F. E. & M. V. Railway. This mine has a shaft 100 feet in depth, and a number of connecting drifts. The vein proper, which is about fourteen feet in width, is of medium-grade ore, except four feet of the center or core, which runs quite uniformly twenty ounces in silver and from 35 to 40 per cent in lead to the ton. The property now belongs to the Crown Hill Mining Co., which in addition to this property, is operating extensively in the northern Hills. The Lizzie mine, located in 1897 by Frank and Ford McLaughlin, of Custer, constitutes one of the claims LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 403 which comprise a large group, now owned by an incor- porated stock company, the greater part of the stock being held by citizens of Le Mars, Iowa. The development con- sists of a ninety-five-foot tunnel, and 100-foot shaft, at the bottom of which the mine shows a vein of nine feet, incased in walls of quartzite. The ore runs from $6.00 to $40.00 in gold, and two per cent copper to the ton. The company are preparing to ship the product to a smelter for treatment. The Bonanza mine, situated on Mineral Ridge, three and a half miles west of Custer, has four shafts, the deepest of which is sixty-five feet. This group of claims is owned by H. G. Butterfield & Bro. of Custer. The Granite Reef mine, situated two miles southeast from Custer, has a fifty-foot shaft, and a tunnel 300 feet in length. The ore of this mine carries two per cent of copper, and from $12.00 to $46.00 in- gold to the ton, the vein being nine feet in width. The property is owned by James Deraereau, C. W. Robbins, and A. T. Feay, of Custer City. The Union Hill mine, situated about three miles west from Custer, has a shaft forty-five feet in depth and a tun- nel 300 feet in length. The vein is eight feet in width, and assays well in gold. The property is owned by Henry A. Albion of Custer City. There are numerous other gold mines of bright promise in Custer County, which with the application of proper treatment, will, doubtless, yield handsome profits to their owners. The gold in these veins is readily obtained by the chlorination or cyanide process, but the ore is only to a limited extent adapted to the free milling methods. It only lacks an abundance of capital to transform that region into one of the most productive districts in the Black Hills. THE MICA MINES OF CUSTER COUNTY. For several years after the beginning of the last decade, the Mica mining industry constituted an important factor 404 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, in the business economy of Custer County, to which region of the Hills that mineral is principally confined. In fact it is only in the lofty granite mountains of the Harney range, surrounding Custer City, that mica in merchant- able form has been found. Strangely enough, although the whole granite region glittered brightly with mica, but little attention was given to it as a commercial commodity until about 1880, when the attention of miners was attracted to the mineral as a possible factor of industrial enterprise, by encountering large blocks, easily separable into sheets, in the development of goldmines. . The first workable mica mine, it is claimed, was located as a gold mine in 1879, by Geo. Clark, about three and one- half miles northwest of Custer, Since its first discovery the mine has doubtless changed hands a few times, and has been known under various appellations, but is now known as the McMaken mine. It was at one time owned by Messrs. Offenbacher & Haight, who took from the mine from $75,000.00 to $100,000.00 worth of fine merchantable mica. Perhaps the most remarkable as well as the most pro- ductive deposit of mica discovered is a mine known as the Lost Bonanza, situated about two miles north of Custer, on the abrupt slope of Buckhorn Mountain, and located by L. C. La Barre, in 1880. Soon after its location, sold to the New Mexico & Dakota Mica Mining Company, com- posed of Chicago capitalists, which from July, 1881, to March, 1882, took from the mine 24,000 pounds of splen- did mica. This may seem a small amount to produce in a period of eight months, but let it be remembered that a vast deal of heavy granite rock has to be removed to reach the mica, and when found only about seven per cent of the whole is merchantable. The market price of the product varied according to quality and demand, ranging from $2.00 to $12.00 per pound. It was hinted about that time, it is recalled, that this corporation so controlled and manipulated the mica market, as to render its production wholly unprofitable to small operators. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 405 A few of the mauy other mica locations are the " Cli- max," " Now York," " White Spar," " Window Light," "Eureka," "Grand View," "Old Mike," and "Last Find," all of which were more or less developed into very promising properties. The Eureka, six miles north- east of Custer, near Harney's Peak, attained especial celebrity for the Inrge sheets of mica it produced, some of which measured eight by ten square inches, without a Haw or defect. None of these mines are now being operated, and the reason assigned by those in a position to know is that the market is controlled by a trust in such a way as to bar out all mica that does not pass directly through its hands, thus rendering the production of the mineral unprofitable. The same is true of the mining of tin, which, according to the expressed opinion of tin experts, exists in paying quantities in the granite hills of Custer County, but which is at present impossible to get upon the market. It is confidently expected by mine owners that changed con- ditions and a growing demand will revive both of these industries at no distant day. CUSTER CITY. Custer City, the primary metropolis of the Black Hills — much of whose early history has been hereinbe- fore recorded, — is finely situated, at an elevation of 5,5(50 feet above the level of the sea, on the upper valley of French creek, near the center, east and west of what has been designated Custer's Park, than which no spot more alluring and grandly picturesque is to be found in the whole magnificent Black Hills domain. From the margin of the park, wherein lies the pioneer city, rise bold, lofty mountains, projecting their jagged, naked crests far above the stately pines that clothe their rugged slopes. On the north Buckhorn Peak, covered from base to summit with evergreen foliage, rises up 1,000 feet above the level of the city, and sweeps around its 406 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, southern spur to within two miles of its outer limits, describing in its curve that peculiar outline to which the name owes its origin. On the eastern margin about two miles away, Calamity Peak extends its bare castellated crest 1,200 feet above the level of the valley, and away ten miles to the northeast Harney's Peak towers in rocky grandeur above all. On the south, near the city, the hills rise to an elevation of perhaps 200 feet, then gradually fall away, disclosing a fascinating view of Prospect Park, while to the east and west widens out the beautiful valley of French creek. This valley was appropriately designated "Floral Valley" by Gen. Custer, when exploring the Hills in 1874, because of the wonderful variety and beauty of its flora. It is said that in the blossoming season, or during the months of June and July, as many as IGO varieties of wild flowers may be found in bloom. The region about Custer possesses an ideal climate full of health-giving and iiealth-preserving properties — a climate where epidemics are an almost unknown quantity. The pure, invigorating air circulating through the valley, laden with the grateful aroma of the pines, infuses new life with every expansion of the lungs, causing the weak to become strong, and under its balmy influence the wretched victim of insomnia is wooed to gentle, refreshing slumber. All one has to do is to comfortably adjust his tired anatomy and nature speedily does the rest. Snow rarely falls to a depth of more than six inches, nor remains more than a few days at a time in Custer's Park, which abounds in pure, cold, crystal springs — leaving noth- ing to be desired by the tourist in search of health or pleasure. SYLVAN LAKE. Resting peacefully in among the rugged cliffs of the Harney range, about six miles in a northerly direction from Custer, may be found the crowning attraction of that 407 region, ever." This LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAIIS. - Sylvan Lake," " a thing of beauty and a joy for. .u-tistic conception was formed in 1882 by the con struction of a massive stone dam, near the head of Sunday tX to bar the waters of the streams that tr.ckle down fhe mountain slopes into the basin, thus formmg an ait.fi- cial lake of about fixteen acres in extent. 408 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, From Custer this popular resort is reached over a finely constructed driveway, that winds its sinuous way through a region of grandeur, beauty, and picturesqueness not sur- passed elsewhere in this " Switzerland of America," and after circling around a labyrinth of hills, near the limits of the lake, it brings its visitor suddenly in full view, at its upper side, of an exhibition of nature's and art's handi- work combined, that would not willingly be forgotten. On three sides the towering cliffs inclose the miniature lake in their close, rugged embrace, while at the lower margin, the surplus waters dash over the artificial barrier, and go dancing and chattering gaily down the rocky incline. The surface of the lagoon is dotted here and there with white- winged boats, whose small keels are plowing little rippling furrows across its bosom, or, perchance, are rocking on the tiny waves at their moorings. Copious as is the English tongue, it is inadequate to paint the scene in all its lights and shades, and it is only through the eye that one can form a true conception of the enchanting picture. In a little recession, at the base of the water-laved crags, inclosing the lower end of the lake, at the rijjht of the dam, a commodious veranda-encircled hostelry has been constructed, and provided with all modern conveniences for the entertainment of guests who are there supplied with a cuisine that would challenge the criticism of the most fastidious epicure. It is from the veranda of this hotel that the best view of the lagoon and its environments can be obtained. CUSTER IN 1877. Custer, on entering its third year of history, found itself, prostrate, but purified, in the midst of its grand surroundings. Of the thousands of eager, reckless for- tune-hunters, who had departed during the previous year, in pursuit of the " elusive phantom," but few had returned, as the hundreds of tenantless buildings gave pathetic testimony, buildings which were afterward from time to time torn down and converted into fuel. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 409 For the few subsequent years the population of Custer fluctuated, varying from fifty or sixty to 400. On the re- turn of Gen. Crook from his summer campaign against the Indians in the fall of 1876, his command camped at Custer for a time, which brought back a few of the stampeders from Deadwood, and also attracted to that point a con- siderable number of new-comers to the Hills, increasing the population to about 400, which, owing to new excite- ments in other portions of the Hills, again diminished, until, on September 5th, 1878, there were, it is said, by actual census, only thirty-seven men, eleven women, and as many children, fifty-seven persons all told, in the pio- neer city of the Black Hills. From that time it again began to slowly expand until in 1881 it contained a perma- nent population of 400, from which date the stability of Custer became an assured fact. Among those who pinned their faith to Custer for the most time during its early years of vicissitudes and dis- couraging fluctuations were, first : Thos. Hooper, D. W. Flick^ Sam'l K. Shankland, D. K. Snively in 1875, then H. A. Albion, E. G. Peirce, T. H. Harvey, W. H. Har- low, Ernest Schleunning, Sam'l Booth, Frank B. Smith, A. B. Hughes, A. Yerkes, J. C. Saunders, Capt. Haserodt, and others all of whom may be accounted among the first permanent settlers of Custer (let it be remembered that there was little permanency in Custer before 1877) — and the determination and early efforts of these men were largely instrumental in giving Custer its prestige of to-day. The first postmaster of the U. S. Postal Service in Cus- ter was Thos. H. Harvey; the second, J. S. Bartholomew ; the third on the list was Frank B. Smith; the fourth, S. R. Shankland, followed by H. A. Albion. The first school in Custer, as well as in the Black Hills, was taught during the summer of 1876 by Miss Carrie Scott, who is a daughter of C. A. Scott, of Spearfish. And, by the way, Mr. Scott made the first coffin ever constructed in the Black Hills, at Custer. 410 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, The second school taught in Custer was a tuition school opened and taught by Jas. E. Carpenter during the winter of 1876-7. Mr. Carpenter was a partner of Chas. Hayward in founding the town of Hayward on Battle creek, and is now a practicing attorney in Woonsocket, South Dakota, where he has resided for the past seventeen years. The town was incorporated and a patent was issued by the government for the square mile occupied by the city in 1882. In 1884 Custer City erected its first public school build- ing, a fine, two-storied brick structure, separated into four rooms, or school departments. The number of pupils enrolled for the year 1897-8 was 174, and inasmuch as the number of children of school age in the city numbered 265, it seems evident that increased school accommodations will have to be provided in the near future. Custer's public buildings consist of a handsome brick courthouse and jail, a fine brick public school building, and four churches — the Methodist, Congregational, Baptist, and Catholic. Since the completion of the Burlington & Missouri Rail- way to Custer, in 1890, the city has developed rapidly in commercial importance, and its wide streets, its well-filled squares of brick and frame business structures and numer- ous cosy homes gives ample evidence of thrift and increas- ing prosperity. In addition to its complement of business houses, Custer can boast of two flourishing banks — one National and one State — two good hotels, a factory for the manufacture of a mica lubrication from native product, two steam planing mills, and other small industries incident to towns of its class. What is now the First National Bank of Custer was first established as a private bank in 1881 by D. Corrigan, who owned and managed the same until 1890, when the institu- tion was converted into a national bank, with a capital JOSEPH KU15LER, Who ran through the press the first cop}' of the Black Hills Pioneer on June 8th, 1876, LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 411 stock of $50,000. The first officers of the incorporated in- stitution were as follows: D. Corrigan, President; F. A. Towner, Vice-President ; and W. F. Hanley, Cashier. Both capital and officers have remained unchanged. The Custer County Bank was organized and opened on April 17th, 1890, with a capital stock of $25,000, with the following officers : S. H. Mills, New York, President ; Jos. E. Pilcher, of Custer City, Vice-President; Frank R. Davis, of Rapid City, Cashier; T. W. Delicate, of Custer City, Assistant Cashier. Subsequently Frank R. Davis died, when T. W. Delicate was promoted to the cashiership, and D. W. Webster suc- ceeded Joseph E. Pilcher as vice-president, so that the present officers of the institution are : Stephen H. Mills, of New York City, President ; Daniel W. Webster, of Custer City, Vice-President ; Thomas W. Delicate, of Cus- ter City, Cashier. The press is now represented b}' the Custer Chronicle, a wide-awake sheet, fully abreast of the enterprising com- munity it represents. The paper was established in Decem- ber, 1879 (the first number appearing on the third of that month), by A. W. Merrick, of Deadwood — the pioneer newspaper man of the Black Hills. At the end of a few months Mr. Merrick sold the paper to Messrs. Clark & Kubler, and it is now conducted by the latter member of the firm, Joseph Kubler. Mr. Kubler is entitled to the distinction of having run through the press the first copy of the Black Hills Pioneer, issued in Deadwood in June, 1876. Custer, is supplied with a splendid water service, is well lighted by electricity, and has a present population of from 800 to 1,000 people. For several years subsequent to the advent of the rail- road, Custer was the largest lumber shipping station in the Black Hills — shipping more, it is claimed, than all other Black Hills towns combined. In 1895 there were in that region twenty steam sawmills in active operation, employ- 412 THK BLACK HILLS; OR, ins: an asfgresrate of 250 men. There were also two steam planing mills in constant operation then as now. Though the stringent restrictions wisely imposed upon the cut- tinff of timber from oroveriiment lands has inflicted a severe blow to that important industry in the pioneer city, the ever-increasing value of the mining interest, and stock- raising industry in the region about, will buoy it on to the substantial success it so richly deserves. During the years 1877-8-9, as before stated, the settle- ments of the Hills were constantly beset by an organized gang of laborers, whose sole occupation was to round up all horses found at the end of lariat ropes or running loose, and they plied their avocation with a zeal and per- sistency highly creditable to their calling, and they were not in the least particular as to their color, pedigree, or ownership. Custer's citizens did not wholly escape their vigilance, as the subjoined story will illustrate: — It was one evening during the month of April, that Wm. H. Harlowe, now a resident of Spearfish, mounted his horse, and just as the shadows began to fall, rode away from Custer City in the direction of Dead wood carrying on his person a considerable quantity of French creek gold- dust for shipment at the latter place, — there being no safe way to ship from Custer City at the time. The gold, it may be proper to state, belonged partly to himself and partly to Samuel Booth of Custer City. After riding seventeen miles, mostly under cover of darkness, he reached what is known as Gillette's ranch, where he picketed his horse and put up for the night, under the hospitable roof of Mr. Gillette. In the morning, to his extreme chagrin, he found his horse missing — lariat and all. He borrowed a horse of the proprietor of the ranch, and after giving an order to be sent to Custer for another horse, to be used on his return, he resumed his journey with his valuable treasure, on the keen lookout for ambushed highwaymen along the way. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 413 On his return from Dcadwood, Mr. Harlow found that the horse brouo-ht from Custer during his absence had also been spirited away the night before his arrival. He sent word to Custer to have a posse put at once on the 414 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, trail of the tbief or thieves, and the men after follow- ing up a clue for two days finally traced the guilty party to the vicinity of Custer at ten o'clock p. ra., when senti- nels were immediately posted on all the roads leading from the city. Mr. Harlow and John Halley, a brother of James Halley of the First National Bank of Rapid City (everybody in the Hills knows James Halley, if they don't they ought to), — well, Harlow and Halley, the former armed with a Springfield rifle and the latter with a shot-gun, rode out on the Cheyenne road, in the midst of a terrific thunderstorm, to look for their man. The very blackness of darkness prevailed, save when the lurid glare of the lightning's play illuminated their surroundings. They had not gone more than a half-mile when thev discerned throuoh the gloom an approaching horseman, who was ordered to halt when about twenty feet away, but receiving no satisfactory response to the call, Mr. Harlow leveled his rifle at the unknown, at the same time ordering him to " hold up his hands." Just at that moment a brilliant flash of lightning revealed the man with a revolver pointed directly at them. Both fired almost simultaneously, the ball from the revolver inflicting a severe wound on Mr. Harlow's hand, the eff'ects of which he bears to this day. After the interchange of shots, the stranger turned his horse and fled, followed by a storm of shot from Mr. Halley 's gun. Five days later the man was buried on Castle creek, about twelve miles north of Custer, having died from the effect of the gunshot wounds received in his flight. The man proved to be a " pal " — that's what they call it, I believe, of the notorious Albert Spears, who was, and perhaps is now, in prison for his complicity in the memorable Cold Springs stage robbery. HERMOSA. Hermosa is an enterprising little agricultural hamlet, situated on Battle creek outside of the foot-hills, on the line of the F. E. & M. V. Railroad. The town was organ- LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 415 ized in 1888, and contains a population of 125 souls; has three stores of general merchandise, three church orojaniza- tions, a creditable school building, and a good school separated into an upper and primary grade. Buffalo Gap, situated on the line of the Fremont, Elk- horn and Missouri Valley Railway, at a point where a branch road leaves the main line for Hot Springs, originated at the time of the advent of that line to the Hills, and was, per- haps is still, an important eating station of the line. The town is noted chiefly for the extensive quarries of different varieties and colors of fine sandstone found in its vicinity, large quantities of which product have found a ready market in some of the Eastern cities. Other places of more or less importance in Custer County are: Fairburn, Folsom, Otis, Spokane, Berne, Mayo, Pringle, Argyle, Wind Cave, Bakerville, and Westford. 416 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, CHAPTER XXIX. PENNINGTON COUNTY. Pennington County, the only one of the three counties into which the Black Hills was first separated that has preserved its original territory nearly intact, occupies geographically a central position, extending eighty miles in length east and west, by twenty miles north and south, comprising an area of 1,600 square miles. The base line of the Hills survey on the forty-fourth parallel of north latitude passes through the county at equi-distance from its north and south boundary lines, as defined under an act of the Territorial Legislature, approved in February, 1877. The boundary line between Pennington and Custer coun- ties was not definitely established until November 12th, 1881, as was stated in my treatment of Custer County. Pennington County is divided into two nearly equal por- tions of mountainous and open country, the western half embracing the entire timbered area, the eastern half com- prising the prairie region, and for the most part the broad, fertile valleys of the streams draining the county including some of the great cattle ranges on the south branch of the Cheyenne river. The western or mountainous portion is heavily timbered with an excellent quality of pine timber interspersed with patches of spruce, fir, birch, oak, aspen, and willow, with the exception that here and there within the timber line are found quite extensive areas of open prairie land, elevated from 4,500 to 6,000 feet above the plane of the sea, while the eastern or open portion is almost wholly destitute of trees of any kind, save those fringing the borders of the larger streams. About one-third of the great granite region of the Hills, including Harney's Peak, is within the limits of Pennington LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 417 County. This dominant peak of the Black Hills, which is situated about twenty-three miles as the crow flies, south- west from Rapid City, can plainly be seen through the hazy distance from the foot-hills southwest and southeast of the city, proudly lifting its gray coronel into the hovering clouds above the lesser jagged peaks and battlements of the granite uplift. Some of the wildest, grandest scenery of the Hills is to be found among the rugged mountains and along the canyons of the streams in Pennington County — notably the canyons of Box Elder and Rapid creeks. The principal streams draining the area of the county are the Box Elder, Rapid, and Spring creeks. The Box Elder enters the county near the center of the north boundary line, crossing the northeast portion, rarely, however, carrying any surface water beyond the foot-hills. Rapid creek, the longest stream having its source in the Hills, gathers its headwaters near the boundary line of Dakota and Wyoming, and traverses the entire length of the county in a southeasterly direction to the Cheyenne river, to which it contributes a considerable volume of water throughout the year. Rapid creek is in its entirety a Pennington County stream, running its whole length of 100 miles within the limits of the county. Spring creek, in the southwestern part of the county, runs for the most of its course parallel with Rapid creek, then passes into Custer County at the southeast corner of Township 2, Range 9 east, its entire course being about eighty miles. It is a copious stream carrying a handsome volume of water beyond the foot-hills. The upper waters of Battle creek are also in Pennington County. It rises on the northeast slope of the Harney range and after running ten miles through the roughest portion of the county, it passes into Custer County, and discharges its waters during wet seasons into the Cheyenne river, but like Box Elder and Spring creeks its waters disappear in dry seasons when near the foot-hills. The valley of the Cheyenne river along the eastern border 27 418 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, of the county is tor the most part narrow with high pre- cipitous bluffs, and includes a portion of the famous Bad Lands of South Dakota. Pennington County, although the smallest of the three original counties in superficial area, is by no means the least important in point of varied resources. It has been conclusively demonstrated, that in the " mineral belt," within the limits of the county, there exist extensive ledges of rich mineral bearing rock, and, while operations in quartz mining have as yet been limited, there are being developed to-day some of the richest mines of free milling gold ore yet found in the Black Hills, and the county may be ranked as an easy second in the actual gold production of the Hills. While there have been failures in mining operations in the county, there are doubtless millions of gold locked in the natural vaults of its mountains, awaiting capital and judicious management to bring it to the surface. COUNXr ORGANIZATION. By a provision of the act of the territorial legislature de- fining the boundaries of Pennington County, the Governor appointed three commissioners to organize county govern- ment and locate the county seat. The appointees were : R. H. Vosburg, M. M. Fuller, and Edwin Loveland, the latter not arriving in time to qualify, the office was declared vacant, and Samuel H, Coats was appointed to fill the vacancy. The whole roster of the first otficers of the county were : Commissioners: R. H. Vosburg, M. M. Fuller, and Samuel H. Coats; Probate Judge, E. C. Peters; Register of Deeds, J. R. Hanson; Sheritf, Frank P. Moulton; Clerk of Courts, Leonard W. Bell; Treasurer, ; District Attorney, F. J. Washabaugh; Superintendent of Public Instruction, John R. Brennan ; Surveyor, S. H. Coats. Strangely enough, important as the ofiice is, there was no Treasurer appointed by the Governor; at least the rec- ords make no mention of one — only stating that on May A DISTANT VIEW OF HARXEY's PEAK FROM A POINT OX THE BURLINGTON RAILWAY. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 419 9th, 1877, at Sheridan, E. C. Peters resigned as Probate Judge, and on same day was appointed Treasurer, a vacancy existing. The first meeting of the Board of County Commissioners was held at Rapid City, April 19th, 1877, the second on April 20th, on which date the county seat was located at Sheridan. The first meeting at Sheridan was held May 7th, 1877, at which session the county was named Pennington, in honor of John L. Pennington, then Governor of the Terri- tory of Dakota. At the election in November, Rapid City was made the permanent county seat by popular vote, and the first meet- ing of the Board of Commissioners at the permanent capi- tal was held November 21st, 1877. Large sums were ex- pended by the county in public improvements, such as surveying and improving roads, building bridges, etc., the principal roads laid out being from Rapid City to the Cheyenne river, Custer and Rochford, and from the latter place to Hill City via Castleton. In five years from the time of organization, the county had an assessed valuation of $570,000, a total indebtedness of $42,450, and a population of 4,000. In 1897 it had an assessed valuation of $763,000, a total indebtedness of $208,858 and a population of 9,000 approximately. In 1881 the county built its first courthouse — a fine two and a half story brick structure, at a cost of $12,000, for the payment of which county bonds were issued to run ten years at seven per cent interest, which bonds were fully redeemed on maturity. There were subsequently other quite heavy expenditures in the equipment of the jail, the planting of trees and the improvement of the courthouse square. Pennington County's first courthouse has an unfortu- nate, as well as a somewhat singular history. On the night of April 25th, 1897, despite the heroic efforts of the fire department, the handsome brick structure was burned from 420 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, dome nearly to foundation, only the lower portions of the outer walls remaining. Only by encountering great risk, did the county oflScials, with the efficient aid of other citi- zens, succeed in rescuing the valuable records from the flames. The building was covered by an insurance of $10,000. In the adjustment of damages, the insurance company in lieu of paying the amount of insurance in money, assumed the responsibility of restoring the building to its former condition, and entered into contract for that purpose with Thos. Sweeney, Hugh McMahon, and Mike Whealen, who rapidly pushed forward the work of rebuilding. As if by the irony of fate, on the night of November 10th, when the building was on the eve of completion, it again took fire in some mysterious manner and was consumed to the founda- tion as before. With admirable pluck and determination, the contractors cleared away the burning debris, and with- out loss of time began the work of rebuilding though on a somewhat different, but improved plan, the half-story being left off by the consent of the commissioners and an addi- tional ground room added. On the 15th day of May, 1898, the structure was completed and ready for occupancy, and any one visiting the capital of Pennington County to-day will find, delightfully embowered among trees, a handsome two-story brick courthouse, surmounted by a dome, and complete in every detail of its appointments, in the rear of which is a substantial, well-equipped two-story brick jail building in the same inclosure. THE COUNTY SEAT. Rapid City, the county seat, has more than fulfilled the hopeful predictions of its founders, of whom it may be said that they " builded better than they knew." Its numerous beautiful homes, environed by well-kept lawns and shaded avenues; its many commodious and some even elegant church edifices, and its well-equipped educational institutions ; its fine two and three story brick business LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 421 blocks, and broad well-paved streets ; its splendid water service and electric lighting of to-day certainly more than realizes the wildest dreams of the few men who bravely RAPID CITY IN 1878. defended their rude log cabin homes from the warlike Sioux in 1876. While the growth of Rapid City has not been, perhaps, as rapid as the current of the beautiful stream upon which it is situated, and from which it took its name, it has been 422 THE BLACK HILLS; OK, steady and sure. From the time it was made the perma- nent county seat in November, 1877, dates its substantial growth. Business about that time began to move from Rapid to Main street where a number of quite pretentious frame buildings were erected during the years 1877-8, among which was Lewis Hall, a two-storied building put up by Wm. Lewis, now deceased, and the old landmark still stands in a good state of preservation — a monument to the enterprise of one of Rapid City's first permanent settlers. SCHOOLS. The first school in Rapid City was opened and taught by Miss Vena LeGro, afterwards Mrs. Wm. Steele, whose husband was one of the founders of Rapid City. The first postmaster of the regular postal service in Rapid City was J. R. Brennan, who was also the first Superin- tendent of Schools of Pennington County. School District No. 1 of Pennington County was organized in January, 1878, after which schools were taught in rented buildings until 1881, when the first public school building of the county was erected in Rapid City. This soon prov- ing to be inadequate to accommodate the children of the growing community, it was decided, at an election held in August of that year, that the district issue bonds for the purpose of raising money to build a more commodious house. Accordingly bonds were issued and in 1882 the present two and one-half storied brick structure was erected at a cost of $12,000. In the plat of the town a large num- ber of lots were reserved to provide a fund which proved ample for current school expenditures at that time. The old frame school-house stands to-day on Kansas Citj'^ street between 5th and 6th streets, whither it was removed from its original location, and is now used for divers purposes, chiefly as a carpenter's shop; and just across the way, on the opposite side of the street, is an- other old building, badly warped out of all its original LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 423 symmetry, and leaning reverently to\vard3 the rising sun, beariucr on its weather-beaten facade the legend, " Felix Poznansky, Dry Goods, Boots & Shoes, «fec.," where it has stood bravely defying the elements for lo, these many years. This building, which was removed from the busi- ness thoroughfare of the city to its present locality, was one of the earliest and most flourishing dry-goods houses in Eapid City, established and owned by the gentleman whose honored name appears on the legend. Ah, what tales these old landmarks tell of the struggles and aspira- tions of our early settlers ! The first religious organization in Rapid City was a Union Aid Society, organized in August, 1878 (perhaps a few months earlier) by Rev. J. W. Pickett, who had been emploved by the Home Missionary Society in organizing the Rocky Mountain District, in which was included the Black Hills. This society was first composed of members of diverse creeds and religious proclivities, perhaps fifteen in number, the major part of whom subsequently came into communion with the Congregational Church, which society has now a commodious house of worship, and is in point of numbers and financial standing the most flourishing in the city. , , , , • The first Methodist Episcopal services were heki in March, 1878, by Rev. H. H. Jones; no organization, how- ever, was eff'ected at that time. In December, 1880, Rev. Jas. Williams and Rev. Ira Wakefield resumed the work begun by Rev. Jones, and in March, 1881, a church was organized and Mrs. C. D. Crandall appointed a class-leader. A Catholic church was organized in 1881, and soon after their present church building was erected. The Episcopal church society was formed in the summer of 1886, and their present church edifice completed in 1888, which was followed successively by the Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Baptist churches. The press is represented in Rapid City by three news- 424 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, papers, the Journal, the Republican, and the Black Hills Union. The Black Hills Journal appeared on the newspaper stage, and made its initial bow to the Rapid City public, on January 5th, 1878, and has ever since continued to make its weekly appearance with unfailing regularity. In 1886 a daily issue of the paper appeared under the title of the Rapid City Daily Journal, since which time both a daily and weekly have been published, the news of the latter being condensed from the columns of the former, for country circulation. How ably the Journal has enacted its di/Bcult role is better attested by its extensive patronage and long contin- uance, than can be expressed by mere words. For twenty years it has faithfully represented the best interests of the Gate City, ever striving to mould for their betterment the sentiment of its people. The enterprise was established by Joseph B. Gossage, its present proprietor, and George Darrow. At the time, or soon after its establishment, the paper came under the able editorial management of Richard B. Hughes, who is entitled to the distinction of being the first newspaper reporter in the Black Hills, having served in that capacity for the Black Hill, Weekly Pioneer in 1876 (see Chapter of First Events). The paper is at pres- ent, and has been for a number of years, conducted solely by Mr. and Mrs. Gossage, the latter of whom is a whole voluminous newspaper in herself. The Journal has the distinction of being the first newspaper published in Rapid City, and of having had the first contract for the printing of Pennington County. The Rapid City liepublican was established by a corpo- ration of Rapid City capitalists organized by Messrs. Fowler, Halley, Simmons, Henry, Coad, and others, in 1884, since which time the j^aper has had a somewhat checkered career. The corporation purchased the printing outfit of a " Democratic " paper published by James Boyd, under the title of the Index. The first on the roster of the editors of RICHARD B. HUGHES, Reporter for the Black Hills Wi:(lhj Pioneer in 1876 and one of its compositors. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 425 the Republican was I. R. Crow — present proprietor of the Bald Mountain Neivs — the second was W. H. Mitchell, who was followed in regular sequence by Byers, Simmons, Soott, Bishop, McManus, Williams, and Wallace, all well remembered in Rapid City. The present editors are Messrs. Mills & Wise, former publishers of the Hermosa Pilot. The building and plant is still owned by the Repub- lican Publishing Co., the press outfit being leased to the present proprietors. The Republican was first issued as a weekly publication, changing to a daily in 1885, and again to a weekly in 1892, but whether daily or weekly, it has always, politically, been published in the interest of the Republican party. The Black Hills Union is an outgrowth of the Black Hills Weekly Democrat, published in Rapid City, by G. W. Barrows, in 1887-8. The paper and outfit then passed into the hands of Shelby D. Reed & Co., by which company it was conducted for several years. In 1896 it was pub- lished as a political campaign paper, under its present title, by Gird & McManus, the latter severing his connection with the concern at the close of the campaign, leaving it in the hands of its present proprietor, A. W. Gird. The Black Hills Union is a spicy little sheet published in advo- cacy of equal rights and free silver, and what Art. doesn't know about free silver and 16 to 1 is not really worth knowing. The first marriage in Rapid City was that of Wm. F, Steele and Miss Vena LeGro, in November, 1877. The important ceremony was performed by Judge Granville G. Bennett, the first judge of the first Black Hills District Court. The first child born in Rapid City was born to Mr. and Mrs. Osceola Chase in the summer of 1877. LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. An example of the enterprise and progression by which the citizens were actuated, is furnished by the organiza- 426 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, tion, at an early date, of an association iiaving for its object the intellectual and social welfare of its people. The first steps in that direction were taken on the evening of September 22, 1880, by a few socially inclined spirits, who had met to discuss some plan of amusement for winter nights, and the outcome was the organization of the Rapid City Library Association. J. B. Gossage, W. H. Mitchell, and W. F. Manning were appointed a committee to draught a constitution and by-laws, and at a subsequent meeting the organization was perfected. A room was first leased for temporary use and the success of the venture proved so satisfactory that in the spring of 1881, the present Library Hall was designed and built. Land at the northwest corner of Kansas City and Sixth streets was donated by John R. Brennan for a site, and during the summer of 1881 the present structure was completed. The building was designed for a reading-room, library, and theatricals. The initiation fee to the association was originally placed at $9.00, which entitled the member to the use of the books of the library until 1890, without further dues. The library contains 500 volumes of biograph}', poetry, science, and fiction. Since its building Library Hall has served the people of Rapid City well; not only for the purposes originally con- templated, but for all sorts of functions, political, educa- tional, and social ; for the lecture, the concert, and dance. For eighteen years her beauty and her chivalry have gath- ered there and joined in the " giddy mazes " to enchanting strains. Periodically, for eighteen years the leaders of the opposing political factions have thundered out their respec- tive partisan creeds from its boards; whence the changes have again and again been rung on the whole political gamut, of free trade, protection, free silver, the single gold standard, and other political issues — each uttering prophetic warnings against the dangerous dogmas of their LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 427 opponents, as tending tq undermine and utterly overthrow our free institutions. Yet, strange as it may seem, our " Republic still lives," and old Library Hall stands. SECRET ORDERS. The preliminary organization of Rapid City Lodge A. F. and A. M. was effected May 16th, 1881, and the first regu- lar communication of the order was held at Masonic Hall, September 2nd, 1882. The organization was soon after perfected, and the lodge is now in a flourishing condition, with handsomely furnished rooms for the meetings of the order. There are now also, large lodges of the I. O. O. F., Knights of Pythias, A. O. U. W., The Eastern Star, Daughters of Rebecca, and perhaps other lodges, with well-fitted commodious rooms. MANUFACTURING. The first flouring mill in Rapid City was built in 1883 by Lampert & Co., in the gap of the Hills, about a half mile west of the business portion of the city. For several years or until 1890 it was the only plant for the manufacture of flour in the city, when it was supplemented by the plant of the Rapid River Milling Co. The Rapid River Milling Co. completed its plant on February 1st, 1890, and commenced operations under the directorship of R. C. Lake, D. H. Clark, G. Schnasse, Jas. Halley, Jas. W. Fowler, W. A. Wager and John J. Mc- Namara. The present officers of the company are G. G. Schnasse, President; Jas. W. Fowler, Vice-President; Jas. Halley, Treasurer; John J. McNamara, Secretary and General Manager. The plant is operated by water power, uses a full roller process, and has a capacity of 150 pounds of flour per day. The plant has established a wide reputation for the manu- facture of Superior flour. 428 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, CHLORINATION WORKS. The Rapid City Chloiination plant was established in 1890 by the Black Hills Milling & Smelting Co. at an orig- inal cost of $125,000. The works were put in operation on ore taken from the Welcome mine in the vicinity of Deadwood, under the management of Robt. Thorburn, but for some reason the enterprise proved a losing venture, as, after running in a kind of intermittent way for a period of perhaps a year, the works closed down, and the property went into the hands of the First National Bank of Rapid City. Whether the ore was not adapted to the process, or the process suited to that particular ore, or for some other reason, is not clear. After lying idle for five years the plant was purchased by a Colorado company, of which Col. M. H. Day, of Rapid City, is president — under whose management the old works have undergone complete repairs, and other improved machinery added to make the process a success. The plan of the new management contemplates the erection of a smelter to be run in connection with the chlorinutiou works. The smelter is to be of 240 tons capacity, and built of steel, the contract for the construction of which has been awarded to the Colorado Iron Works of Denver, Colorado. The plant, when completed, will operate, in part, on ore taken from the Gilt Edge mine, in Two-Bit gulch, owned by M. H. Day & Son, and in part on custom ore. It is estimated that there are 100,000 tons of low grade ore in sight in the Gilt Edge mine that will average from $16 to $25 per ton. This, however, is said to be the lowest grade of ore in the mine. The success of the enter- prise promises a long pay-roll and better times for Rapid City. THE RAPID CITY WATER SYSTEM. The first movement towards supplying Rapid City with water was made in 1883 or 4 by an organization known as the Rapid City Water Co., of which C. W. Robbins was presi- ^i- ._s».. i-l- 'J^^ LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 429 dent, M. Cameron, treasurer, and Sam'l Scott, secretary. The desio-n was to bring the water from what is known as Cleghorn Springs, five miles west of the city, the company having negotiated for their purchase from the owner. An effort was made to secure a franchise from the city without success, — at least there was no binding action taken, the council wisely deciding that the better plan would be for the city to own the system. At a meeting of the council on March 5th, 1895, the city engineer, M. Wiltsie, reported a plan for a system at an estimated cost of $45,000. The council decided to submit the question of issuing bonds and constructing the system to the voters of the municipality. Meetings were held at Library Hall to dis- cuss the question, and present to the people the advantages of the system. At the first meeting on March 20, 1885, Messrs. Simmons, Poznanska, Haft, Hay ward, Sweeney, and Clark were appointed a committee to report a plan and estimate cost. At a meeting on March 24 the committee reported, recommending the reservoir system, stating that $45,000 was not an overestimate of cost of such a system, which report was approved. The special election held on the 28th resulted in 200 in favor to three in opposition to the issuing of bonds. At the municipal election, which occurred soon after, the enterprise received the further ap- proval of the voters by the election of James Halley, who had been active in favor of the scheme, to the mayoralty, and Felix Poznansky, L. L. Davis, and F. H. Mohr, to the council, all of whom were in hearty approval of the enter- prise. On July 25th, 1885, the city entered into contract with the Northwestern Water and Gas Supply Company of Minneapolis to put in a system in accordance with the plan, including the construction of a reservoir within the city limits. This reservoir was located on the eastern slope, near the summit of Hangman's Hill, at an elevation of 188 feet above the city, and had a capacity of 375,986 ofallons. 430 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, BEECHER'S rocks, near CUSTER. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 431 By the terms of the contract, which was carefully drawn by Jas. W. Fowler, the system was to be finished for fire purposes by January 5th, 1886, and for all purposes by July 1st of that year, but, owing to delay in the arrival of material, and the failure of subcontractors to complete their work, there was default in both specifications. Not until sixty days after the signing of the contract did the first material arrive on the ground. Lewis Harper, the superintendent of construction, arrived on September 4th, and ground was broken on September 13th, 1885. That was before the advent of railroads to the Hills, and all the heavy supplies for the system had to be transported by wagon across the country from Pierre to Rapid City, a distance of 150 miles. To provide funds for the construction of the work, the city first issued bonds to the amount of $45,000, payable in twenty years at seven per cent interest. On October 2d, 1885, additional bonds were issued in the sum of $6,000, making the issue to that time $51,000. On December 31st, 1885, the city purchased for $1,000, from Cassius M. Leedy, the springs known as the Leedy or Limestone Springs, the source of the water supply, three miles west of Rapid City. Seven years later the city decided to make extensive improvements on the system, and on July 27th, 1892, a contract was let for the building of a large reservoir at Limestone Springs, and a conduit line thence to the city, the cost of which was $30,000, paid in city general fund warrants, making the total cost of the system $81,000. The natural flow from the springs is 540,000 gallons per day. The pressure in the city mains is seventy-five pounds to the square inch, and there are now over ten miles of water mains in the system. No town in the Black Hills can boast of a more complete water system than Rapid City. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of pure, whole- some water, free from all suspicion of disease germs, are daily carried from the inexhaustible fountain head and distributed through a perfect system of main and service 432 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, pipes to every house and nearly every business place in the city. RAPID CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Rapid City has good reason to feel proud of her public schools, which in point of educational facilities and general excellence are second to none in the State. From an humble beginning the system has expanded into large and encouraging proportions, with four well-equipped school buildings, filled with an aggregate of from 450 to 500 pupils each year, presided over by a corps of capable pro- gressive instructors. Besides the commodious three-storied brick structure before referred to the city has three com- fortable, well-furnished ward school buildings of frame, two of which employ two teachers each, making a total corps of thirteen instructors, including superintendent. The course of study embraces an eight-year course before enter- ing the high school and a four-years' high school course. The high school prepares its graduates for the State Univer- sity and State normal schools and gives thorough instruction in all the studies included in the courses of the best high schools of the State. The high school was established in 1885 and graduated its first class in the spring of 1886. The high school building is provided with a library con- tainins: 250 volumes of well selected books and more are being added each year. The school population of the city by the census of 1898 was 564, and school expenditures for the term ending June, 1898, was $9,906.62. SCHOOL OF MINES. With the development of the mineral resources of the Black Hills, facilities for acquiring a technical knowledge of their rock formation, the analyses of their various kinds of ore deposits, mining, etc., became a practical necessity. To supply this demand, and for the purpose of encourag- ing the production of the precious metals in the Black Hills, the Legislature of 1885, with a wholesome regard for LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 433 the *' eternal fitness of things,'" passed an act locating the School of Mines of the Territory of Dakota at Kapid City — a central point, equally accessil)le to the principal mineral- bearing portions of the Hills. This act, however, was coupled with the proviso that, before any steps be taken towards the construction of the buildings, a good and suffi- cient deed, in fee-simple, be made by Rapid City to the Territory of Dakota, for a tract of land not less than five acres in extent, within, or immediately adjacent to the city limits. For the purpose of providing funds for the construction of the main building of the School of Mines, the territorial treasurer was authorized to issue $10,000 of territorial bonds, running for a period of twenty years, and payable at the option of the Territory, after a term of ten years, bearing interest at the rate of six per cent per annum, — coupons payable semi-annually at the Chemical Bank, New York. By an act of the Legislature of 1887, additional bonds were authorized by the Territory to the amount of $23,000, bearing interest at five per cent per annum, payable semi- annually as in the first issue. The fund provided by this last issue was appropriated as follows: — For constructing a metallurgical laboratory on the grounds of the School of Mines and furnishing the same, $10,000; for machinery for laborator}', $10,000; for engi- neering instruments, $1,000; for completing chemical lab- oratory, $2,000; making a total aggregate of $33,000 of territorial bonds issued on account of the Dakota School of Mines. Upon the division of the Territory, in 1889, all of these bonds, with some of the coupons detached, came as a leg- acy to South Dakota, together with nearly $700,000 other territorial bonds issued on account of public institutions. The School of Mines is maintained by the State. Appropri- ations — more or less liberal, according to the effect of the influence brought to bear upon our legislators — are made 28 434 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, for the maintenance of the institution at each biennial ses- sion of the Legislature. The experimental work done by the school in the direc- tion of determining the character and value of the ores of the Hills has proved invaluable to their mining interests, and in the departments of mineralogy and metallurgy, few institutions of the kind anywhere are better equipped for the work. The school is located about one mile east of the business portion of the city, at the foot of a range of hills forming a semi-circle around the town, and overlooking the valley of Rapid creek. The tirst building erected is a three-story brick structure, on the first floor of which is the chemical department, completely equipped and perfectly arranged for chemical laboratory work, and capable of accommodating about thirty students at one time, each provided with all the nec- essary facilities for thorough chemical tests. The second floor consists of two lecture rooms and dean's office, in which is kept the library of the institution. The third floor is devoted exclusively to the mineralogical and paleon- tological cabinets, in which there are extensive and valuable collections. The second building, 200 feet to the eastward, contains the assay and raetalUirgioal laboratories. This building, the front portion of which is two stories in height, is also built of brick. On the first floor of this portion are the assay rooms for the students, provided with a number of crucible furnaces built of fire-brick and set in the wall. The rear portion of the building, which is only one story high, contains a complete 3-stamp gold mill, a 5-stamp silver mill, concentrating machinery, and other approved appliances for the treatment of ores. In short, every facility is afforded the student for acquiring a thorough practical knowledge of the art of separating and refining the various kinds of metals. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 435 INDIAN SCHOOL. A recent addition to the educational institutions of Rapid City is the government Indian school. The establishment of this institution at Rapid City and the appropriations therefor were secured mainly through the efforts of Senator Pettigrew and Representative Gamble of South Dakota. At the last session of the Fifty-first Congress the bill was passed, appropriating the sura of $25,000 for the purchase of a tract of aorricultural land, and the construction of suitable buildings for the education, industrial and other- wise, of Uncle Sam's youthful wards in South Dakota. A fine farm of 160 acres situated in the valley of Rapid creek, about one mile west of Rapid City, was purchased of Geo. P. Bennett, at a cost of $2,000, and a site for the build- ings selected on an elevated plateau adjacent thereto. An additional appropriation of $18,000 was afterwards made for the cost of heating, sewerage, industrial shops, laundry, etc. The main building, which is now completed, is a commodious, two-story brick structure, suitably arranged for the purpose for which it is designed. The other buildings appertaining to the institution are nearing completion, and will soon be equipped for the opening of the school. RAPID CITY INCORPORATED. On October 11th, 1882, the town of Rapid City was incorporated as a village and divided into four wards with John R. Brennan as President of the Board of Trustees, which consisted of one member from each of the four wards. The village was incorporated as a city under a special charter granted by the Legislature in February, 1883, with Fred E. Stearns as the city's first Mayor and one member of the City Council from each ward. It was again incorporated under the general laws on November 16th, 1888, with David H. Clark as Mayor of 436 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, last incorporation, the Council consisting of two Aldermen from each ward. Several additions have from time to time been attached to the original plat, and incorporated into the city until now it covers an area of two miles square, and, basing the estimate upon the school census of 1898, contains a popu- lation of 2,000. THE FIRST RAILROAD. Rapid City enjoys the distinction of being the first city in the BUicli Hills to be connected by railway with the out- side world. On the 4th day of July, 1886, the first steam locomotive to invade the solitude of the Hills, — heralding its approach by the shrill tooting of its whistle, arrived at Rapid City with five passenger cars, gaily decorated with flags attached, amid the loud acclamations of the thronsr that had gathered at the station to welcome its advent. It is needless to say that the event was celebrated by the peo- ple in a manner commensurate with its importance. On the strength of the prevalent belief that it might be the terminus of the F. E. & M. V. Railway line Rapid City had the nearest approach to a veritable boom that that sober city ever experienced. For the month that it remained the terminus all freight for other points in the Hills was unloaded from the cars and shipped by wagon to its desti- nation, — making times exceedingly lively; so when the grading began along the line northward, the bubble began to collapse, much to the disgust of the average Rapid City citizen. During the inflation of the bubble several important railroad projects were inaugurated, which promised to make Rapid City a great railroad center. A survey for a narrow-gauge line to connect with the mineral and lumber regions of the Hills was made, and the projector of the scheme, Mr. E. B. Chapman, agreed, in consideration of a liberal bonus by the people, to have thirty miles of the line completed and in operation by thebeginningof theyear 1888. >: J mi LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 437 Another survey for a narrow-gauge railroad was made from Rapid City to the tin districts of Harney Peak and Hill City, to extend into Wyoming. This was a project of the Harney Peak Tin Mining Co. Another survey was made from Chamberlain to Rapid City by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. with the purpose of constructing a road soon after the opening of the Sioux reservation. While none of these projects have yet been carried out, it is believed that, owing to its inviting location at the natural gateway to the Hills, and by virtue of the enterprise and liberality of its citizens, Rapid City will, in the not distant future, become the focus of several converging and diverging lines of railway. In the summer of 1886 the Rapid City Street Railway Co. was formed, which constructed a street line of about one mile in length alons: the center of Main street from West boulevard to the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Val- ley Railway station, which line was afterwards extended to the School of Mines to accommodate the students and fac- ulty of that institution. The company was incorporated and stocked in the sum of $10,000, and the cost of the line is estimated at about $7,000. The enterprise is yet a living, moving reality, operated under the management of Howard Worth, of Rapid City. THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM OF RAPID CITY. The Rapid City Electric and Gas Light Company was organized in September, 1886, by O. L. Cooper, of Rapid City, and at once incorporated with a capital of $20,000. The first officers of the company were: G. S. Congdon, President; O. L. Cooper, Secretary; and H. S. Hall, Treasurer. The plant, which is operated by water power, had an original capacity of only forty-seven lights of 1,200 candle power, since, however, the capacity of the dynamo has been greatly enlarged. For the first five years only the arc light system was used, to which, in 1892, the incandescent light was added. While the plant is owned 438 THE BLACK HILLS; OR, by the same corporation, none of the original incorporators are now connected with it. THE RAPID CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT. The present efficient Fire Department of Rapid City was organized in 1887, at which time it was composed of the following companies with their respective officers: — Gate City Hose Company, No. 1 ; D. G. Ferguson, Fore- man; Mel. Miller, First Assistant; Frank McMahon, Sec- ond Assistant; Jack Taylor, Secretary; W. L. Carr, Treasurer. Rapid City Hook and Ladder, No. 1: Chas. N. Spencer, Foreman; Cassius Price, First Assistant; J. J. Sharp, Second Assistant; J. J. Rockford, Secretary; Lem Fall, Treasurer. Tom Sweeney Hose Company : A. L. Overpeck, Fore- man ; R. E. Grimshaw, First Assistant; A. H. Smith, Sec- ond Assistant ; Jas. W. Post, Secretary; John S. Kelliher, Treasurer. There was a partial organization of the first two com- panies mentioned in 1886, which was completed in 1887. BANKING INSTITUTIONS. The business interests of Rapid City at present support two banking institutions, both strong, well managed organ- izations, having a fine prestige in financial circles through- out the country. The oldest of these, and the pioneer banking institution of Rapid City, was first opened for the transaction of busi- ness on December 1st, 1879, by Lake, Halley & Patterson, with a capital of $10,000.00. In 1881 Lake & Halley bought Mr. Patterson's interest in the concern, and the bank was then conducted under the name of Lake & Halley until September 1st, 1884, when the bank was merged into the First National Bank of Rapid City, with Richard C. Lake as President, and Jas. Halley as Cashier, with a capital stock of $50,000.00. LAST HUNTING GROUND OF THE DAKOTAHS. 439 The present officers of the bank are : Jas. Halley, President ; Charlotte Gardner, Vice-President ; H.H. Somers, Cashier. Its capital is $50,000.00; surplus $10,000.00; deposits, $300,000.00. The bank has paid in dividends to its stock- holders $119,500.00. The First National Bank conducts all the departments of a legitimate banking business — in- cluding the negotiation of loans, the reception of deposits, the issuance of notes, drafts, and letters of credit, and has been a successful institution from the first. The Pennington County Bank of Rapid City began busi- ness on the 22d day of April, 1888, under the hiws of the State of South Dakota, with a paid-up capital of $50,000,00. The bank was established by Capt. Frank R. Davis of Rapid City; Stephen H. Mills of New York City; Jesse Carll of Northport, New York, and other associates of Mr. Davis. The first officers of the bank were : S. H. Mills, President; Edward Oakes, Vice-President; Frank R. Davis, Cashier ; Geo. F. Schneider, Assistant Cashier. In 1892 Jas. M. Woods was elected vice-president to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Oakes. In 1893 Mr. Davis died, when Geo. F. Schneider was elected cashier. The present officers of the bank are: Stephen H. Mills, President; Jas. M. Woods, Vice-President; Geo. F. Schneider, Cashier; Paul S. Woods, Assistant Cashier. The Pennington County Bank is a State bank organized under the laws of the State of South Dakota; and enjoys the distinction of beins^ the largest State bank in South Dakota. Its capital stock is $50,000.00 ; a surplus of $10,- 000.00; undivided profits, $5,076.00; average deposits, $225,000, and pays a semi-annual dividend of five per cent to its stockholders. The Pennington County Bank is the county depositary of Pennington Count}'. Rapid City sustains four hotels, between fifty and sixty business houses of various kinds, among which are a num- ber of mammoth establishments, conducting several dis- tinct lines of business, fourteen lawyers, si.K doctors, one dental surgeon, and several real estate and insurance offices. 440 THE BLACK HILLS ; OR, Of the four hotels, the International, now kept by P. B. McCarty, is believed to be the oldest. Around this vener- able hostelry clusters memories of the hustling, bustling