The Cheyenne Daily Leader

THE BLACK HILLS.
Facts of Interest to Those Who
are Going There.
Cheyenne as an Outfitting
Point.
In answer to the many communica-
tions which we receive daily, we have
compiled the following budget of infor-
mation. for the benefit of all those who
are afflicted with the Black Hills fever.
While it is not as complete as we
might desire and promise to make it,
we think it will answer most of the
questions asked. The first query pro-
pounded is whether we really believe
there is gold in the Black Hills. This
has been too well proven to admit of
doubt. Good judges who have the
means of knowing. estimate the amount
of gold brought from the Hills during
the year 1876. at a million and a half of
dollars; as much more remains undoubt-
ly in the hands of miners and merchants
in the several settlements: for it is only
recently that the Cheyenne and Black
Hills Stage company has commenced
to carry gold dust with a guarantee of
safe delivery.
Gold is found in paying quantities in
nearly all the mining districts opened.
The richest discoveries in placer and
quartz mining have, however, been
made on Deadwood and Whitewood
creeks. and along these creeks cluster
the principal mining towns in the Black
Hills.
Owing to the hostility of the Indians
the mountain ranges west and north of
Deadwood received last year but lit-
tle attention from the prospector: but
it is known that that section also
abounds in gold and silver, which dur-
ing the present year will be brought to
light by the hardy miner.

How to Reach the Black Hills,
Without decrying any of the propos-
ed routes from points on the Upper
Missouri river, we assert that the route
from Cheyenne northward is the safest,
speediest, cheapest and best to reach the
Black Hills. Cheyenne is at the junc-
tion of the two competing railroads from
the East-the Union Pacific and Kan-
sas Pacific. It will be two days' rail-
road travel to Cheyenne from Chicago
or St. Louis. The following table will
show the distance and present rate of
fare from these two points to Cheyenne:
1st class 2d class
Miles. Fare. Fare.
Chicago to Omaha..... 490 $16 00 $13 00
St. Louis via St. Joe to Omaha 407 16 00 13 00
Omaha to Cheyenne........516 31 00 21 00
Chicago to Cheyenne............1006 47 00 37 00
St Louis to Cheyenne, via
Leavenworth and Denver..1053 49 00 40 00
We are credibly informed by the rep-
resentatives of these two railroad com-
panies, that special rates will be given
from Chicago to Cheyenne. to Black
Hills parties. which will be at least one-
third less than the above rates.
Through tickets from Omaha to Cus-
ter City via Cheyenne, are being sold at
the U. P. ticket offices at the following
rates:
First class
$45 00
Second class
35
Third class.
25 00

From Cheyenne to the Black Hills.
A fine natural road, over which the
United States mails have been carried
for many years, leads from Cheyenne
to Fort Laramie, a distance of ninety
miles. This route passes through a
settled country, and good ranches are
found at convenient distances from
each other. From Fort Laramie to
Custer and Deadwood City a good wag-
on road is found, which has recently
been shortened by our county officers,
thus reducing the distance necessary to
be traveled by freight teams over sixty
miles. The whole distance from Chey-
enne to Deadwood over this road is about
two hundred and thirty miles. The
Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage com-
pany. Luke Voorhees, superintendent,
makes at present tri-weekly trips over
this road to Custer and Deadwood, car-
rying passengers. express matter and
the U. S. mails. Early in the spring this
company will put on a daily line of coach-
es and, with a superb outfit of horses
and stages. well-kept stations at con-
venient points, and reasonable charges,
this stage line will continue to be the
only first-class line of communication
between the Black Hills mining towns
and the outside world.
The Stage company sells first class
tickets to Custer at $35.00; to Deadwood
City, $50.00.

Outfits for Miners
As miners and prospectors generally
travel in parties not less than four, we
give below a list of the necessary arti-
cles needed by four men with teams,
comprising provisions and grain for
ninety days:
Five hundred pounds best quality of
flour in 50 lb. sacks; 1200 pounds grain:
200 pounds sifted corn meal; 20 pounds
browned coffee; 4 pounds of tea; 5 gal-
lons syrup; 5 gallons vinegar; 10 pounds
dried apples: 50 pounds white beans:
100 pounds bacon; salt, black and red
pepper, mustard, etc. And in camp-
chest the following articles:

COOKING UTENSILS.
Two camp kettles, 1 coffee pot, 1 min-
ner's oven. 1 fry pan, 1 dish pan, 1 ladle,
1 meat fork. 4 tin cups, 4 tin plates. 1
butcher knife, 4 set knives and forks.
4 tablespoons, 2 crane hooks, 1 coffee
mill and 1 lantern.

PROVISIONS.
Five pounds of coffee, 1 pound of
tea, 20 pounds of sugar, 2 boxes yeast
powder. 1 sack of salt, 1 quart of syrup
and jug, 2 quarts of vinegar, 1 quart of
sperm oil. 1 dozen boxes of matches,
35 pounds of flour.

Mining Tools.
Four mining shovels, strap gold picks,
gold pans, sluice forks; 1 two-inch
augur, 1 half-inch augur. 1 hatchet,
hammer, screw-driver.
draw-shave,
hand saw, file, gold scale. assorted nails
and screws and gold blower.
A complete outfit should also include
rubber boots, heavy pegged boots, extra
double miner's blanket, rubber blanket,
pack saddles. lariats and pins.
Those who desire to purchase their
own teams for the transportation of
miners and miners. supplies, can pro-
cur an outfit to much better advantage
in Cheyenne than elsewhere. Grocer-
ies. provisions. clothing. mining tools
and all other necessary articles can be
procured at this point. The following
may be considered average prices for
animals and wagons.
Team of two horses.
$100 to 350
Team of two mules
200-300
Oxen per yoke
80-100
Saddle horse
40-
75
Saddle mule
40
60
Pack horse.
40-
60
Pack mule
40-
50
Two-horse wag
100-125
gon
Four-horse
wagon
125-150

PROVISIONS.
Flour
$1.00 to $1.50 per sack.
Bacon
15 to
per
lb
Syrup
75 to 1
1.25
per gal'n
Coffee.
to
80
per
Sugar
0.15 per
lb
Tea..
$1.50 per
Baking
Powders...
45 to
.50 per
lb
Bean
4 to
.7 per
lb
Grai
Corn
.90 to $2.00 per
cwt
Oat
.65 to
2.75 per
cwt
Table of Distances from Cheyenne to Dead-
wood
City.
From Cheyenne to
MILES
Nine Mile Ranch (Davis
Pole Creek Ranch Schwartze
Horse Creek Ranch (Moore's
Bear Springs Ranch (Armijo's
*Chugwater Ranch (Phillips')
Hunton's Ranch (Hunton's)
Eagle's Nest

Fort Laramie. (Breckenridge's)
*Government Farm
(Montgomery
Rawhide Buttes.
Running Water
Hat Creek
•Indian Creek
Alum Springs
Red Canyon
Spring on Hill.
Spring on Right
Pleasant Valley
•Custer City
Twelve Mile Station
Mountain City
Rapid Creek..
Head of Whitewood
Deadwood
Total.

Meal Stations.
This route follows the old stage road
traveled last year. When Ward's cut-
off from Hat creek, via Old Woman's
Fork to Pleasant Valley is completed.
(and he is under contract to have the
road ready for travel by March 31st,
this route will be shortened over sixty
miles. The stage stations will be trans-
ferred to the new road. and the dis-
tance to be traveled by the Cheyenne
and Black Hills coaches will thus be
reduced to 230 miles.

Fare from Chicago to Deadwood, via Chey-
enne.
The several railways running west
from Chicago are selling through tick-
ets from that city to the Black Hills at
the following rates:
Through
From Chicago to
Class
rate.
Cheyenne, by way of Omaha.
$47.00
Cheyenne. by way of Omaha......2
33.00
Cheyenne, by way of Omaha.....3
25.50
Custer City, by way of Omaha and
Cheyenne
61.00
Custer City, by way of Omaha and
Cheyenne
43.00
Custer City. by way
Omaha
and
Cheyenne
35.50
Deadwood. by way
Omaha and
Cheyenne
76.00
Deadwood, by way
Omaha and
Cheyenne..
63.00
Deadwood, by way of Omaha and
Cheyenne..
55.50

"On to Big Horn."
The immense and constantly increas-
ing immigration to the new gold fields
of the north is destined to completely
overflow the Black Hills, and before the
close of '77 or early in '78, at the far-
thest. the cry of "On to Big Horn" will
be heard in the land and the myriads of
gold seekers will pass thither. Here-
with we give with as great accuracy as
possible a table of distances from
CHEYENNE TO BIG HORN MOUNTAINS
AND RIVER.
Miles
Cheyenne to Lodge Pole Creek
16
Lodge Pole Creek to Bear Springs
20
Bear Springs to Chugwater....
Chugwater to Hunton's Ranch
Hunton's Ranch to Phillips' Ranch
Phillips' Ranch to Cottonwood Ranch
Cottonwood Ranch to Elkhorn
Elkhorn to Wagon Hound.
Wagon Hound to Fort Fetterman
n..
Fort Fetterman to Sage Creek *
Sage Creek to South Fork Cheyenne
River
South Fork Cheyenne to Buffalo Wallow t
Buffalo Wallow to Dry
Fork of Powder
River....
Dry Fork of Powder to Old Fort Reno
Fort Reno to Crazy Woman's Fork
Crazy Woman's Fork to Clear Fork.
Clear Fork to Old Fort Phil Kearney
Fort Phil Kearney to North Goose Creek,
North Goose Creek to Bear Creek.
Bear Creek to Grass Lodge Creek
Grass Lodge Creek to Old Fort C. F. Smith
Total
406
*No wood and but little water
† Water poor and scarce.