The Cheyenne Daily Leader

Cheyenne Post:

Being daily in receipt of letters making inquiry as to the distance from here to the Black Hills, and as to the facilities for outfitting when here, we propose to answer all these correspondents through the LEADER.

The distances from here to the hills and to the various points on the route have already been published.

Cheyenne is situated at the junction of the Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific railroads, and about seventeen miles east of the Black Hills range on a high plateau of land, the elevation of which is about 6,000 feet above the sea level. A small stream, called Crow Creek, flows down from this range of hills and through the west and southwestern part of the town site. Cheyenne Depot (sometimes called Camp Carlin) a military supply post, where there are a number of warehouses and store houses for the safe keeping of military and Indian stores, is two miles distant, on Crow Creek, and has a branch railroad leading from it to the Union Pacific. At this depot are a government wagon shop, blacksmith shop and other shops, where a large number of tradesmen find employment in the government service. A mile still further up Crow Creek is Fort Russell, a fifteen company military garrison, commanded by Gen. J. J. Reynolds. At present there are but nine companies stationed there.

The country for miles around Cheyenne is a rolling prairie, well adapted to the raising of cattle and sheep, and covered with herds and flocks of the same. Eighteen miles away to the west, the Metcalf Mining District begins, where good copper and silver ores are found in abundance. This district is now being developed by citizens of Cheyenne, and will, no doubt, prove of great value.

Cheyenne has about 3,000 inhabitants. This number does not include transient persons. It has five good, substantial church edifices, as follows: Catholic, Father McGoldrick, pastor; Episcopal, Rev. F. W. Hilliard, resident clergyman; Presbyterian, Rev. W. B. Reed, resident minister; Methodist, Rev. W. F. Warren, resident minister; Congregational, no resident minister at present. There is one good public school, with an average attendance of two hundred scholars, presided over by N. E. Stark, as principal, and Misses Tenney, McGeehon and Bryant as assistant teachers. The school building is a commodious, comfortable two story brick edifice, and was erected in 1871, at a cost of $12,000. There is also a private school kept by a Miss Ellis, who has a number of small scholars in attendance—probably twenty-five.

There are in the town two large Hardware, stove and tin stores—Henry Housman and F. Schwickerl—where all manner of mining tools and carpenter tools are for sale; three large wholesale grocery houses—I. C. Whipple, Pease & Taylor, E. Nangle—where everything in the grocery, provision and grain trade can be procured. Besides these there are a number of retail grocery establishments—Leiby & Co., Underwood & McGregor, at all of which good stocks of fresh groceries can be had. Fruit and Produce, S. H. Wood. Of bakery and confectionery establishments there are the following: H. H. Ellis, Underwood & McGregor, and E. W. Keplinger, where everything usually kept in a baking and confectionery establishment may be procured. Of drug stores there are two—Adams & Glover and Hurlbut Bros.—and there will be no difficulty in procuring at these places anything usually kept at a first class drug establishment.

There are three large dry goods establishments—Marks & Meyers, Geo. D. Foglesong & Co., I. Hermann & Co.,—each of whom keeps an extensive and varied assortment of all articles usually kept in first class dry goods stores. There are three large ready made clothing houses—B. Hellman, Marks & Meyers, Peter Smith—all of them carry extensive stocks, and wholesale as well as retail. B. Hellman has in connection with his clothing emporium, a first class Merchant Tailoring establishment. Of wholesale liquor and cigar houses there are three—T. A. Kent, L. Murrin, Geo. G. Matson—at each of which there is a good stock to purchase from. In the furniture and crockery line the large and extensive establishment of Converse & Warren can furnish all demands on these branches of trade. In the boot and shoe trade the stores of Stephen Bon and G. E. Thompson, can "outfit" all who call upon them, with boots and shoes. In jewelry establishments Cheyenne boasts two—Johns & Park and David Miller. The former has a reputation throughout the United States and Europe for excellence of workmanship, and the place may well be proud of it.

There are a number of good hotels in the place, the principal among which are Dyers Hotel, American House, Planters House, and Railroad Hotel. There are also several restaurants in the place, where meals can be obtained at any time. There are three blacksmith and wagon shops—John Nealon, H. Haas, and Draper & Co.—at which a good supply of two, four and six horse wagons of Bain, Schuttler, Studebaker, Murphy, and Espenscheid make, can be always found, with bows and covers. Besides the above there are a number of boarding houses, tailor shops, barber shops, small retail stores, &c., that we cannot spare time to give in detail.

The public may rest assured that there are abundant facilities in Cheyenne to outfit everybody at this point who may start for the Black Hills or Northern Wyoming; and that it can be done cheaper here than parties can outfit at other points, and transport their outfits here. Besides they will know just what they will need when they get here, and can avoid purchasing useless and cumbersom articles.

There is a good stock market at this place for the purchase and sale of horses, mules, and cattle. Several persons are engaged more or less, in the business of dealing in stock, among them W. M. Ward, J. C. Abbney, Barnard & Co., and Tracy & Co.

Those who will come to Cheyenne as the starting point will save money, time and trouble in purchasing their mining outfits at this place.