This turned out to be the veritable mother lode deposit feeding the placer gold in the creeks. On April 9, 1876, brothers Fred and Moses Manuel, along with Hank Harney and Alex Engh, discovered a sizeable vein of gold-bearing ore near present-day Lead. Knowing that placer gold had to have a source, prospectors eyed the quartz and rock outcroppings around the mining camps. ![]() This was placer gold, loose pieces mixed in with rock and dirt in Deadwood and Whitewood Creeks. Slim pickings prompted them to branch out to the northern hills, and their fortunes took a turn when significant amounts of gold were found in Deadwood Gulch, named for the many dead trees that littered the canyon. Just like that, the Black Hills Gold Rush was on.ĭespite the treaty prohibiting white settlement, prospectors descended upon the southern hills in pursuit of riches. This prompted a dispatch announcing the discovery and declaring, “There is no doubt as to the existence of various metals throughout the hills…examinations at numerous points confirm and strengthen the fact of the existence of gold in the Black Hills.” The news was carried by courier to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and telegraphed to the press. Gold was discovered in French Creek, just outside of the town that would eventually be named after Custer. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were tasked with finding a suitable location for an Army fort and investigating the area’s natural resources to see if the rumors were true. There had long been rumors of gold, but the Treaty of Fort Laramie had granted the Sioux Indians ownership of their sacred land, stymying earlier exploration of the area. The Black Hills Gold Rush began in 1874, when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led a group of over 1,000 men from Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory (present-day Bismarck, North Dakota) to the Black Hills.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |