EARLY DAY STORIES. 167 



Bonneville, the word hills seldom, if ever, occurs in this con- 

 nection — they are spoken of as the Black Mountains. They 

 are really a superb aggregation of mountain ridges and 

 peaks, rivaling in height the White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire and the Alleghanies of western North Carolina, 

 and greatly exceeding in height the entire Appalachian chain 

 as a whole. The highest points are over 7000 feet in height, 

 and a great number of peaks and ridges are more than 6000 

 feet high. However, the name Black Hills has caught, and 

 will hold fast, and, while not exactly appropriate, it has be- 

 come endeared in the memories of thousands of those who 

 live within or near this mountainous region, and of those 

 who have visited it for the purpose of hunting, fishing and 

 camping. There are scores upon scores of prominent peaks, 

 some of the most noted being Harney's peak, Buckhorn 

 mountain, Terry's peak, Custer's peak. Bear Lodge, Inyan 

 Kara, Bear Butte, Warren's peak. Round Top, and very 

 many others. 



On the southwestern side there is a detached unbroken 

 ridge sixty miles long, and separated from the main moun- 

 tain chain by a series of narrow flats and valleys, and run- 

 ning from Edgemont in South Dakota almost to Newcastle, 

 Wyoming, that has been named Elk Mountain. It is cover- 

 ed with timber from bottom to top, the mountain, in some 

 places, running up to a narrow, sharp ridge, and in other 

 places widening out at the top to level or undulating tracts 

 half a mile or more in width. In places the ascent is, at 

 least part of the way, quite easy and gradual, in others steep 

 and difficult to climb. On this mountain a good deal of 

 lumbering has been done in the past, and most of the large 

 timber has been cut off. 



Another prominent ridge is called the Limestone. The 

 Limestone runs from northwest to southeast through a large 

 portion of the mountainous tract, and is the backbone of the 



