SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 9 



cultural land should be the ability to irrigate it. It therefore seems 

 best to point out the areas of open valley country within the reserve. 

 These open yalleys are scattered all over the reserve, intersecting bodies 

 of timber in narrow strips, but nowhere appearing in large bodies except 

 in the southern part of the reserve, where there is an area, comprising 

 several townships of open country, containing but little timber, and 

 that in small groves and patches. 



The reserve is traversed by a branch of the Chicago, Burlington and 

 Quincy Railroad, and on this road there are several towns of consider- 

 able size, including Custer, Hill City, Eochford, and other places. The 

 ranches upon the reserve are estimated to number 450 to 460. Most 

 of these have beeU taken up as placer claims. These ranches contain, 

 on an average, from 30 to 40 acres of plow land each. The chief prod- 

 ucts are oats, hay, and vegetables. 



Such open country as was above described, where not available for 

 farming, furnishes excellent pasturage. The largest extent of this is 

 the great area in the southern part of the hills mentioned above. It is 

 estimated that there are about 5,000 head of stock ranging through the 

 timbered part of the hills, including the small bunches of cattle and 

 horses owned by the ranchmen. There are no sheep pastured within 

 the hills. It is stated that pasturing of cattle and horses does no harm 

 to the forests. 



Mining is the most important industry in the hills, and in the north- 

 ern portion, north of th<- reserve, probably not less than two-thirds of 

 the population are supported directly or indirectly by the mines. The 

 principal mining center is tlie vicinity of Lead and Deadwood, 

 where the Hoiiiestake mine is located. There are a number of other 

 small mining towns in the neighborhood, and throughout this portion 

 of the hills are scattered mining camps whose inhabitants are pros- 

 pecting and are developing discoveries. The most important mineral 

 belt in the central hills is at Keystone, where the Holy Terror and Key- 

 stone mines, employing a large number of men, are located, and through- 

 out the eastern portion ot the Black Hills are scattered small mines 

 and discovery pits. They are said to be valuable, but are not being 

 operated beyond the performance of the worlc required by law to hold 

 the claims. 



As stated above, the hills have been frequently and greatly devas- 

 tated by iires. To the prevalence of the latter is doubtless due the 

 existence of the open, parklike areas in the forest, as well as the poor 

 quality of much of the timber and the young growth which covers great 

 areas. 



The vast majority of fires are doubtless the result of carelessness on 

 the part of camping parties. Incendiary fires are not common. Some 

 fires are set by sparks from railway trains and some by lightning. 

 Many fires have been set by the burning of brush after clearing, though 

 these are not as common as formerly. In the early days, before the 

 occupation of the region by whites, doubtless fires were set intention- 

 ally by Indians to drive game or to improve the pasturage. 



There are forty-two small mills in operation in the South Dakota 

 portion of the Black Hills. These are small, portable mills, capable of 

 cutting, as a rule, about 8,000 or 10,000 feet of lumber each per day 

 when in full operation. Very few of them, however, are run to their 

 full capacity. The total annual output of lumber is estimated at 

 20,000,000 feet, besides the amount cut for firewood. Most of this is cut 

 for mine timbering in the Homestake and other mines, but no small 

 proportion of it is exported from the State. 



