18 GEOLOGY OF THE BLACK HILLS. 



true arid in their more exaggerated forms, with the addition of others more 

 or less fictitious, were now spread far and wide over the West, and great 

 excitement prevailed in the frontier settlements bordering on the reserva- 

 tion, and extended even into the thickly- settled region of the East. The 

 great floating population of the frontier, miners and others, suffering from 

 a dearth for several years of the excitement peculiar to mining discoveries 

 were now ready to rush into this new El Dorado of the West, and the differ- 

 ent towns of the immediate frontier rivaled each other in the statements of 

 their superiority as outfitting posts for the Black Hills, while the mere fact 

 that there was a desire on the part of the government to sustain its part of 

 the treaty and keep intruders out of the reservation only added new zest to 

 the enterprise. 



It soon became evident that there was a large body of miners ready 

 to enter the new field, many of whom expressed no wish to transgress the 

 word of the government given in the treaty, and there was a very general 

 desire that the right to prospect and mine should be acquired for them by 

 the government either by purchasing the Black Hills or by obtaining a con- 

 cession from the Indians, as was endeavored in a subsequent council. 



As many of the reports circulated were undoubtedly greatly exag- 

 gerated, and many persons well informed in regard to this region of the 

 Northwest, and of high authority, were strong in their denials of the pres- 

 ence of gold there, at least in remunerative quantities, it became of general 

 importance to obtain accurate and reliable information on the subject. It 

 was determined, therefore, that trusty persons should be sent immediately 

 to examine the region and report to the Secretar}^ of the Interior, so that 

 the true facts regarding the nature and value of the mineral deposits should 

 be authoritatively known, and might furnish a basis for any subsequent nego- 

 tiations with the Indians for the territory. 



• As this expedition, both in the territory to be examined and in the 

 purpose of the examination, was one relating specially to the rights and 

 interests of the Sioux Indians, the organization and control were given to 

 the Bureau of Indian Affairs, under which the work was begun and com- 

 pleted. Under authority of the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Walter P. 

 Jenney was therefore appointed by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 



