Minneapolis Star Tribune April 18, 1877 p. 4.
GOLD SEEKERS. Another Party of Minneapolitans Turn Their Steps Towards the Black Hills To-day. Another party of men have turned their backs upon Minneapolis and are by this time on their way towards the gold bearing fields of the Black Hills. The "Black Hills" seems to be a magic word among certain people and a stream of human beings are pouring into the region said to contain untold amounts of the '"root of all evil." The party of men leaving Minneapolis this afternoon are in charge of Mr. Julius Hewes, of Minneapolis, and S.W. Clark, of Anoka.....
THE ROUTE TAKEN. This party will take the St. Paul & Sioux City railroad and go by way of Yankton and Fort Pierre to Deadwood City, in the Hills. At the latter named place they disband and will spread out through the Hills. Each man will go where his fancy leads, and what will become of them remains to be told hereafter.
The route they propose taking seems to afford, according to their ideas, the greatest advantages. From Yankton to Fort Pierre the Black Hillers are conveyed in steamboats and from thence by the stage route traveling overland one hundred and fifty miles. The road follows the valley of the Big Cheyenne river, which it crosses only once. By taking this route it is thought less danger is liable to be encountered, and the party do not anticipate having any trouble. They go well provided for any emergency, and expect to make a speedy trip to the Hills.
The Minneapolis Journal. Mon, Apr 18, 1927 Page 15. When Minneapolis Adventurers Took 37 Days to Get to the Black Hills. Excerpt:
Peet got better acquainted with some of the party--Abner Howe, George A. Dunham (afterward a Minneapolis alderman); Thomas Phipps, Thomas Nevers and others.
They boarded the John M. Chamberlain April 22, crossed the river and tied up on the Nebraska shore, then went on, reaching Fort Pierre eight days later, having travelled 30 miles a day, getting stuck of sandbars, sounding all the way. They were told to save time by walking across the Big Bend, and did so, and were left all night without food, lost in a strange country. When they got to Fort Pierre, Mr. Peet recognized several men who had walked. They had made better time than the steamboat.
From Fort Pierre, they walked, through wild country, fearing Indian raiders, meeting gunmen and gamblers, living off wild game. He met a slim young fellow, and learned next day the "young fellow" really was Calamity Jane. He held up a gambler who was about to rob his friend. He nearly starved on the prairie. Finally, on May 21, they reached Rapid City, which was a log shanty town with a log blockhouse, and swung north, reaching Crook City three days later and renting a loghouse for $40 a month.
Probably no one who makes the trip today can even realize what it must have been when it took 37 days of railroads, steamboats and walking to make the same trip. And Mr. Peet agreed today that the modern modes of travel are much better and more comfortable.
The Minneapolis Journal. Sun, Aug 07, 1927; page 64. When Minneapolis Adventurers Outwalked Train and Steamboat in a Race for Gold. To view enlarged image go to the McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West: http://library.centerofthewest.org/digital/collection/MS413/id/5/rec/4
Information on Historical Times via National Archives: in 1876, Custer, leading an Army detachment, encountered an encampment of Sioux and Cheyenne at the Little Bighorn River. Custer's detachment was annihilated, but the United States would continue its battle against the Sioux Tribe in the Black Hills until the government confiscated the land in 1877. To this day, ownership of the Black Hills remains the subject of a legal dispute between the U.S. Government and the Sioux Nation. Information on Gold Seekers From Brooklyn Township.Abner Howe (familysearch ID LHQR-C7M) was the son of Brooklyn pioneer Samuel Howe, born in 1851. His first cousin, Thomas Phipps (familysearch ID LHQR-HB1), son of Eliza (Howe) Phipps, lived in neighboring Crystal Lake Township, and was 12 years his senior. They had married sisters, Julie and Cozomy Sprague, and hence were also brother-in-laws. George Durnam (familysearch ID L4W6-NX2) was the youngest at age 23. He was married to Abner's sister, Eva. So the trio consisted of three brother-in-laws. The portraits of Thomas Phipps and George Durnam were published in the above article. WAIT - the dream didn't stop: Star Tribune. Mon, May 21, 1900; page 5 |
