The Black Hills are in the western part of South Dakota, and they extend a little distance into Wyoming. The largest gold-mines in the world are up in Lead City, a small town about four miles from here. Silver is also found in some places. There are some high rocks here in this city called "White Rocks," because they are of a white color. When visitors come and learn the height (6000 feet), they are filled with a desire to climb them. People often give up other trips to have a climb up the highest rock. Even invalids attempt the journey. You pass the cemetery about half-way up.

We have firemen's tournaments here about once a year. At these, firemen take the hose-carts (we don't have fire-engines here, for our water-tank is up on a high hill), and run races with other towns, the prizes being money, of course. The tournaments usually last two or three days. They have coupling contests, too, where they see who can get water first, and have nozzle on far enough to hold the strain of the water. This is called the "novelty coupling contest." The plain coupling contest is without water. They have to "break hose," which means to detach the nozzle from one end of the hose and attach the nozzle to the other end.