Although not a trooper, Horatio Ross had an impact on George Custer's life. He was one of two miners who accompanied the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. News of the expedition was followed closely in the newspapers across the country. Its mission was to look for suitable locations for a fort in the area.
There had been rumors of gold in the Black Hills for years. Custer brought along two miners, Horatio Ross and William McKay, to investigate the possibility of minerals in the area, particularly the "yellow metal that made the white man crazy." And they found it. Later, the Homestake Gold Mine, near Deadwood in the Black Hills, would become the largest producing gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. The mine produced more than forty million troy ounces (43,900,000 oz; 1,240,000 kg) of gold during its lifetime. It closed in 2002.
Custer, South Dakota, celebrates its gold rush history every year with Gold Discovery Days.
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| Ross Monument in Custer, South Dakota |
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| Forest City Press; Forest City, South Dakota; February 16, 1911 |
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