Horatio Ross accompanied General George Custer on the 1874 Black Hills Expedition and discovered gold on French Creek near what is now the city of Custer. Although Ross staked his claim to several local sites and remained in the town for 30 years, he died a pauper at the age of 66. He is buried in Custer Cemetery.
Gary Enright, director of the 1881 Courthouse Museum, explains the legacy of Ross and the coincidence that links him to James Marshall, who discovered one of the richest gold fields in history, 25 years before Ross tried to strike it rich in the Black Hills.
