| Show highlights past post and present by E T wolverton february 6 1928 for generations legends have existed to the effect that the obtained gold in the henry mountains more than three hundred years ago according to tradition one mine in particular produced ore rich in gold and was cred orned for a number of years the gold being taken southward to taos new mexico over the old spanish or bear bears s ears trail some evidences are at hand to i show that excavations were made at least one hundred and seventy five years ago old dumps overgrown with brush and grass and in some cases the writer has found trees growing in the excavations proved to be at least one hundred and fifty years old A number of such ancient excavations and crumb ling are known in the henry mountains and on the south end of boulder mountain there some extensive workings the latter workings might have been done by pre indian peoples excepting for the fact that all of the openings are confined to an area of igneous rocks the old I 1 spanish trail trall wound through mountains and across des erts between california Cah forma and mexico passing through the and blue mountains all old maps cue we west siow it at many points in this section it is still distinct especially is it still in evidence their crossing of the colorado five miles below the junction of the green fremont followed this at times during his lus exploration of the west and between the henry moun tams and the colorado river bones of a mule and on either side small piles of rich ore the contain ers had long since rotted leaving the rock on the ground lost mine aline stories mean little to most of us our interests center around found mines this legend is mentioned for the reason that it had a direct on recent events which are of re cord in case the legend had dounda tion in fact it is safe to state the old spanish workings have been reopened for generations one of the early settlers in farming farnung districts of southwest owned some cattle part of which he grazed on the west side of the henr y mountains the white settlers were usually with their farm duties hence he was sometimes obliged to hire indians to accompany him on his rides on one of his trips into this J i and ai indian helper L i i A ald cd at t what is now known 14 1 u L 3 mss oi i the southwest 0 v vl vt ion too t pennell one evening te li dian than did aid pointing ting to the earell plenty gold up there asked how bow he knew he replied that his us people had told him so asked if f he could find it t he be replied that he could I 1 all ali right said the cattle man in the morning we will nde ride up that way and take a look at it to this the indian entered a savage and decided negative that that the white man might go and look for the gold if he wished but in case he did then he the indian would go back to Ms home in the valley pressed for the reason for his r refusal e to show the gold after some hesitation he stated in substance as follows follow s many years ago the spaniards dug gold out of the side of the moun tam am they employed indians to do he the hard labor and treated them shamefully they were forced to do labor from dawn to darkness and often beaten and kicked like dogs one morning the surrounding hills were full of warriors A terrible cattle battle followed lasting all day many indars were killed but in the end all of the spaniards were destroyed dis troyed their shelters burned and their workings carefully filled and all sign obliterated As the workings were being filled the indian medicine man placed a great curse on the place from which the gold had been taken to him who reopened the workings would come great calami ty his blood would turn to water and even in youth he lit would be as an old man his squaws an papooses would die and the earth would bring forth for him only poison weeds in stead of cor various other punish ments would attend too numerous to mention in this statement here we reach the end of legends and can take up with a reasonable degree of accuracy the records of following event sm the henry moun tain tam district about sixty years ago ben bowen a typical western soldier of fortune was running a stage station at desert springs m the southwest cor ner of utah one day a human wreck appeared at his place and asked for aid which was readily granted this man gave his name as burke and said he had been prospecting in the mountains one hundred miles north md and east he had found good gold ore but the indians had run his stock off taken his camp equipment and or dered him hun out of the country assist ed by the few white settlers along his route he had made his way aar across 0 ss mountains and deserts but the ordeal had broken health and courage and he was now on his way to southern nevada where he had friends upon whom he might depend for help he showed bowen some of the ore he had carried out with him and stated that he was sure he had discovered rediscovered re the old spanish mine to be continued next week |
