Show pilai peik reak gold I 1 way back in 1807 when zebu ion al pike was in new mexico ha he met a carpenter in santa fe pursley ay name from bardstown Bards town ky parsley was working at hia his trade because he be could not get away he ile had bad in I 1 1802 while out on the tb plains hunting met with a eerie series of misfortunes and found il himself 1 line elf in 1804 or 1805 with a bunt bunting edg party near the mountains the hostile sioux of the plains drove them into the high ground in the rear of pikes peak near the head bead waters of the platte river pursley found some gold he carried a little of it in his shot pouch for months he ile wag was finally sent by bis big to santa fe to see if they could trade with the spaniards and chose to remain at santa fe in preference to returning to the hunting party he ile told the spaniards about the gold old he had bad found fount and they tried bar hard d to per persuade duade him to go and I 1 chow show them the place they even offered ered to take along a strong force of f cavalry but purvey refused and his pat patriotic biotic reason on w was ae t that h a t h bo e thought the land reis was on united states territory he e to told ld L lieuten i e u te n ant pike that lo 10 feared that they would not allow him to leave santa fee as they still hoped fo 0 o learn f from tom him where the gold was to be found these facts were published by lieutenant pike soon after his return but do one took the hint or the risk was too great and thus more than half a century passed used we before those same rich fields of gold were found and opened to world if pursley had bad been bome what and had guided the spaniards to the treasures the whole history and condition of tho the western part of our continent might have been entirely dit different from what it now is that region would have been a piert of I 1 mexico or spain might have been in po nession of it owning california and with tho the gold that would have been poll poured red into her coffers hays bt boen n th the leading nati nation n in european I 1 affairs today we can dagil easily r see how american and european a history in the nineteenth century might raight have been changed if that adventurer fr from m kentucky had not been a true lover of his native country I 1 |