| Show I I GOLD IN THE ROCKIES I A Soldier iu the Army Said to be Entitled to tie Honor of Its Discover A good deal of interest has always attached at-tached to the question where the actual first discovery of gold in the Rocky mountains was made says the Park County Col bulletin Two or three localities have put in claims for the honor and at the risk of tearing them up with dissension we shall advance a new competitor for that position In the spring of 1857 six columns of United I States troops were started from Sioux City Iowa to reinforce General Albert i Sidney Johnson who with a small force was emcamped upon the Wasatch range in Utah and preparing himself for an attack I at-tack as the Mormons whom he had been sent t subdue were in a very threatening I attitude The mounted reinforcements hurried toward the front but on reaching j I Lodgepole creek in Wyoming their animals were so jaded that an enforced halt for a day or two was made During j this halt Lieutenant J II Alexander I who was in partial command left camp I accompanied by a soldier named Slater for an antelope hunt They were the I hank of the creek some distance from j camp when on stooping to get 3 drink I Slater scooped up some pebbles among which scoop particles resembling gold He called the lieutenants attention t i and they decided it must be gold but ongoing I on-going back to camp the engineering corps poohpoohed the idea of finding gold anywhere I any-where east of California and the matter dropped While returning East the next year Lieuteuant Alexander heard of the j < discoveries at Pikes peak and before he j I I I discoveres I reached the States met multitudes of peo i of the I I pIe coming westwaidin search precious metal Active duty kept the I lieutenant to busy to look the matter up and at the breaking out of the war he resigned I re-signed from the regular army to enter a rebel regiment from his native State I I Georgia In the meantime the soldier meantme Slater died A short time since the i writer met Lieutenant Alexander who j was visiting Colorado for the first time I since 1857 and he then related the circumstances I I cir-cumstances we have narrated His story i entirely credible I |
