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halted , and were richly rewarded for
their trouble. Tempted by their suc
cess , they made a second trip , and were
attacked and most of them killed by the
Indians. "
Two private travelers in this year also
have left interesting tales on record. It
is a pity there were not more of them.
No doubt the western camp-fires of the
40's heard some pf the best stories that
have ever been told in the world ; what
would one not give for a full steno
graphic report of some of those ses
sions ?
"Many a time , " said the Canadian
Roynal to young Francis Parkman , in
camp west of Fort Laramie , "when I
was with the Indians , I have been hunt
ing for gold all through the Black Hills. "
( That is , the Black Hills of Wyoming. )
"There's plenty of it hero ; you may be
certain of that. I have dreamed about
it fifty times , and I never dreamed yet
but what it came out true. Look over
yonder at those black rocks piled up
against that other big rock. Don't it
look as if there might be something
there ? It won't do for a white man to
be rummaging too much about these
mountains ; the Indians say they are full
of bad spirits ; and I believe myself that
it's no good luck to be hunting about
hereafter gold. "
One Edwin Bryant , in the same year ,
fell by night upon the camp of "Old
Greenwood , " near Clear Lake in Cali
fornia. This Greenwood seems to be
the same who figures in Mr. Beok-
wourth's enticing memoirs ; he took
Bryant in , fed him , and imparted wis
dom to him. "I was hero twenty years
ago , before any white man see this lake
and the rich land about it. Thar's beer-
springs here , better than them in the
Rocky Mountains ; thar's a mountain of
solid brimstone , and thar's mines of
gold and silver , all of which I know'tl
many years ago , and I can show them
to you if you will go with me in the
morning. "
This brings us to the discovery of
gold in California in 1849 , in a stream
which had been frequented for many
years by the trappers ; who , as one of
them told Dr. Peters , never looked foi
gold , never saw any gold ; and
would not have believed it was
gold if they had , unless it had had
the stamp of the United States upon it.
One result of the California discover
ies wasthat the west was filled with men
who knew something' of gold-bearing
rocks , and particularly how to wash
sand for the precious metal. But when
the tim came for the opening up of the
treasure-house of the Rookies proper , it
is singular that it should have been no
white man , but an Indian , that set the
ball in motion. This was a Cherokee , a
stranger , therefore ; a civilized Indian ,
in the cattle business , who found gold in
1852 on Clear Creek , which was then
called Vasquez Creek. This was not
mmediately followed up ; but others of
that un-still people , in wandering from
Georgia to California and back again ,
seeking rest for the sole of their foot ,
seem to have brought word of the ex
istence of auriferous sand to the ears of
Green Russell , the man who is known
as the pioneer miner of Colorado. Gen
eral Marcy would claim this honor for
a teamster belonging to his command in
1858 ; "while our ferry-boat was being
constructed , one of our citizen em
ployes washed from the sands of Cherry
Creek a small amount of gold-dust ,
which ho showed to me. Soon after
ward he was discharged and went to
St. Louis , and in a short time the mill-
el's commenced flocking to the lo
cality. " But other soldiers had seen
the same signs the year before , accord
ing to Bancroft ; and in any event ,
Green Russell was already on the march
early in the spring of 1858 , accompanied
by some of the Cherokees as guides. At
Leavenworth others joined them , and a
party from Lawrence was soon on their
trail as well ; before winter there were
four hundred men at Denver ; and the
rest of the story is well known.
The first mention of the discoveries
from which Nebraska City began at
once to expect so much for herself , oc
curs in the News of September 4 , 1858.
It is as follows :
"The Pike's Peak Gold Mines. Ar
rival of Mountaineers with the Dust.
Six hundred dollars dug out in a single
week with knives' and tomahawks ! ! 1
Where the mines are. How to get there.
The Route. The Place of Outfit. Im
mense Excitement. "
The editor's information was not at
first hand , however. He quotes from
the Kansas City Journal of Commerce
an account of the arrival of one party
with gold , and from the Rule Western
Guide another. The Kansas City paper
says there were nine men , "all of them
old mountaineers , who have spent their
lives in the mountains. Mons. Bord-
eau has not been in the States in nine
years until the present time. " The fol
lowing names are given : Bordeau ,
Richard , Boesinette , Prime and John
Oantrell , an old citizen of Westport.
The Rule paper announces the return
of "our fellow townsmen , Charles Mar
tin and Wm. Kenceleur , who have been
absent for more than two months on a
triptoPlatte Bridge. "
This brings to mind the uucontra-
dicted statement in that storehouse of
misinformation , the published papers ol
the State Historical Society , that A. G.
Barnes ( of Lincoln in 1886) ) who
reached Plattsmouth on Christmas Day
of 1858 , was the first who brought gold
from Pike's Peak to the Missouri river
The editor of the News made a
column and a half out of the event , auc
closed with this : "The exoitemeni
which has commenced to rage with such
intensity throughout the border towns
with reference to the now gold fields in
the vicinity of Pike's Peak will be , wo
predict , extensively felt and widely wit
nessed throughout the States. There
will bo such a rush for the Western Gold
fields as was only witnessed in the grand
rush for the rich placers of California.
What destinies it will carve out for the
Great West beyond the valleys of the
Mississippi and Missouri , time alone can
determine. "
The first actual gold to reach Ne
braska City was brought bv P. R.
Urosswait , "formerly of Mills County ,
Eowa , " who on December 29th showed
the editor "some fine specimens of gold ,
carefully preserved in a quill , also
specimens of crystallized quartz contain
ing gold supposed to have boon diamonds
ends by the gentleman who discovered
them. " A. T. RICHARDSON.
A VERY IMPORTANT MEETING.
August 80th , the Nebraska Park and
Forest Association holds a meeting at
Lincoln , afternoon and evening , in the
botanical room of the university. Af
ternoon session commences at 2 o'clock ,
and the evening session at 8 o'clock.
This meeting is called immediately af
ter the meeting of the National For
estry Association at Denver , and we
have secured speakers of national re
pute.
The address of welcome is to be given
by Governor Savage , and the response
by Chief of Forestry , G. Piuchot. New
man , Hall , Clothier , and many others
will address us.
In the evening wo will probably have
some stereopticon lectures bearing on
forestry.
There has been a force of government
experts at work all summer studying
the forest conditions of Nebraska with
reference to planting on a large scale ,
and we will have some report of their
work. Altogether , this will be one of
the most important meetings over held
in our state , and we hope for a full and
enthusiastic gathering , so that the gov
ernment may know we are interested in
our own welfare.
We want every member of the so
ciety to be present , and bring others.
We want a thousand new members ,
with then$1.00 each for admittance
and annual fee. Send to the president *
for minutes of the society.
In a matter of this kind we trust the
citizens of our state and capital city will
show royal welcome and appreciation ,
and that from the 80th of August there
will date a new zeal for the redemption
of the sand hills and the plains , and
that our great commonwealth will do
something for state forests and parks. ' '
0. S. HARRISON , Pres. '
E. F. STEPHENS , Vice Pres. „
A. J. BROWN , Sec.
J. STERLING MORTON. ' '
Diw C. E. BESSEY.
'
PETER YOUNGER. i
Directors.