The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-25
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY
XIII,
THE GOLD IN TIE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
DENVER, June 20, 1859.

THE GOLD IN TIE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
DENVER, June 20, 1859.
For some ten years past, vague stories
affirming or implying the existence OF
Gold ia our countFy's principal chain Of
mountains have from time to time reach
ed the public ear; but they seemed to rest
on very slight or insecure foundations and
attracted but limited and transient atteu-
tion. An Indians, or trappcr's or ira
der's bare assertion that, in traversing
the narrow ravines and precipitous nights
of oar American Switzerland, he had
picked up piece of quartz ustrous with
gold, or even a small nugget of the pure
metal, was calculated 10 attract little at
atteutiou while California was unfolding
Der marEeious treasures, aud while the
fact stood forth clear and uuquestionable
that not one pound Of the precious dust
from all the region watered By the Mis-
souri's mountain tributaries had ever been
known to swell the worlds aggregate OF
the all desired R4ctal, aud not one compa-
uy, or individual even, was known to be
seeking the ye!ow idol on thi. side OF the
backbon of our continent. So far as
can learn, the first three parties ever or
gained to search for gold in all this Rocky
Aiountain region we're fitted out in the
Spring of 1855 from the Cherokee Ma
ton, from Missouri and from Kansas
(Lawreucc) pecti'el and these, though
they carried houe or sent home large sto-
ries Of the auiferous character of the
country they 'prospected, took with them
precious little gold. But their reports a
reused a spirit of eold-seeking adventure
in others, SO that the ensuing (asD Fall
witnessed rush Of three or four hundred
mainly men Of broken fortunes from the
dead mushroom cities Of Nebraska and
Kansas, to the region watered by the
South Platte, aud the more northerly
sources Of the Arkansas. For some rea-
son, this poiDt-the Junction of Cherry
Greek with the South Platte-bccame the
focus of the gold hunt; here those who
staid through the Autumn and Winter
busted themselves in putting up log cab
ins, and writing home to their friends 10
the States accounts of the richness of thi,
region in gold-a metal which, except in
very minute quantities, they had seen but
with the eye of faith. | doubt that ,aree
thousand dollars worth of gold in every
shape had been taken out by the fVe or
six hundred seekers who had come to this
region in hot pursuit Of it. down to the
FIRST day of last mouth-May. 1859.
doubt it, not merely because | have new
er seen any rciiatlc accounts of that much
gold being sent or resolved from here
prior to that date. but because the gold
does not exist where it had almost ezclu-
sivcly been sought down to that day
Cherry Greek, though its extreme sources
are near Pixies Peak, is so headed of
from the MOUNTAINS b. the South Platte,
that can hardly realize that it should
bring down any gold at all; and, at best,
washing the sands of either Of these
streams near their junction for gold seems
to me much like wasking the tan Ks
of the Amazon, in Brazil, for the
gold of the Audes. Yet nearly all the
gol6- hunting of this region, up to last
mouth. had been done in the sands oil
these creeks, mo>t of it miles distant from
the mountains. There is TESTIMONY that
several dollars worth of dust per day to
the hand was thus washed out 10 certain
happily chosen spots; but such successes
we're transient, and despite all the & low
Jog accounts set forth in letters to the
States, it is clear that all the goliwash-
ing done throug ghout this region up to
last month had not paid an average OF
ffty cents per days labor; while the cost
Of each mans subsistence while thus em-
ployed, cannot have fallen short of dol
lar per day. And the high waters of the
streams preclude advantageous washing
in the Spring, even were gold far more
abundant aud enduring 10 their sands
than it yet has been proved.
Such was the actual state of things
when the FIRST food of gold-seeking i'm
migration began to pour in upon Aurarla
and Denver two months or more ago
Many of the seekers had left home with
very crude ideas of gold digging, impell.
ed by glowing bulletins from writer's who
eonfouuded saDguine expectations with
actual results, and at best spoke ofany cas-
ual realization of Eve to ten dollars from
days washing as though it we're usu-
al aud reliable reward of goldseekiug
industry throughout this region. Many
who came were doubtless already wear.