Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-04-28
GGLD HUNTING.
Narrative of II Pioneer.

IN me iail 81 loup a party o. 9tlitic-
men in Chicago were discussing the
probable produciivcness of the placer
mining districts of Colorado. One of
them was Il learned professor, who
thought that these free gold diggings
would amount TO very little, and that
the collaborating rock was 50 charged
with sulphur il would be almost impos-
sible to separate the gold.
This erudite chap went on 10 say fur
ther, that the great ''gold diggings' of
this continent remained to be discovered.
A. there were in the Eastern hemi-
sphere the Australian and AN Asiatic
gold field, one in the north portion. the
other in the south, so there was some
where in the northern portion of this
continent collaborating section to
balance the California diggings. The
relative richness would he in the
proportion of the height of the noun
tains-not the isolated peaks, but the
general ranges. When gold WAS first
discovered in the vicinity of Pixies Peak,
he had thought the long sought-for re-
gion had been found. But. upon a
careful examination of this section, he
tinued. In his judgment the place TO
prospect was either in the Black Hills
or at the head-waters of the Yellowstone,
with the choice greatly in favor of the
latter, as there were in circulation stories
of wonderful finds made by white trap
per, in that section, while nearly all the
stories of the mineral wealth of the
Black Hills came direct from the In
dams. and were coupled with legends of
mysterious noises and strange sights.
Moreover. the Black Hills were held by
hostile tribes who We're jealous of any
trc>pa-s upon them. Having apparent
" satisfied his hearers Of the sonndness
of his reasoning, the professor offered To
organize PARTY TO explore this famous
Yellowstone region-to start out in the
spring of 1861.
This expedition the undersigned was
invited to Join. aud accordingly he ap-
pearcd at Chicago in April. 1861, armed
and equipped with all the deadly weap
ons that his New York experience taught
him were required for fighting Indians
and digging gold. BY this time the troops
were bein. Withdrawn from the frontier
to be used Qor sixty days only to put
down the rebellion, and any journey
across the Continent, of the beaten lines
of travel, was esteemed very unhealthy.
Travel in the beaten lines was unpleas-
ant. at least. This was what we Were
told in Chicago Well, the Professor
had other engagements, and there was
no party ready Just then to explore the
Yellowstone and gather up the loose
gold supposed TO he waiting 10 he
shovelled out of the stream beds. The
writer was in quandary. To return
East with weapons untarnished by ruSr.
and blue flannel shirt unworn, would
never do. To have fine rifle and shoot
no buffalo was discreditable. So. join
ing a party, he started from 1t. Louis
Tor Atkinson in the steamer War Eagle;
fare. | think, IS. The proprietors of
the steamer lost money, | am sure. on
their passengers. a they boarded them
for the eight or nine days they con-
sumed in making the trip. But | sup
pose they made money ON the powder
they stole from the United States Ar>en-
al at jefferson City. They gathered,
think, $500 kegs, and stuffed them into
the hold of the steamer, the men march
ing in line with the kegs upon their
shoulders past the open doors of the
boiler furnaces.
II would take a week to write of the
queer things that occurred on this trip
and the queer people we met. While
the steamer lay at jefferson City we
amused ourselves 10y going up 10 the
capital At midnight, waiting till each
sentinel had reached the end OF his beat,
creeping over the wall between them,
and crawling up to the legislative halls,
where the patriotic members were hold /,
ing secret session. Why we did this |
don't know; we might have been shot