The river press., 1884-05-21
GOLD GALORE!
something About the New Discov-
cries on Red Water.
It Looks as though the Diggings that
Lured Chris Keyes to his Death in
1865 have been Discovered

The following Glendive special of the
9Th inst. to the Pioneer Press is suggest
i've of an interesting event in the early
history of Fort Benton:
The excitement regarding the gold
find on the Red Water, sixty miles
north Of Glendive, in Montana, was
greatly intensified yesterday by the ar
rival of parties with gold dust. Large
numbers of business men of Glendive
are rushing to the new diggings, and all
are anxious to be on the ground first.
The gulch where the first discovery was
made was christened Lone Tree Gulch.
This is a new discovery Of old diggings,
of this ground in 1875, the parties going
down the Missouri via Fort Benton
with their gold They went back in the
summer of the next year. but were aln
massacred near the Bear Paw mountains
by the Sioux Indians, and ever since
prospectors have vainly endeavored to
find the diggings near the spot of the
massacre. The remains of the old dis
covery are still plainly visible, with the
rusty picks and shovels of the unfortun-
ate miners. The final result looks to be
the greatest gold find since 1S49.
= All the circumstances of the case go
to show that this discovery is identical
with that made by Chris Keyes in 1865,
an account of which was published in
the last holiday numbvr Of the RIVER
PRESS. The dates and other details
given above are not correct, as the dis
covery and massacre occurred in 1865
instead of 1875, as stated. The people
of the loWer country, however, are pro-
bably not familiar with the circum-
stances and would be likely to get the
facts slightly mixed.
Mr.. John Lepley informed us yester
day that he is confident the new discov
cries reported are in the same region in
which Keyes made his big find. It has
been ascertained through old man Lam
bert that Keyes, while prospecting in
that region, operated on the south side
of the river, and had his head quarters
on Red Water, so that it is more than
probable his bonanza, of which he gave
such glowing accounts, is in that sec
tion-where the reported discoveries
have been made. #
Red Water creek is tributary of the
Missouri, and enters that stream a
short distance from Poplar river, head 4
ing towards the low range called Sheep
mountains. The distance from Glen
dive cannot be more than go or 20 miles
but from the Missouri river to the "gold
tieldsn it is much less.
In this connection, as OF general inter
est, we give synopsis of the story told
US by Mr.. Lepley, and published in the
Holiday RIVER PRESS:
Chris Keyes came up the river in 1860
and was employed for some time as
hunter for the American Fur company,
when he travelled over much OF the
Bears Paw and Little Rocky country,
finding evidences that convinced him
that gold existed there in paying guam
titles. When the gold excitement was
springing up he drifted into the noun
tans, where Mr.. Lepley met him. They
worked together, and in 1864 made
the first gold discovery in Lewis and
Clarke county on Silver creek, where
they had diggings that paid six and
seven dollars day. But this was too
slow for Keyes. He wanted better pay,
and concluded to come down to the low
er Missouri country to prospect, and had
all possible confidence of striking it,
He endeavored to induce Mr.. Lepley to
accompany him, but the latter had too
much regard for his scalp to invade
hostile Indian country, so that keyes
started on the dangerous pilgrimage
alone. The rest we tell in Mr.. Lepley's
own words:
In February, 1865, we shook hands,
Keyes starting for Fort Benton. en- route
to what he believed was glittering gold
field, while I remained in the gulch,
content to earn my six and seven dollars
day. We had been partners about
year then, and I had learned to esteem
keyes highly. I was new at the busl,
ness of prospecting and mining and had
to rely much upon him "a reliance that
was never misplaced. placed g1eat
confidence in his Judgment, and when
he said-the last words he ever spoke to
me-"I will not send for you unless
lind something big,n / knew that he
would not.
Well. he came to Fort Benton, and
after securing such an outfit here as he
needed, left for the lower country, ana
1t was several months before 1 heard
word from him. Then came the mes
sage:
Drop eUerytl.in9 and come on. You
aof't soant any horses or money; iaDe can