Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-06-21
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
Wonderful Gold Discovery i'll l347
Near the Old Spanish Trail
Northwest Of Santa Fe.
N Narrative of Uncle Lucien Stewart,
Who Carried the First United
states Mail from this City
to Los Angeles.

Uncle Luciep Stewart, of Chama, who
has been hunting for lost placer fields for
more than forty-eight years, is resting
and recuperating at st. Vincent santa
rum in Santa Fe. His story reads like a
romance.
Mr.. Stewart is 70 years old, his mind is
active and richly stored with information
and his stalwart body is uncommonly
we'll preserved considering his age and
the hardships he has encountered on the
frontier. He came to Santa Fe in the
spring of 1916 with the I'd Missouri
mounted dragons under command of
Col. Price. The following year the regi-
ment was disbanded, and, in order to got
his discharge, it became necessary for
him either to go back to Leavenworth,
declare his intention to settle in the
country or join the quartermaster's de-
partment. He chose the latter course
and was assigned to the duty of carrying
the first United States mail from Santa
Fe to Los Angeles, Cal. On the lst of
September, 1s47, he started with the mail
for California with a party of thirteen
Americans, four Mexicans and two United
States officers. The latter were the
famous Kit Carson, then lieutenant OF
dragons, going to join his regiment at
Los Angeles, and Lieut.. Duer, of the navy,
who afterward died in Mexico.
PASSED UP THE oHAMA.
The party took northwesterly course
and passed up the Chama river, aiming
to take the old Spanish trail, but missed
it near where TERRA Amarillo now stands.
1t was decided, however, to go on in the
same direction as no doubt was enter
tanned that the trail would soon be found.
Six days out from Santa Fe the party
camped for dinner on deep river flowing
swiftly through beautiful meadow lands
with high and precipitous mountains ris-
ing abruptly from the water on the east.
This was northwest of Pagosa and Mr..
Stewart is confident it was on one of the
forks of the Piedra, probably the east
fork, near what is now known as the
John ONeil stock ranch. He describes
that place almost exactly as the writer
we'll knows.
| While the others we're at dinner, Mr..
Stewart and an old Mexican placer
miner went up the river short distance
to guard the stock. While they were so
employed the Mexican said "there is
gold here" and began washing the gravel
with an ordinary wooden bowl. Mr..
Stewart gathered leaves of skunk cab
bage, which abound in that region, and
the black sand was poured on these
leaves to dry in the sun.
AFTER WORKING ABOUT TWO HOURS
the old Mexican blew off the black sand,
gathered up the particles of gold with an
eagles quill, said to keep quiet about it,
and the procession moved on. That
! night the party camped on top of the
mountain north in a snow storm and the
following noon reached the Rio Grande
river, going down very steep red hill to
point much above where Creede is now
located. Thence the journey was con-
tinued to the Uncompahgre river and
down to its mouth, where the Spanish
trail was pointed out by some beaver
trappers.
The Spanish trail was followed from
Juut pOlub WltHUut ullACuitJ anu III uuo
time the party reached Los Angeles, and.
after delivering the mail to the proper
officers, Mr.. Stewart and the old Mexican
went to the post sutler and sold him the
gold in the eagles quill for $ls cash.
Mr.. Stewart was obliged to wait until
May, 1913, before returning with mail to
Santa Fe. Meanwhile the old Mexican
died. When he got back to Santa Fe he
was Immediately
ORDERED TO FORT LEAvENwoRTH.
So it happened that he was not able to
organize party to 60 in search of the
placer mines until the spring of 1S49.
Then an Indian outbreak occurred and
his organization of sixty mon anG horses
was broken up and disbanded. Since
then Mr.. Stewart has made many trips up
the forks of the Piedra to their source,
but has never been able to locate the ex-
act spot where he found the gold. He
hopes to 60 there again this summer,
but his advanced age renders it doubtful
whether he will be able to do 30. He has
lived at Chama for years and is uni
versally respected there as an honest and
truthful man. No one could hear his
simple narrative without believing it.
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