Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-01
the LOST LOUISIANA MINE.
IL May en- That the Mines watch the
spaninrds and other Adventurers
Sought Are Located in the wichita
Mountains.

Svid-cyed reports OF gold in oilaho-
ma have become one OF the stock sefsa-
atoms OF tho newspapers OF recent years
! and have been exploited to such an ex-
tent that people are apt TO read stories
on ms theme with interest II they
were wen written. without being DIS
uoaed 10 read them seriously. But a
theme as productive Of romance as
this has been Is not without interest
10 those who are In quest OF facts 70
sny nothing OF the earnest seekers LOT
gold who ara not so few In number
on the border land as to be numbered
by the score. There are hundreds per-
naps thousands OF men In Texas VINO
aElnk they know something about the
minerals Of that country, which they
mad rnther not say anything about
until aftcr they have had chance To
cry their luck at mining there the
country has been prospected in a cur
eorv way during many years past, but
f,rst one obstacle and tEen another NUS
1jroynnted disclosures from being NIUE
"a 10 tho mineral resources OK tilat Ter
IA incognita. .
However. enough 81 known 10 war
rant tho bellef that gold ana shvet ~,
al In considerable quantities III tNe
-snttbvasforn mart of the territory ana
qhe report becomes current perlouienily
4nnt some ndvcnturer has struck ~
rhe exact location OF any mines, or
course. is not likely to be made known
ny anybody who makes diseove nv, ~, 1t.
The present limo, for ANYONE 20 loltv",
~, n likely 10 keep ouch Information
~ ihineeIf for the present. particularly
in yiew of the prevailing belief thtt nv
..ornt,.v will be opened to settlement uu,
9ore MANY Year,. But how mhny
,rhia uuestion 50 troubling the .plril OF
,i,anr an nnxious boomer who wants
10 get into the Fort Sill country pe10'o
lie dlch ,.a.,,,,,.
Of Inc boomer Is his nuameoushr;,,9,
and II is dliicult TO convince tht w
ttnera TINT the cattemen ana utnfrs
rxho have the entree TO the lnolal
,,anrvationa around Fort SIN a@ my
.,upnged ia prospecting IN HE Nlcnit ~
fnountaiuh Gnd Otherwise preparing W
pici, out the good things - mat spu.,
Try Just as WAS done In osianT ,I,.
preparatory % the opening, lIf ~ nv.
aecounts OF discoveries % precious
,,,etnis IN INIT country confirm The re-
ports OF united Statea geolosie'H sun
yeys made at tho time when the eoun-
nv was first occupied permanently by
4he establishment of an army post ~
old Fort Arbuclfe many years Asp'
q'heae stories alao coincide singnlMiy
with others. some Of which atr very
old. dating back 20 the days OF '7lhl'sn
explorers, THESE stories an h'hI on
the one point and that ia thai ~ somv
-. OF country
~ Inc southw.at between The MisHis-
aIppl river and the Rocky Mountains
there was n region rich IN gold. Core
nado sought IN Gran Quivinn, u Ihpu-
Ions city OF untold wealth in the tore
aqtory. nov known aA North reNas'
lie was mred on aud ON by Indian
guides and persisted somewhere w this
country and the chronicles OF those
timea have Il TINT he was buried some
whore ON one of inc branches OF the
Trinity lie had mot reached tho
Grand zuivira but he may hnvo becu
very near the land OF gold II there be
truth In later stories.
General n, IS, Pclrce. who was u
Confederate brlgndicr during the war,
was an officer In tho regular army and
wtls NJ one time stationed az Fort
ArhuclSle. Ito Was talking familiarity
one day with the officer who was In
charge ot the commissary there and
she old man told him n fasclnating
story OF the early days. when Tho
fort was first established thore soma
OF the supplies were brought up from
New Orleans a great part Of the way
hy boat, coming up the Mississippl
aud He'd rivers TO within an easy
Journey from Fort Arhuckle which was
situated on the banks OF the WnshltR
The commlHRiry officer then q young
man, went down the river ON one OF
IhcNe trips. aud while IN New Orleans
oi, old Spaniard came 60 him one dnS
AZ he waa sitting IN the little boa
from up the river country, The old
man. whito-haired and venerable. sn
down by the boy and told him thai
Ills attention had boon attracted boy
the fact that some VI The goods wer,
marked for Fort Ariucltlc. which ht
knew was located on lort Mashitn
ThNn continuing with deep inlerest il
"Reminiscences OF his own early days
he told how. When TX. WIS a youtl
aud long before there were forts %
military establishments Of any kline
in the upper Red river country, he hat
made journey with q party nf span
iarda IN quest Of gold IN that unknown
region, and they had found II at
IOat where the Waahltn river cam
through the mountains" This piac,
which the old SpaniRfd could not lprut
'AilNhlAtf nc nthHNtu WIS near MnNf
Fort Arhuckic had been Afterwards ~
tirblishcd, But the old spgmlnrd nnl
his fellow Adventures had Grown oil
without ever being allie 10 mud j
again The commisaary officer grew oil
in the service az Fart Arbuckle with
out being able 20 mud the mine, am
tuld u TO General pcaree. whose mem
ory i haunted like dream, uuti
craving old. he told il TO reporter
Rut people have hceu hunting gnl
for years az a place where the Wash
ita comes through the mountains" /
~ In Arkansas.
There II n Story eNtnNt of 4 won
derful mine which the spaniards foun
during the days % their supremacy I
what afterwards became the icrcnc
rDsscssion OF Louisiana, " Il shi
they We're driven out Of the cOuntr
whore the mine was located by tn
Indians In that vicinity, and that tn
survivors ~ the massacre which FOL
lowed were never able to find thel
way back 20 the mines from the settle
nichtg III after yearl.
some capitalists apecnlated In mine