The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
M1LLIoxAIREs UNA WARES.
They Ovrsd the site or Cripple Creek s.s
Sold It tor n SonG.

BOm TIE CRicogo Record.
The site Of Cripple Creek was for ten years =
COW pasture OF two long.limbed old Kentrckisns
Of the names Of =" Boil" and " Bill " womax, who
took up a section OF land under the Desert Land
act here about 1870. In the early days OF gold
excitement in Colorado. when people crossed the
plains with " Pixies Peak or Bust" painted on
their wagons, some little gold was washed out
here. but not enough to encourage any one to
stay. So the prospectors passed on into the
mountains and left the land for the WomaI
brothers to feed their cattle on.
They didn't dream that gold was there. and,
becoming tired of the place. about seven years
ago sold 1t to Bennett d Myers, u firm Of real
estate agents in Denver who had loaned them
money. There were 400 or 500 cattle on the
place. and several hundred miles Of fencing,
which enclosed about $4,000 acres OF Govern
ment land. For all this Bennett a Myers paid
100000. and when they got the title they organ
lied the Pixies Peak Cattle Company, with a
capital Of 81. 100000 But before they got
things ready to put the stock on the market
President Clevcl and issued his proclamation
ordering the cattlemen to tear down nl the
fences they had erected upon public land. That
practically deprived the new company Of 1000
acres of pasturage and knocked the profits out
Of ranching in Colorado. With the depression
in cattle and land coming on about the same
time. the company was abandoned, and the own
ers left the herd they purchased to Craze there
under tho care of a few men.
In February, 1891. Bennett & Myers got a let
ter from, their foreman at the ranch, saying
that gold had been discovered there, and the
prospectors. were digging holes all over the
place, which mahc II dangerous for the cattle.
SeNstnI cows had ALREADY fallen INTO these ex,
for instructions. They wrote back to him to
run the miners off the place. but he replied that
they were already several hundred Ia number,
lie followed his, letter to Denver a few days
~ nYl fFuNn o. amt a IagnRfnNfnV az
affairs. So they went ~ tO make an inspection,
when resulted in the transfer Of the cattle to a
less valuable pasture, and the plating OF II town
ste, on eighty, acres Of the pasture. That sold
OF Ike hot cakes, and the town Of Cripple Greek
The man who discovered gold was a drunken
blacks iuith of Colorado Springs OF the name of
Dick Nt"tcn, who had been hanging. around
the ranch for months at n time, and of course
found II by accident. lie at once advertised the
fact among all the prospcctors and mining men
swprIrs to scrnpe over the beds of the streams
and rake out the grass roots. A man of the
name OF Frishcc was the first to discover gold
quartz II few weeks after wooten's find. In less
than six months there were n thousand pros
pcctnrs at work in the valley, and now moro
Than 1000 miners are employ ed in the hundreds
Of mines that lie on that ranch alone: They
900 in. gold. The yield for the first year was
about S6OO,00O. In 1892 Il reached 81 ,500,0Oo.
and in 1893 S?,4oo,Ooo. The miners strike last
spring put things back enormously, but not
withstanding between four and five months
that were actually wasted, the yield this year
s3,5oo.ooo. During this month they expect to
reach the 81 900. 900 mark, and next year the
output will be doubled.
tntil recently very fewof the miners had been
working with improved machinery. Cripple
Greek has been enphatically n poor mans
camp: that IL. the owners of most OF the mines
were men without capital to develop them, and
they were compelled TO putter along with the
most primitive apparatus until they had made
enough! To- buy modern machinery.
The independence mine. which Is regarded as
the most valuable in the Cripple Greek district,
Is a good illustration. i was discovered and Ia
owned by "A man named W. =. or bill" Stratton,
n carpenter at Colorado Springs, who came up
10 the camp to spend the Fourth Of July In 1892.
Wandering over what is known rs Battle Noun
tain. near the site of the present town OF Victor,
lie said in n iOCular way to his companion that
he was going to throw his hat down the hill and
locate II claim where IL fell. He drove his stake,
filed his papers, and worked his assessment"
according to law. and after n while he
struck "a vein of gold that Is said to be richer
than any other that has been discovered here.
lie had no money and was very sny of part
ners. A Denver syndicate offered him 81, O0O.-
900 for the property, and at first he thought they
were joking. Little by little, as he got out the
ore, he was able to make improvements. and
upon the reputation of his mine he succeeded in
perslading a Chicago firm to furnish him a
plant that runs by electricity, and Is
said to be the best in the Cripple Greek camps.
lie gave notes In payment, and within twenty
days after his machinery started was able TO
take them up with his profits. The mine is now
say, and there are millions of dollars in the ore
They call Bill stratton " the king of Battle
|