The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-06

mine, worked by greasers many years
ago
The Herald was the first to make
mention of the finding of this alleged
old producer, and since then com
pany OF Salt Lakers has been formed
for the purpose Of cleaning out its old
workings, and to operate 1t IN thor
ough manner, samples of quartz
brought down from the property carry
ing excellent values in the yellow
metal, and. while the story of the dis
covery has provoked much ridicule and
scoffng in certain quarters, the discov-
erers of the property, William Bird
and son, have been strong IN the con-
Viction that they had uncovered one OF
the richest gold mines ever found in
this western country, while the new
company has been equally as sanguine
as to what would eventually come of
the enterprise, the want of faith IN
others never phasing their decision TO
prove beyond question just what was
TO be found in these old workings,
which, undoubtedly. were made to
large extent by human hands.
While it has long been rumored that
old and abandoned mines existed in
Summit county, 1t was hard to verify
the fact by old-timers in this country,
the memory of the Oldest inhabitant
falling to go as far back as the period
in which they were supposed and be-
lieVed to have been worked, and for
this reason mining men have been
somewhat skeptical as to the actual eS-
istence of these old Wealth-Droducers
There is one Utah resident, however.
who is cognizant of the fact Of the eX-
istence of these mines, the gentleman
in question being General William ID.
Kimball of Park City, who has lived in
Utah since 1850 and 1851, and who, at
marshal of the then territory of
Utah.
General Kimball was a Salt Lake Wis
itor yesterday, and to a representative
of The Herald made the following
statement regarding an old Spanish
mine, now believed to be the Lost
Josephene, and the general says that
he is ready to make sworn affidavit TO
the truth of his statements, which. in
his own language, reads as follows:
In the year 1912 there were four
companies of Spaniards who came UP
into this country for the purpose of
prospecting. and mining. They called
the river they We're on the Tempe No
gas, but this is now known as the
Provo river. These men had two mines,
which We're located between the Provo
and Weber rivers. One of these they
worked out, and the white people who
first discovered Kamas valley, or what
was called Rhodes valley in the early
days, found this exhausted producer,
which was situated on the west side
of the valley, about half way between
the Provo and Weber rivers, and when
discovered tools of ancient make were
found in its old workings.
THE other mine, and the one from
which the SpaniardS took the most
gold, was across the valley on the east
side and was situated on the ridge
1lnr of hor &c =
Peak. between the Provo river and the
Weber The Weber was not named at
that time, but man could stand on
the ridge between the tunnel and shaft
of what is now called the Josephene
mine, and see the Tempe Nogas river,
now the Provo, and also the unknown
river. now known as the Weber.
THE Spaniards," Mr.. KimbaH went
on to say, left the mines when they
had secured all the gold they wanted,
heading for Mexico, through the terri
tory occupied by the NaYajoe Indians.
The Indians were hostile, and massa-
cred the entire company, with the ex-
ceDtion of their captain, who managed
TO make his escape. The Spaniard who
escaped was named San Jose Pueblo.
Pueblo made his way to Mexico, where
the Utah mines were recorded at Santa
Fe and, after remaining there for some
time, made up party for the purpose
Of returning here to reopen and work
these gold mines, but. upon his arrival,
finding the Mormon people here, he
concluded to abandon his project, in
stead of which he went into the bust
ness of buying young Indians for the
Mexico slave trade. The United States
government. hearing of this, ordered
me, then deputy United States mar
shall to arrest the SDaniards, which
was done IN the fall of 1851, and [ had
my charge for A period of seven weeks,
who were charged with buying Indians
for the purpose of taking them to
Mexico to sell as slaves. The only one
of the prisoners who could talk English
was San Jose Pueblo, and 1 spent con-
siderable time in his company, gaining
his confidence, and he told me a great
deal regarding his gold mine above
Kamas, and all about the one which
had been worked out. The theory had
been that the Spaniards closed and
sealed their mines to hide them, but
San Jose Pueblo stated that their laws
obliged them to conceal their good
mines whenever they left them for any
length of time. He also said that if
this mine (the Joseohene) was ever
found, the finders would fine in its
old workings q lot of tools, powder, etc.
which had been used in the
working of the mine. He also
said that this mine was a natural cave
when first found, and that it was very
rich in gold in the bottom and that the
property had been worked by them
quite extensively, several cuts having
DeenA run from the cave, in which large
bodies Of gold ore had been uncovered
on every hand, the workings extending
into the mountain until a depth of 600
or zoo feet below the surface had been
attained. Pueblo also stated that an in
fr@E ra111 4
direction, and that finding that this in
elise headed for an old shaft on the
property, the workings were extended
until air connections were made. San
Jose Pueblo also told me that he came
to this country To mine with his father
when he was a little boy, but when |
first saw him he was man of at least
so years. which goes TO show that the
mines above Kamas had been worked
for many years prior to the advent of
the white man into this country
In further talk regarding incidents
connected with what is now called the
Josephsne mine, General Kimball
stated that when he arrested the eight
Spr niaTds they had in their possession
one squaw With eight pappooses.
Pueblo also gave General KlmbaIl three
gold nuggets, valued at $50, $40 and s..
respectively, which he claimed came
from the Josephene mine, and in the
same year, 1851, Mr.. Kimball was given
another nugget from this mine from
which a $50 gold piece was coined in
Deseret money, The piece being coined
in the John Hays mint. the coin after
wards being gRsen Shy Mr.. Kimban to
his father.
The trail from the mine to Santa Fe
was down the Arkansas river.
CENTENNIAL-EUREKA "DIvvY.n
viii Make q Distribution of Wealth