The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-09-28
WEALTH AWAITS him.
Romance of the Founding of
Galena, Kansas.
HyXI ANTED, at Galena. Kan. an old

IA
wv man, a college professor, name
unknown, home unknown, missing %
years, discoverer of the richest zinc
anu lead mines in the world, heir to a
vast fortune" This is the strange
want ad" of certain wealthy pioneer
mine owners of the Missouri-Kansas
lead and zinc mining district; it is. in
brief, the story of man, "A stranger,
who % years ago came into southeast
ern Kansas and through a profound
knowledge of geology and mineralogy
divulged natures hieroglyphics in rock
and soil, ''staked off" the most fertile
lead and zinc field yet discovered, desig-
mated the exact spots where lay hidden
vast vaults of mineral wealth, revealed
his secrets to one man-and then de-
parted.
During the years that have posseG
since that stranger" stood where the
little city of Galena. Kan, has since
been built over $780, 900 worth of
lead and zinc ore has been added to the
worlds mineral wealth as a result OF
his visit to Kansas. He paved the way
He caused an uninhabitcd country to
become the home of thousands of pros
porous people, but their prosperity he
never shared-he disappeared and left
no sign"
The story of the stranger is both al
Turing and pathetic, and yet it is so
faithful to facts that the Historical
Society of Kansas has filed it among the
important records of the state.
Col. W. II. Stone, the oldest pioneer
of Galena, and Que of the widest known
and most successful lead and zinc mine
operators in the United States, is the
man to whom the ''discoverer of Ga
lena" told his geological secrets.
Col. Stone relates the following
strange story of the discovery of the
Kansas leadeand zine fields-tields that
during the last six months have become
the mecca of zinc miners in every part
of the world:
''In April. 1877, l, in company with
several marshals and deputy marshals,
came from ST. Louis to southeastern
Kansas in pursuit of cattle thieves who
had for some time been stealing cattle
belonging to the man for whom l
worked at Kansas City. During this
trip our little party camped for several
days on the very ground where Galena
mas since been butt. There was then
not single house for more than a mile
in any direction from our camp. Jop-
lin, Mo, seven miles to the east, was
the nearest town. 1t was then thriv-
ing little lead camp, but as yet no zinc
had been mined there.
''One day two outlaws were discov-
cred at Joplin, and the citizens of that
place Immediately gave them an urgent
invitation to quit camp This invita-
tion was accepted without ceremony,
the outlaws turning their faces toward
the west. They passed directly over the
present site of Galena, and beyond it a
short distance they made a discovery
of surface lead ore. Reports of this
discovery soon became noised about
Joplin and people fiocked to the new
find in hundreds. Our camp was with
in sight of the main congregating place
of the men as they daily came over from
the Missouri camp to prospect.
1.-The excitement continually in.
creased. until thousand men, more
rather than less, assembled each day on
the slope below our camp. L myself
became. imbued with the spirit of
things, and while the marshals were
away in pursuit of the cattle thieves
1 would often join the throng of for
tune hunters. 1t was during my Sec
ond trip down the slope that | first saw
the man who has figured SO much in
my destiny, as well as in the destinies
of hundreds and thousands of others
interested in the Kansas lead and zinc
fields.
"Our meeting happened in this way:
! was sauntering along among the
miners, giving little heed TO anything
in particular and noting things only