The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-30
BdF a Century Hgo.


solid gold would l do it. If 1 can get
through to California alive with my
little family and such things as we
must have it will be all that l can
do. I've got to leave the bulk of
my belongings here on the road,
because with a cut-down wagon l can't
carry them. All the silver in the world
would not help me in my present pre-
dicament.'
Finding all OPPORTUNITIES of no avail.
they threw the largest piece-the one
Hardin himself had been carrying
down by the roadside. The remainder
was then divided among the three and
thew started for Mud Meadows, where
they arrived long after dark. There
thew showed their marvellous find.
and the stir the shining stuff made, as
il was passed from hand to hand, was
excuse for the wild rejoicing of the 200
emigrants. which was kept up by the
camp fire all that night. For Hardin
declared that there was enough in
sight to load all fourteen of jhe wa
CONS of the train; and that-properly
equipped for its tranSpOrtatiOn-they
would return so soon as il was prac-
ticable 20 do so.
The following morning they left Mud
Meadows to resume their journey.
Whether by accident or not is not
known, but some pieces of the silver
were left where they were camped, and
/ were afterward found By others. The
emigrantS at last reached California,
and the story of Hardin's find spread
! throughout the state as they repeated
/ the tale. The three men kept the secret
of the locality of the deposit however,
intending all the time to return to the
place as soon as it should be safe to do
so. Many things besides the growing
/ deDredatiOnS of the Indians deferred
/ them.
/ 1t NAV be mentioned here that Steve
/ Bass and his brother were among those
/ of the party who often referred to the
silver that Hardin had found near Mud
Meadows. On the westward trip Har-
din cut from some of the larger pieces
/ fine bits of the metal-cut them with an
! ordinary pocket knife-and. making a
/ hollow in the side of an ak handle Git
( being of hard wood and not burning
I easily) laid the fine bits therein. and.
] covering them with red Goals from the
fire and continuously blowing upon
them was able to melt them into a
button. which for many years he car
ried in his pocket. Later a collector
] of minerals and curiosities, seeing it,
became possessed of the desire to own
it. and so bought it of Hardin. 1t was
taken TO England. where probably ii
lies TODAY on the shelf of some cab
met.
Hardin settled in Petaluma, where he
opened a wagon shop. doing black
smithing and such work Men congre-
gated there TO swap mining stories, and
one dav when someone began talking
to Hardin about his discovery away
back on the plains neWcomer-One A
B. Jennison, who had just come II
from Rogue river to settle in the val
ley-eXclaimed:
WHY I've heard that story told by
another man-One of the three who
found it. I knew him well.
And he reDeated Hardin's descrip-
ton of the finding of the silver in hi!
telling of it as he had heard II from
the one who had been with Hardin
In 1859 doctor came TO Honey Lake
and took up his home in the lower enc
of the valley He was a silent, uncOm
municative sort Of man, and had. ~
confidants. In those trOublous time:
there were many desperate character:
about that locality. If anyone knew
aught concerning any valuable posses
I SionWhether something material or on
" a secret knowledge of things-IneI
were careful in whom they reposed con
/ fidence. He had no doubt of some time
being able to trace his way back to {
place on the plains where he had once
seen something of whose value h
learned later. But of this for years h
said nothing to any man. In was II
1852 when crossing the desert near MUD
Meadows. just after Hardin's party haC
passed through, he found lying by lit tn
large piece of silver that the emigran
, had refused to carry for him-the lone
emigrant whom Hardin had left cutting
down his wagon. At the time the doc
tor found il he failed to recognize it!
value, and so left it there. But man!
months after he came to know that i
was pure silver he had held in hi
hands. Who took it away from TIT
place is not known-probably some on,
who knew as little of its value as die
, the doctor himself. Perhaps some on
Who did not know what it was anC
sea-Ched for the ledge from whence i
came, as so many have done since.
Tn doctor was continually planning
the return trip to the place where h
had seen it. and the very month set 70
his start found him in-sO i'll that h.
realized that recovery was impossible
| Calling two men to him, Tommy Har
vey and George LathrOp, he conide'
to them all he knew of it and the 10
cality where they could find it. He de
scribed to the minutest particular tn
spot where it lay. IF l could only 3,
only go myself-if it had only been SAT
{ for a man to go there alone since
saw it, l know l could go directly TO it.
Others, too, coming across the plain
after Hardin made his discovery, foun,
evidences of the truth of his state
ments as to having had Jumps of pur
silver in his possession, taken from
the mountain he averred it was to b
: found in such immense deposits. Par
ties crossing in 1852 had camped at tn
spot where he and his party had camp
ed the night of the discovery-there a
Mud MeadOws-and found some of tn
smaller bits of silver that had beel
: accidentally dropped. Gathering u
{ what they could find, though but
| small amount, they took it to Shast
to a jeweler named Levin who CAV
| them the metals weight in Mexican
( dollars in exchange. Many a mont
IT was to be seen in his show window
was seen by such men as L. D. Vary
: Governor ROOp and others residing i
/ Shasta, who were attracted to it b
5 its romantic history. Finally the stor
] was destroyed by fire and the bits @
Hardin silver in the show WindOl
5 were melted into d solid mass that wa
3 recovered from the ruins.
? Hardin dreaded-as who did nOt?-
the hardships and dangers of tri
, into that country; dreaded to under
take again. in spite of the promise c
such unbounded wealth, the backwar
I journey. People who crossed tn
Mains N old 1a1rc