The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-21
Fascination of the Wichita
Mountains Is Centuries Old.
SPANIARDS FIRST FELT IT
And Ever Since People Have
Been Finding Things There.


interest in the hills which may be des-
! ignated as annual for eye- since the open
1 ing of Oklahoma, the gold story on the
/ Wichita mountains has been regularly re-
vived once a year. Ia fact the imputa-
ton of gold to these hills comprehends
! an older date than Oklahoma can claim,
| in truth is a thing centuries-old.
/ 1t is frequently asserted that settle
ment Of the country in which the Wich-
! tia mountains are situated. will solve the
| presence or absence of gold once and for
| all. That may not be true. Delegate
| Flynn is al present trying TO prevent the
releasing of the Kiowa Commanche
| lands to the cattIemen in order 10 expe-
dite the opening of this country which
| further leasing would retard. If Mr..
! Flynn is successful. his efforts viii ex-
tend along the line of throwing this coun-
! try open to settlement. as soon as posi-
BILE
Imagination has pictured a wild. hun
CRY onslaught on the Wichita mountains
on the day of that future opening. cav
alcade OF miners, expert and otherwise
covering the rocky ridges within a few
hours and within a week demonstrating
to the world that the hills are alive
with gold. That possibility is vague and
kin TO dreams. The more likely scene is
several hundred miners scattering in the
mountains and coming back at the end
of week, each with a single word in his
mouth and conviction in his brain: cap
ital!" The cry. in this case. viii be that
the sold is there and other minerals but
tains Of rock against which capital and
capital only can avail.
The western end of the Wichita noun
tains, lying in Greer county, was orig
inally responsible for the gold stories.
The mountains at that point are Of
kind to excite confidence in the presence
of mineral. In reaching them from the
West, as their discoveries, the Span
iards did, the eye IS tired with the mo-
notonous, hoor-dat prairie, and welcomes
a mountain with delight and interest.
One of the first mountains to extend a
greeting to the plain-weary east hound
wayfarer is Quartz Mountain, jagged
granite splinter which has plunged up
ward through the prairie a thousand
feet This Jagged mountain is crossed
and criss-crossed with tangled quartz
veins in a truly marvellous manner, and
the faculty of marvel finds no word 10
describe it except Cold" really, If not
dramatically the superlative of superla-
tives in all languages. II must have i'm
pressed the early Spaniards so, and this
very mountain may have been the cause
of the long ambitious trip the moony Cor
onado made on the trail of those myths
the seven golden cities of Cibola
Frank McMasters Of Oklahoma City has
gi"en in the past the most valuable and
reliable information about the Wichita
mountains and their history In his
magazine he has printed pictures of them.
descriptions of them and historical refer
enccs to them. Some Of the facts given
here are taken from his collation. on this
subject.
AIcMasters found. in his researches into
the history Of these mountains. that in
1911 the Spaniards sent expeditions east
ward from Santa Fe. These expeditions
discovered the Wichita mountains and
named them the Sierra Humans. About
1929 Father Juan de Salas with others
worked as missionaries in the vicinity
tary expedition 10 the mountains, and re-
NAMED six months returning with pearls
found thera 1t can be seen that even
this carly the discovering" habit had
attached itself to the Wichita mountains
The pearl find" was the beginning. In
the year 1865 the Lewis and Clark expe-
dition located the Sinking Springs I'm the
Wichita mountains. The year following
1906 the Sibley exploring party made a re-
port to the president Of the United States
which contained this. another hint al
finds 81 obtained the following GU
rlous story from Mr.. Brevel-who was
born In the Cadd9 towns-and wrote d.
down from his own lips: About forty
years ago I set off on foot-this VAS about
the Panis nation in company
with a party Of young Indians with
whom ] had been partly raised on a
hunting trip and TO procure horses. Al .
ter travelling several days the bills he
came more broken rising into higa
mountains among which We saw q great
deal Of rock salt and the ore which the
indians said was my CmeaGiug the white
1e7pic'sj treasures and which 7 later
learned was silver. and that among thcse
mountains OF mines vs. often heard O
noise like the explosion % a cannon ~
distant thunder. wh.ch the Tr-iians said
the spirit u the white people work
Ing i'm the mines. which 7 was afterrsrIs
informed was She blowing 90 tbe mines
as g. Is called which IS common .n au
parts o. Spanish America where mines
exist
There are evidences that the spaaLar6s
5e.Ted in these mOgnta.as and had sDe.--
ere there.
IN 1874 General I.save1wcrtb passed
7eer the mountains. bur noac ~ rs
7arty "t1un5-- anything. ID ,s1s E1-.
Van Dom established ca thr slope - t1e
wichita mountains Camp Ra5zi.1isr SKI.
Fnlch can be- fogrd Sc ga e. zFaphIex
az ''F-t Eadz5zniu Van Dorm had =
5zht wl-h The C0nmanches and ere y~i-
yate was killer ard T&eutenant FItzhuyh
Ice vas wounded
II ls5z g7id was discovered again B-e-
vet Captain GeorEe p. 1esrleaa vas ez-
1.ariaz IRE country ~ ta.s frne SIR
captain Marcy. Captain 8arcg ln h
ep-rz SAYS: Sooz sftsr Ea reached 80
i.sa prairie rldEs ppea wElca ~e travel
q today Re cane ta ssz1f - ere tEr--
tz mountains some = - - mscs ~ me
1rth The caai1 seeming q - rsae
= a series - 6stsrhe3 PEAKS ruar.-x
rom the oarchazst g re zsa-ae-eFt IS
~ as the eFe car resch Ra.zz 10 ~
hess uauaan -. gpsa tza rsxes
ralrse Isolated freu e. ssssr ssrrasa8-
aE em-1eness taer firm Tsrv ss-lk-
rs an prominent feaea-e ia ere toar
aphv - fae crE Cag-a MFey
sTs azala "r1- 1asree - "a tr~s-f