The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-12
IN WICHITA
MOUNTAINS
Belief Expressed That They
Contain Priceless Metals.
SOME OLD AUTHORITIES
Are on Record in Notification
Of the SuppoSitiOnD
SOME OLD AUTHORITIES

J. Ware Butterfeld. well known Kan
san who has visited Oklahoma. writes o
the Wichita mountains af follows:
1 Seventeen miles northeast Of Lawton, o
T., is the eastern end of the Wichita
mountains-Mount Scott on the right anC
Signal mountain on the left as you &c
north from IT. Sill. These mountain:
/ have an elevation of about / 900 feet abov,
the surrounding country, which is about
100 feet above sea level. Many COO
/ springs break forth from the sides of the
mountains and soon make rivulets and
streams that flow down through the tim
Der which skirts the foothills and empty
into the Cache and other creeks which
drain this part CT COma1che county, ard
later deliver their wa-ers ito Rcd river.
These mountains seem to be the result
Of volcanic eruptions. They are nothing
but rock, or. rather, broken rocks, which
have the appearance of being thrown up
or out and turned over or half turned
ever by the force that threw them out.
This is sufficient as to the mountains as
they show up today-but they have been
Travelled over and explored by many men
Of many races. The Spaniard, the French
the Indian. the Mexican, the English and
the American have all had a hand and
a foot in these explorations, which have
been going on since the year 1722
Every expedition into these lands Of
the new country has reported that
there was mineral in these mountains,
both gold, silver, copper. etc.-even down
to one authorized by the United States
government and led by Captain George
in-chief of the United States army.
In history Of the province of Louisi-
ana, translated from the French by NJ.
LePage Du Pratt and printed in London
in 1763, is a general description of what
is now Kansas(C anzas) and Oklahoma,
and the red river country and New Mex
leo. Some portions of the work were
taken from authentic official reports made
by commanding officers of both French
years previous, or in 1924 and later. 1t is
very interesting reading and one can draw
the line in his own Imagination as to
what spot is referred to. The writer de-
scribes the Canzas river and the Canzas
Indians; alsi the .'Paducas. an Indian
tribe Of large number whose territory ex-
tends from that of the Canzas two hum
dred leagues, even to the Spaniards in
whose mines they worked
N. De Bourgmant, a Frenchman, was
in all probability the first white man to
lead an expedition of his countrymen into
Kansas, and the Red river country. on
his most northerly expedition he went
about 300 miles into Kansas, from the
Missouri river, land took boats on the
2nd of November, 1724. at the mouth of
the tKaw) Canzas for his voyage back
to Fort Orleans. and arr ihtdevere TIT
TO Fort Orleans. and arrived there on
November 8. 1874" Cribs fort was probab-
ly at St Louis. and he met the Canzas
Indians at Kansas City)
The following extracts from this book
show the explorers opinion as TO the
Of gold and silver in this coun-
try which was then part Of the pro-
vince of Louisiana.
Before we quit this subject I shall
conclude this account by answering a
question which has been opten proposed
to me. Are there any mines. say they.
Ia this province? There are, without