Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-03-02
I = LIT ~ >
Dead Dead J: Mans lar S. Spring.
Il N4Is5g9 "a w LA y 4. n u "a
How It Got Its Name. Z.
'0N a recent trip through what is
known as the old oil country,

III
s0N a recent trip through what is
known as the old oil country,
In aSrugged, part Of Venango county,
said John Gilbert, the travelling gro
ceryman, r.the man who drove me over
the hills was a Sr.zzled native who
seemed to be able to remember a
whole lot Of incidents of the early days
of petroleum seeking. On our way, at
a wild and rocky stretch of the road.
we came to rivulet that flowed across
It, and the native pulled up his horse
and stopped.
"'Want to get olt." said he, and
take drink out O. Dead Mans
spring?'Al NJ ", ss2 % 4. r. :; q ~ "a o. &5' q
THE question was startling, and /
didn't see any sp:!ng, but was
thirsty, and said l would be glad
to hive the drink if he would produce
the spring. / III &&s + e.
eco to the upper side O the road,
yonder. where you see this little run
come out O. that bunch O. bushes,
said he, push the bushes open, and
you'll find as proper a spring as you
ever, set your eyes on to, or put your
mug in
II, followed" directions, and true
enough, among the rocks and bordered
by q rank growth Of ferns, was a deep
spring. at least two feet in diameter,
and Of water the coolest, softest and
sweetest had ever tasted. IQuenched
my thirst and got back into the wagon.
Now said the native, see that
hummock on t'other side q the road,
'longside O. that big rock?'
"I7said ] did, for the ahummcck was
plain enough to be seen. ''~'
"'Well,' said the driver that's the
dead man that gives the spring it's
name. Coed ap, Joe!'
I'VE drove along some distance, and
the native made no further reference
to the dead man Or the spring. In
fact he seemed to have forgotten all
about them, but I was a little curl
GUS, and by and by said ..
And how did it happen?'
1.-THE driver looked at me for all the
world as If he hadn't the slightest
idea of what I meant. I pointed my
thumbsback over my shoulder, and was
about to explain,r when he exclaimed:
":Oh-h-h!- Him. ...,-
eyes, said I. And the spring.
Well, said the native, the spring
was always there, but he happened
jest sbecause crude grease is the best
thing In the world forsst nuke hai"'
grow on bald heads, and rattlesnakes
won't touch anything that's got it on
II Hooked at the native little un-
easily. but waited.
Dan Mitchell, I s'pose, was the
luclziest man that ever, struck OIL he
said. latter ahile, not cause he struck
oil SO much as it was cause he used a
big lot of it on his bald head to make
the hair grow.
"Dan had a couple O. good wells
down, yonder long the creek, but he
was prospectin'' for more. He had a
bald spot on top of his head about the
size Of a pancake, and it worried Dan
tremendous, cause he was young fell
Ter yit, and had hopes. rT
Somehow or other Dan hadn't
heard yit that crude creased start hair
to CROWN on to bald heads as sure as
a mustard plaster d start 3 blister,
and that rattlesnakes which was plen-
tier than flies round a 'lasses Jug,
drawed the. line at it, and let anything
alone that had it on
while you was putin down a
we'll, you had to kick rattlesnakes out
O your way, or carry club with you
all the time, but the minute you
struck oil and she began to squirt,
them rattlers d begin to cut sticks
away from there so fast that YOU
wouldn't be able to find one within a
mile o. your camp. Don't blame 'em
much. for crude grease don't smell
anyways nigh like pineapple
".And that's the reason, spose.
that folks hain't took to the crude
grease cure for bald heads more than
they have. They'd have to 20 into
. quarantine, s'pose, while they was
usin' 1t, anywheres outside O. the oil
camps.
"'Well, anyhow, Dan Mitchell had
that bald spot and it was maxim his
future dark, when one day I told him
about the crude grease cure and he
pitched into usin' it for certain.
cor one of his prospecting trips
Dan come along this road. It wasn't
a road then that you would run
wagons onto, and rs some one had
stole Dams, horse he was walkin'. II
was hot day in summer an Dan
had put on more than common big