The sun., 1905-07-25
DrsCovERY or HoMEsrAxEMINE.
How the Fem eus Biaek Hills Gold hearing
Lode was Found.
From ne Denrer Republican.


Tho death OF Moses Manuel. 'discovcror
OF one Of the greatest gold mines In the world.
the famous Homestsko Of tho Black Hills.
brings 10 the minds OF old timers many stories
OF him and OF his famous discovery 1t Is
noticeable that. as he had worked for tho
greater part Of his life In the mines. as no
had made his money and his living In them.
bis death should have come to him there.
In the bottom OF deep shaft In the MIN
nesota mine, some fifteen miles from Hell
sna. Mon, Nose Manuel. as many poor
miner before him had done. encountered
the escaping gas from tho gasoline tanks.
sst II of, as 1t were by the light OF his candle.
and died In tho resulting explosion.
With Manuels death passes away one of
tho most typical OF the old time miners and
prospectors OF the West. When. In the his
torio spring Of 1879. Nose Manuel and his
brother Fred found some rich float. near
where tho town Of Lead. g. D.. Is now located.
they little dreamed that they were about
TO bring to light tho greatest gold bearing
lode then known to the world. But the snow
was still on tho ground. and. search as they
mi Ieht. they could not follow the track Of the
float After while the snow melted and
Nose wanted TO start out again and look for
the lode, but his partners scoffed at him aud
did not think 1t amounted to anything But
Nose persisted, and when at last he found
the rich ore on the side hill he turned to his
partner and said: Hank. this Is surely "a
homestake."
This term was then In common USE and
meant enough money to take fellow where
they all wanted to go. back to the States"
And 90 they called 1t the Homestake.
The Manuel boys and their partner. Henry
Harney, worked the property for year
before they sold 1t to the late Senator George
Hearst.
Nose Manuel went to Minnesota. when
he was q mere lad, In the frontier days. He
WAS q frontersman in every sense OF the
word. His earliest recollectons were of
fleeing from the Indians back in the sos.
later of fighting them. of hunting deer and
buffalo, OF running from the attacks of an in
furiated herd Of buffalo, and escaping only by
Jumping down q steep bank.
As Minnesota advanced 1t grew too tame
for him, and the spirit Of the West called
him further, even to the mountains Of Mon
tana. There he mined and hunted deer, bear
and elk. He knew all the hardships of the
pioneer, and he knew all the delights of his
life. He knew what 1t was to go hungry,
to be cold and to be poor. and because he knew
and remembered all these things no one in 4
condition ever appealed to him in vain
Ono Of Manuel's big discoveries was made
In romantic way. 1t was in IA when he fol-
lowed the first Alaskan excitement. They
went to Fort Wrangel on steamer, and from
there took Indian canoes to the interior. At
one Of their camping places their attention
was attra cted by a pretty sauaw married to a
Frenchman. In her quiet way she wanted to
befriend the white men. and finding that they,
too. were after the precious metal she told
then where to look.
Il was fishing on that river one day. she
said in her broken English "and lost my
slnksr. looked for a stone to make new
tftyx-
Afterward. when we came back. men showed
me what they called gold. and it was like my
yellow sinker. know where l found ii;
you 60 there. 1t Is there"
They followed her directions and found
q placer rich In gold.