Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-04-20


while the cattle were wither-
A Il ing away ON the plains and
the long trail from the south was fill
ing with grass, n most notable settle
ment had been forming like some new
kind of parasitic growth on the west
ward shoulder of old Mogalyon, the
mighty peak to the west.
In the midst Of the mountains, in
the lap of two smooth, grassy domes,
old Philip lie Beau established a COW
camp in the early seventies and called
if Belle Marie, after his wife. This,
however. proved to be too fanciful for
his cowboy neighbors, who promptly
called it lie Beau's Hole" and in the
end il was known among cattlemen as
Bozle Creek.
Inst west of LIE Beaus camp, and
sentinel to the valley OF the Loup, stood
a symmetrical peak which some mis-
sionary to the red people had called
Mount Horeb. About the year 1870
some persons not missionaries planted
gold in the soil in convenient places at
the base of this hill and raised a
mighty shout over the discovery Of a
new Ell Dorado. A rush took place, and
TO the outside world the region became
known as 1.-The Mount HOreb mining
district and was alluded to with deep
seated resentment, with curses.
But there were miners whom neither
tile dogmatic opinions of biologists nor
the tricks of schemers could turn aside
from a faith that somewhere ON the
mighty slopes of Mogalyon lay veins OF
gold. and these continued to chip and to
dig and to hammer.
Valley Springs was becoming known
as pleasant health resort, and the wa
tiers Of it's springs were being bottled
and shipped to the eastern cities. Each
year a larger number of stricken ones
came to find respite, If not recovery, IN
it's gloriously bright sunlight and pure
air. For years it remained village
and its business men merely shopkeep-
ers and resident ranch owners, but as
its fame spread families Of wealth and
social position in the east began to set
tie along the bank Of the Bear and to
build homes into which the sunlight
streamed with healing magic, and the
men of these families began to look
about for business and for investment
and not a few of them were in the
mood to listen when rough bearded
men began to plod down the trail from
BoZIe Creek bringing sacks Of prOmis
ing ore.
Returns from these samples, sent
away to be assayed, started fight OF
golden eagles east and west. Again the
adventurous youth, the skilled pros
pector, the gambler and all the uneasy
and shifting clements that follow suct
lures poured into the valley and toilec
over the trail to the grassy hills OF
B0Zle.
At first, though short Of breath by
reason of the altitude, two full miles
above the sea, some Of these incomers
laughed and some were angry. "GOld
In these grassy hills? Impossible" Ant
they went away again with bitter
words 1t was Mount Horeb repeated
on large scale.
But the asSayers, the men of learn
ing, persisted and in their little NOR
tars brayed the ore and in tiny porta
bic furnaces smelted for many a stur
dy miner minute buttons of shining
metal. The gold was there, and a
last even the most skeptical believed.
Then the inflow began in earnest
The trail was beaten smooth b!
swarming feet. 1t became a stag
road A great railroad sent survey
ors toling up each of the deep ant
winding canyons in the attempt t.
reach the mighty camp whose FAM
was beginning to shine Throughout
the world. The beautiful grassy hill
were blotched with cruptions OF rex
earth. Paths appeared leading from
burrow to burrow like runways In
town of prairie dogs.
The main street Of BOzle was 1O,OU
feet above the sea, but ut last, on TN
ton of Pine mountain, vein OF or
running $4,000 to the ton was discoV
cred, and another town arose-full IL,
900 feet above sea level-the highes
town in all America, and this becam
at once celebrated above all other
and was called Skytown.
In the end SkytOwn dominated tn
} whole camp and gave name to 1t. BE
gle. Grass Mountain, Pin Gulch, Hon
man. all were subordinate In fame q
they were geographically, and tn
press alluded to the region as the Sky
town mining district.
In those days the barroom OF IN
Mountain House in BOzle was the ceI
trail stock exchange of the whole CAM
1t swarmed of an evening with bus
ness men from Denver, Kansas CITY
Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francis
co and New York. Every great news
paper had its representative there
alert and indefatisable, seeking tn
latest word of strikes and sales.
At the time when Raymond entere
1t Skytown was the busiest, most vita
and in some WAYS &c most pictul
esque mining district in the world.
was at its height as poor man
camp. New territory was being opel
ed I'D each day. Each evening brougt
stories Of strikes-scores of them.
The streets of BOzle were graceles