Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-04-20
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THE GOLD RUSH OF 1859.
When "Pike's Peak or Bust" Was the
Cry Of $1,000 Men.


Cry Of $4,000 Men.
On May Colorado will commemo.
rate the fiftieth anniversary Of the dis.
covery of gold In the Rocky Mount
aims. At the same time occurs the an.
.niversary Of more remarkable event
the discovery Of gold that started the
great Pixies Peak stampede Of gold
seekers in 1859, when in the neighbor-
hood Of $4,000 fortune hunters cross
ed the great plains in search Of quick
fortune.
The discovery Colorado Is about to
celebrate was made by George w
Jackson in April, 1859, near the pres
ent site Of Idaho Springs, on small
stream tributary to South Clear creek
Jackson at once returned to Denver
and organized company made up OF
residents Of Denver and Chicago to
work the gold field. The concern was
called the Chicago Mining company
and the stream Chicago creek. On
May 7, 1859, the company began the
development Of the first paying depos-
its Of gold in the Rocky Mountains.
The other discovery was made by
Capt. John H. Gregory, a Georgia
miner, on May in Gregory Gulch, in
the district Of Clear Creek, not very
far from Idaho, while he was bound
overland to the Fraser River diggings
in British Columbia.
Exactly when gold was first found
in the Rocky Mountains cannot be as
certained, but there Is no doubt that
its presence was known long before the
dates given. A. Pike Vasques, who In
1886 was a trader in the employ OF
his uncle, Col. Smith, at Smiths Fort
on the Arkansas river not very far
from Denver, declared that In those
early days he bought gold dust from
ounce. Other discoveries Of gold in
the Pixies Peak district were made on
Cherry creek and the Platte river In
1858 by a party of Georgia miners
headed by w. Green Russell, who set
tied on the present site Of Denver and
named the place Auraria after a little
town In the gold fields Of Georgia near
where the United States branch mint
Of Dahlonego formerly was situated.
While reports Of the finding Of gold
had reached the frontier towns from
time to time in 1858, 1t was not until
the discovery made by Gregory in
1859 that the real gold fever broke
out. The Gregory find started the
first stampede from Denver, and the
news spread back to the states, and
then began the pixies Peak or Bust
migration, which caused once more
the great overland trails to blossom
with the life that characterized the
California stampede Of '49.
The Pixies Peak gold fields soon had
no lack Of press agents, and they
showed ability in the manner in which
they doomed the district. Just when
thousands of adventurers on foot with
handcarts and all sorts Of conveyances
were setting out for the new Eldorade
a line Of stage.eeaches was established
between Leavenworth and Denver by
the Republican river route. The frs,
return coach from the gold fields ar.
rived at Leavenworth on May Fl, 1859
bearing $4,000 worth Of gold dust. On
the side Of the coach was the legend;
1.-The Gold Mountains Of Kansas Send
Greeting to Her Commercial Metrop-
olis!"
The Pixies Peak press agents had
nothing on their contemporaries In
Leavenworth. The latter met the gold
laden coach at the outskirts OF the
city with another COACH. on which was
the sign:
"Leavenworth Hears the Echo From
Her Mineral Mountains and Sends II
on the Wings of Lightning to Listen
ing World!"
So optimistic were the newspapers
of the gold fields that they irritated
certain gold seekers, who Instead ol
realizing their expectations OF extract
ing gold by the scoopful got absolutely
nothing for their long and arduous
tramp across the great plains. The
disgruntled prospectors suggested the
lynching Of the editors whose strong
faith in the future Of the Pixies Peak
district and vivid description OF the
gold fields had drawn many on wha'
proved a wild goose chase.
These suggestions were made In
such good faith that the little shanty
which housed the Rocky Mountain
News, Denvers pioneer paper, was
turned into an arsenal. The editor had
revolvers within easy reach on the
editorial table and the compositors
stacked rifles and shotguns alongside
of the cases at which they were set
ting type.
The Rocky Mountain News was the
first paper issued in the Pixies PeaB
district, but it beat out a rival outn'
by only a few hours. The other pa
per, the Cherry Creek Pioneer, owned
by John H. Merrick, had arrived elgn'
days in advance Of the plant of the
News, but had lost time in getting un-
der headway. The printing outfit OF
the News reached Denver by prairie
schooner on April 81, 1859, about SUM-
down.
Before midnight the press was up
cases in place and type being set. The
men worked all the first night, except
for an internlission Of couple OF
hours, all the next day and at lO
o'clock on the night Of April %, twen-
ty-eight hours after the outfit had
reached its destination, the first copies
were run off in the presence Of large
crowd Of citizens.
The editor and printers Of the News
ate and slept in the one room In
which they got out the paper, and
constant lookout had to be kept fol-
attacks by desperadoes. Col. William
n. Byers, the editor, denounced the
latter, and threats flew his way furi-
ously. On one occasion several men
rode up to the office and opened fire on
1t. The Office force laid down their
pencils and sticks, took up shotguns