The Elk Mountain pilot., 1909-08-19
DIscovERER OF GOLD IN THE
GREAT CAMP DIES OF
PARALYSIS.
AFTER LONG ILLNESS
MOVEMENT TO BUILD MONUMENT
TO PIONEER RANcHMAN
AND PRosPEcToR.

Colorado. Springs.-Robert NJ. Wo
mack. known all over the Pixies Peak
region as Bob" Womack. the Faith
er OF Cripple Creek" died here Tues
day. a penniless paralytic. after hay
ing been bedridden for more than sil
years. dependent on his brothers and
sisters. although the great mining
camp which he discovered has yield
ed upward OF $3.50. 100000 to others
who profited by his find. He was six
ty-six years old.
He died At the residence of his
father. 8. r. Womack, who is ninety
years old. while the mother is eighty
eight. He is also survived by two
brothers and a sister. all OF this city.
His favorite niece. Dorsey Womack,
died suddenly about two weeks ago.
Even at this early date there is talk
among the mining men Of Colorado
springs and the Cripple Creek district
Of erecting a permanent monument to
the memory OF the founder OF the
great gold camp. When Womack's
dire straits became known. in Janu-
ary. 1908. a public subscription was
started and several hundred dollars
was collected for him. The old pros
pector had lived with his sister and
brothers during his illness. Although
his body WAS 4 physical wreck. the
man who first discovered gold in the
district lay in bed. his mind active.
planning to start out anew II he ever
recovered. Always looking ahead. al
ways optimistic. Bob" Womack still
dreamed of more camps to found. more
gold to unearth to the world.
Born in Lexington county. Ken
tucky. the son Of q typical southern
farmer, Womack lived the life of a
country boy until he was eighteen years
old. Then his father. seized with the
spirit and advice OF Horace Greeley.
decided to come where he could grow
up with the country. The womack
family travelled across the country by
wagon until they crossed the Colorado
border. The first settlement was
made on a ranch near Fountain. Here
the family lived until 1876, when Bob"
and his father bought the land. with
a herd OF cattle. which is now Cripple
Creek. Here the two men lived for
several years. content with making q
fair living.
In the late eighties Womack's IA
ther mortgaged the ranch and lost It..
Bob" womack studied carefully for
more than a year the formation OF the
rock near the cattle ranch on which
he lived, also the formation of the rock
in mines where some gold had been
found. He decided that there was
gold to be found where he lived. He
came to Colorado Springs and bought
a miners outfit. He sunk a shaft,
taking out specimens of the rock he
found All his movements were
guarded. he preferring to keep secret
the location OF his shaft. With his
specimens in small bottles. he spent
a few days at Cassaday's saloon.
where Ivywild now is. Miners and
ranchmen from neighboring places
all looked at Womack's find, but all
secuted the idea that there was such
gold to be found in Colorado. Many
even limited that the ore had been
'salted." But Womack remained con-
fident
After long and discouraging efforts
he finally succeeded in interesting DR..
John p. Grannis. who now has offices
in the Ell Paso building. DR.. Grannis
gave him some money to fit up cab.
in and purchase tools. A few weeks
later Womack came to the city again
with more specimens. DR.. Grannis
had them assayed and found that the
ore was running about $1,000 per ton.
He began to take stock in Womack's S
find and decided to go to the mine
with him.
In the fall of 1890. DR.. Grannis took
with him an assayer named Lamb. and
together with Womack they went to
the first shaft that had been opened
in Cripple Creek. Then they filed a
claim on the land and organized the
Lo Cain Mining Company, the first
company in Cripple Creek. The three
men took ore out of the mine for a
short time and then sold it. Wom
ack also located the Gold King mine
which he disposed of, and which later
turned out to be bonanza.
BY this time the find of Womack
had been heralded throughout the
state and in 1891 thousands of pros
pectors rushed into the new gold
camp.
In 1S9O-91 Womack had thirty OF
forty claims and to needy friends he
gave the Abe Lincoln. C. o. D.. Rebec
ca. Lone Star. Kittie NJ, and Ophir
properties on Bull Hill and Battle
Mountain.