Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-04-26

there exists q better excuse
for them than the great Ameri-
can desert. It is the lure Of lost
mines that has caused a great deal of
the prospecting and exploration of the
deserts in recent years, and In one
manner or other you will find that
tradition Of lost mine IL at lbs bot
tom Of almost every important dis
covery.
The fame Of Death Valley has been
largely due to the fact that a num-
Der of glowing stories Of lost treasure
have centered about It since the ear
lier days Of the first explorers who
crossed its vast and mysterious
wastes.
There is the well authenticated
story Of the Lost Breyfogle Mine"
which is known to many old-timers.
and the golden lure of which has been
constant incentive to prospectors
for half a century. Then there IL
The Lost Gun-sight," the story Of
which has spread far and wide and
has become one OF the permanent
legends OF the western mining world.
The Lost Alvord." somewhere In
the western verges of Death Valley.
has about 1t a tang Of romance like
that Of the Spanish treasures. And
there IL still another treasure story
pertaining to the discovery of a noun
tain Of solid black sulphurets of sill
yer. somewhere in the southern
Dana r,,tnfu hv q ar, o0lir1 rar4v ~
immigrants, who made their way
through that region in 1850.
The 5reyfoeIe.
II was somewhere back In the early
sixties when all the southwest was
still an arid and sparsely settled
country. that an early pioneer Of the
desert mountains. namely James
Breyfogle. q prospector. made his way
into the Death Valley region, and with
the aid Of burro, was exploring and
prospecting the Funeral mountains,
on the eastern verge Of the great,
forlorn, desolate and mysterious val
ley Of death. But the burros then
were as burros now and inclined to
stray away. as only burros can. and
90 one day when Mr.. Breyfogle, like
many prospectors before and since.
had gone in search Of his burro. he
found himself lured on and on in the
vain effort to locate the beast or dis
tinguish It from other objects, be
penetrated a vast. far canyon in the
Funeral range. partly for purposes of
prospecting and exploration and part.
ly to determine II the burro might
be found brousing In there somewhere
or seeking the company Of other
burros
i However he found no friendly OF
familiar object Of the animate world
only the vast and sun-blackened
weatherbeaten cliffs and crags and
the gray and solemn sage and sand
and the strewn debris Of the hollows
Finally he espied lone willow tree
in q ravine. and with the instinct OF
one accustomed to the deserts he
knew that the willow was q good In
dication Of water. Upon investigation
he found that there was really q
spring beside the willow, and what
was more, that a big ledge Of heavy
dark. rusty ore traversed the ravin<
just above. Breaking on some Of the
rock he saw that II was permeated
with gold. The yellow. lustrouI
CLEAN OF the. metal everywhere In the
half-corroded ledge quickly gave the
lone prospector the conviction that hs
had discovered one OF the greatest
gold deposits ever known. He broke
from the ledge q number Of speci
mems and finally in the gathering
dusk he resumed his way over the
crags and ridges and after some houri
Of devious travel was again at hil
camp.
With q great resolve to get out Il
the settlements and thence return
with companions and equipment, tn.
lone prospector with such Thoughts
as would come to most men undel
such circumstances made his wa,
across the rugged solitudes. in tn,
direction Of civilization.
Just what befell at certain point
In this journey seems rever to hav,
been remembered by Breyfogle-
whether he was deranged by thirs
and hardships and fell and injuret
himself, OF as he believed, he was BE-
upon by Indians. When ultimatel,
reaching the settlements he wal
bruised and bewildered but still car
Red the wondrous specimens. ricl
with gold
Breyfogle made numerous returns
to the locality Of his find. but coult
never again locate the coveted spot
In prctracted efforts to End thes'
treasures he enlisted the aid q
several Of his friends who were prom
inent fror.iersmen Of those days
but all to no avail.
/ Lure Ct @Ths Lost oun-slaht."
At q time when Death Valley wat
a. little known to the prospestor a. !
stiil Is to the public there was mai