The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1914-04-02
DAWSON.

strengthening slowly into silvery
streaks and quickly yielding across a
broad expanse to roseate glow; II
is the herald of day. Suddenly up
from earth springs the sun. its glad
some light fulfilling the promise of an
hour before. All TO soon it stretches
"a its fullest height and in seeming
haste speeds to its western resting
place.
Thus in commonplace simile is told
the story OF Dawson-the Ephemeral
City. out of the darkening gray of OBJ
scurity 1t sprang when copper was
discovered in the breast of the Green
horns. It's roseate glow lay in hope.
the hope that filled the breast of the
discoverers. And suddenly (but more
unexpectedly)as the rising of the sun.
That hope was solidly founded for the
elusive -gold-revealed its hid
ing place. II was then that Dawson
was conceived. speeded to the zenith
OF it's glory and quickly fell. limp and
exhausted. into obscurity.
In the brief twilight of a December
Saturday afternoon in 1895 a roughly
clad. weather-beaten party of pros
fectors We're busily making the me-
tallic rasp of their picks whisper
through the reaches OF a gulch five
miles from Canon City in a frantic
effort to finish the excavation for a
cabin which they intended to build
before night enshrouded them. The
next day was Sunday and the men
wanted to spend It at their homes on
Lincoln Park.
One OF them. while taking a short
respite from his arduous labors. out of
curiosity beat upon peculiar looking
rock which lay at shis feet. A large
chunk fell asunder and revealed a
gllttering substance that was respon-
sive to te shallow light of the setting
sun. Eagerly picking up the rock the
man found his fondest hopes realized.
for II was gold-free gold-that he
held in his hand.
Shouting in his excitment the good
news to his partners the man made 4
hasty survey OF the rock from which
he had broken the piece. His excite
ment was caught up by the others
and darkness came too quickly.
The man who broke off that small
rock was Bon X. Dawson. The men
who were with him were Captain ].
b. Hannum. r. |. Dawson, |. F. Daw-
son and ID. w. Bonewitz. Twelve
months before in January they had
started the shaft of the Copper King,
which was situated about fifty yards
up the mountain side from where the
cabin was to be built and from where
the gold was discovered. They had
done well with their mine. having
found fair values in copper. with in
dications of gold and better values 4
little farther on. The claim had been
worked years before. but nothing had
resulted until these men had taken
hold of the proposition.
but now hIl thoughts of copper
vanished from the minds OF the ex-
cited men. They came to town on
that Saturday night, but II was not
ir the hope OF rest on the following
day. 1t was only to prepare them
selves to further investigate their
rich find.
The matter Of the discovery was
guarded closely and only a few let
into the secret. f. Ford Jewett was
enc OF those apprised OF the rich find
and he was one OF the party that
vent TO the scene before the dawn OF
the next day.
All the men laid out claims cover
ing large amount Of territory about
the rich ore shoot and every rock
that bore even the least Indication OF
carrying gold WAS sacked ready for