The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-11-28
D|sCOVERER OF CREEDE
AND HIS PATHETIC END
FAMOUS COLORADO CAMP AND
NOTORIOUS CHARACTERS
ATTRACTED THERE,

hills of our mountain states has not
been unearthed without a cores
ponding wealth of adventure and Of
tentimes romance of a rude sort. The
famous old gold, silver and copper
producers of the west were not dis
covered by plodders, content wi Ii.
tie and happy wi mair," but by in
domitable spirits who became OBJ
sessed by visions of wealth and rest
ed not nor thought nay hardship too
great until they found it, says the
Denver Mining Record.
Just as the name of H. A. Tabor
will always be associated with the
early days of Leadville and the build
ing of Denver, and that of Winfield
Scott Stratton with Cripple Creek and
his work and benefactions at Colorado
Springs, so the name of Nicholas C.
Creole will live as long as does the
mining town in southwestern Colo
RADIO bearing his name, and which he
made famous throughout the length
and breadth of the land in the early
90s.
Creole, which is in the old King
Solomon" mining district, is about Is
years younger than Leadville, and
slightly the senior of Cripple Creek
It's discoverer was a native of Fort
Wayne, Ind, and about 40 years of
age at the time he found the lend of
the rainbow" he had followed so long,
at Creole. He was possessed of a
rowing disposition, and at 10 became
scout in the regular army, serving
for seven years in the Indian coun-
try. When youth has seven years of
that kind of life he is not usually in
clined to return to the shelter of the
family rooftree in the east, and
Nicholas c. 3Creede was no exception
Upon leaving the army he started
prospecting, and for several years
tramped over the mountains of Colo
RADIO whenever the weather would
permit picking and blasting the rocks,
sometimes feeling his determination
wavering, but never entirely losing
hope of one day making the long
dreamed of rich strike. Twice, when
alone in the high attitudes, he was a
victim of mountain fever, but owing
to his strong constitution he was able
to overcome it without the aid of a
physician. The only fever that he
could not throw off was the prospect
or's gold fever"
Story of Discovery.
The great day Of vision turned to
reality for Mr. Creole in May, 1890, |
and is best described in his own Ian
guage to an interviewer about two
years later.
81 climbed the mountains along the
trail of the float all day. The sun was
beating down on me and the CLINT of
the float under my feet was binding.
Just when the western sky was ting
ed with that gorgeous red we see here
sometimes, lifted my eyes and there
was, projecting out in front of me, a
huge boulder of silicate-big as a
house. Good God! l almost scream
ed with delight. ] knew it was bound
to come some day, but the idea of
finding it in such shape was appall-
ing to me- | staked off a mine and
called it the Mammoth. ! slept sound
er that night than I had for years be-
fore In June l discovered the Ethel
and the Holy Moses. l gave the lat
ter that name because I like odd
names"
Mr.. Creole had mine, but like
most prospectors, his available cash
was limited. In those days a Colo
radoan who had mine to develop or
wanted to build a railroad or carry
out some other great scheme that re-
CURED money and courage usually
thought first of David III. Moffatt OF
Denver as a possible hacker, and this
was so in the case of Mr.. Creole.
After due investigation the Holy
Moses Mining company was formed
by Mr.. Moffatt, Sylvester T. Smith,
general manager of the Rio Grande
railroad, and Capt. L. E. Campbell
then United States quartermaster at
Fort Logan. Captain Campbell, VINO
has since become colonel, built one
of the first permanent structures-a
log cabin, which formed the nucleus
of the settlement at Creede. lie Is
still faithful to the state that gave
him wealth and contentment, occupy
ing beautiful home in Denver ana
energetically doing his part for MS
country.
The Creole camp stood near the
junction, at Hinsdale, Saguache ana
Rio Grande counties, and for some
time there seemed to be reasonable
doubt as to which of the three coun-
ties various claims were located In;
therefore, while in a physical sense
safety first" was not the slogan OF
the adventurous miners, in imam
cal sense it was and many OF them
filed their locations with the county
clerk of each county, in order to make
their title absolutely clear. The couh'
ty clerk Of Rio Grande felt sure tha'
Creole was not within his bailiwick
and posted notice to that effect or
ILL., afrI