Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-20
ANCIENT RACE
TRACES FOUND
IN WYOMING
Spanish Diggings" Mystery
Led to Discovery Of Humans
Who Lived Previous to
Indian Times.

lew York.-Who can solve the
mystery of the Spanish Diggings:"
so called, the strange settlement of
aborigines which existed ages ago
and which are located three miles
west and eight miles south of this
city. Some unknown race which an
tedated the American Indian, posi-
bly, coming from Mexico or South
America, and which occupied the
."Diggings" long before the discov-
cry of America by Columbus in all
probability, was apparently blotted
out OF existence almost in the twink
ling of an eye by some strange cata-
clysm OF nature, and disappeared,
leaving behind evidences of their o.
cupation, which are of intense inter-
est to archaeologists.
A few years ago researches were
inaugurated by c. w. Robinson Of
Bloomington, ILL.,, but these weie
interrupted by the war and nothing
OF importance has been done in this
direction since. This year, how
ever, Mr.. Robinson plans a more
complete and thorough investiga-
ton and some interesting and val
liable information from a scientific
and archaeological standpoint may
develop. Credit for discovering the
Spanish Diggings" belongs to A. A.
Spaugh. now banker of Manville,
!, Wyo, In 1879 he was working his
way across the country from the
= Laramie Plains to the head of Old
/. Woman creek, driving herd of cat
tie to what is now known as the 20.
: W. ranch,
Finds Weapons and Tools.
= After crossing the' moutains east
OF Laramie peak and fording the
Platte river, the party missed sew
eral horses, which strayed away
; during the night. In searching for
the missing equines, Spaugh ran
i. across the quarries and rows of
tepee circles and collected number
OF specimens of the jasper and agate
weapons and tools which were
{ strewn in profusion over the entire
= tract OF perhaps a thousand acres.
= The announcement of the discov-
cry did not attract much attention
at the time, and as the years passed
and the country was hampered by
lack of railway facilities and pass
! able roads, the "Diggings" re.
manned comparatively unknown.
The location, requiring detour of
s. miles off the main highway be-
tween Cheyenne and Yellowstone
park, was also factor in keeping
these antediluvian riches obscure
: and little known.
Nature Has Been Lavish.
= Nature has been lavish in its dis
= pehsation of scenery throughout
:. Niobrara county in southeastern
Wyoming and tourists will be awed
by the striking views. The old
town Of Hartville lies at the head
of Whalen canyon end is an histor-
ic mining camp, having changed
but little in appearance in a half
century, The original Oregon trail
: passed near there and pioneers
who ventured west in prairie
ichooners in the early days, made
. what is now known as Cold Springs
their camping ground. To the
: southeast appears the wonderful
panoramic view of the North Platte
valley. For miles may be seen wide
stretches of upland, both valley and
.rags and peaks. The west is the
center of the white-capped Lara
nie range, which stretches over a
distance of 100 miles. grim, gaunt,
i, old Laramie peak lording it over
them all, lifting its giant head 1000
feet toward the sky. 1t makes a
, never failing landmark for the Wis
: itor in this strange and beautiful
: Wonderland"
The Spanish Diggmgs' remain
:. unchanged from that moment cen
tuties ago when some fell visitation
apparently annihilated every living
. being. The scene indicates that an
outburst of possibly carbondioxide
: gas, expelled presumably from Lara
K mie peak. similar to that of Mount
Pelee in 1902, which snuffed out the
:. lives OF $4,000 almost in an instant,
was responsible for the eXtermina-
ton of the settlement. The ground
:. is covered with agate and jasper
spalls and cores, also quartz Of va
! rious eolors. The quarry pits range
in diameter from 20 to 40 feet, and
wherever. found are closely spaced,
the, refuse from one being thrown
into another.
GRAPHITE Wedges Exposed.
Excavations have been made to a
depth of % feet, but it is probable
that the ancient miners went much
further. The present time depres-
= sions are about eight feet in depth.
: Graphite wedges are to be seen, still
fast in the rock crevices, just as they
!. were left by the workmen when their
operations were so Unexpectedly in
> terrupted. Battered hammer stones
= are numerous, some grooved and
: others ungrooved. mostly of granite
Z or greensboro and ranging in weight
from three to 20 pounds.
: The work shops, located close
: TO the quarries, are also OF
deer interest. There were car
: ried the selected blocks or no.
dulles as the case might be, of jasper,
agate, flint, chalcedony or quartzite
+, to the aboriginal mechanic, seated
q no doubt, so as to handle the ma
terial from the mines, from which ne
spalled off and roughed out his
primitive utensils, tools, weapons
and other articles essential in the
I. stone age. AS workman is known
!, bv his chips, so today may be seen
i the results of the labors of the an.
!. cient worker in all stages of manu-.
facture, and many varieties of crude
finty articles. They include colored
scrapers for removing the hesk from
skins, arrow and spear tips, Ratchet:
) md knives and mortars in which
!, maize may have been crushed
Many of the formations are ex.
/ :. -. Il. -..-u1;.,r and Il L dihh c,,I