The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-04-03
THE LOST PADRE MINE
CONTINUE THE SEARCH
GOLDEN MYSTERY OF SAN JUAN
MOUNTAINS STILL LURES
PROJECTORS.
Cd. B. McGue in Denver Mining
Record)


Some 300-odd years ago those
hardy Spanish padres somehow
found themselves in the region that is
now known as the northern part of
the state of New Mexico. They es-
tablished missions and builded
churches and named the place Santa
Fe, the Rome of America" For the
same reason that Christopher Column
unknown-the padres explored the
surrounding country, and incidentally,
while upon one of these trips a party
OF them who had followed the course
found themselves nearing it's head
waters, and decided to turn westward
and explore the cavernous valley,
through which, wandering bands Of
swiftly roaring river that no human
could ford. but whose banks were
strewn with lustrous yellow rocks
the same color Of the sun at eventide
across the deeply scared, rough and
rugged hills and mountains that the
padres entered little valley In the
center of the grassy glade stood two
great pillars. Investigation revealed
that among the stones used in their
construction, were great slabs that
were heavily pregnated with wide
streaks of free-gold, and be it saint
or sinner, gold will lure most men,
The padres began the search for the
lode from which the slabs had been
broken, and they were successful. For
weeks they worked, stripping the
vein and breaking their pack animals
after which they returned to Santa
Fe and by their gifts enriched the
mother church they had helped es-
tablish
Story Gains Youth With ReteIIins.
This story is closely connected
with the lost mine" lore in the San
Juan, and even today, when old -time
miners congregate it Is popular
topic and it is related that early day
mule SINNERS, trappers, prospectors
and miners Of the Silverton and Par
rot City districts upon entering the
district by the way Of Needles Pass
found the ancient pillars, but in their
mad haste to reach the then boom
ing camps, they neglected to investi-
gate and it was not until some years
later that an old prospector, whose
name Is said to have been Michael
O'Leary, appeared at Parrot City and
displayed huge chunks Of gold ore
which he said had come from the
Lost Padre mine. For weeks he stay
ed in camp and then suddenly disap-
peared. If he was followed he was
foxy enough to lose his trailers
Several months later he appeared at
Animas City, again laden with gold
ore. Months of wild gambling and
hard drinking followed, then Michael
O'Leary vanished from the face Of the
footstool.
The story has lived and the search
illus being added every now and then.
by the return Of some ancient hill
billy who will tell stories Of wonder
full wealth, produce specimens and
sometimes map. Recently. how
ever man known from the Kobuck
to the jungles of Yucatan merely as
Tiger Smith, has been in the dis
trict and it is reported that he has
been amply grubstaked for a sum-
mer's outing in the wilds Of the
Needles.
Hunters Waiting for Snow TO Melt.
The lure of the rich lost mine is
bait even today for the hard luck men
and they are about as communicative
as to their plans as one of the gran
lite boulders of the San Juan noun
tains would be, but some of them
are quietly interrogating the old, old
timer, at the same time casting long
ing eyes at the mystery region that
lies between the Needles and the Rio
Grande river, and when the snow
and Ice become trucking rivulets and
when the verdant green Of trees.
shrubs and grass appear and show
that spring is here, some of. the min
ers, more than likely, will be found
trekking behind their burros In
search OF the Lost Padre Mine"