The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-06-17
Gold in Rocks County?

Stockton, Kan, May 22.-Some-
where along the base of high bluff
in the southwest corner of Rocks
county, is a vein of gold bearing
rock. The fact is known only to a
few people in that vicinity and only
one man knows its exact location. In
the early go, flakes of gold were
found in the sand along the Saline
river and they were thought to have
been washed down from farther up
the stream. Machinery for the pur-
pose of extracting the gold was OBJ
tanned and a mine in the corner of
Trego county was opened up. Among
the men drawn by the craze for gold
to that locality was an old miner.
Henry Doom, who had spent several
years in prospecting over the western
states. In fact he had followed the
stampede to California in '49, and
the prospector's fever had entered
his blood.
It is not known how Doom happen
ed to hear of the Kansas strike but
in some way he got the news and was
one of the first on the ground. A
brief examination convinced him that
the source of the metal had not been
located and he prospected along the
Saline valley and adjacent hills but
without finding what he sought. Fin
ally he decided that the goldbearing
rock was not nthe Saline but on
one of its tributaries. Being of a
secretive disposition and rendered
more so by his prospector's life, he
took no one into his confidence and
continued his prospecting
At last he found that for which he
was looking. At the foot of bluff
on Spring Greek in Walton township
he uncovered a vein of ore bearing
gold, but not in sufficient quantity
to warrant hand working In order
to obtain gold in paying quantities
machinery was needed. Doom caved
in the rock to hide all traces of his
diggings. He then spent several days
in working the sand below the bluff
and obtained almost a pound of free
gold. He showed his gold to some of
his friends, but refused to tell where
he found it except that it was along
Spring Greek. He soon left after
stating that he was going to Vermont,
his old home, to raise money to pur-
chase the required machinery. Since
that time nothing has been heard
from Doom. Whether he died without
telling his secret is unknown. Many
efforts were made to locate his find,
but all were unsuccessful and the
matter was forgotten in the discovery
that Rocks county soil was admirably
adapted for the growing of winter
wheat.
The old diggings in Trego county
were abandoned and dreams of Kan
sas gold were laid to rest with other
dreams. Occasionally an old settler
would relapse into Renaissance and
tell of the old hopes and aspirations.
In the summer of 1919, William
Ingersol, an itinerant harvest hand,
assisted in the wheat harvest on the
Happy Hollow ranch where the bluff
is located. One Sunday afternoon, in
company with others, he went to the
creek to battle. He noticed a hole in
the bank near the. stream and asked
what it was. 1t was one of the shafts
dug by Doom for the purpose of
throwing others off the scent Ingersol
listened to a version of the old story
and kept his council. At his first
leisure time he followed the creek
from the bogus shaft down to the
bluff. In his roaming career he had
obtained some practical experience as
a miner and was satisfied that there
was no gold above the bluff. After
the harvest was finished he remained
at the ranch three days, ostensibIy to
wait for an expected letter but in
reality to continue his examination of
the creek bed. He found traces of
washed gold in the sand and in three
days recovered almost two ounces.