, 1923-02-11
Legend of Lost Cabin
Mine Provided Lure
For the Prospectors
Miners Driven From Rich Claim In Big Horns by
Indians Tried to Return and Were Never
Heard From Again; Search Continues

. - S@NN SoAN ~ NAS
value Of something like sal, 5000.
This vas partially sold and the bal.
ance deposited with one of the bust
ness men there. Reyes took two
men with him and each had a squaw
with him. The party left Fit. Ben.
ton in a boat and started down the
Missouri river to get more gold.
The party met with Indians and
were all killed with the exception of
n Of the squRws. who escaped and
returned to TT. Benton. She told OF
the Ill fate OF the party and told
where the killing took place. On
the morning of the disaster, Keyes
told the party that they were two
sleeps from the place where the
gold a This mine has never
been found and someday will be.
Lost Cabin Lure Lost.
wyoming's principal legend is
that OF the Lost Cabin Mine" In
1855 seven Scandinavian prospect
ors set out from the Black Hills and
A'SA way iASO AsC dig IlOTll
Mountains without meeting Indians.
They spent the summer there and,
toward fall, found rich placer gold.
They had with them a large saw
and set to work saving out lumber
for a sluice box. This completed,
they built a log cabin. settled down
for a while and began the work OF
taking out the precious metal. They
worked at this for three days, when
they were attacked by Indians.
Five Of the party were killed that
day and the other two. taking ad-
vantage OF a cloudy night, escaped
and, that night. put all the distance
possible between themselves and
the starting point. These two men
brought with them $1,000 in gold.
They were several days reaching FIT.
Laramie, where they deposited this
gold with Mr.. Charles Clay, later of
Douglas. The gold was in three
baking.powder cans.
These men could not talk plain
English and could not describe the
country from which they had been
driven out. Thinking that they
could best return to the find from
the original starting point, they
organized A party the following
spring and left the Black Hills, in
tending TO follow the old trail. This
party was never heard from again
and probably met some more In.
dams.
In 1856 Colonel Bullock organized
a party to go in search OF this
-Croesus. Al preparations were
made to start when the project
came to the notice Of the command
ing officer Of the department of
Omaha. In view of the Impending
Indian wars. an order was issued
forbidding the expedition, and, IL
necessary, ordering out military
forces to stop it.
For the next twelve or thirteen
years It was unsafe for any party
to go into the Big Horn Mountain
region. and the Indians were very
numerous and powerful. as well as
generally hostile. so the mystery of
the Lost Cabin Mines was not lifted
and hangs over them to this day.
AiOneSt5 nave searched.
Bart Beckley, Jack Mcdonald, and
Joe Sweeney are some Of tho old
timers who have tried to find this
lost FL Dorado. Sweeney spent
many months in the Big Horns in
1877 looking for the lost spot and
while going down the Big Horn
Canyon, he found what he firmly
believed to be an out.cropping of
the famous lode. The news was
~telegraphed through the Associated
Press. This was a premature con.
clusion, as Sweeney's discovery
proved to be copper and not gold.
During February 1865, William
F~airweather and others left Ban.
mock, Montana, with the intention
or prospecting in tho Big Horn
Mountains. They found the Grow In.
dams hostile and were forced to re.
turn, being turned back at the Gal.
latin river. On their return trim
they camped for a day at Alder
Gulch. about eighty miles east from
the Grasshopper placers and, while
others were attending camp, Fair.
weather went to the crock and
panned some gravel. He recovered
80 from his first pan. These men
returned to Bannock City and quite
a sack Of dust and nuggets.
In the fall OF 1877. a little more
than n year after the Custer mas.
sacre and some two years after the
discovery OF the Lost Cabin Mine,
a cavalry officer from the regular
army. with his command, were after
Indians who led these men on n
Wild goose chase into the toughest
portions OF the Big Horns. The
party really did not know where
they were and taking to a high
peak. they stopped for a short rest
and 10 get their bearings.
Gold Found by Accident.
The officer and his orderly were
a short distance from the balance
or the force and were taking a short
rest, the orderly lying on the
ground while the officer was sitting
on a mound Of dirt and rocks, raised
up by tho overturning of a tree.
While In these positions. the Off.
Ger was trying to get his directions
Strengthened out and the orderly
became interested in the pile OF dirt
the officer was sitting on. Sud.
denly he said. Captain, You are
sitting on a gold mine"
These mon bT1,,-kt . -