Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-09-27
Thomas Cover Argonaut
of Alder Gulch Lost Life
Seeking Fabled Aztec Mime

IN connection with the dedication OF
the monument near Virginia City on
I Sept. 2, marking the spot on which
gold was first discovered in Alder gulch,
a statement was made by one reporter
of the ceremonies to the effect that
Thomas w. Cover, one Of the discovery
party whose name appears on the monu
ment with that Of William H. Fairweath-
err, Henry Edgar and others. was killed
in the party with John Bozeman, when
that great trail blazer met his death at
the hands of an Indian party"
Pioneers of Gallatin county who knew
Thomas Cover and were here at the time
Of the death Of John M. Bozeman. have
called attention to the error in that
statement. Thomas w. Cover was with
John M. Bozeman at the line the latter
was killed on April 10, 1857, but escaped
from the Indians who took the horses
and provisions, and although wounded
made his way on foo 10 the Story and
continued to Bozeman to report the
death Of his companion.
Mr.. Cover was at that time engaged In
the Touring mill business with the Nc
Adow brothers In Bozeman, and a few
years later he went to California. and
with his family made his home at River
side, being one of the three men to lay
out the town. He met a tragic death In
1884, while crossing the Southern Call
fornia desert, known as the Carisco Bad
Lands, in search of the traditional Peg
Leg gold mine. 1t was II years later, or
In the spring Of 1901, that his bones
were found and taken to Riverside for
burial. His wife has since died, but they
had a daughter, who is supposed to be
living in California.
Search for Mine
At the time Mr.. Covers bones were
found, a story was printed In California
papers and in a Galcon, Ohio, paper, In
which town Mr.. Cover had lived in boy
hood days. From this story, the follow
ing may be of interest.
while Cover was living in Riverside
an old miner came into the town one
day to die. He was visited by Cover. and
Just before breathing his last, ne told
Cover how he had discovered the won
derful Peg Leg gold mine, which was sup
posed from tradition to have been the
mine from which the Aztecs drew theil
wealth. The tradition was well known
to Cover, as to other miners in Call
fornia, and he believed that the man who
found the mine would be fabulously
wealthy. So, taking a friend named Will
liam Russell with him, Cover started out
to cross the great desert, hoping by fol
lowing the old mans instructions. te
find the wonderful mine.
When they got to the edge OF thu
desert. the arrangement was made tina
Russell should drive around, which would
take about six hours, while Cover walked
across. That was the last seen OF Cove
alive. Russell arrived at the appointed
place of meeting, but Cover was no
there. He returned to Riverside and or
ganized a seaching party, and for months
they looked for any trace Of Cover, bu'
In vain"
Surveyors Find Bon
The story as printed In May, 1901, says
About two weeks ago, a surveying party
working for the United States govern
ment, came across the skeleton of a mai
buried in a few inches of sand. The sigh
was not new to them for the desert 4
simply covered with the whitened bones
of human beings. But what attracted
their attention to this particular skeleton
was a ring on one of the fingers bearing
a Masonic emblem, and lying in the sane
quite near were a pocket knife and sew
eral small trinkets. They made a careful
examination and found the mans name
'Thos. Cover engraved in the ring. ON