The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-02-06
Golden
p l1ntOIllS
FASCINATING TALES
OF LOST MINES
JUAN CARLOS GOLD
M. Bv EdSfhs l.. W~fses

a SPANIARD named Juan Carlos
"A came from the South into the San
Luis valley long time ago He came
with many poems, and they drove
pack train loaded with such things as
books and manuscripts Possibly gold
was also q part Of the cargo, for Juan
Carlos had gold dust In profuslon, and
was very liberal with 1t.
Each year for three years, this
strange man disappeared on the first
day of May and returned on the last
day Of October. Where he went, and
why. no one ever knew. At last some
OF the Mexicans who lived whereabouts
tried to follow him, but to their dismay
he saw them, and turned back. He
stayed at home after that
In 1868, Carlos hired some OF the
most ignorant OF the Mexicans there
abonts to build some large adobe
houses at the side Of the San Luis
lakes He paid them In the usual gold
dust, and ordered them away as soon
as the buildings were completed. They
went, 1t Is said. all but two OF the least
intelligent, who stayed by request
These men no one ever saw again.
Their families, who came at last to
inquire for them. were told that they
had received their pay and departed
with the rest. But the Mexican peo-
pie will not have 1t so-they say that
Carlos caused the two to do some Sc
cret work and then had them killed
lest they reveal 1t. But what work,
and what secret, no one can tell
Then Juan Carlos died. Within the
year two Of the Mexicans In the valley
became suddenly wealthy, and bought
large herds Of sheep and cattle. They
claimed that they had made this money
In government contract work near
Santa Fe, but no one believed them
Perhaps they did not even believe
themselves.
The houses near the lakes we're used
rs late az 1885 by hunters who gath
cred there to shoot water fowl. Ap-
parently their walls hGrbored no Sc
cret, 30 It is not known what the two
missing Mexlcans had been hired to do.
And the source OF Juan Carlos gold1
That Is still mystery. II Is thought
that possibly II may be the place dis
covered by Kit Carson. Stewart. and
Archueta when they camped by the
Rio Grande on their way with mes
sages to San Francisco. In little
stream which ran into the river they
saw considerable gold. and panned
enough to sell In San Francisco for $87
When the party came back. they passed
that way again, but they tried In vain
to find that shining little stream
There Is another story about this
trip which goes into greater detail. Ac-
cordIng to this legend pack mule fell
into the water and Stewart and one
other man had to stay at this place
while the pack was dried out Stew
art saw the gold and PANIED some OF
1t to pass the time. He wrote the To-
cation down In little book, but I'M
fortunately the book was later de-
stroyed In fire.
Stewart went to Old Mexico and did
not return until he was an old man,
when he tried to revisit the scene, but
could not find It.
Whichever Of these stories, II either,
Is the true one. II Is said further that
an old prospector and a buffalo hunter
put their heads together later and fol-
lowed out every clew to the place that
they could discover. They found the
general location without a doubt but
flood waters had caused landsllp OF
half I mile In length, and the little
stream had vanished.