Way back and high up in them hills, you could find places where prospectors had dug into the hill side, in a number of places. There were traces of things they carried along with them, most likely on a mule.
What they had used up, was left laying on the ground when they moved on to their next site. Things like cans, old clothing, old boots and rags, you could even find old lanterns, broken tools. Now I was no prospector and I was just traveling around to see what was on the other side of them hills. I was curious as to what them old guys left behind. There was an old gold pan, a sluice, buckets, things that you needed to have water to us them. But there was no water anywhere that I could find.
At one site, I found an old tent that was all in threads and a small round stove to cook on and heat with. There was a cot for sleeping on that had rotted away and assorted garbage left be hind. You could see signs where animals had been rummaging around. The diggings them selves, were small compared to those at other sites. Here I found only one boot that appeared to have been covered with blood and that really got my curiosity to going. There was something funny about this boot, it didn’t appear to be as old as other things at this site.
I thought I should have a look around and see if there was a body some where close by or the remains of an animal. Nothing that I could see. I knocked over an old tent post and at the bottom was a handle of a spoon, sticking up out of the ground, I decided that it had to be used to dig in the ground by some one in a hurry. I dug around it to see if there was anything else and I found the other boot. It was wrapped in a canvas and covered with dirt.
What they had used up, was left laying on the ground when they moved on to their next site. Things like cans, old clothing, old boots and rags, you could even find old lanterns, broken tools. Now I was no prospector and I was just traveling around to see what was on the other side of them hills. I was curious as to what them old guys left behind. There was an old gold pan, a sluice, buckets, things that you needed to have water to us them. But there was no water anywhere that I could find.
At one site, I found an old tent that was all in threads and a small round stove to cook on and heat with. There was a cot for sleeping on that had rotted away and assorted garbage left be hind. You could see signs where animals had been rummaging around. The diggings them selves, were small compared to those at other sites. Here I found only one boot that appeared to have been covered with blood and that really got my curiosity to going. There was something funny about this boot, it didn’t appear to be as old as other things at this site.
I thought I should have a look around and see if there was a body some where close by or the remains of an animal. Nothing that I could see. I knocked over an old tent post and at the bottom was a handle of a spoon, sticking up out of the ground, I decided that it had to be used to dig in the ground by some one in a hurry. I dug around it to see if there was anything else and I found the other boot. It was wrapped in a canvas and covered with dirt.
Inside the boot were some small stones and a piece of oil cloth, that had something wrote on it, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I sat there for some time, trying to imagine what had happened there, long ago. I Looked at the small rocks and they also appeared to be covered with blood, but I didn’t have much water left and didn’t want to waste it to wash off the stones. I put the canvas and the stones in my pack, when I started on the rest of my journey .
I returned to where my journey started after a few more days. I washed the stone several times as what ever it was, it was hard to remove. I took the stones to a laboratory at a college, and after several people looked at them, they became excited and later, a professional looked at them and said they were pure gold and the richest ore he had ever seen. Everyone was asking where I got them, and I said I found them in an old bag that was left in a trash pile.
A friend of mine wanted to see the piece of oil cloth that I had, but most of what was on the cloth, was missing. It appeared to have been torn away, and if that was so, that part must still be in that old boot. That next week end, my friend and I got on our motor bikes and headed for those hills, once more. It took most of the day to get there and it was almost dark when we arrived. We set up a tent and laid out the sleeping bags and had some thing to eat. Neither of us got much sleep that night, just too excited and wanted to find that boot.
We searched most of the morning and could find nothing, I remember that I tossed the boot aside, but couldn’t remember where. Could I have let it fall back into that hole? So we check there next. We dug around and sure enough, there we found it.
It was too late to start back, so we decided to start for home early before the sun came up in the morning. Arriving home later than we had expected. My friend went home as the next day was another day at college for her. I wasn’t going to work so I called and said I was sick. I just had to have a look inside that boot and was going to cut down the boot’s side to get a good look at it.
There it was, what I was looking for, stuck inside that boot, I carefully cut that part out and made a copy of it on my copy machine. That night, my friend stopped in and we examined what we had. We couldn’t tell, what or where or understand any of the markings. It was going to have to be taken to someone that knew, but who? I really didn’t know what I had to lose and I didn’t want to take a chance of losing anything. I went to libraries and searched book on prospecting and on reading old maps and looking for treasures, and that took months and months. My friend even helped until she left college and found a job far away.
During the next few years, I had gold fever and made several trips to the area. I thought maybe I should check to see who filed mining clams in that area. And find out if anyone had been found dead or was missing, that had a clam up there. And then locate any relatives and learn more. I was getting to know the area well and I hit pay dirt, about seven years later, I had enough information from relatives to locate what I was looking for.
I found where someone had hidden sacks of pure gold ore, it had to be the Mother Lode. I was unable to even lift one. Was I going to be greedy and not share any of this. Did I really want it all, I could never spend much of it, so I needed a partner or two. I acquired the help that was needed, but never told them where it was, I was making one last trip alone, to get what I could by myself.
On the way home, a shot was fired and I was killed. As my body lay there on the ground, My spirit stood there and watched, as an old prospector picked up those bags of gold and away he went, off in to a world that I knew nothing about.
Now I am the ”Ghost of Gold” and I will forever roam these Gold laden Hills.
Can any one loan me some boots and a nickel for coffee ?
By; Ben R.
July 20, 2011
I returned to where my journey started after a few more days. I washed the stone several times as what ever it was, it was hard to remove. I took the stones to a laboratory at a college, and after several people looked at them, they became excited and later, a professional looked at them and said they were pure gold and the richest ore he had ever seen. Everyone was asking where I got them, and I said I found them in an old bag that was left in a trash pile.
A friend of mine wanted to see the piece of oil cloth that I had, but most of what was on the cloth, was missing. It appeared to have been torn away, and if that was so, that part must still be in that old boot. That next week end, my friend and I got on our motor bikes and headed for those hills, once more. It took most of the day to get there and it was almost dark when we arrived. We set up a tent and laid out the sleeping bags and had some thing to eat. Neither of us got much sleep that night, just too excited and wanted to find that boot.
We searched most of the morning and could find nothing, I remember that I tossed the boot aside, but couldn’t remember where. Could I have let it fall back into that hole? So we check there next. We dug around and sure enough, there we found it.
It was too late to start back, so we decided to start for home early before the sun came up in the morning. Arriving home later than we had expected. My friend went home as the next day was another day at college for her. I wasn’t going to work so I called and said I was sick. I just had to have a look inside that boot and was going to cut down the boot’s side to get a good look at it.
There it was, what I was looking for, stuck inside that boot, I carefully cut that part out and made a copy of it on my copy machine. That night, my friend stopped in and we examined what we had. We couldn’t tell, what or where or understand any of the markings. It was going to have to be taken to someone that knew, but who? I really didn’t know what I had to lose and I didn’t want to take a chance of losing anything. I went to libraries and searched book on prospecting and on reading old maps and looking for treasures, and that took months and months. My friend even helped until she left college and found a job far away.
During the next few years, I had gold fever and made several trips to the area. I thought maybe I should check to see who filed mining clams in that area. And find out if anyone had been found dead or was missing, that had a clam up there. And then locate any relatives and learn more. I was getting to know the area well and I hit pay dirt, about seven years later, I had enough information from relatives to locate what I was looking for.
I found where someone had hidden sacks of pure gold ore, it had to be the Mother Lode. I was unable to even lift one. Was I going to be greedy and not share any of this. Did I really want it all, I could never spend much of it, so I needed a partner or two. I acquired the help that was needed, but never told them where it was, I was making one last trip alone, to get what I could by myself.
On the way home, a shot was fired and I was killed. As my body lay there on the ground, My spirit stood there and watched, as an old prospector picked up those bags of gold and away he went, off in to a world that I knew nothing about.
Now I am the ”Ghost of Gold” and I will forever roam these Gold laden Hills.
Can any one loan me some boots and a nickel for coffee ?
By; Ben R.
July 20, 2011
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