Five Caches Of Gold extras
According to Granville Stewart in the spring of 1858 they ventured into the Hell Gate Valley to prospect on Benetsee’s (Gold Creek). They found gold most everywhere they tried, sometimes as much as ten cents to the pan. The draw back was they had little to eat and no tools. The nearest place to obtain these was almost 600 miles away at Salt Lake City. They were also plagued by the Blackfoot Indians who tried to steal the horses. Under these circumstances they gave up and left. In the summer of 1860, Henry Thomas (Gold Tom) went to Gold Creek and using a couple of hand-made sluices managed to obtain one to two dollars a day. Even Gold Tom moved on hoping to find a better strike. In 1862 the Stewart party set up 12 sections of sluices in the region.
Later the Stewarts started a store to sell to those coming into the region, this seemed to be a more sure way to make gold dust than mining for it.
Looking back at their first attempts in 1858, it seems doubtful they found enough gold to cache any of it, once they built sluices I doubt they found enough gold due to their giving up and going into the merchantile business. One has to wonder how the story of their hidden caches of gold started in the first place? Still their old store was torn down and the dirt under the floor sifted for gold dust years later!
The camp on Gold Creek where the Stewarts panned for gold was called American Fork. Later it became known as Hangtown, because Montana’s first hanging took place here. Some horse thieves came to town from Idaho Territory and were followed by a pair tracking them. One was arrested without incident while the second drew for his gun and was shot down with a shotgun blast. The dead man was buried with the gun and the cards still in his hands. So that is why it was home to Montana’s first hanging, it could have been home to the first two! With examples such as the above violence it is possible that someone cached away their poke and didn’t live long enough to retrieve it.
According to Granville Stewart in the spring of 1858 they ventured into the Hell Gate Valley to prospect on Benetsee’s (Gold Creek). They found gold most everywhere they tried, sometimes as much as ten cents to the pan. The draw back was they had little to eat and no tools. The nearest place to obtain these was almost 600 miles away at Salt Lake City. They were also plagued by the Blackfoot Indians who tried to steal the horses. Under these circumstances they gave up and left. In the summer of 1860, Henry Thomas (Gold Tom) went to Gold Creek and using a couple of hand-made sluices managed to obtain one to two dollars a day. Even Gold Tom moved on hoping to find a better strike. In 1862 the Stewart party set up 12 sections of sluices in the region.
Later the Stewarts started a store to sell to those coming into the region, this seemed to be a more sure way to make gold dust than mining for it.
Looking back at their first attempts in 1858, it seems doubtful they found enough gold to cache any of it, once they built sluices I doubt they found enough gold due to their giving up and going into the merchantile business. One has to wonder how the story of their hidden caches of gold started in the first place? Still their old store was torn down and the dirt under the floor sifted for gold dust years later!
The camp on Gold Creek where the Stewarts panned for gold was called American Fork. Later it became known as Hangtown, because Montana’s first hanging took place here. Some horse thieves came to town from Idaho Territory and were followed by a pair tracking them. One was arrested without incident while the second drew for his gun and was shot down with a shotgun blast. The dead man was buried with the gun and the cards still in his hands. So that is why it was home to Montana’s first hanging, it could have been home to the first two! With examples such as the above violence it is possible that someone cached away their poke and didn’t live long enough to retrieve it.
