pegleglooker
Bronze Member
- Jun 9, 2006
- 1,857
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Re: Pegleg's Black Gold Nuggets
Thankx oroblanco,
I agree with you that the most orginal report is always the most accurate. I also feel that a book is not the writers story, but it's the editors story. What i mean is the writer will submit his story and then the editor does cuts and slices. That will change the feel, if not the main crux of a story. That is why if i can. i try to find the writers notes and listen to what he wanted to say. G W james in his book says that he feels " that its postive facts are utter nonsense" ( The wonders of the Colorado desesrt vol2 pg 301 ). remember this was written in 1906. This is also why I try to use the earliest newspaper articles as well. i found these articles from Baileys research for his book "golden mirages". its what he based his book on.The 2 earliest articles talk about a thomas l smith going to the colorado and virgin river area from san fransico. i know i said that he left from there, but the expedition started from los angeles and the paper quoted its source as to the la star newspaper. sorry about that. the next report is from the sacramento union dated 4/12/1858 which stated that thomas l smith was " now in abject poverty.he has not the means of procuring a morsel of bread, and is dedependant, in his tottering and decrepid old age". its a sad way to go for someone who was so noted for his time. the next article is dated 10/26/1866 ( san fransico bulletin ) talks about his death. it seems that a major hensley made sure he got his whiskey until the end. this hensley was a emigrant that pegleg helped along the route to california.i can't find anything until 5/15/1892 from the san diego union when the writer named his grandfather as a aquantence of pegleg. his grandfather says he met pegleg at vallejo in 1852 when he was trying to get compensation from the legislature for the help he gave to california emigrants either on the gila river or the salt lake route. this is verifed by the a resolution dated 6/27/1860- 36th congressional special session senate misc - which was approved by johnson price on 5/3/1852. now this proves that pegleg was there and i'm sure we can prove that the writers grandfather w c mcdougall was there as well. according to this report, pegleg told mcdougall that during one of their hunting excursions a dutchman came into camp with alot of shining yellow metal ( remember this is before 1849 and noone knew what gold looked like in its natural state) which they melted down for bullets thinking it was copper.the dutchman told them that he found it on " the EAST side of the colorado,opposite the camp, in crossing a small valley or canyon". he was sure he found it on level ground not near a mountain. it was a couple of years later when the gold rush hit that pegleg realized what he had,the paper then reports that pegleg wasted no time in coming "down" to san francisco to arrange a porspecting party to go hunt for the nuggets. mcdougall ( the grandfather ) then said in the late 1850's he was doing business with a hospital in san francisco when he ran into pegleg and major hensley, pegleg was quoted as saying " i'm on my last pegs now, and i will soon be pegging out for other hunting grounds". since this is a story with a " live " connection with pegleg and is dated the closest to the beginning and there is proof ( legislature ) that pegleg was there at vallejo then why not
i have not come across anything that debunks this but sure would be willing to listen to anything that might.. please understand that i am not saying that gold was not found in the desert... just not by " thomas l smith " . i trully beleive that a man named smith with a pegleg did wind up at warners half dead with gold nuggets that he found on either 3 small hills or two buttes, depending on who you listen to. i also believe that this is the same spot where the indian at warner got his gold, as well as the squaw at flowing wells got hers. but i do believe this is not the gold that "the man who found peglegs gold " from desert magazine found.. i often wonder if his was not the peralta gold ?? that may or may not have really happened... if anyone has anything else believe me i'm all ears...
these are the findings that i have been able to aquire if there is anything else feel free to email, message or leave a note here. i'm all about facts and if i have anything in here thats not right PLEASE let me know. but i have a copy of all the newspaper articles and can quote them easily... as for the other smiths with the name pete or peter these are a couple of examples only. i have not done the research on them yet but will get back to you when i do.once again thankx guys and oroblanco thats to you for starting the forum....thankx pegleglooker....
Thankx oroblanco,
I agree with you that the most orginal report is always the most accurate. I also feel that a book is not the writers story, but it's the editors story. What i mean is the writer will submit his story and then the editor does cuts and slices. That will change the feel, if not the main crux of a story. That is why if i can. i try to find the writers notes and listen to what he wanted to say. G W james in his book says that he feels " that its postive facts are utter nonsense" ( The wonders of the Colorado desesrt vol2 pg 301 ). remember this was written in 1906. This is also why I try to use the earliest newspaper articles as well. i found these articles from Baileys research for his book "golden mirages". its what he based his book on.The 2 earliest articles talk about a thomas l smith going to the colorado and virgin river area from san fransico. i know i said that he left from there, but the expedition started from los angeles and the paper quoted its source as to the la star newspaper. sorry about that. the next report is from the sacramento union dated 4/12/1858 which stated that thomas l smith was " now in abject poverty.he has not the means of procuring a morsel of bread, and is dedependant, in his tottering and decrepid old age". its a sad way to go for someone who was so noted for his time. the next article is dated 10/26/1866 ( san fransico bulletin ) talks about his death. it seems that a major hensley made sure he got his whiskey until the end. this hensley was a emigrant that pegleg helped along the route to california.i can't find anything until 5/15/1892 from the san diego union when the writer named his grandfather as a aquantence of pegleg. his grandfather says he met pegleg at vallejo in 1852 when he was trying to get compensation from the legislature for the help he gave to california emigrants either on the gila river or the salt lake route. this is verifed by the a resolution dated 6/27/1860- 36th congressional special session senate misc - which was approved by johnson price on 5/3/1852. now this proves that pegleg was there and i'm sure we can prove that the writers grandfather w c mcdougall was there as well. according to this report, pegleg told mcdougall that during one of their hunting excursions a dutchman came into camp with alot of shining yellow metal ( remember this is before 1849 and noone knew what gold looked like in its natural state) which they melted down for bullets thinking it was copper.the dutchman told them that he found it on " the EAST side of the colorado,opposite the camp, in crossing a small valley or canyon". he was sure he found it on level ground not near a mountain. it was a couple of years later when the gold rush hit that pegleg realized what he had,the paper then reports that pegleg wasted no time in coming "down" to san francisco to arrange a porspecting party to go hunt for the nuggets. mcdougall ( the grandfather ) then said in the late 1850's he was doing business with a hospital in san francisco when he ran into pegleg and major hensley, pegleg was quoted as saying " i'm on my last pegs now, and i will soon be pegging out for other hunting grounds". since this is a story with a " live " connection with pegleg and is dated the closest to the beginning and there is proof ( legislature ) that pegleg was there at vallejo then why not
i have not come across anything that debunks this but sure would be willing to listen to anything that might.. please understand that i am not saying that gold was not found in the desert... just not by " thomas l smith " . i trully beleive that a man named smith with a pegleg did wind up at warners half dead with gold nuggets that he found on either 3 small hills or two buttes, depending on who you listen to. i also believe that this is the same spot where the indian at warner got his gold, as well as the squaw at flowing wells got hers. but i do believe this is not the gold that "the man who found peglegs gold " from desert magazine found.. i often wonder if his was not the peralta gold ?? that may or may not have really happened... if anyone has anything else believe me i'm all ears...these are the findings that i have been able to aquire if there is anything else feel free to email, message or leave a note here. i'm all about facts and if i have anything in here thats not right PLEASE let me know. but i have a copy of all the newspaper articles and can quote them easily... as for the other smiths with the name pete or peter these are a couple of examples only. i have not done the research on them yet but will get back to you when i do.once again thankx guys and oroblanco thats to you for starting the forum....thankx pegleglooker....
