Arizona Legends and Lore by Dorothy Daniels Anderson

Author:Dorothy Daniels Anderson [Anderson, Dorothy Daniels]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Many Hats Media, Inc.
Published: 2011-08-06T21:19:08+00:00

To have come this close to finding a fortune in gold only to see it slip from one’s grasp would have discouraged most men, but not Henry Wickenburg. Even after close to 15 years of relentless disappointment, he was determined that his turn must come one day. Wickenburg took to the trails to prospect. Henry had heard of two men who had recently been found in the desert having been murdered by the Indians. Lying next to their bodies was a large amount of very valuable gold ore. The Indians, not yet aware of the value of gold ore, were more interested in stealing guns, food, clothing and animals. To Henry, this indicated that there might be other outcroppings of gold in this general vicinity.

For a while he traveled with two other prospectors, a man named Von Webber and another man named Green who became ill. Exhausted from the rough mountainous desert terrain, Von Webber and Green wanted to abandon the search and set up camp to rest and recover their strength. Wickenburg continued on alone, somewhat discouraged but unwilling to give up. He traveled south into the desert to an area west of the Hassayampa River where he found himself attracted to the appearance of the country, particularly to a shelf of white quartz outcroppings.

Once again traveling alone through dangerous countryside, and anxious not to overlook a possible opportunity, Henry was to have another problem confront him. He noticed that his mule was no longer able or willing to keep up the pace. Stranded in the desert miles from nowhere, Wickenburg tried to force the animal, only to have the mule stop and refuse to move altogether. Sitting down in the dirt a short distance from the burro to try to think of a solution to this new difficulty, Henry Wickenburg noticed a vulture slowly circling overhead. The vulture soared down from the sky, and landed near the stalled mule, eyeing it proprietarily.

All the years of frustration welled up inside of Henry. An all-consuming rage emanated from deep within his being, and the usually gentle Wickenburg picked up a rock lying nearby and threw it at the bird. The vulture fluttered away in fright, but the rock seemed to fall apart as it hit the ground.

Henry tried to settle himself back from his anger, to move back from this edge of madness. As calm returned to him in that quiet desert setting, he remembered the disintegrating rock. Curious as to why the rock appeared to fall apart, Wickenburg went over to examine the scattered pieces and discovered a large nugget of gold. Scarcely able to breathe, he tried to settle his thoughts. Had his chance finally materialized or was this a fluke? It couldn’t be, he thought to himself; he had to have come upon a gold discovery, but of what size and worth?

Exploring the surrounding area, Henry Wickenburg located a rich lode, a vein of gold that was nearly fifteen feet wide. Racing back to his prospecting companions,

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