Blue sky thinking on the Adams Diggings
March 15, 2001 at 13:20:41
This is a fun (and feasible?) new theory based on an idea given to me a while back by audigger53. First, let's suppose the W.W. Williams account of the Lost Adams Diggings (published in the Socorro, NM, Chieftain in 1898), which places the events of the story in 1858, is the one closest to the truth. Next, substitute the unknown "Mr. X" for the Adams character. Now, try this on for size:
It’s the late 1850's. It was Mr. X who the Fort Bliss patrol found on the Gila River ranting about a rich gold canyon, Indian massacre, etc. He was sent to California to recuperate from his ordeal as related in Williams' account. He eventually died in California in the early 1860's, but not before he told his story to Adams, who decided to try to find the canyon himself based on the information Mr. X provided.
Adams enlisted with the California Volunteers and served in New Mexico where he told the gold canyon story to many others -- Davidson, Brewer, Spurgeon, etc. Adams, for whatever reason, lied and claimed that it was HE and not Mr. X who originally found the gold. Everyone believed him and associated Adams with the canyon -- Mr. X's name never came up. The reason Adams seemed to tell a different story each time is that he never experienced firsthand the events he related, and it's tough to keep your lies straight. He was never at the landmarks that Mr. X gave him -- he was trying to describe them from his memories of Mr. X's story. He kept adding characters and details to the story to keep people interested and willing to help him search. He could never return to the canyon because he was never there in the first place!! He kept trying, but eventually got as confused as the people who followed him -- all the time lying that it was he who found the gold.
Adams unintentionally corrupted up the story Mr. X told him and led many searchers in many wrong directions for many years. Mr. X died in California with the secret before Adams ever became involved. Mr. X was found probably in the vicinity of Cliff/Gila, NM, where the Gila River comes out of the Mogollon Mountains. The gold canyon exists, probably not too many miles from where he was found -- a man on foot traveling on foot at night with no supplies can't get far in that country.
A nasty twist, I'll admit. True? Who knows? Possible? Anything's possible. One thing this hypothesis does is explain Adams' bizarre reputation. It also narrows the search zone considerably if the Williams account is accurate. I wonder where the Fort Bliss records are?
 Follow Ups:
Post a Followup
This forum has been discontinued - please use our new forum
Comments:
|
