Wind River's Lost Cabin Mine

Tiredman

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Oct 15, 2016
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I have found it quite common for a story to appear in newspapers in other states. This is shown by a Montanan paper carrying this version of the Wyoming Lost Cabin Mine story.
Wy lost cabin rediscovered
Benton, M.T., Montana
January 1, 1884
That Mountain Tradition.
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So much interest has been excited by the reported rediscovery of the Lost Cabin mine, that an old timer is moved to give his version of the old tradition, as follows:
During the summer of 1865, when the prospectors of Montana were hunting in every gulch in the mountains for precious minerals, a party of seven men, with pack-horses laden with provisions and picks, left Bannack. And, going to the Yellowstone, went up that stream to its head and over to Wind River. Later in the season, two of them came in to Bozeman with all of the pack horses, which they loaded with provisions. They paid for their purchases in gold dust and were very reticent as to where they found it.
The curiosity of Bozeman’s people was greatly excited and when the two started to return to their comrades, they were followed. But, they easily slipped away from their pursuers by traveling nights, so none of the party were ever again seen. During the summer of 1869, a lone prospector went from Camp Brown, up Wind River. About two months afterward, he came back. To a few of his intimates, he showed quite a large quantity of gold dust, which showed plainly to an expert, that it came direct from the ore, it being entirely unwashed. He also had some of the ore, having considerable of the precious metal in sight. He told his friends that he had discovered a cabin on a little side stream near the head of the Wind River, in which he had found this gold and the scattered fragments of human skeletons.
The outside of the logs of which the cabin was built, was marred with bullet holes, and he supposed that the party were all killed by Indians. Nearby, he found the lode from which their gold had been taken, and it was very rich. Those to whom he told the story were very anxious to go to the place, and four of them organized an outfit and went up. It was late in the fall, and the snow commenced to fly before the locality was reached. The snow fall changed the appearance of the country and the cabin could not be found. The party were soon driven out by the snow, and the discoverer of the cabin became insane during the winter, from brooding over the lost treasure. And, just before spring, he committed suicide by jumping in the large hot spring at Little Wind River. Since then, though searched for many times, the cabin has never yet been discovered. Unless the developments reported in the Journal of Saturday last should be verified by the Nyes, who claim to have made the rediscovery and have gone to the scene of their find to develop it, in which event a stampede of miners may be expected in the early spring. It would be a fact stranger than fiction if this old-time legend of the mountains should at last be verified. Mr. Nye is vouched for as a reliable man.
 

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