The KGC and the LUE

[cuzimloony]

Today I held in my hands Karl von Mueller's card catalogue.

It at one point belonged to Estee Conaster and when Karl died it was given to Greg Davis, which is where I found it.
Wouldn't you know....... I found this:

Notice the "one of the first publications of the LUE map," that Karl typed in there. There has been speculation as to wether or not this book/pamphlet existed. All I can say is that Karl typed-up a card for it to be placed in his card catalogue. Make of that what you will.

Here comes the KGC connection. Now, before I go any further, the next thing I am about to say is HEARSAY. I heard it from another KGC researcher who is more knowledgable than myself, and left it at that. This connection needs to be researched, but, for now Im comfortable discussing it, while giving the above caveat that I haven't researched it yet myself.

Edit:
Lots of stuff taken out because I had second thoughts. Sorry :/

 

[sdcfia]

The prominent reference to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the index card is interesting. Back in the 1980s, the legend of The Lost Gold Mine of Juan Mondragon was presented as an oral performance by a local folklorist in Spanish. It was transcribed and published in Spanish and English later in book form. It's a unique read, by the way.

Long story short, it's about a rich Spanish mine lost and found since the Colonial period in the Truchas Peak area in that weird High Road region between Santa Fe and Taos, where, other than the asphalt road, one feels like he's traveling through the far distant past. The reason I mention the legend here is that it's said that three mysterious Germans found and worked the mine prior to NM Statehood in 1912. So now, through Miller from Burch and the Mondragon treasure legend, here's another shadowy LUE/German link! No Nazis this time. Here, there and everywhere - it's a LUE world. Or is it a KGC conspiracy web?

For the record:
Here’s a concise summary of the sequence of alleged operators of the Lost Gold Mine of Juan Mondragón, as told in the book and related folklore:

1. The Spaniards –
   Allegedly the first to discover and exploit the rich gold vein, during the Spanish colonial period (likely 1600s–1700s).
2. The Sánchez from Mora –
   After the Spanish period, a man named Sánchez from Mora is said to have reopened and worked the mine for a time.
3. The Three Germans –
   Sometime during New Mexico’s Territorial era (post-1848, pre-1912), three German men allegedly located the mine, operated it secretly, and took out a large amount of gold before vanishing.
4. Juan Mondragón –
   The last well-known figure associated with the mine. He reportedly rediscovered it, extracted gold, and became the namesake of the legend.

 

[point hunter]

Hey Cuz. I was looking at that index card and noticed that the "O" in Robert is actually a "P". I wonder if the first name is possible Rupert for instance and not Robert. Maybe that's why no one can find this guy or his book. I personally never thought it existed, but what do I know? That's really cool getting to see some of KVM's personal stuff, btw.

 

[mdog]

The prominent reference to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the index card is interesting. Back in the 1980s, the legend of The Lost Gold Mine of Juan Mondragon was presented as an oral performance by a local folklorist in Spanish. It was transcribed and published in Spanish and English later in book form. It's a unique read, by the way.

Long story short, it's about a rich Spanish mine lost and found since the Colonial period in the Truchas Peak area in that weird High Road region between Santa Fe and Taos, where, other than the asphalt road, one feels like he's traveling through the far distant past. The reason I mention the legend here is that it's said that three mysterious Germans found and worked the mine prior to NM Statehood in 1912. So now, through Miller from Burch and the Mondragon treasure legend, here's another shadowy LUE/German link! No Nazis this time. Here, there and everywhere - it's a LUE world. Or is it a KGC conspiracy web?

For the record:
Here’s a concise summary of the sequence of alleged operators of the Lost Gold Mine of Juan Mondragón, as told in the book and related folklore:

1. The Spaniards –
   Allegedly the first to discover and exploit the rich gold vein, during the Spanish colonial period (likely 1600s–1700s).
2. The Sánchez from Mora –
   After the Spanish period, a man named Sánchez from Mora is said to have reopened and worked the mine for a time.
3. The Three Germans –
   Sometime during New Mexico’s Territorial era (post-1848, pre-1912), three German men allegedly located the mine, operated it secretly, and took out a large amount of gold before vanishing.
4. Juan Mondragón –
   The last well-known figure associated with the mine. He reportedly rediscovered it, extracted gold, and became the namesake of the legend.

Excellent post, sdcfia.

 

[mdog]

Today I held in my hands Karl von Mueller's card catalogue.
View attachment 2225035View attachment 2225036
It at one point belonged to Estee Conaster and when Karl died it was given to Greg Davis, which is where I found it.
Wouldn't you know....... I found this:
View attachment 2225037View attachment 2225038View attachment 2225039

Notice the "one of the first publications of the LUE map," that Karl typed in there. There has been speculation as to wether or not this book/pamphlet existed. All I can say is that Karl typed-up a card for it to be placed in his card catalogue. Make of that what you will.

Here comes the KGC connection. Now, before I go any further, the next thing I am about to say is HEARSAY. I heard it from another KGC researcher who is more knowledgable than myself, and left it at that. This connection needs to be researched, but, for now Im comfortable discussing it, while giving the above caveat that I haven't researched it yet myself.

Edit:
Lots of stuff taken out because I had second thoughts. Sorry :/ Long story short, Burch may have had relatives who wrote "Civil War" related materials that may be of interest to KGC researchers. If those are in fact his relatives, then Id say there's a firm connection. But....I no longer feel comfortable sharing for personal reasons. Sorry again.

I wonder if the title, "Spanish Trail of Gold", is referring to the Old Spanish Trail that connects Santa Fe and Los Angeles, with a northern route that goes up into Colorado and Utah.

https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/image/old-spanish-trail-map

The eastern part of the trail passes through the Sangre de Christo range.

Also, for anybody looking for the book, it could be with material about the Old Spanish Trail.

Here is some information that could just be coincidence. This is a link about the Old Spanish Trail commemorative half dollar, struck during 1935, the same year that Burch published Spanish Trails to Gold. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Spanish_Trail_half_dollar

Could there be some connection between Burch's book and the commemorative coin? Did the commemorative coin inspire Burch to write Spanish Trail to Gold? Somebody looking for this book might want to check out the El Paso Museum.

 

[Honest Tippy]

I am wondering how many of these treasures have been found.

 

[Randy Bradford]

Hey Cuz. I was looking at that index card and noticed that the "O" in Robert is actually a "P". I wonder if the first name is possible Rupert for instance and not Robert. Maybe that's why no one can find this guy or his book. I personally never thought it existed, but what do I know? That's really cool getting to see some of KVM's personal stuff, btw.

P and O appear next to each other on a keyboard, it would be a pretty common typo...especially since the O and P are on the far left of the keyboard. I've read enough of Karl's correspondence toknow that despite being a prolific typer, his errors in typing correspondence were legion. It wasn't uncommon for him to cross something out or simply type over it. Karl frequently typed on whatever was handy as well, so it's not uncommon to see letters of his written on differnt types of odd colored paper, the packs of bills or mailers, etc. He also had personal letterhead he used as well. A letter from Karl was also rarelya brief thing.

 

[Randy Bradford]

What's interesting to me is how much the actual published entry differs from the version on the note card.

"Rainbow Trail, Taos Trail, San Francisco Pass, Coyote Creek, Pecos River, Ruidoso, Badito, Sausilio & Tuxpan, Mexico." was ommitted from the published version.