September 23, 2009 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
The tale of
the Two Soldiers Lost Mine has been around since the turn of the century
and continues to appear in stories about the Lost Dutchman Mine and the
Silver King Mine. Sims Ely mentioned the story in depth in his book The
Lost Dutchman Mine by William Morrow & Company, New York, N.Y.,
1953.
According to Ely and others, the story
goes something like this. Two soldiers were mustered out of the Army at
Fort McDowell in 1879. The young men decided to hike across the Salt
River and through the mountains to the Silver King Mine were they hoped
to gain employment. The reason they choose to hike across this country
was to save money.
Somewhere south of the Salt River in a
rugged canyon that was in view of a tall pointed peak, they found an old
Mexican mine and dump. They believed it to be a Mexican mine because of
the small tunnels that were only large enough for a man to crawl into
on his hands and knees.
The young soldiers, fearing Apaches in
the area, spent only enough time to fill their packs with what they
thought was high grade gold ore. They then departed the area and hiked
up the drainage of Tortilla Creek then down into Randolph Canyon and
eventually into what is known as Fraser Canyon today.
They eventually made their way to the
southeast, finally arriving at the Silver King Mine. The first person
they talked to at the Silver King was Aaron Mason. Mason at the time
operated the Silver King Commercial Mercantile Store. They told Mason
their story and showed him the samples of gold ore they had. Mason
immediately suggested he would grubstake them if they would go back and
locate the mine and claim. The two soldiers decided to rest and wait for
a while before making any deal with Mason. After a couple of weeks they
decided to take Mason up on his deal. They planned on returning to the
site of gold ore and staking a claim with all three of their names on
it. Mason grubstaked the soldiers and they left town. Mason never heard
from them again.
There are many stories as to what happen
to the soldiers. Some claim they never found a gold mine and used Mason
grubstake to make it to California to prospect for gold along the
American and Yuba Rivers. Others believe the soldiers were murdered
before they found their way back to the rich old Mexican mine and dump.
Another story that associates itself
with the Two Lost Soldier’s Mine occurred just east of the old Bark
Ranch (Quarter Circle U Ranch) in Pinal County. Matt Caveness built the
old stone house (barn) at the Bark Ranch in 1877. The old stone house
had rifle ports because Apaches still raided in those days. Caveness
sold the ranch to a man name Marlowe in 1878 or 1879. Marlowe tried to
make a living raising a few dairy cows and hauling the milk to the
Silver King mine to sell it.
The Marlowe boy was bringing in some
milk cows about a half-mile east of the Bark Ranch in 1880 when he found
a body along the trail. The man had been shot in the head. The boy said
the man was dressed like a soldier. The body was buried where it was
found. According to Gus Barkley the grave was dug up in 1907 or 1908.
The incident really upset Barkley and he ask Roy Bradford, who was
working for him at the time, to rebury the soldier. This was one of the
earliest references to the man being a soldier.
Some time in spring of 1954 my father
and I were visiting with Gus Barkley at the old Quarter Circle W (Three
R’s) just east of Dinosaur Mountain in what is now Gold Canyon. Gus
insisted the victim that lay in that grave was a soldier because of
military blouse he was wearing and the buttons on it. He further said
the Marlowe boy had told him the military buttons were clear indicators
of a mustered out military person. Anyone else could be accused of being
absent from duty.
Bill Finch, Arizona State Brand
Inspector, told several stories about the grave along this trail across
Bark’s Basin eastward toward Coffee Flat and Reid’s Water. This was the
main trail through the mountains to the Silver King Mine. The entire
trail was not suitable for a wagon once you entered Fraser Canyon just
beyond Reid’s Water. A team could turn down Whitlow Canyon and make its
way out through an area called the Milk Ranch and eventually to the
Silver King Road. However, it was a much shorter route up Fraser Canyon
and into Hewitt Canyon and eventually over the ridges to the Silver King
mine on horseback. Prospectors, miners and horsemen often used this
route in the 1880’s.
The story of this grave became a mystery
in itself over the years. Eventually the grave returned to nature and
was very difficult to recognize. William T. Barkley showed me the grave
site in 1959 while we were working cattle in the east pasture of the
ranch. I doubt very much I could find site today, but I probably could
come within two hundred feet of it.
To this
day the missing soldiers are still a story that attracts interest when
it comes to tales about the Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman
Mine.
