vacation tours pegleg or peralta? - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

came back and without speaking, sat
around until everyone was gone. Then
he began pulling at a buckskin thong,
the one end of which was fastened to
his belt, the other end tied to a small
buckskin sack which he kept concealed
inside his overalls. He emptied the contents
upon the counter; nuggets, gold
nuggets, a big handful of them! Some
as large as the first joint of my finger."
Again, although he stated the location
was in the Uintah Mountains, he would
only smile when asked for more details.
Today, the mountains show evidence
of the Spaniards having once been there.
They left their treasure symbols engraved
deep on rocks and trees; they abandoned
several of their heavy cannons in their
speedy departure, and they left their
sturdy log cabins and livestock corrals
behind to rot under many years of heavy
snows. Other discoveries made by prospectors
and range riders add new substance
to the age-old mystery: several
burro hoofs and a Spaniard's skull were
unearthed near a creek many years ago;
an old Indian discovered a small brass
mule bell which had the inscriptions,
"1878—SAICNELEGIER, CHIANTEL,
FONDEUR"—the bell also had two
Spanish crosses on it. This author also
discovered an old handmade gold pan
of Spanish origin near Cabin Creek, another
section of the Uintahs.
Someday a lucky soul will hit it rich;
whether it be from the buried cache of
gold or from one of the rich gold mines
that still lie hidden in the silence of the
Uintah Mountains. •
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34 / Desert Magazine / July, 1968
Old mine entrance just off the Rock Creek Road near the Lower Still Waters
of Rock Creek, and near the area of the Spanish massacre.
"Vandals!"