THE DISCOVERY OF CRIPPLE CREEK.

The story of the discovery of Cripple Creek by Womack and Stratton is almost a household word, yet there are probably not a few who have never heard the particulars. The story has been vividly told by Mr. T. A. Rickard. The circumstances were briefly as follows:

Poverty Gulch Scene around 1930's

Bob Womack, a cowboy and prospector, found some float in Poverty gulch, sunk a shaft and succeeded in interesting Messrs. de La Vergne and Frisbee, in 1890, who took an option on what became later the El Paso and Gold King mines. These gentlemen showed Mr. W. S. Stratton, at that time a house builder and carpenter in Colorado Springs, and also a good prospector, some of the ore and he went up and camped at Cripple Creek, where he met Bob Womack and looked, over his property.

A prospector named Dick Houghton brought down a piece of rock from the Lone Star on Gold hill containing what he thought was galena. Stratton examining it with his microscope doubted its being galena, but saw in it cubes of rusty gold. He did not, however, recognize the silvery ore as telluride.

Stratton located a claim next to Houghton's. It is now part of the Gold and Globe property.

On the 5th of June, accompanied by Fred Troutman, he found some rich specimens of gold near some willows at the head of Wilson creek, where now the town of Goldfield is situated. They found no vein, although they trenched for it.

The trenches were dug in the wrong direction, paralleling what was later the Legal Tender, Lily and Vindicator.

An old prospector named Bill Fernay happened to come along and showed some float from the hill now known as Battle mountain, and Troutman and Stratton located the Black Diamond, now one of the claims included within the territory of the Portland mine.

Next day Stratton, endeavoring to trace the vein down the hill, came upon the prominent granite outcrop of the Independence, which can be easily seen today. He didn't like the looks of it, moreover his surface assays only ran $3 or $4. Then it suddenly occurred to him that the granite outcrop must be the lode.

He at once, on the Fourth of July, located the Washington and Independence. Assay samples carried on horseback to Colorado Springs returned $380 per ton; the rest of the story is simple. It records, says Mr. Richard, a steady development of one of the richest mines ever uncovered by the miner's pick.