Silver Bar Found North of Government Well

[cubfan64]

Moderator Note: This topic was split off from another topic and moved here.


I don't have Oren Arnolds first edition book which is the one I would like to read. I'll go through it this fall at Greg's when I get the chance.

I came across a photo of Frank Lewis with a silver bar supposedly found near his claims by Government Well - I can attach that if you'd like.

[Jim Hatt]

I came across a photo of Frank Lewis with a silver bar supposedly found near his claims by Government Well - I can attach that if you'd like.

I SURE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT!!!

I have a pencil rubbing (that I made myself) of a silver bar that was found by Carl Boderick in the same area in the late 50's.

It would be very interesting to compare them. I will find it and post it in this topic.

Best,

Jim

P.S. There numerous copies of Oren Arnold's Ghost Gold on Amazon.com starting at $5.78.

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-gold-Oren-A ... 0811100723

Note: Paul... I'm not sure the first edition of Ghost Gold would be the best one to have in this case. Sina Lewis did not die until 1958 and Arnold "may" not have met her yet when his first edition came out in '54. I will see if I can find out which edition had her photo in it. That would be the one to look for.

[Jim Hatt]

From my notes on Carl Boderick's Silver bar...





Tom Kollenborn also did a story in his Kollenborn Chronicles about a wagon load of silver bars that were stolen from the Silver King Mine, and buried on the side of a wash, somewhere North of Government Well.

I have never been able to connect any of the writing on the bar to the Sliver King Mine, but maybe someone else can?


Best,

Jim

[cubfan64]

Sheesh - I think I've been working too much lately Jim. The photo I have IS actually Carl Broderick holding that silver bar. I know I looked at that photo several times recently and every time I did I saw the "Lewis claim" area that it was found in and my mind must have convinced me it was Lewis that found it.

If you'd still like me to post the photo of Carl and the silver bar I will - but I suspect you've already seen it.

Sorry about that - boy I'm really slipping lately with mind/memory things

Paul

[Jim Hatt]

Sure Paul POST IT!

I am thinking the photo you have might have been taken by Steve Barrick on the day the bar was found. I will be able to tell when I see it.

Best,

Jim

[cubfan64]

This photo came from Jane Eppinga's book "Images of America - Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains." The caption beside the photo reads:

Carl Broderick holds a silver ingot that he said came from the area around the Lewis claim, near Government Wells, on the Apache Trail. (Courtesy of Greg Davis.)

[Jim Hatt]

Paul,

That's Carl alright! And in my opinion that IS the same Silver Bar we have been talking about. Obviously that is not the photo Barrick took that I was thinking of. That photo was taken in the back yard of a house I used to rent on Starr Road, when I lived in Apache Junction. Carl was my next door neighbor for about 5 years.

On a side note: When Carl came to AZ after WWII, he lived for several years (in a camper) on the Martin Ranch right across the road from Herman Petrasch. Although Carl considered them to be close. Herman never told Carl anything that he didn't tell everyone else that came to see him (about the LDM). Carl said Herman had a "prepared speech" that he told everyone, and he told it almost exactly the same every time. When he was done with that speech... He was done talking about the LDM!


Best,

Jim

[cubfan64]

Man it would have been great to have met some of those old timers and just sat around shooting the shit with them

I'm going to do a little searching and see if I can find a good publishing year for Ghost Gold and order it. Doug Stewart's site has fairly good information about each edition that might help me decide.

Thanks,

Paul

[LDMGOLD]

This story of the silver bars near the Lewis Claim along SR 88 (Apache Trail) brings back lots of old memories. Like Jim I knew Steve Barrick and Carl Boderick quite well and had visited with them many times over the years. My friends the Martins knew both of the men well also. Like Jim said in a post, many years ago I wrote an article about the so-called silver heist along one of the roads from the Silver King Mine to the Pinal Mill along Queen Creek. As I recall no smelting of silver ore was done at the Pinal Mill. The concentrate was sent to San Francisco if I recall correctly. Now the question remains where did the silver bullion come from. Silver was mined at the old Dominion Mine in Globe and smelted there. However, silver was smelted it 400-600 pound ingots so they were not easy to steal. I have not yet been able to determine where Carl Boderick came up with the silver bar in this story. On several occasions I have visited with Carl Boderick and Andy Syndbad out at the Martin Ranch several decades ago. It was during the mid and late 1950's when I worked for the Barkley Cattle Company. I just thought I would add my comments to this story.

Tom K. 10.08.15

[LDMGOLD]

This story of the silver bars near the Lewis Claim along SR 88 (Apache Trail) brings back lots of old memories. Like Jim I knew Steve Barrick and Carl Boderick quite well and had visited with them many times over the years. My friends the Martins knew both of the men well also. Like Jim said in a post, many years ago I wrote an article about the so-called silver heist along one of the roads from the Silver King Mine to the Pinal Mill along Queen Creek. As I recall no smelting of silver ore was done at the Pinal Mill. The concentrate was sent to San Francisco if I recall correctly. Now the question remains where did the silver bullion come from. Silver was mined at the old Dominion Mine in Globe and smelted there. However, silver was smelted it 400-600 pound ingots so they were not easy to steal. I have not yet been able to determine where Carl Boderick came up with the silver bar in this story. On several occasions I have visited with Carl Boderick and Andy Syndbad out at the Martin Ranch several decades ago. It was during the mid and late 1950's when I worked for the Barkley Cattle Company. I just thought I would add my comments to this story.

Tom K. 10.08.15