SEPTEMBER 2016 THE GOLD TREE Thought Leader Crossword Puzzle EDM Without Reflectors 2nd NCEES meeting Just for surveyors Accuracies and errors » JERRY PENRY, PS he Wildcat Hills are a scenic area of buttes and evidence that at certain times a military escort accompanied them canyons forested with pine and cedar located in the for protection from the Indians. Fairfield is credited as the surveyor Panhandle region of Nebraska between the North who subdivided T20N-R56W in the late summer of 1873. Platte River and Pumpkin Creek. In the 1830-60’s, On August 19, 1873, while surveying east on a random line at early emigrants passed through the northern region 6.00 chains across the north line of Section 25, Fairfield’s crew of the Wildcat Hills en route to the Pacific Northwest on the reached the western edge of a canyon which offered a magnificent now famous Oregon Trail. Unique sandstone formations rise up view of the country for many miles to the east. Just ahead, near a hundreds of feet above the surrounding landscape. Many promi- small spring fed creek, stood a cedar tree so large that it defied their nent landmarks such as Courthouse Rock, Chimney Rock, Scotts imagination. At 33.00 chains, the crew tied in the tree and found it Bluff, and Mitchell Pass were reference points for travelers as they to be 2 chains south of their line. Fairfield stated in his notes that it progressed westward. was the largest cedar tree he had ever seen. The crew measured its The General Land Office surveys in this area commenced in the circumference to be 33 links (21.78’) and scribed upon it Sec. 25, Twp early 1870’s after several hundred thousand people had already 20, Range 56. The crew continued east and intersected LaMunyan’s passed through. One particular township, T20N-R56W, located east range line at 80.70 chains. Returning west on true line, a approximately 10 miles south of the present-day city of Gering, had limestone was placed at the proportional distance of 40.35 chains its exterior lines run by the crew of Ira W. LaMunyan in October for the N ¼ Corner of Section 25. of 1872. Lamunyan typically worked joint contracts with another One year later in 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills deputy surveyor named George W. Fairfield. Together, the two region of southwestern Dakota Territory. The gold was rumored crews had a large force of men working in the Wildcat Hills. There is to be so abundant that thousands of fortune seekers raced to the Displayed with permission • The American Surveyor • September 2016 • Copyright 2016 Cheves Media • www.Amerisurv.com The Gold Tree area that belonged to the great Sioux Indian Nation. The Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876 gave rise to the immediate establishment of mining camps and frontier towns like Custer and Deadwood. As the gold was extracted, it had to be routinely shipped to the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska. Stage coaches along the Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage Line were the only means available to ship the gold. This line had two routes from Deadwood. One went southwest to the Union Pacific Railroad at Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the other south to Sidney, Nebraska. Special armored coaches known as “treasure coaches” were lined with steel plates and had strong boxes bolted to the stage. They sometimes carried up to a quarter of a million dollars in gold bars, nuggets, and dust in iron. Naturally, these coaches became prime targets for outlaws on the three day journey to the railroad. One of the more notorious treasure coach robberies occurred on September 28, 1878, when five bandits held up the coach and escaped with $27,000 in gold. Most of the gold was eventually recovered, but a legend said that at least two bars were still out there. A typical gold bar measured 10” long, 6” wide, and 5” thick. Other smaller robberies Displayed with permission • The American Surveyor • September 2016 • Copyright 2016 Cheves Media • www.Amerisurv.com The Gold Tree An old roll of woven fence wire rests in one of the many depressions in the area where early fortune seekers dug for the legendary gold. to locate the large tree. In exchange, he proposed cutting Pitcher in on the deal. Records do not indicate whether Pitcher was part of Fairfield’s crew in 1873 when the large cedar tree was discovered. All of the crew’s names were not listed in the notes. Pitcher might have learned about the tree from those he worked with while employed by Fairfield. Regardless, Pitcher immedi- ately recalled the cedar tree, but incorrectly recollected it marking an actual section corner since it had been scribed upon. The distance to Gering from Rushville was over 100 miles. Pitcher travelled to Gering by wagon where he tarried several days for the Denver man to arrive. Although occurred, but by 1886 the railroads reached decided to stay in western Nebraska. He the man never showed, Pitcher decided to the Black Hills and the days of the treasure eventually settled near Rushville where he find the tree himself. With the tree stated coach ended. became the Sheridan County surveyor. in the GLO notes and it marked on the By 1883, most of the GLO surveys were Sometime later, Pitcher received an township plat, the location was identified. completed in Nebraska. With the stage line unexpected letter from a Denver man who After proceeding to the location, Pitcher still in operation at this time, the location claimed to have knowledge of a large quan- found the tree already cut down, probably of the route and various stage stops were tity of gold taken during a stage robbery and used for fence posts. Pitcher returned home recorded on the plats. The surveyors who buried a certain distance and direction from to Rushville where another letter from the travelled west to work on the crews gener- a very large marked cedar tree. The Denver man in Denver had arrived in his absence. ally returned east to their homes. Solomon man wanted to meet Pitcher in Gering The letter stated that he had been ill and Pitcher, a compassman on Fairfield’s crew, and use Pitcher’s knowledge of surveying unable to travel, but wanted to meet on a Carl Gilbert obtains a position on the original 1873 GLO stone at the N ¼ Corner of Section 25, T20N, T56W, 6PM. Displayed with permission • The American Surveyor • September 2016 • Copyright 2016 Cheves Media • www.Amerisurv.com This large cedar, most likely from a seed of the legendary tree, pales in comparison to the 7-foot diameter tree that was once in this area and noted by the GLO surveyors. L. Shumway, story recounted that a man named Carr authored a three with the help of others had removed many volume set titled cubic yards of earth attempting to find the History of Western gold. Perhaps this was the famed Sheriff Jeff Nebraska and Its Carr from Cheyenne. The flurry of activity People. Shumway around the location of the famed tree was was a friend enough to build the story into a legend. of Nebraska Gold fever struck the minds of many men State Surveyor who all endeavored to be the one to recover Robert Harvey the gold. and frequently When I first read about the gold recorded historical near the legendary cedar tree, I gave it tales from the little credence. A cedar tree over 7 feet in different date. Considering himself played surveyor. Volume II retold the story of a diameter would truly be an amazing record. for a fool after having invested a consider- 7-foot diameter cedar tree in the Wildcat The current record for an Eastern red cedar able amount of time and expense, Pitcher Hills that marked the location of a large in Nebraska is 2.9 feet in diameter. A state did not continue the “wild goose chase”. quantity of gold and how Solomon Pitcher arborist could not rule out the possible Pitcher later moved to California where he had been contacted to assist in finding it. existence of a cedar 7 feet in diameter, but died in 1920. The story, however, is contradictory stating stated it would have had to have been over In 1921, western historian and State both that the stump had never been located 500 years old. Most of the early trees in Commissioner of Public Lands, Grant and that Pitcher had found the stump. The western Nebraska were kept in check by Displayed with permission • The American Surveyor • September 2016 • Copyright 2016 Cheves Media • www.Amerisurv.com Top: George Fairfield’s N ¼ Corner of Section 25, T20N, R56W, still bears the markings made by his crew in 1873. The famed cedar was S85°50’W - 7.70 chains from this corner. Bottom: Carl Gilbert takes notes while landowner Rick Henderson holds the recovered stone which was measured and then replaced where found. I contacted Carl Gilbert who is the county surveyor of Banner County in the Wildcat Hills. He, in turn, contacted the landowner, 71-year-old Rick Henderson, to obtain permission to search for original section corners on his property. Although I had disclosed the story about the gold and that the noted tree was assuredly at the right location, I waited to see what the landowner would reveal when we all met in person. Almost immediately, Henderson recalled the stories passed down to him by his father and grandfather. The land had been in the Henderson family since 1906, so the legend was well known to the family.