In the fall of 1876, John Saber, a successful businessman from Georgia, came to Prescott Arizona to try his luck at gold mining. John Saber bought many mining claims along Lynx Creek, but he didn't care how crowded the place was and he wanted to find a better place to produce gold than Lynx Creek.
By the spring of 1877, Saber left Prescott for the dangerous Bradshaw Mountains alone with his horse and a few supplies and a load of mining equipment. Within a month he returned to town with two saddlebags full of gilded fancy quartz. He bought two more animals and loaded them with as many supplies as he could and even more mining equipment.
A captain stationed at Ft Whipple requested that the explorer be escorted up Rose Peak (now Antelope Peak) with his troop, as the Apache had recently been active in the mountains.
Saber agreed and stated that his recent discovery was only a few days from Rose Peak. Once on the summit and encamped for two days, the military escort continued their patrol, and Saber returned to his mine. This was the last time the citizens of Prescott saw John Saber alive.
In late summer, a Chinese laborer collecting firewood from one of the many mining camps was next to a dead man, his horse and an animal, sitting upright against a ponderosa pine, severely dehydrated. When the others arrived, they saw that this was the man's camp, and that there was no foul play. On examining the dead man's clothes, they found documents, a book and a pocket watch identifying the man as John Saber.
Upon closer inspection, they could see the cause of death, Saber was bitten by a Rattlesnake and died a slow, painful death.
One of Saber's packs contained 100 pounds of crushed rich gold ore ready to be smelted. Obviously he was going to town to properly test his discovery and even stake a legal claim, but sadly never did.
Bradshaw was active with Apache mining camps and raiding local ranches, making no attempt to locate his mines during that time.
The Saber Mine has never been found and the only real clue we have is that it was a day's ride from Rose Peak (now Antelope Peak). If this mine was discovered, I believe it would be quite a discovery!
#blurt #blurtstory #geekpranee #waterfall #lost #smartest #mine #srilanka