Legends surround New York Mountains

The New York Mountains are the subject of several legends. One such story tells of a cave located in the range that is rich with treasure consisting of gold bullion that was hidden there by a party of nomadic Indians. Photo by Leslie Payne/Special to View

The New York Mountains are located just a few miles south of the Nevada-California border. Behind a thick growth of yucca on a steep, clifflike side of these mountains there is a cave, large enough, it is said, to hold a herd of cattle.

In this cave is a rich treasure consisting of gold bullion and dust, hidden there by a nomadic party of American Indians.

According to the legend, a party of immigrants and a number of friendly Indians were traveling through the mountains in search of a spot in which to establish a settlement.

They found no place to their satisfaction, but they did find gold and accumulated a great quantity of it, which they packed on their horses for transport back to San Bernardino County.

Weaving their way through the lower reaches of the mountains on the return trip, they were suddenly attacked by a band of Indians who were more interested in capturing horses than in stealing the gold.

In the surprise of the attack, the horses were successfully driven off, but the heavily armed settlers put up such a stubborn fight that the Indians withdrew. Driving the stolen horses before them, the marauders fled to the safety of a mountainside cave.

From this stronghold they were able to hold out against the counter attack of the settlers.

The band of immigrants finally reached San Bernardino, where they spread the news of the gold they had found and then lost to the hostile Indians. It was assumed that having no use for the treasure, the Indians would leave it in the cave, but no one in the group of settlers was interested in returning for it.

During the battle, many of the Indians had been killed, and those injured were left to heal or die. Ricocheting bullets had also killed a number of horses and cattle. The area around the cave, then, would be marked with the bleached bones of men and animals.

In modern times, two cowhands were rounding up some cattle in the New York Mountains when a calf suddenly disappeared behind a manzanita bush. An investigation led to the discovery of a cave entrance.

As the cowboys cautiously entered, they discovered bones of animals scattered over the floor.

They suspected there might be something else hidden in the cave, but having a dread superstition of treasure that did not belong to them, they rode away with no further search.

When other ranchers heard of the cave from the two men, they conducted a search and found nothing. What happened to the gold taken from the immigrants' horses? Your guess is as good as any.

The cave treasure story was told to me many years ago by a prospector friend of my grandfather. He was known as a truthful man and claimed to have searched for the cave, never finding it.

He also told me a tale of a lost mine in the Ivanpah Mountains, which follows:

A party of Paiute Indians was returning from their camp on the Clark Mountains to another near the northern slopes of the Ivanpahs.

They had escorted a group of Eastern hunters to the Clarks and were riding leisurely homeward. They followed the Indian custom of traveling in as straight a line as possible.

A few miles north of the Ivanpah Mountains, the Indians came upon the skeletons of three men bleached by the sun and scattered over a wide area by predatory animals.

In their midst, the Indians found a shallow mining shaft and some tools, utensils and a small pile of ore generously sprinkled with gold. They picked up a few of the larger pieces to take home with them.

Skirting the western side of the Ivanpahs, they came to a waterhole at the north end of Whiskey Springs Mountains, where they stopped for the night. Later that evening, an old prospector stopped to fill his canteen. He paused to chat with the friendly Indians and noticed the few rocks they carried.

Examining one with a true prospector's curiosity, he saw at once that it was rich with gold. Not wanting to arouse the Indians' interest, he carelessly tossed it aside, saying it had no value.

That night, he camped a short distance away, and in the morning when he saw the Indians break camp and ride away, he returned to their campsite. As he had hoped, they had left the few pieces of ore.

He now examined the rocks thoroughly and verified his first opinion. Knowing the Indians had come from the direction of Clark Mountains, he started to backtrack them. It was not difficult until he came to the high, rocky country north of the Ivanpahs, where all signs were lost in the boulders. He had to give up for the moment.

In San Bernardino, the ore he had kept assayed out at $2,000 a ton. He told no one where he had secured it.

Soon, he returned to the area and continued to search.

The years passed and he grew old. Still he searched, and then the day came when he could no longer stand the rigorous life.

Now he told others, including my grandfather's friend.

They also searched but never found the skeletons, the lost shaft, nor any other traces. I have searched the area often, but to no avail.

The far reaches of the New York and Ivanpah Mountains hold many secrets.

Some are small, such as an intricately chipped arrowhead or a bottle purpled by a long exposure to the sun's rays.

Other secrets are larger and more mysterious -- lost mines, caches of gold, perhaps a camp or two so remote that men of this century have yet to discover it.

Perhaps the next seeker to enter the beckoning canyons and hidden valleys will uncover a forgotten bonanza. It could be you or me.

Florine Lawlor is a native Las Vegan and a former writer for the Las Vegas Sun and Senior Press.