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A NOTE TO THE READERS

 

            Following the publication of our book, The Gold of Carre-Shinob, in 1998, there was a renewal of interest in the Lost Rhoades Mines.  Treasure hunters and prospectors flooded onto the reservation and into the mountains in record numbers. Unfortunately, many of them entered the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation without permission, leaving behind a trail of destruction, cutting down trees and digging holes with reckless abandon.

 

            An attempt was made in The Gold of Carre-Shinob to discourage treasure hunters and prospectors from searching for the gold, but the lure of riches too often closes ears and minds to reason.  The gold of the Uintah Mountains belongs exclusively to the Ute people, for whom it is secured. Too long have they suffered from the encroachment of the white man upon their land and upon their sacred traditions.

 

            It is our hope that the readers of this book will learn the lesson of history from its pages. Illicit searches for the sacred gold of the Uintahs have brought about no greater reward than death and destruction, desolation and desecration.

 

            At the same time, we realize that any attempt to discourage treasure hunters and prospectors will be an excuse in futility. The lure of riches far surpasses any benefit of advice, and will more than likely only encourage the search further.

 

            Nevertheless, in the firm belief that most treasure hunters and prospectors are basically professional, we encourage all readers of this book with intentions to search for the Lost Rhoades Mines to seek permission of the Ute people before entering the reservation.  Respect their rights and traditions, and leave the land as you found it - - the most beautiful and sacred ground on earth.

 

 

                                                                                                            THE AUTHORS

 

  

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INTRODUCTION

This is where it all began: with Bill Mangum.

            When I was about eight or nine years old my grandfather Bill Mangum, of Heber City, Utah, often told us stories about his grandfather, F.W.C. Hathenbruck, and his gold mines. He said there were seven mines, but that his grandfather Hathenbruck had one in particular that he tried to develop.

            Hathenbruck had built a cabin in Granddaddy Basin, in the vicinity of the mine, which fell into disrepair over the years, and a pine tree grew on top of the cabin, out of the old collapsed dirt roof.

            The mine may not be close to the cabin, my grandfather Mangum said, but if you follow up the small stream nearby until it disappears into the mountain, you will find yourself in a bowl; you go around the bowl about two-thirds of the way and there you will find a hole. There are steps inside, going down into the entrance of the mine. Inside the entrance the mine opens up and there is a gold vein running through the wall of the mine. The vein, he said, ran from one-half inch thick to three-feet thick.

            There is a sacred Indian burial ground near the mine and the Indians watch this place very closely.

            My grandfather Mangum knew a great deal about his grandfather Hathenbruck’s mine, and when I was a boy he talked a lot about it. Then suddenly that changed. Bill said he was awakened from his sleep one night to discover an Indian standing in his room. He was in full dress, like a chieftain, with a headdress as pure and white as a brilliant snow. The Indian spoke to him and said, “Bill, do not go to the place of the mines, for you and your family will be in danger.” After this experience, it was hard to get my grandfather to talk about the mines anymore. He became very close-mouthed and would never say anything of value again concerning the mines.

            On one occasion I was with my grandfather Mangum up near the Yellowstone River, and not far from the Uintah River. He looked up towards a nearby hill and said, “This is the location of one of the mines.” Then he drove on and said no more about it.

            All of my life I have heard stories of the Lost Rhoades Mines and of the part my ancestor, F.W.C. Hathenbruck, played in their history. It has stimulated a life-long interest in the lost mines. I have spent many years in the mountains, searching out old trails, Spanish symbols carved into trees and ledges, and other remnants of early mining activity. I have been to the ruins of Hathenbruck’s old cabin, and I have managed to collect many family photos and papers relating to Hathenbruck and the mines.

            There have been a number of books written on the subject of the Lost Rhoades Mines, but to date, the only book to detail the history of F.W.C. Hathenbruck has been Footprints in the Wilderness: A History of the Lost Rhoades Mines, by Gale R. Rhoades and Kerry Ross Boren. However, there has been no definitive history of F.W.C. Hathenbruck, and so it was I decided to collaborate with Kerry Ross Boren and his co-author, Lisa Lee Boren to present the complete account of the remarkable life of F.W.C. Hathenbruck and his connection to the Lost Rhoades Mines.

            The new information, together with previously unpublished maps, affords many new clues to treasure hunters, but perhaps even more importantly, it serves to protect the heretofore unknown history of one of the most remarkable men of his age.

                                                                                                            Randy Lewis

FORWARD

 

            The seventy-six year old man had fallen on hard times.  In 1928 he was selling sewing machines and insurance policies door-to door in order to eke out a meager living.  He was a familiar sight on the tree-lined streets of Provo, Utah.  It was hard not to notice him.  He wore an old tweed suit with matching vest, mended by one of his sewing machines to patch the holes where moths had made a recent meal.  Where once he had an arm, his right sleeve hung limp and vacant.  His neatly-trimmed and carefully-groomed goatee was white with age.  He carried his paperwork in a tattered old carpetbag with his only arm, and knocked on doors with the toe of his shoe.  He would set his bag down in order to take off his hat to the lady of the house.  He exhibited the refined manners and decorum of an aristocrat, and spoke softly with a slight German accent.  The distinguished-looking old gentleman was renowned for his gentle nature and benevolent largesse, in spite of his recent poverty.  It was quite a come-down from the lofty  pinnacle of success and prestige he had once achieved, and a paradox -- because F.W.C. Hathenbruck had the potential to be the wealthiest man in the world!

            F.W.C. Hathenbruck was a man of mystery.  He carried in his breast two secrets of immense proportions, either of which, if made known,  could alter the history of the world.  The first of these secrets concerned his birth and parentage.  The second of these secrets concerned the Lost Rhoades Mine.  Hathenbruck seldom discussed either, with good reason--for many years his life depended on it.  He had been forced into exile because of his illegitimacy.  His birth became a threat to one great nation and an embarrassment to another.  His knowledge of the Rhoades mine and his partnership with Caleb Rhoades made him a liability to both, and in the end prevented him from claiming it.

            In 1971, I co-authored the landmark book Footprints in the Wilderness: A History of the Lost Rhoades Mines with my cousin Gale R. "Dusty" Rhoades, great-grandson of Thomas Rhoades,  original discoverer of the mine.  It was the first history written about the now famous lost gold mines.  At that time, very little was known about the legendary mines,  which were then better known as the "Lost Brigham Young Mines."  Since that time, a number of accounts of the mines have been written,  including a posthumous account by my late cousin Gale Rhoades, who lost his life searching for the mines in 1988.

            In 1998, after nearly thirty years of silence concerning the Lost Rhoades Mines, I wrote The Gold of Carre-Shinob, co-authored with my wife Lisa Lee Boren.  This book revealed for the first time the association of Montezuma's treasure with the Rhoades Mines.  It also presented for the first time the much neglected perspective of the Ute Indians on dealing with the mines.

            When I wrote The Gold of Carre-Shinob I never intended to write another book about the mines, believing not only that another book on the topic would be redundant, but because my life has been literally cursed by association with the mines.  However, in the interim, a great deal of new information presented itself, offering not only new insight into the history of the legendary mines, but many new clues to their location.

            I also determined to include with the text some pertinent information and clues withheld from my previous works, together with the reproduction of numerous maps which have long been kept from public scrutiny.  But the basis of the book revolves around the history of the very remarkable character F.W.C. Hathenbruck, together with his many notes, letters and papers gathered into one place for easy reference, for those who wish to search them for clues to the location of the famous mine.

            There are a number of mines connected with Thomas and Caleb Rhoades.  This book deals primarily with one of them, the Spanish mine which was the focus of interest by Rhoades and Hathenbruck, ostensibly rich enough, according to Caleb Rhoades, to pay off the national debt with enough surplus to pave the streets of New York City with gold!  This mine is definitely located in the upper Rock Creek-Granddaddy Lakes Basin area, and the clues offered herein are specific.  The Hathenbruck Legacy completes the series of informative books about the Lost Rhoades Mines.  Every attempt has been made to frankly present the evidence connected with this particular mine as completely as possible.

            No complete account of the mines can be made in one volume.  I have attempted to include as much pertinent information as possible, in the limited space.  However, there are some things I will never tell, some clues I will never give, in deference to oaths taken and promises made to certain parties.

            I am neither a treasure hunter nor a prospector.  I have perhaps a peculiar overview.  My interests are primarily concerned with history.  It might surprise the reader to hear that I would prefer the mines remain forever hidden and undiscovered.  To my mind, the greatest treasure that can be found in the Uintah Mountains are the mountains themselves.  Having been born and raised there, I am adamantly opposed to any destruction and desecration of their natural beauty and splendor by mining or "progress."

            Moreover, I believe unequivocally that the gold of the Uintah Mountains belongs exclusively to the Ute Indians for whom it is sacred.  I intend to forever honor the sacred trust they have placed in me.

            I have had the rare privilege of seeing some marvelous things connected to the Lost Rhoades Mines; for me it is enough.

            Someone once asked me: "If these mines are so famous and so rich, why hasn't anyone ever found one?"  The answer is simple: Someone did--F.W.C. Hathenbruck.

 

  Kerry Ross  &  Lisa Lee Boren