The Lost Sublett Mine

Great story Seldom, I had never heard of it either. I really enjoy the ones that are based solidly on real people, makes them much more interesting knowing the events really happened and not just exaggerated fireside tales.

Here's the rub, even if this area had no history or evidence of mining Sublett found gold. I'm thinking occam's razor here, the simplest logical explanation is usually the right one.

The points below are key suppositions taken from the above tale.

If the spaniards had mined there you would likely have had some evidence and historical reference of some type so if there is none that lets them out.

Also if the gold was naturally occuring there would likely be some evidence of mining activities in the area.

The Apaches used the area as a refuge, and were known for being very protective of such.

The Apaches were said to have hoarded precious metals taken in raids.

Sublett had a free pass with the Apaches or was extremely sneaky or extremely lucky.


Sounds to me like Sublett may have found a market dealing with the Apaches is most likely. Perhaps he was able to broker a trade deal with them for items (ammo guns whiskey food blankets ?) they could not get since they were basically at war and they paid in gold coins and nuggets from thier raids or older hoards. If he kept his word and was patient and honest with them they may have come to trust him and value his services, letting him take gold up front to purchase items. Would be interesting to see if he made any large purchases of bulk items. Likely the Apaches would have taken care of anyone tailing Sublett, hence he was never successfully followed.

Either that or he was sneaky enough to waltz into their land for years, find a mine or a hoard and take what he wanted without them knowing or killing him, which is unlikely in my opinion.

Great stuff 

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Sounds to me like Sublett may have found a market dealing with the Apaches is most likely. Perhaps he was able to broker a trade deal with them for items (ammo guns whiskey food blankets ?) they could not get since they were basically at war and they paid in gold coins and nuggets from thier raids or older hoards. If he kept his word and was patient and honest with them they may have come to trust him and value his services, letting him take gold up front to purchase items. Would be interesting to see if he made any large purchases of bulk items. Likely the Apaches would have taken care of anyone tailing Sublett, hence he was never successfully followed.




That is a good theory and a new one or one I have never heard are thought about.
But there is always a but sorry. Ben told 2 others how to find the mine both did one was killed by a horse soon after he returned with gold and the other found it and used the money to go on a long drunk waking up broke he could never find it again. Plus Ben showed his son the mine and Roth spend his whole life looking for it.

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Transcribed from the Texas State Histerical marker... (I've often found these markers need to be taken with a grain of salt)

The State of Texas Official Ben Sublett Historical Marker
220 North Grandview Ave, Odessa Tesas

State of Texas Historical Survey Committee

William C. Sublett
Born in 1835 in Alabama.  Moved to North Texas before the Civil War, in which he served as a Confederate. After his wife died in 1874, he went to the Texas frontier to hunt buffalo.  Taking his three young children with him.  in 1881-1882 he supplied game to the Texas and Pacific Railroad construction crews.  Such hunting was important to the development of West Texas, and to the transcontinental railroad construction.

Settling later in Odessa, Sublett built near this site a dugout and tent home, and homesteaded a 160 acre claim. To support his family, he hauled wood and "water-witched" to locate wells for settlers.

In the 1880's he attracted notice by using gold nuggets to trade for supplies.  In explanation he said an apache Indian had directed him to a mine in the the Guadalupe Mountains, about 150 miles west of here. Periodically he disappeared and returned with Gold, but efforts to follow him to the mine always failed.  He once took his young son there, but the boy could not find the way later. In 1889, Sublett sold his Ector county property.  He died January 6, 1892 in Barstow without disclosing the location of his mine.  However, stories of his treasure still lure explorers into the Guadalupe Mountains.


Posted on: April 06, 2011, 02:34:38 PM

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Here is a picture of the marker and related storyboard.

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According to family geneaology the C stand s for Caldwell. William Caldwell Sublett. Caldwell was his father's name.



Posted on: April 06, 2011, 04:01:09 PM

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More tidbits

William Caldwell Sublett

Sources: Ethel Harris (PITT) family bible; 1850 census Benton Co. Arkansas, 1850 census Washington county, Fayetteville, Arkansas P436B line 5.
William somehow attained the "nickname" of "Ben" Sublett, the character associated with the fabled "Lost Sublett Gold Mine". Supposedly an "Old Spanish gold mine" in or near the Guadalupe Mountains in Southern New Mexico was found by William where he spent the last several years of his life visiting and extracting gold while exerting great efforts to keep its location secret. He succeeded so well that his secret died with him. No one known of since then has found the treasure.
From Jim Sublett, a distant cousin:
William Caldwell Sublett served in the Texas Rangers from 20 Jan1860 to
9Sept1860 under Captain Edward Burlson's Company.
Upon learning about the Civil War, he returned to Arkansas and
joined Gordon's Regiment, AR Cav, as a Pvt in Company F.



Posted on: April 06, 2011, 04:24:19 PM

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One more then I'm done for a bit

William Caldwell Sublett was born on 25 Sep 1834 in , Franklin, Tennessee. He died on 6 Jan 1892 in Barstow, Ward, Texas. He was buried in Jan 1892 in Odessa, Ector, Texas. He married Laura Louisa Denny in 1869 in Franklin, Tennessee.

[Notes]
Laura Louisa Denny was born on 24 Mar 1847 in Fayetteville, Washington, Arkansas. She died on 6 Nov 1873. She married William Caldwell Sublett in 1869 in Franklin, Tennessee.

[Notes]
They had the following children:

   F i Olive Sublett
   F ii Jenny Cornelia Sublett
   M iii Rolth Ross Sublett


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rolth Ross Sublett was born on 5 May 1873 in Bowie, Montague, Tx. He died on 13 Oct 1953 in Artesia, Eddy, Nm. He was buried on 14 Oct 1953 in Artesia, Eddy, Nm. He married Bertie Boron on 18 Jul 1931 in Carlsbad, Eddy, Nm. The marriage ended in divorce.

[Notes]
Bertie Boron was born on 23 Dec 1885 in Coleman City, Coleman, Tx. She married Rolth Ross Sublett on 18 Jul 1931 in Carlsbad, Eddy, Nm. The marriage ended in divorce.



Posted on: April 06, 2011, 04:29:30 PM

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Rolth Ross Sublett

Rolth married, divorced, and remarried Bertie Boron several times. She alternately married and divorced back and forth between Rolth and another man. Rolth (went by "Ross") visited the fabled "Sublett Gold Mine" with his father as a youngster and spent most of his life unsuccessfully searching for this and other "lost treasures" around the Guadalupes and the Seven Rivers area.

Buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Artesia, New Mexico



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Thanks Hardluck. It was an interesting journey in which I ended up throwing away my early assumptions just by understanding more about the man.

After reading some of his exploits I've changed my opinion on Sublett. He wasn't just a family man trying to survive so much as an outdoorsman trying raise a family alone. I think he lived sparsely in those early years out of habit more than neccessity. It feels like he tried to settle down with the wife and raise a family but after her death and a few attempts at farming it just didn't stick.

          "In early 1881, while operating from the temporary railhead at Colorado (later Colorado City), he discovered gold dust and nuggets somewhere in the Pecos River country at a site he contended was a mine; he would not divulge the location."

Anyone have any decent railroad maps showing a line running close to colorado city? He was a scout and hunter for the railroad being built so I would think following the line would give a decent search area where he may have encountered the mine.

Incidentally Colorado City, Odessa, and Monahans are almost straight in line with each other. If you had a mine like that wouldn't you move as close as possible?

Posted on: April 07, 2011, 08:24:24 AM

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Someone needs to go hunt down this Texas sized map 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,22611.msg161212.html#msg161212

Lets look at some known facts and add some wrecking crew logic.

We know Ben had a source for wealth but was it all gold? Remember the banker W E Connell stated several times that after one of Ben's trips he deposited 1 thousand dollars in the bank. There is no record of Ben selling gold to anyone. Ben went into the area for 3 to 4 days and would return with 1000 bucks, now in them days that would be about 50 pounds of gold thats a lot of nuggets to collect in a day or two and pack out of some rough country.
Plus there are only a couple of eye witness accounts of Ben having gold he had wealth but few saw any gold.
I have held off posting this info as I have lost the source (Newspaper article) but I did post it the other day on a different thread so will here also.
In the 1930's an area newspaper reported the finding of several Wells Fargo boxes like the ones used to transport gold and cash in the area that Ben operated in. Until I can find the source this is just a legend but I have based my theory that Ben found an outlaw cache and was slowly withdrawing from it on this article.
The other theory I like is Ben found an Indian cache of gold and was taking from it.
As for Ben trading contraband to the Indians I find very interesting and think it need more research.
Ben having a mine has no merit in my opinion, the area is not geology suited for any hard rock mining and a placer in that area producing 50 pounds of gold in a day or two is not a placer it $%#& El Dorado.     
 

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