There had been reports of gold in the Rocky Mountains since the time of the Conquistadors. John Ralston had found a little in Arvada in 1849. But no one had gotten rich. William Green Russell and some other successful Georgia miners decided to come to the Rocky Mountains and find lots of gold. They left Georgia on February 17, 1858, and after four months on the road, they got to the banks of Cherry Creek on June 24. They came following the Santa Fe Trail to the Cherokee Trail. On July 3rd, most gave up and returned home. Thirteen remained. These people were convinced gold was here and were determined to find it. A few weeks later, James Pierce, Russell’s cousin, found about $400 worth of gold at the mouth of Little Dry Creek in Englewood. On the last day of July, a whisky trader and complete stranger, John Cantrell, a former California 49er himself, rode into the Dry Creek camp and not only visited for a week but, upon his departure to Kansas City, took a bag of Jim Pierce’s gold-bearing gravel and dirt with him. Arriving in Kansas City with his pouch of pay dirt, Cantrell had it assayed and the value attested. On August 26, the Kansas City Journal of Commerce headlines of August 26, 1858, stated:  Gold in Kansas Territory!! The Pike's Peak Mines! First Arrival of Gold Dust at Kansas City!!!" Wild West Podcast proudly presents Gold & The Overland Trail, excerpts from Rush to the Rockies, 1859, by Anges Wright Spring.Support the showCattle Drives WebsiteLegends of Dodge City WebsiteOrder Books