Madison County Gold Rush - (1858)

EVANS, SOMERS, TAYLOR, WEST

Posted By: Kent Transier (email)
Date: 7/2/2006 at 20:40:48

In the summer of 1858 small particles of gold were discovered in some of the black sand on our streams. As usual, the, discovery of gold produced great excitement, and wild and extravagant stories soon spread abroad of the rich beds and mines that had been discovered in Madison county.

John Taylor and others found a few small particles of dust and left them on exhibition at the banking house of A. West & Co. Rev. Thomas Evans found on his farm a lump worth ninety cents; and a report circulated far and near that one man had found a two hundred dollar lump near the Union county line.

A steamboat arrived at Des Moines, carrying quite a number of gold hunters who came to seek their fortunes in this new Eldorado. Fred Somers, an eminent jeweler of Winterset at that time, advertised that he had established an “Assay Office,” and that he was fully prepared to assay, smelt, or examine specimens of gold, &c. But the gold “diggins” soon played out, and we are sorry to add that nobody was the richer for It. Fine particles of gold dust, however, were found; and it can be found at any time along our streams, but not in quantities sufficient to pay for the trouble.

From: History and Business Diretory of Madison County, Iowa, by J. J. Davies, Mills & Company Printers and Publishers, Des Moines, Iowa 1869