Thirty-five years ago, at some horse corrals on Chickamauga Creek, just
west of Dalton, Georgia, I heard Thomas Longest tell of having
discovered a ledge of lead on the Salt Fork of the Brazos. I do not
know whether this story is popularly told or not. Longest did not, I
think, leave a way-bill to the mine.
In 1886, Thomas Longest of New York City decided to travel
southwestward in search of a basis for horse dealing. He settled in
Dalton, Georgia, forming a partnership with Luke Callaway, and
established a livery, feed, and sale stable. In 1887, horses went up in
price, and the partners came to Texas to buy five carloads of horses.
They bought the horses; and then Longest remained to look over the
country.
On the east side of the Brazos River at a point where the Double
Mountain Fork intersects with the Salt Fork, Longest saw a steer with a
very fancy head of horns. He desired to have the horns removed from the
animal that he might send them to a friend in New York. Upon learning
what he wanted, however, the cowboy who was with him told him that
these horns were little compared to what might be found a day’s ride to
the northwest. Longest promptly set out to make the ride, the cowboy
going with him only far enough to show him a crossing safe from the
quicksands, and telling him the general direction of trails to what he
designated as the Croton Creek.
After he had ridden a good many hours, a storm came up, and Longest
took shelter in a break of a very rough and desolate looking country.
Here, back under the bank of a canyon, he noticed a rusty piece of
iron. Upon closer investigation, he found it to be an old pick. With it
he prized around in the dirt and uncovered the remains of a shovel.
Longest kept on investigating and presently discovered a ledge of ore.
From it he broke off a piece weighing about four and one half pounds.
He was sure that it was silver and returned to Georgia at once.
As soon as he had disposed of his horses in the East, he sent the ore
to New York to be assayed. To his great disappointment, it was
pronounced lead, but seventy per cent pure—a valuable find.
Longest at once set about interesting a mining company in the ore and
by the spring of 1888 had arranged to show its representative the mine.
However, during his trip the year before he had contracted a severe
cold, which developed into tuberculosis. He put off the trip in the
hope of getting better, but in a few months he was dead.
Thus became a second time lost what is perhaps one of the richest lead
mines in America. From the descriptions and directions given by
Longest, it would appear that it is located in either Stonewall or King
County, more likely in the latter.