CARRE-SHINOB
“WHERE THE GREAT SPIRIT DWELLS”
BY Ralph Keele
“Hey Bill, you ready to eat lunch.”
“Yeah, as soon as I put this bolt in”.
My pardner, John Stevens and myself Bill Hayes were working for Arcadia Mining in an Uranium Mine south of Lasalle Utah. It was 1973, John and I had been partners for ten years. We had worked the gold and the silver mines in Colorado up until two years ago, when we came to Utah to work for Arcadia.
John was already eating by the time I got to the lunch room, so I sat down and opened my lunch box to join him. “Only two more days and we will be heading for the Uintahs to get rich.” John said.
We had been best friends for the last ten years. We both had been married and now recently had been divorced. We had been planning for the last six months to go looking for the Lost Rhoades Mine in the Uintahs Mountains in North Eastern Utah.
We had prospected for gold in Colorado several and found a small amount of gold, but nothing to amount to much. Six months ago I bought the book “FOOTPRINTS IN THE WILDERNESS”.
Written by Gale R, Rhoades and Kerry Rose Boren. The book was written in 1971 telling the history of the mine and the events surrounding it.
We had all our equipment and camping gear into my pickup, so we would be ready to leave Saturday morning. We had arranged to meet Pete Jones from Manilla, at Spirit Lake. We had rented four horses from him and he was going to meet us Sunday morning at the campground. So we had 12 days to find the mine and hopefully the gold and become”instant millionairs”, That was out goal anyway.
***
The story begins around 1950, it involved Chief Walkera or “Walker.” As he was commonly
known by.
In July 1852 and agreement was made between Chief Walker of the Ute Nation and Brigham Young and Thomas Rhoades to the effect that Walker would give the L. D. S. Chruch all the gold it needed if the origin or the gold would be kept secret. Why this arrangement was made can only be supposed that Walker, having been baptised into the L.D. S. Church by his good friend Isaac Morley, thought the Mormons were a good people and that he should do all in his power to help them, but there were three rules that had to be adhered to.
#1. The location of the gold be reveled to only one man.
#2. Death to that man chosen to retrieve the gold if he reviled the location, or attempted to bring out gold without permission of the Utes.
#.3 That the Indians would not assist in the mining of the gold.
Brigham Young had one condition, that Walker would take an oath on the Book of Mormon that he “Walker” would not break his word, or would not “speak with a forked tongue.”
The man chosen was Thomas Rhoades. The reason being, he had trapped and hunted the Uinthas, he could speak the Ute language, he had experience in gold mining, and he was highly trusted by Brigham Yound. Chief Walker died in 1855. His brother Aropene was made chief of the Utes, and he kept the same agreement with Brigham Young. In 1855 Thomas Rhoades became ill and was able to make the trip to retrieve the gold, so his son Caleb Baldwin Rhoades was appointed to retrieve the gold. He had to take the same oath as his father.
It is said that the gold was used to make the gold plating on the statue of the Angel Moroni, and also for gold coins made by the church. This gold came from the sacred mine of the Utes. “Carri-Shinob.”
***
So this was what we were looking for, the scared mine “Carre-Shinob”. And we had about 10 days to find it. The maps gave us a good idea of where to look, in the head waters of the Yellow-stone creek. Up high on the peaks.
The book tells of many mines in the area, some minded by the Spanards, as early as 1500 thru 1700. But “Carre-Shinob” was never mined by the Spanards. The Astek Indians from Mexico mined it in the 1500's, and took the gold back to Mexico and made face masks, jewelry, shields, and many other things out of the gold. Then when the Spanards came to Mexico and seen all the gold artifacts the Indians had they made the Indians take them to where they got the gold. But they never showed them the scared mine “Carre-Shinob.” The Spanards found other gold deposits in the area and started as many as seven mines.
***
Pete arrived with the horsed about 9 a,m. Sunday morning. He showed us how to pack the horses and how to balance the load and tie it down so it wouldn’t slip,
I had bought a US Geological Map of the whole area covering approximately 75 miles. It showed all the trails , streams and mountain peaks and elevations. It was about 25 miles to where we would make our camp at the base of the mountain where we thought the mine would be. We got there Monday evening about 6 p.m. , set up our camp fixed us some food, then went to bed so we could get an early start in the morning. We camped by a stream to have easy access to the water also for the fish in the creek. And thee was a lot of grass for the horsed. Just a real nice place to camp for two weeks.
The next morning after breakfast, I got the map out and we figured out a route to get where we thought the mine was. We loaded out backpacks with enough provisions to last two days in case we couldn’t make it back to our camp by night fall. The trail was much to steep and rocky for the horses so all of our exploring would be done on foot. I brought the book, “Footprints in the Wilderness”, so we could refer to landmark and maps it mentioned. Walker had said there were two peak that were higher and closer together than the others, the called them the two bears. And the legend was that they protected the scared mine from intruders. The mine entrance was on the south slope just under the cliffs. But Calab Rhoades had said you could be standing right by the entrance and not see it. So we knew this wasn’t going to be easy tofind, but with persistence and lots of luck we could find it. The legend also said the mine was also protected by the Indians entombed in it.
We made it to the top of the south slope that day and we could see the two peaks and the cliffs mentioned in the book, but we didn’t have time to make it up to the cliffs today so we went back to camp and decided to get going at day break next morning and bring enough provisions to stay more than one night if necessary . Next morning we were half way to the top before the sun came over the ridge. We were where we had turned back yesterday by 9 a.m. We thought in 3 or 4 hours we could be at the base of the cliffs, boy did we misjudge that. We got there about 4 p.m. or 7 hours later. The trail was extra steep and rocky and the higher we went the harder it was to breath, therefore we had to make many rest stops. We decided right then to spend the night right here. Then we had all day tomorrow to explore for the mine. We cleared an area of rocks so we would have a place to lay down. It was going to be a cold night at that elevation and no fire wood in sight. We had extra cloths, so with them on and inside out sleeping bags we would be alright. I didn’t get cold that night but I didn’t get much sleep either, the wind blew all night and I heard what sounded like children crying most of the night. John said he had heard that also. I guess it was just the wind blowing through the ledges. The next morning after a cold breakfast of crackers and vienna sausage, we started looking for the mine. We looked most of the day, but found nothing, not one sign of a mine or a cave. About 4 p.m. we headed back to camp. It took us four hours to get back to our camp. It sure looked good. A quick bath in the creek and some hot food sure was nice. We set around the firs discussing out plans for the next day and we decided to stay in camp the next day. Do some fishing and just rest. Then the day after go back up with plans to stay two or three nights. We sleep late the next day then had some breakfast. John decided to go fishing and I grabbed my book and lay back to do some reading. I studied the maps in the book more closely and thought, maybe we should move a few hundred yards further around the cliff to look next time. I reread the chapter again of when they entombed Chief Walker in the mine, and according to the book, Chief Walkers two wives, two slave children, his favorite horse, all his guns, bow and arrows, spears and a Book of Mormon, the one given to him by Issac Morley, was entombed with him. Chief Walker has asked Issac Morley to dedicate the burial sight and bring one other Mormon with him. Morley chose Cabab Rhoades.
I read what Morley said of the burial.” Walker was buried in his temple cloths, and over them his finest buckskin shirt and pants and his chief head dress.” Morley went on to say his his two wives and his horse were killed to be emtombed with him, but the two slave children were left alive. A boy and a girl about fie years old. And after the ceremony the entracned was sealed with rocks. The two children were purposely left alive so their crying and wailing would drive off the evil spirits. Morley and Rhoades that was the most horrible experience they had ever had. But also knew there was nothing they could do about it because the Indians would have killed them if they had tried to save those children.
When John returned I told him about the burial tomb and the crying children, he laughed and said, “So do you think that was those children we heard crying the other night?”
“I don’t know, but it sure sounded like children crying.”
“It sure did,” he replied. “But we will know for sure the next night we stay up there.”
We got up early the next morning, we had a good hot breakfast because we knew it would be cold food before we got back to camp again. I decided to carry extra water and coffee and an extra amount of firewood so we would have something warm to drink. Also a small plastic tarp in case of rain. We were planning on staying two or three nights. We arrived at the cliffs about 5 p.m. we made better time this trip. We were adjusting to the altitude now. And I could breath easier. We slept the same place by the cliffs that night, the next day we moved around the cliff several hundred yards. I heard the crying last night, all I dreamed about was the two Indian children, what a terrible way to die. It probably took a week or more to starve to death and which one died first? And how alone the other one was until they died. Or maybe they just went to sleep and died with out too much suffering. I hoped so.
***
The Indians would raid other Indian tribes and steal the young women and children and take them to Mexico and sell to the Spaniards for slaves. Chief Walker was almost excommunicated for selling slave children. Brigham Young informed Walker that this is what would happen if it didn’t stop. Walker didn’t like that because selling slaves was a source of income for his tribe. But Walker said he would stop the practice, but no one ever knew for sure that he ever did.
***
I wondered why they didn’t use the gold for things they needed, but I got my answer from the book. The Carre-Shonib mine was a scared place to the Indians and very few Indians knew it’s location. The Chief would appoint 10 or 12 Braves to watch the area and to kill anyone who came into those areas that was not suppose to be there. In 1884 Enock Rhoades, half brother to Caleb Rhoades, was killed for by an Indian for that very reason.
Here it was Saturday morning, we had been gone a week and hadn’t found even the slightest sign of gold ore, or a mine or a cave, nothing but the rocks and the cliffs. We were moving rocks around again to make us a level spot for us to sleep when I saw it, what appeared to be a small gold nugget down between the rocks, and sure enough there was .a small gold nugget about the size of your little finger nail.
“John,” I shouted. “Come take a look at this.”
“What?” he answered.
“Come over here and see this.” I said excitedly.
He came over and asked. “See what?”
I pointed to the nugget. He looked at it and looked at me then we both let out a big whoopee at the same time. I picked it up, it wasn’t very big but it was sure enough gold. We started a whooping and a howling, and throwing rocks out as fast as we could, hoping to find more gold nuggets. But there was no more to be found. That sure lifted our spirits though.
“Funny what one little piece of gold can do.” I said. “Just imagine what we’ll do when we find the mine.”
It was a good thing I bought the tarp, because it rained during the night. We got covered up before we got to wet though. We heard the crying again that night. I was getting used to it and so I slept fairly well.
We search all the next day but found nothing, so we headed back to our camp about 4:p.m., and got there about 7:30. It sure is easier going down hill. As we sat around the fire that night deciding what to do next we decided to rest two days then go back up for three more nights. And if we didn’t find anything, we were going to call it quits.
Monday morning we got going early and was at the cliffs by midday and decided to search around the area that we had stayed the first night. By evening we had found nothing so I made a small fire and heated water for coffee, and had something to eat. As we talked I could tell John was down, I think he was ready to give up and go home. He wasn’t to talkative. So as darkness closed around us we got into our sleeping bags. I woke up later and it was raining again, so I pulled the tarp over us. I could hear the crying again, but I finally drifted off to sleep. I had the strangest dream ever. I dreamed I was in the mine, it was like being inside a giant gold nugget. Gold roof and walls. There was gold neckless’s, masks, shields, cup and plates, and gold nuggets all over. Chief Walker was setting against the wall, the Book of Mormon in his hand. His two wives were laying near by in their finest cloths. Also near by, were all his prized possessions. His horse, his guns, bow and arrows, every thing he owned. And near the entrance the two slave children. They had died holding each other. It was a sad sight to see, those two little children. I couldn’t take my eyes off them, how they must have suffered, I thought. Then I heard a voice behind me. I turned quickly to see who it was. I gasped, there above Chief Walkers body was the spirit form of the Chief. He was talking to me in the Ute language. But in my mind I was hearing English. It all seemed so real. Walker told me that I must leave the gold, not to touch anything, never to reveal where the mine was. Then he started fading away. The last thing he said was.
“The animal will show you the place.”
“What animal?’
He repeated, “The animal will show you the place.”
When I woke up that morning the dream was very clear in my mind. I thought, I will tell John, that will boost his spirits. Then I remembered what Walker had said. “Never tell anyone.” So I said nothing. As we were getting something to eat I could tell John’s mood wasn’t any better. I tried to cheer him up, I cracked a few jokes and tried to get him to talk about the good times we had had in the past, anything to make him not do down and out. But nothing seemed to work, he would hardly talk. So I finally asked him what was wrong. He didn’t have any problem talking then.
“There’s no stupid mine, no gold, this was nothing but a wild goose chase.” And he informed me he was going back to camp. I could stay if I wanted but he had had enough. He started packing his things getting ready to go. I had to think of some way to keep him here. The dream I thought. No! Walker said to tell no one. What could I say to him, THE ANIMAL, the Chief said nothing about the animal.