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ROOSEVELT AND THE
SURROUNDING AREAS ARE FULL OF INTERESTING
HISTORY.
The last great gold rush east of the Rockies, happened at Wildman, located at the head of Otter Creek 4 miles southeast of the present town of Roosevelt. Wildman was the overnight place for the lawless.
Gambling, drinking and fighting went on day and night. Some of the names of the more famous citizens were "Nine Fingers", "Scandalous John", Sam Bibe, Joe Johnson, Carle Zerkle, H. Foster, who was a government claim jumper, and Judge Fox, a former probate Judge in Canadian Co.
It was established illegally on Indian land by Frank Wildman and Elisha Williams. In a few weeks it had grown to over 300 miners and prospectors. The post office was established almost a year before the Reservation was opened.
Saloons and gambling houses, 2 grocery stores, 2 blacksmith shops, a general store, an eating joint, a drug store, 4 assayers offices, a smelter, mining company offices and a 2 story hotel developed.
This was a wild west, hard shooting, tough mining town. Though the "gold fever" was great, the federal government decided the ore could not be marketed, and a railroad would be farther away, caused Wildman to be abandoned, much to the benefit of the homesteaders in the area.
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GOLD BELLE MINE and MILLING CO.
THE GOLD BELLE MINING AND MILLING COMPANY WAS FORMED AROUND 1900 BY WILDMAN AND WILLIAMS NEAR THE ROUGH MINING TOWN OF WILDMAN. THE GOLD BELLE CO. ERECTED A 50 TON CYANIDE MILL TO PROCESS THE GOLD ORE. TODAY ONLY THE COOLING TOWER AND CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS REMAIN AS EVIDENCE OF THE SHORT-LIVED GOLD RUSH. AT THE TOP OF THE HILL IS THE COOLING TOWER. BELOW ON WHAT IS NOW THE STEPS. THERE WERE TWO LARGE BUILDINGS WHICH HOUSED THE MILL. THE ORE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE MILL BY MEANS OF A 3/4 MILE OVERHEAD TRAM-WAY. NO ORE WAS EVER PROCESSED AND TO GET RID OF THE MINE AND MILL THE OWNERS SALTED THE MINE. GOLD DUST WAS SHOT INTO THE WALLS OF THE MINE WITH A MUZZLE LOADED SHOT GUN. STOCK WAS THEN SOLD IN THE MINE AT THE REPORTED PRICE OF ONE DOLLAR PER SHARE. IT IS SAID THAT 270,000 SHARES WERE SOLD.
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