Lost Blue Bucket Mine facts for kids
The Lost Blue Bucket Mine is a famous lost mine in Oregon, United States. People believe it is hidden somewhere along the old Meek Cutoff trail. This trail runs between the cities of Vale and The Dalles.
The mine was supposedly found way back in 1845. This was several years before the big California Gold Rush even began.
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The Legend of the Lost Blue Bucket Mine
The story of the Lost Blue Bucket Mine has been told for many years. While there are different versions, they all agree on some important details.
Key Facts About the Lost Mine
The different stories about the mine usually agree on these points:
- People traveling to Oregon found the gold in the summer of 1845. They were lost at the time.
- The gold was found in a dry stream bed or canyon. It was "placer gold," which means it was found as loose pieces in sand or gravel.
- The bottom of the canyon had lava rock. This rock had many small holes and dips in it.
Different Stories of the Discovery
One popular story says that a wagon train got lost. They had wandered off the Meek Cutoff of the Oregon Trail, near the Malheur River. Three young people went to find water. While they were getting water, they picked up some shiny rocks. They put these rocks into a blue bucket they had with them.
When they returned, older people in the group thought the rocks were just copper. Someone asked, "Was there much of it?" One of the young people replied, "We could have filled one of these blue buckets." This happened in 1845, before the California Gold Rush. At that time, many people did not know what real gold looked like. One woman, Mrs. Fisher, kept just one shiny rock. The rest were left behind. The wagons finally reached what is now The Dalles, Oregon in October 1845. Later, the single rock Mrs. Fisher kept was finally recognized as a real gold nugget.
Another version of the story involves the Stephen Meek Wagon train. This group stopped along the trail in what is now Crook County. Children went to get water from a stream near Bear Creek. They came back with a blue bucket full of shiny pebbles. An older person in the group said the pebbles were just copper. However, one family decided to keep some of the pebbles as souvenirs.
Years later, after this family had moved to California, they found the pebbles in a dresser drawer. By this time, the California Gold Rush had happened. People now knew a lot more about identifying gold. The family realized that their pebbles were actually gold! But by then, no one could remember exactly where they had found the pebbles.
The Search for the Lost Mine
The legend of the Lost Blue Bucket Mine caused a lot of excitement. It even sparked a small gold rush in the area of modern-day Baker City, Oregon. Many people searched for the hidden gold.
Where Could the Mine Be?
If the mine truly exists, its exact location is still a mystery. The area where it might be found is huge, covering about 40,000 square miles (100,000 square kilometers).
Some people believe the mine is on a small stream that flows into the John Day River. Other stories suggest it is on a Bear Creek stream that flows into the Crooked River. There are actually three real mines in the U.S. named "Blue Bucket," including one in Grant County, Oregon. However, these mines are not connected to the famous lost mine from the legend.
