William Greeneberry Russell facts for kids

William Greeneberry "Green" Russell (1818–1877) was an American prospector and miner. He is famous for finding gold in the Rocky Mountains in 1858, which started the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. This event led to many people moving to the area and helped create the city of Denver, Colorado.

Early Life and Family

Green Russell was born in South Carolina in 1818. When he was a small child, his family moved to Georgia. His father, James Russell, was involved in gold mining during the Georgia Gold Rush, which began in 1828. Because of this, Green grew up in an area where mining was very important. In 1845, he married Susan Willis, who was part Cherokee.

Adventures in California Gold

When gold was found at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848, Green Russell heard about it from a cook who was from Georgia. Russell then led a few successful mining trips to California. His brothers and other people from Georgia, including some Cherokees, joined him. Some of them traveled all the way west through the Rocky Mountains.

Discovering Gold in Colorado

Green Russell grew up in the Cherokee area near Dahlonega, Georgia. This was where the only big gold rush east of the Mississippi River happened. Around 1850, he bought a large piece of land on the Etowah River.

After his California adventures, Russell heard about gold found in 1849 along the South Platte River in Colorado. This news came through his Cherokee connections. In February 1858, he put together a group to search for gold along the South Platte River. He started with his two brothers and six friends. They met up with members of the Cherokee tribe in what is now Oklahoma. Then, they continued west along the Santa Fe Trail. More people joined them, and their group grew to 107 members.

Russell was a confident person who inspired trust in others. He convinced his team to keep going even when they faced difficulties.

Finding Gold at Cherry Creek

When they reached Bent's Fort, they headed northwest. On May 23, they arrived at the meeting point of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. This spot is now Confluence Park in Denver. They started looking for gold in the riverbeds and nearby creeks, but they didn't find any at first.

After 20 days, many people decided to go home. Only the Russell brothers and ten other men stayed. In the first week of July 1858, Green Russell and Sam Bates made an important discovery. They found a small amount of gold near Little Dry Creek. This was about 20 troy ounces (600 grams) of gold. It was the first important gold discovery in the Rocky Mountain region.

Russell Gulch Gold

In early 1859, Russell was drawn to the mountains again. Gold had been found in a place called Gregory Gulch. In June 1859, Green Russell found more gold deposits in a valley that was soon named Russell Gulch in his honor. By the end of September, 891 miners were working there. A town was built nearby to support the miners.

News of the gold discoveries spread across the country. An old trader named John Cantrell brought gold samples to Kansas City in 1858. Newspapers began to print stories about the findings. This started the famous Pike's Peak Gold Rush.

During this time, more people who supported the Union (the northern states) moved to the area. This made things difficult for Green Russell, who was from the South. He tried to go back to Georgia, but his group faced problems. First, they got smallpox, and then they were stopped by the Union army.

Later Years and Legacy

After the Civil War, Russell returned to Colorado. However, he was not as successful in mining as he had been before. In 1874, his son John died in a mining accident. After this, Green Russell tried to get land in the Indian Territory because of his Cherokee wife. He settled there, but he became sick and died in 1877. He is buried in Briartown, Oklahoma.

Places Named for Green Russell

Two towns in Colorado are named after Green Russell. Both are in places where he found gold:

• Russellville: This is now a small community in Douglas County.
• Russell Gulch: This was a mining town in Gilpin County.

In downtown Denver, there is a bar called Green Russell, which is named after him. Also, Russell Square Park in Denver was named after W. Green Russell in 1914.