Wet Mountain, Colorado.
In the Winter of 1880, three prospectors – E.J. Oliver, S.J. Harkman, and H.A. Melton were prospecting two miles North of what would later become known as Dead Man Camp. As they worked, the sky threatened an oncoming blizzard, and they quickly looked for shelter.
Spotting a small opening in a sheer rock wall across the canyon, they made their way through it and lit several crude torches. Though the passageway was narrow and less than four feet high, it opened into a large 20-foot-long room.
Silver Cliff, Colorado, 1880
Shining their torches around, Oliver found the first of five skeletons scattered around the dusty, dark cavern. While exploring the cavern, they found several narrow passageways extending into the mountain’s gloom. Choosing one, they followed the tunnel deeper into the mountain until it opened up into a large vault-like chamber. Shining their torches around, Melton noticed shelves carved into the western wall. Bringing his torch closer, he saw several odd-looking stones stacked on one shelf. Picking one up, he was surprised at its weight. When he and his partners scrutinized it more carefully, they were astounded to discover that the stone was actually a crude bar of gold!
After the threat of snow had passed, the three excited men gathered up five of the bars and headed over the pass to Silvercliff in the Wet Mountain Valley. They immediately had the bars assayed, which proved them worth $900 apiece. Becoming instant celebrities in Silvercliff, the men were questioned by everyone they met about the source of the gold bars. Still, all three men steadfastly refused to divulge the location, and they planned to return to Dead Man’s Cave in the spring.
They returned to Dead Man’s Cave in early spring. They thought the cave would be easy to find again, but when they returned, many places looked like where the cave had been found. Over the years, they frequently returned to the area but never found the cave again.
The story of these three prospectors was reported in both The Fairplay Flume and The Denver Post in 1880. To this day, the gold has never been found.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Colorado – The Centennial State
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