Apples
of Gold
(A historical narrative) by Ed Keenan
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
It’s said “anything easy ain’t worth a damn.”
And so it was with Julian gold
A bonanza of dreams followin’ history
And stories a hundred fold
Yup! Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
Goin’ way back to the Indians and Padres
Gold dust was being traded
By the merchant traders and con men
For merchandise that faded
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
From Volcan Mountain to Banner Canyon
Pannin’ first with a skillet
Sluicin’ Coleman Creek for nuggets
They didn’t have to mill it
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
Striking a rich quartz vein near Cuyamaca
Began the hard rock minin’
Hungry prospectors came in bunches
With bearded faces shinin’
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
Hills rumblin’ with noise of stamp mills
And prospectors start a town
A tent city of dives and barrooms
And claim jumpers all around
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
As land grabbers moved the boundaries
Fortunes boomed and faded
Fibs and fables spread like wildfire
And land surveyors were hated
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
When a desert boomtown gave birth Julian
Up on the wooded slopes
As payin’ claims kept on increasin’
So did the dreams and hopes
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
The Stonewall became the main producer
Bringin’ out 2 million in gold
But it was drown by the lake in ‘89
Before the mine was ever sold
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
So after all the wranglin’ and legal battles
The town was left in doubt
Not that it would have mattered anyways
‘Cause the gold had petered out
Yup! “Thars’s gold in them thar’ hills!
Now there’s a huge fortune left under Julian
But the veins are too broke up
For any miner to follow it’s promise
To drill and blast and muck
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
Well the clamor was dead in a decade or so
So what’s a prospector left to do?
As scarce supplies and a little grubstake
Came down to a precious few
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
He and few settlers couldn’t leave Julian
And as they cleared the brush
They found the land of Manzanita
And a valley rich and lush
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
Tradin’ pick and shovel for a mule and plow
And planting some apple trees
Doing some ranchin’ and some loggin’
And raising honeybees
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
The scented pine on sage and chaparral
On rustic hills of big black oaks
And verdant pastures and wild game
Held the hearts of pioneer folks
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
The strikes and lust went boom and bust
But apples continued to grow
Good climate water and fertile land
And just right amount of snow
Yup! ‘Thar’s gold in them thar’ hills!’
So the gritty miner who brawled and toiled
Back in the minin’ days of old
Left a glorious legacy with us today
As we mine his apples of gold
Ed Keenan © 08-03
COW CHIP/COWBOY POETRY: For a poem,
click here.
Cow Chip Poetry - Lies, Lingo and Lore by Southwest Cowboy Poet, Ed Keenan. This
is an entertaining collection of cowboy poetry with an extensive 'Glossary of
Cowboy Lingo'. Great gift - perfect for trail rides, cookouts, campouts. Contact
Arroyo Press, (888) 784-8282, PO Box 1028, Vista CA, 92085.
www.SouthwestBlend.com/cowchippoetry
 Resource
Guide
Book &
Poetry Guide
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