This Day…

1891-Winfield Scott Stratton, a carpenter who has been prospecting gold in his spare time for 20 years, stakes a claim where he has discovered gold in the Cripple Creek field of the Rockies, south of Denver, Colorado. The claim, which Stratton named Independence, turns out to be a rich vein of gold; soon Stratton is staking out other claims that prove equally valuable. Stratton himself will eventually make millions and become one of the legendary Bonanza Kings of Cripple Creek, where since January 1891-when Bob Wamack struck the El Paso lode, many have taken fortunes from the field.