The legend of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine continues to captivate treasure hunters and historians alike, drawing them into the forbidding landscapes of West Texas. Situated in the rugged Big Bend country, this fabled mine is not only rumored to be one of the richest in North America but also carries a sinister reputation as a cursed treasure, with violence and misfortune befalling many who have sought its elusive gold.
The Enigmatic Big Bend Country and the Mine’s Allure
The Big Bend region of West Texas, a vast expanse within the Chihuahuan Desert, has always been synonymous with mystery and hardship. Its arid, impassable mountains and deep canyons once served as hunting grounds for Apache and Comanche Indians, and later became a refuge for Mexican raiders and outlaws. Early pioneers often faced deadly encounters with indigenous tribes, ruthless bandits, venomous snakes, or simply succumbed to the harsh elements, losing their way in this untamed wilderness. It is within this dangerous and remote setting that the tale of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine is deeply embedded, a story of immense wealth shadowed by an enduring curse.
Bill Kelley’s Discovery and the Reagans’ Skepticism
The Reagan Brothers and a New Hand
In 1884, the four Reagan brothers—John, Jim, Frank, and Lee—established a thriving cattle ranch in southern Brewster County. Their cattle drives to the Southern Pacific Railroad at Dryden, Texas, were arduous 75-mile journeys through treacherous terrain. During one such drive, they encountered Billy Kelley, a 19-year-old Seminole-African American man journeying from an old Indian settlement in northern Coahuila, Mexico, seeking work. Despite his youth and humble appearance, Kelley convinced the Reagans of his exceptional skill with horses and was hired to manage their stock.
A Serendipitous Find
Kelley quickly proved his worth, earning the brothers’ trust and often being left to care for the stock independently. It was during one of these solitary missions, while rounding up strays on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, that Kelley stumbled upon a gold mine. Excited by his discovery, he returned to the ranch to share the news, only to be met with laughter and disbelief from the Reagan brothers.
Proof Ignored and a Revelation
Undaunted, Kelley resolved to prove his claim. The following day, while rounding up horses with Lee Reagan near the alleged discovery site, Kelley produced a fist-sized piece of quartz from his saddlebag. A rich gold vein gleamed within the rock, undeniable proof of his find. Yet, Lee Reagan, seemingly unfamiliar with raw gold, scoffed at the sample, tossing it aside and instructing Kelley to focus on his ranch duties. Still, Kelley knew the significance of his discovery. Weeks later, he traveled to San Antonio, where he entrusted a piece of the gold-bearing quartz to a train conductor named Locke Campbell, who promised to have it evaluated. Kelley also sent a sample to an assayer, requesting the results be mailed to the Reagan Ranch.
Flight and Further Trust
When the assayer’s letter arrived for Kelley, the Reagans, believing him illiterate, opened it. Their casual curiosity turned to shock upon reading the results: the gold Kelley had found was valued at an astounding $80,000 per ton. Upon Kelley’s return, the ranch cook informed him that the brothers had read his letter. Fearing they would force him to lead them to the mine and then kill him, Kelley stole a horse and fled south, crossing the Rio Grande into Coahuila, Mexico, eluding the Reagans’ two-day pursuit.
Kelley’s Disappearance and Final Years
In Mexico, Kelley found work on George Chessman’s Piedra Blanca Ranch. He eventually confided in his foreman, John Stillwell, revealing the tale of his lost mine and showing him a saddlebag full of gold nuggets. Kelley expressed his fear for his life and his intent to return to his Seminole relatives. After driving cattle to Mexico City, Kelley disappeared, eventually settling in Oklahoma where he was imprisoned for bootlegging. Following his release, he moved to San Antonio, where he lived out the remainder of his days, the secret of the Bill Kelley Mine still locked away.
The Hunt Begins: Early Expeditions and Tragedies
Locke Campbell and the Reagan’s Renewed Interest
Meanwhile, Locke Campbell, the conductor Kelley had met, began his own search for the mine. By a twist of fate, Campbell met Jim Reagan at a cattlemen’s convention in San Antonio. They exchanged stories of Kelley’s lost gold, leading Campbell to partner with the Reagan brothers. For years, they meticulously searched the area where Lee and Kelley had rounded up strays, investing thousands of dollars, but the mine remained hidden.
The Eagle Pass Incident
Around the same time, a black man appeared at a store in Eagle Pass, Texas, offering a bag of gold nuggets and information about a mine’s location for $1,000. The storekeeper, suspicious, refused the offer, only realizing months later that the man was indeed Bill Kelley.
John Finky’s Claim and Mysterious Death
In June 1899, Jim Reagan, joined by ranchers D.C. Bourland and O.L. Mueller, formed a partnership with a prospector named John Finky. The ranchers provided the financial backing, while Finky was tasked with finding the mine, with all five men agreeing to share the proceeds. After weeks of searching, Finky returned to the Bourland ranch, claiming to have located the mine and producing several large chunks of gold. He also reported finding the skeletal remains of a black man about 300 yards below the mine in a remote canyon, an eerie detail that perhaps hinted at the mine’s curse. That very night, Finky was stung by a scorpion and required hospitalization in Sanderson. During their visits, Bourland and Reagan tried to persuade Finky to reveal the mine’s exact location, but he steadfastly refused, distrusting them and insisting that permission from the Mexican government was required to work the mine. After his recovery, Finky planned to travel to Mexico City for the necessary permits. He stopped in El Paso, where he spent two days drinking in a saloon. Befriending the bartender, Finky divulged the tale of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine and invited the bartender to join him. Two days later, Finky was found dead, the circumstances shrouded in mystery.
The Enduring Curse: More Lost Souls and Failed Quests
The Wattenburg Map and Outlaw’s Tale
Shortly after Finky’s death, Jim Reagan passed away, and his brothers eventually moved their ranching operations to Arizona. Locke Campbell continued his relentless search for the mine until his death in 1926. In 1909, a new figure, Wattenburg, arrived in the Big Bend area with a map purportedly showing a gold mine in the Ladrones Mountains. Wattenburg claimed the map came from his nephew, condemned to death in an Oklahoma prison. The nephew’s tale involved stealing horses in Mexico, encountering an old man with gold-laden quartz, forcing him to the mine, and then murdering him before fleeing a posse.
Search Interrupted by Revolution
Wattenburg partnered with John Young, who was familiar with the Ladrones Mountains and Reagan Canyon, and Felix Lowe. In 1910, their search for the mine was abruptly halted by the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution, making the border too dangerous to continue.
Jack Haggard’s Frustrated Efforts
Months later, John Young’s story of the lost mine was published in a San Antonio newspaper. Jack Haggard, a rancher in Coahuila, read the article and wrote to Young. Haggard revealed that Kelley had worked on his Mexican ranch, and one of his foremen, following Kelley’s directions, had found the mine and returned with rich ore samples. Tragically, the foreman died shortly after in a gas explosion. Haggard himself was actively searching for the mine. Years later, while preparing for another expedition to the Ladrones Mountains, Haggard drowned in a fishing accident, another victim, some believed, of the mine’s persistent curse.
Will Stillwell’s Ill-Fated Find
Among those searching was Will Stillwell, Kelley’s former foreman at the Piedras Blancas Ranch. In 1915, Stillwell confided in his brother, Roy, that he had found the mine. While it is believed Stillwell may have been working the mine, he also joined the Texas Rangers. Assigned to a post in the Big Bend area, he was tragically shot in the back by a Mexican outlaw in 1918, adding another name to the growing list of those associated with the mine and violent death.
Roy Stillwell: The Keeper of the Secret and His Demise
After Will’s death, his younger brother, Roy Stillwell, came into possession of the directions to the Bill Kelley Mine. Despite numerous offers from men eager to find the mine, Roy steadfastly refused to lead any expeditions. He warned them all that the mine was cursed, citing the violent deaths of countless individuals who had either claimed to find the gold or were close to discovering its location. Several months later, another group offered Roy a substantial sum for the directions. He asked for a few days to consider. Two days later, Roy Stillwell was killed when a truck overturned on him, cementing the belief in the mine’s deadly curse for many.
The Modern Era and Unresolved Mystery
The Mining Engineers of the 1940s
In the late 1940s, two mining engineers from the East arrived in the vicinity of the old Reagan Ranch. They hired a local guide but never disclosed their exact objective, though the guide assumed it was the Lost Bill Kelley Mine. One day, the engineers were reportedly ecstatic about something they had found, paid off their guide, and told him his services were no longer needed. The guide always believed they had found the mine. However, the two miners were never seen leaving the mountains and never returned to their homes in the east, their fate a continuing mystery.
The Elusive Location of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine
The reported location of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine places it in the mountains on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, south of Big Bend National Park. Those who allegedly discovered it described its location on a ridge, approximately 300 yards up a canyon wall. In this canyon, they spoke of the stumps of several petrified trees, beyond which lies a large boulder. Somewhere above this boulder, the legendary and cursed Kelley Mine is supposedly hidden, awaiting its next, perhaps doomed, discoverer.
Conclusion: The Undying Legend of the Cursed Gold
The story of the Lost Bill Kelley Mine endures as one of the most compelling tales of fortune and tragedy on the American frontier. From Bill Kelley’s initial, ill-fated discovery to the countless individuals who met untimely ends in their quest for its riches, the mine’s legend is steeped in both immense potential and an undeniable aura of misfortune. The Big Bend country, with its unforgiving beauty, continues to guard its secrets, ensuring that the allure of Kelley’s cursed gold remains a powerful, yet dangerous, beacon for those brave enough to challenge its mystery.
