Hi there folks, this is Ken Maynard and Tarzan.
Horses whinny
inviting you to join us here in the tack room of the Diamond K Ranch for another
exciting tale from the Diamond K. You know folks I sure enjoy these little
business we have together. It's nice to get acquainted with all of you.
The tack room door is always open so why don't you spend the next 15 minutes here
with us. I've got a mighty exciting story today
called the Lake of Gold. Thank you Ken. From the tack room of Ken
Maynard's Diamond K Ranch we're bringing you transcribed stories of adventure,
stories of circus life, fascinating tales of the old west where cowboys still
follow the cattle trails, stories of rodeos and parades, colorful
legends of the red man, hidden gold and buried treasure. The
exciting tales from the Diamond K are told by Hollywood's champion of western
stars, internationally famous Ken Maynard. Now
while Ken's getting ready to spin his newest Wild West yarn,
here's something to think about buckaroos. Do you know what every cowboy's favorite
pastime is? Well after the chores are done, whether it's watering the horses, a
pitch and hay or rounding up the cattle, the boys just kind of drift together to
chat a bit. And first thing you know one of them is telling a story.
And that's why we think you'll get a big kick out of having a set of real
western stories to hear anytime you have your chores done.
Now I'm talking about the exciting record album of Ken Maynard's Wild West
Stories. It's a beautiful album in color with two of Ken's favorite stories inside
on big eight-inch unbreakable records of pure expensive vinylite
with pictures of Ken and Tarzan on the records. And best of all
these records are personalized, made just for you,
and with a personal message from Ken right on the record.
He'll say, hello there Dick, this is Ken Maynard with a story just for you.
Or he'll say, hi there Jack or Jim or Sally. Whatever your name is buckaroos,
Ken Maynard will call you by name right on the record and then tell you his
stories. Exciting? I'll say it's exciting and all
you have to do to have a personalized Ken Maynard record for your very own is
send your name and address to records in care of this station and enclose just
one dollar bill. And say you'll play your records over and over again.
But send now. Now here's Ken all set to go with a rip roaring yarn.
Folks today I've got a real strange and amazing story to tell you called the
Lake of Gold. It was one winter afternoon I was riding
across the Borrego Desert in southern California on my way to the Warner Ranch.
Well sir it was getting on towards sundown and I was hunting for a good spot
to unpack my bedroll when I saw signs of smoke coming from a
camp about a mile away. You know it's not often you run across
anybody out in that desert so I rode on up to this camp very glad to see
somebody to say howdy to. And that's when I met two of the most
interesting men in all my experience. One was named Charlie Marengo, a lawyer in
Los Angeles whose hobby was exploring the deserts in his spare time
hunting for lost mines and treasures. But the other fellow was a real character
and the one I want to tell you about. I reckon he must have been about 80
years old but he was spry and as tough as a young kid you ever saw.
He had a grizzled white beard on his chin but very little on top of his head.
His face is about two shades darker than my saddle in line with wrinkles around
his eyes from squinting at the desert sun.
And he had a cheerful sly expression like he knew a lot more than he was telling.
He called himself Marengo Bill. They both gave me a jolly greeting and invited me
to stay with them overnight. Well sir after supper we made ourselves
comfortable around the fire telling stories as fellows do.
And I'd just finished telling about an adventure of mine up in the North Lake
country when I was on a fishing trip when old Bill puckered up his face took
his pipe out of his mouth and said, Mr. Ken you mentioned lakes. That way
puts me in mind of a lake I hear it of once.
I remember like it was yesterday though it was back about 73 when I was a young
feller. I worked out of Plaslerville that's
east of Sacramento you know a long time ago called Hangtown.
The big gold rush had passed by but a lot of fellows still working over the old
diggings. Now I had a fool notion that if I had
cramped around high enough in this area I might find the source of all that gold
the miners and placer workers took out of the streams and the rivers below.
I had a good burrow and plenty of grub so I set out for the high places and
didn't care when I got back. Every mile or so I'd take samples of
the rock but never saw a sign of color of gold
anywhere. My old burrow I can see him now just as clear as I see you Mr. Ken.
His name was Nugget and he was a faithful friend.
But Nugget was getting tired for a burrow that's unusual.
Maybe we was a bit higher than I thought. Anyway that afternoon we made camp early
about three o'clock and I told Nugget that next morning we'd
give up start back along that long trail to Plasterville.
We had a good snooze that night the air was clearer than usual and the stars
were uncommonly bright. Burrow Bill looked up the stars above our
campfire there in Borrego Desert then continued with his story.
You won't believe this Mr. Ken he said but the next morning
Nugget seemed peculiar. He was restless and kept pointing his head toward the
north hill. Seemed like he wanted to go on a few
miles further. Nugget was my friend Burrow Bill said and
if he wanted to go on I was going with him.
We got to the top and looked down. Way below us
rained around by the pine trees was a lake. It had been a very dry season and
the lake was low. I could see the old shoreline some 50
feet of the water. It was a pretty thing there among the
green peaks and the water was clear and blue.
Nugget was drinking his fill of the fresh cold water and I was filling my canteen.
When down through the blue water I noticed something shining.
It was a shimmering golden color. While the mud was black it looked like there
wasn't much mud at all because it was heavy with shiny
golden flecks. I'd been around the camps long enough to
know gold from pyrite and I tell you it was true Mr. Ken.
Bill said the bottom of that lake was solid gold.
Well sir Mr. Ken there I was miles from anywhere.
Alone with the biggest fortune a man could ever dream of.
The problem was what to do about it. Got out my pan and sampled a bit of the lake
bottom. After the mud and black sand had washed
away I had a bottle full of finest leaf gold.
A small nugget I'd ever seen. That night and all the next day I panned all the
gold that Nugget and I could carry. Just as easy as picking up sand from the
seashore. But Nugget was worrying me. He didn't eat
much that night and didn't want to get up next morning.
This scared me plenty because Nugget was the only friend I had in the world and
besides I was counting on him to carry back my gold,
food and water. Without a burr in that willow some man might as well give up
before he started. Well now I'd say that was a mighty
uncomfortable spot for anybody to be in wouldn't you friends?
But you know speaking of comfort the man doesn't feel good and comfortable he
can't do his best work or enjoy his play. Just for your information buckaroos I
feel my best when I'm dressed comfortably and you know my favorite outfit when I'm
working or just loafing around it's my K-shirt and a pair of jeans.
And you'd be surprised how many young buckaroos are agreeing with me.
Kids all across the country are writing me and asking for a K-shirt like mine.
I've told you about it before it's a comfortable cotton shirt made like a
t-shirt in the color of desert sand with my own
diamond K brand in bright red on the front and tarzan me
looking right at you. Now if you want to join the gang that's
wearing my own private K-shirt all you've got to do is send me your
name and address. Tell me what size you wear two four
six eight ten or twelve and then close a one dollar bill for the fellow that
makes them. Pretty fancy shirt for just a little
one dollar bill and you'll get a lot of wear out of it.
Be sure to send me your sizes now two four six eight ten or twelve. Ask mom
she'll know what size you wear. Well now let's get back to Borrego Bill
and his story of the lake of gold. At least 50 years have gone by since old
Bill's adventure but I could see every detail was as clear
as if it had happened yesterday. Bill reached over to take a burning stick
from the fire and relayed his pipe before he continued. Yes he said
it's true about the lake of gold but there I was a millionaire and
couldn't buy a penny's worth of help from my best friend.
I set up all night with my borough nugget but the next morning he was dead.
I never knew what got him just wore out I guess.
Anyhow I gave him as fine a funeral as I could and I'll bet no borough
ever had a king's ransom in gold buried with him.
I looked over at borough bills he paused his story and his old weather-beaten
face was lit up with memories. He went on to
tell me that he'd packed as much grub and gold on his back as he could carry.
Left his shovel and pick and everything else there with nugget and started back
to Placerville. He said he knew all about these smart
fellows that make an accidental gold discovery
going to town, stake their claims and then can't find their way back again.
So old Bill made himself a map checked every detail
as true as possible and on the way back he was sure he could find that lake
again blindfolded. It took him about a week to hit
Placerville. He staked his claim and round up a
fellow he knew for a partner. Pete Winters was his name. Well Pete
didn't believe one word old borough bill told him about the lake
but he couldn't disbelieve the gold bill had. So Pete finally agreed to go
and then the rainy season set in. Yes sir mister old Bill said to me
the storms was as bad as I can remember. Maybe you've heard about that bad winter
of 73. Well no sooner did it let up than the
snow was coming. There was no use Pete and me trying to do anything else
the spring. I wasn't worried he said that lake had
sat there for a thousand years and I figured it would wait for me
for a few months. We hunted all that spring and went back
and hunted all the next. But you know mister that lake of gold
had plum disappeared off the face of the earth
near as I could tell. Oh I reckon it must have been there somewhere
but there's a lot of lakes in that country and new ones after the rains they
all look pretty much alike. Besides the rains had filled them all
to the top. My lake with a low water line just
wasn't there anymore. Pete got pretty disgusted figured I was
trying to hold out on him and we broke up. Old Bill chuckled again as he thought
about and then he continued. Well I never had the heart to go back
after that so after my gold run out I drifted to one thing and another and
finally wound up here in the Borrego desert.
Maybe it's all just as well but I found that lake of gold again and got rich.
I'd probably turn plum shiftless and took the city living.
Anyhow Mr. Ken that story is true and I've got no reason to tell you wrong.
Somewhere up in the Sierras is a lake of pure gold.
Someday when I get around to it I'm going back old nugget he's going to lead
me right to it. Old Bill stopped I knew that was the end
of the story. Without another word he rolled himself up
his blanket and went to sleep. Marenga and I followed suit. As I went to
sleep that night I made up my mind. If ever I was up in the Sierras in the
dry season came across a rusty shovel some burr bones
alongside the mountain lake I'd be willing to stop a while and do
some panning because you never can tell it might be the lake of gold.
Gosh Ken that sure was a super story but you know
when you finish a story I just keep wishing there was more because I
really go for a good western story and I'll bet you young buckaroos listening
feel a lot like I do. You never get enough of hearing good
stories either and that's why I think if you haven't
already ordered your Diamond K record album of exciting Ken Maynard stories
you're losing time you could be enjoying them. You know this beautiful color album
contains four sides of stories on unbreakable
eight inch records of pure expensive vinylite to play on a standard 78 rpm
speed phonograph and don't forget they made just for you
with a personal message from Ken Maynard Hollywood's champion of western stars.
Just wait till you hear him say hello George
or Don or Hazel or whatever your name is write on the record.
They're personalized just for you it's the biggest value I know of for just a
dollar. Two records in an album to complete
Wild West stories with pictures of Ken and Tarzan on the album
and on the records for only a dollar. Just send your name and address to records
in care of this station and then close the one dollar bill.
Now if the record album is a gift for someone else
be sure to write the name of the person you want Ken to say hello to
and the name and address where you want the album sent.
So send today to records in care of this station don't wait any longer to get in
on the fun. Now here's Ken to tell you about his
next exciting story. Well closing times rolled around again
the old Diamond K ranch. This is Ken Maynard and Tarzan
saying so long till next time we meet when I'll tell you a story I call
cattle rustling Texas style. In the meantime
be sure to get your one dollar bills in the mail for some real western fun.
You've been listening to Tales from the Diamond K told by Ken Maynard and the
nationally famous cowboy stunt writer and Hollywood's champion of western
stars. Tales from the Diamond K was transcribed
and produced in Hollywood.