WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:03.040 Hi there folks, this is Ken Maynard and Tarzan. 00:03.040 --> 00:07.040 Horses whinny 00:07.040 --> 00:11.200 inviting you to join us here in the tack room of the Diamond K Ranch for another 00:11.200 --> 00:15.360 exciting tale from the Diamond K. You know folks I sure enjoy these little 00:15.360 --> 00:18.640 business we have together. It's nice to get acquainted with all of you. 00:18.640 --> 00:22.480 The tack room door is always open so why don't you spend the next 15 minutes here 00:22.480 --> 00:25.360 with us. I've got a mighty exciting story today 00:25.360 --> 00:29.360 called the Lake of Gold. Thank you Ken. From the tack room of Ken 00:29.360 --> 00:33.120 Maynard's Diamond K Ranch we're bringing you transcribed stories of adventure, 00:33.120 --> 00:37.040 stories of circus life, fascinating tales of the old west where cowboys still 00:37.040 --> 00:40.560 follow the cattle trails, stories of rodeos and parades, colorful 00:40.560 --> 00:44.560 legends of the red man, hidden gold and buried treasure. The 00:44.560 --> 00:48.640 exciting tales from the Diamond K are told by Hollywood's champion of western 00:48.640 --> 00:51.760 stars, internationally famous Ken Maynard. Now 00:51.760 --> 00:54.560 while Ken's getting ready to spin his newest Wild West yarn, 00:54.560 --> 00:58.560 here's something to think about buckaroos. Do you know what every cowboy's favorite 00:58.560 --> 01:02.480 pastime is? Well after the chores are done, whether it's watering the horses, a 01:02.480 --> 01:06.160 pitch and hay or rounding up the cattle, the boys just kind of drift together to 01:06.160 --> 01:09.760 chat a bit. And first thing you know one of them is telling a story. 01:09.760 --> 01:13.440 And that's why we think you'll get a big kick out of having a set of real 01:13.440 --> 01:17.280 western stories to hear anytime you have your chores done. 01:17.280 --> 01:22.000 Now I'm talking about the exciting record album of Ken Maynard's Wild West 01:22.000 --> 01:26.640 Stories. It's a beautiful album in color with two of Ken's favorite stories inside 01:26.640 --> 01:31.040 on big eight-inch unbreakable records of pure expensive vinylite 01:31.040 --> 01:34.800 with pictures of Ken and Tarzan on the records. And best of all 01:34.800 --> 01:37.680 these records are personalized, made just for you, 01:37.680 --> 01:41.120 and with a personal message from Ken right on the record. 01:41.120 --> 01:46.080 He'll say, hello there Dick, this is Ken Maynard with a story just for you. 01:46.080 --> 01:52.080 Or he'll say, hi there Jack or Jim or Sally. Whatever your name is buckaroos, 01:52.080 --> 01:55.920 Ken Maynard will call you by name right on the record and then tell you his 01:55.920 --> 01:59.120 stories. Exciting? I'll say it's exciting and all 01:59.120 --> 02:03.200 you have to do to have a personalized Ken Maynard record for your very own is 02:03.200 --> 02:07.520 send your name and address to records in care of this station and enclose just 02:07.520 --> 02:11.920 one dollar bill. And say you'll play your records over and over again. 02:11.920 --> 02:17.360 But send now. Now here's Ken all set to go with a rip roaring yarn. 02:17.360 --> 02:21.120 Folks today I've got a real strange and amazing story to tell you called the 02:21.120 --> 02:24.480 Lake of Gold. It was one winter afternoon I was riding 02:24.480 --> 02:29.040 across the Borrego Desert in southern California on my way to the Warner Ranch. 02:29.040 --> 02:32.240 Well sir it was getting on towards sundown and I was hunting for a good spot 02:32.240 --> 02:35.840 to unpack my bedroll when I saw signs of smoke coming from a 02:35.840 --> 02:39.040 camp about a mile away. You know it's not often you run across 02:39.040 --> 02:43.040 anybody out in that desert so I rode on up to this camp very glad to see 02:43.040 --> 02:46.480 somebody to say howdy to. And that's when I met two of the most 02:46.480 --> 02:51.440 interesting men in all my experience. One was named Charlie Marengo, a lawyer in 02:51.440 --> 02:54.880 Los Angeles whose hobby was exploring the deserts in his spare time 02:54.880 --> 02:58.960 hunting for lost mines and treasures. But the other fellow was a real character 02:58.960 --> 03:02.320 and the one I want to tell you about. I reckon he must have been about 80 03:02.320 --> 03:06.560 years old but he was spry and as tough as a young kid you ever saw. 03:06.560 --> 03:10.800 He had a grizzled white beard on his chin but very little on top of his head. 03:10.800 --> 03:14.800 His face is about two shades darker than my saddle in line with wrinkles around 03:14.800 --> 03:17.280 his eyes from squinting at the desert sun. 03:17.280 --> 03:21.360 And he had a cheerful sly expression like he knew a lot more than he was telling. 03:21.360 --> 03:26.000 He called himself Marengo Bill. They both gave me a jolly greeting and invited me 03:26.000 --> 03:30.080 to stay with them overnight. Well sir after supper we made ourselves 03:30.080 --> 03:33.200 comfortable around the fire telling stories as fellows do. 03:33.200 --> 03:36.400 And I'd just finished telling about an adventure of mine up in the North Lake 03:36.400 --> 03:40.400 country when I was on a fishing trip when old Bill puckered up his face took 03:40.400 --> 03:45.360 his pipe out of his mouth and said, Mr. Ken you mentioned lakes. That way 03:45.360 --> 03:48.560 puts me in mind of a lake I hear it of once. 03:48.560 --> 03:52.640 I remember like it was yesterday though it was back about 73 when I was a young 03:52.640 --> 03:55.440 feller. I worked out of Plaslerville that's 03:55.440 --> 03:59.440 east of Sacramento you know a long time ago called Hangtown. 03:59.440 --> 04:03.520 The big gold rush had passed by but a lot of fellows still working over the old 04:03.520 --> 04:06.240 diggings. Now I had a fool notion that if I had 04:06.240 --> 04:11.040 cramped around high enough in this area I might find the source of all that gold 04:11.040 --> 04:16.160 the miners and placer workers took out of the streams and the rivers below. 04:16.160 --> 04:19.760 I had a good burrow and plenty of grub so I set out for the high places and 04:19.760 --> 04:23.280 didn't care when I got back. Every mile or so I'd take samples of 04:23.280 --> 04:26.080 the rock but never saw a sign of color of gold 04:26.080 --> 04:31.840 anywhere. My old burrow I can see him now just as clear as I see you Mr. Ken. 04:31.840 --> 04:35.120 His name was Nugget and he was a faithful friend. 04:35.120 --> 04:38.960 But Nugget was getting tired for a burrow that's unusual. 04:38.960 --> 04:43.600 Maybe we was a bit higher than I thought. Anyway that afternoon we made camp early 04:43.600 --> 04:46.400 about three o'clock and I told Nugget that next morning we'd 04:46.400 --> 04:50.800 give up start back along that long trail to Plasterville. 04:50.800 --> 04:54.480 We had a good snooze that night the air was clearer than usual and the stars 04:54.480 --> 04:59.360 were uncommonly bright. Burrow Bill looked up the stars above our 04:59.360 --> 05:03.280 campfire there in Borrego Desert then continued with his story. 05:03.280 --> 05:07.040 You won't believe this Mr. Ken he said but the next morning 05:07.040 --> 05:10.800 Nugget seemed peculiar. He was restless and kept pointing his head toward the 05:10.800 --> 05:13.680 north hill. Seemed like he wanted to go on a few 05:13.680 --> 05:17.600 miles further. Nugget was my friend Burrow Bill said and 05:17.600 --> 05:20.480 if he wanted to go on I was going with him. 05:20.480 --> 05:24.080 We got to the top and looked down. Way below us 05:24.080 --> 05:28.480 rained around by the pine trees was a lake. It had been a very dry season and 05:28.480 --> 05:32.080 the lake was low. I could see the old shoreline some 50 05:32.080 --> 05:35.440 feet of the water. It was a pretty thing there among the 05:35.440 --> 05:38.400 green peaks and the water was clear and blue. 05:38.400 --> 05:42.800 Nugget was drinking his fill of the fresh cold water and I was filling my canteen. 05:42.800 --> 05:46.320 When down through the blue water I noticed something shining. 05:46.320 --> 05:50.560 It was a shimmering golden color. While the mud was black it looked like there 05:50.560 --> 05:53.120 wasn't much mud at all because it was heavy with shiny 05:53.120 --> 05:56.400 golden flecks. I'd been around the camps long enough to 05:56.400 --> 06:00.240 know gold from pyrite and I tell you it was true Mr. Ken. 06:00.240 --> 06:04.720 Bill said the bottom of that lake was solid gold. 06:04.720 --> 06:07.920 Well sir Mr. Ken there I was miles from anywhere. 06:07.920 --> 06:11.840 Alone with the biggest fortune a man could ever dream of. 06:11.840 --> 06:16.240 The problem was what to do about it. Got out my pan and sampled a bit of the lake 06:16.240 --> 06:18.800 bottom. After the mud and black sand had washed 06:18.800 --> 06:21.840 away I had a bottle full of finest leaf gold. 06:21.840 --> 06:27.040 A small nugget I'd ever seen. That night and all the next day I panned all the 06:27.040 --> 06:30.880 gold that Nugget and I could carry. Just as easy as picking up sand from the 06:30.880 --> 06:34.560 seashore. But Nugget was worrying me. He didn't eat 06:34.560 --> 06:37.520 much that night and didn't want to get up next morning. 06:37.520 --> 06:41.760 This scared me plenty because Nugget was the only friend I had in the world and 06:41.760 --> 06:44.560 besides I was counting on him to carry back my gold, 06:44.560 --> 06:48.560 food and water. Without a burr in that willow some man might as well give up 06:48.560 --> 06:52.080 before he started. Well now I'd say that was a mighty 06:52.080 --> 06:55.600 uncomfortable spot for anybody to be in wouldn't you friends? 06:55.600 --> 06:59.680 But you know speaking of comfort the man doesn't feel good and comfortable he 06:59.680 --> 07:04.640 can't do his best work or enjoy his play. Just for your information buckaroos I 07:04.640 --> 07:08.720 feel my best when I'm dressed comfortably and you know my favorite outfit when I'm 07:08.720 --> 07:13.200 working or just loafing around it's my K-shirt and a pair of jeans. 07:13.200 --> 07:16.560 And you'd be surprised how many young buckaroos are agreeing with me. 07:16.560 --> 07:20.720 Kids all across the country are writing me and asking for a K-shirt like mine. 07:20.720 --> 07:24.480 I've told you about it before it's a comfortable cotton shirt made like a 07:24.480 --> 07:27.680 t-shirt in the color of desert sand with my own 07:27.680 --> 07:31.600 diamond K brand in bright red on the front and tarzan me 07:31.600 --> 07:34.560 looking right at you. Now if you want to join the gang that's 07:34.560 --> 07:38.400 wearing my own private K-shirt all you've got to do is send me your 07:38.400 --> 07:42.880 name and address. Tell me what size you wear two four 07:42.880 --> 07:47.200 six eight ten or twelve and then close a one dollar bill for the fellow that 07:47.200 --> 07:49.920 makes them. Pretty fancy shirt for just a little 07:49.920 --> 07:53.360 one dollar bill and you'll get a lot of wear out of it. 07:53.360 --> 08:00.000 Be sure to send me your sizes now two four six eight ten or twelve. Ask mom 08:00.000 --> 08:04.880 she'll know what size you wear. Well now let's get back to Borrego Bill 08:04.880 --> 08:09.120 and his story of the lake of gold. At least 50 years have gone by since old 08:09.120 --> 08:12.400 Bill's adventure but I could see every detail was as clear 08:12.400 --> 08:15.840 as if it had happened yesterday. Bill reached over to take a burning stick 08:15.840 --> 08:20.080 from the fire and relayed his pipe before he continued. Yes he said 08:20.080 --> 08:24.880 it's true about the lake of gold but there I was a millionaire and 08:24.880 --> 08:27.680 couldn't buy a penny's worth of help from my best friend. 08:27.680 --> 08:32.400 I set up all night with my borough nugget but the next morning he was dead. 08:32.400 --> 08:36.240 I never knew what got him just wore out I guess. 08:36.240 --> 08:40.160 Anyhow I gave him as fine a funeral as I could and I'll bet no borough 08:40.160 --> 08:44.400 ever had a king's ransom in gold buried with him. 08:44.400 --> 08:47.920 I looked over at borough bills he paused his story and his old weather-beaten 08:47.920 --> 08:50.880 face was lit up with memories. He went on to 08:50.880 --> 08:54.640 tell me that he'd packed as much grub and gold on his back as he could carry. 08:54.640 --> 08:58.000 Left his shovel and pick and everything else there with nugget and started back 08:58.000 --> 09:01.120 to Placerville. He said he knew all about these smart 09:01.120 --> 09:04.080 fellows that make an accidental gold discovery 09:04.080 --> 09:08.800 going to town, stake their claims and then can't find their way back again. 09:08.800 --> 09:11.920 So old Bill made himself a map checked every detail 09:11.920 --> 09:15.840 as true as possible and on the way back he was sure he could find that lake 09:15.840 --> 09:19.120 again blindfolded. It took him about a week to hit 09:19.120 --> 09:21.680 Placerville. He staked his claim and round up a 09:21.680 --> 09:25.760 fellow he knew for a partner. Pete Winters was his name. Well Pete 09:25.760 --> 09:28.640 didn't believe one word old borough bill told him about the lake 09:28.640 --> 09:33.520 but he couldn't disbelieve the gold bill had. So Pete finally agreed to go 09:33.520 --> 09:38.160 and then the rainy season set in. Yes sir mister old Bill said to me 09:38.160 --> 09:42.560 the storms was as bad as I can remember. Maybe you've heard about that bad winter 09:42.560 --> 09:46.560 of 73. Well no sooner did it let up than the 09:46.560 --> 09:49.840 snow was coming. There was no use Pete and me trying to do anything else 09:49.840 --> 09:53.680 the spring. I wasn't worried he said that lake had 09:53.680 --> 09:56.560 sat there for a thousand years and I figured it would wait for me 09:56.560 --> 10:00.560 for a few months. We hunted all that spring and went back 10:00.560 --> 10:04.240 and hunted all the next. But you know mister that lake of gold 10:04.240 --> 10:06.560 had plum disappeared off the face of the earth 10:06.560 --> 10:10.640 near as I could tell. Oh I reckon it must have been there somewhere 10:10.640 --> 10:14.720 but there's a lot of lakes in that country and new ones after the rains they 10:14.720 --> 10:18.320 all look pretty much alike. Besides the rains had filled them all 10:18.320 --> 10:21.040 to the top. My lake with a low water line just 10:21.040 --> 10:25.200 wasn't there anymore. Pete got pretty disgusted figured I was 10:25.200 --> 10:29.760 trying to hold out on him and we broke up. Old Bill chuckled again as he thought 10:29.760 --> 10:33.120 about and then he continued. Well I never had the heart to go back 10:33.120 --> 10:37.200 after that so after my gold run out I drifted to one thing and another and 10:37.200 --> 10:39.920 finally wound up here in the Borrego desert. 10:39.920 --> 10:44.720 Maybe it's all just as well but I found that lake of gold again and got rich. 10:44.720 --> 10:48.080 I'd probably turn plum shiftless and took the city living. 10:48.080 --> 10:52.800 Anyhow Mr. Ken that story is true and I've got no reason to tell you wrong. 10:52.800 --> 10:56.640 Somewhere up in the Sierras is a lake of pure gold. 10:56.640 --> 11:00.000 Someday when I get around to it I'm going back old nugget he's going to lead 11:00.000 --> 11:03.680 me right to it. Old Bill stopped I knew that was the end 11:03.680 --> 11:06.560 of the story. Without another word he rolled himself up 11:06.560 --> 11:11.280 his blanket and went to sleep. Marenga and I followed suit. As I went to 11:11.280 --> 11:14.880 sleep that night I made up my mind. If ever I was up in the Sierras in the 11:14.880 --> 11:18.800 dry season came across a rusty shovel some burr bones 11:18.800 --> 11:22.320 alongside the mountain lake I'd be willing to stop a while and do 11:22.320 --> 11:27.600 some panning because you never can tell it might be the lake of gold. 11:27.600 --> 11:31.120 Gosh Ken that sure was a super story but you know 11:31.120 --> 11:34.080 when you finish a story I just keep wishing there was more because I 11:34.080 --> 11:38.400 really go for a good western story and I'll bet you young buckaroos listening 11:38.400 --> 11:40.960 feel a lot like I do. You never get enough of hearing good 11:40.960 --> 11:43.360 stories either and that's why I think if you haven't 11:43.360 --> 11:47.520 already ordered your Diamond K record album of exciting Ken Maynard stories 11:47.520 --> 11:51.840 you're losing time you could be enjoying them. You know this beautiful color album 11:51.840 --> 11:55.120 contains four sides of stories on unbreakable 11:55.120 --> 12:00.240 eight inch records of pure expensive vinylite to play on a standard 78 rpm 12:00.240 --> 12:02.800 speed phonograph and don't forget they made just for you 12:02.800 --> 12:07.520 with a personal message from Ken Maynard Hollywood's champion of western stars. 12:07.520 --> 12:11.040 Just wait till you hear him say hello George 12:11.040 --> 12:15.040 or Don or Hazel or whatever your name is write on the record. 12:15.040 --> 12:19.440 They're personalized just for you it's the biggest value I know of for just a 12:19.440 --> 12:22.560 dollar. Two records in an album to complete 12:22.560 --> 12:25.840 Wild West stories with pictures of Ken and Tarzan on the album 12:25.840 --> 12:30.480 and on the records for only a dollar. Just send your name and address to records 12:30.480 --> 12:34.640 in care of this station and then close the one dollar bill. 12:34.640 --> 12:37.760 Now if the record album is a gift for someone else 12:37.760 --> 12:42.320 be sure to write the name of the person you want Ken to say hello to 12:42.320 --> 12:45.680 and the name and address where you want the album sent. 12:45.680 --> 12:49.760 So send today to records in care of this station don't wait any longer to get in 12:49.760 --> 12:52.080 on the fun. Now here's Ken to tell you about his 12:52.080 --> 12:57.200 next exciting story. Well closing times rolled around again 12:57.200 --> 13:02.000 the old Diamond K ranch. This is Ken Maynard and Tarzan 13:02.000 --> 13:08.480 saying so long till next time we meet when I'll tell you a story I call 13:08.480 --> 13:12.080 cattle rustling Texas style. In the meantime 13:12.080 --> 13:16.080 be sure to get your one dollar bills in the mail for some real western fun. 13:16.080 --> 13:19.760 You've been listening to Tales from the Diamond K told by Ken Maynard and the 13:19.760 --> 13:23.040 nationally famous cowboy stunt writer and Hollywood's champion of western 13:23.040 --> 13:25.600 stars. Tales from the Diamond K was transcribed 13:25.600 --> 13:32.400 and produced in Hollywood.