James Smithson’s mother was rich. When the English lady died in about 1816, she left her wealth to her two sons. One of them was James Smithson. His will stipulated that his nephew was to get his money, which he did when Smithson died in 1829. His nephew died in 1835, and his will stated that his money was to go to the United States. After the will was probated, the U.S. government got the money, which was more than the U.S. budget for that year. The money was turned into 104,960 British Sovereigns, which was shipped to the U.S. in eleven wood crates. Two were kept as souvenirs, and the rest sold for $508,300, which was used to establish the “Smithsonian Institution,” which has funded and maintained, many museums, and other wonderful things in Washington D.C. Gold did a wonderful thing.
On an NPR recentradio broadcast, the commentator said that the U.S. foolishly invested Smithson’s money in two U.S. cities’ bonds, which went bust, and lost most of the money, but the government decided to fund Smithson’s gift anyway. I have spent a lot of time, trying to find if that broadcast is true, but have been unsuccessful. If anyone out there has heard the story, and can help me prove it, I would appreciate it. It does sound like something the U.S. government would do, but since the $508,300 was more than a year’s federal budget, I think it would be impossible to invest that much in two cities’ bonds. Does NPR lie? We all know they exaggerate to the left, but did they lie?
Now about Colorado, which I love. Above Silverton, is a little ghost town called “Animas Forks.” It got its name because the “Rio De Las Animas River,” (River of lost souls), forks there. In this town, was a red headed Irish bartender, named Tom Walsh. He had a daughter named Evelyn. One day, a man came into Tom’s bar, and suggested to Tom, that he should invest in some mine, which name escapes me at this time, but it hit big, and Tom became an instant millionaire. With his money, he struck it rich in Ouray, (pronounced U-Ray), and founded the Calp Bird Mine. Evelyn took her money, moved to Washington D.C., bought the Hope Diamond, and had a huge mansion on Dupont Circle. She married the publisher of the Washington Post. It all started in Animas Forks Colorado, which today is easy to get to with a four-wheel drive vehicle, and is a wonderful trip..
David Lavender, is a famous writer about the American West. In a 1943 book he wrote, which I found in a used book store, titled, “One Man’s West,” Lavender, who was born in Telluride, went to work in the famous “Camp Bird” mine, in Ouray Colorado. In the mid 1800’s, miners’ pay was in gold. Lavender wrote: “Moreover, his product was complete; it called for no bartering, no haggling. The miner did not serve as middleman, for anyone or anything. You can’t mine paper; and a pay check isn’t the same as seeing your own gold in your own hand.” That job in the Camp Bird, was probably 110 years ago. There was no highway, no trucks, and all was transported on narrow gauge railways. In 2022, the same is true. You can’t mine paper, and throughout history, billions of contracts, deeds, and trillions of paper monies of all kinds in all nations throughout history, have all ended at zero value. In America, the nickel phone booth, nickel Cokes, and nickel Hershey bars, are beyond most of our imaginations, except they did happen, and I saw them at a nickel. Has our dollar lost maybe 90% of its purchasing power, since I was a kid, 80 years ago? Yes.
I did some other types of research last week also. I found out that the temperature of the Earth’s oceans, over the last hundred years, has risen less than one-degree centigrade. To be exact, 65% of one degree, the ocean’s temperature has risen. I then checked the CO2 air content for the last hundred years, and one site gave it for 420,000 years, which is absurd, as man only began checking it in the last hundred or so years. A hundred years ago, hundreds of millions of homes, factories, apartments, hospitals, government buildings, etc. on Earth, were heated and run, by coal. A hundred years ago also, there were hundreds of thousands of steam locomotives, all burning coal. Steel mills burned coal, and all electrical producers burned coal. Major cities were full of coal smoke, and I guess it was horrible. This is not counting the average of forty volcanic eruptions each year, as long as they have been counted. Yet, the CO2 didn’t go up, according to what I consider greenie, liberal, fake figures. The silly graphs say CO2 all started going up, about 1950. The previous hundred years, which burned trillions of tons of coal, didn’t cause the CO2 to rise? I say, NUTS. Now, ‘science’ says we all must cease all fossil fuel use, and as that glorious House Rep AOE says, “If we don’t stop burning fossil fuel, the Earth will collapse In ten years.” She won her House seat with 14,000 votes. Not 14,000 more than her competitor. Just 14,000 votes. Will she run for President in 2024?
I think the FBI raid on Trump’s home has done a lot for Trump and Republicans. When the Demos and libs hate you, they will stop at nothing. I think they have blown it.
Everyone seems to have had the Covid thing, which most have forgotten, originated in China. I have never had it, never worn a mask, and certainly, never had a shot of that vaccine. My immune system seems to be in top shape. I never get a cold, flu, sore throat, and have no aches and pains, and I am 88. Please allow me to tell you what I take every day, and have for decades. One 1200 MG fish oil, one Co Q 10, one calcium, one multi vitamin and mineral tablet, 50 MG of DHEA, 2,000 units of vitamin C, and 5000 IU of vitamin D. That’s it. I take no prescriptions of any kind, or pain relievers, and I am very healthy. Use that as anything you wish, but has worked for me! Maybe it’s because I have never done drugs of any kind, been drunk, or smoked Maybe I’m lucky. Maybe you should forward my daily intake to everyone you know. I know, a lot of doctors think vitamins are nonsense. I disagree. If this sounds jumbled, sorry. I was going to use the Smithsonian thing as a column, but it may be an NPR fake.
-Don Stott- don@coloradogold.com