Round Mountain in Blanco County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Gideon Thorp’s Arrastre
The California Gold Rush of the late 1840s possibly helped to fuel rumors of the presence of gold in the Texas Hill Country. However, an 1866 geological report stated that weathered biotite (mica) was the mineral being mistaken for gold in the region. Rumors swirled of gold in the Sandy Creek basin, and in the late 1880s rancher Joel P. Smith "Grubstaked" Gideon Thorp to determine if there was any truth to the rumors. Grubstaking is the act of furnishing gear to a prospector in return for receiving some of the profits from any findings.
Thorp constructed an arrastre in Walnut Creek. An arrastre is a type of ore-crushing mill first utilized in Texas by the Spanish during the early 18th century. Thorp's Arrastre, carved in the creek's hard sandstone bottom, used the creek's water to flush stone through the carved trough, enabling it to be crushed by an animal-drawn mill stone. Thorp and his family lived in a two-room house near the arrastre, but it is not known how much gold - if any was found in Walnut Creek. Thorp died in 1929, but the arrastre remains today as a visible reminder of his hard work and his dreams of "Striking it rich".
Erected 2009 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15914.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.
Location. 30° 26.293′ N, 98° 21.007′ W. Marker is in Round Mountain, Texas, in Blanco County. Marker is on Round Mountain Cemetery Road, 0.1 miles north of Ranch to Market Road 962. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 339 Round Mountain Cemetery Rd, Round Mountain TX 78663, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Captain Jesse Burnam (approx. 6.6 miles away); Charles Haynes (approx. 6.6 miles away); Dead Man's Hole (approx. 8 miles away); Fuchs Cemetery (approx. 8.6 miles away); Brandt Badger House (approx. 9.8 miles away); Floyd Tillman (approx. 9.9 miles away); Rockvale (approx. 10 miles away); Marble Falls Factory Site (approx. 10.1 miles away).
More about this marker. The marker is located in the Round Mountain Cemetery next to Gideon Thorp‘s gravesite and not at the arrastre.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2024, by James Moore of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 59 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on April 8, 2024, by James Moore of Houston, Texas. 2, 3. submitted on May 2, 2024, by James Moore of Houston, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide view photo of the marker and the surrounding area together in context. • Can you help?