GCHS to explore ‘Hunt for Gold and Silver in the Ouachitas’ on Tuesday

There are countless stories about Spaniards coming to the Ouachita Mountain region of Arkansas in their quest to find gold and silver, and separating the facts from the fiction will be a major theme at the next Garland County Historical Society meeting.

The meeting will be held at noon Tuesday on Zoom. The public is welcome to join at https://us02web.zoom. us/j/85033003531.

“Spanish Diggings: The Hunt for Gold and Silver in the Ouachitas” will be presented by John Archibald, a news release said.

“He will share important details about what makes the Ouachita Mountains unique when compared to any other mountain region in North America.

He will also explore the reasons that brought the Spanish here in the first place, how they began to find places to mine, and how the mining happened,” the release said.

“Archibald will, in addition, demonstrate some of the tools and techniques used by early explorers in mining processes. Archibald recently walked the woods of the Ouachita mountains and took photos for the program of some of the places he will mention.”

Viewers will be able to ask questions live via text messaging after his presentation.

Archibald, an award-winning journalist, has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Marquette University in Milwaukee. He worked as a journalist at the Pacific Daily News of Agana, Guam; The Sentinel-Record; and as editorial writer for the Oshkosh Northwestern of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and his articles have regularly been distributed by The Associated Press and Gannett. He returned to Arkansas in 2006 to publish the monthly tabloid, Ouachita Life.

“People can support the nonprofit Garland County Historical Society’s missions of preservation and education by joining the society,” the release said. Visit http:// www.garlandcountyhistoricalsociety.com or call 501-321-2159 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for more information.

“One of the benefits of membership is a copy of the society’s award-winning journal, The Record,” the release said.

Submitted photo Walnut Creek in Garland County is one of the locations connected with a Spanish mining story.

Submitted photo Hell’s Half Acre, shown on this postcard circa 1900, was sometimes mistakenly believed to be a Spanish mine. Five miles northeast of Hot Springs on Indian Mountain, Hell’s Half Acre is actually 12 acres of hundreds of thousands of naturally occurring sandstone boulders.

Submitted photo Journalist and historian John J. Archibald.