Natchitoches' First Tourist Attraction

In May 1809, noted Indian trader Anthony Glass returned to Natchitoches
with an amazing story of riches on the frontier.
The Indian agent, and only local scientist, Dr. John Sibley
wrote the following report:
"during his Travels & residence amongst the Indians where he
spent more than Eight Months he was conducted by Indians
to a place where he Saw in Large Masses of many thousands
of pounds weight a Singular Kind of Mineral,
it in colour resembles iron but whiter,
it is hard as Steel. Yet (malleable) as
gold or silver,
it is obedient to the magnet
but less so than Iron."

The Glass story of an Indian "healing rock"
and John Sibley's deduction that it could be platinum
began two frenzied expeditions into Spanish territory to recover the mass.

The first group to reach the area (now Denison, Texas)
traded to the Indians "a certain number of rifles and ammunition
and also a quantity of blanket." for the prize.

But in their haste to beat the other party,
they had neglected to bring a wagon
and the "rock" weighed nearly a ton.

Content with moving their booty and concealing it,
they headed back east in search of a wagon.

Meanwhile, the second party arrived and were astonished to
find only a hole in the ground.
On the second day of looking they discovered the cache
and used saplings as levers to pry it into a horse cart.

After much "fatigue and trouble"
they entered Natchitoches, June 4, 1810.
For nearly another year the mass drew curiosity seekers
and would be "Scientists" to the area.
The members of the party were offered small fortunes
for their shares but none would sell.
Finally, it was shipped to New York to be assayed
where it was deemed nothing more than iron and worthless,
but worthless only in a monetary sense.
For what they had recovered turned out to be a meteorite,
the largest one of any collection in the world for most of the nineteenth century.
It is now housed at the Peabody Museum, Yale University.
Sources: Journal of an Indian Trader, Flores, Dr. John Sibley, Garret