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Originally Posted by Detector  I've heard it several ways. It depends on if it was one day after the Cimarron crossing or one day after crossing the Cimarron. The Crossing of the Arkansas, near present day Cimarron, was called the Cimarron Crossing. I would guess a crossing of the Cimarron River might also be called the Cimarron crossing... |
Detector,
I think Wright implied that after crossing the Cimarron (river) the wagons traveled one day...then they were attacked. I think that one days travel was approx 20 miles. That would be close to the area that Wright speaks about (4 miles west of Dodge City) in his book. Back then Dodge City did not extend as far west as it does now. (obviously). I drove four miles west of downtown Dodge and I suspect the attack may have happened within 1/2-1 mile of that location. Just my thoughts.
Putting myself in his shoes. If I were Martinez and had survived an Indian attack I think I would have headed east (towards civilization) and south (for protection) towards the river and Mexico. I doubt that he carried the silver across the river on his way back to Mexico. It would be to heavy. I think he buried it north of the river, before crossing. I also think that maybe he made several trips back to the remains of the wagon train to carry away more bags of the silver. If that is true, I don't think he would want to carry it too far, in fear that the Indians may return. I suspect he may have carried the bags just a few hundred yards before digging his hiding place for the silver. The story says that his son came to Dodge in a futile attempt to recover the silver and that people saw him west to town probing the ground with a steel rod. Was he on the Trail or north or south of it? I don't know that anyone actually knows. Do they? What year did his son come to Dodge? Did Dodge have a paper published when Martinez's son was poking around in the ground. Any articles wrote about it?
Well, that's my theory. Now if a person could pin-point the attack site... Has any wagon train remains ever been found west of town?
Just some ideas! The more ideas we hear the better the odds of trying to put it all together.