Talking the Legs Off a Donkey

Of all the scams coming out of the Western mining era, the one perpetrated by George Babcock wins hands down. In 1894, Babcock, who was a jovial man of immense proportions, was working in Phillipsburg, Montana, when he heard about gold discoveries on nearby Rock Creek. Quitting his job, Babcock took his savings and rushed to the area, but he was disappointed to learn that the majority of the working mines were yielding only a modest return, while most were worthless. The “Golden Scepter,”