A Valley Legend
Here is how the story goes: A young man went prospecting on a snowy autumn afternoon in the Slate River Valley and found silver. After marking the site, he started walking the 20 miles to the Registry Office in Port Arthur to file his mining claim. When it got dark, he overnighted at the Parsons farm. During the evening, he chatted about his discovery but didn’t reveal the location.
Next morning, he walking east, never suspecting that Parsons planned to rob his claim. Using the young man’s footprints in the fresh snow, Parsons backtracked and found the marked silver site. Then he rode his horse to the Registry Office, arriving hours earlier than the young man on foot.
According to folklore, the betrayed young fellow cursed the site, telling Parsons that his ill-gotten wealth would be short-lived.
Parsons had to take on two financial partners – Mr. Brimstone and Judge Barrie, neither aware of his dishonesty. The judge’s investment came with one condition: The mine must be named for his wife, Lily. Everyone agreed to Lily of the Valley Silver Mine.
The mine prospered at first, producing more than $100,000 worth of silver, prompting a Duluth syndicate to offer to buy it for $100,000 cash. But Parsons and Brimstone wouldn’t sell, thinking there must be more silver in the mine to fetch such a good offer. The deal fell through. Then, perhaps, the curse kicked in. Before the partners could recoup their costs, the mine ran out of silver and was abandoned.