Hanging Tree

[Dave]

We took a drive this afternoon. Our first planned place to find was the hanging tree between Rye Valley and Mormon Basin. It is one of the few real life hanging trees left. Back in the 1860's and 1870's Rye Valley and Mormon Basin were thriving gold mining towns. History says that the last person hung from this tree was a man who raped a woman in Mormon Basin. He was captured, stood trial, was convicted, and executed in quick order. This was back when the west was really wild. Story is that several murders met their fate at this tree too.

 

[TexasBred]

Got one of those down here in Goliad, Texas

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30040

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

LOL - When I saw the title, I thought you were posting about the "Hanging Tree" breed of dogs!

 

[Dave]

This old tree is in the middle of nowhere in between two ghost towns. You can see the two rut road that was the wagon supply road 150 years ago in the lower left corner of the picture. It is 15 miles one way to pavement and over 20 miles the other way. This is a 4 wheel drive pickup road. Cars are not recommended. And lots of the year (winter and early spring) it is not passable to any vehicle. It took us about 3 hours to drive that 35 miles.

 

[hurleyjd]

Hang down your head Tom Dooley poor boy you are are bound to die.

 

[Nesikep]

Ours got cut down a few years ago, also from the 1880's or so, was used by the "Hanging Judge", Judge Begbie

 

[hurleyjd]

We took a drive this afternoon. Our first planned place to find was the hanging tree between Rye Valley and Mormon Basin. It is one of the few real life hanging trees left. Back in the 1860's and 1870's Rye Valley and Mormon Basin were thriving gold mining towns. History says that the last person hung from this tree was a man who raped a woman in Mormon Basin. He was captured, stood trial, was convicted, and executed in quick order. This was back when the west was really wild. Story is that several murders met their fate at this tree too.

Could this be the tree Marty Robbins sang about in the Hanging Tree song. Where the person swapped all his gold for his life and said to truly live you must nearly die.

 

[hurleyjd]

We took a drive this afternoon. Our first planned place to find was the hanging tree between Rye Valley and Mormon Basin. It is one of the few real life hanging trees left. Back in the 1860's and 1870's Rye Valley and Mormon Basin were thriving gold mining towns. History says that the last person hung from this tree was a man who raped a woman in Mormon Basin. He was captured, stood trial, was convicted, and executed in quick order. This was back when the west was really wild. Story is that several murders met their fate at this tree too.

Could this be the tree Marty Robbins sang about in the Hanging Tree song. Where the person swapped all his gold for his life and said to truly live you must nearly die.

 

[Dave]

We took a drive this afternoon. Our first planned place to find was the hanging tree between Rye Valley and Mormon Basin. It is one of the few real life hanging trees left. Back in the 1860's and 1870's Rye Valley and Mormon Basin were thriving gold mining towns. History says that the last person hung from this tree was a man who raped a woman in Mormon Basin. He was captured, stood trial, was convicted, and executed in quick order. This was back when the west was really wild. Story is that several murders met their fate at this tree too.

Could this be the tree Marty Robbins sang about in the Hanging Tree song. Where the person swapped all his gold for his life and said to truly live you must nearly die.

I doubt it. That was a song made for a movie. Although the movie was based on a gold mining district. I think all of those old gold mining districts had a hanging tree. Life was pretty hard and often short in those places.