PEG LEG LIARS CONTEST IS BACK: MARCH 4 IN BORREGO SPRINGS 12
Total Views: 53 East County News Service Photo: Pegleg Smith state historical marker; CC by SA-NC February 17, 2023 (Borrego Springs, CA) – Telling a whopper is usually taboo. But at the Peg Leg Liars Contest, named for the purported discoverer of a yet-to-be-found treasure in black gold, you can win prizes for spinning the best tall tale. After a two year hiatus due to COVID, the contest will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the American Legion Post, 4515 Borrego Springs Road in Borrego Springs (across from La Casa del Zorro). The contest starts at dusk. Begun informally in 1916 and formally in 1948, the event is the longest ongoing story-telling competition in the West. The contest is named after Pegleg (Thomas) Smith, a real-life mountain man, fur trapper, horse thief, trader and tall-teller extraordinaire who boasted of finding a fortune in black gold nuggets atop a desert butte. He claimed to have mistaken them for copper until having them tested in Los Angeles, but never returned to find them. Pegleg got his nickname after losing a leg to an arrow and having a wooden leg fashioned. He lived from 1801 to 1866 and is commemorated with a California historical landmark in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Over 30 prospectors since the 1880s have died searching for this bonanza, though it’s unknown whether Pegleg’s gold is a real lost treasure waiting to be found, a myth, or if someone already found the treasure and kept it secret. There are several fragments of stories that may partially support his claim of seeing black gold in the West, possibly even in Anza-Borrego desert: https://www.desertusa.com/treasure/lost/pegleg-gold.html. Contestants are judged based on presentation, originality, costumes, and whether Pegleg Smith is mentioned. (Don’t say “Pegleg Pete,” a different character, or you’ll lose points.) All contestants get a trophy and certificate of participation; if enough young people show up, there will also be a youth division. The event is free, with food and drinks available for purchase. It is organized by the Committee to Accumulate Curious Tales of Incredibility (CACTI). According to the Borrego Sun newspaper, “The event is designed for fun. Liar’s are always in demand and you needn’t be an expert. Any subject is acceptable, less profanity. Funny, bizarre, and nonsensical appreciated. Western theme, tuxedos appropriate.” Printer-friendly version
12 viewsPEGLEG SMITH’S GOLD FORTUNE FOUND 23.6K
Total Views: 90 By Peggy Leg April 1, 2018 (Borrego Springs) – Way back in the late 1820s, Thomas “Pegleg” Smith got lost in a sandstorm and hobbled up a hill on his wooden leg to get his bearings. There, he claimed to have discovered walnut-sized rocks that he later learned contained gold as well as silver and manganese. As his story went, Pegleg was chased away by Indians and could never find his lost gold. Now Pegleg, who was also a horse thief, trapper and notorious teller of tall tales, was suspected by many to have made up the whole story – especially since he sold maps to eager but luckless prospectors. He event inspired the Pegleg Smith Liar’s Contest held each April. Many have searched for Pegleg’s lost gold through the years, but no one ever found it – until now… You see, Pegleg Smith was my ancestor, along with his mistress, Peggy, my namesake. She was a saloon girl in San Francisco, where Pegleg spent his final days. Hence me my nom de plume, Peggy Leg (I’m a writer, you see), to carry on Pegleg’s leg-acy. After he passed on, my ancestor Peggy kept a few of Pegleg’s belongings for sentimental value. She never believed his tales of lost gold, but she loved him all the same. His belongings were handed down generation after generation. That old wooden leg of his gathered dust on my bookshelf for years, until one day it was so termite riddled that it just wore clean through. I peeked in side and lo and behold, I found a piece of parchment paper glued to the inside. I pulled it out and discovered a treasure map. No, not the same as those bogus maps Pegleg sold to dupe those fools who paid for it. This one looked like the real deal. Seeing as I write for East County Magazine, I confided in my editor and we organized an ECM expedition to go retrieve Pegleg’s lost gold, which he’d stashed in a mud cave deep in the Borrego Badlands. Of course it’s nowhere near any three bluffs that others searched for in vain–that was just a tale he made up to keep others from finding his cache. There’ve been some earthquakes that have caused a few landslides out there, and those mud caves can be unstable. So we started with ground-penetrating radar to pinpoint the location. It confirmed that a fortune in gold lay just below the rubble blocking the cave’s entry. We brought in a friend with spelunking skills to lead us into the mud cave, where after clearing away those fallen rocks, we spotted something glistening. Lo and behold, there was Pegleg’s long-lost gold! It took a few trips to haul it all out and get it assayed, confirming that the stash is worth a over a hundred million dollars. I set aside five million for myself to retire in style—did I mention I’m marrying that handsome spelunker fellow? We anticipate a lifelong honeymoon traveling to the far corners of the globe. But I’m approaching my twilight years, with no kids or grandkids to pass on all that wealth. So I’ve donated the lion’s share of Pegleg’s fortune to East County Magazine, to fund their local investigative reporting in perpetuity. Good reporting is worth its weight in gold! Happy April Fool’s Day! Find more April Fool’s Day 2018 stories here: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/april-1-2018-special-edition Printer-friendly version
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