In 1929 an Australian named Harold Bell Lassiter announced that he had found a fabulously rich gold deposit in the Northwest Territory years ago and that he needed the cash to raise an expedition to go after it. At first, he had no takers, but as the depression took hold and his story spread the money appeared and a group of experts gathered for a 1931 expedition. It wasn't long before Lasseter's story began to crumble, he had no samples and no map and very vague recollections- and the party ended up abandoning him as well as the project. He kept on, and some sources say he found the gold "reef" before his untimely death. There are still many people searching for that deposit, said to be above ground in quartz rock strata 7 feet wide and 10 feet thick. Was he a charlatan- a cheat? a liar? Or was there some truth to his story? Time will tell.
'Lasseter's Reef' Bandcamp Music Coutesy of Kira Janowsky
Sources below:
Resources • Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter • Lasseter's Reef • Lasseter's lost reef • Has Lasseter’s Reef been found? • Exploration Mysteries: Lasseter’s Reef • Lasseter’s Reef and One Man’s Maddened Quest for Gold • Almost a century on, the search continues for Lasseter's elusive gold reef in the Australian outback • Has Lasseter’s Reef been found? • Harold Lasseter • Find a Grave: Lasseter • Lewis Hubert Lasseter (1880–1931) by G. P. Walsh • LASSETER HISTORY • Historical Locations connected with Lasseter’s Grave, Petermann Ranges, Central Australia Referenced Films, Songs and Books Strike Me Lucky (1934) Phantom Gold (1936) Expedition Unknown, Episode "Lasseter's Gold" "Lasseter's Last Ride"; the first by Peter Dawson and Edward Harrington and performed by Peter Dawson (May 1940) “Lasseter’s Last Ride” Dean Thomas (September 2012) "Lasseter's Dream" (Keith Glass) "Lasseters Reef of Gold" (Brian Letton) Luke Walker's 2013 documentary feature Lasseter's Bones Lassiter’s Last Ride, written by Ion L. Idriess Lasseter’s Reef:
One Man’s Journey Uncovers the Truth, by Bill Decarli The Mine with the Iron Door by Harold Bell Wright
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