The most promising gold claim seemed to be the Gold Mountain lode in Kielberg Canyon in the central part of the Galiuros, just north and parallel to the head of Rattlesnake Canyon, some six miles from the Power land in Rattlesnake. First opened by the Consolidated Gold Mountain Mining Company in 1902, it had seemed to play out early, producing a disappointing amount of ore and profits well below the estimated $85,000 per month the company had projected in its prospectus.

The Consolidated Gold Mountain Mining Company had quickly failed, unable to produce enough ore to break even on its operation. Since the mine showed little promise of good profits, it was sold to three men operating as their own mining company. Half interest was owned by a Mr. Bowman, and a quarter each belonged to C. P. Tucker and R. C. Elwood, an investor. Tucker and Bowman worked the mine together. They pulled out a modest amount of ore, enough for the two of them to survive on and an indication that there might, indeed, be a rich vein in the mine yet untapped.

In the summer of 1911 the Powers were working their small farm at Power Garden. They had cleared a couple of acres of decent soil to the north of their cabin, planted a decent-sized garden, and then sown the rest of the field in grass for cattle feed. Needing another cash crop to keep them going while they grazed the cattle and sluiced for gold, Jeff sent John and Tom along with Ola May down Rattlesnake Creek, looking for seedling Arizona walnut trees. These they dug up, brought back to the Garden, and transplanted into the fields. In two weeks they planted over sixty trees, which were of little value for their nuts but of greater value for their wood. The nuts would be sold in town, but they would mainly become fodder for the cattle—entirely free, except for the labor of the children.

Jeff was digging a small channel from the field up to the spring where he was going to build a concrete-and-wood gate to open and close the springwater to the field below. The grass and trees could be watered year-round, regardless of when the rains came. Jeff was used to hard work, and so were his sons. He and Charlie were digging the irrigation ditch when C. P. Tucker rode into their tiny empire to rest and water his horse on his way from the mine down the canyon and into town.

“How you doing up at that mine? You rich yet?” Jeff called to Tucker.

“If aggravation at Bowman was worth anything, I'm a goddamned millionaire already,” Tucker said.

“You two getting on each other's nerves?”

“Well, I hope I'm getting on Bowman's nerves, because he sure as hell is on mine and pitching a damned tent and thinking about putting up a house.”

“I'd guess it would be hard to partner in an operation of that sort, wouldn't it?” Jeff asked.