Pegleg Smith Monument is a unique monument to notorious Wild West figure Thomas "Pegleg" Smith, a fur trapper, gold prospector, indigenous slaver and horse thief in the American West in the early 19th century. Smith gained his nickname after losing his leg during an 1827 fur trapping expedition, which led him to California, where he began selling indigenous children as slaves to Mexican haciendas. Following the California Gold Rush of 1849, Smith began a notorious horse thieving career, spreading legend of a gold jackpot that he had supposedly won and lost. Today, the monument asks visitors to throw stones at a large pile near the base of the monument, which supposedly brings visitors good luck. The site is also the home of the annual Pegleg Smith Liars Contest, which encourages visitors to engage in good-natured charlatanism.
Peg Leg Road, Borrego Springs, California, 92004
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