Yes, We Have No Bonanza

The Stooges wanted to earn enough money to free the cowgirls from the debts they owed to saloon keeper Maxey, and to win their affection. Working as waiters in the saloon wasn't paying enough to accomplish either goal, so they turned to gold prospecting as a way to quickly acquire the fortune they needed.

The summary establishes early on that Maxey keeps the girls working to cover debts their family owes him, creating the motivation for the Stooges' plan.

While digging for gold at their prospecting site, the Stooges accidentally uncovered Maxey's buried cache of $40,000 in stocks and gold bonds. They initially believed they had struck it rich with their own gold discovery, not realizing they had stumbled upon the bank robbery loot.

The timeline notes that Maxey hid the loot near the exact spot where the Stooges began prospecting, setting up the accidental discovery.

Maxey chased them because the Stooges had discovered the $40,000 in stolen stocks and gold bonds that Maxey himself had buried after robbing a bank. Recognizing his own loot, Maxey fled town with the cash when the Stooges returned to town, then pursued them to recover what was his stolen fortune.

The Stooges pursued Maxey along dusty roads back toward town and managed to corner him, successfully reclaiming the stolen loot. Their comic resourcefulness during the chase allowed them to stop him from escaping with the money.

The Stooges returned the recovered $40,000 in stocks and gold bonds to the First National Bank. The money was restored to its rightful place, and the town recognized the Stooges as the unlikely heroes who solved the crime.

The cowgirls were working as singers and waiters at the saloon to cover debts their family owed to Maxey. The saloon keeper used these debts to keep them under his control, which is what motivated the Stooges to help them.

Maxey had robbed a bank and buried $40,000 in stocks and gold bonds in the hills near the prospecting site. He likely planned to retrieve the loot later or escape with it, using the remote location to hide his criminal proceeds from law enforcement.

The dynamite explosion at the dig site created chaotic mayhem that involved a burro named Yorick and a noisy dog. In the confusion of this explosion, the Stooges stumbled upon Maxey's buried cache of stolen money, discovering it quite by accident amid the pandemonium.

Maxey fled when the Stooges returned to town with his stolen $40,000 in loot. Realizing they had found his hidden cache and could identify it as the bank robbery proceeds, he panicked and took the money back before escaping.

The summary indicates the Stooges were recognized as unlikely heroes by the town for recovering the stolen money, though it doesn't specify a financial reward. Their primary motivation, helping the cowgirls, would have been addressed by clearing their debts once the money situation was resolved.