Lo st Treasure Stories

"There's gold in them hills!"

Read about hidden treasure in the United States or click EasyEdit and scroll down to add to other famous treasure stories. If you have a question or observation, feel free to post a comment on this page. 

Treasure Mountain

 

Date Found: --- In the 1700's Location: --- What is now Summitville, CO. Several miles east of Wolf Creek Pass How was the treasure obtained?--- A French expedition of 300 men were prospecting their way west and found a vast amount of gold on Treasure Mountain How much is it worth? --- $33 million+ Key Players: --- 300 Frenchmen One sole Survivor - LeBlanc Treasure Map(s)?--- Supposedly two maps remain - one belonging to the French government, and one to the descendants of the LeBlanc family

And the story goes...French explorers had a successful gold expedition until they arrived at Summitville to set up camp and bury their loot. Their neighbors were Native Indians, and at first, the relationship was friendly. However, one group provoked the other and a battle ensued. The gold was reburied and the French made a map to the new location. However, through the battle with the Natives, the weather, a second battle with the Natives, and starvation, there was one sole survivor - a Frenchman named LeBlanc. He had two maps - one he gave to the French government, and one he kept for himself. There are many versions of what happened next. Some say there have been several unsuccessful expeditions to find the gold. Some say that the French government found it and kept it a secret. The truth of what happened has yet to be discovered.

The Hidden Cache in Bumble Bee

Date Found: --- In the 1800s Location: --- Bumble Bee is a ghost town near Yavapai, just north of Black Canyon in Arizona How was the treasure obtained?--- Two miners found a vein of gold in the area How much is it worth? --- $80,000 under a rock, plus 200 lbs of gold at the junction of Slate and Squaw Creeks Key Players: --- Two miners and tribe of Apaches Treasure Maps? --- None known

And the story goes... Two miners began prospecting gold quartz near Bumble Bee, AZ, and the fruits of their labor were plentiful. They hid their treasure under a large rock near their camp. However, before they could leave for the winter, they were attacked by Apache Indians. One miner was killed, and the other escaped without the gold. He tried to wait out the Apaches and wouldn't return until they had vacated the area. However, he died before he could return to the gold, and told the story of his findings on his death bed.

Milton Sharp's Buried Booty 

Date Found: --- 1870 - 1881 Location: --- Rumored to be buried on old stage roads around Aurora Nevada and Bodie California How was the treasure obtained?--- The treasure was obtained during several robberies How much is it worth? --- Unknown Key Players: --- Milton Sharp, Outlaw W.C. "Bill" Jones aka "Frank Dow," Outlaw The Wells Fargo Express Treasure Maps?--- None known

And the story goes... Known as a courteous robber, Milton Sharp teamed with W.C. Jones to rob 'Wells Fargo Express' stagecoaches as the coaches were carrying money from one bank to another. Jones would guard the passengers with a gun as Sharp would relinquish the stagecoaches of their strongboxes and women of their jewlery. Sharp stood out from other outlaws as a well-spoken and well-dressed robber. It was even said that if a woman cried during the robbery, he might return her jewelry. He also liked to bury his treasure, and never told of his secret hiding spots. He was apprehended several times, and was as talented at escaping from prison as he was at robbing stagecoaches. He was eventually declared rehabilitated by the penal system, and lead a law-abbiding life thereafger. However, what happened to his treasure is unknown. In 1910, two brothers by the names of Gus and Will Hess claimed to have found small amounts of Sharp's loot hidden in the hills of Bodie, CA. However, it is estimated that over 70% of the treasure has never been found.

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The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine

Date Found: --- 1840's Location: --- Superstition Mountains of Arizona How was the treasure obtained?--- The gold was mined by the Peralta family from northern Mexico. How much is it worth? --- A undetermined vast amount of gold based upon reports from those who had direct knowledge of the mine. Key Players: --- Peralta family, Jacob Waltz (the Dutchman) Jacob Weiser, Julie Thomas Treasure Maps?--- Take your choice: The Lost Confederate Treasure :  The Knights of the Golden Circle Date Found: --- Before 2003 Location: --- Bushy Creek, Arkansas and elsewhere How was the treasure obtained?--- Unearthed by Bob Brewer of Hatfield Arkansas with a metal detector. How much is it worth? ---$ 200,000 (maybe 10s or 100s of millions - if Bob is right) Key Players: --- The Knights of the Golden Circle, Albert Pike, Jesse James, powerful former leaders of the Confederacy and sympathizers in the North Treasure Maps? --- This link is to a Los Angles Times Story Jessie James And the story goes....  There are vast tracks of wilderness in the forest covered hills and mountains of Arkansas. Bob Brewer of Hatfield Arkansas just might have solved the mystery to one of the greatest lost treasures of all time. As a boy Bob would hunt the hills of western Arkansas with his great uncle "Grandpa" Ashfield." Often they would come upon a grove of trees with strange craving.Grandpa would say, "If you can figure out the markings you will find some gold." It took him years but he finally broke the code and found $200,000 in coins which silenced the sceptics. But this is only the beginning of the story. Bob maintains that his great uncle kept a secrete. Across the country and even into Canada similar caches of treasure are hidden. Hidden by a group of conspirators bent on bringing down the established government. The intrigue involves a powerful group of Confederates and northern sympathizers known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. Influential men and even the outlaw Jessie James were committed to the cause. If Bob is right there are dozens of these treasure troves to find. Maybe near you. Bob is currently searching in Oklahoma, 80 miles from his Hatfield home. The stash is rumored to be worth $2,000,000 dollars. His story is the bases of a book: "Shadow of the Sentinel: One Man's Quest to Find the Hidden Treasure of the Confederacy" by Warren Getler and Bob Brewer. Bob is an adviser on the movie "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" with Nicolas Cage which has a similar story. Don't ignore those strange markings you come upon, they just might make you rich. P.S. There is a Photo of prime Turquoise from near Hatfield on the Arkansas National Directory. Lost French Blue Diamond Date Found: --- ? before the 1600 hundreds Location: --- Washington, D.C. How was the treasure obtained?--- The earth created the stone miles below the earth's surface and slowly forced it to the surface; later to be recovered from a rushing stream. How much is it worth? --- Priceless Key Players: --- , King Louis XV, King XV1, Henry Philip Hope Treasure Maps? --- No The Curse of the Blue Diamond Jean Baptiste Tavernier was torn apart by a pack of wild dogs after he returned to India. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded. King George IV died a pauper. Henry Philip Hope's heir, Lord Franci Hope, lost a leg in an accidential shooting and went bankrupt. Maybe this Treasure is best left alone. Yet it is in the hand of the American Government and it seems to lay down a curse.. maybe on the economy? And the story goes : Over one billion years ago hot magma was working its way to the surface through a kimberlite pipe and with the magma was a large steel blue diamond. That stone was found in India. After shaping it into a rough triangle it weighed 112 carats. It was purchased by a French merchant, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, and sold to the King Louis XV . The big blue was re-cut into a 67 carat diamond called the "Blue Diamond of the Crown".Misfortune followed the treasure and Louse XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded and the diamond was stole; never to be seen again or so it would seem. In 1812 a 44.5 carat blue diamond surfaced in London. King George IV purchased the diamond but he also ran into misfortune and the diamond was sold to pay off debts at his death in 1830. The diamond was acquired by Henry Philip Hope and the name changed to the "Hope Diamond". The diamond did not bring the family good luck and they were forced to sell the stone . The Hope diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in our nation's capital there it resides today, located in a museum in Washington, D.C. Hidden Treasure Near Hot Springs Arkansas Date Found: ---Civil War around 1863 Location: --- 15 miles from Tula Rosa Arkansas How was the treasure obtained?--- It was a lead mines that the Confederates were making bullets. The ore assayed 72 % lead and 28% SILVER by weight. How much is it worth? --- Millions of dollars. The full extent of the mine has never been dug. Key Players: --- Old prospector Bill Treasure Maps? --- Yes  And the story goes...  Tula Rosa is a lost silver mine 15 miles from the Civil War village of Tula Rosa. The confederates were making bullets from the lead found in combination with the silver. The ore is high grade and was assayed by the Northern forces after removing a bullet from a Union soldier. The Union offered a $10,000 reward for anyone telling where the mine was located. The number of people knowing the location was keep to a very few people to keep the location from leaking out. My wife's dad knew an old man who mined the silver once a year and laid back and took it easy the rest of the year. He was not interested in selling the mine or letting anyone knowing the exact location.. When he went to the mine from Hot Springs; it was always in a different direction. He gave a map to his old maid sister on his death bed. I have a copy of the map and have been to Tula Rosa (not the mine) but the village There is an old military out post there on the hill sides. Be careful old abandoned silver mines in the area could lead to a dangerous fall. Those pits are notorious for timber rattlers, scorpions and black widows. Don't try to find the treasure in the summer the brush is too thick. Winter is the best time.  st Treasure Stories

And the story goes...  .  The Peralta family from Mexico discovered the gold and mined the site during the 1840s. The mining of rich veins came to a tragic end in 1848 when the family was massacred by the Apaches. Only one member of the family escaped.The gold was lost until in the 1870s when the Dutchman, Jacob Waltz, and his partner, Jacob Weiser rediscovered the mine with the help of the Peralta family survivor. They worked the mine and even hid caches of gold in the area. Weiser was killed by the Apaches. The Dutchman abandoned the mine because of failing health and died in Phoenix. Before his death he passed the information about the treasure to Julie Thomas, a neighbor who had taken take of the ailing Dutchman.The mine and the hidden treasures remains lost. If you are a hardy soul, the bets are on the area around Weiser's Needle. Beware: tragedy and foul play surround those who have attempted to find the treasure.