Joe, there is a large amount of material on the Lost Padre Mine in Southern California. I have always called it the Lost Padre Mine, because there is no doubt that this Indian gold area existed. The Indian reservation at Fort Tejon once was the Spanish Indians slave station for the Spanish mines. They used Indian slaves to work these mines. I believe the Indians were christianized to make the medicine go down easier being a slave.

The Indians were Loyal to the Spanish and when Spain left the area the Indians were told that God would kill them if they ever spoke of the hidden mine. Many thousands of Indians starved without the padres there, for they became miners not farmers anymore.

This was Spains last stand in the New world for three hundred years of prosperous work here. I won't get into the Church order here or human rights. I will only say that historically the largest smoking gun in the world has always dictated policies, whether it be Spanish, Russian, Mexican or American VS Indian too. The picture is never pretty to see.

History happens and this is what we Treasure Hunters have to deal with today gathering facts. When the Spanish crown ordered the Priests back to Spain many of these men blew the King raspberries because they had carved out a life here amoung the elements. They had created a trade system amoung themselves that would get them the supplies that they needed.

Therefore, the King assisted them little and over the Years. The church coukld not afford to wait one year for new flour for bread. The church had to grow these necessities. These Priest soon became American frontiersman not citizens of Spain. Spain to them was like the IRS to you. Your silent brother---who needs that?

It was the attitude of these preists to died hidding their acquired fortunes rather then to have the blood thirsty Mexicans or the coming Americans whites to get it.

It was decided that the five missions surrounding this mining area would chose one of these worked out mines to house the padres church plate and trade bullion. This turned out to be such a good idea that missions as far as Arizona with the same common problem decided to use this same depository because of it's excellent security and it's stretigic location. No one could surprise the Priests here. No one.

Then one day after all of the Church articles had been cached inside from all of the Church satilites, the mine was closed, sealed and the earth above it was replanted with new soil. Today, it really takes a keen eye to detect it.

When I was there nosing around and studying the situation, I found a Mother Mary nitch where the miners would prey from the mines. This was their schrine. I found two ore shutes beginning no where and ending abruptly no where at the bottom. I saw trees still standing with code blazes on the top of the limbs rather then the bottom of the limbs.

I have found oval shapped colored bottle necks 3/16th of an inche thick, which I can only guess were for water or wine once?

Yes, Joe, the vault is still there. You can still see the tell faint switch back trails in the area. I do not know about mining laws today. I think the Clinton administration pretty well murdered that market a long time ago. But this area was once mine claimable.

Therefore, I suppose a funded group could get in here and open the vault up again and reep the rewards IF the activity was kept a secret?

Secrecy, to me, is important Joe, because the antiquity laws the way I read them, mean anyone digging up antiquities up go to jail and the Green Suits get it all. I am not a friend of the establishment Joe, so I wouldn't want this to happen.

This isn't a pleasant door mat to read, as I see it. I think this is why there isn't any organized treasure recovery companies in America today.

I have always worndered what good it is to let millions rot in the ground? Is there any logic to that? A Ranger once said in the Sacramento main office of the State Archeologist to me, "This is exactly what we want to happen?" Weird people if you ask me, Joe. So I left it alone. But this large area still reeks of history.

Joe, this is what I know of the Lost Padre Mine, perhaps other books and other personal testimonies in this regard will assist you farther?

Good luck. Richard