Anyone remember Gene Ballinger, "In The Steps" magazine, "The Association" etc.?

[Randy Bradford]

This was published in 2002 on the old Treasurenet boards by Alan Sippola, who has himself since passed, and represents a fairly good and concise history of Gene Ballinger's publication history for his papers:

John (Gene's father) and Gene Ballinger, first had a so-called pseudo Exanimo Establishment business (which Karl never authorized and told them to cease using the name) in Oscodo, MI. After that, John and Gene called it "The Association of Treasure Hunters" and published a tabloid-type newspaper by that same title. I joined "The Association" back in the mid-sixties.

After it folded, then came along in the early '70s "Treasure Hunting Unlimited" and they published another newspaper-type tabloid. But, it didn't last long. After that John, Katherine (Gene's mom), Gene and Phyllis moved to New Mexico where they started "In The Steps of the Treasure Hunter", publishing another tabloid newspaper around 1976 by that name. The name was then shorten to just, "In The Steps". Gene had his campers club thing going which was called "Your Place in the Sun". An accident happened and someone was murdered. Gene and Phyllis packed up and moved to Boyton Beach, Florida. "In The Steps" was still being published, along with Gene's bi-weekly "Advisory Report".

Suddenly, things stopped for a bit.

Then, no more "In The Steps", say "Hello, to "THA"! (Back with the name of Treasure Hunters Association in abreviated form). Gene published only one or two issues of that, before he was convicted for being involved with the murder somehow and sent to a Correctional Institution in Arizona for a few years. After that, Gene went back to New Mexico with Phyllis and he published for a newspaper there for a few years, before his death of cancer.

[Randy Bradford]

The Association Newsletter: Published from 1968 to 1971 comprising 13 verified issues
Treasure Hunting Unlimited: Published from 1972 to 1976 comprising 9 issues and 3 catalogs
In the Steps of the Treasure Hunter: Published from 1976 to 1985 comprising 34 verified issues, this was changed to simply "In the Steps" at some point.
T.H.A. Treasure Hunters News: Published from 1985 to 1986 comprising 3 verified issues and a catalog
The Institute: I haven't confirmed dates or issues as I don't have these available at this time, though I believe this was also a Gene Ballinger publication.

[CSpringfield]

Hello!

I'm looking for an article of Gene Ballinger's that appeared in his Hatch Courier from 1994. Any direction for finding copies of his publication would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

[Randy Bradford]

What was the article?

[neo]

I remember him ;o)

As you know, Dad passed away in 1999. He would be 76 years old today.

Dad made many friends over the years, and had many colleagues who admired his love of history. History is what it really is all about, is it not? He loved what he did, and worked very hard to share what he knew with people who had the same interests. I haven't seen him mentioned much on this site, but I know there are people out there who remember him fondly (and some maybe not so fondly). I often wonder what he'd think of some of the things that are going on in the world today. He was a good man and we miss him.

Do you have a list of his books I've read tomorrow the sun will also rise. At least I think that was the title.

[Randy Bradford]

Do you have a list of his books I've read tomorrow the sun will also rise. At least I think that was the title.

Gene did one in the middle 1980s called "Treasure Field Research." It was spiral bound, and I assume as such was published independently. I might have a digital copy of it somewhere, but I've only ever seen one copy and that was in the hands of a fairly serious treasure book collector.

Gene didn't write (or at least it wasn't published as such) "Yes, the Sun Will Rise," but rather it was a biography about him. It would have been written before the fiasco at the Pine Cienega Ranch, and published about the same time as the investigation into those events. If memory serves me correctly the book never mentioned any of this (though the timing suggests that was likely an impossibility) though it does refer briefly to some other legal issues earlier in Gene's history.

I thought the biography missed some really important aspects of the history of the treasure hunting community, frankly. Gene's participation in multiple newspapers were also inseparable from his own business as a metal detector distributor and someone involved in selling books and equipment. The Association was more than just a newspaper, but an effort on Gene's part to build something more substantial to the treasure hunting community. He was affiliated with several attempts at creating and sustaining treasure hunting museums, and I know the Association had one for a time...not sure what became of the exhibits. He undertook a similar venture in New Mexico as well.

I don't recall Gene's biography talking much about the treasure hunting community as a whole, which is surprising since his father was well known in that community and Gene was friends with or at least affiliated with many well known personalities of that day. In many ways his trajectory was similar to Karl von Mueller's and they were contemporaries at one point. The Association was evolved from the Exanimo Establishment, ran by Karl at the time, with Gene originally being an affiliate of Exanimo before going independent of it. I'm not sure of the details, but I know there was some tension between Karl and Gene that led to this separation, but Karl spared Gene the sort of published vitriol that he didn't spare for so many others he had fallings out with.

Gene and Karl also both moved a number of times and tried to reinvent their work by publishing new newspapers with similar goals and themes. I would assume to some degree they were competitors, selling the same types of products, though by then Karl had become much more stable with the National Prospectors Gazette while Gene was much more transient during this time period. From a publishing stand point, Karl was well established when treasure hunting had really found its stride (1965-1975) while Gene had just started getting his momentum as treasure hunting was beginning its downward turn (at least where publishing is concerned).

[neo]

I've been trying to compile a list of treasure hunters from the past and there books that might be interesting to read. I've bought your compilations im very glad your doing something with this stuff. It's hard to find a lot of it and id hate to see it disappear and people not know who these guys were.

[Randy Bradford]

I've been trying to compile a list of treasure hunters from the past and there books that might be interesting to read. I've bought your compilations im very glad your doing something with this stuff. It's hard to find a lot of it and id hate to see it disappear and people not know who these guys were.

Hardrock Hendricks published a biography of sorts, as did Apache Jim (Wilson). These both came out in the early to mid 1970s.

Frank Fish wrote a book that was in good part autobiographical, and his friend Lake Erie Schaeffer wrote one that was substantially about Fish as well.

The two Fish book are a good example of how people often mixed personal stories in a biographical fashion, to talk about or teach things like research, boots-to the ground treasure hunting, etc. I think a lot of those guys probably felt what they were doing was far more interesting than their own, overall life experiences and early history...though that's just conjecture on my part.

I think Karl von Mueller could have been successful writing about himself in a deliberate fashion, though much of his history can be garnered by the sprinklings f self-disclosure he's left over a multitude of sources. Having something concise and deliberate would have proven interesting reading to many of his fans though I think.

Something else though, biographical information also runs counter-intuitive to the innate secrecy associated with treasure hunters and treasure hunting. It's probably one concept nearly every treasure hunter can agree on. ne could likely write a book on people who failed to follow this bit of common sense and came up short in the long run as a result.