Colorado Outlaw treasure Pagosa Springs

[floodcitykid]

This is a story I heard from a Army buddy of mine soooo mannnyyy years ago. He was from Colorado and used to work around a place called "Pagosa springs". He liked to tell about a group of outlaws called the "Espinosa brothers" who had supposedly buried a treasure in a cave or old mine in that area. He said he had looked for it while out deer hunting (deer hunting being my life long passion is how this story got started).

Just wondering if anyone ever heard about this or these outlaws.


Floodcitykid

[spartacus53]

I haven't heard of them until you mentioned them. After a quick google I do see they were a nasty lot and murderd 32 people in CO. They had a bounty of $2,500 on them as well.

After an act of perceived insubordination in 1863 Tappan was relegated by Chivington to the command of Fort Garland, a command in a remote part of southern Colorado near the traditional lands of the Utes and also containing a large Hispanic population. During his command of Fort Garland, he was assigned by Governor John Evans and Colonel Chivington to hunt down the Espinoza brothers, brigands and murderers who killed 32 Colorado citizens in cold blood and engaged in rape, robbery and other destructive acts. A $2500 reward had been offered by Governor Evans for the capture either dead or alive of the Espinozas. Employing the services of noted mountain man, Indian scout and tracker Tom Tobin, Tappan assigned a group of troopers to accompany Tobin and track down the Espinozas. On the fourth day, Tobin tracked down the Espinosas and killed the two brothers, bringing their severed heads back to Tappan as proof of his success. When Tappan forwarded the trophies to Denver, Chivington used the opportunity to lambast Tappan for such "unchristian" behavior despite the common use of the time of such methods. Tappan also paid Tobin from his own pocket when Governor Evans failed to pay the full reward he was owed. Years later as a matter of personal honor, Tappan sponsored an effort to make restitution to an aged and penniless Tobin

[lastleg]

That's funny what Chivington said. I guess he was doing his Chrisian
duty when he ordered the massacre of women and children Indians at
Sand Creek.
I think the story you heard bears some serious research.

[spartacus53]

Let us know how your research goes and good luck, you may be on to something.