any lost treasures in N. California?

[bedrock bubba]

Hi folks,

I live in Grass Valley, CA and have been a gold fiend, prospector, and occasional cache hunter since 1982.
I have the usual treasure books, but I just cant find much about my areas treasures around here. This is strange, because this was about the biggest gold producing districts back in the Gold Rush days! I do go to the Nevada City archive library on occasion to look up old articles and such, but that is very time consuming. I am getting old, and fighting health problems now, and need to go looking for a few bonafide treasures before I crap out. I do have the means to find such treasures, and feel that the old miners left quite a few buried gold caches to find. I also think stolen stage coach loot has a chance of being discovered.

Do any of you have any inside info, sites, books, stories about any of this you can pass on to me? I will gladly share what I know with others.

Yours,

Bedrock Bubba

 

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[Fullpan]

BB, this falls way short of bonafide treasure but, while i was constructing my own zigzag trail down to my dredge camp in the 1980's, i discovered a 300 lb
safe laying in the forest. The door was open and the safe was empty, but i always planned to research it but never got around to it. Its location is about
halfway between North Bloomfield and Relief Hill and about halfway from the road down to the river. I'm sure the safe is still there. If you want Google
Earth coordinates, pm me. Anyway, wish you luck in your searches!

 

[maipenrai]

There are lots of lost, hidden treasure stories in NorCal, but most are just "its been told" type stories, and when followed up, dont seem to have much to go on. Of course, in the gold rush days, everyone probably buried their gold, but Im sure they didnt tell anyone about it, so if they had an accident, then the secrete went with them to the grave.

Gotta check out those safes, I found one that still had some money in it. Hole chopped in the bottom and I guess they didnt bother with some of the coins, or didnt have time to get them out.

 

[austin]

Very few miners got rich during any gold rush. Those that found gold usually spent it in the gold camps on gambling, women and booze. Food was incredibly expensive too and you had to eat. The people that were smart found gold, packed up and went home. Nearly all history books tell this story. You may find something, but I wouldn't bet on a huge cache. Your best bet to check would be a university library like the Bancroft on the campus at Berkeley. Special collections will help you. Many diaries there that may have clues. Who knows...

 

[Jeffro]

Hi folks,

I live in Grass Valley, CA and have been a gold fiend, prospector, and occasional cache hunter since 1982.
I have the usual treasure books, but I just cant find much about my areas treasures around here. This is strange, because this was about the biggest gold producing districts back in the Gold Rush days! I do go to the Nevada City archive library on occasion to look up old articles and such, but that is very time consuming. I am getting old, and fighting health problems now, and need to go looking for a few bonafide treasures before I crap out. I do have the means to find such treasures, and feel that the old miners left quite a few buried gold caches to find. I also think stolen stage coach loot has a chance of being discovered.

Do any of you have any inside info, sites, books, stories about any of this you can pass on to me? I will gladly share what I know with others.

Yours,

Bedrock Bubba

Give me a county or two you'd like to search and I'm sure I can dig up some oldies from the archives

A couple right nearby you-

Nevada county- Mayberry's Treasure- only ref I have on this is Penfield, so not much.

Sierra county there is Cornish's Nuggets, near Alleghany. Penfield again, but also "A Guide to Treasure in Ca." has it on pages 51-52.
Thomas Stoddard's lost lake and Lingard's are probably one and the same. From the book "Coronados Children" on pages 204-205, also Munsey's magazine (Dec.1901) reprinted in Treasure Hunter vol 2 no.2 by John Pounds and son.

Yuba county there is Billy Snyders treasure. On Organ creek, near Comptonville. Penfield and 'A guide to Treasure in Ca." again.

In Placer county the Donner party treasure has , I think, been found. Seems I heard something about it while they were retracing the steps for a documentary...? Don't think it was much got found however other than a small cache of coins and some relics.
Near Auburn is a German Prospectors lost mine supposedly. Not much on this outside of Penfield but some poking around may come up with a lead...
Vern Hammond wrote a story called "Too much Gold" in "Treasure Tales of the Old West" vol 1 no.4 about Nelson McCormicks lost gold in Placer county as well.

Not much for solid leads, but hey now you may have one or two you haven't heard of to follow for a bit, eh?

 

[bedrock bubba]

Thanks for the input, fellow gold fiends!

I have Penfield, and know about the sites you mention.
The German Prospector in Auburn, was that Pike Bell? Supposedly he dowsed a lot of gold!
And what about Nelson McCormick, need to know more!
Anyone know the story about Yuba Johns Gold? I do. An urn full of gold is still out there! Near Purdon Crossing.
Then their is the lost stolen stage coach gold near Kennedy Ranch near Grass valley or Downieville. confusing!

I really prefer stories told by locals, that never made the media, got a few of those I am after. OMERTA! My lips are sealed!

 

[Jeffro]

Thanks for the input, fellow gold fiends!

I have Penfield, and know about the sites you mention.
The German Prospector in Auburn, was that Pike Bell? Supposedly he dowsed a lot of gold!
Only other reference on the German mine is from "A guide to treasure in CA" on pg 70.

And what about Nelson McCormick, need to know more!
You might try asking the locals around Forest Hill, or starting your research there at the historical society.

Anyone know the story about Yuba Johns Gold? I do. An urn full of gold is still out there! Near Purdon Crossing.
Then their is the lost stolen stage coach gold near Kennedy Ranch near Grass valley or Downieville. confusing!

I really prefer stories told by locals, that never made the media, got a few of those I am after. OMERTA! My lips are sealed!

...

 

[Curtis]

You are on the right track....local stories are best...In Redding there is a great library with lots of local stuff like the Chinese wars and other occasion where there may be lost gold...I live near Cincinnati and love to visit the Redding area. Found an old mine on Clear Creek close to Redding Bar...and some gold right next to it in placer form...guess they barely missed the pocket....wasn't much, but hey it was fun.

The ones that are not local are less likely to be true…like the ones in some of the treassure magazines and TT’s atlas I always thought the ones about the Indian woman that kept bringing in gold coins to trade was good and the one about the guy hunting and finding the huge stash of old treasure in a small cave..but couldn’t relocate it.. Always thought the one about the Indians throwing the coins across the river was good too. Maybe some stuck on the gorge walls. I still have one more in that area to check out before looking for the ones above…and probably wasting my time. Already checked out over 70 and can tell you about the legends I have found that they were made up, or that someone (usually inthe family) found it, or if lost they came back and got it. It’s still fun and addicting, and I have learned so much history and even geology. I hope you find a million dollars.

 

[bedrock bubba]

I did one treasure hunt in Grass Valley.

A miner who worked at the Empire Mine nearby had a cabin down next to Hwy. 49(the freeway) back in the day. He higraded a lot of rich ore from the mine, chrushed it, and buried refined gold close by where the freeway is now. And someone found it! So the current owner of the cabin had me dowse around his cabin, but i did not get any good signals at all.
They became mad at me and insisted that there must have been a second gold cache there. Wishfull thinking! I wish there were too!

Dowsing also reveals where there isn't something, and can save a lot of useless searching!

What was odd, is the cabin was built on high piers, and there was a lot of uncrushed rock piled under the cabin in plain view! I wanted to go back and check that out, but hate the negative energy these people put out.

 

[josephbl]

I know the location of a lost safe full of gold ingots,just need some partners with metal detectors,to pinpoint where to dig ,,any one want to join in and share in the treasure,,,,,,millions of dollars,,,an old timer that smelted the ingots told me about this lost safe,that he had filled with ingots,during the 1900s,,,,

 

[Mackaydon]

IMO, Penfield, et. al. are commercial writers, not historical researchers. They publish legends, third hand info and, perhaps, take literary license in creating or embellishing stories. For my money, I'd go to a closer source of primary info; the newspapers of the day. For example, The Grass Valley Daily Union, between 1865 and 1884, is archived and available online here:
Grass Valley Daily Union Archives
Nevada City also printed The Nevada Journal (from 1851 to 1862) and that, too, may be found online with a little research.
Don........

 

[bedrock bubba]

I know the location of a lost safe full of gold ingots,just need some partners with metal detectors,to pinpoint where to dig ,,any one want to join in and share in the treasure,,,,,,millions of dollars,,,an old timer that smelted the ingots told me about this lost safe,that he had filled with ingots,during the 1900s,,,,

Sounds intriguing! I PMed you!

 

[bedrock bubba]

Thanks!

I had tried the archives many times and got nowhere, I will try this.

 

[anchor]

hello b.b. check out "hotels along the feather river route; circa 1910" then click on the history of portola-portola railroad days. also check out hartwell, ca. known today as quincy junction, ca. or quincy,ca.

 

[hlfburnt]

I know the location of a lost safe full of gold ingots,just need some partners with metal detectors,to pinpoint where to dig ,,any one want to join in and share in the treasure,,,,,,millions of dollars,,,an old timer that smelted the ingots told me about this lost safe,that he had filled with ingots,during the 1900s,,,,

I just picked up a new detector and would take you up on that adventure....

 

[Mackaydon]

josephbl,
It has been over five months since you posted about your treasure.
What has happened?
Don......'
PS to hlfburnt: Welcome to Treasure Net !!

 

[prospexican]

United States Treasure Atlas Vol.2 California-Colorado this is a very interesting book and have so many locations about north and southern California treasures, i urge you to get it, and read it.

 

[bedrock bubba]

United States Treasure Atlas Vol.2 California-Colorado this is a very interesting book and have so many locations about north and southern California treasures, i urge you to get it, and read it.

Thanks! I do have the book.

 

[Brivic1]

BB, I too am maturing and knees and etc made new,,, hard to get old mate.
I am a neighbor 2 hrs North. Cheers.

 

[maipenrai]

Yeah, also interested in what has been happening with this story