Chests in cave near Guadalupe Peak

piggman1

Silver Member
Apr 7, 2007
3,120
5
Austin, TX
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Whites Eagle Spectrum, Compass X-100, Whites Beach Hunter ID, 2 Whites Spectrum XLT's
Heard about it but never looked for it. Have you researched it? Are you planning to go hunt?
 

piggman1

Silver Member
Apr 7, 2007
3,120
5
Austin, TX
Detector(s) used
Whites Eagle Spectrum, Compass X-100, Whites Beach Hunter ID, 2 Whites Spectrum XLT's
Maybe if we can do a little research, find property owners and get permission, we could get a group together to go hunt.
 

texan connection

Silver Member
Sep 3, 2006
4,560
79
Texas
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Minlabe SE, ace 250, fisher 1280x
I'll start lookin into it, But I have to ask, Are 4 girls from Florida coming ;D?
 

piggman1

Silver Member
Apr 7, 2007
3,120
5
Austin, TX
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Whites Eagle Spectrum, Compass X-100, Whites Beach Hunter ID, 2 Whites Spectrum XLT's
That's what I'm wondering too.
 

joya_dorado

Jr. Member
Feb 13, 2005
78
1
San Marcos, TX
Detector(s) used
White's MXT
Have any of you ever hiked up to Guadalupe peak? I have and I gotta say it's one heck of a tough trail. About 3000 feet in elevation change. Then there's the small matter of it being a NATIONAL PARK. http://www.nps.gov/gumo/
Suffice to say any metal detecting would be a sure fire way to lose your detector and acquire a hefty fine. There's far easier game than this guys.
 

zerojinx

Full Member
Dec 6, 2010
103
1
Republic of Texas
Detector(s) used
working on that
just a reminder, treasure hunting is illegal in national parks. Making most of the places to look for the sublett mine off limits, unless your going to the rustler hills location.
 

JPS

Jr. Member
Jul 1, 2005
55
7
In Mckinney area - Chests in Cave Search Trip this spring?

am up for a search. This is near a well known spring.
 

mullnax

Jr. Member
Apr 10, 2012
27
5
El Paso
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sublett mine is not by the guadaluepe peak. It is actually farther east towards carlsbad. At least I am hoping. according to one story from his son. he was lowered on a rope to the cave above where a creek or water was this cliff was about 100 feet up and the cave was about half way down. Now that all depends on whether this story is correct or not but according to the interview with his son back then that is what he said. Usuing old battle maps of the buffalo soldiers and old railway maps. the story also said he was never successfully followed, and i have figured that one out as well. he made one big trip he started from odessa and headed south crossing the pecos by the gila sycamore canyon area well north of there by a few miles. also explains why treasure was found there(maybe). then he turned north through the rough terrain until he reached the mountains where he would have to cross to get to his cave. I took a look around with my wife one weekend. found a cave from the bottom of a creek bed. Pretty decent opening, but you have to rappel as it is impossible to climb. I hope someone finds it. I am trying to find the sublett mine, I also have been metal detecting around victorio using old military maps from the 30's but no luck so far. I can tell you the cave opening isn't locked anymore. and the cabello mountains are next. wish the army did not use artillery on the east side of the organ mountains since there are several caves up those slopes and a few are getting bigger, but nobody is allowed up there since it is an impact area.
 

Joe(TX)

Hero Member
Aug 21, 2008
612
39
Georgia
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Old School
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Besides the above objections :-\
Why in the world would you need a MD to find a CAVE ?
A set of good legs and a pair of Binoculars would be a lot better!
Treasure Hunting is only Illegal in a National Park if you use a Metal Detector. The American Indians...Spanish Explorers and others found a lot of gold and silver...long before the metal detector was invented!! Anyway it would be fun to hike the area just to explore.....the only thing dangerous would be watching out for the rattlesnakes and making sure you do not get heat stroke....Anyway...this treasure may not even be in the National Park....there are a few stories that Ben left from Odessa and was back in a few days with a pouch full of gold....no way that he could have made the trip from Odessa to Guadalupe Peak and back in just a few days!!??
 

jas415

Sr. Member
Aug 24, 2003
297
148
Spring, Tx
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Minelab 800 - 900 and Deus 2
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You gotta figure that the Guadalupe Peak is a LONG way from Odessa and it isnt going to be made by foot or horse in several days, more like a month.

There is a far more logical explanation to his finding gold and that is the north south trails the Spanish used to get from Albuquerque to Mexico City, and the strong possibility (if this story is true in any fashion) he actually found a lost, abandoned mule pack with ore in it. A few days travel by foot or horse, less than a hundred miles, and that would barely get him to the Carlsbad area and those are the closest mountains.

I figure, if the story is true, he stumbled on a 1600's or later Spanish pack mule, or several, that were lost or was wiped out by Indians. Think about it, 'gone for a few days and he came back with raw gold ore', not ore - rock specimens. The closest possibility for 'placer gold' is the Pecos river (70-80 miles west) and there is NO gold in it in Texas or southern New Mexico. He wasnt going to 'mine' that in a few days. The Spanish did that though. Crushed and screened out the gold as well as they could then packed and shipped it.

Take a look at the New Mexico history articles on where gold has been found and mined, not a lot in the Guadalupe Mts. I think I recall a small shaft nw of Carlsbad about 10 miles in the foothills, but I know many people have diligently searched those areas for gold and found nothing.

It is a bit more plausible that the guy stumbled on the 'Horsehead Crossing' French gold and there was some raw ore in it. I havent read anything anywhere that would support that though as all that was supposed to be silverware and gold objects. That would be about 3 - 4 days travel SW from Odessa on foot.
 

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BIGSCOTT

Hero Member
Jul 19, 2013
723
703
spring texas
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fisher 1265
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Ben Sublett brought in gold nuggets, untill after many trips his banker tried to have him followed, after that he brought in hard gold money, lets not forget about the lost wagon train of the monahans sand hills.
 

4girlsintx

Newbie
Feb 5, 2015
3
11
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ben Sublett brought in gold nuggets, untill after many trips his banker tried to have him followed, after that he brought in hard gold money, lets not forget about the lost wagon train of the monahans sand hills.


I went to the Guadalupe mtn. w/the girls and climbed almost to top but time, rain, snow and hail made the last hour of climbing to reach the top - left for another time. Very rough area. This story is not about Sublett, but rather a story from an old book, can't recall it now. Inside the cave, found by a goat herder as he was climbing down from Radar Ridge in the Guadalupe mtn. range to a spring at the bottom of the mtns., were two skeletons and a chest of ?gold? coins. Being scared and somewhat religious, he left the findings alone and after being forced by his employer to show the location, he left and never to return. Many a similar tales throughout of treasure found and lost.
 

WestTexasHunter

Greenie
Jan 7, 2020
16
20
West Texas
Detector(s) used
Garret 300, And my eyes
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My friend and I went to Guadalupe Peak, found Juniper Spring and Radar Ridge. poked around for most of the day. (which isnt allowed in a national park) it is very possible that there is a hole or cave but the area is huge and extremely rough country. but you can find juniper spring off of google maps and it will take you within a couple feet of it.
 

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