Swamp Gold

[Bigcypresshunter]

Hey here is an interesting read. I dont think it has any connection with the subject of this thread but its still interesting and from the post war period. They paid $200 for a ride to Punta Rassa. That must have been a lot of money in those days. I love local history.The Maroons of Lostman?s Key & Capt. Jocelyn | Coastal Breeze News

Captain Jocelyn met up with five soldiers in Key West who agreed to pay him $200 if he would take them in his sloop to Punta Rassa. They were dressed in civilian clothes, but Jocelyn understood them to be Army or Navy deserters.

 

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[Bigdogdad]

I decided to go ahead and share this picture of a couple of my friends (TNET members) standing on top of "Cloud Mountain". As you can see the Everglades are not completely flat.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I decided to go ahead and share this picture of a couple of my friends (TNET members) standing on top of "Cloud Mountain". As you can see the Everglades are not completely flat.
View attachment 957615

Cool pic BDD. I will save it in in my files under C for Cloud Mountain. Maybe you guys will invite me out one day.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Hey Captain Bill, is this your government treasure? St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search Sept 29,1954.






Did I open up a can of worms or what LOL? 12 million in 1954? Who says there is no half ton of gold? "Its rat thar in Floreeda..." BDD should we should join forces heh heh? Keep in mind readers that everything is protected in a National Park and strictly off-limits to treasure hunting and it is rigidly enforced. The same goes for Indian Reservations.

Payment for the Loozyana Purchase? ECS can you check this out?

 

[Bigdogdad]

There is gold in them there swamps. Maybe we are looking in the wrong spot. You just have to follow the signs.

 

[dustin v]

What bout Michigan let lands and swamps There is alot of them swamps in my area which is south west Michigan.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

There is gold in them there swamps. View attachment 961487 Maybe we are looking in the wrong spot. You just have to follow the signs.

Oh yea the casino is gold for native Americans.

Nobody interested in the lost 12 million in gold at 1954 conversion prices? I think ESC should at least check it out.

 

[releventchair]

What bout Michigan let lands and swamps There is alot of them swamps in my area which is south west Michigan.

And many more swamps were drained. And Indian mounds leveled.
Rumors of gold. Yet if you research enough there is a report of a very large chunk of silver and silver straps for a pan style flute found in Grand Rapids found digging a water or sewer line. Was it the well known Norton mound folks or others I do not recall. The questions for southern Michigan others ask me about are just a little farther south.
North you have heard about likely.

 

[sabre15]

What was captain bill talking about? Has anyone figured him or his odd clues out. Big dog, was right about hills in the glades, at least that picture he showed, but there are not many areas like that. I would like to find more

 

[ECS]

Nobody interested in the lost 12 million in gold at 1954 conversion prices? I think ESC should at least check it out.

Many treasure stories appeared in Florida newspapers in the 1950's-facts were never a factor in these stories,and these stories have an earlier history in the Florida nespapers in the 1890's.
Adrian P Jordan,editor of THE PUNTA GORDA HERALD wrote many of these tales,including the Louisana Purchase gold story,which came out July 1902 in that newspaper.
Jordan combined real elements in his story,the steamship Hancock was a ship lost at sea,Jean LaFitte was a real pirate,Napolean only wanted gold for Louisana,and Jose Gaspar was thrown in for the Florida connection.
The basic story:
In 1803,the steamship,Hancock departs from New Orleans with the Louisana Purchase gold payment.LaFitte,acting as a spy,informs Gaspar,who captures the Hancock off the coast of west Florida,kills all on board and buries the gold along the Lostmans River.The main reason this story does not hold up:
While Napolean wanted gold for Louisana and NOT American securities,the gold was NOT SHIPPED from New Orleans or the United States-but the bulk of the bullion was transfered to France from British and Dutch banks in return for US Promissory notes.
Adrian P Jordan,during his time as THE PUNTA GORDA HERALD editor created many treasure stories that made thier way in to later treasure magazines as "true" accounts.

 

[Salvor6]

ECS I heard a different twist to that story. The ship was called the Peacock and it left New Orleans with $11,750 in gold. It got caught in a hurricane and sank west of the Suwannee River. There were 3 survivors. Only one of them made it back to Washington D.C. to give testimony before a court of inquiry. The records of the court are in the National Archives.

 

[ECS]

Salvor6,have you read the court records of this in the National Archives,or are you repeting the story that you heard?
Can you post a link to this court inquiry?
The only gold transfered on American soil for the Louisana Purchase was from a New York City bank to the French Embassy in New York City,and the amount was only several thousand dollars.
On March 12,1814,the US Naval ship PEACOCK encountered the the British ship EMPERVIER of the east coast of Florida.After a 45 min battle,the Empervier struck her colors,and the Peacocks boarding party discovered $120,000 in gold and silver specie in the British ships brig locker.This may be the source of the twist to the story.
http://www.history-navy.mil/danfs/p3/peacock-i.htm

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thanks ECS. I didnt have time to search.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Many treasure stories appeared in Florida newspapers in the 1950's-facts were never a factor in these stories,and these stories have an earlier history in the Florida nespapers in the 1890's.
Adrian P Jordan,editor of THE PUNTA GORDA HERALD wrote many of these tales,including the Louisana Purchase gold story,which came out July 1902 in that newspaper.
Jordan combined real elements in his story,the steamship Hancock was a ship lost at sea,Jean LaFitte was a real pirate,Napolean only wanted gold for Louisana,and Jose Gaspar was thrown in for the Florida connection.
The basic story:
In 1803,the steamship,Hancock departs from New Orleans with the Louisana Purchase gold payment.LaFitte,acting as a spy,informs Gaspar,who captures the Hancock off the coast of west Florida,kills all on board and buries the gold along the Lostmans River.The main reason this story does not hold up:
While Napolean wanted gold for Louisana and NOT American securities,the gold was NOT SHIPPED from New Orleans or the United States-but the bulk of the bullion was transfered to France from British and Dutch banks in return for US Promissory notes.
Adrian P Jordan,during his time as THE PUNTA GORDA HERALD editor created many treasure stories that made thier way in to later treasure magazines as "true" accounts.

Thanks

 

[ECS]

I decided to go ahead and share this picture of a couple of my friends (TNET members) standing on top of "Cloud Mountain". As you can see the Everglades are not completely flat.
View attachment 957615

"Cloud Mountain" may be a prehistoric native American garbage midden:
Ancient human trash heaps gave rise to Everglades tree islands, research suggests -- ScienceDaily

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

UPDATE: Well Im back in town after almost 8 months in the swamp. Honestly I am no longer looking for the lost gold shipment. However I am always interested in history. I am in touch with National Geographic and it may possibly lead somewhere. I also have my own website but I havent done any work on it. I really need to move this story over to my site eliminating the useless parts. This thread is so long that its almost impossible to read.

However I have most of the important parts saved. I would like to re-post some interesting stuff by member signal over 2 years ago from Southern Airboat, so it doesnt get lost in the shuffle. Thanks signal....great stuff. Its about the Lost City on Horseshoe Head which is now off limits on the Indian Res.


http://www.southernairboat.com/phot...o/54337/title/walking-into-lost-city/cat/1066

http://www.southernairboat.com/phot...1/title/tree-rat/cat/ixiatartlmxchas#comments

The locals refer to the location of Horseshoe Head as "Lost City". I am born and raised in Florida (Broward County, born at Broward General).



if you google "airboat" and "lost city" you will see man airboat people talk of the gold there, talk of the stories, confederates, gold, etc.

Tree Rat - Southern Airboat Picture Gallery

Walking into Lost City in 1963 - Southern Airboat Picture Gallery

Sounds like Crazy Bob Pendleton may be someone for you to track down

J-Howell also in the above thread says his father is the owner of that campsite!

They also speak of Hully Sterling

So the air boaters have a bit of the legends too, and maybe a good source to run up some l

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Maybe I should visit the Broward Historical Society just for fun. .

Lot's of Artifact's were donated to and put on display at the Broward Historical Society...( including the Still, with Chop wound's from the Revenewer's that Raided the Moonshine Operation there in the 30's)

Crazy Bob Pendleton

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

More on the "Lost City" compliments of Alvin Lederer 'Lost City' remains hidden in the Everglades - Sun Sentinel

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I am still wondering what evidence ties the Confederate gold shipment to the Lost City on Horseshoe Head? A few Confederate artifacts found could be explained by Confederate deserters or later veterans working the moonshine business.

Until I see otherwise, I havent found any evidence that proves the Confederate detachment made it this far or even as far as Fort Shackleford which would have been burned to the ground by the Indians. With all respect to Ron Bergeron, nothing has been posted here on this thread that proves the detachment settled on Horseshoehead. That doesnt mean its not true, I just havent seen any proof yet. Even if they were from the detachment, and they built the town and set up the still, they could have easily gone back to retreive the gold.

Im beginning to lean toward ECS's theory that it (the gold)may have been buried in the Corkscrew Swamp area and the Confederates were ordered back into battle.. At least it deserves a look.

If I have time I have decided to go back and follow the trail from Punta Rassa. . I have some interesting information to post.

 

[ECS]

BCH,did you notice the reference that the "lost city" was guarded by skunk apes?
Very similar to Homer Osbon and L Frank Hudson's Everglades pyramids being guarded by skunk apes.
As for this variation on the Confederate gold in the Everglades:
This has the Confederates stealing the gold from the Union,which brings about the questions:
Where did the Union have gold in Florida that could be stolen by the Confedrates-Fort Meyers,Key West?
As with the CSA,the Union paid its soldiers mostly in script,not gold.There is NO Union army record of Confederates stealing military gold in Florida.
Now it is known the CSA deserters "YELLOWNECKS" did hide in the northen part of the Everglades,why would they bury said gold and set up a still on Seminole sacred land?
It is also known that some Seminoles,who had no love for the US government,fought for the Confederacy,and returned back to their nation after the war,and would not have any respect for white yellownecks.
I would like to know the source from which Ron Bergeron based this claim-it has the ring of tall tale that has evolved into accepted lore.