Hal Douglas wrote a few articles Treasure Magazine in the 80s dealing with the 17 tons of Gold story. I contacted Treasure Magazine and no one there seems to know who he is. Anyone else know?
I certainly realize there is information folks here don't want to share. However, I think it's helpful for all if we provide complete citations to books, newspaper and magazine articles, etc.
I wouldn't say "all." Are you referring to Emile C. Schurmacher's Lost Treasures and How to Find Them! (New York: 1968)?
Most of the "treasure magazine" yarns are a good deal older than that.
The late Bill Hanks, a first-rate treasure hunter and book collector (and a gentleman of the old school) once told me that in his opinion that book had one of the first accounts of the Four Corners "Gold Act" Cache (the "17 Tons of Gold" story). That is a very interesting comment on several levels...
I wouldn't say "all." Are you referring to Emile C. Schurmacher's Lost Treasures and How to Find Them! (New York: 1968)?
Most of the "treasure magazine" yarns are a good deal older than that.
The late Bill Hanks, a first-rate treasure hunter and book collector (and a gentleman of the old school) once told me that in his opinion that book had one of the first accounts of the Four Corners "Gold Act" Cache (the "17 Tons of Gold" story). That is a very interesting comment on several levels...
Good luck to all,
~The Old Bookaroo
Hi Bookaroo, I was refering specifically to the 17 tons stories in the magazine. They are simply a rehash of what Shurmacher wrote. And yes I was talking about Shurmachers story in lost treasures and how to find them.
Your friend Bill Hanks was correct to tell you that Shurmachers account was the first, however that does not make it true. Shurmacher did no more than piece together a few bits of info that were already in the public domain and then added a massive amount of poetic licence to give the story some credence.
Its just my opinion but it is no more than a fairy tale based loosely on a true story.
You can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you just might find, you get what you need- Mick Jagger
You got my point - that's one of the levels of interest.
I think there is something there - or, perhaps a bit more correctly, at one time there was something there. For a variety of reasons I would very much doubt that it is still there.
Certainly one problem is that the few nuggets of truth have been contaminated by an overburden of fiction (such as Nazis hiding the plunder).
Hi Springfield, I could not possibly comment on other treasure stories as I do not have enough knowledge of any other than the one I have spent many years researching.
I meant the "17 tons" , "$20 million gold hoard" stories only. I have gathered enough evidence to be convinced it was real. I unearthed a few things that I came across by pure chance/luck that led me to some documents that convinced me that I have found the final place the gold was stored. What I do not know at this stage is whether or not any of it remains at the site. Permissions, logistics and circumstance prevent me from doing what I would like. But as I have said elsewhere I am convinced enough to have stopped looking for a location. Most of my time these days is spent investigating possible sources for the gold, whilst slow preparations are being made for further investigation of the site.
I have the best part of a book completed, but I would not even consider publishing without having found a difinative answer to the question that bugs me every day. Is any of it still there ?
You can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you just might find, you get what you need- Mick Jagger
I would suggest talking to the editor of Lost Treasure magazine, since he also wrote an article for them in 1980 - they might have some other info on him.
Lost Treasure Magazine always asks for a little bio on its writers.
I called the company that now owns Lost Treasure magazine (and all the other treasure magazines) and asked them about Hal. No one knew anything at all. The editor/s at the time that Hal was published are long since gone or dead. I was hoping someone on TreasureNet might have some info. Hal may be a pseudonym.
Here's a long shot - since you are being diligent about your research.
Check with the Library of Congress (website). They track writers' pen names, and that could lead you to his real name, if, indeed, it was not Hal Douglas.
The other potential source if the US Copyright Office (same theory).
Finally, there are national book card catalogues. You might check those.
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wrote a couple interesting articles and I'd like to learn more about where he got his information if possible. 
Originally Posted by Old Bookaroo
