LOST TREASURE OF SAN MARCOS PASS

[Calworks]

FOR ALL YOU CALIFORNIANS OUT THERE, SPECIFICALLY THOSE IN THE CENTRAL COAST AREA I RAN ACROSS THIS ARTICLE. THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO SHARE. I FISH LAKE CACHUMA WHICH IS DOWNSTREAM FROM THE PASS.

ENJOY!!

John C. Fremont's "Great Battle"
California belonged to Spain in the early 1800's. When Mexico broke away from Spain in 1837, California became Mexican territory. In the 1840's American pioneers started moving into California. They wanted it to be an American state. A war of independence was started between the United States and Mexico over California. Col. John C. Fremont, "The Pathfinder," was one of the American officers who fought in the war.

In 1846, John C. Fremont lead 300 American Troops through Foxen Canyon. He camped about a mile from Benjamin Foxen's ranch, near the present town of Sisquoc, in the hills east of Santa Maria. Foxen told Fremont about a short cut over the mountains to Santa Barbara. You've probably heard this story: Foxen told Fremont that the Mexican Army in Santa Barbara was lying in wait for him in narrow Gaviota Pass, ready to roll rocks on him and the soldiers. This story is false. The Mexican Army was in Los Angeles with General Pico's Army. Besides, Gaviota Pass was closed due to floods. (Tompkins, 1966, pp. 39-48.)

Foxen did tell Fremont about a short cut through the mountains. The troops left on Christmas Eve, 1848. It was raining hard, and the mud was slippery as they made their way up the narrow ridge over San Marcos Pass. Fremont lost 150 pack mules that night, but not one human life. (Tompkins, 1966, pp. 39-48.)

Fremont and his men were going to Santa Barbara to fight the Mexican Army, but the Mexicans were in Los Angeles. The only enemy left in Santa Barbara was Augustin Janssens, a ranch owner who was loyal to Spain. He only had fifteen cowboys fighting for him. He knew he'd lose the battle. He also knew knew that Fremont's men needed new horses. To make sure Fremont didn't steal any of his horses, he rounded them all up and hid them near the Santa Ynez River exactly where Cachuma Lake is now. Of course Janssens lost the fight. (Tompkins, 1966, pp. 39-48.)

Fremont hid one of his cannons in the brush because the mules pulling it had died. He was able to pull the rest of the cannons with horses. On December 27, 1846, the soldiers returned and couldn't find the hidden cannon. Captain McLain's journal described the cannon being hidden deep in the brush. No one ever found it, and I doubt they ever will. (Tompkins, 1962, p. 62.)

The cannon was hidden in a canyon near our house. My dad has looked for it. He says he's waiting for a brush fire to burn the chaparral. "We won't have a house, but I might find the cannon!"

Ten days after Fremont crossed the Pass to Santa Barbara, General Pico surrendered to him rather than suffer the casualties of war. (Tompkins, 1966, p. 48.) The California war was over. San Marcos Pass became part of the California Republic, and it became part of the U.S. in 1850.



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The Stagecoach Days
There is no way out north of Santa Barbara without crossing the Santa Ynez Mountains. The shortest way over the mountains is San Marcos Pass, so a stagecoach route was built. In 1868, Chinese workers started on both ends of the proposed route, following stakes put in the ground by road engineers. (Tompkins, 1962, p. 89)

The original stagecoach route started near Kellogg Avenue in Goleta. A half mile above Rancho del Ciervo, the road turned into a steep slope of sandstone, where the horses slipped and could not get up the rock. The Chinese workers had to chisel deep grooves into the rock so the horses could climb up. This section was known as Slippery Rock or "Slippery Sal." The road went on to Kinevan Ranch where the stagecoaches stopped and changed horses. From there, the road went over the summit and on down to Cold Springs Tavern. Then the stagecoaches went to Felix Mattei's Hotel in Los Olivos, now known as Mattei's Tavern, and on to Santa Maria. (Tompkins, 1962, p. 89.)

Stagecoach drivers often left the gate open at the bottom of Slippery Rock, and the ranchers complained. In 1892 a new road was built. San Marcos Road ("The Old Pass") follows that route today.

Patrick Kinevan's wife Nora sold meals and let people stay overnight for a bit of money. (Tompkins, 1982, p. 68.)
The Pass was filled with fearful bandits. Many stagecoaches didn't make it over the Pass without being robbed. The bandit problem was the worst during the 1850's. There were fewer sheriffs, and most bandits weren't caught. The favorite targets of most bandits were cattle buyers. They usually had their saddle bags filled with gold. (Tompkins, 1962, pp. 73-79.)

One of the greatest robberies happened in the 1850's, when a stagecoach was robbed on its way to the bank. The two bandits took a box filled with gold coins and ran into the hills with it to hide from the sheriff. A few days later the bandits were found. One was shot, the other was put in jail. Neither of them had the box of gold. While in jail the bandit got sick. Right before he died he told the sheriff that the box was buried in front of a tree where two streams come together. He died the next day. No one ever found the treasure, and I doubt they ever will. One day, a long time later, one of the descendants of Patrick Kinevan found a gold coin in the orchard near where we used to live. It was an unusual coin because of its octagonal shape, the same sort of coin that vanished in the robbery. He gave it to a priest from the Mission who shipped to to the Pope. (Tompkins, 1989, p. 122.)

My dad looked for the gold with a metal detector. Once while crawling under chaparral near the cabin, he found an old rock cairn and was sure he had it! But there was nothing under the rocks. I think the sheriff found the box of gold himself and didn't tell anyone in order to avoid taxes

[1krazeepolack]

I lived in Santa Barbara/Goleta area for 29 years. Due to the type employment I had @ the time, I had access to many places not usually available to the normal researcher/metal detector type folk. This included certain newspaper "archives, micro-fische records, & personal meetings" w/several other historical researchers. Regarding the stage coach robbery in San Marcos Pass, let me pass on some hard gleaned information regarding same. I spent three years researching this "supposed" robbery. I metal detected much of that area & more! Many personal interviews were carried out. On many occasions, I had one on one meetings w/the owner of Stage Coach tavern. Audrey Ovington assisted me w/much help regarding said robbery. I also managed (w/Audrey's help) a personal interview w/two of the Step sisters who were in their latter years, but still quite alive & coherent in their recollections of the history of that area. They lived in the area all their lives. With their permission, I tape recorded the entire interview, regarding both the stage robbery, & other supposed historical events. They recalled no such event ever taking place. During those earlier years, any such action(s) would have been widely known. Any sheriff encountering such an event would certainly be on file, as would any action taken.

I was granted permission to enter/research the Santa Barbara grand jury records. I researched those records for many days. Nowhere in those records appeared [i]any reference[i] to a stage robbery, nor sheriff chasing/capturing any robbers, nor anyone going to jail. Rumor also had it the three bandits were all stretched length-wise by a rope. The Santa Ynez newspaper had burned in 1925, so no record existed there. The Santa Barbara News Press contained nothing about any such event taking place. No local sheriff had ever recorded any such robbery. The amount "supposedly" taken, was $300K in gold. Any supposed robbery or hanging of this magnitude, would surely be documented somewhere. Three years of research brought me full circle, right back to where I originally started this quest! Ground zero!

It is my opinion, this robbery NEVER took place, & there is no record of this amount of gold being lost from a stage company operating in that area, or nearby.

Even the musty, smelly old newspaper accounts in the bell tower revealed no clues. I spent WEEKS searching all available/recorded archives, and came out of this w/two answers. # 1. A certain well known author of Santa Barbara history(un-named) "embellished" many historical facts! (this does sell books) # 2. Many historical events were nothing more then "embellishments" to establish the popularity of a certain tavern (unnamed, but located in a historical area) by a certain owner (un -named) & a few other "historical buffs". Research, research, research! It pays off, but sometimes not the way we hope.