Fishing thread on George Osteens Ute Mountain gold cave

[UncleMatt]

I know, I did an extensive ancestry.com search for George H. Osteen, and came up empty as well. I will look into this a bit further, but all signs are leaning to nothing more than a made up tale. I am looking forward to reading that magazine article from Treasure World from gantler.

 

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[cactusjumper]

I know, I did an extensive ancestry.com search for George H. Osteen, and came up empty as well. I will look into this a bit further, but all signs are leaning to nothing more than a made up tale. I am looking forward to reading that magazine article from Treasure World from gantler.

Matt,

Don't believe there is any historical connection between Kit Carson and anyone named "Osteen".

Good luck,

Joe Ribaudo

 

[UncleMatt]

if the article has nothing substantive to offer, I will have to call it quits on this one as a fairy tale.

 

[UncleMatt]

However, I did find this in the paper LANDSCAPE-LEVEL HISTORY OF THE CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS NATIONAL MONUMENT MONTEZUMA AND DOLORES COUNTIES, COLORADO:

"Local lore suggests that the Spanish mined on Ute Mountain and that Spanish artifacts have been found on occasion in the McElmo Canyon area, though confirmation is lacking (Kenyon and Kenyon 2004; Jeter 2004)."

 

[Crow]

Hello Matt

Some times its the way of the dice roles. Some times ya get the information your after some times ya do not. Just keep in your files and move on up some other bit of info turns up.

Crow

 

[UncleMatt]

Crow, please do me a favor and check out these two names: Jean Oliver and Givings Hjlmar. Jean Oliver supposedly hooked up with Osteen In Farmington, and Givings Hjlmar went with Osteen when he tried to return to the cave in 1935. I would look into them myself, but I'm not active on Ancestry.com right now. Please let me know if you turn up anything interesting.

 

[Crow]

Crow, please do me a favor and check out these two names: Jean Oliver and Givings Hjlmar. Jean Oliver supposedly hooked up with Osteen In Farmington, and Givings Hjlmar went with Osteen when he tried to return to the cave in 1935. I would look into them myself, but I'm not active on Ancestry.com right now. Please let me know if you turn up anything interesting.

hello Matt I had a look sadly nothing of Givings Hjlmar was found, no trace. While I found various Jean Olivers none recorded living in Farmington or even in Colorado or even a State nearby. I search the census records 1930 and 1940 after the alleged 1935 event. I also tried birth deaths and marriages. No luck there either.

Crow

 

[UncleMatt]

more nails in the coffin on this one I guess! Thanks for looking for me!

 

[Crow]

more nails in the coffin on this one I guess! Thanks for looking for me!

Ah Matt what can I say some ya win some ya lose.... But ya hold ya head up high because you researched it in a practical and methodical manner....So remember that There is plenty of other treasure legends to investigate. Ya keep repeating the process until ya find the one that ticks all the boxes...

Crow

 

[UncleMatt]

Ok Crow, I got the article, and it did indeed offer additional details.

First of all, this story originates from our good friend Maurice Kildare (Gladwell Richardson). Draw your own conclusions from that initial fact. The article offers a photo of Osteen, as well as a photo of an example of an ingot and mold like the ones he supposedly found.. Also, the Sheriff of San Juan County is described as J.C. "Kit" Carson , so maybe it wasn't supposed to be THE Kit Carson, but merely someone with the same last name who was nicknamed or named after the real guy. Please check Farmington again for J.C. Carson. Other names are added to the story as well, such as Lorenzo Hubbell Sr. from Gallup, NM, and Henry Chee Dodge, a long-time chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council. The article claims Osteen did prospecting work for both men, and that he retired in Denver after his 1935 attempt to access Ute Mountain. Let me know if you find anything, and I owe you a steak dinner for all your assistance on this one!

 

[UncleMatt]

Many thanks to gantler hailing from Germany for sending me that article!

 

[UncleMatt]

well what do you know!

History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People - George B. Anderson, Pacific States Publishing Co - Google Books

 

[UncleMatt]

years 1890 to 1891, J.C. Carson was indeed sheriff of San Juan County! That matches the claims in the story perfectly!

 

[UncleMatt]

Also, in the original article is discusses the fact that Osteen moved to Colorado and prospected around Ouray where he filed several mining claims. That is something else that can be used to verify his existence.

 

[lastleg]

Maybe George pestered Chief Ouray about where to mine and the chief told him there were
gold bars stacked in a cave on Ute Peak to get rid of him. Many hikers have climbed the peak,
which is BELOW 10,000 feet, and none have reported a cave.

 

[UncleMatt]

I agree, and no sign of any 10 foot tall, 6 foot wide cave or tunnel openings visible on Google Earth either, even though the photos are good quality there. I am going to contact the Navajo trading post that Hubbell owner where George supposedly spent most of his time. Its a national monument now, so maybe someone on staff will recognize George's photo or his name.

 

[UncleMatt]

One more interesting detail in the story is that "Old Poke" was the Ute chief leading the Utes against George on the peak. Gladwell really knew how to use historical facts to spice up a yarn.

 

[Crow]

Some interesting stuff here. Trouble with some treasure legends they are bit like poison Ivy when think ya got is all it is when ya find a bit and it stings ya. Some treasure legends a weave themselves around real people of the time and that makes the story seem real even when it is just a yarn based around real people.

As for Google earth even old me will use it as a tool to get an idea. Markmar will be proud of me However as any old treasure hunter knows it looks a hell of lot different when searching on the ground. Google Earth does not give a true picture in 3d mode as it tend distort things. I too had a look at Ute Peak and I saw nothing either that would indicate a cave either. However there was a mountain nearby that have some interesting cliff formation that may of concealed a cave. Its run off could of possibly fed into the stream you mentioned.

Crow

 

[UncleMatt]

I know, the topography and geology of Ute Peak do not appear conducive to the presence of a cave on the steep parts of the mountain. No USGS studies show it is gold producing at all.

 

[lastleg]

The peak is not inside Colorado's Mineral Belt but that doesn't include processed gold bullion.

Search Ute attacks on Fort Knox.