Treasure Mountain, CO - Lost Frenchmens Gold

[UncleMatt]

Exactly. I'll take your point a little further: I haven't seen one treasure legend on TNet that I personally would invest the time, energy and money into for a serious effort to physically recover. I'm not talking about a weekend lark, but a dedicated and potentially extended search effort. Not that some of the topics discussed here aren't without merit, but my general rule of thumb is that if you can read about a "lost mine or hidden treasure" anywhere in the public domain, you have approaching a zero chance of finding it. Your earlier thread on the Lost Carson in CO is a good example. Based on my experience in the San Juans, I believe the Carson outcropping likely exists. However, the sort of information available that would give one confidence that he has a chance of finding the prize is missing, IMO.

What's missing? What is the proper stimulus? Proprietary information, from an acceptable source, that has previously been totally unknown to the public. In other words, convincing evidence from someone close to an undocumented experience that, if authentic and usable, stands a fair chance of leading to the recovery of something of significant value.

Even if the Lost Carson Mine actually exists, it is very unlikely to be found simply because it is not accessible to the public unless they are willing to engage in a grueling hike into the Weminuche Wilderness at very high altitude. I bet less than a dozen people a year come within several miles of it.

 

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[sdcfia]

Here are some early maps (pre-1850) that include the Treasure Mountain vicinity and its approaches:

(Alexander von Humboldt) Carte Generale Du Royaume De La Nouvelle Espagne. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Zebulon Pike) Chart of the Internal Part of Louisiana. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Zebulon Pike) Map of The Internal Provinces of New Spain. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Josiah Gregg) Indian Terr., N. Texas, N.M. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Phillipe Vandermaelen) Parties, Etats-Unis et Nouv. Mexique. Amer. Sep. 48. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Pierre Tardieu) Map of Louisiana and Mexico (northern portion). - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Jaques Bellin) La Louisiane et Pays Voisins - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

 

[sdcfia]

Even if the Lost Carson Mine actually exists, it is very unlikely to be found simply because it is not accessible to the public unless they are willing to engage in a grueling hike into the Weminuche Wilderness at very high altitude. I bet less than a dozen people a year come within several miles of it.

Exactly. There are a few mountaineers' routes that pass near the alleged search area (if it is indeed the correct area), but that's about it. Unless you had dynamite privileged information from a viable source (say a family secret from a contemporary of Carson, for example) - not previously published by the likes of Cornelius or anyone else - why bother?

 

[mdog]

I have mentioned this in other threads in the past, but I think its worth repeating here. Many treasure legends were started as ways to increase tourism. Let me give you an example. I came across a story about a cave with gold bars (sound familiar?) that was found by a guy seeking cover from weather and Ute Indians (sound familiar?) on Sleeping Ute Mountain near Cortez, CO. I have family that lives in Cortez, and after more research I found that the guy who wrote the story lived in Arizona, and had written hundreds of such stories over decades at the request of various chambers of commerce and tourism boards in small towns all over the western United States. When we talk about "the source" of such stories, it is very easy to assume there is a basis in reality, or at least a kernel of truth at the root of them. But often that is simply not the case at all.

 

[mdog]

 

[mdog]

Here are some early maps (pre-1850) that include the Treasure Mountain vicinity and its approaches:

(Alexander von Humboldt) Carte Generale Du Royaume De La Nouvelle Espagne. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Zebulon Pike) Chart of the Internal Part of Louisiana. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Zebulon Pike) Map of The Internal Provinces of New Spain. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Josiah Gregg) Indian Terr., N. Texas, N.M. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Phillipe Vandermaelen) Parties, Etats-Unis et Nouv. Mexique. Amer. Sep. 48. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Pierre Tardieu) Map of Louisiana and Mexico (northern portion). - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

(Jaques Bellin) La Louisiane et Pays Voisins - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

Those are some nice looking maps of the region. Thank you.

 

[mdog]

Exactly. I'll take your point a little further: I haven't seen one treasure legend on TNet that I personally would invest the time, energy and money into for a serious effort to physically recover. I'm not talking about a weekend lark, but a dedicated and potentially extended search effort. Not that some of the topics discussed here aren't without merit, but my general rule of thumb is that if you can read about a "lost mine or hidden treasure" anywhere in the public domain, you have approaching a zero chance of finding it. Your earlier thread on the Lost Carson in CO is a good example. Based on my experience in the San Juans, I believe the Carson outcropping likely exists. However, the sort of information available that would give one confidence that he has a chance of finding the prize is missing, IMO.

What's missing? What is the proper stimulus? Proprietary information, from an acceptable source, that has previously been totally unknown to the public. In other words, convincing evidence from someone close to an undocumented experience that, if authentic and usable, stands a fair chance of leading to the recovery of something of significant value.

Here is the introduction from Laird's book Iowa Legends of Buried Treasure.

 

[sdcfia]

Good posts on the Laird book, dog. Being a fellow Iowan (that's what the "fia" stands for), I guess I'm going to have to get a copy of his book and bone up on my native state history.

Laird pretty well lays out the origins of treasure tales. I agree with UncleMatt that many of them are total fabrications meant to appeal to mankind's seemingly inherent and insatiable interest in treasure tales per se - a slam dunk way of selling newspaper stories, magazine articles, et al. It always rubs me wrong when TNet contributors cite an old newspaper story as proof of some sort of treasure. Fake news is fake news - always has been, always will be.

I also believe, as Laird discusses, that many tales likely have some basis in truth, but for a variety of reasons, have been corrupted over the years by retelling, embellishment, exaggeration, faulty memories, misunderstandings, etc. That's why I've always said that the less well-known the story is, the better chance that the original telling has not been corrupted. The well-known legends pretty much degrade into cartoons in time.

The thing that Laird didn't mention is human nature - the same 10,000 years ago as today, and likely 10,000 years in the future. A guy might tell a treasure story to others and withhold or change a critical piece of it because he wants to keep the secret for himself. A lot of those secrets die along with the guys who kept them.

I knew a really old guy (deceased now) who came from ranch country near the NM/TX border country. It was widely-believed that outlaw loot was likely buried on a certain ranch in the area, but despite a hundred holes dug by all sorts of seekers for years (all the fence posts, to no avail), his father was given a clue by the old timers in the original ranching family that had not been shared with anyone else. Had something to do with a fence corner. The old timers had tried forever to use the clue themselves to find the loot, but failed, and told my friend's father about it when they had become too old themselves to keep searching. After my friend finished his story, he opened a desk drawer, pulled out a six-shooter, put it on the desk, then pulled out about a 20-pound bar of melted down gold double eagles and put it on the desk and said, "It took us about three days to find it."

 

[tamrock]

Have any of you ever actually been on Treasure Mountain? Or even in Pagosa Springs? Just curious.

Never been on Treasure mountain, but many times in PS. I always stay the Alpine Lodge. It was a Super 8 in the past and became an Americas Best I think it was and went a little down hill under that name. This Polish fella from Chicago took it from there and named it the Alpine Inn. It's a nice well kept place now with a good price. Good price for me that is, because I'm not the average tourist out on vacation. If this treasure legend has any truth to it I do not believe it originated from west of Wolf Creek pass as the story goes.

 

[mdog]

Never been on Treasure mountain, but many times in PS. I always stay the Alpine Lodge. It was a Super 8 in the past and became an Americas Best I think it was and went a little down hill under that name. This Polish fella from Chicago took it from there and named it the Alpine Inn. It's a nice well kept place now with a good price. Good price for me that is, because I'm not the average tourist out on vacation. If this treasure legend has any truth to it I do not believe it originated from west of Wolf Creek pass as the story goes.

Hi Tamrock. What are your thoughts about the legend?

 

[tamrock]

Hi Tamrock. What are your thoughts about the legend?

I believe the French were the first to mine the virgin placer deposits of the head waters of the Arkansas river systems 60 or so years before the boom of 1859 and none of their activity was never documented other then verbally for the most. The Arkansas river has a whole lot of undocumented history to it on events that were going on before the mining boom we mostly know today imo. The name Akansa was was given to the river in 1673 in the journals of the Frenchman Jacques Marquette and this river that you can find particles of gold in all the way to Oklahoma had to strike a curiosity to anyone exploring where the river begins and where the source of that gold was coming from in the 100 years between the time of the French and the gold rush days of Colorado. To me the French who were looking for furs were the first to discover what would have been decent placer deposit in the rivers and streams of the upper Arkansas river valley. It was the miners of the 1859 boom that quickly exhausted most of the rich accumulation of placer gold in the upper Arkansas river valley, but the French had also took some decent amounts, just not all in the time they had I'm thinking?. I just believe the French diversified their time in prospecting what gold they could find in the summer month and got on with the real business of trapping furs in the winter month. This would have been all top secret business going on in the mind of a Frenchman "mums the word". The story of Treasure mountain just doesn't make make a lot of sense to me, other then maybe a party of fur trappers ran into trouble with the natives and had to get out a there leaving some gold behind?. The story is mostly a fictitious one imo, but may hold a shred of truth to some early event that took place?.

 

[mdog]

I believe the French were the first to mine the virgin placer deposits of the head waters of the Arkansas river systems 60 or so years before the boom of 1859 and none of their activity was never documented other then verbally for the most. The Arkansas river has a whole lot of undocumented history to it on events that were going on before the mining boom we mostly know today imo. The name Akansa was was given to the river in 1673 in the journals of the Frenchman Jacques Marquette and this river that you can find particles of gold in all the way to Oklahoma had to strike a curiosity to anyone exploring where the river begins and where the source of that gold was coming from in the 100 years between the time of the French and the gold rush days of Colorado. To me the French who were looking for furs were the first to discover what would have been decent placer deposit in the rivers and streams of the upper Arkansas river valley. It was the miners of the 1859 boom that quickly exhausted most of the rich accumulation of placer gold in the upper Arkansas river valley, but the French had also took some decent amounts, just not all in the time they had I'm thinking?. I just believe the French diversified their time in prospecting what gold they could find in the summer month and got on with the real business of trapping furs in the winter month. This would have been all top secret business going on in the mind of a Frenchman "mums the word". The story of Treasure mountain just doesn't make make a lot of sense to me, other then maybe a party of fur trappers ran into trouble with the natives and had to get out a there leaving some gold behind?. The story is mostly a fictitious one imo, but may hold a shred of truth to some early event that took place?.

Your idea makes a lot of sense. I started reading an online book last night titled "Three Years Among Indians and Mexicans". The author describes a Missouri Fur Company expedition during 1809. There were 350 men in the expedition and half of them were Canadians recruited at Detroit. They traveled by boat up the Missouri River. I haven't studied the fur trade much, were expeditions of that size very common? This expedition left from St. Louis and if the Spanish of New Mexico were informed of such a large group of men heading up the river, it might cause concern. A similar trapping expedition close to the northern limits of New Mexico would probably be reported to Spanish officials at Santa Fe by Indian allies. Spanish authorities had encouraged their Indian allies to watch for invasions from Canada during the 1790s. You could be right, Tamrock.

https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/james/jamesint.html

 

[mdog]

Good posts on the Laird book, dog. Being a fellow Iowan (that's what the "fia" stands for), I guess I'm going to have to get a copy of his book and bone up on my native state history.

Laird pretty well lays out the origins of treasure tales. I agree with UncleMatt that many of them are total fabrications meant to appeal to mankind's seemingly inherent and insatiable interest in treasure tales per se - a slam dunk way of selling newspaper stories, magazine articles, et al. It always rubs me wrong when TNet contributors cite an old newspaper story as proof of some sort of treasure. Fake news is fake news - always has been, always will be.

I also believe, as Laird discusses, that many tales likely have some basis in truth, but for a variety of reasons, have been corrupted over the years by retelling, embellishment, exaggeration, faulty memories, misunderstandings, etc. That's why I've always said that the less well-known the story is, the better chance that the original telling has not been corrupted. The well-known legends pretty much degrade into cartoons in time.

The thing that Laird didn't mention is human nature - the same 10,000 years ago as today, and likely 10,000 years in the future. A guy might tell a treasure story to others and withhold or change a critical piece of it because he wants to keep the secret for himself. A lot of those secrets die along with the guys who kept them.

I knew a really old guy (deceased now) who came from ranch country near the NM/TX border country. It was widely-believed that outlaw loot was likely buried on a certain ranch in the area, but despite a hundred holes dug by all sorts of seekers for years (all the fence posts, to no avail), his father was given a clue by the old timers in the original ranching family that had not been shared with anyone else. Had something to do with a fence corner. The old timers had tried forever to use the clue themselves to find the loot, but failed, and told my friend's father about it when they had become too old themselves to keep searching. After my friend finished his story, he opened a desk drawer, pulled out a six-shooter, put it on the desk, then pulled out about a 20-pound bar of melted down gold double eagles and put it on the desk and said, "It took us about three days to find it."

I enjoyed the book. It's unique for a treasure legend book because he interviews different people to show how the same legend can change. I was also surprised at how many global treasure legends were mentioned in a small book about Iowa treasure legends. He mentioned legends that I had never heard before.

Good story about your friend. I remember you writing about him before but I think you added more details this time. Good story.

 

[tamrock]

Your idea makes a lot of sense. I started reading an online book last night titled "Three Years Among Indians and Mexicans". The author describes a Missouri Fur Company expedition during 1809. There were 350 men in the expedition and half of them were Canadians recruited at Detroit. They traveled by boat up the Missouri River. I haven't studied the fur trade much, were expeditions of that size very common? This expedition left from St. Louis and if the Spanish of New Mexico were informed of such a large group of men heading up the river, it might cause concern. A similar trapping expedition close to the northern limits of New Mexico would probably be reported to Spanish officials at Santa Fe by Indian allies. Spanish authorities had encouraged their Indian allies to watch for invasions from Canada during the 1790s. You could be right, Tamrock.

https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/james/jamesint.html

At the time of this story and end of the 18th and early 19th century looking for gold and mining it in the Rockies offered very little for the time, labor and equipment needed needed to justify all of what you could get in those days compared to the fur trade. The big money was in furs and trapping as many beaver as you could was priority number one in the Mountain states during those times. I just don't think there was much effort or planes to gather gold and silver in the west until the big California strike of 1849. The Spanish did some mining, but that was just a part of what they were after in the Western U.S.. They had there sights set mostly on conquest, settlement and souls to save. The Spanish had most of their gold and silver operation running in Mexico. What they saw of the deposits of gold and silver in the Rockies, just didn't get all that much attention imo. They could run all year long in Mexico with mines of much higher grade compared to the deposits in the San Juan mountains that you could only mine in the short summer months and then have to shut down and leave for the harsh winter. Still I believe a stash of gold was hidden, but the story took on a twist that is far from the real truth of this Treasure Mountain tail.

 

[PatrickD]

Hi MDog,

I ran across this link in my bookmarks and thought you might want to see it. Certainly seems similar to the discussions. It's kind of long and has other treasure leads in it. I haven't had the best of luck posting links so I will put the content in as well. Also including the authors name.

I hope this is useful to you.

Patrick
-----------

Treasure in the San Luis Valley: The golden horde, part II

Here is the content of the article:

Treasure in the San Luis Valley: The golden horde, part II

November 21, 1997

By Christopher O’Brien

The French expedition of 1790
Journeying down from the northern Rockies, exploratory French forays into the rarefied air of the Sangre de Cristos are said to have produced gold. A little-known story researched by Crestone author Jack Harlan concerns an ill-fated French-Canadian expedition into the southern Colorado Rockies, and is centered around a very identifiable northern San Luis Valley landmark.

“While leaving the San Luis Valley by way of Poncha Pass, Round Mountain is skirted on the left. Here on Round Mountain an undetermined amount of gold nuggets [is] supposedly buried. There are several versions of the story. The most popular one is about a French Canadian trapper whose name has become lost through the years. . . .”

A party of Canadians were trapping on the Snake River when they were discovered by American trappers, who attacked. In their hasty retreat, the Frenchmen lost their furs and traps to the Americans. Traveling south into western Colorado, one of the four found a gold nugget in the headwaters of the Gunnison River. Here they spent the next month successfully panning the gravel bars. Ute Indians discovered the Frenchmen and attacked them. In the running battle which lasted several days, three Frenchmen were killed. The fourth managed to escape over Cochetopa Pass (just west of Saguache). Sensing that his pursuers were closing in, he buried the gold on Round Mountain with the hopes of later returning for it. The Indians caught and killed the lone French-Canadian near the summit of Poncha Pass.”

Starvation and bitter conditions killed off three of the men, who may have been eaten by the surviving two members.

The treasure was never found, but the story endures, hundreds of years later. I travel on U.S. 285, which winds within feet of this little mountain, and on every trip north out of the San Luis Valley, I wonder ,,,

One of Colorado’s most fabulous treasure legends is centered around a sizeable French expedition that journeyed to our area in the late 1700s. Setting out from a small French outpost near present-day Leavenworth, Kan., 300 men and 450 horses began the long trek toward the Rockies. The guides, officers, miners and laborers, following the course of the Platte River, explored and prospected several areas before reaching southern Colorado, and it is believed by some that the huge expedition may have superficially prospected unsuccessfully at Cripple Creek and other mining regions that later produced fabulous gold fields.

Working their way south, they finally ended up near present-day Summitville, Colo. They made camp several miles east of Wolf Creek Pass and began prospecting the many creeks that flowed down the San Juan Mountains, just west of the San Luis Valley, hoping to find the elusive malleable metal. They allegedly struck the motherlode and buried the gold on what is now called Treasure Mountain.

Most sources estimated the value at some $5 million, although one source estimated the cache as worth $33 million dollars. According to later reports, the gold was cached in three places, only known to the top officers of the expedition. A key chart was made of the entire area and kept by the officer in command.

At first, upon their arrival at the Summitville area, the Native Indians seemed friendly. However, for some reason not presently known, the Indians became angry with the French. Perhaps the knowledge that the French were leaving with gold from their lands prompted them to attack the expedition as the French set out. In any event, an attack was mounted, and during the pitched battle, the gold was reburied and the French made new maps detailing where the buried gold was hidden. Very few French survived the battle. Estimates range from 17 to 35, but it is known the some of them did survive the Indian onslaught. To make matters worse, they were attacked again out on the Front Range, and only five men survived to continue the journey back to the French outpost in Kansas. Starvation and bitter conditions killed off three of the men, who may have been eaten by the surviving two members. The two men, more dead than alive, stumbled into the outpost and one of them died.

The sole survivor, the expedition’s historian named “Le Blanc,” eventually traveled back to France with two copies of the treasure map. One was given to the French government, the other, naturally, he kept.

Several maps have appeared claiming to lead to the re-buried treasure.

There is much confusion at this part of the story. One version has the historian’s family mounting an expedition and returning to find the buried treasure. Another version has the French government mounting an expedition led by a relative of the historian. In any event, the second expedition, which numbered around 50 men, headed west to recover the gold. Stopping in Taos, N.M., they obtained the services of a guide who led them to the Summitville area. Allegedly, they searched the entire area for three years with no apparent luck. Then, the guide returned to Taos alone, claiming the entire expedition had again been wiped out by the Indians. The locals were suspicious of him because he was the sole survivor. He was tried for murder, but was acquitted. It is said that his trial was the last Mexican trial held in United States territory. Some theorists claim the whole story was contrived by the French who secretly found the gold and returned to France with it. The guide was paid to be a “patsy” and promised a fortune to return to Taos with the untrue story of a massacre. This scenario seems unlikely, although later, French equipment was found among the Indians.

Another version has the guide spending years trying in vain to locate the lost treasure of Treasure Mountain. Several maps have appeared claiming to lead to the re-buried treasure. A man named William Yule claimed he had a copy of the original and searched the entire western side of the valley – all the way north to Saguache, with no apparent success. Another colorful prospector named Asa Poor obtained the map from Yule, and with two partners, was able to locate several landmarks leading to the caches, but was not able to finally locate the hidden French gold. One of Poor’s partners, named Montroy, retained possession of the map, but it disappeared several years later.

Eureka?
After much digging, and a bit of luck, I’ve located and talked with several knowledgeable “treasure hunters.” I began hearing stories of “treasure maps.” Then, in 1993, I was introduced to a amiable man I’ll call Tomas Ortiz (not his real name). Tomas’ wife is the daughter of the patriarch of the treasure-hunting family. At one point in our initial conversation, he casually told me that his brother-in-law has an authentic “treasure map written in French,” and his family are “direct descendents of Le Blanc.” He told me, “for three generations” they have been quietly searching for the fabled lost French gold. Their claim is backed up with, what appears to be, a genuine map, drawn by the harried second expedition before they unsuccessfully tried to escape with their lives. Could this actually be the real Le Blanc map? Their map and story are impressive.

After searching for decades, family members have slowly and painstakingly located seven out of eight landmarks and clues carved in rock that are mentioned in the map. The most important eighth and final clue has eluded their efforts for years. Then, in 1993, their lucked turned. Or did it?

As Ortiz placed the last candle at the far end of the tunnel, a “large rattlesnake” lunged out of the gloom and narrowly missed striking him.

Thirty-year-old Tomas happened to be hunting elk, in the mountains southeast of Del Norte, Colo., on an overcast late fall morning in 1993. The clouds loomed threatening, and a cold hard rain began to spit. The pale pre-dawn gloom cast faint detail to the surrounding vegetation, and Ortiz looked around for shelter from the rain. He spotted a small 3-foot opening in the ground, hidden by some underbrush, and after removing some loose rocks, he squeezed through the opening and peered into the darkness. He clicked on his flashlight and was surprised to find he had entered a 5-foot-high, 4-foot-wide tunnel, obviously man-made. Ortiz cautiously explored down the gentle-sloping narrow passageway, and after wriggling about 20 feet into the hillside, his way was blocked by an apparent underground landslide. Shining his light around the dim narrow passageway, he spied a carving on the rock wall next to the cave-in. Quite aware of his in-law’s long quest, he was thrilled by what he saw. It was the long-lost eighth clue that according to the treasure map indicated the hidden location of the fabled French treasure. Completely forgetting the wily elk herd he had been stalking, he excitedly rushed back to town to tell the family of his fortuitous find.

The following day, Tomas led an expedition back to the tunnel. Members of the party, consisting of 20 family members, began eagerly excavating the cave-in, and after several grueling hours of hard work, they extended the tunnel an additional 12 feet into the mountainside. Thirty-two feet in, they encountered a large boulder that appeared to have been purposely rolled into place to seal the rest of the passageway. By this time, the sun had set and the elated group gathered at the entrance and took a break as twilight approached from the east. Undaunted by the approaching night, Tomas lined the length of the passageway with a dozen equally spaced unlit candles. The ensuing events allegedly occurred “in a matter of minutes.”

As Ortiz placed the last candle at the far end of the tunnel, a “large rattlesnake” lunged out of the gloom and narrowly missed striking him. He frantically scrambled breathlessly back out to the entrance followed by a boiling “swarm of bats” that began pouring out of the hillside. Uncharacteristically, the small mammals began squeaking and diving aggressively at the surprised party. What they claim happened seconds later quickly erased the elation and excitement of the expedition. According to Tomas, as he knelt down to light the first candle at the entrance to the tunnel, the “candle at the far end” of the passageway inexplicably flared on by itself! The stunned group knowing no one was in the tunnel stared at each other in horror. “At that instant,” out of the gloom, a “huge owl” dive-bombed the shocked party within inches of their heads. That was the last straw. As if chased by the devil himself, the terrified group grabbed their children, raced down the hillside, piled into their cars and, as Tomas put it, they “got the hell outta there!”

Further research has uncovered information that suggests the Ute Indians may have acquired some of the French gold during the running battle, and hid it down near the mouth of the Rio Grande Canyon. As of this writing, the family has obtained the Colorado state treasure rights to legally enter the cave and claim whatever treasure is located there. I have been invited along to document the event.

Dead Man’s Cave
Another fascinating account is one of the few that have actually produced verified gold to bolster the lucky finder’s claims. However, this is one of those that got away. It’s probably still out there. The Fairplay Flume, in 1880, and The Denver Post have both published articles about this story told by three prospectors – E.J. Oliver, S.J. Harkman and H.A. Melton. In 1880, the three men had been prospecting 2 miles north of what become known as Dead Man Camp, (about 8 miles south of where I live) The sky threatened, and before long the three men found themselves caught in a furious blizzard. Knowing travel is difficult, at best, in the rugged Sangres under ideal weather conditions, they found shelter underneath a convenient ledge near the mouth of a canyon.

Looking across the canyon, one of the men noticed what appeared to be a small opening in the shear rock wall. They made their way to the opening and made several crude torches. The opening was very narrow and less than 4-feet high and extended into the cliff about 10 feet, before it opened up into a large 20-foot-long vault. Shining their torches around, Oliver found the first of five skeletons scattered around the dusty, dark cavern. After exploring the cavern, they found several tight passageways extending into the gloom of the mountain. They chose one to explore. It led into the mountain and opened up into a larger vault-like chamber. Near the far end, Melton noticed what appeared to be shelves carved into the side of the western wall. He lit the area and saw some peculiar-looking stones stacked on the shelf. He picked one up; surprised at its heavy weight, and brought it back to his partners to look at. Imagine their delight when the “stones” turned out to be crude bars of gold! In their excitement, thinking the opening would be easy to mark and find again, the men gathered up only five of the bars, and headed over the pass to Silver Cliff, in the Wet Mountain Valley. The bars proved to be worth $900 apiece, and the men became instant celebrities. Although asked by many, the men steadfastly refused to divulge the actual location and secretly made plans to return to Dead Man’s Cave.
Search these vast areas hard and deep enough and you may be surprised at what you’ll find, but I suggest you tread lightly . . .

“The men slipped off in the spring. But they never found the Dead Man Cave. Thought had thought it would be easy, but on their return they found so many places that looked like the area in which the caves were found. In fact, practically the entire area seemed strange to them. They went back frequently. Many others went back frequently. Nobody found anything.” (The Fairplay Flume)

Colorado has an interesting series of “treasure rights,” which can be obtained for the right to look, find and keep treasure found in specific deeded locations. I couldn’t help but wonder, who owned the treasure rights for the area around the Dead Man’s Treasure?

A simple listing of the San Luis Valley and Huerfano area’s lost mines and treasures is, to say the least, impressive. The following is a sampling of south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico legends and accounts from the seminal works, “Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of the West,” by Thomas Probert (the University of California Press, 1977); “Treasure of the Sangre De Cristos,” by Arthur Campa, (The University of Oklahoma Press, 1963); the voluminous “Directory of Buried or Sunken Treasures and Lost Mines of the United States” (True Treasure Publications, 1971); the compelling “Treasure Tales of the Rockies,” by Thomas Penfield (Sage Books, 1961); the northern San Luis Valley’s “Post Marks and Places,” by Jack Harlan (Golden Bell Press); “Colorado’s Lost Mines and Buried Treasure,” by Caroline Bancroft (Bancroft Booklets, 1961), and various other sources.

From the Huerfano/Spanish Peaks region:

Alex Cobsky’s Lost Mine near Silver Mountain, northeast of La Veta Pass
The Arapaho Princess Treasure, near the Spanish Peaks
Caverna del Oro, on Marble Mountain
George Skinner’s Lost Mine, on Horn Peak Mountain
The Green Lost Mine, west of the town of Red Wing, Colo.
The Lost Mine of the Greenhorn Mountains, just east of the Wet Mountain Valley
Henry Sefton’s Treasure, on the east side of the Sangres
The fabled Huajatolla Gold, on the Spanish Peaks
Jack Simpson’s Lost Mine, on Silver Mountain, east of La Veta, Colo.
The Jasper Lost Mine, near Red Wing
Juan Carlos’ Lost Gold, on the Blanca Massif
The Lost Pick Mine of Veta Creek, north of La Veta Creek in the Huerfano
The Lost Veta Mine, north of La Veta Creek in the Huerfano
The Treasure of the Spanish Fort, 25 miles west of Walsenburg

From the southern, New Mexican part of the San Luis Valley, we could find:

Cannady’s Murder Money, in Taos Canyon
The Chavez Lost Copper Mine, north of El Rito, N.M.
The Grinning Skull Treasure, in the Sanges east of Taos
Gus Lawson’s Lost Mine, on Taos Mountain
Juan Gallule’s and Techato Martinez’ Lost Mine, on Jicarita Peak
Madame Barcelo’s Lost Treasure, 40 miles east of Taos
Padre Mora’s Treasure, Kit Carson State Park, southeast of Taos
Rio Grande Gold, on the Rio Grande, north of Taos;
Simeon Turley’s Lost Mine and Treasure, about twelve-miles northwest of Taos;
The Treasure of Tres Piedras, west of Tres Piedras, N.M.
White’s Lost Mine, near the town of Amalia, N.M.

From the central and northern San Luis Valley, where I live, we might even find the following:

The Spanish Treasure of Blanca Peak, on Blanca Peak, north of Ft. Garland, Colo.
The Lost Mine of Embargo Creek, east of Creede, Colo.
The Paymaster’s Treasure of Ft. Garland, on Trincera Creek, south of Ft. Garland
The Lost Mine of Hidden Valley, near La Jara Creek, west of Capulin
The Josh Thomas Treasure, on Conejos Creek, west of Antonito, Colo.
Manuel Torres Lost Mine, on Culebra Peak, southeast of San Luis, Colo.
Mark Bidell’s Lost Lode, near Saguache Creek, northwest of Del Norte, Colo.
The Phantom Mine, Davis Gulch, 6 miles south of Crestone
The Lost Brother Mine, north of San Isabelle Creek
The Lost Sidney Brother Mine, Burnt Gulch, just east of Crestone
The Disappearing Sand Dunes Wagon, Great Sands Dunes National Monument
The Lost Mine of Mogate Peak, east of Creede, Colorado
The Buried Treasure of Round Hill, just south of Poncha Pass
The Lost Mine in the Sangres, near Cottonwood Creek, 5 miles south of Crestone
The Missouri Bank Robbery Treasure, between Music and Mosca Pass
The Center (Colorado) Bank Heist Loot, north of Moffat, Colo. at the Grey Ranch
The Lost Treasure of Treasure Mountain, east of Pagosa Springs and from near the Taylor Ranch
White’s Lost Cement Mine, on Culebra Peak in Costilla County

There may be additional secrets buried beneath south-central Colorado. Hidden away from prying eyes and the light of discovery, it is said, the mountain’s inner depths contain man-made mysteries perhaps more compelling than gold and treasure. Search these vast areas hard and deep enough and you may be surprised at what you’ll find, but I suggest you tread lightly . . .

Filed Under: Colorado's San Luis Valley

 

[PatrickD]

I was just reading some of the great posts full of useful information. My compliments to you all on this one.

Does anyone think it would be worthwhile if we created a timeline of all these individual activities? It seems to me that by just listing the dates, events and locations would show a migration pattern, likely routes, potential encampments to find, etc., for the Spanish, French, Settler, Miner, etc. Or would it be a waste of time?

I might be barking up the wrong tree, but it's still a tree.

P.

 

[mdog]

Thanks Patrick. I taped part of a Myth Hunter show about Treasure Mountain today and it was hosted by Christopher O Brian.

 

[PatrickD]

Mdog,

Sounds like the definition of serendipity.

I dare you to go find this one and successfully recover it.

P.

 

[mdog]

I was just reading some of the great posts full of useful information. My compliments to you all on this one.

Does anyone think it would be worthwhile if we created a timeline of all these individual activities? It seems to me that by just listing the dates, events and locations would show a migration pattern, likely routes, potential encampments to find, etc., for the Spanish, French, Settler, Miner, etc. Or would it be a waste of time?

I might be barking up the wrong tree, but it's still a tree.

P.

I think it sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Randy? I think it will be easy to stick with the Treasure Mountain legend because the story covers a couple hundred years of activity.

 

[South Sea mariner]

I think it sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Randy? I think it will be easy to stick with the Treasure Mountain legend because the story covers a couple hundred years of activity.

I for one agree it would be interesting. Although as a self admitted armchair treasure hunter, I have thoroughly enjoyed all the posts here and the spirit of sharing ones thoughts. Am I any really near to understanding the the truth behind the legends? probably not. But you guys have given many interesting thinks to ponder over.

Cheers Mal