bigscoop
Gold Member
- Jun 4, 2010
- 13,373
- 8,689
- Detector(s) used
- Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Florida's Fabulous East Coast Treasure Trove
Florida's Fabulous East Coast Treasure Trove
(Where the Shipwreck Forum and Beach & Shallow Water Forum Collide)
I doubt there's another stretch of coast in the entire world so richly laden with undiscovered wealth. Imagine if you will hundreds of ships going down along one stretch of coast, just a small portion of this accumulated wealth on display among the local Indians to convince early explorers that the entire region was rich in natural resources. Little did these earliest explorers realize that the wealth they were seeing had been salvaged from the many shipwrecks before them. General history books often touch on this fact but few allow the space or dedicate the time to present a more detailed accounting to the general public. So for all you treasure hunters out there let this short summary of early documented accounts set your blood to the boiling point. “You never know what you just might find on Florida's East Coast.” Perhaps truer words have never been spoken.
The Native Inhabitants
The Ais, Surruque, Timucua, Jeage, Calusa, just to name a few. Florida was home to many different Indian cultures with each of them having their individual paramount rulers and subordinates. Perhaps it might be easier to relate to this hostile climate if we were to view these individual establishments as modern day gangs with alliances often being a fragile and volatile condition of survival. It was indeed a land where outsiders were seldom welcome beyond the gifts they might bare. Unfortunately, in order to travel the globe an endless parade of wealthy ships had to navigate along these shores, the many shoals and changing winds presenting a catastrophic conclusion for many of these coastal sailors. An endless stream of ships were lost here, an untold number being cast upon the shallows where the survivors and their ship's cargo became the quick prize of the marauding inhabitants. From the time of Columbus to the turn of the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century countless ships continued to fall pry to this early and murderous gangland America.
It isn't my intention now to offer you all of the details and accounts as they are numerous and require too much expansion. However, I am going to offer you a fair taste of the information that is available for those who wish to look for it. So let us being with Fonteneda, a shipwreck survivor who lived among these Indians for many years, the information coming from the Memoir he penned in 1575;
“The country of the king of Ais and of Jeaga is very poor. It contains neither gold nor silver mines and to tell the truth it is only the sea which enriches it, since many vessels laden with precious metals are shipwrecked there...”
“That he was only a sailor on one of the shipwrecked vessels of the fleet, and ignorant of the fate of the rest until after he had talked with the Indians who went armed to the coast of Ais and returned with very considerable riches in the form of ingots of gold, sacks of Spanish coins, and quantities of merchandise.”
“I will say no more on the subject, but to proceed to speak of the wealth which the Indians found in bars of gold and Mexican jewelry belonging to the shipwrecked passengers, amounting to more then a million. The chief retained the best portion of it for himself and divided the remainder among the Indians of Ais, Jeaga, of Guacata, of Mayajuaca, and of Mayaca.”
And now Le Moyne in 1564;
“They also reported that he (a chief) possessed a great store of gold and silver and that he kept it in a certain village in a pit not less then a man's height in depth and as large as a cask...”
“That he could put all of that wealth into my hands besides what I might obtain from the richer of the natives. They said further, that, when women meet for the purpose of dancing, they were hanging at their girdles flat plates of gold as large as quoits, and in such numbers that the weight fatigued and inconvenienced them in dancing, and that the men were similarly loaded. The greater part of this wealth, they were of the opinion, came from Spanish ships, of which numbers are wrecked in that strait (Florida straits), the rest from trade between the king and other chiefs in the neighborhood.”
Le Moyne wasn't mistaken in his account of the numerous shipwrecks occurring in the straits, over the years researchers have uncovered documents in Spanish archives that easily place the number of these early wrecks between St Augustine to the head of the straits to be in the hundreds. What is most fascinating about many of these accounts is that a portion of these wrecks had to have occurred shallow enough to allow the Indians access to their cargoes and survivors. Add to this that during these early voyages most sailors were coastal sailors, often relaying on landmarks to determine their position. Given all of this it's easy to see how so much of this wealth found its way on to the shores of east Florida. Keep in mind that I am only painting the broad picture here as there are many sources/accounts from early explorers detailing these Indians and the treasures they often possessed. Also keep in mind that these treasures often grew legs in the form of barter and trade and aggression and that it even found its way into the interior. There is brief mention of some minor Spanish recoveries but for the most part there is no record of the Spanish ever recovering the vast majority of this looted wealth. Even today a wide variety of these items are still being discovered off this coast and along its beaches. After many years of studying the subject I am of the mind that modern search and salvage operations haven't even put a dent into the vast quantity of wealth upon this coast and shores that still remains to be discovered. And yet, there is even more.
The Fleet of Ribaut:
We've all heard how Ribuat was delivered his death at the hands of Menendez, but did you know this wasn't Menendeze's first run in with this group of Frenchmen? Existing records offer a lot more detail about these encounters but let us begin enlightening you focusing on just those events that took place on the east coast of Florida.
Again, general history tells us how Menendez lured these Frenchmen into the dunes where he had them slaughtered, thus the end to Ribaut and his party of some 500. That's right, I said 500, a tad bit more then the 150 -300 often spoken of in those general history books. In fact, recorded history tells us that Menendez encountered three different parties of these Frenchmen after their fleet became wrecked on the shores of Florida. This sequence of events began when Ribaut's fleet took position just outside of the harbor at St. Augustine, at lest two sloops and two “galleons” according to translated accounts. It's uncertain why the word “galleon” is used but it is generally accepted that at least two of the ships were quite large. Anyway, the fleet was awaiting the new tide so there would be enough water to allow their entry into the harbor so they could attack the Spanish fort at St. Augustine. But as they lay waiting a storm kicked up and it swept this fleet far to the south where all of the ships were wrecked upon the shoals, some 500 survivors making it to shore. From here Menendez went in search of these squatters, eventually encountering three different groups, the last group said to contain about 150 persons who had been trying to use the wreckage from the fleet to construct a fort and a ship near Cape Canaveral. This, we are told, was the Ribaut group, a group containing, “many wealthy nobles”, the second group also had some nobles as well. According to account some of these nobles even tried to buy their way upon the mercy of Menendez, some of them offering to pay as mush as 100'000 dacants, but to no avail. Menendez slaughtered them all. So what did we learn from these accounts?
First, we learned that several wealthy men were included in Ribaut's party. And second, were learn that Ribaut's fleet had to have sunk near shore for there to be so many survivors. So where, exactly, are the remains of these wrecks today? The fury of the sea can only cause one to wonder just how much of this cargo and debris made it upon the shoreline and beach? If Ribaut's party was trying to construct a fort and ship from the wreckage then they had to have access to at least one of those wrecks. What these cargoes consisted of we can only guess, but most certainly there would have been cannon, shot, utensils, dishes, bottles, coin, etc., etc., etc. And most certainly some of it is still out there beneath the water and beach sands.
Just within the small stretch of coast near me there have been discoveries made that would astound you, relics from modern/industrious man dating clear back into the early 16[SUP]th[/SUP] century, some areas of the river and even locations inland not being excluded. Today I am a firm believer that anyone with a metal detector is capable of finding these ancient relics if they only commit themselves to the research and the hunt. It's still out there folks, and in large quantity, and we haven't even attempted to delve into the endless events of later periods. Wherever you are along the east coast of this state there is a good chance that something worth finding is within your immediate reach. Modern jewelry being simply an added bonus.
Florida's Fabulous East Coast Treasure Trove
(Where the Shipwreck Forum and Beach & Shallow Water Forum Collide)
I doubt there's another stretch of coast in the entire world so richly laden with undiscovered wealth. Imagine if you will hundreds of ships going down along one stretch of coast, just a small portion of this accumulated wealth on display among the local Indians to convince early explorers that the entire region was rich in natural resources. Little did these earliest explorers realize that the wealth they were seeing had been salvaged from the many shipwrecks before them. General history books often touch on this fact but few allow the space or dedicate the time to present a more detailed accounting to the general public. So for all you treasure hunters out there let this short summary of early documented accounts set your blood to the boiling point. “You never know what you just might find on Florida's East Coast.” Perhaps truer words have never been spoken.
The Native Inhabitants
The Ais, Surruque, Timucua, Jeage, Calusa, just to name a few. Florida was home to many different Indian cultures with each of them having their individual paramount rulers and subordinates. Perhaps it might be easier to relate to this hostile climate if we were to view these individual establishments as modern day gangs with alliances often being a fragile and volatile condition of survival. It was indeed a land where outsiders were seldom welcome beyond the gifts they might bare. Unfortunately, in order to travel the globe an endless parade of wealthy ships had to navigate along these shores, the many shoals and changing winds presenting a catastrophic conclusion for many of these coastal sailors. An endless stream of ships were lost here, an untold number being cast upon the shallows where the survivors and their ship's cargo became the quick prize of the marauding inhabitants. From the time of Columbus to the turn of the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century countless ships continued to fall pry to this early and murderous gangland America.
It isn't my intention now to offer you all of the details and accounts as they are numerous and require too much expansion. However, I am going to offer you a fair taste of the information that is available for those who wish to look for it. So let us being with Fonteneda, a shipwreck survivor who lived among these Indians for many years, the information coming from the Memoir he penned in 1575;
“The country of the king of Ais and of Jeaga is very poor. It contains neither gold nor silver mines and to tell the truth it is only the sea which enriches it, since many vessels laden with precious metals are shipwrecked there...”
“That he was only a sailor on one of the shipwrecked vessels of the fleet, and ignorant of the fate of the rest until after he had talked with the Indians who went armed to the coast of Ais and returned with very considerable riches in the form of ingots of gold, sacks of Spanish coins, and quantities of merchandise.”
“I will say no more on the subject, but to proceed to speak of the wealth which the Indians found in bars of gold and Mexican jewelry belonging to the shipwrecked passengers, amounting to more then a million. The chief retained the best portion of it for himself and divided the remainder among the Indians of Ais, Jeaga, of Guacata, of Mayajuaca, and of Mayaca.”
And now Le Moyne in 1564;
“They also reported that he (a chief) possessed a great store of gold and silver and that he kept it in a certain village in a pit not less then a man's height in depth and as large as a cask...”
“That he could put all of that wealth into my hands besides what I might obtain from the richer of the natives. They said further, that, when women meet for the purpose of dancing, they were hanging at their girdles flat plates of gold as large as quoits, and in such numbers that the weight fatigued and inconvenienced them in dancing, and that the men were similarly loaded. The greater part of this wealth, they were of the opinion, came from Spanish ships, of which numbers are wrecked in that strait (Florida straits), the rest from trade between the king and other chiefs in the neighborhood.”
Le Moyne wasn't mistaken in his account of the numerous shipwrecks occurring in the straits, over the years researchers have uncovered documents in Spanish archives that easily place the number of these early wrecks between St Augustine to the head of the straits to be in the hundreds. What is most fascinating about many of these accounts is that a portion of these wrecks had to have occurred shallow enough to allow the Indians access to their cargoes and survivors. Add to this that during these early voyages most sailors were coastal sailors, often relaying on landmarks to determine their position. Given all of this it's easy to see how so much of this wealth found its way on to the shores of east Florida. Keep in mind that I am only painting the broad picture here as there are many sources/accounts from early explorers detailing these Indians and the treasures they often possessed. Also keep in mind that these treasures often grew legs in the form of barter and trade and aggression and that it even found its way into the interior. There is brief mention of some minor Spanish recoveries but for the most part there is no record of the Spanish ever recovering the vast majority of this looted wealth. Even today a wide variety of these items are still being discovered off this coast and along its beaches. After many years of studying the subject I am of the mind that modern search and salvage operations haven't even put a dent into the vast quantity of wealth upon this coast and shores that still remains to be discovered. And yet, there is even more.
The Fleet of Ribaut:
We've all heard how Ribuat was delivered his death at the hands of Menendez, but did you know this wasn't Menendeze's first run in with this group of Frenchmen? Existing records offer a lot more detail about these encounters but let us begin enlightening you focusing on just those events that took place on the east coast of Florida.
Again, general history tells us how Menendez lured these Frenchmen into the dunes where he had them slaughtered, thus the end to Ribaut and his party of some 500. That's right, I said 500, a tad bit more then the 150 -300 often spoken of in those general history books. In fact, recorded history tells us that Menendez encountered three different parties of these Frenchmen after their fleet became wrecked on the shores of Florida. This sequence of events began when Ribaut's fleet took position just outside of the harbor at St. Augustine, at lest two sloops and two “galleons” according to translated accounts. It's uncertain why the word “galleon” is used but it is generally accepted that at least two of the ships were quite large. Anyway, the fleet was awaiting the new tide so there would be enough water to allow their entry into the harbor so they could attack the Spanish fort at St. Augustine. But as they lay waiting a storm kicked up and it swept this fleet far to the south where all of the ships were wrecked upon the shoals, some 500 survivors making it to shore. From here Menendez went in search of these squatters, eventually encountering three different groups, the last group said to contain about 150 persons who had been trying to use the wreckage from the fleet to construct a fort and a ship near Cape Canaveral. This, we are told, was the Ribaut group, a group containing, “many wealthy nobles”, the second group also had some nobles as well. According to account some of these nobles even tried to buy their way upon the mercy of Menendez, some of them offering to pay as mush as 100'000 dacants, but to no avail. Menendez slaughtered them all. So what did we learn from these accounts?
First, we learned that several wealthy men were included in Ribaut's party. And second, were learn that Ribaut's fleet had to have sunk near shore for there to be so many survivors. So where, exactly, are the remains of these wrecks today? The fury of the sea can only cause one to wonder just how much of this cargo and debris made it upon the shoreline and beach? If Ribaut's party was trying to construct a fort and ship from the wreckage then they had to have access to at least one of those wrecks. What these cargoes consisted of we can only guess, but most certainly there would have been cannon, shot, utensils, dishes, bottles, coin, etc., etc., etc. And most certainly some of it is still out there beneath the water and beach sands.
Just within the small stretch of coast near me there have been discoveries made that would astound you, relics from modern/industrious man dating clear back into the early 16[SUP]th[/SUP] century, some areas of the river and even locations inland not being excluded. Today I am a firm believer that anyone with a metal detector is capable of finding these ancient relics if they only commit themselves to the research and the hunt. It's still out there folks, and in large quantity, and we haven't even attempted to delve into the endless events of later periods. Wherever you are along the east coast of this state there is a good chance that something worth finding is within your immediate reach. Modern jewelry being simply an added bonus.
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here no treasure, see no treasure, speak no treasure... lol
