Gold buried in a swamp

[Prime]

Still haven't gone down to the swamp, I can't find any leads that would indicate that it's really in that location at all(other than people 70 years ago "believed" it's there, just like the people in a bunch of other areas believed the same at the time about their townships).

That said, I can honestly say that I am having lots of fun driving around the map to find the next clues, meeting with historians and local farmers to chat, it's very exciting the way it's all unfolding and the side-stories that I come across. If I could just find enough money to pay my bills for the next few months I would devote myself to this search as well as the increasing number of side-searches. I find "working for the man" to be not my thing(surprisingly some people like that, go figure).

The local history that I'm coming across just begs to be explored, some of the old homesteads, businesses and meeting places are still standing, while others have been torn down and only an empty lot remains(or worse yet, someone has refilled the space with a modern building). There is no shortage of potential sites to search. There have been rum runners in the region, and even pirates(much to my surprise).

 

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[lastleg]

I am curious as to whom BEF thinks you would be 'stealing' from. He's dissing
a whole lot of people on TN, IMHO. cheers . . . lastleg

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I am curious as to whom BEF thinks you would be 'stealing' from. He's dissing
a whole lot of people on TN, IMHO. cheers . . . lastleg

The swamp supposedly belongs to a bunch of families who all live in very close proximity to it

Those people

 

[lastleg]

This post is beginning to develop an odor. I was just trying to see if there was any
semblence of authenticity to this weak yarn. Don't worry about those 'swamp-
owners who have no idea what they are missing. There isn't a celestial chance that
this is worth pursuing with that attitude. Go back to the schoolyards . . . lastleg

 

[Prime]

I'm not sure if your last line was aimed at me or BEF. Me, I definitely won't be discouraged or stopped from searching this out just because someone owns some swamp land that they might not even be aware of or give a rats arse about. I'll contemplate that further IF I find anything.

The only reasons that I haven't gone into it is because I came across information that points to a few more possible locations and I'm waiting for the water levels to drop as well. As it is there are now 4 possible search sites, all are big areas and randomly digging without any credible proof about a location is not what I have in mind.

What kind of authenticity are you asking for?

 

[lastleg]

Hey Prime: I would want to hear the legend described similarly from at least two
independant sources. If it is just rumor with no reliable backup I wouldn't waste
much time or money on it. You just have to try to verify if such a story makes any
sense. Is the storyline believable? Or do you just want to believe? I would say that
the majority of treasure tales don't pass the smell test. Good luck . . . lastleg

 

[Prime]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. There are at least 2 sources of information that are very similar to each other but are also independent, written by 2 different people at different time periods and in different townships. I know there are more out there but I haven't had the time to find them yet, I've been busy covering one area of research. I was going to search a local newspaper archive today but one place didn't have the years that I need to find, and the other locale has them locked away from the public.

There have also been 3 different searches, conducted at 3 different and distant from each other locations, in the 1930's. Groups of people went to a lot of trouble to look for something they all believed was buried in their locales, now they obviously had to know something more than what I know today in order to go through all that. I'll just have to make do with that I can gather.

 

[Zephyr]

You should at least write an interesting book on the local history. Even if you don't find the keg, you'll still have found "gold"....

 

[Prime]

Well, so much for avoiding the owners. I spoke with a source today who named another property and that one has people living on it and I pretty much have to ask permission, otherwise I'd be trespassing or even looting if I found something. Still no leads as to who dropped it and where it surely is. It's just speculation at this point but I gotta start somewhere. I am officially hooked on this hobby as of today. It's like a drug, man!(except that it's all good).

 

[sphillips]

Prime,

Any chance of contacting family of the 1930's search groups?

 

[Prime]

I find it that most people don't know anything about any local treasure legends in the first place. As for this particular case, I'd rather not get them involved because I want to keep the rumor mill down, small town folk like to talk a lot from what I've seen.

So, an update. New swamp, very safe to walk on, very very tough to conduct a proper search, the area is literally crammed with tall dry grasses. It's so thick it's like searching through a haystack. There are some landmarks around, a few trees but this could be one of those "take 20 paces to the left, 20 north" kind of deals which would expand the area a bit.

 

[Prime]

So, I went out with my GTI on the weekend and started searching the area. I came across a strong signal after a few minutes. I'm searching in all-metal mode and digging up every target. Seeing how it's a marsh it should be a fairly clean area. At about 5 inches down I came across an old horseshoe which I got a bit excited about, it's not treasure but it's an interesting find for me.

I came back today to dig deeper because I had another reading show up yesterday. It rings in the coin range. The hole has several layers to it, some take up a good amount of time to get through. At the top is the mud, followed by heavy rocks the size of a fist mixed in with some pebbles, then some clay and finally lots and lots of pebbles. Btw, at the clay level I found a rock the size of a volleyball that weighted at least 50lbs if not more. I don't know what it's made of but I'd never guess it could be so heavy. It's got a very smooth surface on the outside, but on the inside it's very irregular, and there are 2 holes divided by a bridge in one spot. One is shallow but the other extends into the rock itself, I don't know if this is natural or man-made.

At the same time that I was digging all of this up, water from the marsh kept trickling in and refilling the hole every few minutes. Removing every rock or clump of clay = more water coming in.

To make matters worse, my MD had a bit of condensation gathering on the inside of the LCD monitor and that fudged up the settings in a big way. It scared the crap out of me! I thought I'd have to go and get it fixed! Scariest thing I've had happen to me in a long time. It dried up once I brought it inside my car and turned the heater on, I hope it's all right I can't seem to get any depth ID's now, I don't know if that's because the settings got messed up or did the condensation affect the performace.

Moving on, I need to get a two-box setup attached to my MD to get some depth on this target and rent a water pump to clear the water out.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

I hope you don't mind, but I almost lost a friend in a swamp. First it was muddy (with some cattails), then he disappeared. 10 seconds, tops. (and I lost a boot).

Bring a good rope, tie it to something OUT of the swamp - like a tree - and then tie it to you. I've been in those Canadian swamps. Make sure you clean all that stuff off your skin, too.

B

 

[Prime]

I apologize for my ignorance, it's actually a marsh. It's not as deep as a swamp and it's mostly dried up. I do appreciate your concern though. I didn't think about any health hazards while being there. Some of it got in my mouth and my hands were pretty much covered in muck for the whole day. I cleaned up after I got home. In any case, if you or anyone else have some good info about this kind of thing I'd really appreciate knowing about it too.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

I just want to make sure you get back out safely, so you can show us the "goods"


B

 

[Prime]

Thanks mate

 

[lastleg]

So now we're talking "wetlands". Not a "swamp"? You can walk on dry land
through private property in a "protected" marsh? You really had us going with
that that swamp story. lastleg

 

[Prime]

So now we're talking "wetlands". Not a "swamp"? You can walk on dry land
through private property in a "protected" marsh? You really had us going with
that that swamp story.

I'm not trying to yank anyone's chain here. A few posts ago I did mention a "new swamp" and then I went on to describe it. I wrote

So, an update. New swamp, very safe to walk on, very very tough to conduct a proper search, the area is literally crammed with tall dry grasses. It's so thick it's like searching through a haystack. There are some landmarks around, a few trees but this could be one of those "take 20 paces to the left, 20 north" kind of deals which would expand the area a bit.

There's no need to hang onto every word that I say, I wasn't trying to make a long arduous post about the exact nature of the "marsh", just the general area I am searching. I skipped a lot of details, but that doesn't mean you should view my story as something I made up.

Either way, I feel very offended by your post and will therefore explain the whole matter. In the process of gathering information on my initial cache search I stumbled upon another cache story with easy access to the search area and no issues with multiple landowners or any conservation groups.

The first cache search is still on going, but I won't dig anywhere for it until I find more credible information on it simply because there are too many potential dig sites, one of them being that swamp I mentioned in my first post. Everything I posted about it is as I know it, the multiple landowners, the pesky swamp conservation group etc.

2 weeks ago as I was following my next lead, I came across a farmer whose family has lived in the region for over 200 years. He mentioned a local treasure story that has been passed down from generation to generation, I didn't know anything about it until he told me. I think of him as a credible source of info simply because the 8-10 people(most of them being historians)that I talked to all told me that he's the best person to see about the area's history. I have a lot of free time on my hands now so I decided to just play ball and see where this goes, just for the heck of it. It sits on private property that belongs to his neighbor, I received permission to search, he showed me the general area to look in and that's what I'm doing now.

I don't know if it's a protected wetland, the land owner didn't mention anything, besides, it's her call. And for future reference, I don't and would never BS anyone with a fake THing story. A lie just wouldn't mean anything.

 

[lastleg]

Not to worry my dear Prime. I think this is a case of firing both loads before
the arrival of the ducks. lastleg

 

[RELICDUDE07]

I look in fl. swamps a bit,(never do it by yourself).I had to pull a friend out last time we went,and i almost was stuck in the muck also, and going down fast Most people would never put gold where they couldnt come back and get it.If its a low area,look for the high ground around it,and also strange looking trees/landmarks...When you make it to the high spot,stop and think about getting the gold to that location..Then search the area with your detector and get a 6 foot steel probe....You need to study the tale alot more before you waste time looking for it...If its from the 1800s it should be easy to find some info,i have a hard time because most of mine are from the 1600s,not much info on record.. You should be able to find history on the family and the property ...Study the maps of the area will help you the best, land can change alot over time...... http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html