Treasure Mountain, CO - Lost Frenchmens Gold

[cyzak]

There is a trail that you can go in from Williams Res its part of the old stock drive the use to bring the sheep up there. I have been to the window it is spectacular the view is unbelievable the continental divide trail goes right under it. I have photos but they are stored on some disks I will try and find them on post a few for everybody to look at the last time I was there was in 06. I was looking for and old Spanish mine west of Ute lake but I never found it our if I did I would never say lol. I can say here that country is not hospitable it is very dangerous and you better have your head on a swivel it will fanny spank you bad if you slip up. I will never go back up there to me it is not worth the climb back then I was young and could do it my main interest was getting triangulation points that turned out to be a lot of help down the road like I said the Spanish navigated off that window. I have also been up all 3 sides of Pagosa Peak and Turkey Creek and 4 mile. Wheeee

 

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[mdog]

Good posts, cyzak. Thanks for sharing. I hope you will give us more information about this area.

 

[sdcfia]

Good posts, cyzak. Thanks for sharing. I hope you will give us more information about this area.

I'd like to know if the notch is a natural formation or manmade.

 

[cyzak]

The window is natural I do not believe that it has any type of human influence it is and old lava dyke that had eons of erosion, but you have a giant pyramid setting right next to it .They really would not have to do any of the work mother nature did it for them you see they looked for this type of natural occurrences to use to there benefit.

 

[UncleMatt]

I'd like to know if the notch is a natural formation or manmade.

Its definitely natural, GPS for this formation is 37.669629, -107.392315. Cyzak's photos of it are taken from the east side. Supposedly the goodies it watches over are on the west side.

 

[cyzak]

Its definitely natural, GPS for this formation is 37.669629, -107.392315. Cyzak's photos of it are taken from the east side. Supposedly the goodies it watches over are on the west side.

Have you hiked up to this area I don't know many people who have been there with the info of locating something from what the book had written in it.

 

[Ryano]

http://pagosasprings.com/hiking-the-high-country-with-wild-flowers-and-tales-of-lost-gold/

Local travelogue website shows what the "La Ventana" aka The Window area looks like..

 

[cyzak]

Excellent Ryano that what its all about but its big country up there if I can find my photos I will show you some more real interesting things but it was back in 2006 and its on cd so it will take a little bit to find. When I read that story it gets me going again I spent a lot of time in those mountains.

 

[UncleMatt]

Have you hiked up to this area I don't know many people who have been there with the info of locating something from what the book had written in it.

Yes, I have been all over that area. Durango, CO is my home town. I am friends with members of the Cornelius family as well.

 

[UncleMatt]

Hiking in Mining and Treasure Country | Pagosa Springs Journal

Local travelogue website shows what the "La Ventana" aka The Window area looks like..

This article quotes information from Sheepherder Gold without citing it as a reference. It gives the geo zone as a reference, but they got all of that from Temple's book! Poor form on their part.

I have looked for a very long time, and have never been able to find another source for all the claims made in Sheepherder Gold. Literally everything we think we know about the mine near Ventana comes from Temple Cornelius.

If anyone can prove me wrong about that, I welcome it, and look forward to seeing what you have on that.

 

[UncleMatt]

Point being, we have no way of knowing if Temple made up the story or not, simply because we don't have any way to corroborate it from independent sources. Now of course I hope he did not. But without any other evidence to go on, it leaves a pretty thin coating of ice to walk on. I believe that Temple believed his story, but that doesn't mean it was factual because he believed it. So as with most treasure tales, we are left with few alternatives to just accepting things on faith, or walking away.

 

[cyzak]

The family can not collaborate his findings from the book or were his information originated from for the book.

 

[sdcfia]

Point being, we have no way of knowing if Temple made up the story or not, simply because we don't have any way to corroborate it from independent sources. Now of course I hope he did not. But without any other evidence to go on, it leaves a pretty thin coating of ice to walk on. I believe that Temple believed his story, but that doesn't mean it was factual because he believed it. So as with most treasure tales, we are left with few alternatives to just accepting things on faith, or walking away.

Good post, Unc. This method of rational thought applies to all treasure legends, large and small, little-known and known by all. Not only that, the concept applies to life in general.

 

[UncleMatt]

Good post, Unc. This method of rational thought applies to all treasure legends, large and small, little-known and known by all. Not only that, the concept applies to life in general.

It sure does!

 

[UncleMatt]

The family can not collaborate his findings from the book or were his information originated from for the book.

I'm not sure if that was a question or a statement. I have never had any corroboration occur of the claims in his book, from family members, or anyone else. My research has not revealed any source that does so either. Of course, I may have missed something, which is why I ask if anyone has any such evidence to present.

 

[cyzak]

I'm not sure if that was a question or a statement. I have never had any corroboration occur of the claims in his book, from family members, or anyone else. My research has not revealed any source that does so either. Of course, I may have missed something, which is why I ask if anyone has any such evidence to present.

Very true about this one the only real way of locating is boots on the ground the true research is out in the field. A person can read a ton of books look at photos go to the satellite but the only way is going there and finding the markers if they still existed because a lot of them were destroyed. I have moved on to other location now and have not been in that country for a long time Treasure Mountain is the same story almost a lot of what was up there has been removed or taken. And View attachment 1628100 it is hard to make heads or tails of anymore but its the mountains that keep me going back good air and scenery and very few people that's what I like and keeps your mind healthy and body.

 

[UncleMatt]

I have seen many very old tree blazes in that area, but never any man made markings on stone, or stone monuments that are not recent. I think people are all too eager to attribute significance to things they find that are created by nature. Of course we all want to think and believe that there is a treasure to be found, but so far I haven't seen any real evidence that supports that when it comes to Ventana or Treasure Mountain.

 

[Dirt1955]

This article quotes information from Sheepherder Gold without citing it as a reference. It gives the geo zone as a reference, but they got all of that from Temple's book! Poor form on their part.

I have looked for a very long time, and have never been able to find another source for all the claims made in Sheepherder Gold. Literally everything we think we know about the mine near Ventana comes from Temple Cornelius.

If anyone can prove me wrong about that, I welcome it, and look forward to seeing what you have on that.

The only source I have ever found other than Temple Cornelius referencing La Ventana treasure would be the book by Maynard Cornett Adams titled "La Ventana (The Window) 1684 - 1770". Self published in 2004. Adams has since past away. I have not been able to find this book. I have the Citadel series of books he wrote about "Treasure Mountain". It would be nice to compare his version against Temple Cornelius Sheepherders Gold.

 

[cyzak]

Has anyone here read the story The grinning skull treasure in the sanges east of Taos by Christopher

 

[UncleMatt]

The only source I have ever found other than Temple Cornelius referencing La Ventana treasure would be the book by Maynard Cornett Adams titled "La Ventana (The Window) 1684 - 1770". Self published in 2004. Adams has since past away. I have not been able to find this book. I have the Citadel series of books he wrote about "Treasure Mountain". It would be nice to compare his version against Temple Cornelius Sheepherders Gold.

I have spoken to Maynard's son in the past. Maynard's book gives Sheepherder Gold as a source reference. So we are right back to where we started. Sheepherder Gold was published in the early 60's, with Temple passing away in CA not long after. I have been unable to find a single source prior to the date the book was published.