Anatomy of a treasure legend

[Crow]

Excellent point, I agree, Garry. It all originates with John Mitchell.

A tale as old as time. Old indian woman with nothing but the land she was granted on the reservation, allegedly makes deathbed claim to son of buried treasure on the land. Son "verifies" old woman's claim by "finding" part of the treasure - then takes claim directly to someone with a previous interest in said land (leased by rancher) to enlist their help to find the "rest". Boom. Rancher buys up all old woman's reservation land grant and anyone else's that is nearby. The Search is On!

Son disappears off the map to parts unknown.

Was it a True Treasure? Or maybe, as Garry has suggested, the simple truth is it was all just a tale told by a drunken indian who beats his mother, sells the land, and hightails it with his ill gotten gains.

IMHO, the latter is most likely the true scenario in this legend.


Crow has provided some excellent tips for researching a treasure legend, and demonstrated excellent research on this thread. Kudos on that research, btw. However, it's all based on the assumption there is plausibility for an actual treasure to begin with. Plausibility is only possibility, but probability is a different critter altogether. In this case probability is with the drunken indian tale. (Though in the past I've been told "Anything's possible". )


However, in upholding the spirit of treasure legends, here's something totally unrelated that occurred to me as I was perusing this thread.......

The name "John Mitchell", as an original treasure claimant, appears in other treasure tales as well.

In fact, there was an Author of Treasure Tales by the same name who was quite prolific. Author John D. Mitchell published several collections of these yarns starting with ?Lost Mines of the Great Southwest? in 1933. Beginning in 1940, Desert Magazine began reprinting Mitchell?s ?lost mine? stories every few months well into the 1950s. His books "Lost Mines of the Great Southwest, c.1933" and "Lost Mines and Buried Treasure Along the Old Frontier, c.1953" are still collected by many treasure hunters today. Strangely, he seems to have even been involved in treasure related matters with the Secret Service during the same time period.

Is there a relation here? Or just a funny coincidence? Where did the son John Mitchell go when he dropped off the map? It might be interesting to investigate the background of this Author. Perhaps there may be a wily old indian woman in his family tree?

Of course, I could just be starting another Treasure Legend Conspiracy Theory.

Or am I?


Have a Good'un.

Gidday Ol' Kentuck

A tale as old as time. Old indian woman with nothing but the land she was granted on the reservation, allegedly makes deathbed claim to son of buried treasure on the land. Son "verifies" old woman's claim by "finding" part of the treasure - then takes claim directly to someone with a previous interest in said land (leased by rancher) to enlist their help to find the "rest". Boom. Rancher buys up all old woman's reservation land grant and anyone else's that is nearby. The Search is On!

Son disappears off the map to parts unknown.

Interesting assumption. but there a few things with that I cannot come to that conclusion. amigo you will find in 1909 newspapers R F Kirkpatrick knew the old Indian Personally and was entrusted with money check to hide from her son.

So regardless of what John Mitchell claimed. Robert Kirkpatrick decision to search was based on Mitchell mothers claims not her sons. As for a sons ploy to sell the land to Robert Kirkpatrick? he probably would of bought the land regardless of treasure being there or not as it was productive farmland, if he could?

But today the land is still technically part of the reservation so it appears that was not the case. I do not know if there is covenant not to sell the reservation land to people outside the reservation?

As for the son Mitchell taking off. Well the Indian census records at least show him there in 1918? 3 years after this alleged treasure hunt?

A family connection to John d Mitchell?

I am not sure? I tried to find a biography of John D Mitchel by could no verify as yet ya or nay.

Once again thanks Garry,Ol' Kentuck and others for the outstanding efforts.

Crow

 

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[Crow]

Ahh , the abusive son throws a wrench in the works....

Might Kirkpatrick have made a show of looking for gold her son expected to exist , that Kirkpatrick knew existed , but existing somewhere other than where it was searched for?
Yes , he would have had to spend time ,labor, livestock, and equipment wear, probably a hired hand or two to make a search as described.

I didn't study dates to guess seasonal goings on of seed to harvest timeframe /activities.
Off season/winter /post harvest , or lull in activities before a harvest kind of timeframe ups the odds of spending a few ambitious "looking" hours?

Given what Kirkpatrick knew , would he have obliged the sons interests in the woman's gold had he actually turned it up in the soil? Out of charity to the son?
In a way , the funds paid for rent returning to the hands of the renter , vs an abusive landlords son/heir would probably not bother the renter. It wouldn't me!
More so if I knew the gal and her endured abuse.

Gidday releventchair

Some interesting observations and possible.

Definitely worth looking more into time of year these searches was conducted..

Crow

 

[KANACKI]

Ahh , the abusive son throws a wrench in the works....

Might Kirkpatrick have made a show of looking for gold her son expected to exist , that Kirkpatrick knew existed , but existing somewhere other than where it was searched for?
Yes , he would have had to spend time ,labor, livestock, and equipment wear, probably a hired hand or two to make a search as described.

I didn't study dates to guess seasonal goings on of seed to harvest timeframe /activities.
Off season/winter /post harvest , or lull in activities before a harvest kind of timeframe ups the odds of spending a few ambitious "looking" hours?

Given what Kirkpatrick knew , would he have obliged the sons interests in the woman's gold had he actually turned it up in the soil? Out of charity to the son?
In a way , the funds paid for rent returning to the hands of the renter , vs an abusive landlords son/heir would probably not bother the renter. It wouldn't me!
More so if I knew the gal and her endured abuse.

Hola Amigo

Technically it was not his problem since the land was not his...he was only renting and it was the the landowners problem.

For Robert Kirkpatrick to involve himself he must of thought there was some thing in it?

After it appears he had a long term relationship with old women landlord as tenant. A women who went to him to seek help when brutally attacked by her son and also entrusted him to keep a check away from the son. A tenant that got a doctor for his landlord there must of been mutual respect and trust there?

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Hola Amigos

Another question springs to mind would the old Indian women have the capacity to save 1100 dollars in the first place?

Please note amigos there are speculative figures based on values dating back from 1900 to 1915. And there was some variations so it was an average based guess.

Ko-Ko-Dye-Las had 80 acres.

Because of the location 40 could not planted as it is in fallow and the other 40 planted yielding and average 40 bushels per acre. A 40 acre plot would alternate being planted year after year.

Here is US crop price per bushel for the last 150 years.

https://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2016/05/150-years-of-us-wheat-prices.html#.YPAvF0wRXIU

If we take an average based upon the years before WW1 it average price per bushel between 50 cents and 1 dollars per bushel. For example we take 1 dollar. X 40 bushels per acre. that 40 dollars per acre x 40 acre which is about. 47 bushes to an acre is national average I have taken the lower rate 40 bushels per acre.

Farmland at the time averaged 20 in price dollars per acre in 1900. If we based the yearly lease value 10% of the actual value of the land. Ko-Ko-Dye-Las may of been getting 2 dollars an acre rent giving them 80 dollars or rent for both lots totaling 160 dollars per year income? 40 are in fallow Accumulate over 14 years from 1895 to 1909 x 80 dollars a year that is give or take 1120 dollars. If she got paid for the 40 acres in fallow she would double that. 2240 dollars earned over a 14 year period. A income of 160 dollars a year.

You could see that in contrast to wages at this website below.

https://panam1901.org/visiting/salaries.htm

It does not seem much in this day and average wages in At a dollar a day, six days a week, a 1903 annual salary would be about $300

As for R F Kirkpatrick he would of averaged depending of wheat yield and bushel prices . 40 dollars per acre x 40 which would be 1600 dollars per year less expenses.

Given the Indians traditional lifestyle if she managed to hide it from her drunkard of a son it not a impossible figure for an old Indian lady living a non monetary lifestyle to save.

Kanacki

 

[releventchair]

Hola Amigo

Technically it was not his problem since the land was not his...he was only renting and it was the the landowners problem.

For Robert Kirkpatrick to involve himself he must of thought there was some thing in it?

After it appears he had a long term relationship with old women landlord as tenant. A women who went to him to seek help when brutally attacked by her son and also entrusted him to keep a check away from the son. A tenant that got a doctor for his landlord there must of been mutual respect and trust there?

Kanacki

The relationship seemed positive.

What Kirkpatrick thought of the son would be interesting to know.
Could have been acceptable to him , and he just a "neighbor" who got along with the mother and tolerated her son.
Or , could have decided to keep her monetary value out of the sons hands at whatever cost after her passing. Not so much out if greed , but dislike of the sons treatment of his mother and how he spent what he could get ahold of.

There was the line between reservation and native ways and rules and Kirkpatrick's ways and rules off the reservation.
Dicey at best if there was a conflict he wanted to be involved in resolving personally.
We don't know what negative attention focused on Kirkpatrick might have meant to himself. Or if it would involve the relationship with the mother being questioned.

The pretense of looking for a cache could have made a good cover....
Her son could then buy the story of where some of her wealth she wouldn't give him had been , and might still be. Instead of being focused on Kirkpatrick.
The string rotted and was gone. We plowed and scraped the area but didn't turn it up.
She was on her deathbed nearly when discussing a cache. Accuracy of location must be missing.
It must be around...Somewhere in the ground still.

Kirkpatrick certainly knew more than we do about what was where. Just as he likely knew more than the son.
Land could be leased elsewhere with less emotional conflict and memory.
Being retaliation would not go unnoticed if he was angry or wanted to return the favor of a beating on the son. And with that line between two cultures , would harm Kirkpatrick's reputation.

 

[KANACKI]

Hola amigo

Interesting comments. Another interesting question why did John Michell was only known with English name not a native American one?

You can see from the clip Crow kindly posted earlier the Indian Census with his family below most have native names yet he did not?

Does that mean his father might of been white? And was he half caste?

View attachment 1937433

In an era full of discrimination he was not one or the other trapped between to apposing very different cultures. It might being an underlying reason why he was a violent drunk?

Kanacki

 

[releventchair]

A few years later?



https://thelandpatents.com/gallery/fywxfoem?url=/owners/789203

 

[releventchair]

Description / location 12/13/1920 of the 80 acres Mitchell acquired.
25 year term.

 

[Garry]

?Beginning with the 1900 census, Indians are enumerated on reservations as well as in the general population.

John Mitchel and his mother appear in the 1900 U. S. Census of Umatilla County, Oregon. The precinct is Identified as "Reservation". Those of you who have access to Census information, I encourage you to look over my shoulder and make sure I'm not misinterpreting something. BTW, I have been unable to locate them in the 1910 Census yet so if anyone runs across them, I would appreciate a heads up.

The schedule used by the census enumerator was a special form to be used for the Indian population. It contains 38 questions. I am only transcribing a few of the entries for John and his mother.

They appear on Lines 32 (Mother) and 33 (John Mitchel)

Mother?s Information

Column #3 - Name: Astella Mitchel
Column #4 - Relation: Head of Household
Column #7 - Date of Birth: April 1847
Column #8 - Age: 63
Column #9 - Marital Status: Divorced
Column #11 - Mother of How Many Children: 7
Column #12 - Number of Children Living: 1
Column #13 - Place of Birth: Washington
Column #22 - Can Read: No
Column #23 - Can Write: No
Column #24 - Can Speak English: No
Column #29 - Other Name: Ho-Ko-yel-ish
Column #30 - Tribe of this Indian: Cayuse
Column #33 - Has this Indian any White Blood?: No
Column #35 - Is this Indian taxed?: Yes
Column #36 - Year Citizenship Acquired: 1891
Column #37 - Was Citizenship acquired by Allotment?: Yes
Column $38 - Is Indian living in Fixed or Movable Dwelling?: Movable

Son?s Information

Column #3 - Name: John Mitchel
Column #4 - Relation: Son
Column #7 - Date of Birth: October 1889
Column #8 - Age: 10
Column #9 - Marital Status: Single
Column #13 - Place of Birth: Oregon
Coloum 21 - Attended School in Months: 5
Column #22 - Can Read: No
Column #23 - Can Write: No
Column #24 - Can Speak English: Yes
Column #29 - Other Name: John Mitchel
Column #30 - Tribe of this Indian: Cayuse
Column #33 - Has this Indian any White Blood?: No
Column #35 - Is this Indian taxed?: Yes
Column #36 - Year Citizenship Acquired: 1891
Column #37 - Was Citizenship acquired by Allotment?: Yes

Comments:

It?s not clear to me how the enumerator gathered the information, but some of it may have come from the agency's records?

The name Astella appears for the first and possibly only time. I will use it to refer to John?s mother for convenience.

Astella could neither read, write or speak English so in 1900 an interpreter would have been required to converse with Astella. John also could not read or write but could speak English. BTW the Cayuse language hasn't survived.

Both Astella were full bloods and both were entitled to their own allotment. I'm fuzzy on what an allotment involves.

Either Astella's age is in error or John was not her biological son?

 

[releventchair]

She might have given birth at age 53.... Who adopted who (and how) may have come in to play if she didn't.

Not sure if this helps Garry.

[The 1870 census showed that the estimated population of American Indians was more than the population of five states and 10 territories, yet 92% of those American Indians were not legal citizens. It was the Dawes Act of 1887 that gave conditioned citizenship to American Indians. The Dawes Act (1887) had shaped U.S. policy towards Native Americans. In accordance with its terms, and hoping to turn Indians into farmers, the federal government redistributed tribal lands to heads of families in 160-acre allotments.]
https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news... date,to all Native Americans born in the U.S.

[Land Allotments Defined:
( Dawes Act, 1887)

The Dawes Commission only issued land allotments to approved individuals or family members.

"To each head of a family, one-quarter of a section; To each single person over eighteen years of age, one-eighth of a section; To each orphan child under eighteen years of age, one-eighth of a section; and To each other single person under eighteen years now living, or who may be born prior to the date of the order of the President directing an allotment of the lands embraced in any reservation, one-sixteenth of a section..."]


IF , allotment of land under the Dawes act, explains Astellas ownership , her son may have acquired land too.
I'm not eager to dig for a record of her / possibly thier allotments (if they received such) ; but would start here.https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/dawes/dawes-enrollment.html

 

[Idahodutch]

She might have given birth at age 53.... .....

IF , allotment of land under the Dawes ]

I think she would have been 43, not 53?

 

[releventchair]

I think she would have been 43, not 53?

You and Garry both question that.
And I often question my math. (It's poor at times.)

I subtracted his stated age from hers.( 10 from 63=53. )
If you subtract the difference between thier birthdates given...Nearly ten more years evaporate from the figure I came up with..
1889
- 1847
_____
=42

 

[Crow]

?Beginning with the 1900 census, Indians are enumerated on reservations as well as in the general population.

John Mitchel and his mother appear in the 1900 U. S. Census of Umatilla County, Oregon. The precinct is Identified as "Reservation". Those of you who have access to Census information, I encourage you to look over my shoulder and make sure I'm not misinterpreting something. BTW, I have been unable to locate them in the 1910 Census yet so if anyone runs across them, I would appreciate a heads up.

The schedule used by the census enumerator was a special form to be used for the Indian population. It contains 38 questions. I am only transcribing a few of the entries for John and his mother.

They appear on Lines 32 (Mother) and 33 (John Mitchel)

Mother?s Information

Column #3 - Name: Astella Mitchel
Column #4 - Relation: Head of Household
Column #7 - Date of Birth: April 1847
Column #8 - Age: 63
Column #9 - Marital Status: Divorced
Column #11 - Mother of How Many Children: 7
Column #12 - Number of Children Living: 1
Column #13 - Place of Birth: Washington
Column #22 - Can Read: No
Column #23 - Can Write: No
Column #24 - Can Speak English: No
Column #29 - Other Name: Ho-Ko-yel-ish
Column #30 - Tribe of this Indian: Cayuse
Column #33 - Has this Indian any White Blood?: No
Column #35 - Is this Indian taxed?: Yes
Column #36 - Year Citizenship Acquired: 1891
Column #37 - Was Citizenship acquired by Allotment?: Yes
Column $38 - Is Indian living in Fixed or Movable Dwelling?: Movable

Son?s Information

Column #3 - Name: John Mitchel
Column #4 - Relation: Son
Column #7 - Date of Birth: October 1889
Column #8 - Age: 10
Column #9 - Marital Status: Single
Column #13 - Place of Birth: Oregon
Coloum 21 - Attended School in Months: 5
Column #22 - Can Read: No
Column #23 - Can Write: No
Column #24 - Can Speak English: Yes
Column #29 - Other Name: John Mitchel
Column #30 - Tribe of this Indian: Cayuse
Column #33 - Has this Indian any White Blood?: No
Column #35 - Is this Indian taxed?: Yes
Column #36 - Year Citizenship Acquired: 1891
Column #37 - Was Citizenship acquired by Allotment?: Yes

Comments:

It?s not clear to me how the enumerator gathered the information, but some of it may have come from the agency's records?

The name Astella appears for the first and possibly only time. I will use it to refer to John?s mother for convenience.

Astella could neither read, write or speak English so in 1900 an interpreter would have been required to converse with Astella. John also could not read or write but could speak English. BTW the Cayuse language hasn't survived.

Both Astella were full bloods and both were entitled to their own allotment. I'm fuzzy on what an allotment involves.

Either Astella's age is in error or John was not her biological son?

Gidday Garry

Heads up from me well done.

I had trouble even finding it at first because I was using two ll in Mitchell. Here is clip confirming what you found below.

And here is more details you mentioned in 1900 census below.

I to could not find them mentioned in the 1910 or 1920 census.

Curiously I found a farmer by the name John Mitchel in the 1880 census below . Was he the father?

Crow

 

[Crow]

There is good data from Garrys post.

Astella Mitchel could not speak english only her native tongue in 1900. How could she pass on information that she wanted R F Kirckpatrick to keep the rent check for her in 1909? Did she learn some english in the 9 years after 1900?

You can see why she was so protective of her son after having 6 children and only one survived John who turned out to be drunkard and belted the crap out of her. She had a tough life.

Another thing to think about she might of been trying to save as much money for only surviving child regardless of his faults.

Another thing it appears both were full blooded Indians not mixed race, So the theory of john being half wife appears not to be the case. Or was he full blood as claimed just to get an allotment?

If she was given land and she rented the land out for farming since 1891 it gives us a rough idea of how much income she could of saved?

Crow

 

[Crow]

Once again thanks amigo for contributing to this thread...

Your efforts have been awesome.

Crow

 

[Garry]

Regarding the newspaper article describing the trial of John Mitchel beating his mother. The report identifies one of the witnesses as E. D. Kirkpatrick and I was assuming this was a mistake made by the Portland reporter and our R. F. Kirkpatrick was the intended reference. As is frequently the case, my assumption was wrong. It turns out that Edward David Kirkpatrick was Asletta?s tenant farmer in 1909 and not Robert F Kirkpatrick. Edward and Robert were brothers and were both involved with reservation farming.

East Oregonian (Pendelton) 20 Jul 1914, Page 5

The following reference from an earlier posted article; "She was found next morning lying in a pool of her own blood, near the house of Kirkpatrick. She had been crawling on her hands and knees, seeking help when she became too weak to proceed further." The Kirkpatrick house, which appears to be near Astella's tepee, belonged to Edward Kirkpatrick.in 1909.

From other newspaper articles it appears that Edward continued his occupation as a reservation farmer until his death, December 17, 1914. His home was on a farm as opposed to living in Pendelton. We might conclude that he was the close neighbor of Astella and John Mitchell.

Another article details Edward's death. East Oregonian (Pendelton, Oregon) 17 Dec 1914, Page 1

I know that Crow has identified the location and I apologize if the location of Kirkpatricks house and Astella and John's tepee are spelled out earlier in the thread. I'm not up to speed on that location.

Crow, can you share a link to your map identifying the owners and leasers? It appears the Kirkpatricks had at least 1500 to 1600 acres of Indian land leased in 1914.

Another troubling aspect is; Why can't we locate Asletta in the Indian Rolls or the 1910 census? Where is John and Asletta in the 1910 census? There are several different spellings for her name and we may be missing her because of this. She is not listed with John Mitchel when he appears in the Indian Rolls.

Garry

 

[Crow]

Gidday Garry

The link you request is through ancestry.com if your not a member the link will not work. U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data: Various publishers of County Land Ownership Atlases. Microfilmed by the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C

However you are correct the land that the teepee was on was that being rented by E D Kirkpatrick the brother of R F Kirkpatrick. Approximately 1.5 mines from the Indian agency.

Here is a picture of E D K Kirkpatrick and his wife.

And thank you for confirming the fact that E D and R F KIRKPATRICK rented farmed many acres of Indian allotments.

I am going to check the Indian rolls again perhaps John Mitchell mum is on the next page? With the 1910 perhaps after the 1909 incident she moved temporary elsewhere? Thus not on the role with John?

Crow

 

[Garry]

Crow,

BINGO! Great Job

Your map wraps up a lot of things in a tidy package for me.

A couple of questions.

Would you venture a guess at Ko-Ko's Number shown of her 80 acres? [C-xx2?]

Maybe also a guess at the chicken scratching at the top of Edward's 60 acres [Maybe a house?] It appears to me that Edward probably holds a deed to that 60 acres? He is leasing 80 acres from Asletta?

There also appears to be 30 acres North of his 60 acres that he is leasing.

By the time of our treasure story, Edward was dead and he had no children. His closest biological relation was his siblings. He was married to Rachel so she may have been his heir but I'm not sure she would have gotten everything. I suspect he has a probate in Umatilla County since I believe he owned real estate when he died.

I don't know whether Edward's lease would have transferred to his brother Robert by the time of the treasure story but it appears it did?
Now if you can locate where the buried treasure of 1895 with the string tied to it is located, you are in business, or NOT.

Please continue,

You have given us a fun exercise with a lot of sage advice and an excellent example if a treasurer hunter is trying to locate a lost treasure!

Thanks, Garry

 

[Garry]

Reverting back to the original treasure story, there was the question about how an older female Indian could accumulate a significant amount of wealth. When it was uncovered earlier that she was leasing her acreage to a reservation farmer it was suggested that this might be the source of income that allowed her to bury some of her wealth.

I ran across a newspaper article that gives us some idea of how much Asletta could have earned by renting her property. The whole article is interesting if someone is interested in the Indian's use of their allotments and the tribal lands. It paints a somewhat more objective picture of the Indians than we typically see. I recommend it. I believe it should be on the free newspaper government site, "Chronicling America".

Below is an excerpt from the article.

East Oregonian (Pendelton) September 27, 1912, Page 4

The lease is for a CROP and is for 2 years. The reason for this is that moisture is very limited in this area and the techniques for dryland farming includes leaving the land fallow for a year and then planting a crop.

Asletta's land may have been above average as her age may have allowed her to choose her allotment earlier in the process. But if we use the average, she was receiving $3.00 per acre per year for her 80 acres or approximately $240 per year.

Much of the information uncovered so far is 15 to 20 years from the 1895 date.

Garry

 

[Crow]

Reverting back to the original treasure story, there was the question about how an older female Indian could accumulate a significant amount of wealth. When it was uncovered earlier that she was leasing her acreage to a reservation farmer it was suggested that this might be the source of income that allowed her to bury some of her wealth.

I ran across a newspaper article that gives us some idea of how much Asletta could have earned by renting her property. The whole article is interesting if someone is interested in the Indian's use of their allotments and the tribal lands. It paints a somewhat more objective picture of the Indians than we typically see. I recommend it. I believe it should be on the free newspaper government site, "Chronicling America".

Below is an excerpt from the article.

East Oregonian (Pendelton) September 27, 1912, Page 4

The lease is for a CROP and is for 2 years. The reason for this is that moisture is very limited in this area and the techniques for dryland farming includes leaving the land fallow for a year and then planting a crop.

Asletta's land may have been above average as her age may have allowed her to choose her allotment earlier in the process. But if we use the average, she was receiving $3.00 per acre per year for her 80 acres or approximately $240 per year.

Much of the information uncovered so far is 15 to 20 years from the 1895 date.


Garry

Excellent post Garry.

Really impressive example on how much information can be found from a rather obscure story of buried money considering these events happened in a remote corner on the US over 100 years ago? I still find it amazing how much we can find out about person that lived back then not famous. It is like going back in a time machine uncovering not only a treasure story but an insight into the lives of people in the early 20th century rural Oregon. The era might be different but the story is famliar today of struggle, conflict, addiction, motherly love and loss.

It is quite possible Ko Ko ya a las was living in teepee over time living a more traditional lifestyle outside the monetary constraints of early 20th century society. Could of saved or horded some money. The exact figure we can only ever speculate. But we get an indication she was paid rent by check as per 1909 newspaper story in which she would have cash Check for money in the Bank at Pendleton. So we also know she lived alone with only son and her overheads was much less than trying to support a big family.

So for me the quoted 1100 dollars in savings either a separate cache or one in the same mixed up by the newspapers is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Given the reference of gold perhaps the coins consisted of 5, 10 20 gold denominations .

An average price for 5 dollar liberty coin today at least 300 dollars. A 10 dollars gold coin about 800 dollars and 20 dollar gold coin at least 1100 dollars. So this might be a tidy sum today. This must be stated based on a low conservative estimate it does not take in grade condition and rarity which could be worth much more in collector value. So indeed if regardless found or not would be a small fortune today.

This thread has exceeded my expectations in showing readers here on this forum on how a treasure legend story can be dissected to uncover, not a conspiracy theory, but real facts that help prove or exclude the possibility of the story.

Some great stuff posted here by all who contributed and a shining example when people put there heads together in co operation to get to the truth as much as possible. A lesson for those who are serious considering researching into any treasure legend.

Regardless of the out come of such efforts they are exercises in honing research skills to make you a better researcher and invariably a better treasure hunter.

Cheers Crow