Bat cave treasure near Tubac/Tumacacori

[Indiana$Dirk]

There is a story that appears in Lovelace's 1956 Lost Mines and Hidden Treasure, "The blackgowns' Treasures are Still Safe," pp. 14-19, and in Jameson's 2009 Lost Mines and Buried Treasure of Arizona "Spanish Padres' Lost Gold Cache," pp. 111-117, about a Papago Indian finding a bat cave in which he found gold bars and Church artifacts (furniture, statues, etc). He used some of the gold to pay for food and told the trading post owner in Tubac about how to find the cave, but repented of it and covered up the entrance to the cave. It apparently remains covered up. Has anyone heard anything more about this story?

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

No, my friend, but tell me more. Among many here, that is a hot area.

Don Jose d eLa Mancha

 

[Phanntom]

Here's a link to one version of the story.
Vampire Bat Mine

I don't know the veracity of it, but I can't imagine someone hiking back into and climbing mountains just to cover up an old mine/cave entrance.

 

[Indiana$Dirk]

Thanks I traced the story back to August 1952 Desert Magazine. How trustworthy is John Mitchel?

 

[Indiana$Dirk]

you can read most of the story here in Lovelace's 1956 Lost Mines and Hidden Treasure, "The blackgowns' Treasures are Still Safe," pp. 14-19,.

I guess you have to have a Google account before you can read part of the story here on Google Books. sorry.....

 

[lgadbois]

The story of the Lost Gold of the Vampire Bats was a common tale told around Southern Arizona long before it was written by John D. Mitchell in his 1952 magazine article and later in his 1953 book, "Lost Mines and Buried Treasures Along the Old Frontier." It is found on page 148 of the book. Mitchell was living in his house in Arivaca at the time his book was published. His book retells some of the stories of his 1933 book which (was published by Milton F. Rose and the Rose Printery), as well as the telling of many other tales. Mitchell did some treasure hunting after his retirement. Leland Lovelace, who was living in the old Sopori Ranch also included the story in her book. Most of the later articles were rewrites from Mitchell's and Lovelace's books.

 

[Indiana$Dirk]

Thanks for the response. I find it interesting that Mitchell bases the story out of Arivaca in which he lived and Lovelace based it out of Tubac which was close to Sopori Ranch. I wonder how one can tell which is most likely? Lovelace has a lot more detail than Mitchell. And I read that there have never been Vampire bats in Arizona. They live in a much wetter clime.

 

[rocmoc]

I live in Tubac and to the best of my knowledge there was near a Trading Post in Tubac. There was a farming settlement & Presidio that was destoryed a couple of times by Indian attacks and time. There is also the mission in Tumacacori. There are several caves and LOTS of bats. This is but one of the local stories. Many have hunted and nothing has been found yet! Rocky soil (tough dirt biking), snakes & cactus. Most notable gold area nearby is Ruby.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

 

[Indiana$Dirk]

I just bought and readBrownell's "They lived in Tubac". It is a history of some of the most notable people who lived in Tubac from the Priests, Spanish Soldiers, and Spanish settlers, and on to the 20 century. In the 1850 & 60s it was a mining town with a store. The town was largely abandoned in the 60s due to the Civil War. Then it began to be settled again in the 1880s. In the 1880s there was a store in the town then too. According to Lovelace and Jameson the story of Hardwick began in 1878 when he apparently started a store in the sparsely settled region, The story doesn't say how long he had the store. I discovered two men named "Hardwick" living in Tucson (and none living anywhere south of there), in the 1880 Federal Census. If one of them is the man who had been at Tubac, he may have already abandoned the store by 1880.

I know what the country side is like about Tubac. Been hiking in the area a few times.

 

[hooch]

Thanks I traced the story back to August 1952 Desert Magazine. How trustworthy is John Mitchel?

I'd say he's about as trustworthy as a used car salesman. I really don't believe anything he published, especially anything he got from his buddy Milton Rose.

 

[Indiana$Dirk]

Given his rather sloppy telling of the tale, and the mention of "Vampire" bats, since there never have been vampire bats in AZ, gave me pause about Mitchel's credibility. But I have reserved judgment. Even though his tale is published before the other accounts, I think the other accounts are more accurate.

 

[hooch]

I've been to a couple of places he's wrote stories about, even down in the mines. Nothing that he writes about or people he claims to have been there is even remotely close to his stories. I would suspect he was involved in writing StarTrek Episodes under a fictitios name before I believe his "there's gold in them there hills" BS stories.

 

[GreyGhost]

Old thread, I know, but I've been interested in this story too. I work around the Baboquivari Mountains and have been trying to research any treasure legends that are in the area and this seems to be the only one.
There's barely any mines in the area as well. The only two I've found are the Allison and Ventana mines on the westside of the range. I've read that some gravel ledges on the eastside of the mountains were worked for gold as well but I don't get on that side of the mountains as much. I'm a little convinced that there just isn't that much gold in this mountain range. I've seen lots of quartz deposits and lots of iron deposits and quartz/iron deposits but nothing that would indicate gold. I don't know if the fact that the westside of the mountains are on an indian reservation made it difficult to mine or what but there doesn't seem to be much gold in these hills. A little further west in the Quijota and Comobabi mountains theres a lot more information available about very old (Indian and Spanish) mine workings so that must be where the gold is at.

 

[usernotfound]

Old thread, I know, but I've been interested in this story too. I work around the Baboquivari Mountains and have been trying to research any treasure legends that are in the area and this seems to be the only one.
There's barely any mines in the area as well. The only two I've found are the Allison and Ventana mines on the westside of the range. I've read that some gravel ledges on the eastside of the mountains were worked for gold as well but I don't get on that side of the mountains as much. I'm a little convinced that there just isn't that much gold in this mountain range. I've seen lots of quartz deposits and lots of iron deposits and quartz/iron deposits but nothing that would indicate gold. I don't know if the fact that the westside of the mountains are on an indian reservation made it difficult to mine or what but there doesn't seem to be much gold in these hills. A little further west in the Quijota and Comobabi mountains theres a lot more information available about very old (Indian and Spanish) mine workings so that must be where the gold is at.

Thought you might be interested in this, since you live in the area. I just bought the book last week.

Searching for Arizona's Buried Treasures

 

[kmind]

Old thread, I know, but I've been interested in this story too. I work around the Baboquivari Mountains and have been trying to research any treasure legends that are in the area and this seems to be the only one.
There's barely any mines in the area as well. The only two I've found are the Allison and Ventana mines on the westside of the range. I've read that some gravel ledges on the eastside of the mountains were worked for gold as well but I don't get on that side of the mountains as much. I'm a little convinced that there just isn't that much gold in this mountain range. I've seen lots of quartz deposits and lots of iron deposits and quartz/iron deposits but nothing that would indicate gold. I don't know if the fact that the westside of the mountains are on an indian reservation made it difficult to mine or what but there doesn't seem to be much gold in these hills. A little further west in the Quijota and Comobabi mountains theres a lot more information available about very old (Indian and Spanish) mine workings so that must be where the gold is at.

Since I first read the article published in Gold Prospectors July/August 2008, I have been interested in this story. I would like to find someone also interested and willing to go to area to look for it. I live in North Central Washington and have thought of becoming a snowbird to come to Tubac are from October thru May of each year to do the search. Would require to find interested party as a partner to go into the mountains for the search. Believe it too dangerous to do by myself alone. Any takers please contact me.

Thanks
Mike

 

[galenrog]

I have read nearly eighty versions of the tale. Most are published stories from the 20s through the 50s. Nearly all have a lone Indian finding a cave or a mine. Some have a miner, shopkeeper, or doctor being shown the cave. All the versions have the cave in Arizona, New Mexico, or northern Mexico near Arizona or New Mexico. The most interesting versions I have seen come from written, but unpublished, family histories. A few come out of personal diaries.

I put little stock in these stories. The earlier versions are intriguing, but, for the most part they still reference earlier tales. Since the stories put the cave, or mine, in several locales, it will be hard to pin anything down to a single 50 mile circle.

Still, something could be out there. Enjoy the hunt.

 

[adtofca]

maybe this can help you . the treasure was already found by a soldier . later after they dug and found nothing . the Army went back and dug it up
and took it . the army project was called Project 6 . and it took place in 1961 when the army recovered the treasure . yes there was furniture and trunks
along with stacks of bars of various metal .
here is link
http://huachuca.army.mil/files/History_JonesGold.pdf

 

[adtofca]

Project Six was a secret operation with control by C.I.A. and Army intelligence . after the dug for Jones and he left . one man noted that Jones was dyslexic
and transversed his numbers , which they dug and found the treasure . Jones died poor . sad story .

 

[LUE-Hawn]

Old thread, I know, but I've been interested in this story too. I work around the Baboquivari Mountains and have been trying to research any treasure legends that are in the area and this seems to be the only one.
There's barely any mines in the area as well. The only two I've found are the Allison and Ventana mines on the westside of the range. I've read that some gravel ledges on the eastside of the mountains were worked for gold as well but I don't get on that side of the mountains as much. I'm a little convinced that there just isn't that much gold in this mountain range. I've seen lots of quartz deposits and lots of iron deposits and quartz/iron deposits but nothing that would indicate gold. I don't know if the fact that the westside of the mountains are on an indian reservation made it difficult to mine or what but there doesn't seem to be much gold in these hills. A little further west in the Quijota and Comobabi mountains theres a lot more information available about very old (Indian and Spanish) mine workings so that must be where the gold is at.

Hello All,

There is much out there you only have to be able to read them and understand what they say. Photographs tell an amazing story and they don't even have to be yours. Seek and you shall find.

Regards

LUE-Hawn