Greenacarina - Forget about what's in other states; concentrate on what's in your own area. (I wish I could dig up Civil War relics here in California, but I can't, so instead I dig up pre-Gold Rusb Spanish relics located not too far away.)
You reminded me of a Washington state story I reprinted in my first book some years back. Here 'tis. Enjoy. And we can all dream about what the cache would be worth today. A pity it was found before much of that stuff had historic or collector's value - Jim Lyons
AN OLD CACHE
The Strange Discovery of a Party of
Campers in Washington.
The other day, while looking for a camping place on the bluffs adjoining the Palouse river, J. Y. Walker, William Hillman and N. D.
Mullinix made a strange discovery. While walking along under a bluff Mr. Walker, of the party, was surprised to feel the earth give under his step, and called to his companions. They all stepped upon the spot, when they could feel it spring up and down as a floor without center supports. Led by curiousity they began to dig and soon came to a board floor. This led to further investigation, which resulted in the discovery of a circular pit six or eight feet in diameter, ten feet deep, and carefully walled with thatched straw, carefully braided. The pit was almost full of a varied collection of articles, consisting of clothing for men and children, beads, beaded goods, harness, farmers' tools, cooking utensils and money. The money, a large amount, was in an iron tea kettle in the very bottom of the pit and was in silver and gold nuggets.
The contents of the pit would make more than a load for a four-horse team, and while some were well worn, some were entirely new so far as usage is concerned, many of the articles still having the retailers' cost marks plainly visible. The discoverers think the pit was made perhaps a quarter of a century ago, as the ground above was all grown over with bunch grass and no signs of disturbed earth were visible. The location is a peculiar one, being on a flat, overhanging which was a high bluff, and it had been so carefully made that not a drop of water had ever penetrated it. The bedding and clothing were all in a good state of preservation and there were several boxes and jars of herbs as if put away for medicinal purposes.
Reprinted from the
San Francisco Chronicle
July 30, 1891
Page 10, column 3
Which copied it from the Waitsburg (Wash.) Times
