FBI Video Exposes Civil War Gold Cover-Up Josh Gates Investigates | Expedition Files

[sgtfda]

Some detectors are fairly reliable at discrimination on shallow targets. Not perfect. When you are talking as deep as the gold bars were buried GPR will show a mass. The mass could be mineralization such as iron stone. The only way to find out is dig. Many of my friends have dug a 3 ft hole or deeper for a tin can. These guys buy the best equipment available looking for big gold. They are very good at what they do. You get a deep target its luck on what you find. Your in a gold area you dig every target! My friend Mike from Gold Rush was with others in Greaterville looking for big gold. It's there. They were taking a break near the cars. Having a beer and a smoke. He was swinging his detector under a tree and got a nice hit. They all laughed. Everyone knows that is just a beer can. He dug it anyway. Up pops a 6 oz solid gold nugget. He carries it around in a little cloth bag. When he showed it to me I held it up and told him we will call it the beer can nugget. Reminds me of the butt crack nugget my wife found. That is a different story. In the Dents run incident they wanted it to be gold bars. Very bad. It was not. Blame the FBI or the guy next door all you want there were no iron chests full of gold bars there. Saves some embarrassment from the build up. There is a lesson here. Don't run your mouth until you have something to show. Then decide if you want the fame or the gold. Second lesson don't trust the GPR man. They always run off with the gold, right Ryan. Third lesson don't go swimming in a cesspool with others. No matter how good the story. I knew this was all bull from the time I was told what was going on by Jack. I warned them about the faults with the equipment they were using.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

I can tell you one thing, if I WAS confident there was even a remote possibility of significant treasure that someone else was digging, I’d post up nearby (or even at a distance), likely in the dark behind a tree and watch with night goggles if need be. I’d also enlist the help of friends to help watch and listen. NO WAY I’d go home and go to bed trusting folks I didn’t really know. Maybe they had a secure perimeter and that was not possible, but the area looks like there could have been an adjacent ridge maybe to post up on? Voices carry in the mountains at night as does excavation equipment running, rock breakers, ect.

 

[sgtfda]

Tesoro correct! Lastly, look at the equipment they used to dig that hole. It comes down to common sense and logic. The soldiers had at most a shovel or two. By the time they hit Schaffer ridge and the wagons could go no further their butts were beat. The area is covered with caves. Right next to the abandoned wagon is a large pile of big rocks. No way are they hauling that much gold over the mountain. Then digging a huge deep hole inside a small cave to bury the gold. There is no room. Even in the larger caves you dig down a little and hit rock. When treasure hunting you need to use your brain. Hell there are hundreds of deep ledges next to the ambush site. They run all the way down Bell Draft on the east side to the road. That was my next target. I don't buy it for a minute. If I owned the treasure company I would rethink my methods. What your doing make no sense. That includes the old well Jack told me about. Surprise, you dug down and hit water. Or the small cave that the FBI dug up that held according to your equipment iron chests. They were not hauling gold in iron chests to begin with. The gold was hidden in wagon false bottoms. I'd like to see a horse haul that about. That is why they made canvas bags to haul a bar or two. Even that did not make it far before ripping and the bars fell out. That's how Jack found two bars just sticking out of the top soil. The whole idea on the Soldiers part was to get off the mountain to the river below. Not to backtrack up Dents Run north where the FBI site is. You hit the river and float out of those mountains. Something happened just east of Bell Draft where the Skeletons were found that prevented that. They were heading South East were it was easy going. I've walked that. You are not taking Bell Draft from down the mountain top. You won't get a horse down that steep and rocky path. It runs to the cabin. Hiked down one time only. You must go SE from the top.
There is not much more I can say on this subject.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Tesoro correct! Lastly, look at the equipment they used to dig that hole. It comes down to common sense and logic. The soldiers had at most a shovel or two. By the time they hit Schaffer ridge and the wagons could go no further their butts were beat. The area is covered with caves. Right next to the abandoned wagon is a large pile of big rocks. No way are they hauling that much gold over the mountain. Then digging a huge deep hole inside a small cave to bury the gold. There is no room. Even in the larger caves you dig down a little and hit rock. When treasure hunting you need to use your brain. Hell there are hundreds of deep ledges next to the ambush site. They run all the way down Bell Draft on the east side to the road. That was my next target. I don't by it for a minute. If I owned the treasure company I would rethink my methods. What your doing make no sense. That includes the old well Jack told me about. Surprise, you dug down and hit water. Or the small cave that the FBI dug up that held according to your equipment iron chests. They were not hauling gold in iron chests to begin with. The gold was hidden in wagon false bottoms. I'd like to see a horse haul that about. That is why they made canvas bags to haul a bar or two. Even that did not make it far before ripping and the bars fell out. That's how Jack found two bars just sticking out of the top soil.
There is not much more I can say on this subject.

One point unrelated to Dents Run. Old wells have been known as a spot to quickly dispose of loot. I wouldn’t dismiss a well until I dug to the bottom. Great stuff to be found there anyway. I helped dig a 25’ well as a kid and there was some interesting things recovered. Water was an issue.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

We may or may have not just pumped that muddy water down the curb and gutter at night. Bucket after bucket of slimy mud in the back of the truck. Wash up everything with clean well water before we left for the night, then start again the following evening. Ended up with a nice wall hanger of two.

 

[kudo623]

The video clip tells of a cave that Dennis found which traversed into the mountain some 30 feet to a vertical shaft. All the soldiers had to do was dig that shaft down far enough to enter the cavity then deposit the gold bars, less a few bars kept for themselves. I personally would have explored that cave more to find that gold. With the gold in hand Dennis could have called in the press and his picture would have been on the cover of all major newspapers and magazines. The FBI cheated Dennis out of that find!

 

[sgtfda]

Dead soldiers can't dig very well. 50 pound gold bars are not easy to move around.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Back in the day John was trying to track down a story a local tavern owner had one of the gold bars. You hit one of those remote areas you hear stories from those that live there if they like you. I always have a positive outlook and do not tell folks bullshit. When I arrived in Arizona I attended the Dutchhunter Rendezvous at Dons Camp. When the old timers found out I had Ismael's deep seeking one of a kind detector they started pulling me aside to tell me about the hidden treasure in the Superstitions. Years later some of that treasure is showing up. More than I will talk about. A negative attitude gets you nowhere. I've held more than one piece. This piece of ore I'm holdingView attachment 2228985View attachment 2228986 has 30 oz of gold in it.

oz or gm?

 

[kudo623]

Somebody buried the bars of gold. And in absence of anyone else, they did. If there was a cave along the path, then that's likely where they buried the gold. There was a man-made shaft so they dug the shaft. All those bars should have been buried but we know that a few bars were found under a tree stump by the Pinkertons. Something happened, some men in the party were murdered and some of the gold was removed from the cache probably by others in the party? The timeline of what happened center around the gold bars being buried in that cave, everything else can be deduced from that. Copperheads? I doubt it since that gold would have been all gone if another party knew about it.

 

[diamonddave]

In the Dents run incident they wanted it to be gold bars. Very bad. It was not. Blame the FBI or the guy next door all you want there were no iron chests full of gold bars there.

Since it has been proclaimed sgtfda's word is unimpeachable on this site, and he says..."there were no iron chests full of gold bars there". His statement effectively ends any further notion of a Civil War gold cover up in Dents Run, since there was no gold there.

There was a time here when naysayers were not welcomed in Dents Run discussions. I guess things have changed and some can now be naysayers, even unimpeachable, despite their statements directly conflicting with the primary target of FK's Dents Run find.

I would like to question sgtfda as to how he knows there was no gold in Dents Run, but I won't. Don't want to be a naysayer and don't want to break any rules.

 

[jeff of pa]

As Long as Your Opinion is on the Gold or what others said here & Not on The Paradas.
I'm not going to Micro Manage posts.

sgtfda did not attack the Paradas or Finders Keepers.
He was Also in the area And Has First Hand Knowledge,
Researching Through others There .

Non of What he said Had anything to Do with Jealousy Or
Accusations of alterior Motives like lying to get a TV Show.
or whatever

because of this, As you said "sgtfda's word is unimpeachable"

As to Whether The Gold was Not where FK Said, That is His Opinion from his research .
Since I Was Not there, My opinion Does Not Matter in this thread

 

[ISmellGold]

I think the story has been trampled into the ground, hasn't it. Wasn't actually all about Civil War Traitor Gold or something?
Dunno, bored with the subject 🥱
Wasn't that the Edwin Stanton Find? In Ohio?

 

[starsplitter]

years ago, I searched national, state (OH, CA, WV, PA), and local archives, genealogy records, and more... with one exception (perhaps notable, but unsure), and came up with bupkis. As a history fan, I'd love somebody to show me actual documentation for this legend.

 

[3cylbill]

years ago, I searched national, state (OH, CA, WV, PA), and local archives, genealogy records, and more... with one exception (perhaps notable, but unsure), and came up with bupkis. As a history fan, I'd love somebody to show me actual documentation for this legend.

Ask the fbi..ask Pinkerton...ask army Intelligence as they all spent many summers looking for this shipment..the Gettysburg massacre just happened and 50,000 lay dead do you really think they would leave orders of a shipment of 50 gold bars on a secretary's desk. .? probably headed to canadian arms dealers...the FBI sent a contingency of 50 agents WHOULD THEY WASTE THIER TIME CHASING A lie...?..the premier Intelligence agency showed thier hand...

 

[ISmellGold]

years ago, I searched national, state (OH, CA, WV, PA), and local archives, genealogy records, and more... with one exception (perhaps notable, but unsure), and came up with bupkis. As a history fan, I'd love somebody to show me actual documentation for this legend.

I personally always had trouble believing "The Story Stated". But just because the story isn't real, doesn't mean the gold isn't. Those treasure hunter guys from Pennsylvania found something,
40 gold bars?? Probably wasn't at Dents Run, or for that matter in Pennsylavania.
Who knows??
Oh well

 

[kudo623]

Since it has been proclaimed sgtfda's word is unimpeachable on this site, and he says..."there were no iron chests full of gold bars there". His statement effectively ends any further notion of a Civil War gold cover up in Dents Run, since there was no gold there.

There was a time here when naysayers were not welcomed in Dents Run discussions. I guess things have changed and some can now be naysayers, even unimpeachable, despite their statements directly conflicting with the primary target of FK's Dents Run find.

I would like to question sgtfda as to how he knows there was no gold in Dents Run, but I won't. Don't want to be a naysayer and don't want to break any rules.

Dennis found gold at the site, enough to warrant a dig. The FBI confirmed Dennis' findings with their own sophisticated equipment and even drew a map of the mass and excavated the site. If the FBI found no gold, then did their equipment malfunction? Did they tell Dennis that their equipment malfunctioned? Did they test that area with their equipment a second time to show Dennis that their equipment malfunctioned? I'll guarantee you that if they returned to that same site and reinspected that same area with the same equipment used the first time, it would not detect anything! And why? Because they removed the gold, plain and simple!

 

[diamonddave]

Dennis found gold at the site, enough to warrant a dig.

There has been zero evidence of this claim to date.

The FBI confirmed Dennis' findings with their own sophisticated equipment

As I recall, a contractor was hired and used a Gravimeter to delineate and estimate the density of targeted areas.

did their equipment malfunction?

The results of the scientific survey work could only be checked by "ground truthing" excavating or drilling to see if anything was there to explain the interpreted variations in density.

Did they tell Dennis that their equipment malfunctioned?

There is no evidence of a malfunction. Only an interpretation of field data suggesting a very dense area indicative of a metallic object, which when excavated was not the case.

Did they test that area with their equipment a second time

There is nothing in the record to indicate follow-up surveys. The targeted depths of the excavation were not very deep at all and images in the record, as well as those present at the site confirm the excavation exceeded the targeted depth and yielded nothing other than some pvc pipe and resistivity rods place there by the TH.

I'll guarantee you that if they returned to that same site and reinspected that same area with the same equipment used the first time, it would not detect anything!

This is likely true as conditions would have changed drastically from the time before the excavation until afterward. Its my understanding that all sorts of factors affect the outcome of gravimetry surveys including, weather, (rain & wind), vibration, ground water, soil compaction, etc.. Probably wouldn't yield the same results in that particular area.

It would be interesting to repeat the exact same gravimetry survey in several other areas of the same trail, if only to see if those areas could yield similar results, indicative of the same density. Thus, one might conclude, this is normal for the geography.

 

[ISmellGold]

Dennis found gold at the site, enough to warrant a dig. The FBI confirmed Dennis' findings with their own sophisticated equipment and even drew a map of the mass and excavated the site. If the FBI found no gold, then did their equipment malfunction? Did they tell Dennis that their equipment malfunctioned? Did they test that area with their equipment a second time to show Dennis that their equipment malfunctioned? I'll guarantee you that if they returned to that same site and reinspected that same area with the same equipment used the first time, it would not detect anything! And why? Because they removed the gold, plain and simple!

2 Times you will never get the Truth out of somebody.
Number One is a fishermans favorite fishing spot.
Number Two the place where somebody found a lot of gold.

 

[BennyV]

There has been zero evidence of this claim to date.


As I recall, a contractor was hired and used a Gravimeter to delineate and estimate the density of targeted areas.

The results of the scientific survey work could only be checked by "ground truthing" excavating or drilling to see if anything was there to explain the interpreted variations in density.

There is no evidence of a malfunction. Only an interpretation of field data suggesting a very dense area indicative of a metallic object, which when excavated was not the case.

There is nothing in the record to indicate follow-up surveys. The targeted depths of the excavation were not very deep at all and images in the record, as well as those present at the site confirm the excavation exceeded the targeted depth and yielded nothing other than some pvc pipe and resistivity rods place there by the TH.

This is likely true as conditions would have changed drastically from the time before the excavation until afterward. Its my understanding that all sorts of factors affect the outcome of gravimetry surveys including, weather, (rain & wind), vibration, ground water, soil compaction, etc.. Probably wouldn't yield the same results in that particular area.

It would be interesting to repeat the exact same gravimetry survey in several other areas of the same trail, if only to see if those areas could yield similar results, indicative of the same density. Thus, one might conclude, this is normal for the geography.

Were you there or just regurgitating what you read on Wikipedia

 

[kudo623]

Was anybody here present at the dig site, besides Dennis, who can confirm that there wasn't any gold found? Unless there was someone viewing the entire dig, there is no eye-witness evidence to prove there was no gold. If anyone here knew the truth, they would know that Dennis did find gold at that site, but the DCNR PA would not let him dig. That's why he called the FBI. I mean I think Dennis had spent 20 years on that hunt. He obviously was on the gold. Anybody who knows Dennis knows he's a stand-up guy who plays by the rules, doesn't lie and is very competent at what he does!