You all might find this interesting as well:
This was part of a discussion thread on the LUE on another thread on Treasurenet. Originally posted by aw11mr2 at:
Hands down one of the best threads I've ever seen in terms of succinctly talking about the LUE locations.
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I found a piece of information that might be coincidental or related to the LUE in
The Treasure Hunter’s Manual, 7th Edition, Chapter VI, HOW. There is a story titled New Mexican $$$ provided as an example how to research a treasure project. The project begins in Las Vegas, New Mexico and continues north to an area west of Trinidad, Colorado. The treasure lead starts with a cave discovered by kids in 1899 near Tecelote Creek, west of Las Vegas, New Mexico. The cave contained old documents believed to be related to mission activities. The cave was later investigated and apparently enough gold was removed that the discoverers agreed “to not take any more gold from the cave unless it was needed, and it was never needed.” Based on this story, a group got together to investigate the tale. Their research indicated that there were several caves in the area and the site was likely on private property. The project moved on to research three potential mission sites.
1. “Near the old town of Las Colonas (on the Rio de La Vaco fork of the Pecos river)” , “. . . at the foot of El Barro Peak.”
2. “Near Guadalupita on the old Mora Grant (north of the present city of Mora).”
3. “Near the Colorado-New Mexico state line on the old Taos-Trinidad road.” The locations of the mission/church/town sites in this area were described in relation to the former town of Catskill (platted in 1890).
The former town of Catskill was situated at the end of the Denver Texas & Fort Worth railroad spur line from Trinidad, CO to the Canadian River in New Mexico.
The description of the payoff is what really interested me. Although the group found one of seven potential sites, they still recovered 390 ounces of gold nuggets and dust! Karl von Mueller mentions that one of the sites investigated might be related to the Rutledge or Bloomington, Nebraska treasure (money, gold ingots and nuggets) discussed in The Treasure Hunter’s Manual, 6th Edition.
Plotting these sites on a map shows a general north-south trend in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and potential relationship with the Continental Divide in southwest New Mexico.
Near Salida, CO – Potential cache area (Randy Bradford’s Treasurenet.com forum post (Nov. 27, 2016): 1981 issue (Vol.? No.?) of
National Prospector’s Gazette - May Lou Karsting Phillips to Karl von Mueller)
Former Spanish Fort in CO – Example of early Spanish occupation in Colorado. In the text that accompanies
Historic Trail Map of Trinidad 1° x 2° Quadrangle, USGS Investigation Geologic Series I-2745 (Available online): “Fort Sangre de Cristo, Malagres Fort, built in 1819 by Governor Don Facundo Malagres about 3(?) miles northeast of Sangre de Cristo Pass.” Also see pages 30-32 of History of Upper Huerfano Valley by Jeannette F. Thach,
Colorado Magazine, Vol. 38 No. 1, January 1961 (Available online).
West of Rye, CO – LUE Cave of Gold (PatrickD’s Treasurenet.com forum post): Possibly the nearest town to the Blue Lake cache near Greenhorn Mountain.
Near Conejos Peak, CO – Rock carving containing similar symbols found on the LUE map (
Treasure of the Valley of Secrets, Deek Gladson, 1971)
Treasure of the Valley of Secrets – West of Trinidad, Colorado, near the headwater of Purgatoire River. I have no idea of the location and stuck a pin near the headwaters of the North fork of the Purgatoire River. (
The Scarlet Shadow, Walter Hurt, 1907 and
Treasure Hunter’s Manual #6, revised 1973)
San Francisco Peak, CO – Potential cache area (1981 NPG: May Lou Karsting Phillips to KvM) (Randy Bradford’s Treasurenet.com forum post (Nov. 27, 2016): Karl von Mueller in a 1981 issue (Vol.? No.?) of
Western & Eastern Treasures magazine): Teasurenet member “Mdog” asked (Dec. 10, 2016) where San Francisco Peak was located. I couldn’t locate a Colorado peak, however, west of Trinidad, less than 13 miles apart from one another, are two San Francisco passes and a Francisco Peak.
San Francisco Pass – 9,150 feet. Trends north-south “From Bonita Canyon Branch of Vallejos Creek to North Fork of Vermejo River, Las Animas County.”
Location shown on
Historic Trail Map of Trinidad 1° x 2° Quadrangle (Includes a pamphlet that accompany map), Glenn R. Scott, 2001, USGS Geologic Investigation Series I-274.
Lat. N37° 1’ 29.1” Long. W105° 5’ 56.5” (WGS84)
San Francisco Pass (Costilla Pass) – “Separates Ricardo Creek from San Francisco Creek, on Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Costilla County.”
Location shown on
Historic Trail Map of Trinidad 1° x 2° Quadrangle, USGS Geologic Investigation Series I-2745.
Lat. N37° 1’ 20.7” Long. W105° 15’ 54.9” (WGS84)
Francisco Peak - Elevation: 13, 135 feet. Lat. N37° 10’ 56.05” Long. W105° 59’ 57.95” (WGS84)
Potential source of the Rutledge/Bloomington Treasure - Gold ingots and nuggets buried on the Rutledge property in Bloomington, Nebraska (
Treasure Hunter’s Manual #7, 1966).
Catskill, NM – Former gold camp and later a lumber camp (THM #7).
Lat. N36° 56’ 23.07” Long. W104° 48’ 25.94” (WGS84)
Elizabethtown, NM – Potential cache area (1981 NPG - May Phillips to KvM)
West side of Taos, NM – LUE cache (silver bars) recovery (PatrickD)
Black Lake, NM – LUE cache (partial recovery?) (1981 NPG - May Phillips to KvM) (KvM in 1981 W&E Treasures) (PatrickD)
Guadalupita, NM – Church site (THM #7)
Mora, NM – Potential cache area (1981 NPG - May Phillips to KvM) (KvM in 1981 W&E Treasures)
Near La Cueva, NM – Rock carving containing similar symbols found on the LUE map (TotVoS).
Near Tecolote Creek, NM – Potential church gold cache hidden in cave west of Las Vegas, NM (THM #7).
Romeroville, NM – Potential cache area (1981 NPG - May Phillips to KvM)
Los Colonas, NM – Church site (THM #7)
Carrizozo, NM – Potential cache area (KvM in 1981 W&E Treasures)
South of Black Peak, NM – Potential Spanish(?) cache site (
New Mexico Confidential – 30 Years of Snooping in Obscure Places, Stephen D. Clark, 2013)
Lordsburg, NM – LUE Cave of Gold (PatrickD): Possibly cited because it is the largest commonly known town near the Hachita Peak cache and Big Hatchet Mountains cave of gold sites.