Mexican Pocket AZ Gold Stash

[TokyoTerror]

Any one know the story behind the Mexican Pocket stash in AZ. Been up there once, and found a beer can. From what I have read there should be a few graves there, does any one know where they are or if they even exist? If any one is interested in looking for this I would be up to compair notes and do some buddy hunting.

 

[djui5]

More info please

 

[Jeffro]

I'd need a county and other names.... I can't find anything on this one, by this name. I've got tons of references to a bunch of mines, etc. down there.

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

Sounds similar to the details of the "Mexican Hat Pocket" story but not sure if that was in arizona or california. siegfried schlagrule

 

[TokyoTerror]

All I know is that Ken Weinman wrote an article in W&E Treasure about Mexican Pocket. Wish I knew how to get ahold of Ken and ask him a few questions. The story goes like this: In the 1880's, 12 bandits of the Valenzuelo Gang were tracked down by Sherriff C.P. Owens in northern Arizona. He killed 7 of the bandits. All the saddlebags were missing. Two separate caches were found; one contained $5,000 in gold and silver coins, a few years later, $8,000 was found in saddlebags in another cache in the same area. It was presumed that another 10 caches of outlaw loot remains buried. Now I contacted Marshal Trimble, he is posed to be the "official AZ historian" and he said that he never heard of this. The story adds that C.P. buried the bandits where he shot them. So if I could find out if there really are graves up there, at least I'd have some validity to the story and a starting point to boot. So is there anyone out there who knows anything about this story??
Thanks

 

[Buck]

All I know is that Ken Weinman wrote an article in W&E Treasure about Mexican Pocket. Wish I knew how to get ahold of Ken and ask him a few questions. The story goes like this: In the 1880's, 12 bandits of the Valenzuelo Gang were tracked down by Sherriff C.P. Owens in northern Arizona. He killed 7 of the bandits. All the saddlebags were missing. Two separate caches were found; one contained $5,000 in gold and silver coins, a few years later, $8,000 was found in saddlebags in another cache in the same area. It was presumed that another 10 caches of outlaw loot remains buried. Now I contacted Marshal Trimble, he is posed to be the "official AZ historian" and he said that he never heard of this. The story adds that C.P. buried the bandits where he shot them. So if I could find out if there really are graves up there, at least I'd have some validity to the story and a starting point to boot. So is there anyone out there who knows anything about this story??
Thanks

Hello About two/three years ago I read some thing about that in a old treasure magazine if you want I will try and locate the magazine

 

[TokyoTerror]

That would be wonderful, thanks for the offer!!
If you are interested, team hunting is always a possibility.

 

[Sonoita-Bob]

Hi TT

From the article you mentioned it seems they are the same details that were reported in the much earlier and very detailed story by Maurice Kildare in Long John's Treasure World June-July 1973. To my knowledge this was the first full story on this buried treasure which has a good basis in fact. One of the saddlebags recovered by Pete Brogdon was reported in the Flagstaff Champion Weekly in October 1888. My son-in-law, originally from Flagstaff is related to Brogdon and he says that Brogdon's find is an old family story.

I had researched this one in the 70's to take our Phoenix Boy Scout troop on a campout to the location with their metal detectors when I was a troop leader. But we never made the trip, unfortunately. My 1962 7 1/2 min series Mountainaire, AZ Quad shows Mexican Pocket on the East side of AZ Hwy 89 Alt alongside Pumphouse Canyon and directly across the highway from Oak Creek Vista Campground. This is INCORRECT, the actual Mexican Pocket is a short distance North of this towards Flagstaff, along side Kelly Wash near an old gravel pit (1960's) also East of Hwy 89A.

Later, in the March-April 1975 issue of Long John's True Treasure, a reader wrote in to the Questions Column how to find Mexican Pocket. Here is the answer as published:


A. There are two Mexican Pockets in the same area, but most map makers locate them both incorrectly. The correct Mexican Pocket is 12.5 miles south of Flagstaff on the east side of the Oak Creek-Sedona Highway. The pocket, or park, is visible from the highway, since it was logged over many years ago. END OF ANSWER
Now the question is, from where in Flagstaff do you start your mileage count?

If you have trouble locating the issues I referenced, may I suggest:
Bill Hendrickson
2019 Center Street
Cortez, CO 81321
970 565-7392
He use to advertise in most Treasure Magazines.

Hope this helps & good hunting.
Sonoita Bob

 

[extractor]

bump

 

[lastleg]

TT:

You might be able to find Ken in the Alberquerque phone book. Or W&E
might put you in contact. You didn't say if he actually went to the site. He
mainly stays in New Mexico. My guess is he is repeating the printed yarns.

 

[jrf30]

Did you eer find out more information?

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

I would be interested in hunting for this one, I am in Flagstaff. If anyone is interested in getting together for a hunt, let me know and we can get out there and look. I saw a reference to this in Lost Treasure Magazine from 1990.

 

[peymal]

I am heading up there this weekend company would be great!

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Lost Saddle Bags of Gold Found at Mexican Pocket | Lost Treasure Online - Official Website of Lost Treasure Magazine

neat story, have wandered the area for years...have only found the remains of the old road built between Sedona an flagstaff...
as you come out of oak creek canyon, the overlook is on the right...follow on the highway past the ADOT yard, also on the right...(east), the gate after the motor pool is the correct one...it is now locked, used to be able to drive into pumphouse wash from that area, perhaps one can still walk...

just up from the gate, one can see the old road bed...beautiful area, soft in the wet months...trucks will sink to the frame if you drive off road.

I just drove up to oak creek canyon...
if you go north this week...prepare for winter type conditions...perhaps it won't happen...but it sure feels like snow.

{ also...having studied Mexican gangs in the southwest...at the university...I have never heard of a Hispanic gang operation north of Tucson...in this time period...difficult to imagine Mexicans entering this area unmolested.}

 

[leadnugget]

i went up there today to look around. sadly my detector stopped working.
so i did a lot of hiking.

i was hoping to find the mound of rocks/grave at the shoot out area.

if anyone here knows where it is and would be willing to share that info here or by private message that would be great.

i also took some pictures of the area.

​

also i found this article from the road runners prospectors club on line and it has some good info in it and i thought i would pass it along.
leadnugget/steve


The following is a reprint of an article written by RRPC member Gene Mrotek


GENE SEZ
–

October 2002


Outlaw Loot

Fifteen miles north of Sedona in the cool pine country, is a location of bandits' buried treasure

that you metal detector buffs might want to search. You can drive to this one by car.

This story concerns the infamous Valenzuelo
-
Hildalgo gang of 12 members. They pulled many

holdups from New Mexico through northern Arizona. Sheriff C.P. Owens at Flagstaff searched

for them relentlessly and finally received information that they made their camp at Mexican

Pocket about 12 miles south of Flagstaff. He could only recruit two men, Peter Brogdon and

John Jacob to help him.

They arrived near the camp at dusk and observed only one outlaw. Soon the other eleven rode

in and the sheriff and his two men opened fire from their three positions. Seven bandits were

killed and five escaped although two were wounded seriously.

The five that escaped made their way to Phoenix but had the misfortune of getting into a gun

battle with Marshall Henry Garfias. Marshall Garfias killed the three healthy bandits and

questioned the two seriously wounded ones. He learned that each of the twelve outlaws had

two saddlebags of loot that each one hid in or about Mexican Pocket. Garfias sent a note to

Sheriff Owens but he didn't believe it and soon forgot about it.

About this time John Jacobs recalled that none of the outlaws' 12 horses had saddlebags at the

time of the shoot out. Jacobs and Brodgon decided to return to Mexico Pocket to do some

searching. Three days later buried at the base of a large pine tree they found a pair of

saddlebags loaded with gold coins and jewelry.

During the next few years they would spend an occasional weekend looking for more

saddlebags. Five years later they did find another pair buried near a large rock. They now

searched with renewed vigor but never found anything else.

Since 12 pairs of bags were hidden this site gives you an excellent opportunity to treasure hunt.

The current value of each set should be in the $100 to $150,000 range. Even if a few more than

the original two were found, there still are a number of sites to try your luck.

To get there, take, highway 89A about 14 miles north of Sedona and pass Oak Creek Vista,

which is plainly marked along the highway. Go about another 1.4 miles to Forest Service Trail

#237 on your right. Follow this trail about 1.5 mile to a washed out bridge on Pumphouse Wash.

(there is now no bridge there.)


Park here and the search starts across this wash.

Some new in formation..... Peie Brogdon married a woman with 3 sons. One still survives and

lives at Cottonwood. He volunteered some info regarding his step
-

dads search for some of this

loot if I wouldn't disclose his name. Seems the local paper there ran a story a few years ago and

listed his name as a searcher with his 2 brothers. His phone and driveway were very busy for

days.

His step
-
dad, Pete Brogdon would take the 3 boys by horse and wagon on weekends when his

job would permit to do some looking. They would always camp at the Pumphouse Wash and

search from there. However, Mr Brogdon never found a third cache.

If you find a mound of rocks, you'll be at the shoot out area as the seven outlaws are buried

there. Remember each outlaw buried his loot separately as they would not trust one another,

but it probably is not very far from where they had their camp.

Good luck on numbers 3 through 12.

Gene.

 

[leadnugget]

i know we have some good computer guys on here. can you pull the gps EXIF data.

off these pictures?

 

[Gene Keeler]

MEXICAN POCKET GOLD COINS

U.S. TERRITORIAL MARSHALL FROM NEW MEXICO TRACKED THE MEXICAN GANG TO MEXICAN POCKET, WENT TO FLAGSTAFF AND GOT THE HELP OF TWO MORE LAWMAN, AND WAITED FOR THE BANDITS (CATTLE RUSSLER TO RETURN AS THEY WERE SOMEWHERE IN THE FORREST HIDDING THERE SADDLE BAGS OF GOLD COINS. THE TWO THAT WERE FOUND LATER ONLY HAD 5000 IN GOLD AND THE OTHER 8000 THOUSAND IN GOLD. THAT WOULD LEAVE 10 SADDLE BAG'S OF GOLD WORTH AROUND 80.000 DOLLARS. FIGURE IF YOU FOUND JUST ONE SADDLEBAG, AT TODAYS PRICES FIGURE IT WOULD BE WORTH 30.000 GIVE OR TAKE, IF IT WAS WORTH 5000 AT THE TIME OF BEING BURRIED. COMMADOR PERRY T. OWENS WAS A CRACK SHOT WITH RIFLE OR SIX SHOOTER. AND HE ONCE TOOK ON 6 OR 7 BAD GUYS AND KILLED THEM ALL. BELIEVE IT OR NOT HE WAS BORN IN NEW YORK. IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION CALL ME ON A CELL PHONE, AT 702 595 8997. RUSS. I HAD BEEN THERE TWICE AND AM PLANNING TO GO AGAIN IN A MONTH OR TWO AT LEAST BY SEPTEMBER, GIVE ME A CALL.I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW.

 

[Gene Keeler]

MEXICAN POCKET GOLD COINS

RUSS HERE, I KNOW QUITE A BIT ABOUT THE STORY, COMMADORE PERRY T. OWENS WAS A UNITED STATES TERRITORIAL MARSHAL. AND WAS TRACKING THIS GANG FROM NEW MEXICO, CATTLE RUSTLERS. THE U.S. MARSHAL WAS ALSO FROM NEW MEXICO. NEED ANYMORE INFORMATION CALL ME AT 703 595 8997. BY THE WAY I NEVER HUNTED FOR THE GRAVES. GIVE ME A CALL. BY CELL PHONE ONLY.

 

[Gene Keeler]

MEXICAN POCKET GOLD COINS

YO, JEFFRO, MEXICAN POCKET USED TO BE ON THE OLDER TOPOGRAFICAL ARIZONA TOPO MAP AND SHOWED WHERE MEXICAN POCKET WAS. GO SOUTH ON 89A, RIGHT WHERE THE ROAD STARTS DOWN TOWARD OAK CREEK CANYON. EAST OF THIS ROAD BACK NORTH ARE A LOT OF FORREST TREE's, I WOULD HUNT BACK NORTH AT LEAST A MILE OR SO. YOU HAVE MANY LITTLE SIDE CANYON'S TO EXPLORE. I WOULD SAY AT LEAST TWO MILES WIDE WOULD BE A GOOD START, LOOK FOR BOULDER'S AND FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU WOULD HIDE YOUR STASH, ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE A REFERENCE POINT. SO YOU COULD COME BACK AND FIND THE BOOTY.RUSS HERE. GOOD LUCK.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

a mile or so past the trees is a great idea, don't fall into pump house wash...it is only a half mile off the road.