Hey Guys,
I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist. This area was my main treasure hunting area for many years and I literally know the area like the back of my hand. In the 70S and 80S I was able to drive my truck to this site and I would be there almost every day as there was always something to find, especially during a rainstorm. I have found thousands of relics and artifacts all through these hills. As my age and health do not seem to want to cooperate with my desires to be a fulltime Treasure Hunter anymore, and since the area is now part of the State Park systems I have decided to share some of what I know on this location, and the “Love Loot Treasure.”
The Legend as I remember:
"The Love Loot Bandit”
A young Mexican male was in love with a rancher’s daughter, so much so that he approached her father to ask for her hand in marriage. He was denied on the basis that he was a poor ranch hand and could not support the rancher’s daughter to the satisfaction of the father. The young man was determined to marry his sweetheart and thought a way to get enough money to satisfy the rancher. He plotted to rob a stage that ran through the pass near where he lived, and then run off and marry the girl.
A Butterfield Stage full of miners from up North (California) was headed to Los Angeles when, near the top of the Santa Susana Pass, near the point now known as the Devil’s Slide, the stage stopped as usual to allow the passengers to debark the stage and walk past this dangerous point in the road. The young bandit was aware of this practice and quickly took advantage of it. He stopped the stage and the passengers at this choke point in the road. The bandit demanded that everyone throw their weapons over the embankment and place all of their valuables in his saddle bags along with the contents of the strong box. As the bandit was struggling to place his bags on his horse, a passenger pulled a pistol out of his boot and shot the bandit in the back. Although gravely wounded, the bandit was able to mount his horse and ride off in the opposite direction of the stage knowing that the stage could not turn around at this point in the road. The bandit knew that the stage station was only a half mile or so from this point and help would rapidly be on him so he rode off hard and fast to a spring that he knew of to rest and recover from his wound.
The bandit rested at the spring until dark, and knowing his wound was serious had decided to ride to his girlfriend for help. Before riding out and knowing he could make better time without the weight of his recently acquired fortune he decided to bury the loot at the spring. He split the saddle bags in two and buried one half on each side of the spring, then rode off.
While in his girlfriend’s arms the bandit explained what he had done, then died in her arms. The girl wrote these events down in her diary, but never said a word to anyone. It wasn’t until the girl passed away in her old age that her diary was read and the story of the Love Loot was discovered.
Devil’s Slide heading down into Chatsworth
Placard halfway down from the pass
Groove carved with pick by hand for a more stable ride
Stage Station was by the little red arrow below the “C” in Chatsworth
North / East corner of stage station
West foundation wall
More to follow,
H_S
gd luck in your search
