Spanish silver in the Malpis

  • Thread starter Thread starter Felinepeachy
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Most of the legends are gold-based, although I seem to remember one version of the 'Indian Ambush of Colorado Pack Train at The Narrows' legend may have been silver. Other than that, you're dealing with 1) Adams Diggings in Malpais; 2) Church Treasure in Malpais; 3) Plane crash in Malpais; 4) Various 'Gus Raney Guarding Gold in Malpais' rumors.
 

Thanks for the info Springfield. I appreciate it.
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Hi luv: I originally posted a bit about one the south side of a deep canyon in the mal pais zone. When my friend who was surveying for a possible new road, had finished taking his necessary bearings , he swung his theodolite to the south looking out of curiosity, just using it as a simple telescope. He saw a low breast works of stone on the southern edge. He marked it down in his notes then forgot about it.

Much later he heard of a group of miners that had hit it big in the Calif. gold rush were returning to the East when they were attacked by Indians.. They had formed a group for protection against outlaws and still wild Indians. During the fight, they constructed some low breastworks. Unfortunately all were killed.

Supposedly none of their gold was moved since the Indians had no use for it, just personal equipment and guns.

He returned later on the new highway to look for it, but even with his notes he could never find it again. The lighting had been perfect when he first saw it.

He always told me that it had been built in a "U" shape with the open end over looking the canyon.

Don Jose de La Mancha
 

Bump. I am curious if anyone could expand.

Thx. Vor
 

Since most of you are New Mexicans, have you been in the malpais? Harshest, most god awful, rugged place I have ever seen or been to. Good luck on this and be careful...
 

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I am trying to find out about a rumor or legend regarding lost silver buried by the Spanish, in the Malpis around Grants, New Mexico.

Anyone heard anything about this?

The story that I heard was about how the Native Am. ambushed a mule train full of silver bars in the Narrows. The tight passage between the lava and the highcliffs cornered the train and they hunkered down under a sandstone overhang that provided shelter from attacks from above. They stayed there as long as their supplies let them. They then buried the silver, etched a coiled serpent on the wall and tried to make a run for it.

I was actually in this area 15 years ago or so looking for this treasure. Managed to find some petroglyphs in the Narrows with about 40 or so images on the wall. About a half dozen coiled serpents in the mix. The location matched the description in the story. Further research lead that the images on the wall were not done by the Spaniards but by the Native Americans so it was most likely the wrong spot but lead for a little bit of excitement in the search.
 

The story that I heard was about how the Native Am. ambushed a mule train full of silver bars in the Narrows. The tight passage between the lava and the highcliffs cornered the train and they hunkered down under a sandstone overhang that provided shelter from attacks from above. They stayed there as long as their supplies let them. They then buried the silver, etched a coiled serpent on the wall and tried to make a run for it.

I was actually in this area 15 years ago or so looking for this treasure. Managed to find some petroglyphs in the Narrows with about 40 or so images on the wall. About a half dozen coiled serpents in the mix. The location matched the description in the story. Further research lead that the images on the wall were not done by the Spaniards but by the Native Americans so it was most likely the wrong spot but lead for a little bit of excitement in the search.

That's pretty much the story I've always heard too. It's a deadly ambush site for sure, and if the alleged miners did indeed hide bullion nearby, there are innumerable stash spots in the adjacent lava flow, which extends for miles to the north, west and south. A buddy and I scouted the area back in the 70s, not expecting to find silver bars but just to look around. Didn't find any any petroglyphs. That lava is hell on boots - can eat up Vibram soles real quick if you're not careful where you walk. We found what was apparently a Native shrine down in a little cave in the lava. There was a painted bowl and some shells there. We left it undisturbed. Cool find.

I didn't spend much effort on this legend (I was erroneously in this area at the time pondering the Lost Adams), but if I had been more interested, I'd have figured out if the Narrows might have been a likely route for the miners. I would have assumed that the silver came from the San Juans or La Platas in southern Colorado and that the train was headed south. If so (big if), what would be the easiest and safest route back to Mexico? Where could they have avoided the Natives and find water and game on the way? You have bad Zunis pretty far to the west, and Acoma to the east. The Rio San Jose, not far north of the narrows, would have been a destination. Too few details, no documentation and lots of questions on this tale.

My clearest memory of that part of NM is the day Gus Raney told us that if he found us on his property he'd kill us. We definitely believed him.
 

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