if you want a good read on the lost adams check out the book "zig zag canyon" by ron feldmanInjunbro,
Another aspect of the Chiricahua Apache pertaining to a treasure legend, is about Nana and the Lost Adams' Diggings(LAD).
There has been a fair amount devoted to it and most seem fixated on saying it was the old redoubtable Nana that was the Apache leader who led the probable massacre of the Adams party. But the point that has always puzzled me, is how would they have known who Nana was in the 1860s when the alleged massacre took place as he did not become well-known until the 1880s after his spectacular raid and he did not pass away - "unreconstructed" as those that met him in captivity quoted - until the late 1890s.
The LAD and the Sublett mine of the Guadalupe mountains are two mysteries that I enjoy delving into in my spare time due to their Apache connections. The reputed areas are still fairly sparsely settled and inaccessible in many ways, and there are enough lonely spots in those mountains to harbour interesting places. The last 'action' to take place in the Guadalupe mountains with the Mescalero was in the early 1880s with Texas Rangers if I'm not mistaken but the Chiricahua were still making there presence known in and around those mountains long after that date...
With regards to the LAD, there is a fair amount written about the "Pumpkin Patch" which was part of the mighty Mangas Coloradas' rancheria. Thing is, this location was very well known to the US Cavalry as they visited the old chief there on many occasions.
I would dearly love to know your views on the matter, Injunbro.
IPUK