The Colorado San Luis Valley

[tamrock]

This time of year you can watch small storms well up in this San Luis valley that's ruffly the size of Connecticut. I saw this storm develop, kick up dust and give birth to a rainbow driving across the valley on my way to Durango. You at times will see some very large dust devils moving across the landscape in this place. I knew a fella back in the day that hunted artifacts in the confines of this valley. He had found object outside of the normal stone tools. He had found bone needles, shell and stone beads and amulets made from Abalone shell. These things he found are far from any coast, so they must have come there by trade or he was giving me a line of BS. He would never tell me the locations he found these things.

 

[3xflyfisher]

I have an coworker who grew up in Alamosa and has indicated he has found alot of artifacts similar to what you describe (I have never seen them though and he is known for stretching the truth sometimes!). But after reading your post may there is something to it!

 

[tamrock]

I have an coworker who grew up in Alamosa and has indicated he has found alot of artifacts similar to what you describe (I have never seen them though and he is known for stretching the truth sometimes!). But after reading your post may there is something to it!

I saw the stuff. He had lots of stone artifacts also. He'd been hunting the area a long time.

 

[vpnavy]

Nice photographs! Thanks for sharing...

 

[RGINN]

Lots of Folsom sites in the San Luis Valley. Stewart's Cattle Guard site, east of Mosca on the road to the sand dunes (site has interpretive markers) is the most extensively excavated Folsom site in North America. About 45 bison were killed there, and the people set up a large camp to process the kill on that site.

 

[tamrock]

Lots of Folsom sites in the San Luis Valley. Stewart's Cattle Guard site, east of Mosca on the road to the sand dunes (site has interpretive markers) is the most extensively excavated Folsom site in North America. About 45 bison were killed there, and the people set up a large camp to process the kill on that site.

No doubt some very well known hunting grounds for thousands of years in this valley. It's a great place for bird watcher also. Many migratory birds pass by to rest in the shallow lakes that dot this large valley, plus many birds stay for the season. I can only picture in my mind what it may have looked like before it was settled and put under the plow. Early mountain men and explores referred to it as a "Garden of Eden" full of game and lush grasses. Going way back in geological time it was the valley of the Arkansas river until the uplift of the mountains of Poncha Pass.

 

[PatrickD]

That's not far from where I found the sealed Spanish cache site in the Sangre de Christo mountains.

Wish I lived there.

Great picture, thanks for sharing.

Patrick

 

[PatrickD]

Here is a pic of the sealed cache.

It's just over the mountain range east of San Luis valley.



This part of the country is one of my favorites.

Patrick

 

[tamrock]

Here is a pic of the sealed cache.

It's just over the mountain range east of San Luis valley.


This part of the country is one of my favorites.

Patrick

Interesting find Patrick... What is it that leads you to believe this is a Spanish cache?

 

[PatrickD]

Hi Tamrock,

The Spanish symbols carved all around the opening.

Patrick

 

[tamrock]

That's not far from where I found the sealed Spanish cache site in the Sangre de Christo mountains.

Wish I lived there.

Great picture, thanks for sharing.

Patrick

Could be many a cache in and around this valley.

 

[PatrickD]

Thats true. There are many 'treasure leads' in the valley all the way from the Sand Dunes and Mount Blanca south into New Mexico.

 

[RGINN]

Couldn't access the links to the attachments.

 

[PatrickD]

Couldn't access the links to the attachments.

I re-uploaded them. They seem to work now.

 

[RGINN]

Got em, thanks. I can definitely see what you're pointing out. Is that maltese cross the same one at the Caverna del Oro?

 

[PatrickD]

Yes, its the same cross. As the crow flies, it is probably about ten or fifteen miles SW of the cave of gold.

Here is another pic where you can see additional carvings:

 

[RGINN]

Cool PatrickD. Could you go to the Colorado forum and do a post about this for us here in Colorado? That forum needs a little livenin up and this would do it. I'd like to hear the whole story, but share what you can.

 

[PatrickD]

There are some posts about this with more pictures in the Treasure Leads forum. You might just link over to it. Do a search within treasurenet for LUE Treasure.

 

[tamrock]

Well did you find any treasure PD?...I took the side road out of Del Norte that goes into La Garita going home. Some time in the fall when things are quiet I'm going to have a look around these acres and acres of large granite boulders that's like a maze of giant rocks and these smaller canyons on the opposite western side of the San Luis valley. To me this place looks like a good area to hide things or simple stay out of sight.