The Scattered Fortune of 1860

[Trlewis48]

The Scattered Fortune of 1860

In the spring of 1860, as America teetered on the brink of civil war, the vast prairies of the Midwest pulsed with the dreams of pioneers. Families loaded their wagons with hopes and necessities, heading west in search of new beginnings. One such family, whose names have been lost to the winds of time, paused their journey near De Witt, Iowa, to visit relatives. Tucked amid their belongings was a buckskin bag heavy with their life savings—approximately $7,480 in gleaming gold coins, a fortune earned through years of toil and meant to secure their future on the frontier.

Little did they know that nature had its own cataclysmic plans. On June 3, 1860, a monstrous tornado—later remembered as one of the deadliest in Iowa's history—unleashed its fury across the region. Originating in Hamilton County, the storm carved a path of devastation eastward, spanning over 240 miles and lasting more than six hours, rivaling the infamous Tri-State Tornado of 1925 in length. It struck with unimaginable force, flattening entire towns and claiming at least 141 lives, with 115 fatalities in Iowa alone and 74 in Clinton County. Eyewitnesses described a swirling vortex of inky blackness, accompanied by a deafening roar like an immense freight train, hurling debris—trees, buildings, and even human remains—high into the air.tswails.comstormtrack.org

The tornado's wrath was particularly merciless in Clinton County. It obliterated the town of Camanche (often misspelled as Comanche in early accounts), reducing a community of about 1,200 souls to rubble in mere minutes. Homes were splintered, wagons torn asunder, and lives shattered. Between De Witt and Camanche, 28 people perished, and 51 more were wounded. Amid this chaos, the visiting family's wagon was caught in the maelstrom. The vehicle was demolished, and the buckskin bag, slammed against a fence, burst open. Gold coins rained across the landscape, scattering like seeds in the storm's violent gale. Dozens died in the surrounding area, but legends vary on the family's fate—some tales whisper that all but a young girl were killed, while others suggest survivors amid the ruins.iagenweb.orgstormtrack.org

In the tornado's aftermath, the region mourned and rebuilt. Camanche rose from the ashes with the help of over $2,000 in donations, its residents holding mass funerals for the fallen. Search parties scoured the debris-strewn fields, recovering about $3,000 of the lost gold in the weeks that followed. Yet, much of the treasure vanished into the earth, buried under mud and plowed fields. This "Legend of Low Moor," named for a nearby town in Clinton County, endured as a tantalizing whisper among locals, hinting at nearly $4,000 in gold still hidden beneath the soil.tswails.comstormtrack.org as the farmland is plowed, some gold coins might turn up some nice spring day!

 

[robertk]

Sounds bogus -- no name given, no verifiable details, but an oddly specific amount of gold supposedly lost.

But, maybe some truth to it? Here's an article from the Quad-Cty Times back in 1981:

 

[Crow]

Sounds bogus -- no name given, no verifiable details, but an oddly specific amount of gold supposedly lost.

But, maybe some truth to it? Here's an article from the Quad-Cty Times back in 1981:

View attachment 2240759

Good points, I agree.

The first step is to verify the information. It would be interesting to check. Has anyone searched for newspapers from 1860 regarding articles about the event and lost money? Or was the only mention of lost money that came about in 1981 story?

The problem I see it was a large and wide tornado, and the area is a very large area to search. To complicate things, we have no exact details of where this family stayed when they were hit by a tornado.

Is there more in front of the article low more? Is that the location where this event of lost coins took place? Is the lost coins connected to this pioneer family that killed, leaving a little girl a survivor? We might be able to track down the names of these people who were killed and find out the names of their families.


Another factor to consider is how many coin secretly pocketed by others at the time.
Crow

 

[Crow]

Even if the story is true. The search area Low More is too vast to be practical to search.

Crow

 

[Trlewis48]

Even if the story is true. The search area Low More is too vast to be practical to search.

View attachment 2240776

View attachment 2240777

View attachment 2240778

View attachment 2240779

Crow

If you go to the county seat, someone could look up where the Albert Truelson farm was, and start doing some metal detecting there.

 

[Crow]

If you go to the county seat, someone could look up where the Albert Truelson farm was, and start doing some metal detecting there.

Yes, I agree, but for me it's a hell of a long way to go there. I live on the other side of the world. But some locals who are retired have the means and time on their hands. Definitely worth detecting the farm if they can get access where these tragic events took place.

Crow

 

[Gare]

That is a long way to go and MAYBE GET PERMISSION to detect. If it was my land I would not let anyone else detect it IF I thought there was gold coins on it ? Would any of you let someone else look for it ?

 

[MadJack]

I once lived right next door to a metal detector dealer who claimed he found a gold coin or two from this incident. He and his family searched this area back in the late 1970s. He said that not long after he hunted it,that the land owner turned sour and wouldn't even allow JESUS to search! The metal detector dealer's name was Floyd Abbott. Abbott's Treasure House. 1970s-1980s. Davenport,Iowa.

 

[Crow]

I once lived right next door to a metal detector dealer who claimed he found a gold coin or two from this incident. He and his family searched this area back in the late 1970s. He said that not long after he hunted it,that the land owner turned sour and wouldn't even allow JESUS to search! The metal detector dealer's name was Floyd Abbott. Abbott's Treasure House. 1970s-1980s. Davenport,Iowa.

Good information. But that was nearly 50 years ago. People move on, and new generations follow. Still no guarantees, even with the present owner. If anything, a 50 50 split offer would not go astray with the owner if he is too busy to search for himself. Yet comes down to trust and how you approach the propositions with the current owner.

The biggest worry for property owners is letting someone search on your property, and they injure themselves, on their property and you get sued. Second damage with unfilled excavation. Third is trust that you are to find coins and say nothing. The trust issue.

Crow