Where is all that Gold and Silver?

[Chagy]

Hello Gang,

Since I have been doing my research in the east coast of Florida I have read many times; "such and such wreck" most of the cargo was salvage by the King of Ais (Ais Indians) I know the Indians would trade gold and silver with the Spaniards, French and British but I must assume they had a big stash somewhere....

They salvage many wrecks... that's allot of loot to trade for beans.....Where is the booty?

Has it been found?

The Ais Indians were related to the Caribbean
tribes. Hunter-gatherers, they lived on the abun-
dance of marine life and wild fruits and berries
indigenous to the area.
They dominated the Florida coast from Fort Pierce
to Cape Canaveral, and the Indian River was their
principal source of food and transportation.
With a marine-based economy, the Ais relied on
the lagoon, the river and the ocean for food. Many
of their tools, implements and decorations were
made of shell.
Later, after Europeans had discovered the new
world, they came to rely on the sea for other
ings as well.
With the advent of the Spanish treasure
fleets, which left Cuba and sailed parallel
to the Florida coast to a point east of St.
Augustine before striking across the At-
lantic Ocean for Spain, the Ais became
treasure salvors as well.
Numerous shipwrecks along the
coast attracted the interest of the
Ais.

from _Tales of Sebastian_
copyright 1990
Sebastian River Area Historical Society, Inc.

Introduction
by George Ricker

 

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[mad4wrecks]

This same topic is being addressed on another thread:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,100111.0.html

Very interesting that with all of the development in Florida, a big cache of this recovered treasure has never been found. Unless it was all thrown into a lake?

 

[Chagy]

This same topic is being addressed on another thread:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,100111.0.html

Very interesting that with all of the development in Florida, a big cache of this recovered treasure has never been found. Unless it was all thrown into a lake?

I guess that answers my question .....great thread!!!!....well I am happy to know I wasnt the only nut thinking along those lines ......

 

[Peg Leg]

The AIS Indians most likely buried their LOOT within easy reach of where the village was located.
I have been to many MOUNDS and have found there was TWO locations they were partial to. As far as a living villages they would chose a CEDAR HAMMOCK and was very close to fresh water. AND a location among LARGE OAK TREES.
The CEDAR HAMMOCKS can be found near the St. Johns River - been there and spent a little time there.
I also do not believe that they buried any treasure in their mounds, maybe a few trinkets and that was it and the reason that I say this is because of all the mounds that have been gone through very very little Precious metals have ever been recovered.
What would be the use of GOLD and SILVER in the afterlife NOT A THING.
The SEMINOLE Indians are actually a combination of other tribes that were chased out of Geogia and the Carolina's by the Cherokee.
They later became a tribe and dominated all the other tribes in Florida.
I posted on this forum about a location that I feel would be a good place to look.
One thing to remember is this.
NO MATTER WHERE YOU LOOK IF THERE IS NOT A FRESH WATER SUPPLY YOU WILL FIND NOTHING.
MERRITT ISLAND IS THE FIRST PLACE I WOULD CONCENTRATE ON.
Peg Leg

 

[Salvor6]

The Caloosa Indians are reported to have buried 20 tons of silver in a field along the Turner River. They had no use for it but they wanted to make sure that the white men didn't get it. It has never been found.

 

[Chagy]

After reading these threads

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,23740.0.html

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,100111.0.html

I don’t think the mother load of the Ais will be in a burial mound or near their village that would be obvious…..I say this treasure has to be in a secret spot maybe somewhere near one of these path (trails)

http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/maps/1800b/meye50z.htm


Chagy....

 

[mad4wrecks]

The Ais were not just concentrated along the coasts. Their territory extended about 30 miles inland.

Like I said, so much of Florida has been bulldozed and developed, especially along the coasts, and no large treasure caches have been reported.

 

[Peg Leg]

Let me say this as hard as I can and hope it does not upset many people.
I mentioned a location that would be the perfect location for the AIS Indians to hid their treasure a few mothhs ago and yet NOT A SINGLE PERSON has actually gone and checked it out.
I have since done more research and this is what I came up with.
There is an island due west of the Holiday Inn at Cocoa Beach between Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island. It is in the Banana River.
According to what I have discovered this island was larger in the AIS period than it is now.
Some may recall that I said to look for fresh water springs. Well everyone there were several fresh water springs located on Merritt island almost due west of this island in the Banana river.
One was located among some LARGE oak trees which is a perfect location for a village. There was one that had an artisan spring. Be as that may the County people that I talked with said that they believe that the island in the Banana River also contained a fresh water supply or did at one time. They have never surveyed this island but took Ariel photos along with some SAT photos and that is the conclusion they came to.
Now lets use some common sense and see what we have but first I think that everyone will agree that the AIS Indians were not Engineers and they damn sure were not farmers and in fact were a pretty lazy bunch this is why some were cannibals. There were Scavengers.
Now knowing all this can only lead to the conclusion that they would not bust their butts in transporting anything very far.
They learned for the shipwreck saviors (the ones they did not eat) how to use the material that was laying all up and down the beachs. Gold and silver ment NOTHING it was the metal instruments that they were interested in like cooking pots, sharp tools and other items that made life a lot easier.
It was later that they started to collect the soft metal and make trinkets because they found that the STRANGERS were wearing this material as TRINKETS.
As some will recall I recovered some silver and gold along with a few pieces of iron from what can only conclude to have been a indian village. But I can only conclude this was way after the AIS had leraned to melt and hammer from some of the people they did not kill.
So in conclusion I wil say this.
The AIS INDIANS were A PRETTY SORRY GROUP OF PEOPLE and were LAZY.
Peg Leg

 

[Chagy]

Peg,

which island are you talking about Brady and georges Island or the 2 islands south of them?

 

[Peg Leg]

Chagy,
The one called BIG ISLAND
pEG LEG

 

[FISHEYE]

chagy,

Heres a story for you but not from a "old man"its from a small seafood shop owner that i know.the wife told me that her great great
grandmother lived on a large piece of land that has a natural fresh water spring on it with a large pool.the granny had always told her grand kids that the injuns hid treasure in the spring somewhere.no one ever went in and looked for it.the grandmother isnt around anymore but the property is still in thier family.she gave me directions to it and the name of the owner.she said they would let me go in the spring and look around,even detect all the property.who wants to go and help?im sure if we find anything its going to have to be split with the property owner,maybe not,will have to go an talk with them an get it on paper to make it legal in case we do find something.if the AIS buried anything,im sure they didnt do it on the coast,where the tides would wash it away or flood it where they couldnt get to it.they would bury it or put it somewhere where they could get to it without a lot of trouble.plus keep it hidden from the white man or spanish intruders.then when they needed it for a trade for goods,then go and get it.

 

[FISHEYE]

dell,

will call you in the morning.

 

[Peg Leg]

Here is a PRIME location worth checking out.
Take SR 46 to the St. Johns River.
From the Fishcamp take a boat (small boat) and go south for about 3 miles. You will come across a what was considered a LARGE INDIAN TRADING LOCATION.
When you get there you will see a very large area with a low mound in the middle.
When you step from your boat you will find that you are stepping on Pottery shards. These shards will streach over 100 feet IN ALL DIRECTIONS EXCEPT ON THE WEST SIDE .
There you will see MILLIONS of shards.
Pay close attention to where you are stepping because you may find a few pieces of AZTEC or MAYAN pottery shards. THAT IS CORRECT I SAID AZTEC OR MAYAN.
As you get closer to the mound you will also see FLINT rock.
This is NOT a burial mound. It was a INDIAN TRADING POST.
I never MDed the area but I feel that there are some precious metal objects to be recovered from this location.
I have recovered shards that were from the Georgia and Carolina .Indians.
I question why would the tribes from outside Florida come so far to trade and my answer is for GOLD and SILVER and may be a few precious gem stones.
Why am I telling all this is simple. I will never return to this site and I do not want this knowledge to disappear when I am gone.
It does not cost much to check this sire out and with the river down you will be able to see what I am talking about. I also suggest that you take a oyster rake with a basket and get a load and check the area with a MD.
SOME OF YOU MAY EVEN WANT TO CHECK OUT ANOTHER SITE off SR 46.
There is a old town site called MELLON TOWN.
I was working for the FLA D.O.T. in building a bridge over the river.
We were going to drive some test pillings and had to clear away anything under water.
The Drag Line was pulling you some old logs when I noticed that one of the logs was different.
I had the operator drop this log away from the other trash. After inspecting this log I noticed it was carved. What I discovered was a 40 foot TOTEM POLE carved from Cypress. I then started to go over the other trees tht were being removed and discoverd another object -a 53 foot dug out canoe. I had the operator put this object withthe totem pole.
I then radioed the Main D.O.T. office in Deland and told them what I had discovered. By the next morning when I got to the job site there was two semi trailers sitting near the pile of logs. There was 12 people all together standing around waiting for me to show the objcts I had discovered.
What they did nes=xt really pissed me off big time.
They took a chain saw and cut the canoe in half and loaded it onto one of the trailers but their main interest was on the TOTEM POLE.
They loaded this onto a different trailer and covered with a canvas sheet and left the area.
I never heard another word and to this day the State of Florida denies knowing anything about what took place. But years later I got a hold of the driving logs from the Deland Office qand they cleqrly show that there was 2 trucks and 3 cars from the Main office at this location on that day.
Why was nothing ever printed in the Newspapers- I have my own ideas.
But maybe just maybe this is another site that needs to be checked out.
I will post more as I recall it.
Peg leg

 

[Voldbjerg]

The Caloosa Indians are reported to have buried 20 tons of silver in a field along the Turner River. They had no use for it but they wanted to make sure that the white men didn't get it. It has never been found.

Now I'm playing the devils advocate: Why would the indians 20.000 kgs of silver if it had no value to them? This is not a task that can be finished before lunch - and when you read about the number of fatalities among the native divers working/slaving for the europeans, it makes you wonder if they would really do the job, just to keep it away from the white men.

I know im rampling but its late here and I am dead tired.

/V

 

[mad4wrecks]

The indians had no use for the gold and silver they recovered, whether it was bullion or coins. They did however, understand its value to the white man, and thus kept it hidden until they needed it to barter for tools and hides and foodstuff.

 

[Chagy]

We are not talking here about the indiand that the Spaniards used as divers to salvage the wrecks....we are talking about the native Indians the Ais that would kill the survivors and slavage the gold and silver....it had no value to them but they knew that it had value for the Spaniards and they would use it to trade.....

If you read the history of the Florida coast you can see that they salvage many wrecks...Did the trade all of it? or Did they hide it since they knew it was of value for the Spaniards?

 

[Chagy]

Tom,

your post came in a few seconds before mine :P tuck my words right of my mouth :P

 

[ivan salis]

the ais traded silver and gold loot "up northward" to seminoles that lived near green cove springs (they traded with the spanish) they also raided and stole items locally also --- Ivan

 

[FISHEYE]

The AIS indians were no dummies.they knew that if they made large fires on the beaches that they could lure ships to wreck on the reefs.then after the wrecking they would kill the survivors and get what goods/treasure they could find.

 

[Peg Leg]

I used the wrong words.
AIS Indians were not stupid but they were lazy and not worth a damn but there were a few exceptions, no different from today's society.
To be a WARRIOR you must think like one and since I have spent many years in the Jungle I think I understand how they thought.
First off the AIS had nothing but wooden weapons but as the ship wrecks started happening they discovered IRON WEAPONS and metal pots and pans.
They had no use for the soft metals like gold and silver and then they found that some of the bodies being washed ashore were wearing jewelry made for this material. This is when they started pounding some of this softer metal into trinkets. They copied what the knew most about like the sand dollar, sea shells which were easy to do especially using gold coins. Silver was a JUNK metal and to hard to work so they just dumped this material into a TRASH pile.
Later they started dealing with the Spanish and found that the silver had value so they would dig up the silver and trade for whatever they needed. They learned how to melt this metal and started playing around with this concept.
Many ask WHY are there No records of where the Indians buried or stashed the gold and silver. When you think about it the answer is simple.
THEY DIED from the diseases brought by the Spanish . Whole tribes were wiped out one after another.
Where did they STASH their recovered Gold and Silver is anyones guess but I believe if some serious research is conducted it can be located but one wil have to think like an AIS indians inorder to find it.
jUST MY OPINION.
Peg leg