Lost Treasure There are a lot of people who have dedicated their lives to treasure hunting and most of them are more broke now than when they started. We know there are treasures missing that are believed to be hidden by the indigenous people of North and South America. Missing treasure is nothing new, if I had a nickel for everyone who tried to find Solomon’s lost treasure, I wouldn’t need a treasure. The problem with treasure stories is we usually can’t prove all or part of the story and sometimes over the years the story changes. Supposedly a recent treasure was said to have been hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. The treasure is said to be worth 2 million dollars. A millionaire named Forrest Fenn said he hid a chest with gold and other valuable things in those mountains in 2010. He wrote a poem and stated there were clues to its location in the poem. Did he really hide a treasure or was this just a way of selling books? He has written two of them titled “The Thrill of the Chase” and “Too Far to Walk.” This has caused thousands of people to go into the wilderness in several different states and so far, it has cost the lives of four of them. The search has upset some authorities and some have asked Fenn to call off the search, but it is said he has refused. Does he have another book coming out? Even if I was a treasure hunter, I would take a pass on this one. There is another book named Sur la trace de la chouette d'or. In English this is On the Trail of The Golden Owl. Supposedly an artist named Michel Becker and another man named Regis Hauser who went under the pseudonym of Max Valentin wrote the book. It supposedly provides clues to a golden statue of an owl which Becker created and hid somewhere in France. Hauser died and it is said the solution to the treasure hunt is in the hands of his lawyer. The book was published in 1993. The final zone of where the treasure is has never been reached. The Golden Owl is said to weigh 33 pounds. The owl is made completely of gold and silver. It would be interesting to know how much of the statue is gold and how much silver. An ounce of gold as of this writing is about 1300 U.S. dollars, but an ounce of silver is somewhere around 15.00 dollars. One of my favorite treasure hunts is the search on Oak Island. I have been watching the television series for years. You would think I would be sick of it by now, but it still holds my interest. While the money pit where a huge treasure is said to exist has not been found as of the writing of this article, many interesting things have been. There is enough being found to hold one’s interest. The proof of this is the show is still on the air, so people must be looking at it. So far pieces of antique jewelry were found, an ancient cross, old coins, different pieces of broken pottery, metal spikes and a suspected bolt from a cross bow. Structures have been found at a cove on the island after a small dam was put up and digging began. You can’t help but get the feeling it is only a matter of time before the jackpot is hit if it is still there. Another famous treasure is the Treasure of Lima. Lima was on the edge of revolt in 1820. It was a colony of Spain. The Catholic church had a huge treasure there. It is said there was two full size statues made of gold and things like solid gold candle sticks and jewels. It is estimated the treasure was worth about thirty million dollars but could have been worth more. It was decided to send the treasure to Mexico for safe keeping. The captain of the ship the gold was put on decided he wanted to keep it so he and his crew cut the throats of the guards and priests. He then set sail for the Cocos Islands which are off the coast of Costa Rica and buried the treasure on them. Unfortunately, the ship was captured and the captain and crew were charged with piracy. Thompson the captain and his first mate were spared to lead the authorities to the treasure. The crew was hanged. They led the authorities into the jungle but managed to escape and were never seen again, either was the treasure. There is supposed to be a treasure in Colombia in Lake Guatavita. Many believe this is the site of the El Dorado legend and that it started because thousands of years ago the leader of the Muisca tribe used to cover himself in gold dust, go into the lake and toss golden treasures into it. El Dorado actually means Golden One. Some gold has been recovered from the lake but it is believed there is plenty more there, at least that is what treasure hunters think. The first ones who tried to find the treasure were the Spaniards who tried to drain the lake in 1545 by bailing it with gourds. Needless to say, this was a waste of time. One attempt to drain the lake killed hundreds of workers. Will a treasure ever be found in the lake, or could it be there was nothing much to be found in the first place? There are plenty of lost treasures right here in the good old U.S.A. Some of them are connected with the American Civil War, some refer to lost mines and there are still others. One of the most famous lost mines is the Lost Dutchman. It is said to be a very rich gold mine which is somewhere in the Southwestern United States. Most of the tales about the mine place it somewhere in the Superstition Mountains, somewhere near Phoenix, Arizona. There are several supposedly lost mines which are referred to as the Lost Dutchman. The one I described is the most famous. There is a story about lost Apache gold which is also said to be in the Superstition Mountains. Could it be these two legends are really one in the same? It is said a man discovered the mine in 1850 and this did not sit well with the Apaches so they killed him. Years later a Doctor named Thorne treated a wounded Apache who is said to be so thankful he took him to the mine to see it. He was blindfolded when taken there and allowed to take as much gold as he could carry. Again, he is blindfolded and led out of the mine. It was said he was not able to find the mine again.
|
