Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Tips on KGC Treasure Locations (Part 1)

(An livery stable from the 1800s, one treasure location favored by the KGC.)

General Information That May Help You

I've already covered a few of the treasure signs and symbols used by the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) and I've also alluded to the fact that Jesse and Frank James (as well as some of their cohorts) were not only members of the KGC, but perhaps KGC "Sentinels" as well.

Metal Detectors

Since interest is very high right now in Jesse James/KGC treasure caches, I thought I'd pass the following information along to you about KGC treasure locations. No, this is not specific information that will lead you directly to KGC treasure troves (I'd be a complete idiot to provide that sort of info don't you think?). Instead, I'll provide you with general information that may help you narrow down your KGC trove search area(s).

Tips on KGC Treasure Locations

Old mill sites: KGC members were fond of burying caches in and near sites that could be easily remembered and sought out. Old grain or "grist" mill sites (and/or their adjoining terrain) were often used as treasure burial locations.

Smelters or furnaces: In days past, smelters and furnaces were commonly known focal or locator points for given geographical areas. These included not only furnaces or smelters for precious metals like gold and silver, but also included coal or "coke" ovens and the like. It is known that KGC members or "Sentinels" buried treasure at these locations as well.

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Cattle trails: The KGC also buried caches along cattle trails, especially those that were well known at the time or more prominent. Do not get sidetracked here on your average, cattle-going- to-water type of trails....focus on those where large numbers of cattle were driven, regardless of direction.

Livery stables and blacksmith shops: Often, these two were combined in many rural communities of the 1800s. If you are able to pinpoint the location of one of these as a potential KGC cache location focus your search efforts on the area(s) immediately adjacent to or near the old livery or smithy, not inside the perimeter of the old structure(s).

Railroads: Even old railroads covered large expanses of territory. So when you are pursuing a KGC cache lead along railways consider the following points: rights-of-way, water towers, switches or switch stations, etc. Something on or along that old railroad was a key visual clue for the burial (or recovery) of a number of KGC treasure caches.

Coach stations or traveler's inns/taverns: These sorts of early "motels" or layover locations were often used by KGC members because of their "strategic" locations along roads or trails. Again, search efforts should be focused on the immediate vicinity and not the old structure sites themselves.

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If you're truly interested in recovering KGC treasure caches, then do your research first (a must for all significant treasure hunting activities). Despite the fact that most of the above-listed general KGC treasure burial locations no longer exist on today's maps, all of these CAN be researched by adept and patient treasure hunters.

So do your homework first and remember not to trespass on private property if you can help it. Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for any possible KGC treasure signs or symbols near the above-mentioned locations.

I'll have more on this subject for you soon. Until then, good hunting to you.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "25 Sacks of Gold"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/12/25-sacks-of-gold.html

(c) J.R. 2009

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

25 Sacks of Gold

(Gold Creek, Montana.)

Montana is No Stranger to Booms and Busts

The “Big Sky Country” of Montana is no stranger to gold and silver booms and busts. One of the former occurred in Powell County, Montana at a small stream that came to be known as Gold Creek.

Gold Pans

In 1856 a French Canadian prospector with the curious name of Francois Finlay stopped along Gold Creek on his way to the goldfields farther west in California and Oregon. Finlay pulled out his gold pan and sampled Gold Creek’s gravels and duly noted that the creek did indeed contain placer gold.

Greener Pastures and a Blackfoot Threat

But like many prospectors and miners of the day, Finlay was after greener pastures (and not enthusiastic at all about having to fight off the Blackfoot Indian warriors who inhabited the area around Gold Creek). The showing of yellow metal in his gold pan, although heartening, was not enough in his mind to warrant establishing a claim along the creek, so he continued his journey westward.

Had Finlay stuck it out along Gold Creek he may have ended up a very wealthy man since the stream's gravels and bedrock were quite rich in placer gold. So Francois Finlay headed west while the placer gravels of Gold Creek lay dormant and awaiting rediscovery.

Rich Diggings at Gold Creek

At some point around 1859-1860 two brothers, James and Grant Stewarts, camped along Gold Creek with the intent of prospecting for gold in the area. Wary of the ever present Blackfoot threat, the Stewarts brothers pitched camp and began sampling Gold Creek and some of its smaller feeder tributaries.

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They not only found the gold that Francois Finlay had bypassed, but a whole lot more. In fact, Gold Creek proved to be rich diggings for the Stewarts brothers, as did just about all of its feeder streams.

25 Buckskin Sacks Filled With Gold

In a matter of a few weeks time the Stewarts had amassed at least 25 buckskin sacks filled with placer gold nuggets, flakes, and fines (Note: I estimate this amount of gold to weigh, at minimum, 25 troy pounds on up to over 125 troy pounds. That’s an astonishing haul of gold at today’s prices. J.R.). Along about this time the brothers were discovered by a Blackfoot scout who dodged their poorly aimed gunshots and went racing off on his war pony to relay the “good news” to his compatriots.

Stricken with fear, the Stewarts brothers began breaking camp. Knowing that the 25 bags of gold would only slow them down as they fled Gold Creek, the brothers buried their swag close at hand and then fled the scene at break-neck speed.

No Traces Found

It wasn’t until 1862-1863 that the Stewarts brothers ventured back to the Gold Creek region. When they returned they found no traces of their previous mining efforts or the spot where they had buried their gold.

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It seems that Gold Creek had shifted its course over the intervening years and everything appeared out of place, with trees and brush growing where the Creek itself had once flowed. Try as they might, the Stewarts were unable to locate and recover their hard-earned stash of placer gold.

So somewhere near the tiny community of Gold Creek, Montana a fortune in buried gold awaits a modern prospector or treasure hunter armed with the latest and greatest metal detecting technology. Do your research and who knows? You may strike it rich.

Good hunting.

Metal Detectors

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "The Lost Amargosa Diggings"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/11/lost-amargosa-placer-diggings.html

(c) J.R. 2009

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

The Lost Amargosa Placer Diggings

(Typical Death Valley terrain.)

Death Valley is No Stranger to Lost Mines

Southeastern California’s Death Valley region is no stranger to tales of lost mines. Some of the more prominent of these may already be familiar to you, but one that may not be is the legend of the Lost Amargosa Placer Diggings. The location of this tale of lost gold is in the Salt Spring Mining District at the southern end of Death Valley.

Treasure Hunting

Placer gold (including very rich surface deposits) was first discovered in the Salt Spring District as early as the 1820s but no major gold recovery efforts were made at that time. The placers were rediscovered by would-be ‘49ers during the Gold Rush days, but were quickly abandoned in favor of “greener pastures” on the other side of the Sierra Nevadas in California’s Motherlode Region.

A Late Arrival

It wasn’t until the 1860s that real gold mining began in the Salt Spring District. At that time miners began working the rich placers and eventually developed a number of lode or hard rock mines, including the famous Amargosa Mine. By the 1870s, however, mining activity in the District was on the wane.

One late arrival to the Salt Spring District was gold prospector John McCloskey. Unfortunately for McCloskey he had arrived too late to get in on the best gold diggings and soon found himself working borderline placer ground that barely paid enough to cover the cost of bacon, beans, and coffee.

The Magnetic Pull of Yellow Metal

After eking out a subsistence living in this manner for nearly a year, McCloskey grew weary of mining and decided to head east, where home, hearth, and his fiancée awaited him. After marrying his one true love, McCloskey once again felt the magnetic pull of California and the yellow metal that made the Golden State "golden."

Mining Equipment

With his bride in tow, McCloskey arrived near the Salt Spring District sometime in 1875. Although the newlyweds were on the way to the west side of the Sierra Nevadas, McCloskey couldn’t resist the temptation to show his wife a thing or two about prospecting and mining in the area he had once mined.

An Astonishing Find

It was during this little “show-and-tell” demonstration that McCloskey hiked up a small embankment that showed traces of placer gravels hidden between large, dark-colored boulders that littered the area. What he found astonished him and made his young wife’s eyes dance with joy.

Every pan of gravel taken from the embankment of dark boulders revealed coarse gold and lots of it, including no small number of nuggets. Even using dry panning techniques (Note: One of the most inefficient gold recovery methods there is. J.R.). McCloskey was recovering multiple troy ounces of gold per pan of gravel.

What To Do With All That Gold?

McCloskey wasted no time laying out claim boundary markers of piled stones and placing a hand-written claim notice in an empty tin can at one marker. Gathering up his goods and his wife, McCloskey headed for Los Angeles.

After settling his wife in a rented cottage, McCloskey purchased mules, food, and mining supplies and pressed hard and fast as he headed back into Death Valley, the Salt Spring District, and his mine. Along the way McCloskey was already considering what he’d do with all that gold.

Fate Has the Last Laugh

One thing was certain. Once he’d squeezed the last ounce of placer gold from his claim, McCloskey and his wife would be living lives of luxury and ease. The very thought made him laugh aloud.

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But it was fate and not John McCloskey who had the last laugh in this regard. You see, McCloskey was never able to find the location of his embankment of placer gold.

No matter how hard he tried or how many times he returned to the Salt Spring District, those rich diggings eluded him. Thus was born the legend of the Lost Amargosa Placer Diggings.

A Treasure Tale With Merit

What do I think? I think this treasure tale of lost gold has much merit.

There’s no disputing that the Salt Spring District of Death Valley was a big gold producer in the past. Moreover, there is extensive documentation on the richness of the early gold placers discovered there. So McCloskey’s lost diggings could still be out there somewhere between Salt Spring and the Amargosa River.

Good hunting out there.

(A word of caution. Death Valley is no place to be wandering around by yourself, especially in the summertime. The foolish and the unwary still die out there. Don’t you be one of these hapless souls who end up a statistic.)

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 3)”

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/11/jesse-james-and-knights-of-golden_24.html

© J.R. 2009

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 3)

Renewed Interest in KGC Treasure Caches

Treasure Hunting

As I mentioned in previous posts on this topic, many treasure hunters and treasure researchers believe that Jesse James, his brother Frank, and perhaps other members of the James gang may have been members of the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC). The KGC is known to have used selected individuals or members as "Sentinels" who were responsible for burying treasure caches and for guarding or watching over those very same caches.

Needless to say, all of this hullabaloo about Jesse and the KGC (including a recent Discovery Channel program on the subject) has created renewed interest in possible KGC treasure caches. In truth, a number of smaller KGC caches (or James gang robbery caches...take your pick) have been recovered in recent years by astute treasure hunters who have done their research up front.

More Signs and Symbols

The purpose of this series of posts is to provide you with some basic KGC treasure signs and symbols. To that end, here are more of these for your examination and study:

Tree Blazes (Simply carvings cut into trees, blazes can cover a staggering array of symbol types. In the photo above you can see an "X" or distorted cross symbol blaze which typically means treasure is buried here or nearby. Remember that trees, just like us humans, have fixed lifetimes. So I suspect many tree blazes more than 150 years old are no longer around.)

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Daggers, Knives, Swords (These symbols often have multiple meanings. If the blade symbol is pointing downward it can mean treasure is here or nearby; if the blade points upward it may mean that you must press farther on; and if crossed blades are used it may mean "X" marks the spot or beware, danger is close.)

Window Rocks (Window rocks are fairly common here in the Southwestern U.S. where I live. Typically these are geologic formations where erosion has, over time, etched or "eaten" away the center portion of the rock formation leaving an open "window." In a treasure context window rocks are signs or views to treasure when one stands at a certain position and looks through them. The problem here is that many window rocks are simply natural elements without any treasure significance. However, if you are on a proven or researched treasure "trail" and come across a window rock formation, take heed. It may provide a critical clue to the location of a treasure trove.)

All-Seeing Eye (A very ancient symbol, the omniscient or all-seeing eye is a very common Masonic symbol that was adapted and used by the KGC as well. A good example can be found on the reverse of any U.S. one-dollar bill. The eye's meaning can be different things to different people, including an "inside" message or direction to a KGC member or "Sentinel." For the rest of us mortals, the eye is open to interpretation from a treasure hunting standpoint. "You are being watched," "look here," "look beyond," "search inside," etc.)

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Strangely Shaped Trees or Tree Limbs (These sorts of natural signs are immediately noticeable to the practiced eye and often appear out of place or unnatural. Oftentimes these sorts of trees or large tree limbs were deliberately disfigured to act as treasure "guides" or locators. Pay particular attention to older trees that have limbs forming a prominent "U" shape with the base of the "U" pointing to the ground. Sometimes that means "treasure is buried here" while in other instances the "U" acts as a "sight" much like a window rock.)

That's all for now. Be safe out there and, as always, good hunting to you.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle (Part 2)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/11/jesse-james-and-knights-of-golden.html

(c) J.R. 2009

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Jesse James and The Knights of the Golden Circle: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 2)

Many in the treasure hunting community believe that Jesse and Frank James were, among other things, Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) "Sentinels." Whether this is completely true is open to debate.

What is not open to debate, however, is the fact that Jesse, Frank, and the James gang as a whole buried numerous small-to-medium sized treasure caches throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. A number of these caches have been identified, researched, tracked down, and recovered in recent years.

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Surprisingly enough, many of these caches were found by following treasure signs and symbols that belong to the KGC pantheon. With that in mind, here are more KGC treasure signs and symbols:

Sun(s) (Carved or etched images of the sun should be noted, especially if they have "rays" radiating out from the sun circle itself. Could mean that the center of the sun is the treasure location or one or more of the rays point to one or more treasure caches.)

Carved or Oddly Shaped Rocks (These often appear "out of place" in their current surroundings and are immediately recognizable. They have this effect for a reason. Stop and take note of your surroundings. Note: A search of the immediate area with a metal detector might be a good move on your part. J.R.)

Snakes (The snake symbol invariably "points" the way to a treasure trove or cache. If you run across 2 or 3 snakes etched or drawn in parallel with one another, they may indicate multiple caches.)

Bird Tracks (Usually these are 3-toed tracks drawn or carved as simple connected lines leading a certain direction that typically leads, in turn, to treasure.)

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Donkey or Burro (In the days of Spanish exploration and early mining activities, the donkey or burro was the primary beast of burden used for carrying gold or silver ore, or sacks or chests of coins or treasure. Like the Spanish meaning of this symbol, a carved or etched donkey or burro indicates that treasure trove was transported here and may be cached nearby.)

Hand With a Pointing Finger (A very easy symbol to interpret in most instances. "Treasure lies in this direction. Go forward this way.")

Once again, I urge you to remember the fact that many of these symbols are "universal" and not just directly related to Jesse James or the KGC. However, any time you come across these symbols out in the field go to a heightened awareness level and begin searching for more symbols or signs nearby or along the path you are following.

Good hunting.

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If you liked this post, you may want to read: "New Information on the Victorio Peak Treasure (Part 2)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-information-on-victorio-peak_18.html

(c) J.R. 2009

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com