(The old gold mining hamlet of Hornitos, circa 1930s.)As promised, here are the remaining 3 little-known California treasure caches:
Joaquin Murietta's Loot
Until his demise at the hands of self-appointed lawmen and/or vigilantes, Mexican-born Joaquin Murietta gained quite a reputation in the Southern Motherlode during the California Gold Rush years. What sort of reputation? Well, it depends on who you ask or what you read.
Treasure Hunting
Murietta was seen in some circles as an avenging angel and a "Robin Hood" to the poor, while others viewed him simply as thief and murderer who, like a mad dog, needed to be exterminated. Either way, Joaquin Murietta went on to become a legendary figure in California's early history.
According to legend, Murietta stashed at least 2 caches of loot consisting primarily of large dollar amounts of placer gold and gold bullion wrested from the nearby mines at various locations within the boundaries of Mariposa County. One of these caches is purportedly buried near the quaint community of Hornitos and the other is hidden somewhere near Arroyo Cantova (Note: I have been unable to pinpoint the latter location. J.R.)
The Avila Beach Trove
Avila Beach is a popular oceanfront hangout and tourist destination for many Californians. But in the mid-to-late 1800s Avila Beach was notorious for attracting many less-than-savory types who conducted a range of nefarious enterprises, including theft, larceny, robbery, and yes, even murder.
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What attracted these "n'er do wells" was the fact that Avila Beach was a bustling port at the time, serving nearby San Luis Obispo as well as other parts of California. The influx of shipping and cargo meant that there was money to be made, both legally and illegally.
One treasure tale about Avila Beach states that local criminals and other desperadoes had an underground hideout close to town. Large amounts of their ill-gotten gains (silver, gold, coins, jewelry, etc.) were stashed at the hideout while smaller treasure caches were hidden in selected locations near it.
Butterfield Stage Cache
The Butterfield Stage Company is well known to Western history buffs. Many people however, are not aware that San Diego County and Southern California as a whole were primary service areas for the old Butterfield Stage route.
Any of you who live or have lived in San Diego County (as I did for many years) know where the communities of Pala and Temecula are. Both lie to the northeast of San Diego proper. Pala is primarily composed of tribal lands while Temecula is actually part of Riverside County.
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At some point in the late 1850s to early 1860s the Butterfield stage was held up and robbed of tens of thousands of dollars in gold and silver specie. The robbery occurred somewhere between Pala and Temecula and it has been postulated for many years that part of this haul was cached nearby. (Note: No other details are given on this one. J.R.)
So there you have it. Six little-known treasure caches in the Golden State. Much more research is needed for any one of these treasure tales if a determination is to be made whether these have merit or are simply "will 'o the wisps."
Good hunting to you.
If you liked this post, you may want to read: "6 Little-Known California Treasure Caches (Part 1)"
(c) J.R. 2009
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
