(Location of Nevada's Pancake Range.)$25,000 in Buried Gold and Silver Coins
There may well be $25,000 (face value) in gold and silver U.S. type coins buried somewhere in the vicinity of an old stage and freight station in the desert southeast of Eureka, Nevada. How do I know this?
Treasure Hunting
For starters the story of Jim Pogue's fortune is no will-o'-the-wisp or campfire yarn. Pogue was a real person and the story of his station is full of facts and details that are easily researched if one is so inclined.
Who Was Jim Pogue?
Who was Jim Pogue you ask? By all accounts he was as unlikable a person as you could find anywhere, anytime. Cranky, impatient, abrupt, irascible, opinionated, miserly, and not above lying and cheating if it earned him extra money. Oh, and another thing. Jim Pogue was dirty, unkempt, and unwashed....all in all a thoroughly disgusting individual whose total lack of personal hygiene always kept customers at a "safe" distance.
Still, Jim Pogue earned a very good living all through the late 1800s and early 1900s running his own way station near an important gap in the Pancake Range near the melding of three Nevada county lines, Eureka, White Pine, and Nye
. Pogue's Station was the main rest, layover, and resupply point for freight and passenger wagons transiting this part of Nevada.
Pogue Hoarded His Silver and Gold
So it should come as no surprise that Jim Pogue held a virtual monopoly on the local trade and traffic, charging exorbitant prices for his services and demanding payment in either gold or silver coin
. It was a well-known fact among the folks in Eureka, Nevada 
and those who were forced to use his services that Jim Pogue was as stingy and miserly as they come, spending money only to buy necessary supplies and to fuel his tobacco addiction.
More importantly, no one in the area ever saw Jim Pogue inside a bank. It was simply understood that he hoarded his silver and gold coins and cached his savings in one or more troves scattered about near Pogue's Station.
By the time Jim Pogue passed on to that Great Way Station in the Sky, it was estimated that he had amassed and stashed quite a fortune in gold and silver
specie ($25,000 or more). Of course, misers never quite understand that hoarding does them no good once the plug is pulled in this life....none of them ever take their treasures along for that final ride.
One Small Cache Recovered
After Jim Pogue's death on May 15, 1915, various would-be treasure hunters began digging up the ground around the old station and even knocking holes into its adobe walls in search of hidden gold and silver. They actually found a few coins scattered about the premises, but nothing indicating a full trove.
It wasn't until 1936 that an errant prospector
down on his luck decide to give treasure hunting a try on the old Jim Pogue property. John Hoyt was his name and to date he is the only person known to have recovered a cache buried by Jim Pogue....a small strongbox containing the grand total of 11 dollars in silver coin.
A Fortune Worth 7 Figures Today?
There may well be $25,000 (face value) in gold and silver U.S. type coins buried somewhere in the vicinity of an old stage and freight station in the desert southeast of Eureka, Nevada. How do I know this?
Treasure Hunting
For starters the story of Jim Pogue's fortune is no will-o'-the-wisp or campfire yarn. Pogue was a real person and the story of his station is full of facts and details that are easily researched if one is so inclined.
Who Was Jim Pogue?
Who was Jim Pogue you ask? By all accounts he was as unlikable a person as you could find anywhere, anytime. Cranky, impatient, abrupt, irascible, opinionated, miserly, and not above lying and cheating if it earned him extra money. Oh, and another thing. Jim Pogue was dirty, unkempt, and unwashed....all in all a thoroughly disgusting individual whose total lack of personal hygiene always kept customers at a "safe" distance.
Still, Jim Pogue earned a very good living all through the late 1800s and early 1900s running his own way station near an important gap in the Pancake Range near the melding of three Nevada county lines, Eureka, White Pine, and Nye
. Pogue's Station was the main rest, layover, and resupply point for freight and passenger wagons transiting this part of Nevada.Pogue Hoarded His Silver and Gold
So it should come as no surprise that Jim Pogue held a virtual monopoly on the local trade and traffic, charging exorbitant prices for his services and demanding payment in either gold or silver coin
. It was a well-known fact among the folks in Eureka, Nevada and those who were forced to use his services that Jim Pogue was as stingy and miserly as they come, spending money only to buy necessary supplies and to fuel his tobacco addiction.More importantly, no one in the area ever saw Jim Pogue inside a bank. It was simply understood that he hoarded his silver and gold coins and cached his savings in one or more troves scattered about near Pogue's Station.
By the time Jim Pogue passed on to that Great Way Station in the Sky, it was estimated that he had amassed and stashed quite a fortune in gold and silver
specie ($25,000 or more). Of course, misers never quite understand that hoarding does them no good once the plug is pulled in this life....none of them ever take their treasures along for that final ride.One Small Cache Recovered
After Jim Pogue's death on May 15, 1915, various would-be treasure hunters began digging up the ground around the old station and even knocking holes into its adobe walls in search of hidden gold and silver. They actually found a few coins scattered about the premises, but nothing indicating a full trove.
It wasn't until 1936 that an errant prospector
down on his luck decide to give treasure hunting a try on the old Jim Pogue property. John Hoyt was his name and to date he is the only person known to have recovered a cache buried by Jim Pogue....a small strongbox containing the grand total of 11 dollars in silver coin.A Fortune Worth 7 Figures Today?
This leaves something in the vicinity of $24,989 in gold and silver coins still not found at or near Pogue's Station. With current precious metal prices and potential numismatic value thrown into the mix, Jim Pogue's fortune could be worth over 7 figures today (that's a cool million dollars or more my friend).
Metal Detectors
An experienced treasure hunter willing to do a bit of research and wielding the latest and greatest metal detector technology might just strike it rich southeast of Eureka, Nevada. That is, if someone else hasn't beaten him or her to the punch already....
Good hunting!
(Note: What's left of Pogue's Station could have been considered a ghost town or even a historic site if unscrupulous folks calling themselves treasure hunters hadn't dug up everything in the immediate vicinity and left all their holes and destruction as "calling cards." So don't expect a warm reception from the locals if you show up to do the same. Be smart and keep your cards close to your chest. For what's it worth, I don't believe the main cache or caches are that close to the old station itself anyway. J.R.)
If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Gold Detector Reviews: Tesoro's 'Vaquero'"
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/05/control-housing-of-tesoros-vaquero.html
(c) J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
Metal Detectors
An experienced treasure hunter willing to do a bit of research and wielding the latest and greatest metal detector technology might just strike it rich southeast of Eureka, Nevada. That is, if someone else hasn't beaten him or her to the punch already....
Good hunting!
(Note: What's left of Pogue's Station could have been considered a ghost town or even a historic site if unscrupulous folks calling themselves treasure hunters hadn't dug up everything in the immediate vicinity and left all their holes and destruction as "calling cards." So don't expect a warm reception from the locals if you show up to do the same. Be smart and keep your cards close to your chest. For what's it worth, I don't believe the main cache or caches are that close to the old station itself anyway. J.R.)
If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Gold Detector Reviews: Tesoro's 'Vaquero'"
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/05/control-housing-of-tesoros-vaquero.html
(c) J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
