Tips for Staying Under the Treasure Hunting "Radar" (Part 1)

Use the Stealth Approach

I decided to write this post after receiving a question from a reader that I thought was very appropriate to this issue. What issue am I speaking about here? Staying under the treasure hunting "radar."

If it hasn't come along already, there'll be a time or two (or three) in your treasure hunting career when you're gonna have to mask your efforts and use a stealth approach (just like a ninja) to gain additional info and search for that particular trove or cache. On a more basic level, you'll find that sometimes you'll need to use the stealth approach just to coin or relic hunt.

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Wolverine Boots

Here are some tips for staying under the radar and not giving yourself away:

Put on a good act. Although not all of us are Academy Award acting material, the ability to act out various roles is fundamental in escaping detection and preventing others from getting a line on what you're REALLY after. At one time or another you may end up acting out roles as a surveyor, nature-loving hiker, bird watcher, history buff, or a tourist or sightseer...anything and everything that may fit the bill for a particular circumstance. Putting on a believable act is one of the best ways to get the job done and not flag your true intent to others.  

(A word of caution: Never, ever take the role of a law enforcement or other type of public safety officer. Remember, flashing fake badges and representing yourself this way is not only morally wrong, but it'll get your rear end jammed up in a hurry. Besides, you won't find any treasure sitting in a jail cell waiting to get arraigned.)

Treasure Hunting

Say or do one thing, but mean another: Only a novice treasure hunter is going to blurt out questions to a local like, "Hey... I heard that Jesse James treasure might be buried around here. Know anything about that?" Game over brothers and sisters. Another way to approach this might be to say, "Hi. I'm studying the history of this county for a book I'm writing (or a class I'm taking, etc.) and was wondering if you know anyone who might be able to fill in some gaps for me?" Whatever you say or do, make your intentions seem innocent and NEVER reveal your true intent to anyone in the area you're researching or searching.

There's more to come on this topic in my next post. Until then, be safe and good hunting to you.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Basic Treasure Trove Laws"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Very Impressed with the "Gold Bug Pro"

(Fisher's "Gold Bug Pro.")

Most Sensitive Gold Machine

I finally did it. I broke down, shelled out the bucks, and bought myself a Fisher "Gold Bug Pro" metal detector. Thus far I'm very impressed with this lightweight little dynamo of a gold detector and I can't wait to get it out in the field for some real testing.

Metal Detectors

I don't want to go into too much detail about the preliminary bench and outdoor tests I put my "Gold Bug Pro" through this past weekend because I intend to write up a full range of tests for you in the next week or so. Suffice it to say this machine is the single-most sensitive gold machine I've personally used in my entire prospecting, small-scale mining, and treasure hunting career(s).

Meaning No Disrespect

In the past, I've owned (or still own) a White's "Goldmaster II," and I've swung the Fisher "Gold Bug" and "Gold Bug 2." Meaning no disrespect to the other machines here, but when I compare them to the "Gold Bug Pro," well...there just isn't comparison really.

Granted, this comparison is a bit unfair because the "Gold Master II" (which I purchased in the early '90s) and the original "Gold Bug" can be considered "ancient technologies" when compared to the design and overall capabilities of the newer gold machines. The "Gold Bug 2" is still a very good and viable machine but if I had my druthers...gimme the "Gold Bug Pro!"

(Face plate and display for the "Gold Bug Pro.")

What do I like about the "Gold Bug Pro" so far? Off the top, here are a few things:

"GB Pro" weighs about 2 pounds. You could swing this puppy all day long and never tire methinks.

Easy to ground balance. The "GB Pro" has an easy to use touch pad function to automatically ground balance the machine. This auto ground balance works great, by the way. Alternately, if you're stuck in the past, you can manually adjust the machine's ground balance function.

Gold Prospecting and Mining Tips

Electronic prospecting and coins or artifact hunting. Normally, I don't think much of gold machines that are dual or triple purpose. But the "GB Pro's" abilities as a gold detector are so strong the fact that it can also be used in discrimination mode for coin or artifact hunting is just more icing on the cake.

Anyhoo, I'll have much more to say about this slick little gold machine later. In the meantime, good luck to one and all.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Gold Detector Reviews: Garrett's 'Infinium LS' (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Hessian Silver and Gold Near Dalton, Massachusetts?

(Woods along the Housatonic River near Dalton, Massachusetts.)

Massachusetts Figured Prominently

Massachusetts figured prominently in the American Revolution and incidents such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill all took place in the Bay State. These are all factors in assuming that the treasure tale I'm about to tell you holds water and deserves closer scrutiny and research.

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In the Fall of 1777, English General John Burgoyne's forces were decisively defeated after a series of clashes against the Continental Army in upstate New York that culminated in the Battle of Saratoga. Many elements of Burgoyne's army fled in what can only be termed as a rout, and among these was a Hessian (German) mercenary regiment under the command of General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel.

A Large Stash of Stolen Goods

One element of Riedesel's regiment fled north into Massachusetts carrying with them a horse-drawn cannon as well as a large stash of stolen goods, including looted silver and gold coins taken from various farms and homes. Although fearful of pursuit or ambush by colonial militia groups, the Hessians' greatest fear was that Indians aligned with the Colonial forces would massacre them.

When the Hessians arrived at a heavily wooded area not far from Dalton, Massachusetts they realized that if they had any hope of escaping they had to rid themselves of the cannon and the bulk of the silver and gold so they could travel light and perhaps reach the coast and possible rescue by a British naval vessel. With a great deal of haste, the Hessian disassembled their field piece from its carriage and used the gun's muzzle to hide their loot. Then they buried the cannon barrel in the Dalton woods.

Unsuccessful in Recovering This Trove

As the story goes, the remainder of the Hessians eventually made it home to Germany, never to return to the newly founded United States. How the word got out about their stash is still debated, but it did.

Metal Detectors

For many years after the Hessians buried their ill-gotten gains, locals dug deep holes all over the woods near Dalton. But without the benefit of modern metal detectors, magnetometers, or ground-penetrating radar, these would-be treasure hunters were unsuccessful in locating or recovering this trove of silver and gold coins.

(Hessian reenactors doing their thing.)

If this treasure truly exists (and it very well may), a bronze cannon barrel stuffed with gold and silver coins is likely to put out a metal detector signal as loud as a small car. This is one stash you can probably search for without head phones!

Good hunting.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Karl Meyer's Lost Cave of Gold (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Northern California Gold Treasure Lead

 (Siskiyou County, California.)

As many of you already know, I came to be a treasure hunter via small-scale gold mining (still my first love, by the way). With first-hand material from veteran gold miner Stan M. I recently wrote a 2-part series for my gold mining site, "Bedrock Dreams" that contains what I believe to be a viable lead to a northern California gold treasure. The area in question is Siskiyou County, California not far from the Oregon border.

Here's what Stan had to say:

"Getting back to Northern California and Siskiyou County, there are lots of creeks around Happy Camp, the Seiad Valley, and Hamburg that produce gold. At the upper ends where they reach the Oregon border, Thompson Creek and Indian Creek are nearly claim free. Some of the biggest gold ever found in Siskiyou County came out of those two creeks."

Gold Prospecting and Mining Tips

"I'm sure, like you said, that the easy gold locations are gone. But who wants an easy spot that's been picked clean of gold anyway? You have to have the fortitude, the stamina, and the persistence to get out there and look for the good stuff. It's still out there and if I were a younger man, that's what I'd do. In my mind, if someone has to be told where to go, I don't think that person is very serious about gold prospecting and mining."

"Very Rich in Gold"

"Let me tell you a true story about Titus Creek, just west of Happy Camp. I have a good friend who's lived in Happy camp all his life...he's a member of the Karuk Indian Tribe of this area. When he was 16 his uncle came to him for help...it seems my friend's uncle had found a rich vein of gold that crossed Titus Creek (this is in the Independence area which is very rich in gold)."

 (As Stan M. can tell you, the Siskiyou Mountains are rough and tumble in many locations, including around Titus Creek.)

"Titus Creek runs on the south side of the Klamath River...it's between 5-7 miles long and located in extremely rough terrain. If someone took a good gold detector into that area and had the stamina to walk Titus Creek detecting from bank-to-bank, I'm sure that vein of gold could be found. At the time my friend was more interested in his new car and girls never did anything about it. Now he doesn't know exactly where on Titus Creek the gold was."

So there you have it. Remember, the area we're talking about here is pretty rough terrain in many locations and a search along Titus Creek won't be easy.

Metal Detectors

Oh, one more thing...remember to bring a gold pan along.

Good hunting. (My sincere thanks to Stan for sharing this info.)

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "The Oldtimers Knew How to get the 'Goodies'"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Lassetter's Lost Reef of Gold (Conclusion)

(Once again, image of the Sidney Mirror's headline on Lassetter's demise.)

Stories Follow a Similar Pattern

Lewis Lassetter paid the ultimate price that a treasure hunter can pay...he lost his life pursuing his dream of relocating his rich reef of gold in the Australian Outback. Over the intervening 80+ years, others have also tried to find Lassetter's gold reef, but if any were successful they never advertised the fact.

Gold Panning Kits
Gold Concentrators
Metal Detectors

Most lost gold mine stories follow a similar pattern to Lassetter's story. An individual becomes disoriented in the wilderness (desert, mountains, Aussie Outback, etc.) and stumbles upon a rich lode of gold or silver ore. Grabbing a few samples the finder struggles back to civilization where the samples are assayed and declared rich beyond imagination. Finally, the individual or an expedition heads out to try and relocate the "mine," but is never able to do so.

Historical and Documentary Evidence

The difference in the tale of Lewis Lassetter's lost reef of gold is all the historical and documentary evidence supporting it and Lassetter's claims themselves. Remember, he and Harding relocated and mapped the gold reef, taking numerous samples that were fire assayed and shown to others, including government officials in Canberra as well as investors the Central Australian Gold Exploration (CAGE) company.

(The Australian Outback is not a place to trifle with.)

Neither Lassetter nor Harding had a personal history of deception or running scams or "cons." Had this been true in Lassetter's case, there's no doubt in my mind that the CAGE expedition in 1930 would never have taken place...the investors were wayyyyyy to savvy financially to allow themselves to be duped.

As Real as it Gets

Next look at the lengths that Lassetter (and Harding) went to in trying to relocate the reef. Who in their right mind would endure the frustrations, hardships, ridicule, and the disappointments that Lassetter experienced over the course of 30+ years? More importantly, would you be willing to risk your life as Lassetter did for a fantasy, a chimera, or "will-o-the-wisp"? I think not.

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No, my friends. Lassetter's lost reef of gold is as real as it gets. Somewhere near the Petermann Ranges or one of the other geographical areas recounted in this amazing story is a reef or vein of gold so extensive and so rich as to boggle the imagination.

How do I know this? Simply because Lewis Lassetter gave everything he had, including his life, to relocate it.

Good hunting out there.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "A Golden Fortune in the Arizona Sands (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Lasseter's Lost Reef of Gold (Part 6)

(Lasseter sheltered in the Petermann Ranges during the mid-to-late summer of 1930.)

The Reef Rediscovered

Lewis Lasseter and camel driver Paul johns had only been separated from the main party of the Central Australian Gold Exploration (CAGE) expedition for a few weeks when Johns showed up at Alice Springs with a letter from Lasseter. In the letter Lassetter wrote that he had once again found the immediate environs of his fabulously rich reef of gold in quartz and stated that he would meet the main CAGE expedition column about 250 miles west of Ayers Rock at Lake Christopher.

Wolverine Boots

Trekking with a few camels carrying his supplies, Lassetter covered the entire distance mostly on foot through some striking but very inhospitable terrain. I have to digress here a bit and comment on Lassetter's sense of commitment, and his determination and pluck. How many of us would have taken on such a journey and its resultant hardships alone in such a wilderness? Gold or no gold?

Serious Dilemma

After reaching Lake Christopher, Lassetter laagered in for two weeks and awaited the arrival of the main CAGE expedition. When the expedition failed to show, Lassetter was faced with a serious dilemma. Should he continue to wait for the expedition's arrival or use his remaining supplies to make it back to Ayers Rock under the assumption that for some unknown reason, the main expedition column had remained there, or instead head immediately for Ayers Rock?

 (The mysterious Ayers Rock, considered by Australian natives [and many others] as a sacred site.)

Lasseter did not debate his options for very long...he made the fateful choice to return to the area around Ayers Rock in the hopes that the CAGE expedition was there. However, at one point along the 250-mile return distance his camels bolted into the Outback and disappeared, leaving Lassetter stranded with virtually no supplies in the brutal heat of mid-summer.

 Lassetter Reaches the End

The situation became critical for Lasseter at this point. However, he didn't panic but walked nearly 10 miles until he found shelter from the heat in a cave in the Petermann ranges. Here he remained for some time, slowly starving but hoping that the CAGE expedition might still find and rescue him.

However, the rest of the CAGE expedition had accidentally burnt out their camp and many of their supplies at Ayers Rock where they they were waiting for Lassetter to show. With no trace of the reef's finder, the expedition packed up and headed back to Alice Springs to resupply.

Treasure Hunting
Metal Detectors

Lassetter finally realized that help was not coming. Weakened and close to death  from starvation he decided to head for Mount Olga, some 100 miles distant. Lassetter made it a full 30 miles before he collapsed and died, probably around the end of January 1931.

I'll tie the loose strings on this tale of lost gold in my final post on Lassetter. Until then, take care and good hunting.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "More on Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Lasseter's Lost Reef of Gold (Part 5)

 (Haast's Bluff where Lassetter and Blakely had a falling out .)

West to Haast's Bluff

The 1930 expedition to relocate Lewis Lassetter's lost gold reef in the Aussie Outback was the best equipped and most heavily financed yet. Expedition leader Fred Blakely, Lassetter, and the rest of the Central Australian Gold Exploration (CAGE) company (including a number of camels) departed Alice Springs, Austraila and headed west toward Haast's Bluff.

Carhartt Wear
Wolverine Boots

At Haast's Bluff, Lassetter (acting as expedition guide) wanted to move in a southwesterly direction from the Bluff, but Blakely would have none of it. He insisted the expedition move around the north side of Haast's Bluff and implied that Lassetter's directional memories were 33 years old and therefore suspect. Not only did this create friction between the two men, but Blakely's decision would have tragic consequences in the end.

Too Far North

The CAGE expedition moved north of Haast's Bluff and then headed westward again toward the Ehrenberg Range. There a base camp and a crude airstrip for the expedition's airplane were constructed. To make matters worse, the airplane crashed on takeoff on its initial flight out to the base camp injuring the pilot. Both the aircraft and the pilot had to be replaced.

Metal Detectors
Treasure Hunting

Lassetter and the rest of the expedition then headed westward yet again, this time reaching Mount Leisler. When Lassetter managed to get his bearings, he estimated they were at least 150 miles too far north of the reef's general area and blamed this fact on Blakely's presumptuous decision to move northward instead of south around Haast's Bluff.

Lassetter and Johns Go It Alone

After much bickering and finger pointing, the CAGE expedition tried heading straight south but soon ran into terrain that was simply impassible. A general meeting was held to discuss the options and settle upon a new expedition strategy.

 (Mount Leisler where Lassetter determined the expedition had moved too far north.)

Blakely and the rest decided to return to Alice Springs to rest up and re-supply but Lassetter, sensing he could relocate the reef himself, refused to return to civilization with the others. He and an expedition camel driver named Paul Johns decided to to continue searching for the reef in the interim and then eventually re-unite with Blakely and the others.

There's more to come on Lassetter, so don't run off. Good hunting in the meantime.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Treasure Hunting Questions and Answers: Part 4"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Lassetter's Lost Reef of Gold (Part 4)

(Lewis Lassetter.)

Doing his Damnedest

After the failure of the 1917 expedition, Lasetter's dreams were severely hampered yet again. Still, he refused to give up on relocating his lost reef of gold in the Aussie Outback.

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Deciding that perhaps public support was needed, at various points during the 1920s Lassetter approached  the Australian government in Canberra. Laying out the entire story of the lost reef, Lassetter did his damnedest to gather support from various government agencies and officials, but all was for naught. The Aussie government turned its back on Lassetter deciding he was addled, or worse.

Lassetter Refuses to Give Up

At this point things looked bleak for Lassetter. Still, he remained true to his Aussie heritage and refused to roll over or give up his golden dream. He believed he just needed to speak with the right person.

(Modern gold vein.)

In 1930, over three decades after he had accidentally stumbled on his rich reef of gold in quartz, Lassetter's story finally caught the interest of the president of the Australian Workers Union. Highly influential and not one to be trifled with, this gentleman called in a series of experts on gold geology and mining who listened to Lassetter's tale of lost gold in the Outback with a high level of interest.

A New Expedition

Soon, over 5,000 pounds (Australia didn't shift to dollars until 1966) had been gathered as well as a small plane and a 6-wheel all-terrain truck known as a Thorneycroft. A exploration/mining concern was formed called Central Australian Gold Exploration (CAGE) and a new expedition was outfitted to relocate Lassetter's reef.

Mining Equipment

A man named Fred Blakely was placed in charge of the expedition by its financial backers (and the influence of the Workers Union president). Although Lassetter was named "chief guide" of the expedition, he wasn't very happy about the arrangements. However, he knew better than to argue...after all, his dream was once again being pursued.

Stay tuned. There's more to come on Lassetter and his lost reef of gold.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Legends of Lost Gold: Pegleg's Lost Gold Found? (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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