Jesse James and the KGC: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 3)

 (KGC medallion.)

Treasure Caches Recovered

The debate whether Jesse and Frank James (and members of the James Gang) were active  members of the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) and perhaps even KGC "Sentinels" rages on. However, as more evidence is uncovered it certainly appears that this premise may be correct about the James Boys.

Jesse James and the KGC: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 2)

(The James Boys.)

Renewed Interest in KGC Treasure Caches

As I mentioned in previous posts on this topic, many treasure hunters and 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 caches.

Jesse James and the KGC: Treasure Signs and Symbols (Part 1)

(The young Jesse James as a Confederate partisan guerrilla, circa 1864.)

 

Interest in Jesse and the KGC is High

There's no doubt that interest in potential Jesse James treasure caches is high these days. Television shows about Jesse and the boys, the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC), and searches for James Boys/KGC treasure caches have contributed to this frenzy as have a series of books by KGC expert Bob Brewer. A fundamental premise shared in much of this interest is the theory that Jesse and Frank James (as well as selected members of the James Gang) were KGC members.

More on Treasure Signs and Symbols: Alchemy

(Alchemical symbols. From top to bottom: gold, platinum, silver, and copper.)

Look Beyond the Obvious

One thing you may want to file away in your own treasure hunting archives is that treasure signs and symbols come in all shapes, sizes, and cultural “flavors.” Most of the time in treasure hunting, there is not just a single interpretation of a given sign or symbol (or set of symbols) that is etched in granite and completely irrefutable.

The Lost Baker Brothers Lode

(Old mining district in the San Juans, photo courtesy sangres.com)

The San Juans and the Baker Brothers

The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado have long been known for their precious metals mining districts, including the famous Silverton District. Untold amounts of gold and silver have been wrested from the streams, earth, and rock of the district by intrepid placer and hard rock miners.

Developing New Leads for Lost Treasure (Conclusion)

 (Be wary of so-called "authentic" treasure maps.)

As I suggested to you in Part 1 of this series of posts, "research, develop, substantiate, or disprove" should become your mantra when it comes to new treasure hunting leads. What do I mean by this?  I touched on this in Part 1, but it's time now to take a closer and more detailed look at what I was alluding to in that earlier post.

Developing New Leads

If you read Part 1 you should already be aware of the fact the new treasure hunting leads can be found just about anywhere. I even provided a few examples for you there and here are more:

• books
• official documents
• accident reports
• personal diaries
• articles
• ledgers
• records of all sorts 
• biographies 
• first-hand accounts
• histories
• genealogies
• old maps

Leads lists like this are practically endless...so use your imagination.

That said, what do I mean by developing a lead? Perhaps a definition is in order here:

Develop: to expand or realize the full potential of; to elaborate, expand, or enlarge; to bring into being or to fruition.

Wolverine Boots

In other words, when you develop a treasure hunting lead you're taking whatever bare bones information you currently have and then are expanding that information to determine if other information or details exist that can also, in turn, be developed or expanded further. The more you can expand, elaborate, or enlarge your information, the greater your ability to substantiate or disprove a given treasure lead.

Treasure Hunting

Look at it this way: that simple treasure lead in your hot little hand is like the outer layer of skin on an onion. When you peel that layer away you'll find another layer underneath which, in turn, when peeled away reveals another layer, and so on. In other words, you continue to develop (elaborate, expand, and enlarge) a treasure hunting lead until you can no longer do so, or until it reaches a dead end and can be developed no farther.

Substantiating New Leads

Once you've discovered and developed a new lead, the next task in terms of overall importance is substantiating that lead. What do I mean by substantiate?

Substantiate: To make real; to support with proof or evidence.


It doesn't get any clearer than that my friend. A newly developed treasure lead, no matter how intriguing or potentially rewarding it may be, is essentially worthless if it can't be supported by real evidence.

What sort of evidence? Anything and everything that can lend credence to a treasure lead. This comes in many forms:

• If specific individuals are cited in the lead, can they be tracked down or verified as actual "players" in a treasure legend?

• Do general details contained in the lead jibe with known locations, dates, times, persons, etc.?

• Did specific sites such as forts, way stations, harbors, towns, etc. actually exist at the time they are mentioned in a lead?

I think you get the picture here. You'd be surprised just how many treasure legends and leads discount themselves by the glaring inconsistencies contained within them. An example of this can be found in the lost mine legend, "The Lost Nuggets of Red Hill" which I have written about here in "Treasure Trove Dreams."

A Treasure Hunting Lead Falls Flat on its Face

In the legend of the lost Red Hill placer nuggets, a miner named Adams finds a reddish colored hill in Southwestern New Mexico whose flanks are covered in gold nuggets. Not long after this discovery he's attacked and mortally wounded by Apaches. Adams manages to reach the small mountain village of Pinos Altos where he tells his story and then expires. All of this supposedly occurs in 1836. A treasure lead, right?

 (The old opera house at Pinos Altos, New Mexico.)

Yes, but as soon as you begin to develop and, more importantly, substantiate this treasure lead, guess what happens? It falls flat on its proverbial face. Why? Because when an attempt is made to substantiate this tall tale we find that Pinos Altos didn't even exist in 1836 (it wasn't established until 1860 when placer gold was found in nearby Bear Creek) and our man Adams was a wraith or ghost whose birth, life, and death cannot be ascertained at all, let alone proven.

"Just the Facts..."

So it goes... Some of you may remember the old 1950s "Dragnet" police show on TV (now I am showing my age!). One of the most oft-repeated and famous lines from that popular series was, "Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts."

This old line is just as applicable today in terms of substantiating treasure hunting leads. You need facts, not fantasies.

Good hunting out there. Oh, and one last thing...be very, very wary of so-called "authentic" treasure maps.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Treasure Hunting Pitfalls: Treasure Maps"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R) 2012

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

Developing New Leads for Lost Treasure (Part 1)

 (Following well-developed leads helped locate this old gold mine site.)

Leads and Common Sense

One of the most important questions to be answered by serious treasure hunters is where to find new treasure hunting leads. Without new leads that can be researched and developed (or cast aside as unsuitable) few treasure hunting enterprises will be successful.

Treasure Hunting

Isn't this just common sense? Yes it is, but you may be surprised just how many times that simple asset is missing in many lost treasure hunts. You see, as human beings we tend to be blinded by the possibilities and the dreams (not to mention the visions of immense wealth) dancing before our eyes when it comes to that magical word...."treasure."

Research, Develop, Substantiate, or Disprove

Instead of racing out the door with all your treasure hunting gear in hand on a "will-o-the-wisp" hunt based on the slimmest of leads and details, why not spend a little quality time developing potential treasure leads? In fact, here's a little treasure hunting mantra for you to practice repeating under your breath on a daily basis when it comes to leads. "Research, develop, substantiate, or disprove."

Where to Find Gold

The truth of the matter is that treasure hunting leads come in many forms. They may be as simple as a conversation in passing, details of a family history or genealogy, or perhaps a diary filled with notations and hand-drawn maps. Leads can also be ranked in terms of their plausibility or reliability. Some are oft-repeated legends or myths with few verifiable details while others are rich in facts, locations, occurrences, and actual persons.

(Developing and substantiating a lead may lead you to lost treasure like this.)

Even "Treasure Trove Dreams" contains leads for you pursue if your eyes and mind are open enough to see them. Some of these are matter-of-fact in nature while others are full of possibilities if you're treasure hunting radar is attuned to what's important and what's not. The same holds true for virtually any other lost treasure lead source.

Treasure Leads are Everywhere

Do you want to know the bottom line when it comes to treasure hunting leads? LEADS ARE EVERYWHERE. Unless you're a staggering movie zombie with totally deaf ears and blind eyes, leads are jumping out at you continuously. They come from nearly every page of that old mining history you're reading, to that article in the newspaper about missing loot from a recent robbery, to Granny's recollections of post-hole banks buried around the old homestead.

Strapworks.com - any strap, any length, any color!

I admit I'm amused when other miners or treasure hunters e-mail me that they can't find any new areas to work or new leads to develop. What they're really saying is that they are unable or unwilling to do the necessary legwork to generate new leads. Laziness or negative attitude...take your pick.

So it goes in the world of treasure hunting leads. This post has been a bit more philosophical in direction and tone, but in my next post on this subject, I'll give you concrete details for developing and substantiating new treasure hunting leads.

Good hunting and keep smiling.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "The Lost Breyfogle Mine"


(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.) 2012

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

Jesse James/KGC Link to the Victorio Peak Treasure?

(Victorio, Apache Chief and the Peak's namesake.)

Possibility of KGC Treasure

If you read my series of posts concerning new information on New Mexico’s Victorio Peak treasure, you know I’ve been in communication with “Mr. M,” a former treasure hunter who participated in the final treasure searches into the Hembrillo Basin in the early to mid 1990s. “Mr. M’s” direct experiences on the Peak, his intimate associations with many of this treasure legend’s key players, and his depth and breadth of knowledge about Victorio Peak are truly “golden” to any treasure hunter or researcher worth his or her salt, myself included.

Treasure Hunting
Wolverine Boots

Recently, I asked “Mr. M” for his thoughts on the possibility of the Victorio Peak trove being a major Jesse James/Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) treasure repository since many of the items and artifacts contained in the Peak were ostensibly from widely diverse time periods and cultures. Here is part of “Mr. M’s” response:

"No Evidence or Documentation"

"J.R., I do have some familiarity with KGC treasure stories, but I am by no means an expert. I'm aware that some of Jesse James’ ancestors apparently believed that some KGC gold was buried under Victorio Peak. Personally, neither myself nor anyone who worked at the Peak put much credence in that, because there was simply no evidence or documentation whatsoever to support this theory."

(Victorio Peak.)

"I can say with certainty, however, that if any of the gold in Victorio Peak was put there by the KGC, that it is only a small part of the overall gold content of the Peak, and that it IN NO WAY constitutes the entire treasure trove. I must confess that it's been many years since I formulated my own theory as to the history of the Peak and the origin of the gold, so I think it best to quote directly from my own manuscript, which was written in the mid 90s when my knowledge was much fresher."

"An Ancient Civilization"

"Here's what I wrote: 'My own belief is that Victorio Peak began as an ancient civilization, perhaps of Aztec or Olmec Indians, or perhaps a civilization of whom there is no knowledge in recorded history. These original people mined a vein of gold and lived in the network of tunnels and caverns beneath the Peak.'"


"'They flourished with the wild game and running water which was abundant in the Hembrillo Basin. This was likely more than 1,000 years ago. The ancient language of Ogam, more than a thousand years old, has been found scrawled on rocks within the confines of the Hembrillo Basin.'"

Mining Equipment

"'After the extinction of these original inhabitants, whoever they were, the site was lost to the world for perhaps many centuries. But legends of such an imaginary place, an El Dorado, or City of Gold, were handed down by word of mouth, and the search for it never ceased.'"

"Fabled Cities of Gold"

'"In the 15th and 16th centuries, after Spain had conquered Mexico, the Spanish sent expeditions north from Mexico into the land which is now New Mexico. They were searching for the fabled cities of gold, hoping to claim great wealth for Spain, the motherland.'"

 (Over and above all else, the early Spanish explorers were driven by dreams of riches in the New World.)

"'Virtually all the expeditions would have returned empty-handed, worn and weary, only able to report to Spain that the territory of New Mexico was nothing but barren desert, forbidding arid wastelands dotted by nearly impenetrable mountain ranges. But at least one expedition of Spanish explorers rediscovered Victorio Peak, most likely in the 16th Century.'"

So there you have it, in “Mr. M’s” own words. A new perspective about a treasure legend that takes on new life as each day passes.

If you’d like to contact “Mr. M” and ask him questions or hear about his experiences with the Noss Family and the search for treasure on Victorio Peak, he can be reached at the following e-mail address:

miclev@candw.lc

Good hunting to each and every one of you out there.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “New Information on the Victorio Peak Treasure (Part 5)”

©  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

"Waybill" to $150,000 in Jesse James Loot?

(A young Jesse James.)

"Waybills" Point the Way to Treasure

There is a staggering amount of information out there these days about possible treasure troves relating to Jesse James, his brother Frank, and the James Gang as a whole. Included in this information are a number of "waybills" that may point the way to treasure caches or troves buried by Jesse and the boys.

Metal Detectors

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a waybill is reliable information or documentation that provides direct leads to potential treasure caches. The late, great treasure hunter Karl Von Mueller used the term quite often in his books, but I suspect it is not used as much by modern treasure hunters as it once was by the old timers like Karl (and myself for that matter!).

At any rate, this waybill is one I came across recently that may provide decent leads to a possible Jesse James treasure cache in Oklahoma:

"Gold and Silver Coin"

"A elderly gent named Conley (don't know his first name) claimed in his final years that he had ridden with Jesse and Frank James and the boys when they committed some of their most famous (or infamous) robberies. According to Conley, over $150,000 in gold and silver coins was cached in Comanche County, Oklahoma in or near an area known then as Cutthroat Gap."

"According to Conley, both Jesse and Frank had hand-drawn maps in their possession that showed the exact location of this treasure trove. Eventually they planned to recover the loot when John Law wasn't so hot on their trail."

"Key Elements of a Treasure Map"

"Conley claimed he was shown one of the treasure maps by Frank James who told him that in the event of his and Jesse's untimely demise that Conley was to recover the loot and use part of it to help the James Family. Conley agreed and memorized the key elements of the map."

"These included the following:" 

• "stone corral near a small log cabin"
• "old rifle affixed in the fork of a nearby tree"
• "sealed cave"
• "nearby terrain feature known in the day as Mount Pinched."

Strapworks.com - any strap, any length, any color!

"These key elements on the map are supposed to help you 'triangulate' the trove with the rifle acting as an arrow or pointer sign."

 (Frank James in his younger years.)

"Conley says he did, in fact, try to locate the stashed loot on many occasions but came up empty each time. He said that although he was able to locate Mount Pinched, the stone corral, the ruins of an old cabin, and even the rifle in the tree, he was never able to find the sealed cave. In fact, Conley said that he could find no trace of a cave in the area at all."

"Find that cave and you may end up rich."

A Treasure hunter Comes Forward

Comanche County, Oklahoma lies in the southwestern portion of the state and is, along with the existence of a certain old desperado named Conley, one of the likely starting points for your research.

 (Comanche County, Oklahoma.)

I have received some interesting information since I first wrote this tale from a treasure hunter who came forward and contacted me. He stated that he actually found the remnants of an old rifle in a tree in the general area.

Dickies Work Clothes

However, this person told me he was unable to locate the cache itself.. Do I believe this treasure hunter? Let's put it this way...I have no reason not to believe him.

Good hunting out there.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Library of Congress Treasure Maps (List 3)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.) 2012

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

12 Buzz Words that Should be Shot and Buried in Cement (Last 6)

 ("Still wanna use those stupid-ass buzz words? Well, do ya punk?")

Here are the last 6 buzz words I think should be "disappeared" from the face of the earth in a not-so-gentle fashion (maybe Dirty Harry can help me out...):

7. Transparency: This is what politicians keep promising when they're running for office. "If I'm elected President I promise to bring greater transparency to the White House and Washington, D.C." Hmmm...the only things I find transparent are their lies, scams, and self-serving BS. Is it just me???

Carhartt Wear
Wolverine Boots

8. Win Win: "You can't go wrong...this is a win-win proposition!" Is there such a thing? I mean, I've won a few and lost a few along the way in mining, treasure hunting, and life in general but I can't recall one time when I was in a "win-win" situation. When I hear this one I just smile, nod my head in assent, and fight back the urge to wrap my fingers around the speaker's neck.

9. Renewable: Another "fav" (hey! that's a buzz word too!) of all the "greenies" out there, Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, should be a renewable resource...soiled underwear, empty Tic-Tac containers, false teeth, piles of doggie doo, VHS tapes, Porta Potties, Joan Baez records, garden gnomes, driver's licenses for illegals...you name it.

10. Leverage: As in "we need to leverage our assets." The clowns that use this buzz word all the time should be "leveraged" with a swift kick to the hind quarters so they'll REALLY understand the meaning of the term. After all, there's no better method of instruction for those who just need a boost ("leverage") to get their minds right.

11. Virtual: Everything's striving to be virtual these days...images, movies, video games, digital books...The idea is that one day we'll all live in some Eutopian virtual reality where all our wants and needs will met or transformed (digitized). But here's where all the social engineers and virtual reality experts miss the boat. We already have a virtual reality called life. Sure it's tough at times and things don't always end happily, but the sheer joy of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness will never be duplicated by think tanks or machines.

12. Empowerment: Wake up people!! It's all about empowerment. I empower you, you empower me, we empower each other, others get empowered, then they empower their friends and relatives who in turn empower others, those others empower themselves, then their children find empowerment and empower their friends at school, their teacher sees this and realizes her lessons on empowerment have taken hold after all, the school then develops an empowerment program that empowers the rest of the teachers, they in turn preach empowerment in their classrooms...see how it works? Yes? Well hell's bells...you've just been empowered!

Take care out there and the best of luck to you all.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Main U.S. Gold Deposit Types (Part 1)"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

12 Buzz Words that Should be Shot and Buried in Cement (First 6)

What's Getting my Goat?

Periodically I feel the need to step out of the gold mining or treasure hunting classroom to vent or simply throw a “change-up” pitch to all you loyal readers out there. Guess what? Today is one of those days.

What’s getting my goat you ask? Well for starters the ever-growing list of mindless, overused, irritating-as-hell buzz words that you hear or read everywhere these days…at work, on the boob tube, in magazines and newspapers, the radio, in personal conversations, online…hell, you name it.

Just Like Jimmy Hoffa

So here are the first six of my “dirty dozen” list of current buzz words that should be made to stand against a wall, given a last cigarette, summarily executed by firing squad, and then buried in cement in some God-forsaken location that no one will ever find (just like Jimmy Hoffa):

1. Sustainable: I swear, if I hear this piece o' crap uttered one more time by some environmental basket case or “greenie” cult member (or anyone else for that matter) I’m going full-bore postal on their asses. So…if you see me coming toward you all cammied up with greasepaint on my face and an AR-15 death gripped in one hand and a frag in the other, crawl under your desks and stay there until it’s all over.

2. Diversity: Oh I know, I know...I’m bound to offend someone out there by choosing this one, but guess what? Tough poopie. We ALL fall under this buzz word’s umbrella, right down to the last attention deficit disordered, hyperactive, gay, lesbian, transgendered, multi-cultural Martian dwarf who stutters constantly and walks with a limp.

3. Proactive: This is one buzz word the bosses frequently like to use in the workplace. “Be proactive,” they say, while they themselves kick back and surf porn sites on the Web all day…meanwhile Rome burns down around them. Tell you what, back in my day a size 12 boot in the ass was all the proactive motivation you were gonna get…and it usually worked pretty well.

(Go ahead, make my day...)

4. Carbon Footprint: Another piece of idiocy cooked up to get us to march lock step with the legions of brain-dead “green” zombies out there so we can have our pockets picked and feel good about saving the Amazon rain forests at the same time. To my way of thinking, the only true carbon footprints in existence are dinosaur droppings.

5. Exit Strategy: You’ll hear this one a lot when it comes to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Want to know what I think? If the parents of the politicians and bureaucrats who got us into this mess in the first place had practiced an exit strategy we wouldn’t be in this fix.

6. Wellness: Everything is wellness” these days…“you should practice wellness at work and at home,” or “here’s your wellness brochure.” Wouldn’t you know it, but I’m living the very bestest, greatest, grandest wellness dream of all time these days. Aren’t you? No? Then you better head lickety split right on over to the nearest “wellness center” you poor thing!

That’s it for now. More to come…

 If you liked this post, you may want to read: "A Rant on Gold Claims"

© Jim Rocha (J.R.) 2012

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

Help Me Get a Little Treasure

 You Can Decide

As most of you out there already know, I'm not one for blowing smoke up your rear ends when it comes to all things treasure hunting. I believe my no BS approach is one of the main factors that separates "Treasure Trove Dreams" from so many of the "generic brand" treasure hunting sites and the dream merchants out there as well.

Sure, I may be delusional in this regard...you can decide that for yourself. But one thing you can't deny is that you'll always find well-written and useful treasure hunting information of all sorts here...and lots of it. Oh...did I mention the fact that all of this info is free too?

My Sponsors

Now I'm here to ask you a favor. Help me get a little treasure back for all the time and hard work I've spent bringing all this information your way the past 4 years by supporting my "sponsors." Who are they?

Black Cat Mining:  Black Cat is a family run small business in Oregon that has been with me from the very beginning. Eathan Mertz, the owner, is as honest as the day is long and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. If you're looking to buy mining equipment, metal detectors, books, or anything else related to gold prospecting, treasure hunting, or rock hounding Black Cat Mining is the place to go. You'll find Black Cat text links like this (Gold Pans) scattered throughout my posts and a widget in the right sidebar of this site. 

Working Person's Store: If you're looking to buy Carhartt Wear, Dickies Clothing, Wolverine boots, or any other type of quality outdoor clothing Working Person's is the place to shop. You'll find text links like this (Wolverine Boots) to Working Person's Store embedded in various "Bedrock Dreams" posts.

Strapworks: There isn't a strap, buckle, tie down, belt, or rope that Strapworks doesn't carry. They supply gear to the U.S. Military, NASA, National Geographic, Apple Computer, IBM, Disney World, Warner Brothers, Cabela's...the list just goes on and on. You'll find text links like this (Strapworks.com - any strap, any length, any color!) to Strapworks in various posts and the widget with the AR-15 in the right sidebar will take you right to them if clicked.

Amazon: You all know Amazon and you also know you can get just about anything from this high-quality online shopping giant.You'll find an Amazon product "cloud" in the right sidebar of "Bedrock Dreams."

Chitika: Unlike the other sponsors listed here, Chitika provides pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for clients who are listed in their ads. Chitika is one of the best-known and most widely used PPC companies out there and they've been with me nearly as long as Black Cat Mining. You'll find Chitika ads and links at the end of each post here in "Treasure Trove Dreams" as well as in the upper right sidebar.

Bidvertiser: Bidvertiser is another good PPC advertiser and sponsor that I've just begun to employ after a long hiatus. You'll find their ad area near the very bottom of the site.

Not "Striking It Rich"

With the exception of Chitika, each time you make a purchase from one of these great sponsors through "Treasure Trove Dreams," I receive a small commission...typically between 4%-8%. That means a $20.00 purchase on your end brings me $0.80 to $1.60. Although it varies, each time you click on a Chitika or Bidvertiser ad I typically receive a few cents per click.

So you can see that I am not "striking it rich" here. In fact, if you knew exactly how little I do make for all my hard work here at "Treasure Trove Dreams" you'd probably shake your head in wonder...or disgust. Take your pick.

You know, it's not easy keeping this thing going and your support is really needed. Please do what you can to support my sponsors and enable me to get a little treasure back for all the information and help I provide you.

Thanks!

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Buried Treasure in B.C.: Brother XII's Trove

(Area of Stuart Channel not far from Round Island.)

Treasure on Round Island?

A significant treasure may await recovery on Round Island, in British Columbia's (B.C.) beautiful Stuart Channel, just a 30-nautical mile boat ride from downtown Vancouver. What sort of treasure you ask? Well, according to local legend, as much as $500,000 in gold bullion.

Treasure Hunting

Yes, you heard right. A half million dollars in gold. Oh, and before I forget, that figure is calculated based on 1930's dollars which would make this trove rich beyond all our wildest dreams today

Brother XII's Cult

During the 1920s an oddly charismatic figure calling himself Brother XII started one of Canada's first cults. Like many cults today, Brother XII's followers devoted themselves to their new-found beliefs and their fearless leader by turning over their money and personal property to him, ostensibly making Brother XII a very wealthy man.

 (Brother XII back in the day.)

With the heat starting to come down on him and the knowledge that he could only maintain influence over his "believers" by isolating them, Brother XII gathered up his flock and headed for the Cedar area where he purchased land on De Courcy Island. But his good deeds followed him there and with the authorities and disgruntled relatives breathing down his neck, Brother XII took the path of least resistance and fled.

Round Island Holds the Treasure?

Before he fled however, Brother XII decided to bury the gold bullion he had accumulated for a rainy day. After all, a person can't flee run very fast when his or her's pockets are weighed down by gold bars.

Wolverine Boots

Dickies Work Clothes

There were three islands in the general vicinity that provided the best opportunity for Brother XII to stash his loot before departing for parts unknown. Round Island was one of these three. It's also considered to be the most likely location for Brother XII's treasure trove, although as far as I can determine there is no concrete evidence supporting this fact.

Research Will Prove Invaluable

Thorough research on the area and particularly, on Brother XII's cult and his own comings and goings will prove invaluable in determining if there is substance to this treasure legend. Based on what I have been able to find out, this one does have possibilities since Brother XII was an actual person who did possess significant monetary "assets" at one time.

 (Gold bullion is at the heart of this treasure tale.)

Be advised however, that Round Island is private property. I believe it was up for sale at one time and may still be. If Brother XII's gold bullion is on the island, then whatever a potential buyer pays for that block of real estate would undoubtedly be overshadowed by the value of the gold bullion contained in the trove.

Something to think about, isn't it? Be safe and good hunting out there!

If you liked this post you may want to read: "Legends of Lost Gold: Pegleg's Gold Found? (Part 3)"

(c) Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Jesse James and the KGC: Jesse Outside Missouri (Part 2)

(Downtown Russellville, Kentucky; the site of a Jesse James bank robbery in 1868.)

As I promised in my previous post on this subject, here's more documented evidence of Jesse’s (and in some instances, Frank James’ and the James Gang’s) activities outside the state of Missouri:

Evidence of Jesse’s Presence in Other States (Continued)

Kansas: In December 1874 the James and Younger Gangs joined forces to rob a Kansas Pacific Railroad train near Muncie, Kansas. Jesse, Frank, and the Youngers made off with over $50,000 which was quite a haul even by modern standards (probably the equivalent of a half a million dollars or more today). Fortunately for all concerned, no one was injured in this robbery.

Gold Concentrators
Metal Detectors

Kentucky: Jesse and the Boys managed to run off with $14,000 taken from the Nimrod Long Banking Company in Russellville, Kentucky on March 20, 1868. One of the locals was wounded in the process but no one was killed and none of the Boys was hurt.

Kentucky: The James Gang and the Youngers rode together again on April 1872 when they robbed the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Kentucky. This time things went awry when a cashier was shot and killed but the Boys still made off with over $3,000.

Kentucky: Returning to the Bluegrass State in September 1880, Jesse and Frank held up a stagecoach near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. No one was hurt and the James Boys rode off to split $1,600 in cash, gold, and silver.

Nebraska: In June Jesse and Frank rode up to Omaha, Nebraska. This time their purpose was not robbery, but Frank James’ wedding where he tied the knot with Annie Ralston in a small, private ceremony.

 (Annie Ralston, Frank James' wife.)

It may be of interest here to note that there's also substantial evidence that Jesse James made appearances at two locations in south-central Illinois as well, although no dates are given for these visitations. One of these was at Greenville and the other at a place called Carolina or Carolinda(?)

Good hunting to you all. 

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "New York's 'Deerlick Rock Cache'"

© Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

Jesse James and the KGC: Jesse Outside Missouri (Part 1)

(Confederate "partisan rangers" Fletch Taylor, Frank James, and Jesse, circa 1865.)

Fundamental Premise

One of the fundamental premises central to Jesse James’ role as a key player in the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) is the fact that Jesse spent considerable time outside the state of Missouri. Obviously, Jesse and Frank James’ Confederate partisan ranger and bank/train robbery activities (and those of many James Gang members) in Missouri are well documented, creating a distinct timeline for those activities.

Treasure Hunting

What is not as well known however, are Jesse’s movements and activities outside his home state of Missouri, particularly those that occurred after the end of the U.S. Civil War in the Spring of 1865. Since many KGC treasure caches and repositories are said to be buried in other states, any documentation establishing the presence of Jesse, Frank, or the James Gang as a whole in those other states presents an important clue to researching and potentially tracking down the location of these troves.

Ostensibly, the greater part of the James Boys’ and James Gang activities in those other states concerned robbery and, to a certain extent, mayhem and murder. But underneath the superficial aspects of these activities other forces and other actions may have been at work as well, including those relating to the Knights and KGC treasure.

Jesse’s Presence in Other States

Alabama: In March 1881 (a year before Jesse was murdered by that “dirty little coward” Bob Ford) Jesse and Frank are recognized while robbing a bank in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Boys make a clean getaway and are not seen in the area again.

 (The James and Younger boys.)

Arkansas: Jesse and four members of the James Gang hold up a stagecoach outside Hot Springs, Arkansas in January 1874. Along with cash Jesse and the others make off with watches and personal jewelry items totaling over $3,000.

(Note: When relatives went through Jesse’s personal belongings after his murder, they found a pocket watch that was taken in this robbery. J.R.)

Iowa: Along with the Younger Brothers, Jesse and Frank rob a train near Adair, Iowa in July 1873. The gang is able to achieve this difficult task by derailing the Rock Island and Pacific RR engine, causing a crash that kills the train’s engineer. The Boys make off with $2,500-$3,500 in loot.

Strapworks.com - any strap, any length, any color!

I have more to come on Jesse’s activities outside of Missouri in a subsequent post. Be safe until then and, as always, good hunting.

© Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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

The Dutchman Project

(Arizona's Superstition Mountains; home of the Lost Dutchman Mine legend.)

The Dutchman Project

The story of the Lost Dutchman Mine is probably the best-known American treasure legend of all time. Over the past 60 plus years literally dozens of books, maps, and personal narratives have been published about Jacob Waltz's lost gold in Arizona's Superstition Mountains.

Treasure Hunting

Now a team of independent (indie) filmmakers from Los Angeles is looking to take on the legend of the Lost Dutchman from their own unique perspective using the silver screen as their artistic medium. This indie film endeavor is called The Dutchman Project and is headed up by writer/director Tara Anaise Samat and producers Jennifer Harrington, Tamara Blaich, and Megan Peterson.

Here's what Tara has to say about The Dutchman Project:

"I grew up in Arizona and throughout my childhood I heard stories about The Lost Dutchman Mine.  Located in the Superstition Mountains, with people going missing every year in search of what is rumored to be the richest gold mine in the Southwest, possibly the world, the legend of the mine kind of gets the mind of a child going. Cut to 2004 when Tara and I were graduating from film school and trying to find a story that inspired us to take on as our first script and I mentioned the mine." 

"A lover of conspiracy theory and the supernatural, Tara was hooked. We have been working on various iterations of this story since then and finally we decided that instead of writing a $75 million dollar special effects heavy spec script that no studio would ever let us direct ourselves, we decided we needed to go back to our roots.  Both of us love getting the crap scared out of us by a good movie, and as experienced documentary/reality producers we think the genre suits our sensibility and plays to our strengths.  Add to that our master's degrees in film production and you have the whole package. So here we are."

Indie Filmmakers Provide Alternatives

I don't know about all of you out there, but I personally don't think too highly of the Hollywood film-producing monolith that seems hell bent on force feeding us outlandishly expensive remakes of older movies that were much better as originals or big-screen adaptations of the comic books we once read as children. By the same token, much of Hollywood's creative spirit appears to have been trampled underfoot as big-time producers, directors, and yes...actors too, have sold out for the almighty dollar in nearly each and every instance.

This is where indie filmmakers step in. They provide all of us with alternatives that may be short on grandiose production elements, big car chases, or top-name actors but that are long on story, character, and artistic creativity. The Lost Dutchman Mine treasure legend was tailor made for an indie film approach.

If you'd like to learn more about The Dutchman Project you can visit this link (and I urge you to do so):

http://www.indiegogo.com/thedutchmanproject

I myself am a big fan of indie films and support them whenever I can. Indie filmmakers depend on people like you and me to help fund their efforts, so if you have a few bucks to spare, why not make a donation as I did?

Good hunting out there...

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Bumblebee's Lost Gold"

(c)  Jim Rocha (J.R.)  2012

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