Lost Treasure
The Butler Claim: Is There Still Immense Sums of Buried Gold?
When it comes to legends of buried gold or lost treasure, the Butler Claim is one of those tales that seems to have eternal life. Generations of treasure hunters have searched for Butler’s buried fortune since the 1850s. As of this writing, nobody has found the “immense sums” of buried gold that was left behind after Butler...
Kingston: Robbed of Their Existence and Money!
Kingston was a river town that grew out of necessity only to disappear just as quickly as it rose to prominence. Nowadays, all that’s left of this ghost town are a few trees, cement remnants of an infrastructure, a historic marker, a seasonal park and the whispers of its heyday. However, where many California ghost towns quietly...
“The Greatest Robbery of the Century”: John Winters’ Selby Heist
In the summer of 1901, a former refinery worker named John “Jack” Winters, also known as “Buck Taylor,” staged one of the boldest gold thefts in American history. In the predawn hours of August 5, he penetrated the vault of the Selby Smelting Works on Carquinez Strait in Contra Costa County and made off with …...
John Marsh: Physician, Ranchero, and His Buried Treasure
Dr. John Marsh (June 5, 1799 – September 24, 1856), later known as Don Juan Marsh, was a man of many firsts. He was the first American-born permanent settler in Contra Costa County, the first California doctor to practice Western medicine, and an instrumental figure in the movement to incorporate California into statehood. Marsh’s...
California’s Infamous Tales of Buried Loot
For centuries, tales of buried treasure have gripped the imagination of adventurers, historians, and treasure hunters alike. Among the most well-told legends are those rooted in the California landscapes that were traversed by stagecoaches, gold rush miners, and outlaws. This collection of Golden State lore, whether woven from truth or...
The Hidden Treasures of California’s Lost Gold Caches
California’s legendary Gold Rush era wasn’t just about famous gold mines and grand discoveries, it also birthed tales of hidden caches that remain lost in time. However, these are not just wild, imaginative stories; they’re fragments of history, whispers of fortunes long buried beneath the earth, awaiting rediscovery....
California Legends of Lost Spanish Gold
California’s affection for its Gold Rush heritage often overshadows deeper, older tales that are rooted in the region’s colonial times. Whispers of hidden Spanish treasures buried long before prospectors raced to this coastal frontier in 1849, can be heard through the echoes of history and the crackles of cross-cultural folklore....
Tales of California’s Lost Gold Mines
The following tales of California’s lost gold mines are part legend and part historical possibility. Whether viewed skeptically or with romantic enthusiasm, these lost California treasures capture the restless spirit of the Gold Rush era: the lure of hidden wealth, the drama of sudden discovery, and the frustration of losing it again....
The Bullion Bend Robbery: El Dorado County’s infamous stagecoach robbery
From 1856 to 1913, there were roughly 460 reported stage coach robberies in California. Perhaps, none more memorable or significant than The Bullion Bend Robbery. This legendary crime was the result of the Civil War spilling over into California which led to a shootout, the killing of a sheriff, a statewide manhunt and one of …...
The search for Yankee Jim and his gold
In my previous article, Yankee Jims: The legend of a bandit, the lore of a gold rush town and Folgers coffee, I explored the popular tale of Yankee Jim and where he was from. That tale spoke of Jim being from Sydney, Australia with the last name of Robinson. By all accounts, it was the …...
