Atoche Emeralds from Columbia... Or Utah?

 Original article posted April 11th 2017

Expanded Article:

On April 25th A treasure trove of Emeralds along with other treasure is set to go to auction in New York. These Emeralds were recovered from the 1622 ship wreck Nuestra Senora de Atoche in the 1980's.

What if I told you they did not come from Columbia?

Emerals To Be Auctioned on 25th of April in New York VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO

One little secret never told however is that this shipwreck of 1622 was a little out of bounds from where it should have been when found, even with the hurricane winds it could not have ended up where it was... If the Academic version were true...

Also it was rumored until confirmed, that Mel Fisher believed... No... He knew that a large portion if not all of the cargo of the Atoche came from the Uinta Mountains. This was seemingly confirmed when Mel Fisher not long after the discovery came to Utah and spent much time in 3 unnamed areas of the Uintas of which I will keep to myself. His daughter later after his death spent much time looking in the same areas... Why?

One individual who was asked/hired to take Mel to certain places, when I asked him about this rumor, he interrupted me and said it ain't no rumor, Mel absolutely believed that because of a goat skin map that was found sealed in a cannon barrel with wax and other things found amongst the wreckage. " I saw it myself." Of the character of this individual and of whom I have known for about 16 years, if he told me the sky was pink with blue stripes, I don't know that I would bother looking to see if it were true...

I wonder what effect it would have on the sale of the Emeralds if those who own them, or even those considering buying them knew that the likelihood is, that these gems did NOT come from Columbia as everyone has always believed... what If I told you they more likely came from right here in our own Uinta Mountains? But where?.... Exactly? There is at least one confirmed tale of Emeralds being found in the Uintas... Is there another?

ADDENDUM:

Well since this article was written it seems that two more emeralds were found and one by a geologist while trying to confirm the other and somewhere in my research files is the written report.

The most interesting thing about this discovery is that in both incidents of discovery is in the same strata and geological formation and is located at the presumed back door of the most famous mine in the Uintas, The Mina Del Rey, or Mine of the King. The Mina del Rey is thought by some to date back to the expeditions Hyrum, the King of Tyre under the command of King Solomon and his journeys to a place called Ophir, but not much is written about it mainly because no one ever found it. King Solomon's mine is thought by a majority to be in South Africa, but then again anytime they can't find an answer they blame it on Africa, I'm surprised they haven't yet placed El Dorado and Shambhala in Africa. As far as I know it is only marked on two maps, the Antonio de Reinaldo map of 1851-53, but does not give the name of the mine, however on the other map Arolla le Sampora of 1876 which was drawn 29 years after the Mormons arrived in Salt Lake City, it is clearly marked as Mina Del Rey, could this be one and the same? The map was among four maps given to a friend by a Navajo Apache who said it came from his grandfathers of which were taken from the Spaniards they killed near the four corners area.

I certainly can't prove it yet, but I have found the location and the reason why it has gone undetected. The mine dump is so big I don't think you would know it if you were standing on it. The mine dump covers some 3.5 to 4 acres, keep in mind the size about 3 to 4 football fields, however this has not yet been proven to be a mine dump.

Overlaid with BYU football stadium

Rumor has it that the mine is very old, mined long before the Spaniards and it is said a tunnel goes all the way through the mountain over a mile away as a crow flies. This back door is right where the first two emeralds were found, and another 3 miles is where the second two were found. Is it possible that the Emeralds found on the Atoche may have come from the Uintas? I would say the possibilities and evidence make it compelling.

Emeralds from the Atoche

Imagine tunneling through on mile of a mountain in an area where emeralds were found, what might be the likelihood be of finding emeralds?

Spanish and Platinum in the Uintas

 

Some time in 2002 I heard a story reiterated by a friend and local of the Mountain Home area… as I recall she did not know where the story came from but was merely passing along what she had heard, it was the first time I had heard anything concerning Platinum in the Uintas. The story was short and sweet and the kind you simply log into your memory subject to your aluminum intake and at risk of being lost forever. Rumor has it that at some point in the past, Platinum had been discovered by the Spaniards near a narrow canyon and in the area I will tell of next. As the story went, apparently the Spaniards didn’t know what it was, in fact it is said that they thought it was Gold that was not yet ripe. Now I have a tendency to check out things as simple as that statement and I found that at the time of the conquest, 1600 to 1700 we’ll say, that there were indeed some Spanish explorers that did not know what Platinum was and some thought it was un-ripened gold. Well the story went on to say that they smelted the ore and made 200 bars, after which they put it back into the mine or cached it with the intent to come back for it latter hopping it would then be ripe. Well at the time I didn’t think one way or the other as to whether the story had merit,  but a few years later I must say it was on my mind as we traveled up the narrow canyon.

August 31^st 2004 I and some friends were traveling up  to an area just North and East of Lake Fork Mountain. Traveling through a narrow canyon I had to stop and discard some bodily processed coffee. During the pit stop I noticed a small stream trickling from the hill side, I recall it catching my attention as I know small steams such as this seam to flow from fault areas and or old mines.

 

Being close enough to the hill side I could see what was a place where the stream emerged and a place that appeared as sunk in. It just didn’t look right. Walking over to it I said to one of my friends, this is a covered mine. I’m pretty sure he didn’t believe me and for good reason, hell it might not be… but I said to him, if only we could find a mark or something on a tree and I turned around literally 180 degrees to be staring at the tree in the following image.

 

 

Now before you get all wrapped up in the symbol and the letters let me say that the letters you can see, P, e, a, and a B, are from 1935. Notice the width however of the vertical lines that make them up, in the lettering these are about ¾ of an inch wide. As the tree expands in diameter due to growth these lines cut with a single incision will expand. Now look at the vertical lines on the rectangle, these too were cut with a single incision, yet they have expanded to near 3 inches. My non professional opinion would be this rectangle was carved about 1800 to 1850. 

Now what does the rectangle mean? Well, It has two meanings from the Spanish perspective, it means cache, and 180 degrees as apposed to a square which is cache and 90 degrees. So if you are looking at the carving and you turn around 180 degrees you would be looking at the sunken in place previously shown. Could this be the mine or cache of 200 platinum bars? Well I don’t know… lets skip just over the mountain less than a mile from here...

I literally just got off the phone with one of my sources in order to make sure I had my facts straight on the next part. It seems we have discovered where the first part concerning the 200 bars came from. I hesitate to give names because I can be very stingy with my sources but my very good friend whose father is a best kept secret named Curtis.

Curtis passed away on June 1^st 2007 my friends prospecting buddy and father, Curtis by all means was not as well known as Gale Rhoades and Steve Shaffer but by all means should have been as Curtis was more connected to the Native people, the secrets and the mining than the former mentioned two and near as I can tell some of the stories they wrote about and perused, came from Curtis. Curtis was a meticulous record keeper who also kept a journal and wasn’t interested in writing books, he was interested in finding the yellow stuff and more importantly, the truth. Curtis left his son a wealth of information that sometimes I’m not sure he even knows… back to the Platinum. 

One day Curtis was traveling up a well know canyon with his Native buddy, and was engaged in typical conversation and as they approach one of the many draws in the canyon, his Native friend pointed up into it and said, up there near where the locals get their water, is an old platinum mine once mined by the Spaniards, they found an ore body but didn’t know what it was. But they smelted it and poured 200 bars and because it was a silver yellow color, they figured it was gold that had not yet cured, to my understanding the Natives of the time told them that if they put it back in the mine and leave it for a period of time it would cure and become gold, which they did but never came back for it. This draw mentioned is just over the hill from the previous place mentioned where the cache mark was found on the tree, and as it would seem, an old trail runs between the two sites. 

And yet another story that if I am not mistaken found its way from Curtis’s files to one of the many treasure book authors. Near the mouth of the very same canyon that Curtis and his friend were traveling there was an old ranch house, I can’t be certain of the year but was likely the early decades of the 1900’s to maybe a late as the 40’s. Two boys, one of which lived at the ranch house anxious to get out exploring after winter, loaded up the old horses and set off for an adventure. Traveling up the canyon and arriving just below the draw mentioned in the previous story, and where today is a small reservoir, they set up camp. The following morning the two boys mounted their old steeds and continued up the canyon. When they reached a point where in another drainage met with the main river they stopped at what appeared to be a nice flat area that seemed as though was a favorite fishing spot. The boys tied up the horses and set out on a short hike. They came to a small clearing and on the far side they encountered some small ledges forming a somewhat cove. Below the ledges were wild roses or raspberry bushes that they made their way into and discover a hole at the base of the ledge. Clearing some of the bushes away to get a better look one of the boys could see down in the small hole what appeared to be numerous leather bags filled with black rocks.

 

A little digging and a stretch of the arm the boy was able to grab a hold one of the leather bags to try to pull it closer but the leather just crumbled in his hand. Before the boys left the sight they managed to fill their pockets with the strange black rocks. On their return trip the boys were throwing the rocks at squirrels, throwing them in the river just as boys would having a bunch of rocks. When they made their way back to the ranch they still had a few and threw them in an old bucket belonging to the ranch owner. 

Maybe a month later the father of the boy who lived at the ranch house grabbed the bucket to use for some purpose and saw the black rocks, taken one from the bucket he was surprised at the weight of it and decided to take it down to Salt Lake with him and drop it off at the assayers office. After making this trip and returning to the assayers office ready to head back home, he asked the assayer, so what did you find out? The assayer responded with, I found out you best find out where it came from, why? Said the rancher, to which the assayer said, because it is near 100% platinum. The rancher upon returning home called the boys over and asked them if they had put the rocks in the bucket, they confirmed, then he asked do you know where you got them, they confirmed again with yes to which they all mounted their horses and headed up the canyon to the very place the boys thought they had tied their horses and set out to retrace their steps, how ever, hours later they gave up not being able to find the ledges or the sticker bushes.

 

The last living of the two boys drew a map, and to my surprise it is perfect, I don’t understand how they did not find it. We found it the second day out, and I am pretty sure I know why when the boys return with the rancher they did not find it, but that I am going to hold onto that. It's just another of the many projects underway and trying to figure out our next move, it is never easy…. There is always something that complicates what sounded so simple. 

So.. upon hearing the first story you can see that it doesn’t create much interest. The second story just gave me reason to pay attention, and then the story of the mine in the draw gave credibility to all of it and finding the trail between the two locations even more so. Then learning of the story of the boys? Well… credibility works both way and now we have way to many coincident. The bottom line, here is… there is Platinum in the Uintas, and especially in one specific area, and the Spaniards knew where it was…

The Gold Cavern[s] of the Breña

 

To start this off, let me say... I would not expect one soul to believe the following...

The Map of Captain Valentin

It was in the late 1500's, a small group of Banditos banded together for the purpose of cutting off the supplies of Gold and Silver to Spain, in hopes that it would cause these unwelcome strangers of their land to leave for good. Over the next two hundred years the number of banditos grew, Captains of the Gangs came and went, each leaving behind their written charted course of their experiences and handed down to their posterity.  These Mexican Indians set a goal, to fill their chosen cache site being a natural cavern, with gold only… I am sure it was a joke at the time, However they put only Gold into the cavern and the silver in another location near by. There is also the overflow location where shallow trenches were dug when they finally reached their goal in the late 1700’s.

There was at one point in the early 1900’s a cache found of 4 million (Value in that day and much to small) naming the items that was found, and it was imagined to be one of the many caches of these banditos, but the describe items do not match, however although there are still some who seek these sites today and look to far south for reasons I cannot give, the information they seek in order to find the right place, and they have not known of… is here in my hands.

It was some time in the mid-1970s that a somewhat well-known treasure hunter in Utah, who we will refer to as Jim, was investigating an off-shore treasure off the east coast of Mexico to the north of the city of Veracruz. Jim became somewhat well-known by the locals and while enjoying some free time in a small coastal village, an elderly Mexican gentleman approached him and asked him if he would be willing to take a look at some very old documents handed down from his ancestors. The old man explained the documents in summary and it became very clear to Jim that this was no small treasure story.

Now the old man had traveled far from his inland village for whatever reasons, yet Jim arranged to travel to the old village asking the old man if he would like to accompany him. It was necessary to travel to the village of the old man’s birth as this is where the documents were kept and were never taken from. Arrangements were made to view the old documents which Jim studied intently having a fair understanding of Spanish. It was quite clear that Jim’s suspicions were correct; he had never read anything quite this fascinating. It was as compelling as such stories as the alleged lost Aztec Gold of Arizona or Utah; this was clearly one of the big ones.

After reviewing the documents in the company of family members and descendants of the document’s author (who was a Captain of the Banditos in about 1770); Jim, trying very hard to keep his composure, asked if he could make a copy of the document. To his surprise, they said that he could. The problem Jim had was that the nearest Zerox machine was nearly 20 miles away and to take the document away from the village was unheard of, but it was agreed that two of the people from the village would accompany Jim to the town with the Zerox machine to make copies.

After this part of the story, I only have bits and pieces of what Jim did in the years to come. A few years later in about 1980 Jim befriended another man whom we will call John. John and Jim shared many adventures over the next ten years, but as it often happens there was a bit of a falling out where the two separated as friends and kept in touch but no longer shared in their adventures. While John and Jim were working together, Jim showed John all the details of the story including the copied hand-written document which John also studied from time to time as they wanted the best English translation they could get. Jim never gave John a copy of the hand written document but he did share with him copies of the English translation, a copy of the hand drawn map which came with the original hand-written document and Jim’s maps that he used to try to locate the many cache sites mentioned in the documents, but especially the main location or main cache which is 3 separate sites.

The biggest problem Jim had according to John is that the place names were only known by a few locals in the vicinity of the main site area. It would be another 16 years or so before the equivalency of the United States topographical maps were made in the area; something Jim did not have access to. In 1909 a newspaper article emerged telling of a wonderful treasure which was discovered in the area, the article said that it was found near a key place name mentioned in the old original document. This occurrence is one of the reasons why so many have discarded the story as being found and possibly why so many have been led to look in the wrong place. However the items found in this discovery were listed and it definitely was not any of the caches within the document.

As a result of my personal research pertaining to similar topics and those research topics which are somewhat unrelated to Spanish Treasure Hunting, I met John in about the year 2001. John, although one of the nicest guys in the Spanish lore game that I had ever met, was not a very trusting soul and was very slow to share information and he was also very cautious as to whom he shared it with. It would be another 3 years before John would share the information with me.

Shortly after meeting John, another friend whom I will call Mark approached me with a document which would later prove to be Jim’s English copy which (unknown to Jim) was copied when Jim took it to Mark in the 70s to ask for help in unraveling the mystery of it. Apparently Jim took his eyes off the document 10 minutes longer than he should have. When Mark brought the story to me, it was clear that he knew he could not unravel the mystery of the location; if he had thought for a moment that he could, I am certain he would have never brought it to me. He asked me to take it home and read it and see what I thought, hoping to get my insight on the details.

As I read the story I was absolutely amazed at what I was reading, often envisioning what this massive hoard must look like. Never at this time did I ever think, expect or imagine that in a few short weeks that I would actually find it. I was so taken in by the story and being a real sucker for a mystery, I just couldn't leave it alone. I almost immediately began the research process in order to discover the end results. I knew it was unlikely but I knew it was possible and I thrive on the challenge. Within just a few short weeks I had ordered the topographical maps mentioned earlier and I was well on my way to unraveling this mystery.

In about late 2002 or 2003, I met John as a result of part of my research. I was taken in by John; yes he was secretive but he was different than many others that I had met. There was a real genuineness about him; it was a hit and John has been my good friend ever since. I believe it was sometime in about 2004 that John brought to me a story he wanted me to review. By this time, John and Jim were no longer working together and Jim had almost forgotten the enormous cache site precisely 1066 miles south of his home which he had never found. Jim passed away in October of 2012, may he rest in peace.

Now going back a few years, I had received the 1:50,000 scale Topographic maps of the area in question that were created in 1986 and before opening them I decided to take them with me to work to study them hoping to find the place names. While at work, I was waiting for the sub-contractors to show up so that I could pay them. The sub-contractor who was coming to get paid that day I had not yet gotten to know very well and so when he came in I asked him where he was from to strike up a conversation. He told me that he was from a city near to the area of the cache sites. Of course that information raised an eyebrow and so I asked him if he knew one of the place names in the old document, he responded telling me that it is where he grew up. Ok now things were getting… coincidental? as I call it but I do not believe in coincidences. I asked him if he knew some of the other place names which he did. So then I asked if he wouldn't mind looking at some maps, and he responded in kind and said he would be glad to. I went out to my truck and brought the map tube in and pulled out the maps. Upon unrolling the main map which I suspected of having the majority of the place names from the old document, the sub-contractor said in surprise, “Hey, Where you get these? From a mapping company in Mexico I responded... why? I used to work for the company that made these maps before I came to the United States.” He explained to me that his job was the field checking of place names and features largely because he was very familiar with many of them. Unbelievable I thought, we proceeded to go over some of the place names of which he would point to the places I had asked about. Now what I didn't know and wouldn't notice for another few years was that a majority of the names I had asked about and he had pointed at were in fact on the map, but the writing was so obscure that I had never noticed it; not even when he pointed at it. In about 2010, I discovered that I could download the same maps of a 2001 edition in pdf format wherein all layers were very well defined and it wasn't until nearly five years after I had discovered the main cache location, that I could see the names and they were right where I had supposed they should be based on the very old but descriptive document.

PART TWO

Discovery of the Banditos Cache

One day after spending much time with the maps and place names and reading very carefully the main descriptive clues, I was following what I felt was a correct path either on Google earth or on the Topo maps. As I was taking the path north as described, I came to what were very obviously the two described unique natural features. One of these natural features is rare enough to find but to find two of them side by side as shown on the old map is indeed an extreme rarity, and to find them according to all the other details at the very place described it was clear I had found it. I could not believe my eyes; I had to go over it several times before I could believe it myself and finally the reality set in... You did it! I thought... I could not wait to call John to show and tell him, but my need to be certain would put this off for many months in order to find additional evidences.

After discovering the main cache location, I was trying to learn more about the whole story thinking there must be others who may know something about this, the main cache site has an unusual name and doing an internet search only one hit came up which took me to a web site wherein someone had posted a similar story, yet with much fewer details. As it turned out, the individual who posted the story was also trying to learn what he could and after talking with him for some time, he agreed to send me his four stories that he had found in very old journals, one of which had been published in a turn of the century treasure book. These four other stories were written by four other captains of the same gang of banditos but at different time frames spanning nearly 150 years. Each told their own stories but all talked of the same famous cache site of which their goal was explained to permanently cut off the supplies of Gold to Spain in hopes that the Spanish would leave their country. In addition, their goal was to fill this cavern with only gold which was mentioned to be located in an unusual geographical feature. The silver is given to have been put in other places nearby, and it would seem by the old document that their goal of filling the cavern with only gold, finally occurred in the late 1700s after nearly 200 years of robberies.

I found an unusual name in the document that I had first received that I knew did not exist in the other four documents and made mention of it to one individual. He responded and was very curious as to how I could have possibly known that name because he knew it was on his document which he was certain he knew no one else had. After talking with him for some time we finally decided we had the same story and we exchanged documents, but I never told him that I knew where the cache was. I told him the story of how I had received it and he reciprocated with his story of how he got his copy. He explained to me that he was in the very same village in which he had relatives who knew the family who shared the document with Jim. It would seem that at nearly the same time Jim got his copy, my new contact in Mexico was shown the very same document and he was allowed to type verbatim the Spanish contents of the old document. It is a copy of this which he shared with me in exchange for my English copy. As a result of receiving this Spanish copy, I have discovered that Jim’s English copy contains some mistakes; nothing serious but nonetheless it contained errors.

A year after Jim’s passing, my friend John called Jim’s wife to offer his condolences, he asked about the copy of the Spanish document and it was discovered that she so much despised his hobby and was sick of people calling her, that she burned all of his research.

The Old Document of 1770

Of the 5 documents telling of this main cache location, the Old Spanish Document of 1770 is the most descriptive one. This document is centered on a particular robbery which resulted in the death of many banditos and 60 plus Spanish soldiers. The shipment (by the way they talked about it) was considered to be one of the largest of the shipments stolen over a period of nearly 200 years by the banditos. It is said that within that the shipment were 400 Mules carrying silver of about 150-200 lbs (Carga) per Red Dun mule and 80 mules carrying gold. This robbery and the two loads of gold accomplished their goal set about 130 years previous, to fill the cavern in this 1770 occurrence. Another cavern nearby was being used to cache the silver.

In 1728 another account of a robbery is given by an earlier Captain of the Banditos that is about the same magnitude as the 1770 robbery. Just these two robberies, conducted nearly 40 years apart, represent in today’s value in the hundreds of millions. Imagine if the 10 other cache sites mentioned in the 5 documents were found, and you were to include all the gold and silver which had been used to fill the main cavern for nearly 200 years, the main cache site could reach well into the Billions. Explicit instructions are given in at least two of the documents, but the 1770 document is without a doubt the most descriptive, but this is only beneficial if you can discover the locations of the place names and the likelihood up until about 1986 was very slim... unless you happened to be the friend who was one of my sub-contractors and just happened to be looking for the vast lost treasure of the Brena.

Spanish "Gate" Monument Destroyed

 

Gate Monument with Darrel Sprecher, the man I credit for its discovery.

A year or so ago, I heard that the Gate Monument as we have come to call it, was missing… Of course no one would know what had happened until they went up and looked. A few months ago, I took a drive out to where we had first spotted the monument, and sure enough it was gone, I couldn’t hike up to it because of knee pain but I began to plot the possibility of reconstructing it, because I had many photos of it from all angles but little did I know…. I believe it was Darrel Sprecher who brought the existence of it to my attention, our first trip out to the monument and hike to it was April 12^th 2005. I recall Darrel being there and Doug Crofts two of my good friends.

We spent a lot of time at this location for documentation, it was clear of the antiquity of the strange monument due to the size of, the hard to ignore Crustose Lichen. This lichen growth cannot be replicated unless of course someone made sure the monument was watered 3 times a week an hour at a time, point being, there was and is no doubt of its antiquity. It was and is one of the greatest finds concerning Spanish explorations into the Uinta Mountains from the Nine Mile Canyon area.

So what happened to it? Well a tornado could have swept through there… highly unlikely. Perhaps a strong wing blew it over or even a deer, a cow or elk knocked it over, but this isn’t the case either. Perhaps someone was so dismayed or jealous that I used the photo for my book the Treasures of Utah and out of pure hatred towards me they destroyed it? possible, plausible and believable but I don’t think so….

Whoever it was that destroyed this monument did it beyond malice, destroyed is not to strong of a word as the rocks used to build it have been scattered from hell to breakfast. 

A friend of mine, Chris Davis "Basinite" who shoots some very good videos for documentary purposes, asked if he could visit the site to video it to assess the damage to see if it is possible to rebuild. Well, watch the video, there is nothing left except the base of one side. 

Chris Davis (Basinite) Video

Who ever did this, although possible kids or just some dumb asses, it would seem they did it under direction with instructions to destroy and scatter it with no possibility of rebuilding it. If it was someone who was just pissed off or some dumb ass that thought it would be cool to knock it over, why would they go to the trouble of throwing the rocks over the side and down the steep slopes in all directions to make it impossible to rebuild? I have my theories on why and who… but I will keep that to myself for now, lets just say, dumb ass is an understatement. 

Tornado…. Ya that’s it, it was a Tornado.

 

Another Family Treasure Story... The California Ranchers Gold

 

Sometime around 1910 or so, a older California Rancher decided he had had enough of Ranching and decided to retire and maybe try some prospecting in the Colorado Mountains. The Rancher sold his rather large ranch for a very good sum of gold and silver coin, and he loaded his wagons with all their belongings and his family and headed for Colorado. The rancher kept his valuables in a mid sized chest which he kept close. All went well through the entire trip to Colorado except a little upset near Utah Lake which separated him from his treasure. 

When the rancher came through the pass west of Fairfield, he looked toward Lehi which was his destination, and saw Indian camps. Now this rancher had a weakness, he was very much afraid of the Indians and even more scared they would steel his gold and silver.

 What he didn’t know is that it was a bunch of peaceful Piute Indians, and they couldn’t have cared less about his gold and silver, but no one told him… 

Looking at his map he decided he would skirt to the south and travel through another pass and spend the night at a place he had heard of called Mosida, and the following day skirt north and through Lehi, Except… he didn’t quite make it to Mosida. It was getting late in the evening as he traveled through the pass leading into the Utah Lake Valley and for fear of an Indian attack and loosing his wealth, he decided to make camp and bury a majority of his wealth and return for it at a later date. 

It would be many years passed when the Granddaughter of the Rancher returned to the valley. Word traveled through certain circles in Lehi of a lady seeking to hire men to travel to the west side of Utah Lake to help her find her grandfathers wealth.  Two young men named Bob and Ira would be two of the men who went with them to search. Bob was one of my Mother and Fathers treasure hunting friends back in the 70’s and Ira was my grandfather. Although searching for weeks and many trenches were dug, they never found the chest and latter the map which she carried drawn by her grandfather was given to Roger of the Cedarstrom Family who also participated in the search and the lady begrudgingly returned to her home in Colorado. I have contacted Rogers children several years ago, and it seams as though the map is long gone but no matter. 

In about 1973 on Easter day, my parents loaded up their truck and headed to the west desert to go treasure hunting again, some of the kids wanted to go and of course I was one of them. My dad being well to do, had a state of the art metal detector with a 30 inch coil, I guess bigger was better in them days. I remember my dad staking an area with wooden stakes and twine. We would cover each square within the grid until every square was thoroughly searched. At this place was several old trenches, side by side, that the hired men had dug. Remnant of these trenches can still be seen today if you know where to look. However, I personally believe they were in the wrong pass. 

While my dad and others searched the area I asked my mother what we were looking for, this was the first time I had ever heard the story, she told me that according what she was told, the rancher said that from where he buried his chest, he could see the light from the hotel. The hotel he was talking about was Mosida. Many years later before my mother passed, and we were reminiscing, she told me she didn’t remember saying that and that she thought it was that from where he buried it he could see the lake.

Now how much was actually buried in Silver and Gold we have no idea but the chest contain his personal wealth and the payment he had received for selling the Ranch. Now I have told everything I recall except why I think they were in the wrong pass digging trenches and where I think it is, and why… Someone with the right equipment just might be able to find this one…

Moving Forward...

 

In 1973 at age 14, is when I really began to take an interest in the unknown, the unexplained and suspect untold histories of this land. It seemed as though if there was an unresolved mystery I had an interest in it, Stonehenge, the pyramids of Egypt, the Grand Canyon, just to name a few… this list would grow immensely over the years.

I remember going with my mom and dad treasure hunting, usually some family story, bottle hunting and rock hounding. The idea of finding an old cache from the past always fascinated me, but not in ways I have seen so many who seem to lust after the riches. I can honestly say, that’s not how it was for me, oh sure it would be nice to find an almost forgotten cache, but the excitement for me was imagining those who hid it up and imagining that moment you unearth the very thing they hid so long ago. The thrill for me was more so the search and imagining the discovery or even finding the clues that evidenced the story itself. As far as holding the gold in your hands which I have been fortunate to do many times over the years, I’d rather have a pile of silver.

As many have heard me say, I’m not a treasure hunter, but is that really true? If it is, I won’t admit it. A treasure hunter to me is the guy who gets a story, he formulates in his head where he wants to look and then spend countless hours running metal detectors and other type of gold finding devices over the area, and they turn possessive and don’t share anything. My friends can attest that as long as they have known me, I have not owned a metal detector or any treasure seeking device… why? Because I don’t need it, and if I did, I have plenty of friends with their assorted treasure seeking trinkets. Even in those years where in I and my partner’s business was doing very well I did not own treasure trinkets. I could have easily bought any of the equipment I am seeking today, however GREED and LUST found their way into my business, two supposed friends and I lost everything as a result except what is most valued and that is my family. Even today some 16 years after I met Greed and Lust, I am still financially struggling, but its slowly getting better… at times…  I still focus on the mystery and I feel I have been very fortunate and blessed to have discovered and having been shown so many things that many would never think to even look for, and not all of it is what you might see as treasure.

As far as treasure goes, real treasure hidden up so long ago, I can honestly say because I believe it and have all but proven it… to others, that I have found treasure, real treasure, but some one, perhaps you is going to have to be the one to finish the job. As much as I need it I’m just not outfitted or in a position for the final move, there’s plenty to go around and I am open to just about any proposal. 

However if you do not have what it takes and I don’t mean the money, but the attitude, disposition and self control, then don’t give it another thought, I don’t know what it is but as it would seem, as soon as some gets gold in their mind, it possesses them, I have seen personally the lust and the greed destroy their lives. Family is the greatest joy and treasure you will ever have, let nothing divide it. 

With that said, there are no less than dozens we’ll say, a list of 75 since I last updated it near 5 years ago, of projects of which any one of them if you can take it to that next level and could benefit any man with real intent. Not all are gold and/or silver. These projects are scattered abroad, Jesse James caches, Spanish Caches, and others, of those in the Uinta Mountains I have targeted a few, however as it seems, the best projects are in Mexico. From Montana to Jalisco Mexico and from Tennessee to the west to California. If you see the treasure in Mexico as a problem or impossible, don’t give it a second thought, our last trip being our 5^th, for public relations purposes was interrupted but the way has since been cleared. The only brick walls are those you build in your mind. Today’s the day, as Mel Fisher use to say.  It is difficult to find that one individual who knows no bounds, with a balance of self control, reasoning, ingenuity, patience, wisdom and yes, compassion and humility, and lets not forget the financial ability. I like to think I once possessed those qualities, but did I? Sometimes I wonder…

Ironically today, I live in a fifth wheel trailer with my wife and 3 kids, we were booted out of the home we rented near two years ago so the landlord could sell it at an outrageous price, and we have not been able to find a place since. When a suitable home comes up for rent, mark my word, 20 plus applicants are standing in line in front of you, fact is, it is probably a good thing as for the last 5 months I don’t know how I could have paid the rent. I struggle each day to feed the family, it took me several years after a series of accidents to find a way to make a living, and after having done that to where I could actually pay the bills, circumstances not of my control put a near end to it and I had to start all over. It’s still not back up and running yet but I am off to a good start. I often look at the irony in all of this and find my self chuckling. If it were not for some very generous friends I don’t know how I would have come this far. I have so many irons in the fire at this time just trying to keep my head above water, I find it more and more difficult to find time to do any research let alone write. The reason I am writing today… aimlessly… Is that I am caught up in my roofing bid proposals in fact near 2 weeks ahead, but as always that can quickly change with a barrage of invites. But even then the battle isn’t over, I may bid the jobs we are invited to bid, but then we have to sell the job. Last year I did not do well but I blame myself, I should have known better, after 43 years I should have known not to take someone’s word for it, check it yourself and bid AS PER PLAN, you see I had been adding a product into my bids I thought had to be there and as it turned out, it did not it sickens me at times to think of how many bids I lost out on for my mistake. Don’t feel sorry for us, we feel blessed and we are happy, we like to think there is a reason for every trial… and we over come them. 

Wow… now back to treasure… I often imagine to value of these projects, just one… some I have no idea, others we have a very good idea, of all the projects I have dove into, and if you believe you have what it takes, I have a project for you, and if it comes up dry, I have another. Keep in mind the countless hours I have put into many of these projects, day after day search for clues, mainly to validate the authenticity of it first, and then to find where it may be. All I have left of monetary vale these days, is the research. 

In the future when time allows, I will try to write more pertaining to these projects or even new ones… for some reason, some just send me the damndest things, and sometimes original documents. But not all stories I can tell, I just received a new one I wish I could tell, however If I can’t keep my oath of silence I am no better than my two old friends, Greed and Lust.

Thank you for listening to me ramble… and

Thank you to all who have supported me in many ways…

Lets see how many actually read this...

 

Republic VRS Democracy

 

Let me first apologize for my absence... I have been getting things in my life under control.... having said that, Thank You for all you do and the support.

Republic VRS Democracy

KNOW the differences….

 

Although I rarely post anything political… this seems to fit right in with Jesse James, Smithsonian and related... so...

After watching History Channel for the last few weeks I couldn’t help but watching their agenda pushed with their new commercial played several times through each program to the point of annoying showing what is supposed to be the Greek Cleisthenes appearing in a voting booth and leading you to believe Democracy is a good thing being the will of the people, If only they would elaborate upon "the Will of the people" and the dangers that comes from it. Cleithenes being the man credited for the creation of the Athenian Democracy in about 525 BC. Yet the people still don’t learn, what government under a Democracy has ever been successful? To my knowledge every Democracy of the past has fallen… Have you ever lived in a Homeowners Association and been visited by the grass police? Perhaps you like living under their stringent and ridiculous rules, if so, carry on… but stay out of my neighborhood where we burn garbage in our back yard, piss off the back deck and invite the smell of a dairy farm...

Democracy allows the powers that be to rob you blind... many of you still think your tax dollars is paying for student loans and welfare recipients... why? because those who keep you in the dark with misinformation are very good at what they do....

This country was formed upon the principles of a FREE Republic.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of America, and to the …. ? How many of you said Democracy?

In short, a democracy is treasonous, the principles of which are in violation of a Free Constitutional Republic and nothing more than a glorified HOA with a group of Karens at the head.

30 some odd years ago during my Constitutional studies period I came across a book called the 1928 Soldiers Training Manual, I took notice because an all out effort was in place by the powers that be, to destroy this book and keep it from the public… Why I thought…. There are many text copies available, I highly recommend a read….

 

From the 1928 Soldiers Training Manual

Official Definition of DEMOCRACY

NOTE

Here are four (4) facsimile section reproductions taken from a 156 page book officially compiled and issued by the U.S. War Department, November 30,1928, setting forth exact and truthful definitions of a Democracy and of a Republic, explaining the difference between both. These definitions were published by the authority of the United States Government and must be accepted as authentic in any court of proper jurisdiction. These precise and scholarly definitions of a Democracy and a Republic were carefully considered as a proper guide for U.S. soldiers and U.S. citizens by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Such definition stake precedence over any "definition" that may be found in the present commercial dictionaries which have suffered periodical "modification" to please "the powers in office. Shortly after the "bank holiday" in the thirties, hush-hush orders from the White House suddenly demanded that all copies of this book be withdrawn from the Government Printing Office and the Army posts, to be suppressed and destroyed without explanation. This was the beginning of the complete red control of the Government from within, not from without.

-------------------

Prepared under the direction of the Chief of Staff.

CITIZENSHIP

This manual supersedes Manual of Citizenship Training The use of the publication "The Constitution of the United States," by Harry Atwood, is by permission and courtesy of the author.

CITIZENSHIP Democracy:

A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of "direct" expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic--negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether is be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demogogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy

CITIZENSHIP Republic:

Authority is derived through the election by the people of public officials best fitted to represent them. Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in accord with fixed principles and established evidence, with a strict regard to consequences. A greater number of citizens and extent of territory may be brought within its compass. Avoids the dangerous extreme of either tyranny or mobocracy. Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice, contentment, and progress. Is the "standard form" of government throughout the world. A republic is a form of government under a constitution which provides for the election of (1) an executive and (2) a legislative body, who working together in a representative capacity, have all the power of appointment, all power of legislation, all power to raise revenue and appropriate expenditures, and are required to create (3) a judiciary to pass upon the justice and legality of their government acts and to recognize (4) certain inherent individual rights.

Take away any one or more of those four elements and you are drifting into autocracy. Add one or more to those four elements and you are drifting into democracy.

Atwood. Superior to all others.--Autocracy declares the divine right of kings; its authority can not be questioned; its powers are arbitrarily or unjustly administered. Democracy is the "direct" rule of the people and has been repeatedly tried without success. Our Constitutional fathers, familiar with the strength and weakness of both autocracy and democracy, with fixed principles definitely in mind, defined a representative republican form of government. They "made a very marked distinction between a republic and a democracy * * * and said repeatedly and emphatically that they had founded a republic."

 

"By order of the Secretary of War: C.P. Summerall, Major General, Chief of Staff. Official: Lutz Wahl, Major General, The Adjutant General. 

WHY DEMOCRACIES FAIL

A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of Government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a Dictatorship.(Written by Professor Alexander Fraser Tytler, nearly two centuries ago while our thirteen original states were still colonies of Great Britain. At the time he was writing of the decline and fall of the Athenian Republic over two thousand years before. 

"Did I say "republic?" By God, yes, I said "republic!" Long live the glorious republic of the United States of America. Damn democracy. It is a fraudulent term used, often by ignorant persons but no less often by intellectual fakers, to describe an infamous mixture of socialism, miscegenation, graft, confiscation of property and denial of personal rights to individuals whose virtuous principles make them offensive."

Westbrook Pegler: New York Journal American, January 25th and 26th, 1951, under the titles- Upholds Republic of U.S. Against Phony Democracy, Democracy in the U.S. Branded Meaningless

 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hosea 4:6