Treasure Found

[buscar]

Treasure found sounds better than treasure lost.

I only tell the stories as twas told to me, but as to their truth, I know not what they may be.

The story that follows, tells of a cache of seven gold bars recovered at “second water spring,” following clues given in the old Peralta Maps. The story coincides with the late Jonathan Burbridge, a professional dower and treasure hunter, said to have found seven bars of gold in the Superstition Mountains. He died in 1973.

Another talked-about lost treasure is associated with a prep named, Bob Brady. Like Harry France, he too, claimed to have discovered a treasure cave in the rugged Superstition Mountains. The story goes that the cave concealed stacks of gold bars, a gold sunburst, a gold statue of a priest, leather bags containing gold ore and, of all things, a bed made from wood and leather. The cave is thought to have been near Al Morrow’s camp in Needle Canyon.

In the article “Superstition Mountains” by Jim Taylor, he said that his dad, knew a man who had found a cache of Spanish bullion in the Superstitions. He allowed Dad to cut the end off of one of the bars he had found. The bars were made up of a small percentage of gold and silver with a higher percentage of lead and tin. The bars you (buscar) describe (Bob Brady and Harry France found) sound like what Dad described, but again, all I have are accounts from Dad back when his mind was still sharp.

Another mystery in our midst of rainy-day gold seems to have vanished. The baffling strange account happed in 1937, when a 41-year-old disable veteran named, Charles Williams stumbled onto a wealth in (dental) gold hidden in a cave, while seeking shelter from the rain. He too, could not relocate his rainy-day find.

This is another intriguing tale that sounds too good to be true - yet it is familiar with other stories of found and lost treasure in the Superstition Mountains. This extract from a book written by Bob Ward “True Stories of the Superstition Mountains” tells about a man named Ray Diamond, who had arrived from Australia, and was caught in a severe thunderstorm in the Superstition Mountains. He too, claimed to have found gold bars in a cave, and was unable to find it again.

Do you have a story of treasure found in the Superstition Mountains?

buscar

[LDM]

LDM

[Joe Ribaudo]

Matthew,

As one of the last people to see Jake alive, and have a conversation with him, you would be in a unique position to have a qualified opinion on the truthfulness of his "cave of gold bars" story.

If he had such a cave, since the destination of his last trip into the Superstitions is known, especially by Matthew Roberts, wouldn't you expect him to be going to that cave? Did he have any kind of estate when he died? If you know, did he leave anything, other than his manuscript, to anyone? If that information is a little to personal, I would understand if you continue to maintain your silence towards me.

Others here might find your answer of interest.

Joe Ribaudo

[buscar]

In her book, “The Sterling Legend” published in 1972, Estee Conatser gives a brief account that involves a party of six men who discovered in a cave, a kings ransom in gold found in the 1940’s in the Superstition Mountains. This accrued shortly after WW II. The men allegedly loaded all they could carry into bags and then concealed the entrance to the cave as best they could.

In the years that followed, the men retrieved upon annual trips back to the cave, more treasure. Conatser goes on to say, that the cave is a carefully guarded secret, and it still contains a considerable amount of gold. At the time of her writing, only one of the men is still living and now makes the trip alone. The only information divulged at present concerning the cave is the fact that its shape is like an hourglass, with one chamber above the other.

Could this be the gold bar treasure of none other than Robert S. Jacob, also known as Crazy Jake, that Matthew mentioned

It is possible, that I have located the cave, or one like it, as described by Conatser.

buscar

[LDM]

LDM

[Joe Ribaudo]

Matthew,

Surprise to hear you quote Eve Ball after some of your earlier (deleated) posts.

There are a number of variations on this story, depending on who is doing the telling. It does not seem likely in any of the stories that the Superstitions was the location.

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"Perico went to Mexico with Yanosha and Marion Simms to find that gold hidden in that cave not too far from Casas Grandes," said Darlene Enjady, Perico's daughter. "They saw it when they were living down there. Way deep in a narrow canyon the Indians camped and they saw stepladders [notched poles] leading up from one ledge to another clear up to the rim.

"They climbed them and found that near the rim there was the opening to a cave. You could not get to it from the top of the mesa. And in there were bars of gold stacked like cordwood. Who put them there? The Spaniards maybe, or the Mexicans, but you know no Apache would mine gold. It is the forbidden metal. You can pick it up off the ground but you mustn't dig for it because the Mountain Spirits would get mad and make an earthquake.

"Well, many years after they got back from Florida and Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, and had come down here to the Mescalero Apache Reservation, five of them decided to go down and get some of that gold.

From, Apache Voices: Their Stories of Survival as Told to Eve Ball.

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Joe Ribaudo

[LDM]

LDM

[buscar]

An Apache chief White Horse, related a story that tells of a wagon train of Spanish that came to the Superstition Mountains and chose Weavers Needle as the place to bury a store of gold bars, jewels, statues and other artifacts. The chief stated that they climbed the Needle, and deposited the huge cache inside a cave near the top, then sealed the entrance. The Indians then attached the Spanish and killed them all.

Perhaps, this is the same story, that brought Celeste Maria Jones, to the mountains.

buscar

[buscar]

Bob Ward in his book “True Stories of the Superstition Mountains,” claimed Maria Jones discovered at least eighteen gold crosses, that did not come from the area of Weavers Needle. He said they left East Boulder Canyon, and that his job was to linger back a ways to let them know if anyone was following. Jones and Louis Roussette buried the gold crosses between two towering rocks. After marking one of the rocks, they left the mountains.

buscar

[djui5]

Bob Ward in his book “True Stories of the Superstition Mountains,” claimed Maria Jones discovered at least eighteen gold crosses, that did not come from the area of Weavers Needle. He said they left East Boulder Canyon, and that his job was to linger back a ways to let them know if anyone was following. Jones and Louis Roussette buried the gold crosses between two towering rocks. After marking one of the rocks, they left the mountains.

buscar

Whoa!!

You gotta wonder about a book titled "True Stories of the Superstition Mountains"

[buscar]

Robert L. Garman, tells a story about "The Ironwood Door," that an old friend named Van Stout discovered back in the 1930’s. While leisurely strolling along, Van Stout ‘s eye catch sight of the ends of some logs that were exposed. The logs looked like they might be heavy fence post. He was far enough up the slope of the mountain to where he could get a good look around. Uncle Van, said that there were no ranch buildings in sight or any fence posts. He became curious. He found a thin slab of rock and began digging the dirt away from the logs. They were ironwood and there were six of them. They showed that they had been cut and trimmed with an axe. They appeared very old. Perhaps one hundred years or more. Since there were no settlements around Superstition Mountain, at the time, Uncle Van reasoned that it very likely was the work of miners. The logs were placed at the same incline as the mountainside. While scraping the dirt off, he found a narrow crack. He pocked his walking stick down into it far enough to tell that there was a hole beneath the logs. The first thing that entered his mind was that he had found a concealed mine or if not a mine, a place where Peralta or Jesuit treasure might have been buried. He tried to pry one of the logs loose so as to get a look into the hole, but it was too firm to move without tools. He was frustrated, his time was about up and he would have to go. He pulled all the loose dirt available over the logs, he then scattered a few small stones on top of the dirt to make the place look more natural and then he came away.

On a copy of an old Spanish-Mexican treasure map of the Superstition Mountains, Garman said he had, there was a symbol on it just about far enough south of the Mexican hat rock (Weavers Needle) that could indicate the place where the ironwood logs were found.

Like most treasure tales, Van Stout, was never able to relocate The Ironwood Door, that was said to be at the east end of the mountain.

buscar

[buscar]

Matthew,

The gold bar, Crazy Jake showed you, would you give a description
of it?

buscar

[buscar]

Matthew,

Thanks for the PM (description) on the gold bar, Crazy Jake showed you. I also want to thank you for the added information that you kindly shared.

The cave with the false bottom that I located and told you about appears to fit with what you shared with me.

buscar