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• 3/1/2003---------WELCOME !!   To start this site off great I've listed about 250 treasure leads---some for every state!  Each month I will add more stories.  My goal is to have at least 1,000 treasure leads listed here within a year.  Use this information as your first step to begin your research on your favorite treasure story.
• If you have any short stories that you would like to contribute, please e-mail me at LostTreasureUSA1@AOL.COM 

STATE TREASURES

SUBMITTED STORIES FROM VARIOUS AUTHORS

ARKANSAS

1. An aged Mexican is believed to have buried a large amount of gold and silver in Madre Vena Cave, 10 miles north of Bentonville.
2. Somewhere in the Ozarks, presumably in a cave, is a large cache of Spanish gold bars and chests of coins worth $3 million.  Another source says that the cache consists of gold statues stolen from the churches in Mexico.  The cave was in the side of a cliff and nearby stood a large oak tree on which was carved a map.  The site is just off Hwy 59 between Gravette and Sulphur Springs.
3. A lone bandit robbed a stagecoach at Taylor's Creek, 3 miles north of Colt, in 1890.  He took $7,500 in gold coins, in the strongbox, and fled to the east.  The posse trailed the man to a point, in the woods, about 1 mile east of the holdup.  They found him dead from a bullet wound, the lone shot fired by the stage driver the day before.  The strongbox was never found and it is believed to be buried somewhere near where the dead man was found.

   

   
   
4. One of the treasure caches of early 1800s outlaw John A. Murrell is believed hidden on Stuart's Island near the upper end of Lake Chicot. 
5. A treasure known as the Spanish Galleons Treasure, a huge hoard consisting of $45 million in gold bars, is said to be hidden in the area of Kelso.
6. In 1880, outlaws robbed the First National Bank in Harrison and made off with $5,000 in a canvas bag.  With a posse in hot pursuit, the gang buried the loot somewhere near a clay bank on the S side of the road, about 1/2 mile E of Midway House, a relay station located about halfway between today's Alpena and Green Forest on the old stagecoach road.  The bandits were killed in a shootout and the money was never recovered.
7. The Spanish explorer DeSoto made his way with 600 men into the Ozarks searching for gold.  Finding themselves hard-pressed by Indian hostilities and sickness, they buried what loot they had found and stolen along their trek in a cave and walled up the entrance;  intending to retrieve it on their return trip, which they never did.  The sealed treasure cave has never been found and remains lost in the area of Brushy Creek just S of Berryville.
8. In 1863, 5 Indian renegade guerrillas were traveling with 3 wagons filled with contraband supplies and a large amount of gold and silver coins they had stolen in isolated raids.  Realizing they were being followed, they buried 2 iron pots or chests containing the valuables near the road that skirted Bee Creek in northern Boone County.  They burned the wagons over the site intending to return at a later date.  By the end of the Civil War, only 2 survived and they made an attempt to recover the treasure, but failed to relocate the site.  The search area has centered near Coweta Falls, supposedly in a cave under a large rock bluff.
9. In 1907, bandits robbed the Frisco freight train at Mammoth Spring, loading a wagon with several crates.  The 6 or 7 outlaws then headed towards Tick Ridge, or at the head of Cold Spring Creek according to a witness, leaving two dead trainmen behind.  The hoard was placed in a cave and the entrance dynamited shut for division at a later date.  All of the bandits were captured for various crimes and sent to prison to serve long sentences and the cache was never recovered.
10. A wealthy farm machinery manufacturer spent a year at Ravenden Springs in an effort to regain his health in the early 1900s.  He buried a huge sum of cash here which he never recovered.
11. Jesse James buried several caches of outlaw loot in the area of Paragould, one cache known to be a cache of $65,000 in gold coins. One location of Jesse James loot is along the Black River near Paragould. Another cache of Jesse James is along the St. Francis River near Paragould.
12. The Hermann family buried 5 large jars of gold coins in seperate locations during the Civil War on their farm at Dutch Mills, SW of Fayetteville. After the war, he could only remember where he cached 3 of the treasures, the other 2 hoards were never found.
13. $200,000 in gold is reportedly buried on Boston Mountain.
14. Early settler William Flynn buried a wooden keg filled with $115,000 in gold and silver coins somewhere on his farm property near Fayetteville. He had been to the California goldfields and brought back a fortune when he returned. His treasure has never been recovered.
15. One of these Indians told of a large cave, 1/4 mile downriver from Mills Ford where his ancestors buried millions of dollars worth of silver bars at the rear entrance. The treasure was stolen from a Spanish party that was traveling through the region when they attacked the wagons. The ingots were taken to the rear entrance of the cave, then sealed and camouflaged the opening.
16. Jesse and Frank James, Belle Starr and her husband Pony Starr robbed a bank in Missouri of $34,000 and fled N into Arkansas where they camped near Shiloh (now Springdale). It is believed the loot was cached in a cave on a bluff whose entrance was closed with a large rock on which was carved the head of an Indian. The cave was located in a flint bluff flecked with redish-colored rock along the old Butterfield Stage road. Another smaller rock below the large one was marked with a ladder. Years later, an old women appeared in Shiloh and searched for the marked cave, but she suddenly disappeared without finding the site. As far as can be determined, the outlaw treasure was never found.
17. George Sims returned from the California goldfields in 1852 after making a rich gold strike and settled on his 160-acre farm near Shepherd Springs. He lived frugally and was known in the region as a sort-of-miser. It was widely known that he had hidden or buried his huge cache of mined gold and the profits from his properous farm somewhere on his property. After his death in 1890, several searches were conducted for his accumulated treasure hoard but it was never recovered.
18. In the 1800's, Jim Hawkins owned a large and properous grist mill, still and farm on War Eagle Creek, 3 miles NE Huntsville. He distrusted banks and buried many  individual caches of money on his property, in various places. Hawkins died around 1920 and his caches of treasures went unrecovered.
19. There are local legends of buried treasure concerning the Sand Ridge Landing on the Arkansas River near Van Buren.
20. In 1897, another Mexican appeared in the area with a map that indicated the key to the treasure cave was a particular bluff on the Mulberry River which had a base od red clay. The bluff and other markings were found on the (then) 160-acre George Turner farm. The search and digging continued until 1926 without success.
21. Wilson's Rock was an crossing landmark on the Arkansas River near Fort Smith. W.M. Wilson established a hotel, ferry and trading post near this site in 1852. When word was received that a tribe of Penn Indians were on the warpath, he buried 2 wagonloads of valuables and coins and fled to Louisiana. Before he could return to recover his treasure, he died of an heart attack.
22. Several miles upriver from Wilson's Rock was anotherfamous river crossing called Mary's Rock. There are whispered rumors of many caches of treasure hidden in this vicinity as well, none of which have ever been reported found.
23. Chimsville was the site of the residence-tavern of Dr. Chism. built in 1840 where the roads from Fort Smith to Little Rock and from Ozark to Waldron crossed. The old house housed many travelers, including outlaws such as Belle Starr. Rumors of buried outlaw loot have circulated here for many years.
24. Hans Wesson was a wealthy expressman who lived in Cadron. He buried his 40-year accumulation of gold and silver coins on the W bank of the Arkansas River which was never recovered after his death.
25. Years ago, a wealthy merchant buried his accumulated fortune on the banks of the Arkansas River, about 5 miles SW Conway. His cache has never been recovered.
26. A cache of gold and silver bars worth $110 million and known as the Madre Vena Treasure, is located in the Pineville area of Izard County.
27. Edgar Mason lived in a cabin about 20 miles E of Morrilton in the 1880's. It was well known that he was well-to-do but distrusted banks and area residents speculated that his fortune of $65,000 in gold and silver coins was buried at or near his old cabin site in a large wash tub. The rumor was verified by a ranch named Weaver. Weaver watched Mason digging N of the cabin near a large group of trees when Mason told him that he was unable to locate his treasure hoard which he had buried sometime earlier. Together they searched but failed to find it. Mason became an invalid and moved to Missouri with relatives and, after several years, the ranch hand gave up his search. The tub has never been recovered.
28. In the early 1900's, a Spanish party was aided by the U.S. Government in search for a fabulous treasure cached in the northern part of Franklin County. An eyewitness stated, "I saw them bring out a large jardiniere about 18 inches high and about 10 inches in diameter...of melted gold...with 27 diamonds of about 2 carats each...I saw them bring out over 100 gold ingots and a large tray, probably 40 inches in diameter." The party spent 2 months at the site which was, "near the town of Mulberry and near the Mulberry River." When the party returned to Mexico, much treasure was still left behind as the group of Spaniards elected not to retrieve all of the cache. The witness was never able to relocate the exact site near what local residents still call " the Summit." Searchers today say the sealed cave and hidden treasure is on the S bank of the Mulberry River somewhere between Barron Creek and the present diggings at the Hill Mine.

    

    
    
29. A treasure known as the Spanish Galleons Treasure, a huge hoard consisting of $45 million in gold bars, is said to be hidden in the area of Kelso.
30. One of the  treasure caches of early 1800's outlaw John A. Murrell is believed hidden on Stuart's Island near the upper end of Lake Chicot. It has never been recovered.
31. Ike Garrison lived in a little house outside Athens. He worked at carnivals and converted all of his earnings into silver coins whiched he placed in gallon jars. When he died in 1970, none of his silver coins were ever found and local people believed that his fortune remains buried somewhere in the area of his cabin. So far as is known, none have ever been found.
32. Outlaw John A. Murrell reportedly used one of the 8 magnolia trees surrounding the ante bellum house known as Old Hank's Place as a marker to a cache of gold and silver worth an estimated $5,000 to $100,000. The house was built in 1812 and located near Helena. Murrell's cache of treasure was searched for, but never found.
33. The outlaw John Murrell and his secret organization the "Mystic Clan" had their headquarters called the "Garden of Eden" between the Tyronza and Little Rivers in what was swampy country, not far from the town of Marked Tree. The early 1800's site is believed to be the location of a cache or caches of treasure left behind by the gang and never recovered.
34. The Mystic Clan also had a hideout at Plum Point on the Mississippi River near Helena and legend has it that loot was also concealed at this site and never found.
35. The outlaw John Murrell was captured in 1834 in an Arkansas swamp, about 50 miles upriver from Memphis. It is suspected that much loot was buried in the vicinity of his hideout which was located here and never recovered.
36. A lone bandit robbed a stagecoach at Taylors Creek, 3 miles N of Colt in 1890. He took $7,500 in gold coins in the strongbox and fled to the east. The posse trailed the man to a point about 1 mile E of the holdup site in the woods where they found him dead from a bullet wound, the lone shot fired by the stage driver the day before. The strongbox was never recovered and is believed buried somewhere near where the dead man was found.
37. In the 1800's, William Strong operated a ferry on the St. Francis River 3 miles N of Newcastle along with a tavern, inn and generel store. In 1885, a gang of outlaws moved into a cave at Crowley's Ridge, 1/4 mile upriver from the Strong place. One day while out hunting, Strong witnessed the gang burying coins in a hole about 200 feet back from the cave in the woods and kept the observation to himself. In 1886, the gang was caught robbing a bank in Memphis and all of them were shot and killed. Strong never searched for the loot he witnessed being buried in the ground, but told the story to his nephew who did look, unsuccessfully. It is believed to remain buried today.
38. A man living near Gilmore is believed to have buried an iron pot of gold coins at a site now covered by dense brush near an old oak tree.
39. In 1874, Jesse James, Cole Younger and Clem Miller held up a stagecoach about 1/2 mile from the old Gaines place, 5 miles from Hot Springs. The outlaws took about $28,000 from the mail pouches and gathered an additional $4,000 in cash and jewelery from the passengers. The bandits were hotly pursued by soliders stationed in the area and the loot was taken into the Ouachita Mountains near the town of Bluffton on top of Polluck's Bluff where the treasure was buried. There are no reports of any recovery of this cache.
40. Some sources place the Jesse James loot of $32,000 in gold stolen from the Hot Springs stagecoach, in the mountains of Perry County.
41. Properous planter John Boggs sold his plantation and slaves in Mississippi in 1852 and moved to a farm 1 mile from today's Hwy. 16 and 10 miles N of Searcy in a groove of cedar trees near Hwy. 305. He had accumulated $40,000 in gold coins at the start of the Civil War which he buried in several fruit jars in a plowed garden. After the War, he was frequently seen digging in the garden and it became known that he only recovered about half of his caches and that $20,000 of his hoard was never found. The Bogg's family sold the property in 1890 and today's owner uses the old house as a haybarn. The $20,000 in early-dated U.S. gold coins still await recovery here.
42. In 1933, 2 boxes of money were found on the old R.F. Leigh farm. He was a recluse who was killed by 2 youths rather than reveal the hiding place of his treasure. The 2 boys were apprehended and the subsequent search of the property by authorities turned up the boxes. It is believed that more remains buried on the old Leigh property near Little Rock.
43. In 1899, a train was robbed just E of Forrest City as it approached the bridge over Crow Creek. The bandits made off with $12,000 in gold from the express car and the outlaws headed W under hot pursuit by a posse. At the forks of the White River and Cypress Bayou, the outlaws removed a few handfuls of coins and buried the rest, stepping off 45 paces due S from an old oak tree located about 400 feet from the forks, also due S. 2 of the outlaws were killed within 6 days of the robbery, the third captured and sent to prison for 10 years. When he was released, he returned to the site, but the change in landscape and terrain did not allow him to recover the treasure. He died in 1931.
44. River pirates buried a huge sum of gold, some sources say $148,000 contained in many bags, in a cave near (GT) Old Marianna. Evidence of digging can still be seen here where the cave entrance is suspected and remains of brick foundations have been found some feet down under the earth which suggests a brick vault covered with earth. No treasure has been found here, however.
45. A lone pine tree once stood at Lone Pine Spring, 2 1/2 miles S of Marianna, said to have been planted by members of the Murrell outlaw gang. John Murrell personally buried a fortune near here that has yet to be found.
46. Around 1900, Arthur C. White came to Montgomery with a waybill to two washtubs containing gold coins. One held $100,000, the other $60,000. He was successful in recovering the larger treasure cache but was unable to find the smaller one. With his new found fortune he left the area and was never seen again. The search area is located about 30 miles W of Hot Springs and near Little Missouri Falls on the Little Missouri River.
47. Eccentric millionaire Bernarr MacFadden cached $240,000 in currency contained in an army ammunition box on the slope of the Ouachita Mountains overlooking Hot Springs. This is but one of many similar caches he made during his travels throughout the U.S.
48. In 1923, a money box containing $50,000 and a hoard of jewelry from the casino at Spring Lake near Hot Springs was taken by the manager of the establishment only 10 minute's round trip from the establishment in his effort to abscond with the treasure. When he returned to the parking lot in his car he was shot to death and the money was never found. The owner's family searched for the cache, believed buried somewhere around the old casino, but it was never found.
49. In the early 1900's, a 90 year-old Indian appeared in Hot Springs looking for a treasure supposedly buried by his father, Chief Running Horse. The treasure, 11 mule loads, was taken from the Lost Indian Mine once worked by the early Spaniards, is said to have been buried along the old Indian Trail between Hot Springs and Lick Skillet, now called Hollywood. The Indian died before he could recover the hoard.