I'm wrapping up a re-read of Dobie's "Coronado's Children". It's a collection of treasure stories from all over Texas he compiled back in the early 1900's. It's amazing how many there are and how many I've heard versions of over the years, especially from some old-timers I knew down in the Del Rio area many years ago.

The one that stands out in my mind is about a gold shipment across the river near San Vicente that got robbed. The bandits made it across the river into the Big Bend, crossing at Reagan Canyon, but were soon set upon by Mexico's version of the Rangers and hastily poured the gold into a crack in some rocks before hurriedly setting out. All but one was killed and he gave the map to someone that my first wife's grandfather came into possession of sometime in the 1940's. He and my former father-in-law searched high and low for it but only found more questions than answers (and drank a lot of beer).

I'm curious what stories the outdoors board has heard of lost treasure in Texas.

I know a farmer that farms a good chunk of ground near Branchville, which is a few miles west of Hearne. He's down near the little Brazos River and right in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain. Supposedly Santa Anna buried gold on top of there as they came through and several people have tried to find it, I think one guy even used a little dynamite in a few spots. Nothing has ever been found and it's likely just a myth, but he said lots of people stop by and ask him about it (it's not his land though), it's changed hands over the years and supposedly the new owner has really cracked down on trespassing.

Jean Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure on Chocolate Bayou, but given that pirates spent as fast as they stole for the most part, odds are it is just legend and nothing more.

There was an Army base outside of Paris during WWII, as the war drew to a close the base wasnt used much and rumors are that the Army put hundreds of Thompsons and 1911's in cosmoline filed barrels and buried them. Stories are still around that some have been found, alongwith a rumor of a fully in tact Sherman tank as well.

There is supposedly a silver mine near San Saba that was lost, people have looked for it for decades with no luck.

Supposedly some hidden gold in the Franklin mountains outside of El Paso that was stolen from a stage coach robbery that has never been found.

Down off of a creek off of Copano Bay there is supposedly a ship that was washed upstream during a hurricane that had a ton of gold and silver on it that has never been found.

A lot of others that I hav read about over the years. Great stories, but my guess is 99% of them are just that. Fun to think about though.

Friends with folks that bought a good chunk of the old camp Howse north of Gainesville. Their son always told me that the army just bulldozed big pits and buried tanks and such. Seems like such would be noticeable, but who am I to say. Also, Dad told me several times that he was told by an old timer that some outlaw had buried his loot on our place. I would look around and ask him what the hell would they use for landmarks? Flatland and no trees.

I know we've been told Santa Anna buried treasure on our place. And I've heard every rancher around say the same.

At this point I'm convinced there is treasure on every parcel of land that is more than 1 acre.

And it's all Santa Anna's.

I knew a man that dug up a good part of his pasture with a backhoe where Mexican General Urreas's Army supposedly buried their payroll crossing a creek during the Texas War for Independence.

He actually found a breastplate like Lancers would wear.

Treasure is still to be found.

There are whole books about this. There was a gold ship wreck up a creek around Alamo bay that some guy found and was negotiating with the land owner over. Never heard how that turned out. Stories about Spanish/Mexican gold in central Texas in the Temple area. My grandfather found some guy digging holes on his land between Wheelock and Franklin. He had some sort of a "map" on a rock and said there was gold buried on the land. Finally disappeared. If he found it no one knows but my grandfather was there every day. Lots of these storied from Arkansas to California.

jagsdad said:

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Friends with folks that bought a good chunk of the old camp Howse north of Gainesville. Their son always told me that the army just bulldozed big pits and buried tanks and such. Seems like such would be noticeable, but who am I to say. Also, Dad told me several times that he was told by an old timer that some outlaw had buried his loot on our place. I would look around and ask him what the hell would they use for landmarks? Flatland and no trees.

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My grandfather ranched outside of Kempner from the 40's through the late 80's after he returned home from WW2.

In the 1950's he was hired as part of a crew that went dug pits out on the Fort Hood reservation and buried untold number of WW2 M-1's, Thompsons, BARs, carbines....and millions of rounds of ammo still in the original ammo boxes/crates.

My dad said he thought they also buried tanks, half tracks and the like as well but never heard my grandfather confirm it.

A few dozen of these filled cans may have found their way into his barn. As a kid I thought everyone had bandoliers of .30 ammo for m-1s, etc.

The Sam Bass treasure is one I always see brought up. The story keeps growing with age.

He supposedly stashed his stage coach robbing proceeds at Cove Hollow in Denton. He was shot by the Rangers in Round Rock and I have seen people find leads all over.


The S&S ranch in Palo Pinto Country went up for sales recently and the owner claimed the treasure was likely stashed on his land.

Read this.. Pancake Mine in Coryell County.

http://www.texasescapes.com/ClayCoppedge/Legends-of-the-Pancake-Mine.htm

Frank Dobie wrote " Tales of old-time Texas" and it had great stories about gold hidden in dry south Texas cracks in the earth that got swallowed up when it rained. I think about that when I'm hunting down south a lot!

https://myrahmcilvain.com/tag/spanish-treasure/

I have seen several coins and other artifacts that came from the Santa Maria de Yacir, or one of the other 3 ships that sank along with it in the 1500's. They were pulled up by a group that were salvaging the wrecks in the late 60's just north of the Mansfield cut. Billy Kennon, Billy Aljoe, and a guy who I only knew as "Shaky-Flaky" (for obvious reasons by the time I met him) were the leaders of the salvage. For years and years artifacts and occasionally a coin and such would be found along the beaches both north and south of what is now the Mansfield cut.

Kennon, who was a real anal orifice and crappy man, and Billy Aljoe knew about the repeated finds and such and took to looking for the source, as well as having a bunch of stuff dredged up during the dredging of the Mansfield channel. Over a period time they dove and located an area of wreckage and got a lot of stuff off the wreck(s). Eventually they got turned into the state and the state sued them and took "all" the stuff and they got a payout. But they all kept a lot of things, mainly gold and silver, that came off the wrecks. Billy Aljoe bought the Gulf station on the Island and later retired to an Island off Guatemala that he owned, and stayed at in very large sailboat. Aljoe was cool and showed me several things he still had.

Billy Kennon parleyed his findings into a marine service company that ended up doing salvage and such, mainly on boats and the like. Although there were always rumors that he did some stuff in the Caribbean and along the Mexican gulf coast on the sly, he was engaged by several folks to do some odd jobs. His company was never really legit looking in terms of operations and such, yet he had lots of money.

Shakey Flakey used to run around Mansfield and sometimes the Island and he would occasionally produce some gold and silver Spanish coins to fund his addictions. In the 70's it was said he sold off a lot of his part of the haul, real cheap. He was in bad shape by the mid-80's, who knows whatever happened to him. I have seen gold coins in Mansfield and in the PI area, a local jeweler no retired, had about 15 or so that I heard about and know 2 that he gave as a wedding present that I actually saw. Some of the "dune goons" that lived up the island would scour the area north of the cut after storms and violent northers and it was said that they found some. The area in question used to be able to be found by running just off the beach with a sensitive bottom machine, it was too close to shore to really dive or I would have tried it. But the salvage effort apparently tore up the area quite a bit.