Thursday, May 30, 2019 12:04:05 AM
Eleven and One Colorado Lost Treasure Tales
MMGYS*Lost Treasure By State Series
From gold mines to diamonds to the vast beauty of the Rockies, Colorado definitely has it’s share of treasures to be proud of. In addition to the state’s natural treasures, it also has a rich history of outlaws and Indian raids that led to buried gold — much of which has never been found.
Perhaps, you can solve a mystery and become the finder of lost treasures!
Colorado Lost Treasure
Costilla County – The treasure of the paymaster of Fort Garland was stashed on Trinchera Creek.
El Paso County – Near Monument, between Colorado Springs and Denver, the Butch Cassidy gang is said to have stashed $100,000 from their bank robberies.
El Paso County – An outlaw gang called the “Bloody Espinosas” terrorized the San Luis Valley in 1863. Supposedly, the gang had received a vision from the Virgin Mary and tried to drive the Anglos out by robbing them. They were said to have buried their treasure near the present-day town of Cascade in Ute Pass on the slopes of Pikes Peak. For a time, the gang eluded capture but were finally conquered by an army scout from Fort Garland who rode back to the fort with their heads in a sack.
Garfield County – Train robbery loot hidden near Grand Valley remains undiscovered.
Gilpin County – A chest filled with gold was hidden on Ralston Creek Road between Central City and Denver.
Huerfano County – Two barrels of coins belonging to Henry Sefton were lost at the Gomez Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Lake County – Some of Jesse James’ stolen wealth is said to be hidden in Half Moon Gulch, southwest of Leadville.
Larimer County – The Musgrove Gang, headed by Lee Musgrove, were thieves and rustlers who ranged from Texas to Wyoming to Kansas. Noted for their barbarity, they were said to have killed at least twelve people during their raids. However, Colorado lawman Dave Cook went after the gang, and one-by-one, either killed or arrested each and every one of them. Lee Musgrove was finally caught by Cook in Wyoming Territory and was jailed in Denver. On November 23, 1868 a crowd stormed the jail and lynched the outlaw. The Musgrove Corral Treasure of gold and silver coins is said to remain buried along the Cache la Poudre River.
Otero County – The site of Bent’s Fort on the old Santa Fe Trail is supposed to be where much treasure is buried.
Lincoln County — In 1847, $100,000 was stolen by bandits in Sacramento, California during the California Goldrush. It is said that the gold was hidden in a gulch several miles east of Clifford in Lincoln County. The spot was supposedly marked by three stones, each bearing the date 1847. This story was further supported when a flat stone bearing the inscription “D. Grover and Joseph Fox Lawe, Aug. 8, 1847” was discovered near Clifford many years ago.
Moffat County -A cache of gold ore worth $10,000 was buried somewhere in Pat’s Hole within today’s Dinosaur National Monument. Worth many times that value today, the treasure has never been recovered.
In the 1890s, Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch often fled into the remote valley of Brown’s Hole to escape from lawmen. It is believed that much of their outlaw loot was cached here and never recovered. Located just south of Wyoming, along the Utah-Colorado border, it was rumored that the only law was that of the fastest gun.
Browns Hole, Colorado 1937
Browns Hole, Colorado 1937
Brown’s Hole was located along the Outlaw Trail, which made it an ideal location for hiding rustled cattle and horses. Butch’s girlfriend, Josie Morris, lived at Brown’s Park on the Bassett Ranch, where Butch occasionally worked as a ranch hand. Little evidence is left of this outlaw paradise. Remainders include many graves along the river, Josie’s cabin, and remnants of Doc Parson’s cabin, where Butch Cassidy lived for a brief time.
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MMGYS
Virginia Dale, Colorado Stage Station Treasure
In 1863, a stagecoach along the Overland Trail carrying an army payroll of $60,000 (which would be about $1 million dollars today) in ten and twenty dollar gold coins was destined for Fort Sanders in Wyoming Territory. The gold shipment represented several months of back pay for the soldiers at Fort Sanders; however, the unfortunate soldiers never saw the gold.
Only about a mile from the Virginia Dale Station, the stage was robbed by six masked outlaws at Long View Hill. The gang took the strongbox from the stage and headed west towards the wooded foothills, where they blew the lock off of the box, removed the gold coins, and buried the treasure.
However, before they could spend their ill-gained wealth, the bandits were pursued and killed by the U.S. Cavalry. The Cavalry later found the iron strong box in a nearby creek, the sides and bottom gone, riddled with bullet holes – and, obviously, empty.
The Overland Trail stage line was regularly terrorized by outlaws, where the surrounding area provided multiple opportunistic hideouts. One hideout, labeled the Robbers Roost atop Table Mountain, was so popular that the outlaws built a cabin there. Table Mountain, only about a mile northeast of the Virginia Dale Stage Station, was a perfect hideout, as it is difficult to climb with practically perpendicular cliffs and a rim of shale.
At the time, it was rumored that Joseph “Jack” Slade, the Station Master was the leader of the gang. Jack Slade, not as famous as many other outlaw characters, was nevertheless, as notorious as many of them. Slade was said to have had an uncontrollable temper, was a heavy drinker, had murdered in the past, and was eventually hanged in Montana. Though the stage line suspected Slade, they could not prove it, so they just fired him. Uncharacteristically, the bad-tempered Slade, left without any problems.
Slade’s Cabin, 15 miles outside Virginia City, 1908.
Later Jack Slade moved on to Virginia City, Montana. A heavy drinker with a bad temper, he wrecked a saloon soon after his arrival. Jack was arrested but he tore up the arrest and threatened the judge. Though he pleaded for his life, he was immediately hanged.
Virginia Dale, his girlfriend (or common law wife) was brought to town by one of Jack’s friends, took his body home, pickled it in alcohol in a metal casket, and kept it under her bed for several months. She then took it to Salt Lake City, Utah and buried him in the old Mormon Cemetery where his body remains today.
The gold taken by the robbers at Virginia Dale has never been found.
Today, Virginia Dale is nothing more than a ghost town, located in the northern part of Larimer County, about 45 miles northwest of Fort Collins, and just about four miles south of the Wyoming border on US Highway 287. The old Overland Trail Stage Station is listed on the National Register of Historical sites and recently efforts have been made to preserve the old station.
The stage station is situated at the very end of County Road 43F, about 1 mile east of US 287. A monument erected for the station marks the beginning of CR 43F. Follow the county road through a narrow gorge beneath Lover’s Leap, past a ranch, and it will take you right to the door. The station itself is on private property, but the access to the site is on a county road. If you intend to visit the Stage Station, you can take pictures of the grounds and the exterior of the building, but please do not trespass onto the private property.
MMGYS
From 1890 to 1910, more than 22,400,000 ounces of gold were extracted from 500 mines in the Cripple Creek Mining District, which included Cripple Creek and the neighboring town of Victor.
1900 was a pivotal year from the Cripple Creek Mining District. Gold worth more than $18 million was mined that year in nearly 500 mines. Eight-thousand miners worked there, including 700 men at the Portland Mine alone. The rewards of this hard life were worth the effort. The quaint mountain community was home to over 50,000, many seeking their fortunes in the hillside mines.
The district produced 30 millionaires, including a hard-working Colorado Springs carpenter named Winfield Scott Stratton. Stratton dug for 15 years and finally found gold on the 4th of July in 1901. He called the claim the Independence, and he eventually sold it for $11 million. The C.O.D. Mine was also profitable, and co-owner Spencer Penrose used his profits to build The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Most miners lived in tents or simple log cabins. They started work at daybreak and the wage for a day was $3.
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MMGYS*Lost Treasure By State Series
From gold mines to diamonds to the vast beauty of the Rockies, Colorado definitely has it’s share of treasures to be proud of. In addition to the state’s natural treasures, it also has a rich history of outlaws and Indian raids that led to buried gold — much of which has never been found.
Perhaps, you can solve a mystery and become the finder of lost treasures!
Colorado Lost Treasure
Costilla County – The treasure of the paymaster of Fort Garland was stashed on Trinchera Creek.
El Paso County – Near Monument, between Colorado Springs and Denver, the Butch Cassidy gang is said to have stashed $100,000 from their bank robberies.
El Paso County – An outlaw gang called the “Bloody Espinosas” terrorized the San Luis Valley in 1863. Supposedly, the gang had received a vision from the Virgin Mary and tried to drive the Anglos out by robbing them. They were said to have buried their treasure near the present-day town of Cascade in Ute Pass on the slopes of Pikes Peak. For a time, the gang eluded capture but were finally conquered by an army scout from Fort Garland who rode back to the fort with their heads in a sack.
Garfield County – Train robbery loot hidden near Grand Valley remains undiscovered.
Gilpin County – A chest filled with gold was hidden on Ralston Creek Road between Central City and Denver.
Huerfano County – Two barrels of coins belonging to Henry Sefton were lost at the Gomez Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Lake County – Some of Jesse James’ stolen wealth is said to be hidden in Half Moon Gulch, southwest of Leadville.
Larimer County – The Musgrove Gang, headed by Lee Musgrove, were thieves and rustlers who ranged from Texas to Wyoming to Kansas. Noted for their barbarity, they were said to have killed at least twelve people during their raids. However, Colorado lawman Dave Cook went after the gang, and one-by-one, either killed or arrested each and every one of them. Lee Musgrove was finally caught by Cook in Wyoming Territory and was jailed in Denver. On November 23, 1868 a crowd stormed the jail and lynched the outlaw. The Musgrove Corral Treasure of gold and silver coins is said to remain buried along the Cache la Poudre River.
Otero County – The site of Bent’s Fort on the old Santa Fe Trail is supposed to be where much treasure is buried.
Lincoln County — In 1847, $100,000 was stolen by bandits in Sacramento, California during the California Goldrush. It is said that the gold was hidden in a gulch several miles east of Clifford in Lincoln County. The spot was supposedly marked by three stones, each bearing the date 1847. This story was further supported when a flat stone bearing the inscription “D. Grover and Joseph Fox Lawe, Aug. 8, 1847” was discovered near Clifford many years ago.
Moffat County -A cache of gold ore worth $10,000 was buried somewhere in Pat’s Hole within today’s Dinosaur National Monument. Worth many times that value today, the treasure has never been recovered.
In the 1890s, Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch often fled into the remote valley of Brown’s Hole to escape from lawmen. It is believed that much of their outlaw loot was cached here and never recovered. Located just south of Wyoming, along the Utah-Colorado border, it was rumored that the only law was that of the fastest gun.
Browns Hole, Colorado 1937
Browns Hole, Colorado 1937
Brown’s Hole was located along the Outlaw Trail, which made it an ideal location for hiding rustled cattle and horses. Butch’s girlfriend, Josie Morris, lived at Brown’s Park on the Bassett Ranch, where Butch occasionally worked as a ranch hand. Little evidence is left of this outlaw paradise. Remainders include many graves along the river, Josie’s cabin, and remnants of Doc Parson’s cabin, where Butch Cassidy lived for a brief time.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MMGYS
Virginia Dale, Colorado Stage Station Treasure
In 1863, a stagecoach along the Overland Trail carrying an army payroll of $60,000 (which would be about $1 million dollars today) in ten and twenty dollar gold coins was destined for Fort Sanders in Wyoming Territory. The gold shipment represented several months of back pay for the soldiers at Fort Sanders; however, the unfortunate soldiers never saw the gold.
Only about a mile from the Virginia Dale Station, the stage was robbed by six masked outlaws at Long View Hill. The gang took the strongbox from the stage and headed west towards the wooded foothills, where they blew the lock off of the box, removed the gold coins, and buried the treasure.
However, before they could spend their ill-gained wealth, the bandits were pursued and killed by the U.S. Cavalry. The Cavalry later found the iron strong box in a nearby creek, the sides and bottom gone, riddled with bullet holes – and, obviously, empty.
The Overland Trail stage line was regularly terrorized by outlaws, where the surrounding area provided multiple opportunistic hideouts. One hideout, labeled the Robbers Roost atop Table Mountain, was so popular that the outlaws built a cabin there. Table Mountain, only about a mile northeast of the Virginia Dale Stage Station, was a perfect hideout, as it is difficult to climb with practically perpendicular cliffs and a rim of shale.
At the time, it was rumored that Joseph “Jack” Slade, the Station Master was the leader of the gang. Jack Slade, not as famous as many other outlaw characters, was nevertheless, as notorious as many of them. Slade was said to have had an uncontrollable temper, was a heavy drinker, had murdered in the past, and was eventually hanged in Montana. Though the stage line suspected Slade, they could not prove it, so they just fired him. Uncharacteristically, the bad-tempered Slade, left without any problems.
Slade’s Cabin, 15 miles outside Virginia City, 1908.
Later Jack Slade moved on to Virginia City, Montana. A heavy drinker with a bad temper, he wrecked a saloon soon after his arrival. Jack was arrested but he tore up the arrest and threatened the judge. Though he pleaded for his life, he was immediately hanged.
Virginia Dale, his girlfriend (or common law wife) was brought to town by one of Jack’s friends, took his body home, pickled it in alcohol in a metal casket, and kept it under her bed for several months. She then took it to Salt Lake City, Utah and buried him in the old Mormon Cemetery where his body remains today.
The gold taken by the robbers at Virginia Dale has never been found.
Today, Virginia Dale is nothing more than a ghost town, located in the northern part of Larimer County, about 45 miles northwest of Fort Collins, and just about four miles south of the Wyoming border on US Highway 287. The old Overland Trail Stage Station is listed on the National Register of Historical sites and recently efforts have been made to preserve the old station.
The stage station is situated at the very end of County Road 43F, about 1 mile east of US 287. A monument erected for the station marks the beginning of CR 43F. Follow the county road through a narrow gorge beneath Lover’s Leap, past a ranch, and it will take you right to the door. The station itself is on private property, but the access to the site is on a county road. If you intend to visit the Stage Station, you can take pictures of the grounds and the exterior of the building, but please do not trespass onto the private property.
MMGYS
From 1890 to 1910, more than 22,400,000 ounces of gold were extracted from 500 mines in the Cripple Creek Mining District, which included Cripple Creek and the neighboring town of Victor.
1900 was a pivotal year from the Cripple Creek Mining District. Gold worth more than $18 million was mined that year in nearly 500 mines. Eight-thousand miners worked there, including 700 men at the Portland Mine alone. The rewards of this hard life were worth the effort. The quaint mountain community was home to over 50,000, many seeking their fortunes in the hillside mines.
The district produced 30 millionaires, including a hard-working Colorado Springs carpenter named Winfield Scott Stratton. Stratton dug for 15 years and finally found gold on the 4th of July in 1901. He called the claim the Independence, and he eventually sold it for $11 million. The C.O.D. Mine was also profitable, and co-owner Spencer Penrose used his profits to build The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Most miners lived in tents or simple log cabins. They started work at daybreak and the wage for a day was $3.
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