0000003902 00000 n There are still treasure hunters to this day who believe the Lafitte fortune would be found if the lake was drained. However, all have failed in finding the supposed cache of silver, adding to speculation that the supposed treasure may be cursed. Legend has it that the ship was so big it took two months to load and the Spanish were so upset with its loss that they sent five more ships to recover it- unsuccessfully. Even though some, including Waldrop and Stotlar, had looked into draining the lake, there were no other attempts at that folly. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents(United States History Commons)/Rect[137.2383 228.9906 279.5625 240.7094]/StructParent 6/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> $10,000 Utah hidden treasure found: 'Overwhelming and humbling' It was packed with tons of gold and silver. Later, someone else who got high metal readings tried to dynamite the bottom of the lake. . A heating and air conditioning contractor. True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake. endobj 0000001829 00000 n But theres just been this very persistent legend, and so in the late 50s, mid 60s, there were two really big efforts (to locate the treasure), tons of articles in the Watchman about these two different groups searching for it, dredging.. It featured Pirate Treasures. George Mallory (left) with Andrew Irvine in the last known photo of them on their fatal Everest climb in June 1924. Barnie was a TV repair man, and he had built this underwater metal detector, like the size of a washing machine. Laffite spent the rest of his life attacking merchant ships around Central American ports; sometimes as a pirate and sometimes as a privateer. 0000004315 00000 n I once made a scientific study of all the known shipwrecks, from ancient to modern, that occurred off the Texas coast. Im going to talk to his son, who was 14 or so when they were out at the lake. CNN As soon as Forrest Fenn announced that his treasure was found earlier this month, rumors swirled about whether it had really been found or if the treasure hunt had been a hoax all. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Meanwhile, his younger brother John was exploring the coast of Texas. In 1912 it was like a big resort, come out and fish and real flowery language (in advertisements).. %PDF-1.7 % 154 0 obj Winds light and variable. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte Lafitte's Treasure Links We had not even known that he had heard of the treasure. May the hunters strike gold. 0000044783 00000 n Pictured from left, Gary Pinkerton, Brackson McKnight and Christian Roper. He had heard about the Trace from his dad as a portion of it runs through family land. Famous privateer who, according to legend, plundered the silver from the Spanish brig, Santa Rosa. At one point, while wandering the beaches of Padre Island, he came across a bunch of Spanish coins. Barnie Waldrop, a Carthage television repairman, had used his own electronics to search the lake for years. Before I started to work on the story running in the July 2009 issue (Sleeping Booty) about California musician Nathan Smiths quixotic attempt to find a lost Spanish treasure ship near the town of Refugio, north of Corpus Christi, I assumed that there was no buried treasure at all in Texas. Although it hasnt yet been decided if the film will first be released at festivals and then to the public, Sunken Silver will eventually be available through online streaming. In 1983 a German biologist accidentally discovered more forged British pounds, numerous Nazi-era rockets and missiles that had crashed into the lake, and a previously unknown worm. Boise County - Close to 3,000,000 troy ounces of gold have been removed from the gravels of the Bose Basin and according to treasure hunters, there is plenty more to be found. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. And if so is the treasure still there? The brothers meet with a Christian Roper who is actively hunting for the lost treasure of the pirate, Jean Lafitte. Adams was a Rusk County backwoodsman who wears an old slouch felt hat, bib overalls, and a denim jacket, buttoned at the throat even in hot weather, and a favorite character of columnist Frank X. Tolbert for many of his Tolberts Texas articles over the years. "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot," Fenn writes. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? click photo for more. Stella Wieser of the Panola Watchman. Stories are how we interact as people and its how we grow. The box was hidden by millionaire art dealer. Scotty Stotlar, Sr., appeared to have what it took to mount another serious attempt. One person who is still committed to the Hendricks Lake legend is Jacksonville documentary film maker and treasure hunter, Christian B. Roper. According to one legend, a group of priests put about three hundred burro loads of silver in a mine on one of their expeditions to New Mexico. Author explores area silver legend - texarkanagazette.com including dialogue . endobj Excited about the history, research, and prospects of this On the trail of East Texas' buried treasure news - The Black Chronicle Buried, EAST, Texas, texas news, texas news update, trail, Treasure He knows more than a thing or two about the present . Legend says six wagons full of silver bars were rolled into hendricks lake. In doing the research, I ran across stories about Hendricks Lake, Pinkerton said. That was the story.. Connecting the legend to peoples minds now so it doesnt die out, I think is important, Pinkerton asserted. Barnie Waldrop. Follow the link to read our updated Privacy Policy. Despite intense efforts at dredging, detecting, diving, and dynamiting for Hendricks Lake treasure, the only thing that was reportedly found in the lake was the rim of an old wagon wheel. Photo: WhisperToMe, Public domain. Spring is a census-designated place within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area. Many believe the body of water concealing the silver to be Hendricks Lake near Tatum, although other places have also been examined. ingots were in transport, but the Spanish had set a trap. A team of treasure hunters could be on the verge of unearthing the "world's largest treasure hoard," said to be worth over $20 billion. George Heye's Legacy: An Unparalleled Collection Omoa was the site of the largest Spanish fort in Central America, a fort constructed to safeguard the Spanish silver shipments from the mines of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. Having grown up hearing these stories about buried treasure and now searching for it himself, hes becoming a part of history. Paul Uncle Fox Tatum, son of the founder of Tatum, Texas, carried out the first documented attempt to recover the treasure in 1884. It led all the way back to an 1884 account where the guy who was the son of the founder of Tatum, Texas in East Texas decided he was going to drain the lake. Barnie Waldrop said he outlasted all the others and had seen fifty of em beaten by the lakes bog bottom. Hendrick's Lake treasure is focus of Houston historian's upcoming book As they retreated, they headed into what is now known as Upshur County. Houston historian Gary Pinkerton, a Longview native, is fascinated by those treasure hunters and their searches. . The last. We Found Out Archaeologists on Easter Island Have Discovered a Previously Unknown Moai Statue Buried in a Dried-Out Lake Bed Christie's Pulled In $202 Million at Its 20th/21st-Century Sales in . After sitting undisturbed for more than 10 years, a treasure chest holding gold nuggets and precious gems has been found in the Rocky Mountains. Is there anything better than the tale of someone discovering a hidden clue, figuring out an obscure reference, finding the final piece of the puzzle, and then discovering a fantastic stash of gold or silver? Secret stash of tsar's gold worth billions found in old rail tunnel That lucky treasure hunter who finds where X marks the spot, will become an East Texas legend, just like the treasure they strove to find. A brig named Santa Rosa plundered in Matagorda Bay in 1816. Pinkerton came across the Hendricks Lake legend while doing research for his book, Trammals Trace: The First Road to Texas from the North. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Not a treasure hunter, but a character who built an amphibious tractor he called the Watt-a-Bug which he drove into Hendricks Lake. 162 0 obj This caused the $37 billion of treasure hidden around Germany - news Please post photos and a general area if you have . While en route through East Texas, the smugglers received word the Spanish army was closing in and, in an effort to hide the treasure, dumped the loot in a local lake. More Idaho Treasure Tales - Legends of America That set off a huge treasure hunting stampede. He believes that stories like this reveal something about the people who tell them. They are convinced that booty galore is waiting to be found, J. Barto Arnold, the former marine archaeologist for the Texas Historical Commission, told me. One group proposed to use a new divining rod activated with isotopes. Like everybody else, he tried to find it over and over and over again. The treasure, placed in a. The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry. Now, two years later, in his book, "True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake," he has given new life to a legend about hidden silver that developed alongside Trammel's Trace. Two years later, its researchers went on a mapping expedition with the . The total value? Tales of pirate booty and Mexican gold have captivated minds for generations, and it all could be closer than you might think. La Belle was a French ship that sank in Matagorda Bay in 1685 after running aground in a storm. Signup today for our free newsletter, Especially Texan. They then filled in the shaft. An historian named Herbert Bolton, using the original journals of the Mexicans from the eighteenth century, found what is now known as the Boyd shaft on Honey Creek. So, he set up these steam engines and buckets on a conveyor belt and pumps. My father did do a bit of treasure hunting and more notably he was involved in a few treasure hunting circles of scuba divers. The oilmen then built a raft with a hole in the center and sank large pipes into the goop on the lake bottom. The team, known as the "Temple Twelve," have been . 161 0 obj 2019. <> Success! Little is known about his origins, but he was probably born either in Basque-France or in the French colony Saint-Domingue. Christian knows his pirate history! Although hes fascinated by the legend and the excitement it created, Pinkerton doesnt believe its even a little bit true. Larry Holzwarth - May 12, 2018. The people who have looked for Hendricks Lake treasure since the 50s have spent a lot of money and hired a researcher in Spain to see if the Santa Rosa actually existed, all kinds of things, Pinkerton said. Despite this, no silver bars were found. On the trail of East Texas' buried treasure - NewsBreak According to a story by Mary Roger of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the silver was indeed robbed from a galleon by Laffite and his mean in the early 19th century. 0000010052 00000 n TYLER, Texas (KETK) Legends of buried treasure have fascinated people around the world since time immemorial. He also might have(might have, I remind you)come across a wooden chest containing what was then $80,000 in jewelry and coins. Here are six of the supposedly greatest Texas treasures still out there. 0000001730 00000 n 7 Instances Of Lost Treasure In PA That Might Still Remain To view perks for contributors or to make a donation towards completion of the film, visit www.gofundme.com/sunkensilver. On his website, Fenn wrote, "It was under a. And the story was basically, you wanna be the guy selling the metal detectors, you dont want to be the guy out there looking for (stuff) that doesnt exist. He built a new kind of sewing machine, and in. Gary L . Over the years there have been many who made a minimal effort or spent a little time at the lake only to discover that the conditions were too difficult and they had neither the time nor the money for such an undertaking. . Join the adventures in Beyond Oak Island- Tuesdays at 10PM and summaries and more in depth looks into the many stories of treasure, here at MW! hunt presented by Christian, Rick and Marty offer to send Matty Blake down to Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendricks Lake near Tatum. 2018 Sunken Silver. The parade of those who made documented efforts for the treasure included oilmen, a television repairman, a pharmacist, a grocery store owner, dirt contractors, water well diggers, fraudulent treasure hunting equipment hucksters, a heating and air-conditioning technician, and numerous other true believers. Searchers used aerial photos, underwater metal detectors, and magnetometers to aid in their efforts. Lake Hendricks - Iowa DNR Oxbow lakes result from a river's course change, in this case the Sabine River just to thc north. The silver was never recovered. Back in the 1580s, Spanish conquistadors and priests often passed beneath the peaks of the Franklins on their way to New Mexico to colonize the Indian villages. endobj At the age of 25, Jean Laffite was living in New Orleans, operating a warehouse essential to dispersing the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre. TATUM A trio of Jacksonville natives wants to turn two-century-old piracy legend into a full-length feature documentary film and theyre seeking funding help to do it. Every dollar helps. Its no surprise that East Texas has local tales of buried treasure. The divers do feel some round objects, and a piece is It is now thought that the money is on the southernmost tip of Padre Island. Legends live on! 33 Missing Treasures Experts Say Are Real - Best Life As a young girl, Diana pushed the plunger to set off dynamite. If the treasure is out there, then some East Texan is bound to find it. Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake" but he is not a 'true believer' himself. And if so is the treasure still there? there were treasure legends, and the most common story is that Lafitte stranded a ship, a Spanish ship with gold, in Matagorda Bay in Corpus and was taking it to St. Louis on some wagon trains over roads that dont exist in 1816. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents(cdsscholarworks@sfasu.edu)/Rect[183.5112 72.3516 299.2412 82.8984]/StructParent 10/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> No matter what, I come to believe throughout professional research or diving, I will always associate it with Jean Lafitte, with treasure, with piracy because its meant so much to the community, Roper said. Hendricks is an oxbow lake near where Rusk, Harrison, and Panola coun ties meet a few miles north ofTatum,Texas. Numerous springs within and around the lake keep it filled. So all these treasure magazines sprung around these treasure hunting, metal detectors, stories about lost mines. Mainly clear. For Roper, stories like these are more than a curiosity. <>stream . hb```E@9Z9:sj*5)o(Hd`8iQ^gFMJNvZ7he);Ndx8uy}xc;Mt0u410[t0v4t40t40Zt00L@,E@`E,AsE^X/q5tDX4C#{ endobj 0000002304 00000 n Access to the lake that for 150 years had been accessible for picnics and fishing was closed off to all but a few private landowners at the time. they might find something, a storm rolls in. 0000004529 00000 n 157 0 obj 15 Hidden Treasures Rumored to Be Somewhere in the United States February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? There are many stories about famed pirate Jean Lafitte, but one places his lost buried treasure at the bottom of a lake right here in East Texas. Although they attended different universities, Roper reconnected with high school friends Brackston McKnight and Ryan Travis and the three now work together on the project. :icon_scratch: Thanks, Ernie Lr !_) True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake xref Ive actually been at this project about 14 months now. The other big buried treasure legend from East Texas is the story of Little Cypress Creek. He was reading a book about lost treasure that inspired him to do some digging online, where he found supposed evidence that a ship was lurking underneath the water. Location of Forrest Fenn's Treasure Finally Revealed The story died down but regained momentum when treasure hunting became popular again in the fifties and when True West magazine printed an article about the long-forgotten silver prompting treasure hunters to flock to Carthage and Tatum. No matter the lack of proof for a lot of these things, it just makes sense in your mind for a story like this to take place here.. All in all, several wagons loaded with silver ingots went into the river. endobj In 1884, Tatum clubbed a man to death who made light of his attempts to drain Hendricks Lake. The story goes that wagon loads of silver Contacts. It is this tale that Christian wants to follow up on. Jean Laffite's treasure in the Sabine River - Lone star treasure Christina Hendricks - Wikipedia Now, more modern equipment was available, and one man used a metal detector and managed to get some interesting readings from the bottom of the lake. On the Trail of East Texas Treasures - Hinterland Gazette TV repairman in Carthage who kept up his efforts for years and was the local expert. The legend says that in 1816, Laffite and his fellow pirates plundered six wagon loads worth of silver from the Spanish. To the north of Tatum, in the middle of the forest, lies Lake Hendrix. Born to an American mother and English father in Knoxville, Tennessee, Hendricks was raised in Portland, Oregon, and Twin Falls, Idaho, where she became active in local theater. The lake is located in the extreme northeastern part of the county along the boundary between Rusk and Panola. Although the lake was searched in the 50s and 60s, nothing was found at that time. On an 1863 map of the area, it was named Flanagan Lake but since the 1880s has been known by its present name. 146 23 The silver was never recovered. Its hard to find any newspaper before that, but thats the first and oldest mention that I found of it, he said. Christian and the treasure hunting team are looking forward to using new technology to scan the bottom of the lake for possible anomalies, and hope to find a treasure which was missed in past searchers. endobj Spring is situated 3 miles northeast of Hendricks Lake. 15 Lost Treasures People Actually Found | TheRichest I got copies of pages in Spanish that say Yeah there was the Santa Rosa, the proposed name of the ship, there was a Santa Rosa, (but) it didnt sink. It carried cane liquor and salt and sugar from Cuba to Cadiz. The same thing is true for the Paradise Cove Lodge down California 178.