By Blanchard and Company, Inc ……
The allure of hidden treasure and sudden riches is strong. The possibility of a huge stash of gold, silver, jewels, cash and more has driven treasure hunters on expeditions throughout history. Today we highlight five hidden treasures that are still waiting to be discovered – right here in America – somewhere in Virginia, Idaho, Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. From pirate treasure to stagecoach robbery loot to suitcases filled with cash – who will be the lucky person to discover these hidden treasures? Are they myths or are they facts? Only time will tell.
Mosby’s Treasure in Virginia
It is said that somewhere deep in the forests of Fairfax County, a large treasure is hidden. This treasure is said to have included gold, silver, jewelry, candlesticks, and other items taken by Union troops from southern homes. At the time, the value of the treasure was estimated to be about $350,000. Today? Estimates put the value at around $6 million.
In 1863, Confederate ranger John Singleton Mosby and his band of raiders snuck 10 miles deep into Union territory. Capturing Union soldiers, horses, and treasure, Mosby sped back toward the Confederate line. However, before he got back to Confederate territory, he was warned that Union soldiers were nearby. As the legend goes, Mosby buried the treasure in a burlap sack between two trees. He marked the spot with his knife. When he sent his men back to recover it, they were captured and killed. It is believed this treasure remains undiscovered to this day.
Idaho Stagecoach Robbery Treasure
In the early days of the Idaho territory, stagecoaches provided transportation for people and goods along the routes from Montana to Utah. On July 26, 1865, bandits known as the Picket Corral Gang assaulted a stagecoach carrying two large strongboxes filled with gold (including 15 heavy gold bars) and pouches of gold dust and nuggets. While many of the passengers died in the hold-up, a survivor fled to a nearby town and identified the murderers. Vigilantes gave chase and soon overcame the bandits, killing them all. They had a total of $50 between them. To this day, there is no record of the gold bars ever being sold. Some speculate the loot was buried in Portneuf Canyon. Who may find this treasure today?
Pirate Treasure at Palemanō Point
As the legend goes, 16th-century English pirate Captain Thomas Cavendish is said to have buried $5 million in gold, silver, and other valuables near Palemanō Point, an exposed reef just off Hawaii’s Big Island. While treasure hunters have tried for hundreds of years, no one has yet unearthed this bounty of riches.
John Dillinger’s Suitcase
Labeled “Public Enemy Number One” by the FBI, John Dillinger, one of the Untied States’ most famous gangsters, is said to have buried $200,000 in cash in a suitcase in the Wisconsin woods just months before his death in 1934.
Dillinger and his men spent the spring of 1934 hiding out at the Little Bohemia Lodge near Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. The FBI raided the lodge after someone dropped a dime on the gangster’s location. During the ensuing shootout, Dillinger escaped out the backdoor with his suitcase filled with cash. According to legend he ran 500 yards north into the woods and dug a hole near two pines and an oak and buried the suitcase. Three months later, Dillinger was shot and killed outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago by federal agents, who had been tipped off by Dillinger’s girlfriend’s landlady, known as the “Woman in Red”. No one has ever reported finding that suitcase to this day.
Jesse James’ Lost Loot
For generations, treasure hunters have sought to find an estimated one to two million dollars’ worth of gold bullion hidden by the infamous “Wild West” outlaw Jesse James somewhere in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma.
Throughout the American Midwest, the pair notoriously robbed trains and banks making them some of the wealthiest outlaws of their day. In 1872, James robbed a caravan belonging to a Mexican general near Geronimo, Oklahoma. While being pursued by a posse, James is said to have buried that gold bullion in the Wichita Mountains. It is still waiting out there somewhere…
