GHOST TOWN
LOST TREASURE LEGENDS
Along with the thousands of ghost towns scattered throughout the
there are legends, stories, and hints of lost
treasure.
Welcome to GHOST TOWN
One caveat:
PLEASE read
and adhere to the Ghost
Towners’ Code of Ethics..
This code of ethics also applies to
treasure hunting in general.
THANK YOU…
The Lost Gunsight Lode
by
Gary B. Speck
It
was a snowy New Year's Day in 1850 and a party of Motherlode-bound emigrants were camped in an area
west of
The
Towne-Martin group had separated from the rest of the emigrants and hiked
directly up and over the Panamints, wandering for
several days before finding White Sage Flat, and establishing a camp. The Jayhawkers and Briers left the
Bennett-Arcane and Wade parties, and two days after leaving Poison Springs on
the floor of
Due
to the life and death situation the group was in, having nearly exhausted all
their food and water, they were more interested in survival, than in silver
mining. A month later, the nearly
starved emigrants stumbled into Mariposa, at the southern end of the gold
country. Here they started a new life,
most fading into obscurity. But the
memories of that rich silver remained.
As the years went by, the telling and retelling of the horrors of the
Death Valley Fortyniners and their lost silver ore
created a legend that refused to die.
Near
Shortly
after the scattered and decimated emigrant groups had arrived in the gold
country, one of the Towne group members, a Mr. Turner returned to search for
the silver, but failed. He ended up at
Dr. French's ranch, and in September 1850 mounted a second expedition to search
for the lost silver outcropping. He took
Dr. French with him. They poked and prodded and eventually ran
across the remains of cattle bones and old campfires. Unfortunately their supplies were running
low, so they had to return to Dr. French's ranch.
A
number of other prospecting parties returned to the area also to search for the
Lost Gunsight lode, but none were successful.
To actually be
fair, there are several versions of the story.
Numerous claims by members of the various parties differ as to who
actually found the silver. The general
where and when is not disputed, but the finder is.
But no matter who found it, and under what circumstances, the fact
remains that the original discovery, and the several half-hearted attempts to
locate it in 1850 were the key that eventually opened up the desert region for
prospecting a mere decade later in 1860.
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Ghost Town USA and
Gary B. Speck Publications endorse the mission, purpose and goals of the
FMDAC
and support the rights of metal detectorists,
treasure hunters and relic hunters to responsibly enjoy
their hobbies as long as they abide by the “Treasure Hunters Code of Ethics,” AND our own Ghost Towner's
Code of Ethics.
This support DOES NOT either imply,
endorse or condone violations of that code of ethics, nor does it give
permission for anyone to damage or destroy historical sites; violate any local,
state or federal laws; trespass or infringe on the legal rights of landowners.
*************
We hope you've enjoyed another one of
GHOST TOWN USA's
Lost Treasure
Legends.
Any comments?
Please let us know at Ghost Town USA!
*************
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FIRST POSTED: February 07, 2004
LAST UPDATED:
December 17, 2007
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information posted here-in is
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by Gary
B Speck Publications
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