Anatomy of a treasure legend

[Crow]

Gidday amigos

While indeed the famous treasure legends attract all manner of people hoping to strike it big. Like moths to a bug zapper ultimately they are going to get zapped. Thousand add to their Hunter s Thompsons gonzo journalism experience to original story and in the end the original story becomes an encyclopedia history of failed treasure hunters adding their bit to the legend.

While there are stories less well known with not so fantastically large fabled treasure that they make a brief appearance in the media and soon forgotten.

One such treasure legend example was posted by Jeff our moderator some time ago. A story dating back to 1915. Much thanks to Jeff for his efforts in posting these stories.

A March 1915 newspaper tells of what was called Old Squaw?s Buried Treasure on the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon. The tale was told by an old Indian woman upon her deathbed, alleging that she had buried a significant amount of gold some two decades before. After telling her story, numerous farmers and Indians searched for her cache, and one can containing $1,100 in gold was found on land, that at the time, was farmed by P.F. Kirckpatrick. Though the old woman insisted there was more, she was too weak to provide more details and died without the rest ever being found.

Stories like that seem garner very little interest from the general public because it not the sexy famous treasure legend of great wealth. However some times these insignificant treasure yarns can some times be a lot closer to factual events than the great treasure famous legends.

For those who researching to uncover the truth behind such stories these can become little hidden gems.

To be continued.....

Crow

 

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[Crow]

This legend is just a mere example of what is out there. However it is not a guarantee the story is true or not or even if it was a workable proposition.

The core of this post is to show to get to the core of such stories....Anatomy of a treasure legend to dissect the story
To discover any truth to the story?

The first thing anyone such do is trace the source of the story. And importantly trace the earliest version of the story may differ from later versions of the story that things get added or omitted.

One reason with newspaper some times stories will be edited to fit type space so in some newspaper version will be more detailed than others. Having as many newspaper versions as possible gives you the perimeters of the story to work from.

However it does not mean what was written in paper was correct either? Careful dissection verifying from independent sources the people places and events will take you deeper into the legend.

Crow
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[Crow]

Here is the first version I obtained. It is always useful to remember and post your sources. This newspaper Riverside Daily Press, Volume XXX, Number 61, 12 March 1915 — INDIANS HUNT FOR TREASURE Dying Squaw in Oregon Tells of Coin Long Buried.

Now as you can see there are the names of two key people in this version mention Ko-Ko-Dye-Lash the Dying women and R F Kirkpatrick.

But in this newspaper version there is another player her so. In which frustratingly we have no name for?

However the following newspaper in the next post highlights my comment about getting as many newspaper versions as possible.

to be continued....

Crow

 

[Crow]

I think you are onto something with the little "hidden gems" especially those that didn't originate in treasure hunting magazines.

We also are taking a front seat to a Treasure Legend in the making and watching it grow and morph in real time: Dents Run.

One notable fact i've watched evolve is that regarding "Armored Trucks". Here is the original witness quote regarding "armored trucks". "Heather Selle, who lives in nearby Weedville, said she was getting her kids ready for school on the morning of the second day when she spied a convoy of FBI vehicles driving past, including two large armored trucks."

Note, it doesn't discern whether they were troop, arms, comms or money armored trucks. Also note, it doesn't say they were at the scene, only driving past (her house, the scene ?). Third, she doesn't say that she observed anything being loaded onto these trucks.

But, the Legend has now evolved to it was FIVE armored trucks, At the SCENE, being LOADED. Several Tnet members and even some of the most recent papers printed that as fact (five armored trucks at the scene loading), but none of these claims are factually supported by the original eye witness testimony.

Theres several other points on it that have grown, but i don't want to hijack your thread, just wanted to point out that History has a way of morphing.

Gidday Godeep

It is a fine example of things getting taken out of context and growing or now forever added to the tale of Dents Run. There are many more extreme examples such as Oak Island, Dutchman, yamashita that has evolved into a whole lore of connected stories enough to fill an encyclopedia of stories springing up and growing from a root legend.

It is easy to see how quickly these stories can grow from the original context.

That is why it is important to get to the root of theses stories before they grow into some thing else.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Continuing the dying Indian story.

Many thanks to Jeff for the 2016 post on this story in which he posted the following newspaper below.

This version gives a little more information than the version I found. As it gives the name of the alleged dying women's Son.

This is important as we now have the names of the 3 key players in this story.

To be continued....

Crow

 

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

The first thing anyone should do is establish by independent sources if these persons existed in the first place?

No fun amigos wasting time researching names that might of been invent by bored journalist inventing a treasure yarn as gap filler for the newspaper. This does happen amigos so always be weary of newspaper stories. They can be useful however one has verify the facts behind such stories and not blindly rely on them as 100% fact either.

This is why you must established the existence of the key people in the story.

Crow

 

[Crow]

So our key players....in this treasure tale

Ko-Ko-Dye-Lash the Dying women and R F Kirkpatrick and the son John Mitchell.

First one R F Kirkpatrick was listed as a farmer in the 1900 census below

Beyond doubt R F Kirkpatrick was a farmer that lived in the area.

To be continued.....

Crow

 

[Crow]

John Mitchell in the US Indian Census Rolls 1885 -1940 below.

He married in 1889.

So it appears the son is a real person also.

to be continued ......

Crow
[h=1][/h]

 

[Crow]

But what of the principle person behind the story Ko-Ko-Dye-Lash ?

This is one of dangers of reporting a hard to spell name when spoken verbally to reporter who then need needs to decide how to spell it?

And the second newspaper version by mentioning John Mitchell was the key.

Searching backing through US Indian Census Rolls 1885 -1940 we have another spelling version of the name but most of all confirms the name of John Mitchel's mother. These rolls are important by the time the 1915 rolls she is missing perhaps already Dead?

However the following US Indian Census Rolls 1885 -1940 dated 1890 shows John Mitchell and his mum dated 1891.

Another it help confirms the possibility that she might of buried this allege can of money or gold in 1896? The newspaper report in 1915 claimed she buried the gold 19 years earlier? Which would give the alleged date of this burial?

But what was the driver to motive to bury money or gold to begin with in 1896?

If you know your history amigos you will know 1896 was significant event that would drive people to bury money and gold?

The Panic of 1896 was an acute economic depression in the United States that was less serious than other panics of the era, precipitated by a drop in silver reserves, and market concerns on the effects it would have on the gold standard. Deflation of commodities' prices drove the stock market to new lows in a trend that began to reverse only after the 1896 election of William McKinley.

So its not beyond the realm of impossibility money or gold was hidden triggered by the panic of 1896?

To be continued....

Crow

 

[3cylbill]

All the words about dents run when all that is needed is the video of the dig but that's just to much to ask . It's going to cost a lot of money and years to produce the facts....

 

[Crow]

Gidday 3cylbill

Please do not drag up Dents run. It has very little do with this thread. If you want to post on dents run post on the many threads dedicated dents run thread.

Getting back to to this story dissecting of 1915 near Pendleton Oregon.

If the story was true of course an estimated gold at 33 an ounce 1915 gold values would be worth about 60 grand today. Not quite a fortune but still a nice sum nothing to sneeze at?

Yet still amigos

Even if the 3 players as seems really exist. The region and area is large as you can see below of the Indian reservation.

We are faced with the proverbial needle in a haystack or we?

Since we identified the key players to this story. There is some thing else....

To be continued.....

Crow

 

[Crow]

Dissecting the Pendleton Story further Amigos.

Here is map of properties leased out by the reservation with lessees.

If you look hard enough you will find some thing interesting?

Crow

 

[Crow]

Does that mean treasure ever there to begin with or later taken or still there today? It really does not prove anything other than the people were real and R F Kirkpatrick Robert leased farm land off Indians from the reservation..

It helps narrow down the location of where alleged can of gold was buried and lost. But that is all.

However it proves a point some times smaller such stories with good research can lead to interesting things.

Most of all anyone if they work at it can dissect any treasure story either showing its nothing more than just a legend or perhaps some thing more to it?

Perhaps even a hidden treasure cache to search for?

Crow

 

[KANACKI]

Hola Amigo my fine feather Black bird.

What is interesting nearly all the white farmers was actually renting the land off the Natives of the reservation. Some thing I would not of suspected. So in effect the local Indian Reservation was actually the landlord and individual parcels of land was leased out so.

So it was possible over time John Mitchell's mother was earning an income over many years perhaps even enough to generate $1100 Dollars in gold or was it coin?

Its not clear with the Two newspaper versions was gold nuggets or actually gold coin. Thus if all in gold coin it might be worth a hell of a lot more than just bullion value.

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

And in one of newspaper they tried to till the soil for it. Isn't 2 feet deep as the can allegedly buried a little deep for a plow. But perhaps we can be enlightened by a wheat farmer on that?

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Hola Crow

According to this book, Plowing and Crop yields 1940



Plowing crop the average 6-7 and some times 9 inches depending on time of year. As you can see below.



Although that is based on Montana and not Oregon

So in theory it might of been possible they could never fully plow the alleged depth to reach the hidden buried can 3 FT deep.

Kanacki

 

[3cylbill]

Crow ...your the one that dragged up dents run , what's the big deal anyway ? All they need to do is present the video and the legend or farse would be over....

 

[KANACKI]

Hola Amigo

3cylbill amigo if you read back further you find it was Godeep who actually brought it up. Crow only politely responded. While indeed amigo Dent Run is interesting for some it was not the purpose of the thread to become another thread about "Dents run".

Crows only purpose was show how such a story like Pendleton Indian Treasure story in 1915 can be atomically dissected bit by bit to either uncover a real story or just find another treasure legend.

You guys have opportunities with so many of these hardly known stories over there at your finger tips amigo.

Where you here do you know if indain tribes had a tendency to camp near water sources or away from them?

Cheers Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Ah ha amigos

Crow perhaps this might be of some interest?



Here is an 1893 picture it would be interest to indemnify this location in relation to the railway line. This encampment Crow predates any alleged burial by the old Indian lad in 1896. And we have comments in one newspaper that she buried it near where she had her old Tepee? Was this a picture of John Mitchell's mother Ty-pee in 1893? Or just another group nearby?

Kanacki

 

[Crow]

Crow ...your the one that dragged up dents run , what's the big deal anyway ? All they need to do is present the video and the legend or farse would be over....

Gidday 3cylbill

Please understand its not my intention to insult but do agree with what your saying but do have an issue I am trying to stay well away from "Dents Run" Saga because if I really gave my real feelings on the topic I will be banned so I am trying to leave that topic well enough alone.

Please understand this

All I want to do elaborate on is the dissection of this Pendleton Indian treasure story. To show how one can search for facts. In you have any insight into the Pendleton story you are very much welcome amigo.

Crow