tracyadams
Newbie
- Mar 11, 2018
- 3
- 2
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
I have read sparse accounts of gold buried between two stumps at Benton Lake, north of White Cloud. Does anyone have any more details?
Benton Lake gold
- Thread starter tracyadams
- Start date
A#1
Hero Member
i've found a few sparse details, and to be honest the more I read, the story was less believable, and incomplete.
It starts off with saying $74,000 in payroll to a lumbercamp....... Lumber camps weren't that big, didn't pay that much. and most of the workers owed their soul to the company store. 500 bucks probably would have been sufficient for months of payroll, and they probably wouldn't have kept the extra $73,500 on hand now, would they?
The payroll was supposedly headed for a lumber camp near Benton lake......so why did the robbers grab the loot and continue on to Benton Lake to bury it? Personally, I woulda run the other way.
At the time, in 1874, the land was held by a lumber baron type who owned many thousands of acres around there. This person didn't live locally, I can find no record of a 74,000 dollar loss to that lumber company. Further, there was only a reported $200,000 in capital for the whole company, that only paid $20,000 in wages (1880)
Given that there was probably no buildings on the property. Just how did a cast iron stove get there? Did the robbers just happen to bring one along in case they got cold? I would think a getaway would be easier without bringing along a 200 pound stove.
What was the point in putting the gold into the cast iron stove in the first place?
Beyond the robbery and burial....there isn't any mention of the robbers beyond this. If they weren't busted, I would think they'd go back to get the booty. If they were busted, there should be some record of it.
In the end, I found other things in the area that deserved more attention. I will be headed to the area next year for some detecting, and although I'll have to go take a look around ( because that's what we do), the "Benton Lake Gold" won't be my primary directive. This just seemed to me like it was probably some form of tale that had been twisted over a century and not worth the effort.
It starts off with saying $74,000 in payroll to a lumbercamp....... Lumber camps weren't that big, didn't pay that much. and most of the workers owed their soul to the company store. 500 bucks probably would have been sufficient for months of payroll, and they probably wouldn't have kept the extra $73,500 on hand now, would they?
The payroll was supposedly headed for a lumber camp near Benton lake......so why did the robbers grab the loot and continue on to Benton Lake to bury it? Personally, I woulda run the other way.
At the time, in 1874, the land was held by a lumber baron type who owned many thousands of acres around there. This person didn't live locally, I can find no record of a 74,000 dollar loss to that lumber company. Further, there was only a reported $200,000 in capital for the whole company, that only paid $20,000 in wages (1880)
Given that there was probably no buildings on the property. Just how did a cast iron stove get there? Did the robbers just happen to bring one along in case they got cold? I would think a getaway would be easier without bringing along a 200 pound stove.
What was the point in putting the gold into the cast iron stove in the first place?
Beyond the robbery and burial....there isn't any mention of the robbers beyond this. If they weren't busted, I would think they'd go back to get the booty. If they were busted, there should be some record of it.
In the end, I found other things in the area that deserved more attention. I will be headed to the area next year for some detecting, and although I'll have to go take a look around ( because that's what we do), the "Benton Lake Gold" won't be my primary directive. This just seemed to me like it was probably some form of tale that had been twisted over a century and not worth the effort.
Last edited:
CoachRocha
Newbie
- Aug 6, 2020
- 4
- 1
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
After one day of reading through these forums, I am pretty sure I need to be friends with you. 
When is the next hunt?!
When is the next hunt?!
sadsack
Jr. Member
Benton Lake is a is a no go.
If someone robed $74,000 it would be in the newspapers.
If someone robed $74,000 it would be in the newspapers.
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