Crazy Mountains Cache

[Gypsy Heart]

Sweet Grass County MT Archives Newspapers.....Oct., 1935 – Jan. 1936
Residents of Big Timber listened intently to the story of Nels Sandstol, a
herdsman, who claimed to have found hidden gold of a bank or train robber in the
Crazy mountains. The cache, so his story went, was unearthed from under a marked
rock. He brought several rings and other trinkets to town to confirm the find,
but did not divulge the amount of gold, supposedly in $20 coins. Rumor has it
the discovery amounted to as much as $30,000, but there was nothing upon which
to base the report

 

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[Montana Jim]

The Crazy Mountains, formerly known as the Crazy Women Mountains based on the lady who lost her whole family to Indians while traveling there... she lost her mind and then named the range after her. The story was phsudo repeated in the movie Jerimiah Johnson, the fake story about the real Liver Eating Jonhnson... kinda.

Maybe there be gold in them there hills!

 

[Tubecity]

Jim , isn't that the woman even the Indians didn't bother ? Louis L'Amour also wrote
stories of her.

 

[Montana Jim]

Jim , isn't that the woman even the Indians didn't bother ? Louis L'Amour also wrote
stories of her.

Yup. Thats what I always heard since living here. I drove by them a few weeks ago - they are still plastered in snow!

 

[maverick4440]

I actually found this guy, He died in 1975 and lived in Sweet Grass at the time of this story. He was issued a Social Security card in 1951 in Montana but died at the US consolate in Oslo Norway in 1975.
Sounds like maybe he took the money and made good. Still looking into this but I'm guessing he took the gold and just shut up about it after thinking it over.

 

[bill crane]

Another version of how the mountains got the name was due to the crazy winds that come down off of them, supposedly even the Native Americans would tend to avoid these mountains due to the evil spirts. I never hear of any treasure said to be around these mountains but then doing research for years it could be in a book I've never come across yet. For an interesting read one might check out: Montana Sweet Grass Country, from Melville to the Boulder River Valley by Phyllis Smith ISBN 061512200-0
There is a good treasure lead in the book about a stage stop where folks disappeared and were never heard from again. Some cowboys tracked some missing folks who left Miles City by stage to the stop and discovered that the man tending the bar would drug the travelers and drop them down a trap door and rob and kill them at his leisure. End results was one dead bar tender and the couple who also worked there turned up missing. Close by there is a Dead man's Creek and a Hanged Man's Creek. Could money from the victims still be hidden near by? I think it is a good possibility.

 

[NHBandit]

This is the second thread started by Gypsy Heart to be dusted off and brought back to the surface today. Anyone know where she ran off to ? I always enjoyed her stories and the adventures her and her daughters got into.

 

[Goose-0]

Ah, Gypsy Heart....I remember her well. She posted a ghost town within 14 miles from me (Minn). It appears that there is a trailer/tent camping on the site now. I'm planning to ask the campground mgmt if I can detect in the spring.

 

[RJGMC]

Visited with Gypsy this morning. All is well, she is still in the same general area, still hunts. Getting together with her and several others in April.

I told her people were asking.

RJGMC
HI BOB!

 

[Goose-0]

I want to go also.

 

[old digger]

Good to hear Gypsy Heart is still out there! Come back and visit a little.

 

[Tiredman]

We have discovered that this cache story is actually one of the most interesting ones. My wife researched this lead out and I briefly glanced over the material. All those folks who hunt for Butch Cassidy loot, guess what this turned out to be?

 

[Tiredman]

This story is pretty good and we discovered it is tied to several listings in Terry's Treasure Atlas. I was just getting into it as work shift was nearing the end. I believe the report of Wild Bunch train robbery loot near Augusta can be crossed off. They only tried to escape that way before getting caught. The jewelry was passengers that was found under the rock. Messenger on train had time to hide all but $52! Course I will put more time into further study, but it looks like it remained cached for years due to death or prison terms for the robbers. One had ties to wild bunch.

 

[Tiredman]

The cache is tied to the Greycliff train robbery in Terry's treasure atlas. Of the group one had ties to the wild bunch. This is how the Butch Cassidy got connected with the region. Actually about to work on the story tonight.

 

[Tiredman]

The wild bunch member was Charlie Hanks, he recruited some low level crooks. But they ended up all dead except Hanks. Hanks never went back to dig it up. Instead he joined up for the Wagner train robbery 1901, after getting out of prison. Someone pieced this story together and it made the papers in 1983. I feel they got it right.

 

[Tiredman]

The amount of money from the robbery was $52 the baggage man was able to hide all the rest. They then robbed the passengers who also had time to secret things. The result was watches, rings and jewelry which could be identified so this was buried on Crazy Mountain in a dutch oven. It was buried since 1893.

 

[Tiredman]

There are two forks of Amelong Creek, both can be located north of Crazy Mountain. Treasure Hunters dream of finding a dutch oven full of outlaw loot, imagine actually finding one!