✅ SOLVED I Found a Treasure Map but is this Gypsy Graves Handwriting?

Bigcypresshunter

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Dec 15, 2004
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South Florida
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Hello everyone. I was at my storage warehouse when I noticed a pile of books sticking out the top of the dumpster. It appears they cleaned out someones storage warehouse that didn't pay. This happens all the time. Being a person that likes to read and sell junk on eBay, I took a pile of books home. They were all about Archaeology. Inside one of the books entitled "the People Who Discovered Colombus, The Prehistory of the Bahamas" I discovered a hand written treasure map describing a cave "70 feet deep and has more stuff of value than we have any idea of!"

My first clue to the origin of these Archaeology books comes from an inscription written inside a book "Donated to the Graves Museum of Archaeology and Natural History."

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The Graves Museum closed its doors in 2004. A bankruptcy judge later approved the museum's plan to donate its collections to Broward College and Florida State University and dissolve its governing board. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-graves-museum-brow100-20150607-story.html

Inside the Bahamas book was a 4 page hand written letter describing the search of a cave with some hand written maps! I still havent read it all but it describes in detail a trip from Miami to San Salvador, Bahamas in search of something old and valuable. My question to the group. Inside the book is the name of the famous archaeologist Gypsy C. Graves. Is this her signature or her handwriting? Does this mean she owned this book? Could she be the person that wrote the treasure maps? That would certainly add credibility. I hope this works because Im on a very weak WIFI hotspot and Im out of data..

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Nothing really to offer. Just glad to see you posting again. The old Graves Archaeological Museum is right down at the end of my street actually. Also, did you know Big Dog Dad passed away? Sorry to be off topic but I couldn't pm you today and the last time I tried your mailbox was full.
I didnt know. Real sorry to hear that. He was an extremely enthusiastic treasure hunter and almost a legend on this site. Did he ever make any of the big finds he was seeking? I was hoping to read about his adventures.. I need to delete some mail. I just hate to lose that stuff but its probably of little use to me anymore. I will work on cleaning out my box. Its been full for years. From what I am reading, the museum contained some amazing Pre-Colombian gold artifacts as well as local stuff. I would have loved to have seen it..

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Bright red soil may be from Africa. (!)

Page 76. (4 of 8 in the link).
http://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/pdfs/5thGeology/75_Foos_5thGeology.pdf

Hello RC that is an excellent post and probably the correct explanation for the red dust. In certain conditions when the Australia desert has dust storm the dust is blown into atmosphere and deposited onto islands the Pacific. In fact I should of known better as the island I live on had a coating of of red dust 2 months back. It coated everything even inside my house and we was thousands of miles from Australia. So I have no doubt that that is probable solution that air born dust blown from Africa and deposited in Bahamas.

Kanacki
 

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Hello RC that is an excellent post and probably the correct explanation for the red dust. In certain conditions when the Australia desert has dust storm the dust is blown into atmosphere and deposited onto islands the Pacific. In fact I should of known better as the island I live on had a coating of of red dust 2 months back. It coated everything even inside my house and we was thousands of miles from Australia. So I have no doubt that that is probable solution that air born dust blown from Africa and deposited in Bahamas.

Kanacki

Amazing forces , those storms.
A two day blow in the N. American S.W. that stalled a vacation had us tentatively peering into canned goods when opened , suspecting dust even in them....:laughing7:
 

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Have you found any connection with Oakes and the Waitling group that may have done some digging in 2006, or my group that did those 3 days of digging in 2007? That would be an interesting angle to pursue.

Hello Big cypress hunter. As of yet no. Nothing concrete.

But there is few Oakes descendants still living in Bahamas. The grandson allegedly quoted they had to build a resort for billionaires to escape the millionaires.

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I met a Canadian investigative journalist in Hawaii and had good chat about many things. Very friending fellow. Having a few whiskys in bar of Hilton hotel. Yet it might of been the whiskey the name escapes me. :-) The bar was quiet and the topic of wealthy elite came up.

He told me he was investigating a story in Bahamas in 2006. He was meeting influential people asking questions about Oakes family descendants in the Bahamas. Apparently a few are still involved in real estate and tourism. He was trying to set up a meeting with the grandson. In a hotel in Albany very exclusive marina enclave. Security came out of nowhere and frog hopped him out of premixes and that was that.

So its possible but not conclusive course. The Oake's family could of been influentially behind the government shut down of any treasure dig. They still have money wealth and influence.

But the point is why bother to interfere? It has been claimed if it was not for WW2 the Canadian government would of pursued Sir Harry Oakes for 83% of his wealth for tax evasion.

Some say the ghost of Sir Harry Oakes still proverbially haunts the Bahamas in all the multimillionaires and the rich and powerful that are there escaping paying taxes.

When you walk in the marina among these super yachts it makes you wonder how much power do these people have?

Kanacki
 

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Lots of influential, affluent people involved also here in South Florida too.. The entire island may be reading this and I expect someones lawyer may pay me a visit or worse.... I found it in the trash so its mine, correct? Or can they force me to give up possession of these books and papers?
 

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Seriously. BCH

Well done for saving these interesting books and letters from the dumpster. Even if the alleged treasure site does not turn out to be what people suspect. It is still a very interesting and fascinating yarn.

Here is a picture of the alleged cave below blocked up

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I found a curious newspaper story dating back to 1903.

The Bendigo Independent (Vic. : 1891 - 1918) Thu 3 Sep 1903

"A couple of months ago," said, the first mail, an American mining engineer, "1 was
in New Providence, and everybody was talking about a mysterious American who
had been down in the Bahamas just before.

He came in a small schooner, and anchored off one of the small cays, or islands,
which are so numerous there He said he hadn't come far sponges or coral or salt
or pearls ; but he. wouldn't tell' anybody what he had come for.

One day he hired two locals, and got a boat filled with tin provisions, tools and a tent. Then he made them row him over to another cay about six miles off– a mere lump of coral and a few bushes where nobody lives. There he stayed for a week, making the locals dig like fury in places he pointed out, while he watched over them with, a Winchester rifle to see that they did not shirk.

After six days' digging they came across a heavy, brass-bound trunk. They carried it to the boat, and rowed him. to the schooner. As soon as the box was aboard he weighed anchor, and nothing more was heard of him.

Nobody knew his name or what he had, found; but of course: they all think that
he had the clue to some pirate hoard, and found it.


The Bermudas have a long history in the mindset of treasure lore perhaps with nothing specific. The petty jealousy and out right greed among land holders squabbling over land in which they believed treasure might be buried there? Is a prime example how things can get out of of control. Its a shame the project did not go further.

Anyway as said BCH you made an astonishing find a little insight into the events around the search for treasure at fortune hill.

I have a flight to catch from Guam back to my South Pacific island. Thank you every one for wonderful posts on this topic has been pure mind candy.

Kanacki
 

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People go crazy when gold is involved. I find it amazing that the whole island has decided how they will split this money and what they will build with it, trust fund for every resident etc lol. I find that a little out there. But gold does this to people. It causes them to act irrationally. However after reading all this, the possibility of buried gold in the Bahamas is real.

KANACKI, your last 2 attachments do not work. This has been an issue on this site since day 1. I would think it would be fixed by now but the administrators do not see it as a problem. Maybe you would be kind enough to re-post the last 2 attachments. I cant remember why this happens. Thanks


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Maybe this entire thread should be moved to Cache Hunting or Treasure Legends?
 

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Thanks. Thats a great link that says dumpster diving is legal in Miami and in the state of Florida. However it does say this:
The removal of any personal data or information found inside a dumpster could result in a charge of identity theft. Accordingly, all personal information that is uncovered inside the dumpster should be destroyed or left alone inside the container.
 

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Photograph everything. I've done some caving, and in my experience in the states they all are filled with sticky red mud. I guess under certain circumstances the mud could dry up and become dusty? I believe technically, since the container was on privately the contents would belong to either the organization using or the container corp.
 

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It would surely have to be something other than an arsenic compound or there would have been quite a built up curse story going around. The 4 ft rooster story reminds me of a skit done on the little rascals. They were holding a circus to raise money for something. There was a tent with a sign outside reading "4 Foot Man Eating Chicken 5 Cents!". When the flap was pulled back Spanky was sitting on a stool eating fried chicken. LOL
 

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Well this thread has been very good for me. It has helped me straighten out my own time line of events. Reading about all the different digs has helped me remember most of these events, and got me to reach out to my friends over there. It's been 2 1/2 years since I've been over to the island. I had forgotten how easy it is for me to go and stay. I've got off topic and have shifted to planning my adventure over there. Looks like everything is falling into place nicely !! I have a free place to stay a car to get around in and some great friends to adventure with. I'll be splitting time hunting ambergris , hunting the old black glass bottles, and metal detecting permissions and the club med beaches. I'm very excited to hunt for the ambergris and have a dog lined up to help with the hunt. This little pot cake dog has had success in the past and has been trained up over the last 3 years. Hes a good asset and has already found an eleven pound chunk that got the boys a cool 80,000$. I'm hoping to get permission from Emory black to search around for some surface evidence and maybe narrow down who, what, and when regarding who may have deposited this alleged treasure. I can say that the entire island is in agreement that the treasure is of the pirate or buccaneer type. Others have put forth that they think it could be some of the booty taken out of Havana when it was captured by the English in the early 1760s. A vast fortune in silver and gold and all manner of treasure was carried off and disappeared. This same treasure is conjectured to be at oak island also in some narratives. This hoard fits with the timeline of loyalist settlements here. Also the missing dagger that I saw was a real deal pirate dagger in every since. It looked like something out of treasure island. I will enquire about it again when I reach the island. There is another name I havnt mentioned. Any reference to a last name winters in your notes bigcypress. I believe he is who is being referenced in the dig at chichen itza. I think it may be his father who dug there. He was involved in the Patterson group I think and I'm still trying to confirm this. They told me his first name just yesterday and I already forgot. I'll text for his first name again. He worked at the feild station as an archy I believe, and it was rumored that he had recovered gold more than once here on the island. If he did these were loyalist caches un related to fortune hill. The red ocher I was referring to is not poisonous and was used to treat sails on these ships giving them a tan colored weather proofing. It was also a very traded commodity for the making of paints and dyes. It could just as well been naturally occurring too. I only mention it because it was related to me by someone who claimed to be eyewitness to the Jones ingot story. This little detail I never heard before and led me to believe him a bit more as no one else had mentioned it and this person claimed he was there when the gold was coming up. Kanaki I was just in elutherea for three months fishing, and if there was harry oaks gold that was stashed I'd wager here at elutherea would be the logical place for the oaks stashes. There have been some great finds in elutherea over the years. And I have been hunting around an old cannon site hereView attachment 1707313
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20190328_160315.jpg I found a total of 8 canons at this site last month 2 are still at least 2 feet under the sand. This will be the first time on San sal when I didnt have to work, so this will be purely for adventure. Woooo hoooo !!! This is gonna be fun !! As soon as my wife and kid break for vacation I'm outta here for San sal. Probably June or July, man its gonna be hot !!
 

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I'm gonna talk to everyone who is willing to talk to me about the history of this treasure legend and start the process of documenting it. My friend and mentor Marty meylach has given me the method he used to write his iconic book "diving to a flash of gold". I will use his methods to start documenting this story. Its definitely a worthy story and I have a publisher friend who can help me.you guys can also look up Solomon's mine jewelry store and I know it's still there on bay street in Nassau. They have a Facebook page too. This is the company that was supposed to have gotten its start from the Jones gold cache.
 

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20190428_104416.jpg heres just a few pieces that I've found on San sal while beach combing for ambergris. The glass at that site probably made those archeologist think what I thought.....pirates have been here !!! The old Bush glass looks like this20190428_103854.jpg and I use the glass to get me on spots in the bush. 20190323_233920.jpg and for dating a site. There were spots on the hill where the glass frags were old.....very old !! 20190428_105911.jpg
 

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This may help the research.

Her given name is/was [FONT="]Ottillie Rose Cosden.

[/FONT]
Her nickname is a reference to Baby's Breath (the flower), the genus name of which is Gypsophila.

I got a hit on her living in Murphy, NC, but not much more.

It appears that she was born in West Virginia and at age 10 was living in Mount Sterling, Kentucky (see the link below). I believe that in trying to track down this lady who appears to still be alive and may be able to corroborate the authenticity of the material and stories, one may have to use different variations of her' first name as I found an Ellierose Cosden living in Laurinburg, NC at one link.

https://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/Kentucky/Ottillie-Rose-Cosden_1qd3vc
 

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