Jesse James Treasures: Do They Likely Still Exist?

[BentSpear]

Don Jose and Crosse, thanks for the comments, nothing new to report, haven't been able to do any exploring due to weather and me and my sons work schedule conflicting. Still doing research though and all I can find is that dang vague legend, wish i could find the source of the legend though, anyway, back to the grind and hopefully will be able to go looking this weekend.

 

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[Albertaclipper]

This is one of my favorite topics. JJ and his brother were pretty smart, daring and elusive in that era. I like to think that there are still some unrecovered JJ caches to this day, I also wonder how many "big" robberies or thefts were done by JJ that were never reported or documented...To me, I think his train and bank robberies were just for sh$ts and giggles and that the proceeds from those robberies would not amount to enough for him to leave caches/markers. He wasn't living for the moment, he was starting the groundwork to prop something up. He had ties to the KGC, was he stealing from them? lol....I don't know, he was a pretty smart dude, hopefully some day, we will find out what he was really up to!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Nah, JJ & gangs were KGC stealing from OAK...

 

[VernonWalter]

How likely is it that JJ / KGC related treasures might be in North East Texas near what used to be Kentucky Town? That list of robberies / hauls doesn't have anything Texas listed on it, but from what I'm learning, Kentucky Town was very significant. If not that outpost, what about in the general area such as North toward Oklahoma?

 

[Rebel - KGC]

How likely is it that JJ / KGC related treasures might be in North East Texas near what used to be Kentucky Town? That list of robberies / hauls doesn't have anything Texas listed on it, but from what I'm learning, Kentucky Town was very significant. If not that outpost, what about in the general area such as North toward Oklahoma?

MANY HOOT OWL Trail trees in that area...

 

[Culinary Caveman]

VernonWalter, I don't remember exactly where I saw it but I think if you Google kgc Sulphur Springs Texas you'll find a little interesting reading about a Dr. and the local members. Maybe Hopkins county instead of S.S. like I said I don't remember exactly.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Hi Alberta clipper,

Yeah, seems they rode pretty hard, maybe were driven with insight.
Might have been they were very methodical, oops, until Northfield.
Maybe even Jesse may have been set up. They certainly had their
good and bad days. But finding out what all they did, would be like
luckily finding out some well kept secrets, that they took with them...

A small few thousand dollar cache too small to mark?
Not when it's possibly key to travelin' monies later on.
You could buy a lot for a dollar back then. They likely
also used what they needed, left some near trading places,
and gave some to help those who helped them out, when
they were out, moving about and doing what they did.

I think Jesse took great pleasure in his art work, rock
and tree carvings, with WHO ever else may have
helped him, he was a spiritually minded man,
and undoubtedly considered himself to be
doing the right thing, as he was known to
have said "My Father In Heaven" at least
once. He believed he was directed, and
apparently was committed when a decision
was made... I too, like everyone, hope that Frank
or whoever, didn't recover everything that they planted.
That one day some one will uncover some new hard evidence.

That would really be too cool.
Thanks for your comments,

THAT tree is a MESSAGE TREE! I agree that JJ & Gangs PROBABLY "planted" Road-side Money-Banks (Mason Jars, filled with Gold/Silver coins, worth a Dollar EACH) to pay for items needed... or help "the POOR". Any "large" loot was PROBABLY deposited by others for KGC/BLF "use".

 

[VernonWalter]

MANY HOOT OWL Trail trees in that area...

Yes, finally getting the hang of spotting them! Many, many traditional trails in the area. So far, having good luck spotting them near creeks and such, places that have been in use / traveled for at least a couple hundred years, most of which have been still protected from development within the last 100. Very nice to be able to pick up on them even sometimes within city areas - found one that is a huge oak with what looks like an "eye" type of knot in it, also a piece of metal stuck in the ground by the roots. Interesting stuff, will be sure to keep looking and especially up in the areas where they were known to travel.

 

[L.C. BAKER]

THAT tree is a MESSAGE TREE! I agree that JJ & Gangs PROBABLY "planted" Road-side Money-Banks (Mason Jars, filled with Gold/Silver coins, worth a Dollar EACH) to pay for items needed... or help "the POOR". Any "large" loot was PROBABLY deposited by others for KGC/BLF "use".

Now you are talking Rebel...THE BANK OF THE BLF .......Was it S.F. Nuckolls and John P. Boulware's Branch at the Platte Valley?...or was it at Brother Enyart's Farmers Bank? or Perhaps another man from Kentucky that took up banking in Nebraska City made the deposits into the coffer and laundered the cash....

L.C.

 

[doc-d]

Crosse De Sign, have you searched on the reservation for any of this stashes…….

 

[Ocean7]

My thoughts on the Jesse James treasure legends: A lot of very smart people have researched this subject tirelessly, for several decades... Maybe there were some treasure sites existing at one time... Possibly Frank missed retrieving more of them... It seems that a lot of well qualified people have searched long and hard, and did well to figure out and decode a lot of the info they had. They reported to have found some items, but not all that they had expected to, plus their 15 min. fame. I'm sure they had a good time....... If there's anything left laying out there in the ground undiscovered, it has yet to be known... Who knows what may, or may not have been found years ago, by Frank James, or whoever, that will never be discussed?... ~: CDS :~

yes and after all those years how many would still be sitting in the ground? They had friends, they had family, they had people who knew of their exploits. Then you have the THer and cache hunters over many decades now. I place it at low probability now, and yes, I read that book on the so-called KGC connections, and sorry that whole thing just doesn't hold water in my book. But then TH'ers tend to be dreamers, the story gets taller down the line, and heck it sold a lot of copies. And when you think about it, anyone can come up with old photos, and even bury stuff in the ground in mason jars, and then make sure a camera is rolling when they go back to dig it up. It's easy to chum the water for whatever reason people do it. NO I don't believe these tales at all!

 

[doc-d]

And yet there are many treasures to be found, my guess is most are lost to history…….
Consider banking, what did you do with you money (gold, silver)..for most of recored history, there was not much, even in our days, can you really trust the banks?
And so people buried things, people die; move away, never to return and things get lost…….
Treasure legends are certainly something to consider, and yet they also entertain, provide us opportunity to think, evaluate and explore…….
As for exploration, it provides us a great opportunity to get outside and experience things we would otherwise not, provides us some exercise and even if we find nothing, we still have gained something……..

Vaya con Dios

 

[Ocean7]

And yet there are many treasures to be found, my guess is most are lost to history…….
Consider banking, what did you do with you money (gold, silver)..for most of recored history, there was not much, even in our days, can you really trust the banks?
And so people buried things, people die; move away, never to return and things get lost…….
Treasure legends are certainly something to consider, and yet they also entertain, provide us opportunity to think, evaluate and explore…….
As for exploration, it provides us a great opportunity to get outside and experience things we would otherwise not, provides us some exercise and even if we find nothing, we still have gained something……..

Vaya con Dios

I agree. In 1700's and 1800's, banks were too far away for people in country to to ride on horse and use (if they existed in those areas at all). so it's far more likely to find a buried cache that some old person had buried and then never retrieved due to illness and death. Heck my mother-in-law had $5000 in cash in a pressure cooker in a shed down there in Texas that she forgot all about when senility set in and she was placed in a nursing home. She didn't trust banks and this was in the last 10 years. She was born in 1920's and from that Era. So people are still caching money in strange places etc. But these out of the world pie-in-the-sky tales - they are just that tall tales. IMO

 

[Ocean7]

Perhaps no taller a tale, than going down to the beach,
thinking to possibly find something, at all. Much less early
or late 18th C. Spanish Reales. You believe, because you have
found and seen coins. We believe what we have seen. But really,
I'm glad that most people don't want to go where those outlaws rode,
enough people in them parts of the woods as it is. No way or desire to
prove anything, but some good pics for the fun of looking and talking about
it, comparing and learning from each other. Not a TV documentary, or anyone
trying to get sponsors...

Many people have lots of words and opinions, just not much to share. It's OK.
That's what we are doing, sharing, trading stories, enjoying, and it's free, even
complete with critics and all. Speaking of stories, got any reale good ones to tell?
Thanks in advance...

Well, the old coins I found have all been in the dirt not at the ocean, on very old properties.
Where I live has the history and people who lived in colonial times to lose such finds.
Opinions are just that and what you choose to believe doesn't matter to me. Really I have
ZERO to prove to you.

I am a cache hunter too. I've dug some nice dry empty holes and know all about
what is entailed in finding these things. In fact, if you look through my posts,
you'll see me sitting in a 5 foot hole that I dug myself by hand. Does that make
me an expert on digging holes or caches? Nope, but it shows that I have indeed dug some
deep holes.

No, I haven't found any Reales in a long time since those two honey hole properties,
where they were found. Those have been pounded by quite a few people along with myself.
They don't come along that often. In fact, I've only seen two such places in my 30
years of MD'ing. But I'd like to hear about your cache exploits - I'm all ears.

Oh and I'm a paid member, so it's not free for me but that is my choice.

lastly, I can admit that my opinion could be wrong. I wonder if you can do the
same? Again, in my opinion, based on lots of reading, a fair amount of hunting,
logic and reason, and the brains I was blessed with - i do not buy many of these
pie-in-the-sky stories at all. They don't flush, hold any water nor compute as
far as I can see. So more large, fabled caches for you guys! *s*

 

[silversnacher]

Somebody texted in response to my Craigslist add asking for places to detect and offered to let me hunt there land in the ozarks but I declined for now as I'm in Michigan...

 

[silversnacher]

Howdy silversnacher: Did they have a particular reason, for wanting someone to detect on their property? Thanks,

These are the texts I received,

I got property in Missouri (Ozarks ) Jessie James territory 14 acres. Call XXXXXX. XXXXXXXXXX I saw savage show and all ways been curious

I responded that I couldn't do it now but if I was ever in his area I would love too. And got


No problem. Just call if ever your interested. There could be something good down there Jessie buried alot of stolen treasure down there!



Of course my 'lil heart went crazy but it just wouldn't be plausible for me to go all the way over there for a metal detecting hunt....or would it

 

[silversnacher]

Have they seen any signs, or have a story?

They didn't mention any

 

[Springfield]

Wonder what makes them think Jesse James buried alot
of stolen treasure then, people usually have a reason.

That's going to take a lot of your time to get a decent feel for. The KGC material on this forum, on numerous blogs and in a number of books is a start. Be prepared for conflicting evidence and testimony - you'll have to hone your own information filter. Perhaps the most informative sources are some of the enormous James threads on the genealogy websites.

 

[Springfield]

Howdy Springfield,

Not much interested in chasing after someone's curiosity.
Have plenty to do, much closer than the Ozarks...

But that's the point, Crosse - JJ and his associates allegedly had a large presence in the West following his staged 1882 death in St. Joe. The MO/KS/OK stuff is one thing, but the NM/AZ/CA is what makes the story interesting.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

A member of his gang ended up down here " Bay" I was going with his grand daughter at first, Bay was a little off center and it carreied down although she was beautiful. Her father son of Bay was called Enersto Bay. Anything check out