KINZUA BRIDGE CACHE , Pennsylvania

[jeff of pa]

$8.00 a day
I only made 21 Cents For an hour & 15 today


The Cambria freeman. (Ebensburg, Pa.), 14 July 1882.


https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...IDGE&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

 

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[LesterJB]

Has anyone ran across a contemporary news article or police report of the actual robbery and capture of the robber? If so, could you send me an attachment of it. What newspaper would that have been at the time? County seat was Smethport, and that's where he was taken, but, where was he found, wandering delirious? Name of the robber? Someone on here said they may know who it is based on a cemetery? Ever find out?

 

[jeff of pa]

Searching From 1881 to 1963, Nationwide Newspapers

The words robbery & Kinzua do not appear within 50 words of Each other

Only 2 Articles Between 100 words of each other and Not Related to a robbery


SCORCHED ITALIANS
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]), 30 April 1886.


https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

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and THRILLING EXPIERENCE
The Somerset herald. (Somerset, Pa.), 19 Sept. 1883.






http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...a/12651-kinzua-bridge-cache-pennsylvania.html

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This does not Prove anything Other then The Kinzua & The Robbery May not have been Connected Directly in the article

 

[LesterJB]

Searching From 1881 to 1963, Nationwide Newspapers

The words robbery & Kinzua do not appear within 50 words of Each other

Only 2 Articles Between 100 words of each other and Not Related to a robbery


This does not Prove anything Other then The Kinzua & The Robbery May not have been Connected Directly in the article

Ive been searching historical Pennsylvania newspaper archives all day and not one mention about palmerville, marvindale, mckean, mount jewett, smethport, wildcat hollow (and numerous others), combined with robbery, theft, robber, horse, stagecoach, caught, (and numerous others) and NOTHING, absolutely NOTHINg!!! Not one mention of any robbery between 1883-1893...especially that someone got away with! I don't think this legend is true, unfortunately... Where did this story even come from?

 

[jeff of pa]

Since I don't think Every Newspaper is online.
there is still a possibility the story is true but
never picked up by the AP news, or who ever
spread news articles statewide and nationwide back then.

definitely not looking promising though

 

[LesterJB]

Since I don't think Every Newspaper is online.
there is still a possibility the story is true but
never picked up by the AP news, or who ever
spread news articles statewide and nationwide back then.

definitely not looking promising though

I was thinking the same thing. Stories are often missed by the media, but once found, are usually at least revisited and researched by the news, and recorded, somehow! No law records? I don't have big access to those, yet. Wouldn't there be some kind of prisoner log information for smethport, somewhere?
Also, Thank you for the pics in above post. led me to a site and an observation: index.htm (I don't know how to create a link/hyperlink (whatever it may be called), but that is the address. Observation: In one of thier photos, it is either mislabled (1882), or we are mistaken in our theory of all of these "bald" mountaintops around. The photo shows large green trees everywhere. Granted, they don't look like old growth, but they look darn thick and obscuring to me. If the legend is true, then, I don't think the robber was up to 5 miles away. Trees obscure, and moisture from all those trees and the creek below usually creates a 'mist' that obscures vision at a distance...so, he must have been fairly close to the bridge, still, to see it (maybe a mile or two distance, max).

Wish I could get ANY Historically recorded link to the legend. Im going past there this weekend, but my hopes are much dashed from the research experience...Still going though! Plenty of potential MDing sites that WILL hold honey holes of some sort...trash middens, old estates and locations of high traffic volume, etc. Wish me a great time with my wife...I don't need any luck wishes, as luck is based on randomness, and I do not really believe in free destiny and such...

 

[LesterJB]

probably already posted...my head is swarming. On this map (do not know legitimacy, but this is from smethporthistory.org. Notice name of site: Pottsville OR Palmerville...Pa Plateau Killer had mentioned it was ALSO called Pottsville, but I did not know where that was substantiated from. Now, I think I do...

 

[LesterJB]

I doubt this is the same Pottsville mentioned in the map above, but I found this on ebay just now:

probably already posted...my head is swarming. On this map (do not know legitimacy, but this is from smethporthistory.org. Notice name of site: Pottsville OR Palmerville...Pa Plateau Killer had mentioned it was ALSO called Pottsville, but I did not know where that was substantiated from. Now, I think I do...

This seems to also put Palmerville on the OTHER SIDE OF THE GORGE of what all other hypothesis' I have seen on Tnet and other places. Again, I do not know of the legitimacy of this map from 1884....Very interesting though! Does this mean that the OTHER Wilcat Hollow (near Cyclone, I think), also mentioned on Tnet, may well be a bigger contender than otherwise thought before. I believe that Hollow is slightly east and north of the bridge.

 

[3cylbill]

A year or two before the kinzua bridge blew down i stopped to see it , a rainy day in the fall i started to walk out on it and got about 100 feet out and the wind blew and i got scared and backed off . i was amazed that thousands of tons of trains went over it for many years and was not suprised to hear it blew down . it had to take a GREAT big set to drive a loaded train across it...

 

[LesterJB]

Rebuild materials of the bridge. Iron to steel, I guess.

this is just an interesting photo of 'Kinzua' ...dont know if its around the bridge or the town...

A few photo's and maps to ponder. Sorry for any duplicates. Observe the mist often seen in many of the photo's - creates low visibility. Also, although not large, it seems the trees were already growing back from the deforestation...They look to be at least 30-40 feet tall. I assume the whole valley would have had trees of about the same size, at that time. (Mass deforestation - all at once- then simultaneous regrowth) Enjoy the photo's and hope this helps someone!

 

[jeff of pa]

This seems to also put Palmerville on the OTHER SIDE OF THE GORGE of what all other hypothesis' I have seen on Tnet and other places. Again, I do not know of the legitimacy of this map from 1884....Very interesting though! Does this mean that the OTHER Wilcat Hollow (near Cyclone, I think), also mentioned on Tnet, may well be a bigger contender than otherwise thought before. I believe that Hollow is slightly east and north of the bridge.

I'm afraid to Tell you But that Is Pottsville in Schuylkill County 20 Mile East of Me

See Yuengling Brewery, Rettigs Brewery ,
&
Henry Clay




Was never Palmerville

https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=subject:pottsville+(pa.)

 

[Honest Samuel]

You have to get a firm contract with the state. Good hunting and good luck.

 

[LesterJB]

I'm afraid to Tell you But that Is Pottsville in Schuylkill County 20 Mile East of Me

See Yuengling Brewery, Rettigs Brewery ,
&
Henry Clay

View attachment 1626597

View attachment 1626596
Was never Palmerville

https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=subject:pottsville+(pa.)

I didn't think it was the same, either...but with the post earlier (that pa plateau hiker was briefly involved in), I figure I better throw that in just in case someone was curious enough for themselves to check into cross referencing them. Thanks Jeff. - Les

 

[LesterJB]

You have to get a firm contract with the state. Good hunting and good luck.

Please, please correct me if I'm wrong (and I often am), but isn't that only if you plan on collecting anything older than 50 years old? Md'ing is welcomed in the PA state and the National forests. I know at least for Kinzua Bridge State Park, they don't mind if you take anything less than 50 years old...and detecting w/out taking older stuff ...well, how do you know how old it is until you find it, at least, right! ...And of course, there is always permission from a landowner to obtain, but that's standard... Thanks Sam - Les