Malpais Treasure

[spyguy]

70 years ago a small plane crashed into the lava beds of the Malpais Mountains in New Mexico. Of interest to us T'Her's is the fact that it was carrying $100K in cold, hard cash to finance the presidential aspirations of Alf Landon. This is all the information I have on it. Has anyone out there heard of any searches, wreckage finds etc etc over the years
HH
-spyguy

 

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[Siegfried Schlagrule]

You will be on foot looking for this one. I recommend you carry in four pairs of boots. When you wear out two head back out or you will die in there. Until you've tried walking there you won't believe how quickly that stuff will cut through the soles of your shoes. exanimo, siegfried schlagrule

 

[dlogua1756]

You will be on foot looking for this one. I recommend you carry in four pairs of boots. When you wear out two head back out or you will die in there. Until you've tried walking there you won't believe how quickly that stuff will cut through the soles of your shoes. exanimo, siegfried schlagrule

4 pairs of boots is a bit much. If you buy a good mountaineering boot, you will get a lot of miles out of them. No need to pack in extra boots. Packing in boots is just extra un-neccesary weight. You wont wear them out before it is time to come back out for food and water.

 

[dlogua1756]

70 years ago a small plane crashed into the lava beds of the Malpais Mountains in New Mexico. Of interest to us T'Her's is the fact that it was carrying $100K in cold, hard cash to finance the presidential aspirations of Alf Landon. This is all the information I have on it. Has anyone out there heard of any searches, wreckage finds etc etc over the years
HH
-spyguy

there is actually a story article out there that the plane wreckage has been found. I will try to find it for you. If I remember correctly, a local rancher help take care of the pilot after the crash. for some reason they covered up the wreckage. The pilot later would leave with a briefcase. Contents unknown to the rancher. the pilot was never found.

 

[Frankn]

I haven't heard that story. I heard the story about a long search with nothing being found. I agree that lava which is called pumice stone when used for grindind is very abrasive stuff.
In the story I read The plane was a Lockeed Vega.

​

 

[dlogua1756]

no one had any proof that the story of it being found is true or not. I don't think that it was. I was looking for the lost plane a few years back. have you had any progress in the search?

 

[Frankn]

I researched it quite a while back. As I remember it, the likely area which I saw on an ariel map was a long wooded canyon. Quite a large and rough area. I never went out there.

​

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good afternoon: I have never head this story, but Siegfried's remark on the general Mal Pais conditions may be quite correct. True malpais is not a powder, but is similar to walking on broken glass, which in many ways it is.

Every TH zone has it's problem, which is why the old maxim was invented --check your area out first for difficulties. Most of the ones that haven't been found have an interesting reason for this.

I know of another one in the mal pais of new Mexico / Arizona that was told to me personally, but I haven't enough information to post much, but if someone wishes, I will do so, it may dovetail with some information that you may have.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s Mal Pais in Spanish means Bad Ground / Country

 

[dlogua1756]

Good afternoon: I have never head this story, but Siegfried's remark on the general Mal Pais conditions may be quite correct. True malpais is not a powder, but is similar to walking on broken glass, which in many ways it is.

Every TH zone has it's problem, which is why the old maxim was invented --check your area out first for difficulties. Most of the ones that haven't been found have an interesting reason for this.

I know of another one in the mal pais of new Mexico / Arizona that was told to me personally, but I haven't enough information to post much, but if someone wishes, I will do so, it may dovetail with some information that you may have.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s Mal Pais in Spanish means Bad Ground / Country

Yeah, I would love to read about another treasure story in the area. The lava beds are a fascinating place. One of my favorite for exploring.

 

[dlogua1756]

I had found the old story about the lost plane in the malpai.


Lost Airplane Of The Malpais


For more than half a century, there has been a well known lost treasure story circulating around about an airplane that went down in New Mexico's Malpais lava beds in 1936. The airplane was carrying $100,000 in cash, which was campaign money for one of the candidates in the presidential election that year. Many searches have been made to find the lost aircraft down through the years, but have been unsuccessful. The Malpais lava beds are located in the west-central part of New Mexico, near the present-day town of Grants. The lava flow is 30 miles long and ranges in width from 5 to 15 miles. It contains thousands of acres of cinder cones and lava tubes, and is a tough, dangerous place to hike around and explore. As the story goes, $100,000 in cash was raised by a group of California oilmen and was to be used as campaign money for Governor Aif Landon of Kansas in his bid for the presidency against incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt. They hired a pilot named Robert Touchman to transport the money in his single engined Lockeed Vega to Landon's headquarters in New York. Touchman took off from Burbank, California, and flew east to Phoenix, Arizona, where he first landed to refuel. While in Phoenix, he called ahead and made arrangements to refuel again in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He never made it there. Touchman and his Lockeed Vega were never seen again. Somewhere over the rugged Malpais lava beds south of Grants, New Mexico, the Vega ran into trouble and presumably crashed. This assumption was made on testimony given by a pilot named Homer Bray who told officials in Albuquerque how he had been flying over the Malpais and had spotted a Lockeed Vega that was apparently in trouble flying very low near the ground. So low, in fact, that it appeared to him that it might he forced to land in the lava beds. A three-day search was launched, hut no trace of Touchman or his Vega could he found. No one has ever found any trace of it to this day, but recently some startling facts have emerged that might have solved this intriguing mystery. Several years ago, I wrote an article titled Alf Landon's Missing 100,000, and the entire article was built around an airplane that supposedly went down in the Malpais in 1936 with $100,000 in cash on board. The article was well documented, and I first read all about it in Thomas Penfield's, Guide to Treasure in New Mexico. A few months ago, I was having some coffee in a restaurant in Albuquerque with an old friend named Chuck Eaton. Most people know him as "Norm," and he has lived in New Mexico forthe past forty years. Norm has done a little bit of everything to help make ends meet. He served a hitch in the Navy and was trained as a corpsman. He later worked as a sheriff's deputy for eighteen years, managed a motel for some time, and owned and operated his own security agency. I see Norm around town every now and then and we usually get together at some restaurant and talk about some interesting treasure stories. At one of our meetings, Norm told me a very interesting story. In fact, it was down right fascinating! By being in the ri ght place at the right time, it seems like Norm might have solved one of the lost treasure mysteries of the Malpais What follows is a word by word account of a story that was told to Norm by an old cowboy named Jose Aragon. "During the 1930's, Aragon was working on a ranch that was located about twelve miles south of the southern border of the Malpais lava beds in New Mexico. "Born in 1912, he was a young man of twenty-four at the time. Norm knew Aragon since the 1950's, having met him at several county fairs and rodeos. "Much to my surprise, I stopped one evening while coming across the back country of New Mexico in a small town known as "Pie Town" to have a few cold beers and a sandwich. Pie Town is located on State Highway 60, about forty miles south of the southern edge of the Malpais lava beds. While I was sitting there having lunch in Pie Town's only bar, I looked up and saw an old friend of mine named "Jose Aragon." I had not seen him in over thirty years, and I called out, 'Hello Jose, its been a longtime. How are you doing?' With a quick jerk of his head, his jaw dropped and his black eyes stared over at me. "Finally, remembering my face, he said, 'Well I'll be, Chuck Eaton. It has been a long time.' "As we sat there for over an hour talking about old times, he told me about a ranch job he held nearby during the 1930's and 1940's at the old Collier spread. The ranch was located on the old stage road about twelve miles south of the southern end of the Malpais. It was a hot night in August, and while we were sitting in the bar talking, a severe thunder storm and flash flood was commencing outside. July and August are the rainy months in New Mexico and the storms come suddenly. "Jose told me that the worst storm that he had ever seen and remembered was in the fall of 1936. He said that he and a few ranch hands were out mending fences one afternoon when a tremendous cloudburst began. The sky turned so black that it was like someone had covered us all up with a large blanket. Then the rains came. The wind howled and increased in speed up to 60 or 70 miles per hour. "Jose said that they all headed to the nearest line shack to get some cover from the storm. It was an old two-room log cabin located some six hundred yards east of the old stage road. From inside the shack, we could hear that the wind had a loud roar to it. It became louder and louder and then faded away. Later on, the splashing rain faded away too, and the stillness of night settled in. Then the rains came again, making a tremendous noise as it hammered the tin roof which covered the wooden shack. "We put some more wood on the fire and were about to sack in for the night when we heard this weird noise outside. It grew louder and louder, then it started to become erratic, like popping popcorn over a kitchen stove. We all were wondering what was happening, so we rolled out of our sacks, put on some clothes and went outside. "With the aid of several extended flashes of lightning, we noticed an airplane hovering over the east mesa. It was slowly losing altitude, and then there was total darkness. "We decided to go over there immediately, and as we approached the area where we last saw the plane, we spotted pieces of the wooden wings scattered all over the place. The main portion of the fuselage was still intact because the ground had softened up due to the heavy rainfall. This was probably the reason that the pilot was still alive. "We took him carefully from the harness that held him in his seat and carried him to a clearing where we took a blanket and two rolls of fencing and made him a litter. We then took him back to the line shack where we could have a better look at his wounds. "The pilot, we found out later, had a broken arm, a broken lower leg, and two broken ribs. Jose said that they patched him up the best that they could, and he and one of the other cowhands took the injured pilot back to the main ranch house as safely as they could by buckboard. "They arrived at the main house a few hours later, near dawn. Jack Collier, his father Les, and Jack's wife, Home, were just getting ready to fix breakfast when they arrived. Jose told them what had happened, and they, too, had heard the airplane's engine fighting against the raging storm. They wondered what had happened to it. "Home had a few ranch hands take the injured pilot into the bunk house where she cleaned him up some and set the broken bones. The injured man was resting comfortably, but was still unconscious. Jose and Jack Collier went over to the crash site to look around. "Jose said that they found two suitcases made of cloth with brass buckles holding them together with leather straps, and out on the ground a few yards away from the main wreckage, they found two metal suitcases with locks on them. They picked up what they could, packed it on the wagon, and returned to the ranch. "A week to ten days later, the pilot started to come around. He was muttering things at first that didn't make sense to us, but probably did to him. He tried to get out of bed several times, but couldn't manage it due to his condition. We assured him that he was safe and that we picked up his personal belongings from the wrecked airplane. "When he saw the two metal suitcases sitting in the corner with the locks still on them, he began to relax, quieted down and went back to sleep, calmer than before. "Later on during the third week, he began to improve and was up and around on crutches. While looking through some magazines that were lying around the bunkhouse, the pilot, who called himself "Bob" spotted a shiny new Ford sedan in one of them. He told Mr. Collier that he wanted to go to the nearest town and buy one of them. Since Jack had to go to town for supplies anyway, Bob was invited to go along. "Old route 117 wasn't too good in those days, so Jack took along some extra gear in case they had to spend the night in Grants, New Mexico. Jack got his supplies all right, but couldn't find Bob when it got time to leave. All of a sudden, up came this new ford roadster, and yes, you guessed right, Bob was sitting behind the wheel acting like akid with anew toy. He mentioned that it was better than flying because you didn't have so far to fall when the engine called it quits. "Jack looked the car over and remarked how nice it was, but became a little nervous when he also saw that Bob had bought a rifle and ahandgun, which lay on the back seat. Jack asked Bob if he were expecting any trouble, and Bob replied that he was taking along trip shortly, and thought he might need a little more protection. Not too much more was said after that, and Jack and I followed Bob all the way back to the ranch house. The new ford was a sensation at the ranch, and everyone turned out to see it and to ride in it. "Supper was ready when we arrived at the ranch, and after we finished eating, Bob told us that he would be leaving the next day. "Everyone was up at dawn to see Bob off. After we all ate breakfast, Bob packed up the car and prepared to leave. Then he did something very unexpected. He went to the bunk house first and gave each of the ranch hands $200 in cash, and thanked them sincerely for helping to save his life. 'Hell, it was the most money that any of them ever had on hand at any one time,' Jose said. We were paid $50.00 per month plus room and board. "Bob then went into the library to see the Colliers. He gave them $500.00 and insisted that they take it He also gave them some extra money to buy a special gift for me at a later date. It had to be ordered. Shaking hands and exchanging goodbyes with everyone, Bob got into his new ford and headed north towards Highway 66, which is now I-40 Jose said that meeting Bob was the only lucky break he's seen in his whole life. 'He sure was a great, generous guy,' said Jose. "After Bob's car was out of sight up the dusty, dirt road, everyone got back to their chores. Jack said, 'Dad, will you and Jose give me a hand today, and bring a few shovels and a pick?' We then drove the wagon over to the crash site. Jose then said that they carefully gathered up all the pieces of the airplane together and buried them along the banks of a nearby stream. Jack only kept the aluminum propeller as a memento of the occasion. "A few weeks later, we all were sitting around the bunkhouse when the dinner bell sounded off. The cook was pounding on the irons and yelling for all of us to come up to the ranch house. Jack grabbed me on the way through the door and told me that I was to go to the library where his dad was waiting for me. "As I entered the room, I noticed anew pair of saddlebags lying on the table. They had my name burned into them, and lying on the floor was the most beautiful western saddle that I had ever seen in my life. "The rain was over now, and Jose took me out into the parking lot of the bar and showed me that he still had the saddle and the saddle bags that were bought for him back in 1936 with some of Bob's money. They were in the back of his old Ford pickup truck. Jose said tha the would always keep them for the rest of his life. "In parting, Jose told me that a few months after Bob left the ranch house, the Colliers received a beautiful picture postcard from Denver, Colorado. Pictured on the front was an elegant hotel that the sender said he had bought shortly after arriving there. "A few words written on it said something like, "Thank you all for everything. I am grateful for all you did for me. If any of you ever get to Denver, I'm your host forever." It was just signed Bob. "Looking back over the article I read in one of the treasure magazines in 1989, it states that the lost airplane was last seen flying low over the town of San Rafael and was headed east into the Malpais lava beds. The lava beds are bordered on the eastern side by high cliffs and mesas. "Since Touchman was flying so low, he would have crashed into the cliffs if he continued on eastward, so he must have turned south and flew the entire length of the Malpais dangerously close to the jagged rocks. He cleared the southern end of the Malpais and crash landed in Atmijo Canyon, a few more miles to the south. "The evidence is very strong that the downed pilot who only gave his name as "Bob" was the pilot of the Lockheed Vega that was lost in 1936 with $100,000 in campaign money in it. Jose is an old time cowboy whose word is his bond, and could have never thought up a story like this on the spur of the moment, nor would have. "When Jose first told me about the airplane crash, it meant nothing to me also because I had never heard about it before and didn't know that the wreckage had contained $100,000 in cash. After I read the article in 1989, it dawned on me that I might have discovered the answer why the money and wreckage had never been found. "It is very possible that the pilot of the ill-fated Vega started anew life in Denver, Colorado, under a new identity. It also helps explain why a search party by air and land was also unsuccessful in finding any trace of Touchman and his Vega, and why nobody saw any smoke or flames at the time. No wonder no one found a trace of it during the past fifty-six years! Reader's response is welcome, and l will answer all mail concerning this incident." -- Norman Eaton Sources: Alf Landons Missing $100,000, Treasure magazine, September 1989, Weinman. A Guide to Treasure in New Mexico, Thomas Penfield. Pgs 73 & 74, Several personal interviews with Jose Aagon.

 

[TheRandyMan]

Absolutely amazing! Not too often you get to tie a bow on a lost treasure mystery like this. Very nice read. Thanks for posting it!!

 

[dlogua1756]

a few years ago when I was looking for this treasure, I was using google earth as one of my treasure hunting tools, I had drawn a line from phoenix to albuquerque to chart the line that the pilot would have been taken on his voyage. pretty much to see where he would be flying across the lava beds. ironically enough, not too long into my search I came across a faded red object out in the middle of the lava beds. the object, what ever it is, is only a few miles off the travel path from phoenix. This object might not be the lockheed vega plane that went down, but outside being an airplane, nothing else could have made it to this location, it's too rough of a country for any vehicle to get out there. a rough length of the object is 30'-40' long, about that of the wingspan or a fuselage of a lockheed vega. The straight line down the middle of it tell me that it might be a man made item. seeing how nothing in the lava beds has any resemblance of any straight lines.

anyways, just thought I would share this. its an interesting picture to look at.

there is more to the story I will share later. Just want to get peoples thoughts on the matter.

 

[Frankn]

Well I guess we can scratch this one off the list. But there's plenty left.

​

 

[maipenrai]

Why did they bury the plane? Did the pilot ask them to bury it, to conceal the fact that he crashed and stole the money he was carrying? Seems funny that such a big "happening" was never reported to anyone, or did airplains crash often in that area?

 

[truckinbutch]

Why did they bury the plane? Did the pilot ask them to bury it, to conceal the fact that he crashed and stole the money he was carrying? Seems funny that such a big "happening" was never reported to anyone, or did airplains crash often in that area?

People were more inclined to remain closemouthed and protect people they became friends with back then than they are now .

 

[Connecticut Sam]

#9 is a great story, and I am wondering how many people went looking for it after the first story was published. Any updates?

 

[LECTRICHEART]

This is a very interesting story. I am having a little trouble with it tho. The first thing that comes to mind is that "Bob" flying to Albuquerque, was about forty miles north of the flight path from Phx. He was seen flying low over San Rafael heading east. Due east from San Rafeal to Albuquerque would not have presented any obstacles such as high cliffs, as that path follows old route 66 into Albuq. Why would he turn due south, and end up in Armiso Caynon? I thought maybe to dodge a storm, but due to the fact that Homer Bray was flying over the Malpais at the same time, I wouldn't think there would be much of a storm. Jose said it was the worst storm he had ever seen. They had 60 or 70 MPH winds and it came upon them pretty fast. They had to get back to the line shack, build a fire, wait out the first rain and build up the fire again.This tells me that if "Bob" was flying low over San Rafeal and over the Malipais, and flying south. It must have been right in the middle of this storm. San Rafeal is only about 30 to 35 miles north of Armiso Caynon, or about 5 to 10 minutes flying time. That means Homer must have been flying in the same storm, why wasn't this mentioned in the story? As for the suitcases. Two cloth and two metal with locks. I don't know how big they were, but I would think you could put $100,000.00 in one brief case. Unless it was in 5 and 10 dollar bills maybe. What was in the other ones? Just seems to me there are too many things that just don't stack up. But its still a great story. Thanks

 

[Ecominer]

The weather in NM is a little different then other parts of the country. You can have sun shine on your front door and rain in your backyard. I have been in the Malpais many times when I could see rain around me, or on me, and only a few hundred yards away sunshine or a cloudburst, You have to see it to believe it! There can be a world of weather difference when you talk 30 - 40 miles in the area of the Malpais to Pie Town.

 

[scarletdown]

The plane wreckage is located on my family's land (the Devil's playground) and is still clearly visible from the road. Whenever we had any free time we would go search the area around the wreckage, looking for the treasure, and the diamond ring that was intended for Elizabeth Taylor. I wasn't sure if this was just a family legend intended to keep the kids busy!! Thanks for the information.

 

[lastleg]

LECTRICHEART made a profound statement that regardless of the veracity of facts this is one great yarn. Far too many are dull
even if they might be true.