Jeffro
Silver Member
Nice pics with the story, too.
http://www.katu.com/stories/85610.html
May 4, 2006
Tech trio hunts for lost treasures of the Northwest
SPRING, 2006 - PORTLAND, Ore. - Treasure stirs the imagination; it's weight, it's sound - it's value and history feed the curious with more questions than answers.
Lost treasure is hard for hunters to resist.
Chris Benitson, Tom Smith and Dick Gaboury say they love mysteries. They're a treasure hunting trio who scour the region each weekend.
Benitson told KATU, "It's the thrill of the hunt - you want to get out there. And it's absolutely the hobby of the optimist! You have to believe it's there and you're going to find it."
The treasure trio has found enough lost gold and silver over the past decade to fill a small treasure chest.
Gaboury noted, "If it's a fabulous find - like a silver coin or ring - the feeling is just tremendous."
It's a pursuit that demands you pay your dues. So, many newcomers choose to join a club of "coin shooters." The people who look for treasure with technology; high-powered, hand-held metallic detectors.
The Oregon Treasure Trail Society gathers most weekends to practice. Steve Tucker, club president told KATU that folks get most excited by what they might find. He recently found a coin dated 1793 and couldn't believe his luck.
"When you find something that's neat like that it's like - Ohhh, man! And every hunter has that feeling of anticipation! You don't know what's right down there. But, if you dig a hole, there might be something there. You never know."
The treasure trio knows you have to go the extra mile. They scour newspapers, library archives and chase down hot leads in small towns.
Benitson told KATU that when his group drives into a small town, he asks: " Where's main and first street? For me, that's it - are we on first street? The oldest street! And where's Main? Where's downtown? That's about how fast the thought process is."
Smith added: "We look for places where people would have congregated over a long time and we do a bit of research to find popular places were, like a lake park or a river park, city park."
All agree, it's critical to separate the facts from treasure tales.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing, certainly one of the most lasting tales of lost treasure is on Neahkahnie Mountain in Tillamook County.
The story goes that pirates came ashore on Nehalem Spit and carried a chest full of treasure ashore. They buried it somewhere on or near the mountain.
At the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, historian Jeff Smith can show you intriguing evidence about shipwrecks and why the Columbia River and nearby coastline are called the "Graveyard of the Pacific."
There have been approximately 2,000 shipwrecks - 200 locations identified over the centuries. Smith told KATU that one ship in particular owned an unassuming piece of pine.
"It was beach combed off the beach in Nehalem. It's a typical block used on Spanish ships from the 17th century era."
The four hundred year old block, (from a block/tackle/pulley system,) held ropes in place on a Spanish galleon. "It's a real piece of history," added Smith.
The ship went down near Nehalem Spit. There's more exciting evidence too: beeswax, in big blocks (used for candle making) and some are stamped with numbers. There's Chinese porcelain too.
Could it all mean that treasure is waiting near Neahkahnie Mountain? Smith told KATU that many have tried to find it, but so far, nothing's turned up.
So, why do treasure tales, legends and lore persist? "More interesting, perhaps, said Smith. "It's always nice to fantasize or dream about such things and I suppose in some contexts it's certainly possible.
Possibilities! According to Benitson, that's why the treasure trio continues their treasure hunting. "Everybody wants find that little cache - that little jar of coins - and if you're actively out there looking, you have the best chance to come across it.
And there are so many lost treasures out there, just waiting for folks to find them.
The official count of Oregon lost treasures stands at 158. But there's if you prefer to find your treasure one silver or gold coin at a time, there's no limit to how much treasure is out there.
Related links:
http://www.katu.com/stories/85610.html
May 4, 2006
Tech trio hunts for lost treasures of the Northwest
SPRING, 2006 - PORTLAND, Ore. - Treasure stirs the imagination; it's weight, it's sound - it's value and history feed the curious with more questions than answers.
Lost treasure is hard for hunters to resist.
Chris Benitson, Tom Smith and Dick Gaboury say they love mysteries. They're a treasure hunting trio who scour the region each weekend.
Benitson told KATU, "It's the thrill of the hunt - you want to get out there. And it's absolutely the hobby of the optimist! You have to believe it's there and you're going to find it."
The treasure trio has found enough lost gold and silver over the past decade to fill a small treasure chest.
Gaboury noted, "If it's a fabulous find - like a silver coin or ring - the feeling is just tremendous."
It's a pursuit that demands you pay your dues. So, many newcomers choose to join a club of "coin shooters." The people who look for treasure with technology; high-powered, hand-held metallic detectors.
The Oregon Treasure Trail Society gathers most weekends to practice. Steve Tucker, club president told KATU that folks get most excited by what they might find. He recently found a coin dated 1793 and couldn't believe his luck.
"When you find something that's neat like that it's like - Ohhh, man! And every hunter has that feeling of anticipation! You don't know what's right down there. But, if you dig a hole, there might be something there. You never know."
The treasure trio knows you have to go the extra mile. They scour newspapers, library archives and chase down hot leads in small towns.
Benitson told KATU that when his group drives into a small town, he asks: " Where's main and first street? For me, that's it - are we on first street? The oldest street! And where's Main? Where's downtown? That's about how fast the thought process is."
Smith added: "We look for places where people would have congregated over a long time and we do a bit of research to find popular places were, like a lake park or a river park, city park."
All agree, it's critical to separate the facts from treasure tales.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing, certainly one of the most lasting tales of lost treasure is on Neahkahnie Mountain in Tillamook County.
The story goes that pirates came ashore on Nehalem Spit and carried a chest full of treasure ashore. They buried it somewhere on or near the mountain.
At the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, historian Jeff Smith can show you intriguing evidence about shipwrecks and why the Columbia River and nearby coastline are called the "Graveyard of the Pacific."
There have been approximately 2,000 shipwrecks - 200 locations identified over the centuries. Smith told KATU that one ship in particular owned an unassuming piece of pine.
"It was beach combed off the beach in Nehalem. It's a typical block used on Spanish ships from the 17th century era."
The four hundred year old block, (from a block/tackle/pulley system,) held ropes in place on a Spanish galleon. "It's a real piece of history," added Smith.
The ship went down near Nehalem Spit. There's more exciting evidence too: beeswax, in big blocks (used for candle making) and some are stamped with numbers. There's Chinese porcelain too.
Could it all mean that treasure is waiting near Neahkahnie Mountain? Smith told KATU that many have tried to find it, but so far, nothing's turned up.
So, why do treasure tales, legends and lore persist? "More interesting, perhaps, said Smith. "It's always nice to fantasize or dream about such things and I suppose in some contexts it's certainly possible.
Possibilities! According to Benitson, that's why the treasure trio continues their treasure hunting. "Everybody wants find that little cache - that little jar of coins - and if you're actively out there looking, you have the best chance to come across it.
And there are so many lost treasures out there, just waiting for folks to find them.
The official count of Oregon lost treasures stands at 158. But there's if you prefer to find your treasure one silver or gold coin at a time, there's no limit to how much treasure is out there.
Related links:
