Seven chests near stump pass

[Billieg]

Jus because you have never heard of any does not mean there isn't any.

I will share with you all here... MY facts on this topic / matter...

The Spanish have been ALL over the west coast of Florida LONG before anywhere else in North America... the first expeditions in recorded history were ALL on the west coast... the West Coast of Florida was a hot bed of Spanish activity throughout Florida's beginnings... from THE very first landings to the very first settlement / colony.

AND... unlike depicted on that map and dozen's of others... the routes WERE along the coastline... WITHIN site of land... NOT in open water off sight of land.

Period.

What I say is based on years of intense research. (And theory must contradict empirical fact).

Now... as far as Spanish wrecks on the West Coast of Florida is concerned...They exist...
and the reason you will never hear of them is due to many factors... ONE and foremost being... anything from that period would be under a minimum of 10 feet of sand... and in most cases the depth of sand would be more in the range of 20+ feet of sand.

This is due to the constant coastal changes the West Coast Of Florida has sustained over eons.

I saw a wreck once... (origin unknown) only once... after a major storm... within days it was gone again.

And I can tell you story after story I know.

And besides... you have to know where to look

Ok, we are having a good discussion here. So... IF the Spanish TREASURE ships not the scouting ships sailed close to the Fl W. coast how come there has never been a ship lost in those waters that has EVER been found? How come no Spanish coins have been found on the beaches? Ya, we hear stories but where is the proof? We know the explorers visited the W. coast but they didn't have a lot of treasure chests on board. And as far as I know and have read none of their ships have ever been found sunk.

I went through hurricane Charlie in Punta Gorda Fl in 2004 which blew my house down and killed my wife. Believe me if one of their ships were out there in that it would be 2 miles inland...

 

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[Salvor6]

In 1559 Don Tristan de Luna ye Arellano established a settlement at the present day Pensacola area. A hurricane sank 11 of his ships along the coast and he abandoned the settlement in 1561. The University of West Florida found one of his ships off Santa Rosa Island buried in 10 feet of sand. One diver found a peculiar rock that was the tip of a ballast pile. So don't tell me Spanish ships didn't follow the coast of Florida.

 

[Billieg]

In 1559 Don Tristan de Luna ye Arellano established a settlement on present day Pensacola. A hurricane sank 11 of his ships and he abandoned the settlement in 1561. The University of West Florida found one of his ships off Santa Rosa Island buried in 10 feet of sand. One diver found a peculiar rock that was the tip of a ballast pile. So don't tell me Spanish ships didn't follow the coast of Florida.

That is not the "West" coast of Florida. It's the N. coast and far from Sanibel. And.... Did they find any treasure chests? As I said the explorers searched the West coast and North coasts but not the Treasure ships. They were headed for Cuba and Spain and never got close to the W. coast of Fl..... Let's stick to facts and not flame each other... please.

 

[ARC]

Ok, we are having a good discussion here. So... IF the Spanish TREASURE ships not the scouting ships sailed close to the Fl W. coast how come there has never been a ship lost in those waters that has EVER been found? How come no Spanish coins have been found on the beaches? Ya, we hear stories but where is the proof?

Ok... here we go

Like I said... I have MANY stories...

First... many coins have been found all along the west coast.., all be it not common at all... it has happened.

I can quote countless finds stories... we would be here awhile on those alone... but you are correct... nothing "major" like a treasure ship... BUT...

There is documentations that state several went missing on the west coast... In fact... The Fishers spent a ton of money going after the one in Tampa Bay that was under 28 feet of bottom to no avail and abandoned the quest.

There is proof... but these documents and such are almost all privately owned.

As far as actual "treasure"... seeing it... yes... eyewitness accounts tell of finds from entire chests of treasure to random treasure washing ashore... to ole john who paid for everything in doubloons for 20+ years... claiming to have found a ship.

Some are substantiated... some just legends of.

Regardless... I know a beach near one of your mentioned spots that a 2 inch by 4 inch solid gold box was detected in rural area... upon opening the box was emerald encrusted cross and chain.

 

[ARC]

PS... the guy who found the box... was never heard of or seen again about a month later... left state.

OR... how about the sponge diver... who's buddy years ago was diving for sponges and found something... he told no one... till later his buddy found a crapload of 8's in his apartment whilst sitting on something lumpy on the couch... when confronted he told him he found them and was trying to sell them...

He also disappeared... 2 years later to be spotted by someone who knew him at a craps table in Vegas with 2 hot chicks wearing a Rolex and drunk as hell.

 

[Billieg]

Ok... here we go

Like I said... I have MANY stories...

First... many coins have been found all along the west coast.., all be it not common at all... it has happened.

I can quote countless finds stories... we would be here awhile on those alone... but you are correct... nothing "major" like a treasure ship... BUT...

There is documentations that state several went missing on the west coast... In fact... The Fishers spent a ton of money going after the one in Tampa Bay that was under 28 feet of bottom to no avail and abandoned the quest.

There is proof... but these documents and such are almost all privately owned.

As far as actual "treasure"... seeing it... yes... eyewitness accounts tell of finds from entire chests of treasure to random treasure washing ashore... to ole john who paid for everything in doubloons for 20+ years... claiming to have found a ship.

Some are substantiated... some just legends of.

Regardless... I know a beach near one of your mentioned spots that a 2 inch by 4 inch solid gold box was detected in rural area... upon opening the box was emerald encrusted cross and chain.

All stories like the Grim tales no proof...

 

[ARC]

Those are just a few off the top. :P ...

 

[ARC]

OH !... i forgot... There ARE pictures of that box and cross.

 

[Salvor6]

I went through hurricane Charlie in Punta Gorda Fl in 2004 which blew my house down and killed my wife. Believe me if one of their ships were out there in that it would be 2 miles inland...

Billieg sorry to hear about your wife. I was in St. Pete during Charlie. My buddy in Ft. Myers said one house on Ft. Myers Beach had it's roof blown off and afterwards the owner found a gold eight escudo Spanish coin sitting on his couch. Another metal detector found gold Spanish coins on the beach. We magged the hell out of Ft. Myers beach up to one mile out. Didn't get a single hit. Another treasure hunter found hundreds of silver Spanish coins off Wiggins Pass. Where did they come from?

 

[Billieg]

... Like I said... I have MANY stories...
I can quote countless finds stories... we would be here awhile on those alone... but you are correct... nothing "major" like a treasure ship..

With all due respect to you.... all stories. No proof. I lived on the W. Coast from 1979 to 2005 and detected all the beaches and read all the stories. I had many friends that grew up there and not one ever found a coin or anything to do with the Spanish treasure ships. A lot were fishermen who ran nets across the bottom and never found anything. We can keep the stories alive and pretend they are real but everyone like you said "disappeared" "never heard of again" so still no proof.

 

[Billieg]

Billieg sorry to hear about your wife. I was in St. Pete during Charlie. My buddy in Ft. Myers said one house on Ft. Myers Beach had it's roof blown off and afterwards the owner found a gold eight escudo Spanish coin sitting on his couch. Another metal detector found gold Spanish coins on the beach. We magged the hell out of Ft. Myers beach up to one mile out. Didn't get a single hit. Another treasure hunter found hundreds of silver Spanish coins off Wiggins Pass. Where did they come from?

Ft. Myers got little of Charlie. Minor damage. My in-laws lived there at the time. It took out 4 miles of Captiva island and came up the Peace river. My house was at the mouth of the Peace river and got 172 mile per Hr winds. If you went 30 miles North or South there was little damage. It traveled up 17/92 to Arcadia and on to Orlando. So you "heard" a treasure hunter found coins but did you see them? Did the news press in Ft. Myers report them? I don't think so... You searched and didn't find a thing. Until a Spanish treasure gallon is found with gold, sliver and jewels I will still believe they never came near. Tell me all the stories you want.

 

[Billieg]

OH !... i forgot... There ARE pictures of that box and cross.

So you have positive proof it came from a Spanish treasure gallon? It could have come from one of the explorers that buried it. There is no doubt the Spanish explored the w. coast but they didn't bring treasure with them. They may have brought some gold/silver to trade but not enough to have a massive find. There are stories about the Spanish trading gold/silver to the Indians in Lake county for food. the Indians would then throw it into the lake to appease the gods. Stories because no one has ever found any...

 

[ARC]

So you have positive proof it came from a Spanish treasure gallon? It could have come from one of the explorers that buried it. There is no doubt the Spanish explored the w. coast but they didn't bring treasure with them. They may have brought some gold/silver to trade but not enough to have a massive find. There are stories about the Spanish trading gold/silver to the Indians in Lake county for food. the Indians would then throw it into the lake to appease the gods. Stories because no one has ever found any...

The box was found in the surf.

 

[ARC]

Lets not forget that the simple fact about "treasure" and shipwreck items that have been found on beaches in Florida.

Very few finders of these items would blab about it... let alone draw any attention to the fact they found something ... and or disclose an exact location after the fact.

Guys that search for these items understand the blowback that can follow any find such as a treasure piece.

After all... its what they set out to do and understand that "loose lips sink ships".

There are many accounts in written Indian history of salvage by the Calusa for eons.

Carlos... the king of the Calusa amassed immense amounts of Spanish gold from wrecks according to accounts BY the Spanish.

 

[Bum Luck]

They may have brought some gold/silver to trade but not enough to have a massive find. There are stories about the Spanish trading gold/silver to the Indians in Lake county for food.

Talk about stories.

Of all I have read on Spanish colonial history I have not read any accounts of the Spanish trading gold or silver to the Indians. Those metals were why the Spanish were in America. The Spanish kings couldn't pay for religious wars with Calusa bottle gourds.

Read Fontenada about the Calusa gold hoard from shipwrecks. Better still, find it.

 

[Vinoso]

I'm interested let me know. I'm in Tampa

Im also in Tampa area. Lets go. Message me.

 

[Red_desert]

I know of gold prospectors who live in the SW, you could never prove to them that most Spanish treasure legends in Arizona are true. They say back when the Spanish were there, the stories didn't exist. Problem with that, I've read translated Jesuit documents detailing how they shipwrecked and cached treasure on an island (off S America). Did the Spanish keep good records or didn't they?

 

[joska]

Billieg,it will be my upmost promise that upon recovering the first chest of seven,I will invite you to come see for yourself how much real it is and what time period it came from to once in for all you can see what you,re missing.

 

[Billieg]

Billieg,it will be my upmost promise that upon recovering the first chest of seven,I will invite you to come see for yourself how much real it is and what time period it came from to once in for all you can see what you,re missing.

I look forward to it.

 

[Joediver]

I live two minutes from stump pass . I would love to look