Treasure of Mormon Creek

[Crow]

Hello All

While many obsess themselves over more famous treasure legends there are other little known may in fact have greater opportunity for further research. One such story of an old gold miner who claimed that he buried $70000 in 1905 gold prices, gold in in glass pickle bottles near a cabin where he once lived. after he died many people searched around where is cabin was near Mormon Creek near Sonora California. Around late 1904 a discovery of one glass pickle jar full of nuggets was discovered recovering $10000 dollars of the said amount as reported in the newspaper account below.



Was there any truth to this story or just another treasure yarn? Searching through the record I did find a miner by the name of Campbell that died in 1880s Was this the man mentioned? Mystery indeed. However like all treasure legends at least warrants further investigation.

If the rest of gold claim to be buried near where he lived. It value today at current cold prices up to 3.8 million. Nothing to sneeze at. And perhaps a nice little cache to find with a little shrewd detective work.

Good luck and happy Christmas to all and a happy new year.

Crow

 

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[doc-d]

Our gift for Navidad……
Gracias Senor Crow…..Feliz Navidad y prospero ano para todos mis amigos

 

[Crow]

Hell Doc-d

My pleasure in fact this raggedy old crow has a little more to show.

The name of this miner was Richard Campbell. He had no direct relatives and it appeared he never married. In the 1880 census he was living in a hospital for the infirm mostly for old broken miners.



As knowlege of his gold most likely squirreled away all his life was told on his death bed. The searches was only, as far as we know around late 1890s and turn of century. In those days no one had metal detectors. Today is some savvy enough to work out the location of his shack and work radiating out from it may hit pay dirt.

So perhaps there is chance still to recover some treasure?

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Why waste time, just tell me where it is.

 

[Crow]

Ah Don Jose ya have enough on ya plate that ya have not finished yet. I have fed enough people good information for them to continue on with research with many legends. Its up to the next generation to stretch their feathers and fly. As old crow can only supply the worms for so long. Far too long there is whole generation way too comfortable in the nest been given everything and expect everything on a platter with little or no effort.

Their journey will be a much easier one with technolgy availble today so there is no excuses not getting out there and having a go.

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

True, mi compadre Crow, but are you speaking to Me as an example or ---------

 

[Crow]

Don Amigo I was referring to the next generation of seekers. They have fantastic opportunity in front of them. If they have hunger to exploit the resources they have available. A whole host of historic research data is available to them and massive leaps on technology in treasure hunting equipment such as flying camera drones. Increasing depth with new detectors and various other probes and ground penetrating radar now becoming more assessable.

Crow

 

[gollum]

Crow,

Looks like that hoard was already found:

$10 Million in Gold Coins

Although we can't be 100% certain, there is some circumstantial evidence that relate the two stories:

*Your story was from Mariposa, California (Mother Lode Country)
> The couple that found their coins lived in the Mother Lode Country (not disclosed exactly where)

*Your story has the timeline of the coins hiding in the late 1800s
> The coins the couple found date from 1847-1894 (fits the story perfectly)

*Your story says $70,000 in ALL GOLD COINS
>The couple found $27,000 face value, which could easily have been $70K by the early 1900s.


Mike

 

[Salvor6]

Crow,

Looks like that hoard was already found:

$10 Million in Gold Coins

Although we can't be 100% certain, there is some circumstantial evidence that relate the two stories:

*Your story was from Mariposa, California (Mother Lode Country)
> The couple that found their coins lived in the Mother Lode Country (not disclosed exactly where)

*Your story has the timeline of the coins hiding in the late 1800s
> The coins the couple found date from 1847-1894 (fits the story perfectly)

*Your story says $70,000 in ALL GOLD COINS
>The couple found $27,000 face value, which could easily have been $70K by the early 1900s.


Mike

Mike, Campbell died in the 1880's so he couldn't have deposited 1894 coins and Crow said it was nuggets, not coins. Does not fit the story perfectly. Any more details Crow? Like where the cabin was located? This sounds good.

 

[Crow]

Hello Salvor6

This is the 3.8 million dollar question. I suspect a location that could be possible site of where the cabin once stood. However for those interested in continuing the research I suggest finding the land records of the following areas and any old maps Mormon Creek near Sonora California dating back to around 1880 might narrow it down. One area I suspect further investigation is the properties nearby. The area has a dead end road with few acreage lots with house there now and we are faced with complex problem of perhaps getting access to private property.

Such is problems of many treasure caches buried long ago when no one was there now an semi rural urban properties.



Crow

 

[gollum]

Mike, Campbell died in the 1880's so he couldn't have deposited 1894 coins and Crow said it was nuggets, not coins. Does not fit the story perfectly. Any more details Crow? Like where the cabin was located? This sounds good.

Salvor6,


I have found several such treasure stories from this area. One thing miners did was to do a yearly changeout. They would take all the dust and nuggets accumulated over the past year and send it to the nearest mint. The dust and nuggets would be converted into coin. That's what the couple found. Each tin can had coins of the same date.


There is the story of a local Sonora, Ca. man from Portugal. He was chopping down a tree, and inside the tree, he found some jewelry and a BUNCH of tin cans filled with nuggets and dust. He never said exactly how much, but he told one person before he moved back to Portugal that he could live for the rest of his life "like a prince" on what he found.


I personally know about a family that owns many acres whose GGrandfather was a miner and told a relative that he has hidden all his gold in tin cans in a hollow tree on the property somewhere. I don't know if they ever found it or not.


I can go on and on with stories like that.


Mike

 

[Crow]

I can imagine there are many caches hidden around the region. Many will be never found has the location and where about was never revealed by those hiding such treasures. However many will come to light by accident and perhaps a rare few will come to light by design. I could also imagine many pioneering mining families have few family stories out there of hidden caches.

I imagine also old man time and mother earth keep their secrets well.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Amazing what a new year brings

I found out more about this Richard Campbell. In fact his full name is Richard Boyle Campbell. One problem alas is the creek it appears runs through private properties. The remaing creek stretches from the local airfield about 8-9 miles to a dam. There is also the problem the shack might now be underwater of the dam? However that has not been confirmed. I am sure there is documentation out there somewhere even with mining leases records that might pinpoint lost location of his shack?

I have found a few other things but enough for now.

Crow

 

[banana skin slippers]

Ah Mr Crow ,
All this talk of of being raggedy feathered and having told more than your fair share of yarns , i sense you make use of allowing the next generation follow or persue with their own research as a guise for you to move into another arena.
Cold hard video footage of you attempting to crack into the music industry i see..... It appears everyone , that Crow can also squak a good tune.
(play it loud)

bananas

 

[Crow]

Ah Mr Crow ,
All this talk of of being raggedy feathered and having told more than your fair share of yarns , i sense you make use of allowing the next generation follow or persue with their own research as a guise for you to move into another arena.
Cold hard video footage of you attempting to crack into the music industry i see..... It appears everyone , that Crow can also squak a good tune.
(play it loud)

bananas

Trust banana to come up with that!


Yeah ya got me. this old boid has stars in his eye but They only let old Crow sing to empty the auditorium after the show. So indeed there will be no risk of me having give up my day job. If I had one.

Crow

 

[tintin_treasure]

thanks Crow, and happy new year!
You kick started the year with a good yarn .
p.s. I might be for few days in Sicily ,do you have a yarn for me on Sicily for my imagination?

tintin treasure

 

[redbull]

Been googling my arse off. If one is interested in finding the mining claims it seems for the most part either they need to go to the CA state library (confirmed they have claim maps from 1850 onward)
Or to mariposa county and look around (I'm sure that the county would have the claims somewhere to)

 

[Crow]

thanks Crow, and happy new year!
You kick started the year with a good yarn .
p.s. I might be for few days in Sicily ,do you have a yarn for me on Sicily for my imagination?

tintin treasure

Tintin

in late 1978-early 80's a treasure hoard was found and looted from Sicily. Called the Morgantina Hoard consisting of Hellenistic treasure dating back about 2200 years. That treasure was recently returned to Sicily. Working on where there's smoke there's fire principle there may be other treasure hoards nearby the original discovery awaiting to be discovered.



redbull Google is an excellent research tool however some times ya just got to hunt down the documents in person. I am sure somewhere out there, there is documents still in existence leading to Richard Campbell 1880 mining lease.


Crow

 

[tintin_treasure]

Crow thanks a lot! You are a walking treasure Encyclopedia!
I will try to sniff more on the web on the hoard you suggested.

tintin treasure

 

[Crow]

Here is more about Richard Boyle Campbell.

He lived for a time in a place called Columbia when he first arrived in California for a time. Here is picture illustration below of how Columbia California looked around 1850.



Crow