Old Bookaroo was kind enough to recommend me some books and responded to my messages some two months back. But nothing since. Hope he is well.
That old "Johnny Spanish" yarn is, as Springfield suggested, a rehashed version and doesn't really bring anything new to the table. I really do not believe that there is any fabled secret canyon left to discover that can be linked to the LAD anywhere in the Southwest. Approaching from Brewer's or Snively's (provided they really were party of the original party) experiences is probably the best way to now try and get somewhere with this legend. Snively was a lot more documented and evidenced than Adams and had considerable interests and a more prevalent background. Brewer lived well into the last century and had unexplained wealth. His family history and landholdings across the border in Mexico, were uncovered by Purcell.
If I were to hazard a guess then it would be this:
A group set out from Arizona (most likely in the 1860s) with a guide and ended up in either New Mexico or very close to the state border. After an indeterminate period of time some members left - don't know if they took some gold with them or not - either of their own accord or through circumstances. There was a unspecified amount of gold left in that lonely spot wherever it was/is. Many attempts were made to relocate it years after the event. Only Brewer got 'lucky' and surreptitiously left with whatever was cached/hidden there. Now there is no "lost" canyon or mine to uncover. I appreciate that the sheer size and scale of that amazing place in the States is not inconsiderable. But. If any such enormously wealthy place really existed, it would have been uncovered by the large amounts of people who traipsed around those areas pre and post World War 2 and the ranchers etc., who knew/know of the existing watering holes. It is sometimes suggested that the venerable chief of the Chihenne Apache - Mangas Coloradas - had a Rancheria near there, the so-called pumpkin patch. That spot was well-known to the US Army and they actually visited him there many times. I actually gave the details in one of the threads here on Treasurenet from an old report that I had access to detailing US government relations with the Apaches at the time. It was also the case that old Nana did not actually become a chief until the late 1870s or early 1880s after the death of the great Victorio and did not have jurisdiction to order large bands of Apache warriors around. All that about Nana being identified at various agencies and being spoken to by Adams etc., pure fantasy in my opinion. That old warrior was very hostile up until the final surrender in the mid-1880s and simply did not conduct parleys of any sort as he was a subordinate of Victorio and then Loco. When Loco chose reservation life, Nana threw his lot in with Geronimo, Juh and Chihuahua. When Victorio was massacred along with a great many of his people at Tres Castillas, the survivors who were led by old Nana needed valuables to trade with 'friendly' Mexican ranchers for ammunition. They secured this from sites in old Mexico rather than any spot in New Mexico, even though he led a legendary raid covering Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas. Nana was not involved with the LAD story I would say. Many scouts who hated the renegade Chiricahua and were actually part of the same tribe, knew of exactly the same special, venerated, secret spots as their foes. They would have given-up any such location as the LAD, had it existed. That is why whenever there was a breakout from the San Carlos reservation, they always headed towards old Mexico. Of course, there was places of such significance that only a few high-ranking and trusted people of any tribe knew about. What would have happened in those instances is, they would not have chosen to plant crops near there, use it as a Rancheria, let Americans dig for gold "as long as they did not approach the higher placed ledge" or take captives to see it as Gotchear claimed. Never mind American contact with the Apache, they had over three centuries of contact with the Spanish/Mexicans and knew what gold was about.
Brewer waited until the Apache Wars were over. He bided his time in Colorado if his version is to believed. He managed to head towards the Rio Grande after the LAD incident. When he returned, he did not hang around for long nor get large groups together to try and relocate that particular spot. He then moved away and enjoyed wealth, power and authority. This in itself is a pointer to what may have happened.
IPUK
