Why Modern Treasure Hunters Should Be Cautious With Old Newspaper or Magazine Treasure Stories
Author’s Note: This is not meant to be a be-all, end-all article. It IS, however, exactly why I have recovered 5 caches of treasures in 51 years in my passion for metal detecting and researching lost history. The article is based on my home state of Texas, but it still applies wherever you live.
Old newspaper tales like the 1928 Comanche County Texas treasure article below carry enormous charm: mysterious holes in hillsides, Spanish signs carved in stone, mule trains dumping gold into creeks, and solitary hunters digging by lamplight for decades. These stories endure because they are colorful, dramatic, and deeply rooted in Texas folklore. But for the modern treasure hunter, stories like these—however entertaining—are the least reliable kind of lead. This same concept will apply to every state in the USA. It is meant to illustrate the kind of stories we read and many of us have taken for granted.
Most 19th and 20th-century treasure articles were written for newspapers or magazines to sell their products, not to document recoverable sites. Authors very often took a mixture of half-remembered oral stories, regional legends, and embellishments and wove them into a frontier-style narrative. In the 1928 Abilene newspaper article above, the writer repeats classic motifs that appear all across the Southwest—Spanish gold, Indian attacks, lost returns, mysterious symbols, and old-timer diggers—but without names, dates, property descriptions, or verifiable evidence. The stories are engaging, but none contain the “hard edges” modern researchers need: no documented deaths, no tracked individuals, no confirmed shipments, and no formal reports of missing valuables. I have accumulated literally thousands of such articles over the decades.
This kind of folklore, while fun to read and nostalgic to retell, almost never leads to a real find of any kind. Not because treasure never existed, but because generalized stories cannot be converted into actionable search locations. Any treasure hunter using only such stories is chasing a fool’s errand, left chasing shadows, re-digging holes opened since the 1800s, and searching hopelessly large tracts of land with no defined time, person, or event connecting the treasure to the ground.
To be a successful modern treasure hunter you must switch your focus from legend-based treasure hunting to event-based treasure hunting—specifically, researching known atrocities, sudden deaths, violent raids, robberies, wagon accidents, disappearances, and unexpected migrations, all of which historically produced emergency-buried caches or caches which the owner never recovered. This is exactly the methodology I have used to successfully recover 5 caches over 51 years. None of them were spectacularly large, but all held pre-1900 wealth and they were all immensely gratifying because I was able to solve a puzzle that few have managed. I have also for the most part kept my mouth shut (Read my article on Focusspeed.com titled “Silence is Golden” to learn why).
Real-world events leave real world evidence. Evidence leaves records. Records lead to specific sites. Research and Methodology lead to successful recoveries.
Between about 1840 and 1900, three forces repeatedly taught Texans to keep portable wealth close and hidden:
- Frontier violence—especially Indian depredations (1840s–1870s). Contemporary numbers are imperfect, but the best quantified work counts 399 Texas civilian deaths in the 1860s alone from Indian attacks (Gregory Michno’s decade-by-decade compilation). That’s Texas-only and civilian-only, and it excludes many skirmishes that never made a formal return of information. Put conservatively, Texas Indian-raid civilian deaths run to many hundreds—likely over a thousand—between the 1840s and 1870s when you extrapolate the quantified decade plus the named large events and the Army’s 24-month sample. That’s only one channel feeding unrecovered caches; the Galveston Island 1900 storm’s 6,000–8,000 island deaths stands alone as a generator of lost household wealth. Refusing to Forget TSHA Online
- Sustained raiding in the immediate postwar years. A U.S. Army digest that sampled Texas counties found 163 settlers killed between mid-1865 and mid-1867, which—remember—is only a 24-month slice and not a statewide canvas. The report also details the evacuation of frontier posts and the resulting exposure of homesteads. Refusing to Forget
- Sudden, mass-casualty disasters. Floods, fires, animals, and even lightning strikes or falls killed people. People died at home; whole neighborhoods were swept clean; property records, heirs, and memories vanished overnight—all of these produced classic circumstances for unrecovered caches.
- Add to that the continual churn of outlaw violence, feuds, bank panics, and the pre-FDIC culture of cash. Texans often stashed coin and hard money at home for speed and safety. We have plenty of period evidence for the habit itself: for example, a Texas Supreme Court case centers on money found buried under the floor of a Texas home, an excellent (if later-dated) legal snapshot of the custom. The Portal to Texas History
These factors are an extraordinary thing and the reason I started chasing caches. One of the old timers in our hobby, told me back in the 70s when I got started that if I wanted a life full of adventure then I should hunt away from the cities and in the country. It took me a few years to see the wisdom of that advice, but that is why I got started researching old school ways in the libraries and universities and talked a lot to small town locals. 5 caches in 51 years may not seem like much, but along the way I have been able to find many items from that time in which those lives were lost…..relics from our past. AND not nearly as many pulltabs or can slaw.
Why Real Events Produce Real Caches
When people died suddenly, were attacked, fled, or vanished, they often left behind coins, jewelry, personal wealth, business cashboxes, or important documents buried quickly and concealed with the intention to recover them later. The “later” sometimes never came.
Throughout history this is how real caches originated—not from wandering Spanish mule trains, but from:
- Homeowners who fled invasions, raids, fires, or mob threats
- Settlers killed on the frontier before they could retrieve emergency cash saved
- Ranchers or travelers ambushed on roads
- Storekeepers who hid earnings during violent incidents or robberies
- Soldiers who concealed pay or valuables and never returned
Every one of these situations is documented in local history, and therefore researchable. And remember, the banks that existed back in the 1800s and before were few and far between. People hid their money to prevent theft from outlaws and Indians. Much of that time they buried it, often within 100-150 feet from their cabin.
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives.
How to Research Event-Based Treasure Leads
The process I have used and I encourage you to use follows a clean, repeatable system:
1. Start With “Who”
Identify a named person whose death, disappearance, or violent encounter is recorded. You can find these leads in newspaper archives online or in libraries. You can also talk to historians or old people who may know of some identifiable occurrence in their local history.
Here are the kinds of examples of historical stories you want:
- A named rancher who was killed in an Indian raid in 1867
- A storekeeper murdered during a robbery at smith’s hardware store
- A cattleman who never returned from market after witnesses saw him with proceeds
- A named settler whose cabin on X creek or river was burned during Comanche or Kiowa raids
There are others…..use your mind to clarify examples.
Names are the key.
Once you have a name, you can find:
- Family accounts
- Probate records
- Land ownership
- Court filings
- Newspaper reports
- Military or frontier records
A treasure story with no names is already a dead end. Forget those and move on.
2. Next: “What” Happened
Determine exactly what occurred:
- Was there a sudden departure?
- A killing?
- A robbery?
- A disappearance?
- A fire or flight?
- A sudden battle?
These moments often produced emergency concealments.
3. Then: “Where” It Happened
Many local articles will explain where things happened. Local historians might be able to identify the old Tucker Farm, or the Jenkins Crossing, or some site where a tragedy occurred. To find these folks, ask the historic commission, historical society, or even a librarian. If those don’t work, find a senior center and ask there. Now continuing along the line of the Where it happened, This is where old maps and modern research tools intersect.
Some of the tools I use are:
- County plat maps
- GLO records
- Sanborn maps
- Early county maps
- Road surveys
- Frontier military reports
- Modern GIS overlays
- Google Earth historic layers
- Old topo maps
The goal is to lock the story down to a property, a creek crossing, a wagon road, or a homestead.
4. Establish the “When”
If a site can be located within 300–800 feet, it becomes actionable.
Time is critical.
Was it:
- 1850s?
- 1870s (raiding peak)?
- 1880s cattle-money era?
- Early 1900s robberies?
The timeframe determines:
- The type of coins, jewelry, or other valuables expected
- The kind of container likely used
- What buildings existed
- What travel routes were active
The 1928 article I have included has no dates—another reason it cannot be used as a serious lead. Dates are important and immensely needful.
5. Determine “How” They Might Have Buried It
Different eras hid valuables differently:
- Frontier settlers often used small earthenware jars, tins, or wrapped bundles under hearths or fence posts.
- Travelers hid leather pouches near trail markers or creek bends.
- Storekeepers hid coin bags near woodpiles, barns, or beneath floorboards.
- Ranch hands cached money under specific trees, rock piles, or water-barrel platforms.
- Stagecoach robbers would often not bury in a hole, but rather they would cover up a strongbox by scaping rocks and dirt down over it up from the uphill side to hide it with the intent to return after the heat was off to retrieve it.
If the event is recorded in detail, you can narrow likely hiding spots to a 15–40 yard radius.
Why This Works (and Folklore Doesn’t)
Legend-based treasure hunting depends on an astronomical level of luck.
Event-based treasure hunting depends on documents, logic, reconstructing history and persistence.
When you tie a potential cache to:
- A real person,
- A real death,
- A real location, and
- A real date,
you transform vague folklore into a precise achievable historical recovery mission.
You are no longer hunting “mule loads of Spanish gold.”
You are hunting the lost assets of a specific person who died before returning to retrieve them.
Those caches existed. Many were documented. Many remain unrecovered.
Why Modern Hunters Must Evolve
The 1928 Comanche County Texas article above is wonderful storytelling—but it offers no actionable leads. Stories like it should be treated as historical entertainment, not field intelligence. Modern treasure hunters should focus their time on verifiable events, not romantic legends. Real caches come from real people, not Spanish ghosts.
By researching documented tragedies, sudden deaths, attacks, and unexpected vanishings—and then reconstructing the landscape through Interviews, maps, plats, property records, and geographic analysis—you gain the ability to hunt where something actually happened.
That is where treasure is found.
As a bonus, just for Metal Detecting and Treasure Hunting Clubs located in Texas, members, here are some MAJOR leads that you can truly pursue. If I may be of assistance to any of you on any treasure or cache, feel free to reach out to me at historicaltexan@gmail.comor 682-213-1231. I will execute a Non-Disclose/Non-Compete Agreement, and my first consultation is free, and you will be surprised at how informative that might be. HH y’all.
Here is just a sampling of deaths from 1840’s to 1900, mainly from Indian Depredations:
| County | Date | Fatalities | Category | Incident Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 1840-08-07 | 15 | Indian raid | Great Raid of 1840 – killings in/near Victoria; Texas Beyond History. |
| Calhoun | 1840-08-08 | 5 | Indian raid | Linnville Raid – 3 whites & 2 Blacks killed; Texas Beyond History. |
| Young | 1864-10-13 | 12 | Indian raid | Elm Creek Raid; TSHA. |
| Young | 1871-05-18 | 7 | Indian raid | Warren Wagon Train / Salt Creek Massacre; TSHA. |
| Young | 1867-07-15 | 3 | Indian raid | Mid-July 1867 raid – three young men killed; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Parker | 1867-07-10 | 2 | Indian raid | Briscoe couple killed; children carried off; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Hamilton | 1867-07-19 | 2 | Indian raid | Hamilton killings noted in Exhibit 1 narrative; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Palo Pinto | 1870-11-18 | 3 | Indian raid | Three settlers killed; UTA ‘Texas in Turmoil’. |
| Jack | 1871-01-20 | 3 | Indian raid | Turtle Hole killings (Britton Johnson & 2 others); TSHA. |
| Kinney | 1866-06-01 | 5 | Indian raid | Kickapoo depredations; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Maverick | 1866-06-01 | 3 | Indian raid | Kickapoo depredations; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Webb | 1866-06-01 | 4 | Indian raid | Kickapoo depredations; Adjutant-General of Texas, 1884. |
| Lampasas | 1873-03-19 | 4 | Feud | Gunfight at Jerry Scott’s Saloon – 4 state policemen killed (Horrell gang); HMDB/plaques. |
| Lampasas | 1877-01-22 | 1 | Feud | Pink Higgins kills Merritt Horrell in Gem Saloon; TSHA/HMDB. |
| Lampasas | 1877-06-07 | 3 | Feud | Town square shootout kills Frank Mitchell (Higgins side), plus Buck Waltrup & Carson Graham (Horrell side); summary per secondary accounts. |
| Mason | 1875-02-18 | 3 | Feud | Mason courthouse mob kills 3 prisoners; Mason County War; TSHA/HistoryNet summaries. |
| Mason | 1875-08-19 | 2 | Feud | Killings of John Wohrle & Carl Bader during Hoodoo War; HistoryNet. |
| Fort Bend | 1889-08-16 | 7 | Feud/political | Jaybird–Woodpecker War, ‘Battle of Richmond’ and related killings; Wikipedia/BlackPast (7–8 reported). |
| DeWitt | 1875-12-27 | 3 | Feud | Jim Taylor and 2 companions killed by posse at Clinton; TSHA. |
| Calhoun | 1874-03-11 | 2 | Feud | William Sutton & Gabriel Slaughter killed at Indianola; Wikipedia/secondary accounts. |
| Wilson | 1873-05-17 | 1 | Feud | Jack Helm killed at Albuquerque, Wilson Co.; TSHA/Wikipedia. |
| Williamson | 1878-07-19 | 2 | Robbery | Round Rock shootout: Deputy A.W. ‘Caige’ Grimes and Seaborn Barnes killed; ODMP/City of Round Rock/TSHA day-by-day. |
| Williamson | 1878-07-21 | 1 | Robbery/banditry | Sam Bass dies of wounds from Round Rock affair; TSHA day-by-day. |
| Wichita | 1896-02-25 | 1 | Bank robbery | City National Bank, Wichita Falls – cashier Frank Dorsey killed; county historical commission. |
| El Paso | 1893-06-30 | 1 | Bandit conflict | Texas Ranger Capt. Frank Jones killed near San Elizario/Tres Jacales; ODMP/THC Atlas. |
| Comanche | 1874-05-26 | 1 | Outlaw killing | Deputy Charles Webb (Brown Co.) killed by John Wesley Hardin in Comanche; TSHA/HMDB. |
| Brown | 1883-10-01 | 2 | Fence-cutting violence | Ranger ambush of fence cutters near Brownwood – two killed; UNT Press book/RefusingToForget summary. |
| Coleman | 1871-06-01 | 2 | Indian raid | Coleman Co.: Indians killed Williams and Lemons. (Adjutant-General 1884, narrative after Exhibit 2) |
| Coleman | 1873-07-07 | 3 | Indian raid | Coleman/Brown line: Mrs. Williams and two children killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1866-08-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: Wm. McDougal killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1866-09-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: F. Conway killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1867-06-01 | 2 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: B. Smith and Ruff killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1868-12-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: ‘Antonio’ killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1870-12-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: Samuel Harris killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1871-01-12 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: Tallus Smith killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1871-03-20 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: George Gentry killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1871-06-01 | 2 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: Two herdsmen killed during theft of Perry herd. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1872-05-01 | 3 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: James Scull, Mr. Bradbury, and ‘Neighbors’ killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Menard | 1874-08-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Menard Co.: Shelton killed at Gooch’s ranch. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Kimble | 1875-06-15 | 2 | Indian raid | Kimble Co.: Man and boy killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Kimble | 1875-07-15 | 1 | Indian raid | Kimble Co.: Woman killed a month later. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Kerr | 1873-02-01 | 3 | Indian raid | Kerr Co.: Terry and two children killed near Centre Point. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| San Saba | 1873-08-03 | 1 | Indian raid | San Saba Co.: Newton Phillips killed on Cherokee Creek. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| San Saba | 1873-04-01 | 1 | Indian raid | San Saba Co.: W. R. Gregg killed at Rough Creek. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| San Saba | 1873-12-01 | 1 | Indian raid | San Saba Co.: R. Spiller killed at Deep Creek. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Hamilton | 1866-04-15 | 2 | Indian raid | Hamilton Co.: Two Black residents killed (spring 1866). (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Hamilton | 1866-12-25 | 1 | Indian raid | Hamilton Co.: Wm. Willis killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Hamilton | 1867-06-15 | 3 | Indian raid | Hamilton Co.: Miss Whitney, a moving man, and Geo. Fuynce killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Bandera | 1873-01-27 | 6 | Indian raid | Bandera Co.: Joseph Moore & wife; Philip Gertin; Bernstein; E. Flores; Fel. Montez killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Wichita | 1873-10-14 | 1 | Indian raid | Wichita Co.: Preston Allison killed on Big Wichita. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Kendall | 1860-07-16 | 1 | Indian raid | Kendall Co.: Henry Meier killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Kendall | 1866-11-24 | 1 | Indian raid | Kendall Co.: Theo. Gothardt killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| McMullen | 1870-01-01 | 3 | Indian raid | McMullen Co.: Since 1866 to 1870, 3 persons killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Burnet | 1869-02-15 | 1 | Indian raid | Burnet Co.: Emma Jones killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Burnet | 1869-11-17 | 1 | Indian raid | Burnet Co.: F. M. Smith killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Burnet | 1870-08-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Burnet Co.: Captain Habey killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Burnet | 1871-02-08 | 2 | Indian raid | Burnet Co.: Two Black girls killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Zavalla | 1873-09-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Zavalla Co.: Ben Pullim killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Live Oak | 1876-09-26 | 3 | Indian raid | Live Oak Co.: Thomas Stringfield and wife killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Denton | 1867-01-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Denton Co.: James Box killed; wife and four children carried off earlier. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Denton | 1868-01-05 | 8 | Indian raid | Denton Co.: Jan 5, 1868 killings incl. Leatherwood, Long, Fitzpatrick, his wife & child, Parkhill, Menascoe & child. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Denton | 1868-08-15 | 9 | Indian raid | Denton Co.: Aug–Sep 1868 widow woman & five children; S. Fortenbury; Sol Forrister; Coonis killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Clay | 1873-06-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Clay Co.: One man killed on Montague line. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Parker | 1873-08-09 | 1 | Indian raid | Parker Co.: J. M. Hemphill killed. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Bexar | 1871-03-01 | 2 | Indian raid | Bexar Co.: A lady killed ~15 miles from San Antonio; a Mexican killed ~17 miles out. (Adjutant-General 1884) |
| Jack | 1873-10-01 | 2 | Indian raid | Jack Co.: H. Walker and his son killed on Salt Fork of Keechi (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Jack | 1873-11-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Jack Co.: Harris killed on Main Fork of Keechi (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Jack | 1874-07-10 | 1 | Indian raid | Jack Co.: Jno. H. Heath killed; 200 stock stolen (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| El Paso | 1871-03-01 | 1 | Indian raid | El Paso Co.: J. E. Ford killed (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| McCulloch | 1873-04-29 | 1 | Indian raid | McCulloch Co.: Bill Goodman killed on Brady Creek (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| McCulloch | 1873-03-17 | 2 | Indian raid | McCulloch Co.: Wm. Denham and his son-in-law Cusick killed; 4 horses stolen (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Gillespie | 1870-08-19 | 1 | Indian raid | Gillespie Co.: Louis Spardt killed (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Gillespie | 1871-02-27 | 1 | Indian raid | Gillespie Co.: John McComit killed; Ed. McComit wounded (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Erath | 1872-08-26 | 1 | Indian raid | Erath Co.: One citizen killed by Indians (Adjutant-General 1884). |
| Wise | 1866-09-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Isabel Babb killed; others carried off. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Wise | 1866-11-01 | 1 | Indian raid | John Bailey killed. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Wise | 1868-01-01 | 9 | Indian raid | Mary Russell, Martha Russell, Hawig Russell, boy Russell, Buck Green, William Bailey, Johnson Miller, Frank Cornes, Mrs. Vick killed. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Wise | 1870-07-12 | 1 | Indian raid | H. A. Dawson killed. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Wise | 1871-02-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Stephen Hampton killed. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Palo Pinto | 1873-10-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Citizen ‘Veal’ killed (fall 1873). (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Stephens | 1874-07-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Marion Stockdale killed at Browning’s ranch, Clear Fork Brazos. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.39) |
| Young | 1875-02-19 | 1 | Indian raid | Harmon killed; 75 horses stolen. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.36) |
| Gillespie | 1874-02-01 | 1 | Indian raid | Mr. Hazlewood killed on Spring Creek. (Adjutant-General 1884, p.38) |
Newspaper or Magazine Treasure Stories
Dennis Wynne is a 73 year old successful Texas treasure hunter who has spent the past 52 years learning about history through his metal detecting exploits. Dennis has traveled extensively throughout the Texas and other states traveling down the dirt trails of early settlers and forgotten places of history which he studied and learned how to find the hidden places of the past.
He has spent countless hours doing old school research in libraries combing through old newspapers and books searching for leads to places long forgotten in his quest for historically significant places to search with a metal detector. He has has spent days and nights along the old Spanish military roads, alongside of river crossings, watering holes and battle sites, searching for relics from the past. He has found and detected thousands of undiscovered early homesites in his 52 years of detecting and continues to do so every chance he gets.
He is the author of 2700 Historical Sites Across Texas (currently in revision) which is 1200 pages plus of information about ghost towns, historical figures, and more. He is a founding member of the Cowtown Treasure Hunting Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and as a cache hunter he has recovered 5 caches of hidden treasures. He has shared that he is very close to recoveries on numbers 6 and 7 as well.
Dennis has invented an amazing accessory for the metal detecting community that will be in the marketplace soon.…..it is called the Grab-n-Stand and is a device that will assist a detectorist in getting down to recover a find, as well as getting up. We will be doing an article on the Grab-n-Stand soon and let you know our thoughts about it. Find out more at his website Wynsar.com. He also does consultant work assisting other treasure hunters with finding caches or other treasures. You can contact him via the website wynsar.com.
