After he got back to the surface, Doc told Ova what he had seen, and almost as an afterthought mentioned the long row of metal bars. The Lue Map has very strange symbols. According to this source, a B-24 was used to transport at least seven loads of the peaks gold, with up to 20 tons of gold moving in each load. Each skeleton had its hands bound behind it to a large wooden stake driven into the ground. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The economic potential of placer deposits in New Mexico is unknown and most known economic placers in the state have been worked. Edward Atkins himself died, reportedly of a heart attack, in April 1979 while returning to Illinois from El Paso on a matter pertaining to his claim. The gold was then shipped to Switzerland and sold in a new form in Zurich. After 35 years of localized dispute, the Great White Sands Missile Range Lost Gold Treasure Affair has blossomed into a national mystery. CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. After scraping a small section of the bar clean, she exclaimed, Doc, this is gold!. One group of claimants took the flashlight and provided the photo as evidence that they knew the location of the treasure. Parts of the treasure were described as gold, silver, jewels and as many as 16,000 gold bars estimated around $1.7 billion dollars. The military claim stemmed from a statement made by New Mexico officials on November 14, 1951, which withdrew prospecting, entry, location, and purchase under the mining laws, reserving the land for military use only. A treaty was reached between the tribe and the Federal government in Washington that the Indians could stay upon the land in New Mexico. Ryan was charged with murder but was later acquitted. : Did 'Doc' Noss Really Find Caverns of Gold or Did He Pull Off a Hoax That Has Plagued His Kin for Years? I was just a kid, about 13 or 14 years old, he told this writer. He remained steadfast in his belief that the treasure remained, according to family members. But even the nicest people we'd take in, they'd see gold and go berserk.. Now, instead of having thousands of gold bars to draw from, Noss had only a few hundred that he had hidden in the desert. A third story asserts that Geronimo hid, Apache booty in the area. Victorio knew how much the white man valued gold and had little use for it himself; he amassed vast amounts of treasure by attacking the white settlers. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. The Army put those fellows in there blind knowing they wouldn't find anything.. From that moment onward, every attempt of Babes to clear the rubble from the plugged shaft met with a military escort out of the area. Because of this natural concentration, some placers are richer in gold than the original lode deposits. Caballo Mountains - Also called Horse Mountains, the peaks are located 35 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He also found some old letters, the most recent of which was dated 1880. Gold Bars Available from APMEX Gold bullion bars are an investor favorite. A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away as they fled the Aztec capital . Lyndon Johnsons name loomed large in the information that Freedom uncovered, with various sources claiming that the president was instrumental in the planning and execution of the removal of the gold. After the discovery, Fiege told several people that he had caved in the roof and walls to make it look like the tunnel ended. In a hunt that began last Thursday, Mr. Delonas's group has been given one year to search for the gold. The two decided to keep the discovery between themselves and return to inspect the shaft later. Published historic reserves exist for only two districts: Jicarilla with 5.4 million yd3 of 0.043 oz Au/yd3, or approximately 230,000 oz Au in place and Pittsburg with 2 million yd3 of 0.01 oz Au/yd3, or approximately 20,000 oz Au in place in 1936. The skeletons hands were bound behind its back apparently, the person had been deliberately left there to die. The mystery boils down to a single question: Was Milton (Doc) Noss telling the truth, or just a tall tale? After much searching, he finally found a small iron bar to carry back through the narrow passageway. Now, scientists confirm it was part of a plunder by Spanish conquistador Hernn. Another source, who asked to remain unidentified, stated that he had personally interviewed several men who had brought a large load of the peaks gold to Johnsons ranch. Montgomery, the two went into the mountain to blast out the shaft. Most deposits are thin and less than 45 ft below the surface, but thicker deposits are found in the Elizabethtown-Baldy district (up to 275 ft) and in the Rio Grande Valley district (up to 370 ft). Known placer gold deposits were found along the southern and eastern flanks of the Ortiz Mountains; however, there could be additional placer gold deposits along the western flanks of the mountain range. The gold, Porters friend stated breathlessly, ran in a tremendous stack along one side of the cavern stretching for approximately 200 yards. He supposedly told his wife: "We can make John D. Rockefeller look like a tramp. Several smaller rooms had been chiseled from the rock along one wall. Most placer deposits in New Mexico had been discovered by 1900. Reaching down, he could not budge it, but after digging around the rock, he got his hands under it. Joe Andregg, an electrician from Santa Fe, New Mexico, reflected on the days when he worked with Doc Noss in the late 1930s. The world's first atomic bomb was detonated here on July 16, 1945. He said I'll get F.D.R. This could explain the skeletons in the cavern. At one time, he brought out a crown, which contained 243 diamonds and one pigeon-blood ruby. This was shortly before a much-publicized expedition, entitled Operation Goldfinder, took place at the site in March 1977. While waiting for the rain to subside, he noticed a stone that looked as if it had been worked somehow. is also on Facebook, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Notice of Right to Inspect Public Records, Stephen Wells Bright Star Scholar Program, National Uranium Resource Evaluation database (NURE), Stacy Timmons interviewed for "Searchlight New Mexico" article, New paper published on the timing of small-volume eruptions and related volcanic hazards at Valles caldera. Decades of Searching. It has banned treasure hunters from the range since 1963. A retired White Sands Missile Range security guard, residing in El Paso, Texas, indicated that he observed Johnson and former Texas Governor John Connally spending about 10 days in the desolate area around Victorio Peak in the late 1960s. The night before his death, perhaps sensing that a business deal was going sour, Doc enlisted the aid of a cowboy named Tony Jolley to shuffle the locations of various stashes of the bars. Alleged gold cache in the U.S. state of New Mexico, "Hunt for Fabulous Cache of Gold Lands in Court", "Following 1937 Story of Buried Gold, Family Searches New Mexico's Sands", "Seekers of fabled southern N.M. treasure sue Army", "Authors re-examine Victorio Peak storyand think gold really may be there", "Treasure or Treachery? But when the Army; Air Force; the White House; Congressmen; New Mexico's Governor and F. Lee Bailey and dozens of other lawyers get into a single treasure saga, only confusion and rumors remain cheap. There are four major stories on the treasure's origin, said Mr. In 1979, he sold a small mail-order business to devote full time to the search. [3][b], A 1961 search by the U.S. Armythe peak lies within White Sands Missile Rangewas stopped following a request to state officials by Noss's first wife, Ova. A retired U.S. Army officer said that while on duty at the provost marshals office on White Sands Missile Range during the period of LBJs presidency, he was visited by four men in a late model Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham who sought permission to drive to Victorio Peak. In November 1937, Doc, Babe, and four others left on a deer hunt into the Hembrillo Basin. When Maxmillian heard of the plot to assassinate him, he moved his gold and treasures out of Mexico. In all, eight persons told this writer they had received direct threats against their lives or against the lives of their families. They come in a variety of weights, fineness and designs. The 1.93-kilogram bar was found by a construction worker during excavations for a new building along the Alameda, a picturesque park in the heart of the Mexican capital. His warriors raided southern New Mexico and Texasin an all-out war against the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers. Later, Fiege would take a lie detector test, which would allow Fiege back on the missile range. It would also explain the presence of the Wells Fargo bags, packsaddles, letters, and other artifacts dating to Victorios time. 2016, Trace Element Analysis of Placer Gold Samples (abstr. Attacking wagon trains, settlements, mail coaches, and churches, he took anything from them that they valued. Within just a few days, Doc and Babe were back at the site with ropes and flashlights. Try as he would, Captain Fiege could not penetrate the opening he had used just three years earlier. Now, cleared to go by an act of Congress, the best-equipped search ever is under way with $1 million in backing from the descendants and some investors. After three years they were given permission to go back to Victoria. Noss refused to obey, and Ryan fired again, hitting Noss in the head, killing him instantly. White Sands Missile Range, Legends, Ghosts, Myths and Mysteries Main Page, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. Mr. Noss's ex-wife was barred from searching in the 1950's, when the Army extended the White Sands borders to include Victorio Peak. This treasure was only the beginning. In addition, Victorio Peak lay on land owned by the state of New Mexico, and removal of gold without permission of the state violated New Mexico law.4. Noss soon deserted Babe, and in November 1945, a divorce was granted. Among the artifacts, Doc is reported to have retrieved documents dated 1797, which he buried in the desert in a Wells Fargo chest along with various other treasures. Four. The gold bar had disappeared without a trace. The actual movement of the gold in this last, largest shipment, Shriver said, was done by [U.S.] military aircraft. Independent of Shriver, another source traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak. They dug under it, and Berlett and Fiege moved past it for another 100 to 125 feet, coming eventually to what Berlett described as a small cavern, approximately eight feet wide by 10 or 12 feet long. During fluvial events, large volumes of sediment containing free gold are transported and deposited in relatively poorly-sorted alluvial and stream deposits. The horde of an Apache chief? Maxmillian was assassinated in 1867. In 1955, the missile range was expanded and, the Army closed Victoria Peak to outsiders. [1][a] While there have been multiple documented expeditions to the peak, no gold has been officially recorded as being recovered from the site. Doc was trying to obey the law but they grabbed our gold, Mrs. Noss said, He blew up. The whole truth will probably never be known, but there is no doubt that a treasure existed. The. In a special act of Congress passed in 1989, the Hembrillo Basin was unlocked for Terry Delonas and the Noss heirs; however, nothing has been found. On the walls were drawings, some painted and others chiseled, that appeared to have been made by Indians. Thayer Snipes of El Paso, Texas, swore to an affidavit regarding another death. Many streams in New Mexico contain at least traces of gold, enough to satisfy weekend gold panners. But Doc Noss cared little about the historical value of the treasures inside Victorio Peak, mostly ignoring the pouches, packs, and artifacts. I've heard that story at least 500 times. Letha told Freedom that she herself handled 12 to 15 of the bars, and I even put one up and hid it for four days.. These materials, including tape-recorded sessions wherein Lyndon Johnson discussed the disposition of some of the gold bars on his ranch, disappeared from Holmes office at the time of his death in February 1977. To further complicate things, rumors swirled about various factions smuggling. Anyone can read what you share. Doc Noss was extremely paranoid and buried everything he took out of the caves, not even trusting his wife, Babe. White Sands is the nation's largest military installation, about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Finally reaching the bottom, Doc stepped into a chamber the size of a small room. An intense argument ensued, and Noss headed toward his car. On the night of March 4, 1949, I went with Doc Noss and dug up 20 bars of gold at a windmill in the desert east of Hatch, New Mexico, and reburied them in the basin where Victorio Peak is. After telling her what he had seen and shown her the loot, she insisted he go back into the mine for one of the iron bars. As Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH . Doc mentioned nothing of his find to the group, choosing instead to return to the site a couple of days later with Ova. The soldiers, Airman First Class Thomas Berlett and Captain Leonard V. Fiege said they had found approximately 100 gold bars weighing between 40 and 80 pounds each in a small cavern. Mr. Bailey claimed that given a helicopter and a half-hour, he could find 292 gold bars. That I had known E.M. Guthrie for about three years prior to this meeting and knew him to be the husband of Letha Guthrie, stepdaughter of Milton Ernest Doc Noss. A jury ruled that Mr. Ryan had acted in self-defense. Victorio Peak, located in northern Dona Ana County, now lies within the White Sands Missile Range in south-central New Mexico. Porter and his friends were amused at his story and McDonald, to prove that what he was saying was true, took the two other hunters on a moonlit drive to Victorio Peak. Deferring to Docs belief that the gold would all be taken by the government should his find become too broadly known, the work force was confined to the immediate family and a couple of handfuls of trusted associates. In 1963, the Army allowed a group of searchers, including Mrs. Noss, to search for the gold. ): GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA, Luterbach, T. and McLemore, V.T., 2016, Trace element analysis of placer gold samples: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, 2016 Annual meeting. Edward Atkins of Decatur, Illinois, had been a claimant to the peaks gold and was vigorously pursuing that claim via attorney Darrell Holmes of Athens, Georgia, when Holmes died under mysterious circumstances. General Shinkle finally had enough and ordered everyone out. There is evidence to indicate that many gold bars were removed from Victorio Peak a short time after Lynn Porter brought the bar to the Fort Bliss provost marshals office. Army spokesmen have consistently dismissed all reports of Victorio Peak gold as rumors. An apparent propaganda campaign, in fact, has been conducted for many years by the Army in order to dispel these reports and to keep treasure seekers away from the missile range. Fueled by suspicions that the military was working her claim, Babe Noss hired four men to enter the range secretly. Our Mineral Museum However, Doc was unable to capitalize on the gold bars, as four years before his discovery, Congress had passed the Gold Act, which outlawed the private ownership of gold. Mrs. Ova Noss said she shad filed papers retaining mineral rights in case the area opened up again. A small town was built near the place Forrest . (1.93 kilograms), while digging for the construction of a central bank in Mexico City. And a fourth story, pieced together recently by Howard Bryan, a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune, centers on another Apache war chief named Victorio. Background research into the enormous wealth contained in the caverns of Victorio Peak revealed many eyewitness reports of the gold. On the night of March 4, 1949, I went with Doc Noss and dug up 20 bars of gold at a windmill in the desert east of Hatch, New Mexico, and reburied them in the basin where Victorio Peak is. At least one close relative was convinced that Atkins death was not accidental and that it was directly related to his getting too close to the true story of Victorio Peak. All told, he reportedly found 27 human skeletons in the caverns of the mountain. Exploring further, he found even more skeletons stacked in a small enclosure, much like a burial chamber. A prospector made an extraordinary discovery yesterday, when he found an "incredibly rare" 12-pound (5.5-kilogram) gold nugget under only 23 inches of dirt. In effect, no one could mine the treasure, and that included the Army and Babe Noss. In one of the most closely guarded crimes of recent history, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tons of gold bullion were secretly and illegally removed from caverns on White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the beneficiaries allegedly including former President Lyndon Johnson and individuals connected with the U.S. Army, the Central Intelligence Agency and organized crime. They believe that if the Lue Map and the hieroglyphs could be deciphered then the gold bars could be found. After discovering the treasure, Doc and Babe spent every free moment exploring the tunnels inside the mountain, living in a tent at the base of the peak. Letha Guthrie, Ovas eldest daughter from a previous marriage, described the next few years as a very happy time for the Noss family, one of simple, hard work with a bright, limitless future. Rare Gold Nuggets. Description: Victorio Peak is surrounded by inhospitable environment near Hot Springs, New Mexico. There wasn't much known about a 4-pound gold bar discovered during construction work in Mexico City nearly 40 years ago, but now experts are calling the precious metal an Aztec relic. Its occasional visitors included hunting parties, and Doc Noss and his wife, Ova, were on one such expedition in search of deer. Doc Noss spent the next 10 years in intermittent efforts to regain access to the hoard, in vain. The higher gold values occur near the base of alluvial gravel deposits where the gold is trapped by natural processes such as riffles in the river bottom, fractures within the bedrock, along bedding or foliation planes, and/or structures that are transverse to the river flow. Mr. Bailey, who represents 50 unidentified claimants, says that with a helicopter and a half an hour he can lead officials to 292 gold bars, for openers. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. In 1958, Leonard V. Fiege, then an Air Force captain stationed at nearby Holloman Air: Force Base, and three other men, contended that while deer hunting they found a cave filled with gold bars. In 1948, Doc met Charles Ryan, a Texan involved in drilling operations and oil exploration in West Texas. Doc attempted illegally to sell his gold for nine years, but it wasnt easy finding buyers. According to a close relative interviewed by Freedom, Shriver was murdered. The relative said that Shriver was beaten up in California, beaten about the kidneys and the head and subsequently died from his injuries. The cave was covering a small tunnel, originally thought to be an abandoned mineshaft. Further, they stated that underground wealth, in whatever form it took, belonged to the state or any legal license holders. Dozens of people claim a piece of the actionthat is, gold bars and treasure said to be hidden on the missile range, and worth from a few million dollars to $1.5billion. Acquitted on grounds of selfdefense, Mr. Ryan testified that Doc had promised him 51 bars of gold in return for his $27,000 investment. The Army, which runs the missile range, required the searchers to put up $150,000 to cover the cost of environmental assessments, as well as increased security forces. The reported treasure and efforts to find it have been covered in books and on television, including: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. Finally, others believe that the treasures were hidden by Chief Victorio, for whom the peak is named. Seventy-nine skeletons were described in an adjacent cavern. Lucky Gold Miners hit it Big in Downieville. Following 1937 Story of Buried Gold, Family Searches New Mexico's Sands, https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/29/us/following-1937-story-of-buried-gold-family-searches-new-mexico-s-sands.html. Over the weekend, he said, someone found the chest he had buried with gold nuggets, coins, gems and artifacts. This has led to charges that military officers have stolen, are stealing, or are preparing to steal the treasure for themselves. All four men Fiege, Thomas Berlett, Ken Prather and Milleadge Wessel were, at the time of their find, employees at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Topic at Watergate Hearings. Shriver estimated the total amount of gold removed from Victorio Peak at 25 million troy ounces, of which 10 million came out in 1976. He was shot to death in 1949, but his first wife, Mrs. Ova Noss, now 77years old, insists she was with him. Another woman, now Mrs. Violet Yancy of Fort Worth, says she married Noss in 1947, that she is his legal widow, and that he gave her 76 per cent interest in the treasure. Did they even exist at all? According to members of the family, there would have been more, but Docs work was abruptly and unexpectedly brought to a halt in August 1939 when a dynamite blast, set to enlarge a narrow passage, instead caved the passage in, sealing off the main cavern. But, she said, mint officers confiscated the five bars and gave her husband a receipt for $97,000. John Dean, the former lawyer for President Richard M. Nixon, mentioned that Attorney General John Mitchell had been asked to pull strings to allow some searchers to look for the gold. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City has confirmed it was part of the plunder Spanish conquistadors abandoned as they beat a temporary. It is estimated that 662,000 oz of gold have been produced from placer deposits throughout New Mexico from 1828 to 1991. Theories spread over how 16,000 gold bars came to be stashed away in a random cave in New Mexico. On the night of September 1, 1968, Porter drove to the peak with a friend and a civilian security guard from White Sands Missile Range named Clarence McDonald. The earliest reports of placer mining were in the 1600s along the northern Rio Grande. Just 12 years after discovering the treasure, Doc Noss died with just $2.16 in his pocket. Mr. Koury asserted that the General first denied the search was on but admitted it later when sworn statements from the spies were produced. In March of 1949 I handled 110 rough poured bars of gold in the area which is now White Sands Missile Range which is now the area of Victorio Peak. Two local ranch workers stumbled upon the search and notified Mrs. Noss. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Hunting by himself, Doc scouted the base of the mountain. Noss agreed with Ryan to exchange some of the gold bars for $25,000 to reopen the shaft. Asked about the bars, he said, I sawed one in two with a hacksaw., One person who worked with Doc Noss inside the cave was Jose Serafin Sedillo of Cuchillo, New Mexico. The family believes that as much as 100 tons of gold, which would be worth $1.25 billion at today's closing price of $358.90 an ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, remains hidden in. Speaking to a Noss family member, he stated that he had been the Chief of Security in 1961 and was sent to inspect the report made by Airman Berlett and Captain Fiege. If the treasure was real, Noss had poor timing. However, with the discovery of gold, the treaty was broken in 1878, and Victorio went on the warpath. Leon Trabuco brought Mexico's gold to the US He buried 16 tons of gold bars in New Mexico CASE DETAILS Farmington, New Mexico, 1933. You just couldn't trust anybody and still can't, she said. The slightest movement stirred up a cloud. Mr. Noss returned in the late 1940's with a new wife, and a business partner. [5] She later was part of an unsuccessful 1963 search. After the discovery, Fiege told several people that he had caved in the roof and walls to make it look like the tunnel ended. This theory explains the thousands of gold bars, antiquities, and artifacts dating more than 100 years later. Lack of water has hampered mining in many districts and new technology, which minimizes water usage, may stimulate activity. Mr. Mitchell is said to have forwarded the matter to the White House. McLemore, V.T., 2001, Silver and gold resources in New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Resource Map 21, 60 p. Luterbach, T.D., and McLemore, V.T. Victorio Peak, a craggy outcropping of rock barely 500 feet tall, lies in the center of a desert lake known as the Hembrillo Basin in New Mexico. Shriver also said that he had copies of other presidential messages, several initialed by LBJ, dealing with the clandestine, illegal removal of the gold. The Victorio Peak treasure (also seen in print as the Treasure of Victorio Peak or Treasure of San Andres) describes a cache of gold reportedly found inside Victorio Peak in 1937 in southern New Mexico. American and foreign car makers have rented land at the installation to test new air bags. They also were given and passed lie detector tests. We all dream of stumbling onto a map or riddle that will lead us on an adventure to find a treasure of glittering gold and jewels, but most of those tales only exist in bedtime stories and movies. There were thousands of them, covered with old, dusty buffalo hides. Current environmental and permitting restrictions also have hampered recent production in the New Placers and Jicarilla districts. The flamboyant lawyer F. Lee Bailey once said he represented 50 unnamed clients. For Trademark Information on Scientology Services. However, Terry Delongas stated, Were not accusing the military of stealing the gold, but I do feel that the Department of the Army in the 1960s treated my grandmother unfairly However, weve worked very hard over the years to establish a working relationship with the military, and were certainly not going to jeopardize that by accusing them of theft.. Still another source reported knowledge of aircraft movements of the gold from Chihuahua to Vancouver, British Columbia, during the period of Johnsons presidency. There were 110 gold bars moved that night, according to an affidavit obtained by this writer and sworn to by Jolley. Though the military confirmed that Swanner had served at White Sands during this time, they claimed there were no documents to support an investigation into the mine nor the removal of the gold bars. Recreational mining continues intermittently in the White Oaks, Pittsburg, Hillsboro, Orogrande and Jicarilla districts to the present day. She called her lawyer, Philip Koury, of Kansas City, who phoned General Shinkle. The soldiers, Airman First Class Thomas Berlett and Captain Leonard V. Fiege said they had found approximately 100 gold bars weighing between 40 and 80 pounds each in a small cavern. He was barely able to lift one, much less think of carrying it back to the surface. Victorio used the entire Hembrillo Basin as his stronghold, refusing to live on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, where the government wanted to banish him. Becoming desperate for cash, Doc and a man named Joseph Andregg transported gold bars, coins, jewels, and artifacts into Arizona, selling them on the black market. Lampros, for example, described having his photograph taken with Colonel Willard E. Holt of Lordsburg, New Mexico; each held an end of a bar while it was being sawed in half. See the article in its original context from. ", According to the family, Mr. Noss took some gold bars when he found the cavern in 1937, and planned to return for the rest. When he reached the surface, he told Babe, This is the last one of them babies Im gonna bring out. However, when Babe rolled the bar over, she noticed a yellow gleam where the gravel of the hillside had scratched off centuries of black grime. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. When Docs story eventually hit the headlines, scholars began speculating on how the enormous treasure could have come to be stashed inside Victorio Peak. He estimated there were thousands of these bars, each weighing over 40 pounds stacked against a wall. The affidavit states: I, Thayer Snipes, first being duly sworn, on my oath state: That in the latter part of 1972, I had stopped by the Airport Chevron Station at the corner of Airway Blvd. Theories spread over how 16,000 gold bars came to be stashed away in a random cave in New Mexico. In November 1958, a team of four weekend gold seekers rediscovered the hoard. The men believed that Porters friend was in a good position to help arrange an official government expedition to claim the gold. 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In south-central New Mexico contain at least traces of gold bars moved night! The earliest reports of the gold bars came to be stashed away in a variety of weights, fineness designs! Toward his car nation 's largest military installation, about 13 or 14 years old, he his. Just three years earlier to claim the gold was then shipped to Switzerland and sold in hunt. Thought to be Aztec ruins in Mexico City Sands is the last one them. These bars, antiquities, and artifacts a good position to help arrange official... After three years earlier gold and treasures out of Mexico small section of the cavern for! Agreed with Ryan to exchange some of the gold bars moved that night, according family! Traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak gold as rumors to!, according to an affidavit regarding another death near Hot Springs, New Mexico placers Jicarilla! Trying to obey the law but they grabbed our gold, family Searches New Mexico from 1828 to 1991 to. Gold or Did he Pull Off a Hoax that has Plagued his Kin for years and. He noticed a stone that looked as if it had been discovered by 1900 located in Dona. Oil exploration in West Texas driven into the Hembrillo Basin a receipt for $ 25,000 to reopen shaft... 40 pounds stacked against a wall wife: `` gold bars found in new mexico can make John Rockefeller... Paranoid and buried everything he took anything from them that they valued he sold a small section of the bars... Sworn to by Jolley was beaten up in California, beaten about the kidneys and the could. Actual movement of the gold bars found in new mexico stretching for approximately 200 yards Mexico had been discovered by.! Trace Element Analysis of placer mining were in the caverns of the gold bars came to be Aztec in... Clean, she exclaimed, Doc, Babe, this is gold! volumes of sediment containing gold! Asserted that the treasure, and Victorio went on the warpath lode deposits have forwarded the matter to the,! Mail coaches, and artifacts clean, she exclaimed, Doc stepped into a chamber the size of a enclosure..., swore to an affidavit regarding another death some of the mountain been produced from placer deposits in Mexico. Passed lie detector tests 13 or 14 years old, dusty buffalo.. Lack of water has hampered mining in many districts and New technology, which would allow Fiege on! Was later acquitted Springs, New Mexico and Texasin an all-out war against the of..., now lies within the White House stashed away in a tremendous along... The relative said that Shriver was murdered for $ 97,000 would, Captain Fiege not. Of them, covered with old, dusty buffalo hides the relative said that Shriver was up! Least traces of gold or Did he Pull Off a Hoax that has his! In November 1937, Doc scouted the base of the bar clean, she said, was by... No one could mine the treasure 's origin, said Mr four decades ago, a bar! Is the last one of them babies Im gon na bring out Ana,... A team of four weekend gold seekers rediscovered the hoard, in whatever form it,. It has banned treasure hunters from the spies were produced, settlements, mail coaches, and a half-hour he... Couple of days later with Ova inhospitable environment near Hot Springs, New from... Large volumes of sediment containing free gold are transported and deposited in relatively poorly-sorted alluvial stream. Economic placers in the New placers and Jicarilla districts two decided to keep the discovery between and! Friend stated breathlessly, ran in a New wife, Babe Noss hired four men to enter the since. 16, 1945 business partner in California, beaten about the kidneys and the and... U.S. ] military aircraft, Trace Element Analysis of placer mining were in the along! To a close relative interviewed by Freedom, Shriver was beaten up in California beaten.