$7 Million in Gold Awaits to be Found

Initially, one might dismiss an account of over 230 pounds of placer gold just waiting to be found, but the Catholic Church had enough faith in the story that they employed fifteen men to try to locate it. Still, it remains hidden to this day.

The Great Diamond Swindle of 1872

John Slack and Phillip Arnold were 10 years apart in age, but both were born in Elizabethtown, KY, and both went to fight in the Mexican War at the same time. They developed a friendship that had one thing in common: they both yearned to become rich quick. So they both travelled to California to become “49ers” during the gold rush there.

Although neither man was considered a mental giant, together they would pull off one of the most successful cons in Arizona history.

A Union Spy in the Joseph Walker Camp

Joseph Rutherford Walker, circa 1860

It is well understood that Fort Whipple was established to protect Anglos around the Prescott area. However, there is evidence that initially the federal government was not so much interested in protecting the miners as it was in protecting the minerals.

Police Blotter for 1917

Professional safecrackers, burglary, found treasure, a 40-year-old murder solved, and a work-release program highlighted the police blotter in 1917.

The Crazy, Two-Hour Jerome Junction Gold Rush

The railroad's section foreman was five or six miles out toward Jerome, doing his usual job when it was time to take his dinner break. He found a nearby rock to sit on and began eating the food from his pail.

There wasn't anything particularly new to look at, so he happened to look down at the rock he was sitting upon.

Soon, he noticed something shiny and matted within the rock that caused an instant double-take. It was shiny; it was heavy; it was gold!

The foreman stood up and examined further. Not only was there some gold in the rock, but there was a great deal of it!

Not only was there one gold-bearing rock, but an entire vein was visible!

He couldn't wait to rush back to Jerome Junction and tell of his unbelievable luck. So he broke off several pounds of the ore as a sample and took his handcar to get back to the hotel in town.

The Devastating Raids on the Bully Bueno Mine

The strategy of Native Americans during the Indian Wars was more nuanced than simply "collecting scalps."

Their preferred method was to utilize a strategy this author would describe as "guerrilla attrition."  Instead of starving out their opponent with a siege by surrounding them, Native Americans would uniquely use guerrilla raids to attack the provisions, animals, and supplies necessary for the survival of their foes.

One of the most successful and best examples of guerrilla attrition by the Native Americans was their raids on the Bully Bueno Mine.

The Great Date Creek Train Wreck

The Date Creek Wreck the next day.

It was the night of August 26th, 1915.  Oscar and Frank Pemberton were sitting on their porch watching a violent storm move from the mountains to engulf them and their surroundings.  In the distance, the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railroad train was approaching a bridge three miles south of Date Creek station.  As they were watching the engine make its way, the lights on the engine suddenly disappeared.  More ominously, the steam whistle was left open, sending a scream of mourning across the valley.

The two men quickly saddled up to ride out to the scene at full gallop.  At best, it was a simple derailment; at worst, people were dead and dying.

As the fierce rain pelted both man and horse, the pair rode up upon the worst train wreck to date on the SF, P&P.

22 Undiscovered Buried Treasures Near Prescott *UPDATED*

There are at least 22 lost treasures of cash and gold waiting to be found in the Prescott area in Yavapai County.

These could be categorized by four motives: treasure buried by miners for safekeeping; gold reburied by the Indians to keep it away from the whites; the ill-gotten gain of thieves; and those who did not trust banks.

Gold Hidden by Miners: