We are a community-supported, non-profit organization and we humbly ask for your support because the careful and accurate recording of our history has never been more important. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. . There was one spot that we initially found, I think it was June of 2020, which gave us a sonar reading that was pretty much an exact match to a wooden wagon that had submerged with some sort of weight, Roper said. Gary is currently working on a history of Spanish East Texas focused between 1770 and 1813. Houston historian Gary Pinkerton, a Longview native, is fascinated by those treasure hunters and their searches. Spanish silver stolen by the privateer, Jean Lafitte. Six wagon loads of silver carried north along Trammels Trace. 150 0 obj Houston oilmen who conducted the largest search ever attempted in 1957-1958. True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake. 0000003902 00000 n . Hendericks was a member of the Cras Est Nostrum and became Salazar at some point in the past. Thats the one thing we all agree on about Sunken Silver, is that legend is a very powerful thing.. Christian Roper and Brackston McKnight, film makers. Not all listings found on this site are necessarily listed through Best of Luxury Realty, Corp. Back in the 1580s, Spanish conquistadors and priests often passed beneath the peaks of the Franklins on their way to New Mexico to colonize the Indian villages. Laffite was wounded in the battle and is believed to have died just after dawn. The land was sold sometime in the last 20 years and is now within a restricted mining area. He sent soldiers to look for it, but they found nothing. endobj During the Mexican War of Independence, the Laffites served as spies for the Spanish, after moving to Galveston Island, Texas. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents(www.easttexashistorical.org)/Rect[308.5376 282.2367 447.0903 295.1273]/StructParent 4/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> xXMsFWLU9C*ZYWNUX=@$(" (~ J>iyAy/eJ%.%c~(~s9yLrMw3iQSM?FOgmvw[s[j3Hr'YyX~mvvN39 Kc7YcqZYo)~}u3 ? 0000002062 00000 n Texas is full of buried bootyor, to be a bit more accurate, full of stories about buried booty that no one has been able to find. He maintains websites for Trammels Trace and for Hendricks Lake, as well as social media Facebook groups for both stories. Although $25,000 worth of coins and jewelry have been accounted for, no one knows where the rest of the loot went, and Collins and Bass were killed before they revealed anything. Christian B. Roper on a scouting trip for his film . 01 April 2017. Scotty Stotlar, Sr., appeared to have what it took to mount another serious attempt. The Lagina Brothers, famous for their search for the lost treasure on Oak Island and featured in the show The Curse of Oak Island, now hosts a new show called, Beyond Oak Island. All in all, several wagons loaded with silver ingots went into the river. . <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents( \n h t t p s : / / s c h o l a r w o r k s . down. In 1965, led a team of Iowans in some aborted, but ambitious, attempts at the treasure. Christian knows his pirate history! This warrants some underwater metal detectors to be taken As a former channel of the Sabine, Hendricks Lake is fed intermittently by Black Slough and by seasonal overflow from both Cherokee Bayou and the Sabine River. There are still treasure hunters to this day who believe the Lafitte fortune would be found if the lake was drained. One particularly famous legend is that of Jean Lafitte's treasure. The location was later widely believed to be Hendricks Lake, an oxbow lake formation on the south side of the Sabine River. Houston oil men began a search for Spanish silver-thelegendary treasure of Hendricks Lake.! The tried to dynamite the bottom, but ended up with no silver for this efforts. Two years later, its researchers went on a mapping expedition with the . endobj Not one of them found any of the reported treasure, but that never prevented the next person from trying. The basic story is that in 1816 silver stolen by pirate Jean Lafitte from the Spanish brig Santa Rosa was being moved north from Matagorda Bay to St. Louis, Missouri, for disposal. An historian named Herbert Bolton, using the original journals of the Mexicans from the eighteenth century, found what is now known as the Boyd shaft on Honey Creek. But theres just been this very persistent legend, and so in the late 50s, mid 60s, there were two really big efforts (to locate the treasure), tons of articles in the Watchman about these two different groups searching for it, dredging.. 0000001207 00000 n Boise County - Near the Nevada state line at Rye Flats, a shipment of newly-minted gold coins . True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake. 154 0 obj Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Saying Goodbye to Fairfield Lake State Park. One group proposed to use a new divining rod activated with isotopes. Im going to talk to his son, who was 14 or so when they were out at the lake. 0000001829 00000 n This is the place where six wagon loads of silver stolen by Jean Lafitte from a ship called the Santa Rosa were supposedly dumped, according to HendricksLake.com, a website run by author and independent researcher, Gary L. Pinkerton. Read More about The wreck of La Belle, Did the infamous privateer Jean Laffite steal a $2 million fortune in silver from a Spanish galleon and bury it in the Sabine River near the East Texas town Sabine? Although it hasnt yet been decided if the film will first be released at festivals and then to the public, Sunken Silver will eventually be available through online streaming. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. This page is for discussion about that early history,. Pinkerton also maintains facebook pages Trammels Trace and Hendricks Lake Treasure-True Believers. 0000000016 00000 n Texas oilmen. 0000004529 00000 n Mainly clear. Historian Gary Pinkerton says the legend is mostly unsubstantiated. He believes that stories like this reveal something about the people who tell them. mATTY BLAKE (HOST) AND cHRISTIAN B. ROPER. 0000002542 00000 n The lake is located in the extreme northeastern part of the county along the boundary between Rusk and Panola. Pickering, a veteran diver, has made it his mission to recover all things odd and ordinary lurking in the lake to keep Georgia families safe. e d u / e t h j / v o l 4 7 / i s s 2 / 1 0)/Rect[128.1963 131.7406 353.4453 143.4594]/StructParent 9/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> The popularity of treasure hunting during this time period was profiled in numerous pulp magazines and news features, and the business of supplying treasure hunters was page one news in the Wall Street Journal. You have permission to edit this article. There are people who spend their whole lives and considerable sums of money searching for sunken treasure ships, lost mines, and hidden loot. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. By using deep-sea sonar technology that can pierce the thick mud and clay at the bottom of the lake, Roper said he may have found a cart or wagon that might have moved treasure to the lake. Lived at the lake, rented boats to people who wanted to fish. Follow the link to read our updated Privacy Policy. During the investigation, Roper found Gary Pinkertons book, We met with Gary in January and we had no clue about his book coming out, we just knew that he was kind of the expert on this trace, this route that had been taken in the story by this group of smugglers carrying all the silver, Roper said. But all the treasure hunters declared that I must be hiding the truth. Spring is situated 3 miles northeast of Hendricks Lake. Most of the cobs or old Spanish finds I've seen on the forum are either from Florida or the Upper East Cost. 3 talking about this. xref Both were the surnames of early settlers in the vicinity. Although the lake was searched in the 50s and 60s, nothing was found at that time. 0000017011 00000 n There are two legends in particular that seem to have found purchase in the minds of East Texas treasure hunters. Christian The show starts with the Lagina brothers, Rick and Marty, sharing how their search on Oak Island opened them up to a world full of mysteries and lost treasures to explore. Hotspots would include the many watercourses through the area and gravel arroyos northeast of Boise, near Idaho City. . Barnie Waldrop and the former Sheriff of Panola County, Corbett Akins, at the time were in an article on the first page of the Wall Street Journal. It is now thought that the money is on the southernmost tip of Padre Island. Hendricks Lake is an oxbow lake one and one-half miles south of the Sabine River and about four miles northeast of Tatum in Rusk County, Texas (32.371864N, 94.493190W). (All you English teachers out there, stop making fun of me for using the what is now known as phrase two sentences in a row.) Houston historian Gary Pinkerton, a Longview native, is fascinated by those treasure hunters and their searches. Adams was a Rusk County backwoodsman who wears an old slouch felt hat, bib overalls, and a denim jacket, buttoned at the throat even in hot weather, and a favorite character of columnist Frank X. Tolbert for many of his Tolberts Texas articles over the years. 1930, it came up again, 35. It led all the way back to an 1884 account where the guy who was the son of the founder of Tatum, Texas in East Texas decided he was going to drain the lake. Its got quite a long story in the community. A Seagoville pharmacist who sailed around the world. 0000002304 00000 n On the trail of East Texas' buried treasure news - The Black Chronicle Buried, EAST, Texas, texas news, texas news update, trail, Treasure Many of them are wandering through the beaches and backlands with nothing more than metal detectors. After completing high school in Virginia, she moved to New York City and pursued a career as a model following her entry into a Seventeen cover contest. Joe spent many hours growing up around Milzie Williamson and later used his Fisher M-Scope metal detector to search those mysterious holes. Or Black Lake. I looked into it a little bit in high school and at UT, just on and off. That was the story.. In attempting to honor what he perceives to be Fenn's wishes . Peoples commitment to myths, tall tales and legends is powerful, according to Pinkerton. She was then forgotten for nearly 300 years. Hendricks Lake is a special place for Roper. According to Swanger, the treasure was hidden beneath a dead tree at a place called Heughs Canyon Trail, at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. Just about every book written about Texas in that era mentioned it. hill on the Lakes side, the scans show some promising images. Many treasure hunters are convinced the money continues to lie beneath the mud of Little Cypress Creek in Upshur County. For Pinkerton, the treasure of Hendricks Lake is its history and the people who have believed in the legend over the years. Hobe Sound. The Lagina Brothers, famous for their search for the lost treasure on Oak Island and featured in the show The Curse of Oak Island, now hosts a new show called, Beyond Oak Island. The last. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Singer Treasure on Padre Island In the mid-nineteenth century, a man named Isaac Merritt Singer made significant improvements to the sewing machine. People from Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Kentucky, California, and even England wanted to find that treasure. While Pinkerton believes the lake area should be a park, the reality is Hendricks Lake is no longer accessible by the public as the land surrounding it belongs to private land owners or is being leased by mining companies. Barnie Waldrop of carthage was one of the more persistent treasure hunters. Palm City. They also had a raft built from which large pipes were sunk into the lake bottom, and used a metal detector to search the sediment. The area served as a naval base during the war, and the publication notes that when the Allied forces were approaching, the Nazi's began sinking treasures in metal boxes in the lake . But alas, nothing came of it. He had heard about the Trace from his dad as a portion of it runs through family land. Seagoville pharmacist who was the diver that planted dynamite on the bottom of Hendricks Lake. If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe. So where is it? There were treasure legends like that all over Texas, he said. Please post photos and a general area if you have . Blackbeard and the mysterious unsolved code of Olivier Levassuer, or The Buzzard, are mentioned. He found what he was looking for in the Spanish colony of Texas. I titled it True Believers because Im way more interested in the people who believe this stuff than the possibility that there might actually be something, Pinkerton said. Markers are dropped, and divers are sent down. Texas oilmen who later drilled an oil well based on scripture. An electrical engineer and MIT grad who before coming to Hendricks Lake to look for treasure had found the Union navys ironclad Tecumseh in Mobile Bay. Since that time, many parties and individuals have endeavored to find the Lost Treasure of Hendricks Lake, with searches as early as 1884 and as recently as the 1970s. When you see Hendricks Lake it just looks like it should have treasure in it.. 5. . Some of the (alleged) lost treasures in Pennsylvania worth researching are ones like: $30,000 worth of gold coins said to be King George ll's Lost Plunder. At the end of World War II, the German Nazi's are believed to have sunk a fortune in Lake Toplitz, Austria, Daily Star reports. The story died down but regained momentum when treasure hunting became popular again in the fifties and when True West magazine printed an article about the long-forgotten silver prompting treasure hunters to flock to Carthage and Tatum. His main focus is on Jean Lafittes treasure, Its just a great story and what intrigued me was the people engaged in that all over those 100 years.. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? He also might have(might have, I remind you)come across a wooden chest containing what was then $80,000 in jewelry and coins. Charles F. Grice, Interview by Gary Pinkerton, February 2019. Things Found in the San Antonio River: Periodic draining of sections of the river have revealed skateboards, Mardi Gras beads, old bottles and a cell phone. Please support the Cherokeean Herald by subscribing today. 0000004315 00000 n In the early 1820s, Great Colombia under the government of Simon Bolivar had begun commissioning former privateers as officers in their newly formed navy. A famous actress said, Legend remains victorious in spite of history. For this one to last over 150 years, the grains of truth have firmly resisted erosion by the progress of historical research and inspection. Brackston has been on board about 12 of those months. LAKE ISABELLA, Calif . Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendricks Lake near Tatum. At one point, while wandering the beaches of Padre Island, he came across a bunch of Spanish coins. Spanish silver stolen by the privateer, Jean Lafitte. January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? To make this film a reality, we are seeking donors to help us meet our minimum budget goal. The other big buried treasure legend from East Texas is the story of Little Cypress Creek. Read More about Texas Tea Slot, about Jean Laffites treasure in the Sabine River. The Irish Crown Jewels, stolen from Dublin Castle over a century ago, are still out there for treasure-seekers to find today. Treasure Coast . Peter Walker Adams lived in one of the houses on the hill near the lake and figured prominently in many of the newspaper stories. This catch rendered a lot of attention and by 1884, the Sabine River was riddled with silver hunters. 1``b`5 Y0$ Au`j`H@ An occasional newspaper article kept the story alive and throughout the 1960s treasure hunters found their way to Hendrick's Lake, but none matched the expeditions launched by the SoRelle . Six wagon loads of silver carried north along Trammel's Trace. The total value? Visibility is nil, so it is a touchy situation. In June of 2020, the treasure was finally found by a man who chose not to be named (perhaps understandably, as he was suddenly $5 million richer!). Oxbow lakes result from a river's course change, in this case the Sabine River just to thc north. La Belle was a French ship that sank in Matagorda Bay in 1685 after running aground in a storm. They have documented their search for reported treasure over eight seasons. Do@aj^HmFd*`G1 MW Questions: Are Keywords for the Null Cipher Used in The Great US Treasure Hunt? Cush Reeves. But if you dont like that version of the legend there are others. The self-proclaimed worlds greatest underwater treasure hunter wrote several articles about Hendricks Lake for pulp magazines of the 50s and 60s. And the story was basically, you wanna be the guy selling the metal detectors, you dont want to be the guy out there looking for (stuff) that doesnt exist. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry. Also join us in the Facebook Group: Beyond Oak Island Treasures for more discussions. Excited about the history, research, and prospects of this Ocean Breeze. The oilmen then built a raft with a hole in the center and sank large pipes into the goop on the lake bottom. 155 0 obj It certainly had promise since it was a round piece of wood, like the legend of the wagon sunk in the lake. (Courtesy of Andy Swanger) As far as more. Winds light and variable. Building on that production they are airing a new 8-episode series titled "Beyond Oak Island" premiering Tuesday, November 17 at 9:00 pm central. Texas, I learned, is full of buried treasureor, to be a bit more accurate, full of stories about buried treasures that no one has been able to find. A nearby lake fed by the Sabine River also caught their attention, since the silver might have been transported there by the current. 24 Lake Toplitz In Austria Is Believed To Hold The Lost Treasures From World War II. When a producer for The History Channel contacted me in early summer, the legend was about to add a new chapter to the story.The Lagina brothers of Oak Island fame were beginning a new series, Beyond Oak Island, and the story of Hendricks Lake was the premiere episode on November 17, 2020. click photo for more. s f a s u . TYLER, Texas (KETK) Legends of buried treasure have fascinated people around the world since time immemorial. Many believe the body of water concealing the silver to be Hendricks Lake near Tatum, although other places have also been examined. When researching Trammels Trace for my last book, I encountered the treasure legend of Hendricks Lake. Hendrick's Lake treasure is focus of Houston historian's upcoming book, By Stella Wieser A team of treasure hunters could be on the verge of unearthing the "world's largest treasure hoard," said to be worth over $20 billion.