| Yes but there is also many of those buried treasures recovered. Half the fun can be sorting the fact from fiction.
If I had to make a guess I'd say the Martinez Silver has the best odds of being for real. I believe the period or the crossing, or both, is off, but I do believe the story is fact.
Actually the list is long. If you spend some time reading the accounts of travelers in this area it's very common to read the same basic occurrences.
Family sells all their valuables back east and heads west.
Makes it to Indian Territory and comes under attack.
Bury the valuable so that survivers can return to claim.
No one survives valuables remain buried.
Where we live now was one of the most dangerous areas of the Santa Fe Trail for attacks. The bluffs to the north made a perfect place for the Indians to see travelers from a distance, and a great place to pounce on wagons from. That why in this small area we have had Fort Mann, Fort Atkinson and Fort Dodge.
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The real treasure is in the hunt... |