| Actually the preferred form of exchange was gold and silver. Gold and silver was excepted in all parts of America paper money was not. The first State Bank Notes were printed in 1836 and were only excepted in that state. The first US Bank Note was printed in 1862 and it took quite a while before Americans excepted it.
Many many families sold their property, packed up and headed west. The amount of gold and silver they carried is often exaggerated. For the average family a few hundred dollars was their entire worth.
It was common practice to cache/bury their valuables at the first sign of trouble. The idea was that as long as one person was to survive they could recover the valuables. Unfortunately, the Indians weren't known for leaving any survivors. It is possible Coronado had collected quite a stash of gold on his trip up to the Arkansas and cached it for the return trip.
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The real treasure is in the hunt... |