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The man who found a hidden treasure chest said to be worth about $2 million last summer in the Rocky Mountains one that had tantalized fortune seekers for a decade, led to at least two deaths. He initially doesn't release any details on the finder or location. A Book by Gary L. Pinkerton, author of "Trammel's Trace", Ive seen fifty of em beaten by the lakes bog bottom, from oil explorers and water witchers to plain nuts. . As of May 2022, she resides in Austin and does media relations for TCEQ. But alas, nothing came of it. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Some tough local lawmen. 0000006665 00000 n A semi-weekly newsletter with all of The Panola Watchman's sports coverage. 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 . This catch rendered a lot of attention and by 1884, the Sabine River was riddled with silver hunters. Akins and one of his former deputies were landowners along the lake and active onlookers with a piece of the action. Roper is the latest in a long line of people to search for treasure in Hendricks Lake, and hes using the latest technology and techniques to do it. Sometime around 1816,six wagon loads of Spanish silver ingots, allegedly stolen by the pirate Jean Laffite, were being transported through what is now East Texas. endobj Pinkerton. Laffite approached them and was granted a commission and given command over a 43-ton schooner named General Santander. The Lakeview Motel's name is false advertising these dry days. While en route through East Texas, the smugglers received word the Spanish army was closing in and, in an effort to hide the treasure, dumped the loot in a local lake. Texas oilmen. The brothers meet with a Christian Roper who is actively hunting for the lost treasure of the pirate, Jean Lafitte. So, he set up these steam engines and buckets on a conveyor belt and pumps. xVy~}F0N13`&p"I9:tZ"-"}]{~~x/ c HfE4sowa-n_?B. The people who believed the legend enough to pursue it were a diverse lot. Oxbow lakes result from a river's course change, in this case the Sabine River just to thc north. 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. Now, two years later, in his book, "True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake," he has given new life to a legend about hidden silver that developed alongside Trammel's Trace. This book is the story of those people. I dont want to give too much away, but part of the reason that Hendricks Lake may have been incorrectly added to the story is because, I believe, in the late 1830s there may have been something found on a property owned by a man with the last name OHendrick, Roper said. TYLER, Texas (KETK) Legends of buried treasure have fascinated people around the world since time immemorial. Hendricks Lake was By the time the summer of 1958 had ended, Waldrop, buzzing again and the moss-laden oaks echoed the sound of the SoRelles, and all of the other treasure hunters spurred on heavy equipment and trucks pulling in for another attempt. . Ive actually been at this project about 14 months now. Follow the link to read our updated Privacy Policy. Oak Island Treasure Found May 18, 2021 Gagare1952 13.4K subscribers Subscribe 1.2K 292K views 1 year ago Breaking News: My friend John from Oak Island spend his whole life looking for that. 152 0 obj His website is titled True Believers: Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake but he is not a true believer himself. Not all listings found on this site are necessarily listed through Best of Luxury Realty, Corp. Visibility is nil, so it is a touchy situation. Other stories of Pirate Treasures are discussed. For Roper, stories like these are more than a curiosity. His main focus is on Jean Lafittes treasure, Well, my beloved fellow Texas readers, though I have no idea whether anything Im about to pass on to you is the slightest bit accurate, here are six of the supposedly great Texas treasures still waiting to be found. As of 2019 much of the land surrounding the lake was in the permit area for the surface mining for lignite that covers thousands of acres. including dialogue . Whether the treasure is truly out there or not remains to be proven. No matter what, I come to believe throughout professional research or diving, I will always associate it with Jean Lafitte, with treasure, with piracy because its meant so much to the community, Roper said. Gary L . <>/Metadata 144 0 R/Outlines 97 0 R/Pages 141 0 R/StructTreeRoot 102 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> Published by the Texas State Historical Association. His website is www.trammelstrace.com. One group proposed to use a new divining rod activated with isotopes. Hendricks Lake Lr !_) In the 1950s, the Sabine River and the nearby lake (Hendricks Lake) experienced a new onslaught of treasure seekers when the story of Laffites silver was published by the True West magazine. After getting some readings at the bottom of the lake (Hendricks Lake), two Dallas oilmen actually brought in a giant crane and attached a drag bucket to the cable. 157 0 obj 160 0 obj The search is called off for the time being. 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. 30 April 2021 AFP It is one of Sweden's most spectacular Bronze Age finds A man surveying a forest for his orienteering club in western Sweden stumbled on a trove of Bronze Age treasure reckoned. As a backup plan, they would supply all adjacent markets with fresh fish on ice. The Galveston Daily News made light of the effort by suggesting they move their operation to the Gulf of Mexico since a good deal of wealth has been left under its waters by shipwrecks. A week after that humiliation, Paul Tatum clubbed a man to death after he made fun of Tatums attempt to drain the lake. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents( \n h t t p s : / / s c h o l a r w o r k s . TREASURE HUNTER CLAIMS FBI IS COVERING UP DISCOVERY OF CIVIL WAR-ERA GOLD WORTH MILLIONS "The two vessels separated after the impact, both fatally damaged. The Irish Crown Jewels, stolen from Dublin Castle over a century ago, are still out there for treasure-seekers to find today. It featured Pirate Treasures. "My father and his friends shared the Hendricks Lake treasure legend with me when I was very young, perhaps 6 or 7 years old," Roper said. Paul Uncle Fox Tatum, son of the founder of Tatum, Texas, carried out the first documented attempt to recover the treasure in 1884. Seagoville pharmacist who was the diver that planted dynamite on the bottom of Hendricks Lake. So where is it? My favorite part of the legend is that the Guadalupe Mission in El Paso was built in way so that the shadows of the mission point to the Lost Padre Mine. Meanwhile, his younger brother John was exploring the coast of Texas. There are two legends in particular that seem to have found purchase in the minds of East Texas treasure hunters. Dallas Morning News, August 1, 1965. Exclusive opportunity to purchase 1843 S. Federal Hwy, Andy's Live Fire Grill & Bar. Lived at the lake, rented boats to people who wanted to fish. Many came to the lake to drain, dredge, dig, dynamite and scan its murky depths. click photo for more. 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. Legend says six wagons full of silver bars were rolled into hendricks lake. 0000017195 00000 n Christian and the treasure hunting team are looking forward to using new technology to scan the bottom of the lake for possible anomalies, and hope to find a treasure which was missed in past searchers. 162 0 obj and the story of the Hendricks Lake treasure is no different. Did the infamous privateer Jean Laffite steal a $2 million fortune in silver from a Spanish galleon and bury it in the Sabine River near the East Texas town Sabine? In Colombian newspapers, his death was lamented and his obituary described him as a brave naval officer. 147 0 obj Born to an American mother and English father in Knoxville, Tennessee, Hendricks was raised in Portland, Oregon, and Twin Falls, Idaho, where she became active in local theater. There was one spot that we initially found, I think it was June of 2020, which gave us a sonar reading that was pretty much an exact match to a wooden wagon that had submerged with some sort of weight, Roper said. In the final battle of the War of 1812, Lafitte and his comrades helped General Andrew Jackson defend New Orleans against the British. Every dollar helps. But a giant storm hit the area, destroying the raft and washing away all the evidence. xXMsFWLU9C*ZYWNUX=@$(" (~ J>iyAy/eJ%.%c~(~s9yLrMw3iQSM?FOgmvw[s[j3Hr'YyX~mvvN39 Kc7YcqZYo)~}u3 ? Extremely competent in market analysis and comparative sales, Angie has worked in many aspects of the real estate industry and uses this experience and foresight to be proactive and address all . 0000002304 00000 n . Others have mounted full-scale salvage expeditions with backhoes and monster trucks and whatnot. Pinkerton had to get special permission to visit for research and to take pictures. Hughes Springs up in Cass County was founded by two brothers looking for a treasure in the 1850s or 60s. They know its there. He is portrayed by Armando Riesco. Markers are dropped, and divers are sent down. Is there anything better than the tale of someone discovering a hidden clue, figuring out an obscure reference, finding the final piece of the puzzle, and then discovering a fantastic stash of gold or silver? 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? And an MIT-trained electrical engineer who held a patent for underwater metal detection. What I like most about the lake is that, it just contains this feel when you go out there and you see the Spanish moss hanging on the trees, you feel like youve gone back in time, Roper said. Id met his daughter, who when she was 12, they let her push the plunger on the dynamite to blow up the bottom of the lake.. The first episode premiered on Tuesday November 17 at 10PM EST on the History Channel. 0000002542 00000 n We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. 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. 0000003134 00000 n 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. Many believe the body of water concealing the silver to be Hendricks Lake near Tatum, although other places have also been examined. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Boise County - Near the Nevada state line at Rye Flats, a shipment of newly-minted gold coins . 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. Both American coasts abound with tales of buried pirate treasure. Christian is not discouraged. Well, according to a story by Mary Rogers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there is evidence that in the early 1800s the theft did happen and that Jean Lafittes men, afraid that they were about to be ambushed, pushed several wagons loaded with silver ingots into the muddy waters. A TV repairman. It certainly had promise since it was a round piece of wood, like the legend of the wagon sunk in the lake. Pictured from left, Gary Pinkerton, Brackson McKnight and Christian Roper. Tales of pirate booty and Mexican gold have captivated minds for generations, and it all could be closer than you might think. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hendricks-lake. 146 23 hill on the Lakes side, the scans show some promising images. hb```E@9Z9:sj*5)o(Hd`8iQ^gFMJNvZ7he);Ndx8uy}xc;Mt0u410[t0v4t40t40Zt00L@,E@`E,AsE^X/q5tDX4C#{ During her time at the Watchman, she enjoyed writing features about businesses and local events. There's no wonder it took 17 years to scour the ocean floor for this ship's treasure- a treasure lost in 1622 off the Keys. <>stream 10 Lost Treasures in America Waiting to be Found. None of (the rest) lines up, but 1860s, 1870s, there was enough yada yada to create some story.. Fearing an ambush by Native Americans, they then decided to hide the treasure by pushing it into the muddy waters of the Sabine River. A few of the Cherokees were accompanied by agents of the Mexican government who had promised a lot of money to the tribe if they were able to drive out the Texans. Numerous springs within and around the lake keep it filled. Having grown up hearing these stories about buried treasure and now searching for it himself, hes becoming a part of history. "You're a liability, Sebastian" Hendricks[src] Agent D. Hendricks is an FBI agent and the leader of Cras Est Nostrum. Mainly clear. endobj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents()/Rect[493.2393 594.2333 540.0 607.124]/StructParent 3/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> 0 Every penny counts! In 1884 treasure hunters were all over the Sabine and a nearby lake that had been fed by the Sabine. 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. Hits are sounded off. The film will center around local lore of a lost treasure of $2 million in silver ingots said to have been stolen by French pirate Jean Laffite and hidden by smugglers in Hendricks Lake, a. And then he became postmaster two years later, so apparently nothing came of that. Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 1st, 2023. 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. He shows Rick and Marty the 1957 Discovering history is part of the adventure, and that never ends. 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. 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. Not a treasure hunter, but a character who built an amphibious tractor he called the Watt-a-Bug which he drove into Hendricks Lake. The information comes from books and treasure hunting Web sites (the best of which are legendsofamerica.com and treasurefish.com). Both were the surnames of early settlers in the vicinity. In 1925, W.E. This page is for discussion about that early history,. endobj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents()/Rect[72.0 594.2333 124.3037 607.124]/StructParent 1/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> Despite intense efforts at dredging, detecting, diving, and dynamiting for Hendricks Lake treasure, the only thing that was reportedly found in the lake was the rim of an old wagon wheel. Abilene Reporter-News, June 24, 1958. Gary L. Pinkerton is an author and independent researcher. Lake Ridge (5) Las Olas Isles (5) Las Olas by the Sea (0) Lauder Gate Isles (2) . Christian knows his pirate history! Pinkerton himself doesnt personally believe there was any silver brought through East Texas during the time in which the legend takes place because the roads were little more than Indian trails. Treasure Hunters at Hendricks Lake" but he is not a 'true believer' himself. 158 0 obj Singer Treasure on Padre Island In the mid-nineteenth century, a man named Isaac Merritt Singer made significant improvements to the sewing machine. That set off a huge treasure hunting stampede. But if you dont like that version of the legend there are others. A Seagoville pharmacist who sailed around the world. Their father, Barnie Waldrop, was the most active local treasure hunter. Click here to start your Free Trial (no credit card required), by Michelle Dillon michelle@thecherokeean.com. They lowered another contraption through the pipe to the lake floor. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents(United States History Commons)/Rect[137.2383 228.9906 279.5625 240.7094]/StructParent 6/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> Two oilmen from Texas actually brought a giant crane to the lake after getting some interesting readings from the bottom of Hendricks Lake. IXK\!%X[CQq tfI&JA PAefQj$9k,HmN}) n1jXb#,L5N_T U7VOn'u[^cW c{*`!+?@6rJQ|n ;fr4a}_OM%)t0 HUn>>IudFn _IXEvFmoj8!~X!HL: Filming for Sunken Silver should be completed by late summer and the documentary released during the fall. More than once the crane almost toppled into the water. <> In fact, this same story about Lafitte treasure being lost somewhere, was repeated over and over in almost the same pattern from the Gulf Coast all the way up into Arkansas and Missouri.. The silver was never recovered. People from Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Kentucky, California, and even England wanted to find that treasure. Hendricks Lake was the sight of many treasure hunts over the course of the 20th century. The team has found several people who have direct . A pharmacist. 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 . Singer Treasure on Padre Island In the mid-nineteenth century, a man named Isaac Merritt Singer made significant improvements to the sewing machine. Larry Holzwarth - May 12, 2018. I got copies of pages in Spanish that say Yeah there was the Santa Rosa, the proposed name of the ship, there was a Santa Rosa, (but) it didnt sink. It carried cane liquor and salt and sugar from Cuba to Cadiz. From the first searches in the 1880s to the large scale efforts of the 1950s and 1960s, its story has . The idea of finding a lost treasure has universal appeal. A huge battle ensued between the two groups near what is now known as Tyler. 0000003684 00000 n endobj Stella Wieser of the Panola Watchman. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents( \n h t t p s : / / s c h o l a r w o r k s . I always thought it was interesting that people had reason to believe there was pirate treasure 200 miles from the coast.. 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. Six wagon loads of silver carried north along Trammels Trace. Roper himself had first heard the legend when he was a young boy and has returned to it intermittently throughout his life. 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.. . A nearby lake fed by the Sabine River also caught their attention, since the silver might have been transported there by the current. North of Tatum, in the middle of the woods, lies Hendricks Lake. In 1965 a professional syndicate of treasure hunters, men who worked together at a packaging company in LeClaire, Iowa, and led by Clarence A. March 11 Saturday Daylight Wasting C-tier . there were treasure legends, and the most common story is that Lafitte stranded a ship, a Spanish ship with gold, in Matagorda Bay in Corpus and was taking it to St. Louis on some wagon trains over roads that dont exist in 1816. The story goes that wagon loads of silver It was a cloudy evening with low visibility, and Laffite attempted to capture what appeared to be two Spanish merchant vessels. Brackston has been on board about 12 of those months. Hendricks Lake, 151 0 obj Christian Roper and Brackston McKnight, film makers. To view perks for contributors or to make a donation towards completion of the film, visit www.gofundme.com/sunkensilver. Laffite was wounded in the battle and is believed to have died just after dawn. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). PRIME turn-key restaurant is a landmark of Fort Laud(Former Ernie's BBQ). In a location on the lake, matching the tale, with a sloped Gary is currently working on a history of Spanish East Texas focused between 1770 and 1813. This same engineer, only two years earlier, had led the team who located the Tecumseh, a Union metalclad ship sunk during the battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. wooden object recovered during dive for the taping On the episode, diver Alex Wilcher brought up the one item found during the days spent searching. Roper believes that the Little Cypress Creek story and the Hendricks Lake story may have a common heritage. During the Mexican War of Independence, the Laffites served as spies for the Spanish, after moving to Galveston Island, Texas. wagons to be pushed down an embankment and into a lake. The July 17, 1958 edition of the Panola Watchman includes this update on a search for Jean LaFittes treasure at Hendricks Lake near Tatum. The silver was never recovered. The mud is deep on the bottom, and just as They got away with three thousand freshly-minted 1877 $20 gold pieces. Stories are how we interact as people and its how we grow. When I was seven years old, we were at Athens Scuba Park owned by Calvin Wilcher and he was the one who told me the story, Roper explained.We were sitting in this dive store and Calvin just says, Hey, have you heard the story of pirate treasure in East Texas? At seven years old Im just going to find that extremely interesting. "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot," Fenn writes. 154 0 obj from oil explorers and water witchers to plain nuts.. What they would love to find, if not the silver, are clues to the treasure at least being there. In one account, Pinkerton recalls doing research and finding a story about the son of the founder of Tatum. endobj They know it. He was now legally authorized by Great Colombia to take Spanish ships. 0000017011 00000 n The various people that searched for the Hendricks Lake treasure hooked him. There are many stories about famed pirate Jean Lafitte, but one places his lost buried treasure at the bottom of a lake right here in East Texas. 0000007400 00000 n <>/Border[0 0 0]/Contents(www.easttexashistorical.org)/Rect[308.5376 282.2367 447.0903 295.1273]/StructParent 4/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> In an interview with KETK, Pinkerton discussed the treasure, or lack thereof, at Hendricks Lake. The desire to believe that millions of dollars of silver bars still lie at the bottom of Hendricks Lake is not for the treasure hunters only. endobj Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. According to one legend, a group of priests put about three hundred burro loads of silver in a mine on one of their expeditions to New Mexico. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. There will be people still in town who will remember Barnie Waldrop, Pinkerton said. They have documented their search for reported treasure over eight seasons. %PDF-1.7 % As Laffite and his men raced through East Texas with the wagons, Spanish. Hendricks Lake, once a commonly-frequented lake both for recreation and treasure hunting, is no longer accessible to the public. endstream According to reports, the total bounty would be worth more than $1.36 million today. \Dy@tw sde!F@D}@10 4c/ 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. He believes that stories like this reveal something about the people who tell them. accessed March 05, 2023, Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. It was found approximately a decade later in 2020 in Wyoming by an anonymous treasure hunter later revealed to be former journalist and medical student Jack Stuef. 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 parade of those who made documented efforts for the treasure included oilmen, a television repairman, a pharmacist, a grocery store owner, dirt contractors, water well diggers, fraudulent treasure hunting equipment hucksters, a heating and air-conditioning technician, and numerous other true believers. Searchers used aerial photos, underwater metal detectors, and magnetometers to aid in their efforts. He was reading a book about lost treasure that inspired him to do some digging online, where he found supposed evidence that a ship was lurking underneath the water. Winds light and variable. Its hard to find any newspaper before that, but thats the first and oldest mention that I found of it, he said. The first episode premiered on Tuesday November 17 at 10PM EST on the History Channel.

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