Buried Treasures Of Texas

Collects legends of buried treasure in Texas, including the gold of Haystack Mountain, a missing Incan hoard, and the Deer Island shipwrecks

Patrick Dearen went in search of buried treasures, not gold or silver or jewels, but untapped tales worthy of J. Frank Dobie. And he found for Lone Star Lost ten such stories that spring from the bedrock, shared with the author by native sons and daughters who know that the real treasure is our Texas heritage. These stories grew from the land--the Texas soil that gives birth to history and sprinkles it with legend. From the piney woods on the east to the Chihuahuan Desert on the west, from the subtropical marshes on the south to the mountains on the north, Texas is alive with the kind of wonder that has sent men in quest of their own Cibolas for generations.

Amazing stories of lost and hidden outlaw loot, Spanish gold and silver mines, buried Indian treasure, lost pirate booty, and legendary treasures have lured searchers for generations. And most serious treasure hunters agree that Texas is the richest source of some of the worldAIs most fascinating and compelling history regarding such stories. This book represents the largest collection of in-depth research on the legends and folktales concerning lost mines and buried treasure in the state of Texas.

Texas abounds with legends of buried treasure and lost mines. The Big Bend country, the Red River region, McMullen County, San Jacinto, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine are all treasure troves of tales of fabulous wealth that still lies just beyond man's reach. These legends are as sizable as the state itself, and J. Frank Dobie, perhaps Texas' greatest historian, devoted years of his life to collecting and cataloging them. The stories in this first volume were originally published in 1924 by the Texas Folklore Society, and represent some of the enduring tales that have embellished the history of the state. Pelican Publishing Company is proud to present this wonderful collection in mass-market paperback form as part of our Pelican Pouch series. Included in this volume are "The Legend of San Saba," "Lost Gold of the Llano Country," "Treasure Chest on the Nueces," and "Lost Mine Near Sabinal," to name only a few. Dobie believed that worthwhile literature about this region had to be derived from an understanding of its life, lore, and history. The legends in this work, as well as those in volume II of this series, were regarded by Dobie as "the most influential in opening the eyes of people to the richness of their own traditions." Legends of Texas indirectly led to the founding of the Texas Folklore Society, the nation's second oldest folklore organization. Pelican has had Legends of Texas Vol. I: Lost Mines and Buried Treasure in print since 1975.

W.C. Jameson, a geographer and environmentalist, has toured much of the country in a battered, green Ford pick-up truck, collecting legends and searching for the elusive riches that treasure hunters believe await them. His sources include his own fieldwork and archival documents, as well as the reports of die-hard treasure seekers and their descendents.

The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People's treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D'eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.

The most amazing treasure book ever written, giving the locations of well over 100 fabulous fortunes waiting to be found in the ore-rich Southwest. Thomas Penfield has done years of exhaustive research for Dig Here! and has accomplished the Herculean task of separating fact from fiction. For the first time lost treasure stories of the Southwest are stripped bare of their legends and lies. Each treasure account is preceded by the approximate location, estimated total value - and authentication. Reading sources for each account are also included so you can do additional research on the intriguing stories of these treasures. Dig Here! is overflowing with lore, spellbinding backgrounds, driving Western drama - and exciting, reliable facts.

Collects legends and lore of buried treasure in the American Southwest, with maps showing locations