I haven’t posted about lost treasures in a while and this stop is in Arkansas. Coincidentally, I recently visited Arkansas to look for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park and quartz crystals at a couple of other places. I’ll do a post on that trip soon, but now I want to talk about Arkansas’ lost treasures!
Stagecoach Robbery near Hot Springs, Arkansas
Our first lost treasure is connected with Frank and Jesse James. According to the story, the James Gang robbed a stagecoach south of Hot Springs, AR in January 1874. They made off with $32,000 in jewelry and cash from the passengers. A posse heard about the robbery and set off in pursuit of the gang.
The gang decided to bury the loot along the road, marking the location on a sandstone rock. Frank James later claimed the gang never returned for the loot.
The story gets a little more interesting as a farmer found the stone and took it home. He kept it for years before he heard the story about the robbery. Despite his efforts to find the treasure, it eluded him. If the story is true, somewhere on the Old Malvern Stagecoach road, a treasure is waiting to be found!
Lost Silver Mine near St. Joe, Arkansas
According to the story, a Native American named Woodward worked at a silver mine near St. Joe, Arkansas. He wouldn’t reveal the location and eluded anyone who tried to follow him to the mine. Eventually, Woodward decided to sell his mine. Several of the townspeople wanted to buy it but insisted on seeing the mine first. Woodward agreed to show them on the condition he could blindfold them and only take them at night. They agreed and Woodward took them to the mine. When the townspeople saw the silver vein, they agreed to pay Woodward’s price. He took them back to town, collected his money, and left for Oklahoma.
The townspeople searched for the mine after Woodward left, but were unable to find it. Assuming it existed, the mine, has not been found. If you are in the St. Joe Arkansas area, you might want to do a little exploring. Maybe you’ll find the treasure!
Treasure Cave near Brushy Creek, Arkansas
Our final stop in Arkansas leads us to the northwest part of Arkansas near the Pension Mountains in Carroll County. The tale says a doctor who visited his patients was captured by Native Americans, blindfolded, and taken to a cave to treat a young man with a broken leg.
When he removed his blindfold, he found himself in a cave full of armor, weapons, gold and silver bars, and chests of Spanish coins. He set the boy’s leg and his captors paid him with gold coins. They blindfolded him again, and returned him to site of his capture, and set him free. The doctor never saw them again and spent years fruitlessly searching for the treasure.
If you happen to be around Brushy Creek, look around and see if you can find the alleged cave!
There you have a few possible lost treasures in Arkansas. Are they real? No idea, but it’s always fun to speculate and explore!
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