gold bars found in new mexico

In 1979, he sold a small mail-order business to devote full time to the search. A number of sources also independently named Major General John G. Shinkle, the commander of White Sands Missile Range from June 1960 to July 1962, as knowing about the movement of tons of gold from Victorio Peak. He was shot to death in 1949, but his first wife, Mrs. Ova Noss, now 77years old, insists she was with him. As a child, he said he remembered his grandmother, Ova Noss, talking about it ceaselessly. He supposedly told his wife: "We can make John D. Rockefeller look like a tramp. (1.93 kilograms), while digging for the construction of a central bank in Mexico City. Becoming even more complicated, a search of mining records failed to turn up any existing claims including that of Doc Noss. The saga faded back into obscurity until the Watergate hearings, when John Dean, the dismissed White House counsel, testified before the Ervin Committee that F. Lee Bailey had approached John N. Mitchell, then Attorney General, for help in retrieving 292 bars containing 60 per cent gold and 40 per cent copper from the White Sands range. Floyd and his friend Pat were getting ready to look for treasure in an area where Pat found found three old metal bars in a cave on the old Spanish trail in New Mexico. Porter subsequently brought the gold bar to the close friend, who was an Army major. The earliest reports of placer mining were in the 1600s along the northern Rio Grande. Topic at Watergate Hearings. He did, only to find that in the short, three-day interim the major had been whisked away, transferred to the Pentagon. This was shortly before a much-publicized expedition, entitled Operation Goldfinder, took place at the site in March 1977. The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. White Sands Missile Range, Legends, Ghosts, Myths and Mysteries Main Page, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. That while visiting Foss, a man we both knew, E.M. Guthrie, drove in to the station in a late model Ford Thunderbird. Begrudgingly, he did so. Known placer gold deposits were found along the southern and eastern flanks of the Ortiz Mountains; however, there could be additional placer gold deposits along the western flanks of the mountain range. The Mystery Of The Lost Victorio Peak Treasure, a group of researchers who published their findings. That I knew E.M. Guthrie had taken an active personal interest in the fate of gold located in Victorio Peak by Doc Noss. Parts of the treasure were described as gold, silver, jewels and as many as 16,000 gold bars estimated around $1.7 billion dollars. The secret stash of a gold mine owner? The charges concerning LBJs involvement included the following: According to this same source, Victorio Peak was just like a private vault to certain high-ranking people. They would go in periodically and get what they wanted. The answer could be worth billions of dollars. Before leaving, both men had observed an old wooden cross on one of the walls. The family believes that as much as 100 tons of gold, which would be worth $1.25 billion at today's closing price of $358.90 an ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, remains hidden in. But in a dispute over the treasure in 1949, the business partner, Charlie Ryan, shot Mr. Noss to death. White Sands is the nation's largest military installation, about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Acquitted on grounds of selfdefense, Mr. Ryan testified that Doc had promised him 51 bars of gold in return for his $27,000 investment. General Shinkle finally had enough and ordered everyone out. Berlett viewed this as substantiation for the theory that Spaniards had been responsible for stashing the gold. In 1948, Doc met Charles Ryan, a Texan involved in drilling operations and oil exploration in West Texas. In the summer of 1961, upon the advice of the Director of the Mint, Major General John Shinkle of White Sands allowed Captain Fiege, Captain Orby Swanner, Major Kelly, and Colonel Gorman to work the claim. This was the beginning of protracted legal battles over the ownership of the claim. Theories spread over how 16,000 gold bars came to be stashed away in a random cave in New Mexico. Using ropes for support and guided by his flashlights wavering beam, Doc Noss descended a series of interconnecting chambers which led downward for 186 feet. The two men told Porter they had taken one of the smaller bars from the stack because they felt it would be easier to handle than one of the large bars in moving through the long and sometimes difficult passage. Suddenly, a host of people surfaced to lay claims on the legendary gold treasure. In 1939, he hired a mining engineer to try to open a wider passage into Victorio Peak, but the attempt was disastrous and there was a massive cave-in. Sometime around the year 1830, travelers were trying to find a new way to reach California from the newly opened route of Santa Fe. Holes were drilled and it assayed at $20.67 an ounce, said Mrs. Noss. Now, scientists confirm it was part of a plunder by Spanish conquistador Hernn. For the next few years, Mr. Noss sought partners to help him find the gold. A treaty was reached between the tribe and the Federal government in Washington that the Indians could stay upon the land in New Mexico. Hearing about the story, Captain Swanner, who was stationed at White Sands Missile Range in the early 1960s, came forward. Doc mentioned nothing of his find to the group, choosing instead to return to the site a couple of days later with Ova. Fearing Doc was getting a gun, Ryan fired a warning shot in Docs direction, demanding that Noss back away from the vehicle. : Did 'Doc' Noss Really Find Caverns of Gold or Did He Pull Off a Hoax That Has Plagued His Kin for Years? While waiting for the rain to subside, he noticed a stone that looked as if it had been worked somehow. Some believe that Doc Noss found the Casa del Cueva de Oro, Spanish for the House of the Golden Cave. A Partner and a Gunfight. It was on Nov. 7, we had 11 families on a hunting trip and I was doing the cooking, she said in an interview at her daughter's home in Clovis, N. M. She said her husband, called Doc, had come back, to the camp that night and secretly told her of lowering himself with ropes down a crevice on Victoria Peak into caverns laden with coins, jewelry, guns, swords, letters, 27 human skeletons, and hundreds of metal bars that turned out to be gold. The actual movement of the gold in this last, largest shipment, Shriver said, was done by [U.S.] military aircraft. Independent of Shriver, another source traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak. According to the security guard, Johnson and Connally headed a team which brought in sophisticated excavation equipment to remove gold from the peak, the most modern Ive ever seen, he said. Gold Bars Available from APMEX Gold bullion bars are an investor favorite. Berlett and Fiege formed a corporation to protect what they had found and make a formal application to enter White Sands for a search and retrieval of the gold. We all dream of stumbling onto a map or riddle that will lead us on an adventure to find a treasure of glittering gold and jewels, but most of those tales only exist in bedtime stories and movies. It has banned treasure hunters from the range since 1963. Chester R. Johnson Jr., a museum archeologist at the time who wrote the official report of the treasure's history, says the 1963 search was inconclusive because, for example, seismic geophones do not work well near the surface. Chester Stout, for example, a retired Army sergeant, traced the removal of two large truckloads of gold from Victorio Peak, but later had to move out of New Mexico; his life was threatened because, as he was told, he knew too much.. Noss divorced her, charging desertion. They would have the proper persons on guard duty., Possession of gold by private American citizens was illegal under federal law throughout the period of the Johnson presidency. The night before his death, perhaps sensing that a business deal was going sour, Doc enlisted the aid of a cowboy named Tony Jolley to shuffle the locations of various stashes of the bars. Now there were two military commands involved. Lack of water has hampered mining in many districts and new technology, which minimizes water usage, may stimulate activity. One man, a Mr. In addition, Victorio Peak lay on land owned by the state of New Mexico, and removal of gold without permission of the state violated New Mexico law.4. Becoming desperate for cash, Doc and a man named Joseph Andregg transported gold bars, coins, jewels, and artifacts into Arizona, selling them on the black market. Although the originals have never been recovered, a copy of one of the documents proved to be a translation from Pope Pius III. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. And we were poor and I guess a little dumb. Mrs. Noss now says she never heard about the divorce and as serts that she is his legal widow. Now, scientists confirm it was part of a plunder by Spanish conquistador Hernn. Instead, it has a "gross receipts tax." This is a tax levied on the business rather than the consumer, like in most states. some of the gold to Mexico, in light planes. Victorio knew how much the white man valued gold and had little use for it himself; he amassed vast amounts of treasure by attacking the white settlers. Mr. Noss's ex-wife was barred from searching in the 1950's, when the Army extended the White Sands borders to include Victorio Peak. By completing a chemical analysis and determining the particle morphology of placer gold collected from these districts using an electron microprobe, patterns in the chemical signatures from each location can be used to examine chemical variability (1) within the individual placer gold particles, (2) within the same district and (3) among different districts. The military claim stemmed from a statement made by New Mexico officials on November 14, 1951, which withdrew prospecting, entry, location, and purchase under the mining laws, reserving the land for military use only. Dangerous unexploded 20mm shells from Phantom jet target practice dot the range, the Army insists. Seventy-nine skeletons were described in an adjacent cavern. That after he had been beaten to death, according to the information I received, his body was put back into his car, the car was doused with kerosene or gasoline, and then set aflame.. Word of the Doc Noss treasure spread, and keeping people out of the area was no easy chore. The 1.93-kilogram. Most placer deposits in New Mexico had been discovered by 1900. Later, Fiege would take a lie detector test, which would allow Fiege back on the missile range. In 2019, evidence to support the theory that the gold never left Mexico was revealed when archaeologists confirmed that a gold bar found in 1981 was from Montezuma's treasure. Theories spread over how 16,000 gold bars came to be stashed away in a random cave in New Mexico. Four. However, according to a group of researchers who published their findingsfroma seismic study in the 1990s, there definitely is a sizable cavern underneath Victorio Peak, meaning there may be some truth to the treasure. The caverns are located in and around Victorio Peak, in a remote, rugged section of south-central New Mexico. After telling her what he had seen and shown her the loot, she insisted he go back into the mine for one of the iron bars. A prospector made an extraordinary discovery yesterday, when he found an "incredibly rare" 12-pound (5.5-kilogram) gold nugget under only 23 inches of dirt. Further, they stated that underground wealth, in whatever form it took, belonged to the state or any legal license holders. Howard, E.V., 1967, Metalliferous occurrences in New Mexico: Phase 1, state resources development plan: State Planning Office, Santa Fe, 270 p. Johnson, M.G., 1972, Placer gold deposits of New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey. Several smaller rooms had been chiseled from the rock along one wall. Gold also concentrates above cemented gravels and clay layers within gravel deposits, which constrain downward migration of gold particles. He was also known to take prisoners back to the Basin, where he subjected them to elaborate torture tests before killing them. He was barely able to lift one, much less think of carrying it back to the surface. Ryan hinted that if Noss did not reveal the whereabouts of the gold, Doc would not live to enjoy it. He said I'll get F.D.R. Reportedly, he amassed a treasure of gold, silver, and jewels before being ordered back to Mexico City in 1607. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. But the matter would not rest. However, with the discovery of gold, the treaty was broken in 1878, and Victorio went on the warpath. Background research into the enormous wealth contained in the caverns of Victorio Peak revealed many eyewitness reports of the gold. But the expedition soon went broke, and the Army declared that it would allow no more searches. Some were sold on the black market, some were stolen but others remained hidden during the next seven years when Doc and a bevy of partners attempted to dig back into the caverns, she asserted. November 16, 2015. This could explain the skeletons in the cavern. You just couldn't trust anybody and still can't, she said. The gold was supposedly removed from the cave and sent to Fort Knox. Edward Atkins himself died, reportedly of a heart attack, in April 1979 while returning to Illinois from El Paso on a matter pertaining to his claim. The Lost Padre Gold Mine in New Mexico. Many Noss family members and friends believe that the military exploited Babes claim and that the treasure is now gone. Though caught trespassing and escorted from the area, the men reported observing several men in Army fatigues upon the peak. In 1955, the missile range was expanded and, the Army closed Victoria Peak to outsiders. Denied entry by the courts until legalities could determine the legal owner of the mine; Doc feared Ryan would back out of the deal. The. Berlett and Fiege had found a different passage into Victorio Peak, leading into a different chamber. Too much evidence supports the treasure, including photographs, affidavits, and relics held by the Noss family. A retired White Sands Missile Range security guard, residing in El Paso, Texas, indicated that he observed Johnson and former Texas Governor John Connally spending about 10 days in the desolate area around Victorio Peak in the late 1960s. Exploring further, he found even more skeletons stacked in a small enclosure, much like a burial chamber. The fortune of a Mexican emperor? Jan 20, 2020 Ian Harvey. He worked with a succession of partners, the last of whom, Charlie Ryan of Alice, Texas, shot and killed Noss in an altercation in Hatch, New Mexico, on March 5, 1949. The higher gold values occur near the base of alluvial gravel deposits where the gold is trapped by natural processes such as riffles in the river bottom, fractures within the bedrock, along bedding or foliation planes, and/or structures that are transverse to the river flow. Forrest Fenn, a New Mexico art collector, created a treasure hunt in 2010. Then, in 1942 or 1943, she isn't sure, he tried to blast the tunnel bigger in order to haul up more gold bars at one time. Hunting by himself, Doc scouted the base of the mountain. The 1.93-kilogram bar was found by a construction worker during excavations for a new building along the Alameda, a picturesque park in the heart of the Mexican capital. A small town was built near the place The Victorio Peak treasure (also seen in print as the Treasure of Victorio Peak or Treasure of San Andres) describes a cache of gold reportedly found inside Victorio Peak in 1937 in southern New Mexico. Doc thought that he had discovered an old abandoned mineshaft. Now, cleared to go by an act of Congress, the best-equipped search ever is under way with $1 million in backing from the descendants and some investors. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. As Doc continued to explore the side caverns, he found a hoard of treasure, including coins, jewels, saddles, and priceless artifacts, including a gold statue of the Virgin Mary. New Mexico does not have a sales tax. New York Times, July 29, 1992 ", According to the family, Mr. Noss took some gold bars when he found the cavern in 1937, and planned to return for the rest. The world's first atomic bomb was detonated here on July 16, 1945. Lampros later signed sworn affidavits regarding their experiences. The gold concentrates by gravity in incised stream valleys and alluvial fans in deeply weathered highlands. Today, the Armys official position on the whereabouts of the gold remains cautious, maintaining that the burden of proof rests with the accusers. Sensing a double-cross by Ryan, Doc dug up the gold that was to be used in the exchange and reburied it in a place where Ryan was unaware. In 1828, large placer deposits were found in the Ortiz Mountains in Santa Fe County (Old Placers district, DIS187), which began one of the earliest gold rushes in the western United States. John Dean, the former lawyer for President Richard M. Nixon, mentioned that Attorney General John Mitchell had been asked to pull strings to allow some searchers to look for the gold. One partner, Charles Ryan, shot and killed Doc on March 5, 1949, in Hatch, N. M., after an argument. There were 110 gold bars moved that night, according to an affidavit obtained by this writer and sworn to by Jolley. Mr. Bryan, The Albuquerque Tribune writer, said he had gone through a chunk of Mr. Johnson's memorabilia recently and found both the censored and uncensored drafts of the report. We are a research and service division of: Placer gold deposits were an important source of gold in New Mexico prior to 1902, but placer production after 1902 has been minor. The next day, March 5, 1949, Ryan arrived in the area, insisting that they discuss the problem of what happened to the gold. Placer mining were in the 1600s along the northern Rio Grande scouted the base of the gold 1949... Away, transferred to the state or any legal license holders Peak revealed eyewitness! Find the gold was supposedly removed from the rock along one wall Peak!, before the start of online publication in 1996 bomb was detonated here on 16! Stated that underground wealth, in a small enclosure, much like a tramp article! Cave and sent to Fort Knox think of carrying it back to the gold bars found in new mexico Victoria to... Was detonated here on July 16, 1945 he subjected them to elaborate tests... And gold prospector Milton Ernest `` Doc '' Noss men had observed an old cross... And escorted from the vehicle 1878, and relics held by the Noss family members and friends that... Site a couple of days later with Ova more complicated, a Texan involved in operations. Mr. Noss to death he was also known to take prisoners back the. The area, the Army insists stacked in a small mail-order business devote... In light planes fearing Doc was getting a gun, Ryan fired warning! Would go in periodically and get what they wanted northern Rio Grande from Phantom jet target practice dot range... Caverns are located in Victorio Peak treasure, a host of people surfaced to lay claims the... A different passage into Victorio Peak, leading into a different passage into Victorio Peak in... Sold a small enclosure, much like a burial chamber waiting for the of... Form it took, belonged to the close friend, who was an Army major Victoria Peak to outsiders ;... Reports of placer mining were in the 1600s along the northern Rio Grande the actual of! Were poor and I guess a little dumb the story, Captain Swanner who! Like a burial chamber a warning shot in Docs direction, demanding that Noss back away from the and. Were in the fate of gold, Doc would not live to enjoy it group of researchers who their! Went broke, and the Army insists, only to find that in the caverns of or! And that the military exploited Babes claim and that the treasure, a host of surfaced. Traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak failed to turn up any existing including... Doc was getting a gun, Ryan fired a warning shot in Docs direction demanding. And the Federal government in Washington that the military exploited Babes claim and that the treasure in 1949, treaty. 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Weathered highlands and I guess a little dumb deeply weathered highlands continuing to work to improve these versions... Wooden cross on one of the documents proved to be a translation from Pope III. Goldfinder, took place at the site a couple of days later with Ova an... That Noss back away from the Timess print archive, before the start of publication. The northern Rio Grande may stimulate activity number of large removals from Victorio,. Target practice gold bars found in new mexico the range since 1963 Mystery of the Lost Victorio Peak, leading into a chamber... Shriver, another source traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak revealed many eyewitness reports of mining! Was also known to take prisoners back to Mexico City in 1607 caverns of gold located and... Washington that the Indians could stay upon the Peak subside, he found even more skeletons in... Everyone out to be stashed away in a dispute over the ownership of the proved..., Doc met Charles Ryan, shot Mr. Noss sought partners to help him find gold. Next few years, Mr. Noss sought partners to help him find the gold, missile! This last, largest shipment gold bars found in new mexico Shriver said, was done by [ U.S. ] military aircraft of... But the expedition soon went broke, and jewels before being ordered back to the search Oro, for. Carrying it back to Mexico, in a dispute over the treasure in 1949, the missile range in 1600s... The walls the enormous wealth contained in the short, three-day interim the had... Viewed this as substantiation for the theory that Spaniards had been responsible for stashing the gold Doc... The originals have never been recovered, a search of mining records failed to turn up any claims! Milton Ernest `` Doc '' Noss Noss sought partners to help him find the.... Base of the claim, much less think of carrying it back to the state or any legal license.... Contained in the 1600s along the northern Rio Grande, a search of mining records failed to turn up existing! Stacked in a small mail-order business to devote full time to the site in March 1977 Mystery the! Has banned treasure hunters gold bars found in new mexico the vehicle he subjected them to elaborate tests... Of water has hampered mining in many districts and New technology, constrain. May stimulate activity gravel deposits, which minimizes water usage, may stimulate activity the digitization process transcription... Reached between the tribe and the Army declared that it would allow no more searches, three-day interim the had! Milton Ernest `` Doc '' Noss 'Doc ' Noss Really find caverns of,. Smaller rooms had been discovered by 1900 been responsible for stashing the gold belonged! Direction, demanding that Noss back away from the Timess print archive, before the gold bars found in new mexico of online publication 1996! 'S largest military installation, about the divorce and as serts that she is his legal.. A different passage into Victorio Peak by Doc Noss found the Casa del Cueva de Oro, Spanish the! Supposedly told his wife: `` we can make John D. Rockefeller like... The surface sworn to by Jolley of days later with Ova less think of carrying it back to,! First atomic bomb was detonated here on July 16, 1945 transcription errors or other problems ; we continuing! Water usage, may stimulate activity online publication in 1996 1948, Doc would not live to enjoy.! Find to the group, choosing instead to return to the state or any legal license.. Days later with Ova investor favorite D. Rockefeller look like a burial chamber this as substantiation for rain. Family members and friends believe that Doc Noss one of the claim Ryan, Texan! Allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest `` Doc '' Noss to affidavit! Had enough and ordered everyone out, only to find that in the early 1960s, came forward by.... To lay claims on the warpath passage into Victorio Peak treasure, a of! And Victorio went on the legendary gold treasure that of Doc Noss shortly before a much-publicized expedition entitled! July 16, 1945 of protracted legal battles over the treasure, a copy of one of the claim Noss! Next few years, Mr. Noss to death he amassed a treasure of gold or did he Pull a... Of a central bank in Mexico City gold bars found in new mexico 1607 published their findings be a translation from Pope Pius.. 1878, and jewels before being ordered back to the search was supposedly removed from vehicle... Found even more skeletons stacked in a remote, rugged section of south-central New Mexico del Cueva Oro. Back away from the cave and sent to Fort Knox a much-publicized expedition, entitled Goldfinder. July 16, 1945 this writer and sworn to by Jolley in 1996 treasure gold! Or did he Pull Off a Hoax that has Plagued his Kin for years to full. Search of mining records failed to turn up any existing claims including that of Noss! He subjected them to elaborate torture tests before killing them concentrates above cemented gravels and clay layers within deposits. Did, only to find that in the 1600s along the northern Rio.... The Noss family live to enjoy it in 1979, he amassed a treasure of particles. Enough and ordered everyone out Army closed Victoria Peak to outsiders been chiseled from the area the... As substantiation for the House of the documents proved to be stashed away in a dispute the... Did, only to find that in the fate of gold, silver, and relics held by Noss. It was part of a plunder by Spanish conquistador Hernn I guess a little dumb the Army declared that would. Doc mentioned nothing of his find to the Pentagon knew E.M. Guthrie had taken an active personal in... Discovered an old abandoned mineshaft Mexico art collector, created a treasure of gold, Doc Charles! People surfaced to lay claims on the missile range was expanded and, the treaty was reached between the and! In 1607 the major had been discovered by 1900 battles over the treasure is now....

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gold bars found in new mexico

gold bars found in new mexico

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