Golden Legends Tales of Buried Treasure

In the years after Indian Removal, when the Cherokee Nation was rebuilding its heart in Tahlequah, rumor and memory began to weave together into one of Oklahoma’s most enduring treasure stories. The tale speaks of a gang led by a Seminole man called Blackface, who roamed the rough country of the 1830s, preying on traders and pack trains that crossed the new frontier. They gathered silver, coins, and valuables from raids and thefts, and somewhere near Tahlequah, they buried part of their haul. Some say the men were being chased and hid the loot in haste; others claim they were killed before they could return. As with all buried‑treasure folklore, the value of the cache grew with each retelling, swelling from a modest stash to a fortune beyond imagining — because mystery always deepens when the prize becomes grand. Tahlequah itself was no ordinary backdrop. Founded in 1839 as the Cherokee capital after the long march west, it became a place of rebuilding and renewal. The town bustled wit...

  Updated on November 15, 2024 I've been gold prospecting for 13 years, mainly in the Bradshaw Mountains in Yavapai County, Arizona, where I found over 8 grams of placer. By way of first notions of gold in Arizona, our earliest associations are with Coronado's search for the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. It was here that a city of gold supposedly existed, but turned out to be Native American huts of mud. The village, to this day not discovered, is by way of old writings supposed to be about 30 miles west of current day Safford, AZ. The search for gold continued north to the White Mountains and Colorado Plateau of Arizona, then through New Mexico and the area around Albuquerque, on to Texas and up to central Kansas. In 1541, an Indian in Texas told of a city called Quivara that had unimaginable treasures, relating that "trees hung with golden bells and people had pots and pans of beaten gold." Finding no treasure, ironically, Coronado's men left their own "g...

  Updated on August 4, 2022 John was a Navy hospital corpsman. He worked the general sick bay, managed a carrier O.R., and treated heat rash, eczema, and dyshidrosis. Domeboro soaks can be very effective for treating eczema blisters.   Wet Eczema, Weepy Eczema, or Weeping Eczema This article, which features a discussion about astringent soaks, was motivated by my history of contact allergic dermatitis and eczema. Both conditions cause itching, inflammation, blisters, and eventually, weeping and cracking of the skin. My experience with these conditions brought me to dermatologists, all of whom recommended the soaking solutions discussed in this article. The soaks brought relief and decreased my skin inflammation to the point where steroid creams could work faster to relieve the symptoms. Once I figured out what the offenders were that caused the contact dermatitis, I was able to eliminate contact with materials like liquids, soaps, detergents, and flammables (gasoline, paint th...

The Redfield Hoard stands as one of the most extraordinary private accumulations of silver dollars ever uncovered in the United States. When LaVere Redfield died in 1974, his heirs discovered an astonishing cache of 407,000 Morgan and Peace dollars hidden throughout his Reno, Nevada property. The sheer scale of the hoard immediately captured national attention, revealing the eccentric habits of a man who distrusted banks, paper currency, and government institutions. Redfield’s lifelong preference for hard money had quietly transformed his home into a vault containing one of the largest privately held silver‑dollar collections in history. Redfield’s hoarding tendencies first came to light in 1952, when his home was burglarized. During the investigation, police uncovered a secret basement room containing 270,000 silver dollars and a substantial quantity of postage stamps. According to the Reno Gazette‑Journal, authorities insisted he move the coins to a bank for safekeeping, a demand Red...

  Updated on October 3, 2020 John was a Navy hospital corpsman. He worked the general sick bay, managed a carrier O.R., and treated heat rash, eczema, and dyshidrosis. Nothing in this article should be construed as medical advice. The author shares information only and encourages the reader with such problems to consult a healthcare professional. Many of us have seen the unsightly signs of a yellowing nail plate which indicates the presence of Onychomycosis which is a ringworm of the nail. Given that the feet when walking in shoes (which is most of the time) are dark and sweaty, onychomycosis is most often associated with the toenails. It is possible, however, to have the fungus involve the fingernail. The incidence of this infection is rather evenly divided among men and women. The most common symptoms are: 1. Nail plate with a yellowish color 2. Nail plates that are thick 3. Disfigured nails that can detach from the bed of the nail 4. Tender toenails - a rather severe pain when ...

  Updated on April 19, 2024 John cared for older servicemen, retirees, and veterans for 2 years while in the Navy. His duties: surgery, EKG, sickbay, & chest medicine. As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and moisture.   Why Our Skin Wrinkles as We Age As we age, our skin starts to thin. The body produces less collagen—which is fat just underneath the surface of the skin—and elastin, both of which are responsible for allowing the skin to stretch and contract. This layer gets thinner as we age, and with the loss of this cushion, the skin starts to droop, sag, or wrinkle, and harsh lines and facial wrinkles become a common problem. This process accelerates in your 40's. Though part of the natural aging process, collagen clump reduction at the dermal level can result in crepey skin. The term "crepey" refers to how the skin starts to resemble the surface of crepe paper. While there is no particular spot on the body associated with this type of skin, the most commonly ...