Golden Legends Tales of Buried Treasure

 September 12, 2026 The Tonopah Belmont Mine sits today as a sun‑bleached ruin on public land in central Arizona — a cluster of crumbling foundations, rusted steel, and a dark haulage tunnel that breathes cold air even in summer. To most travelers passing on the nearby interstate, it is just another abandoned mine. But to those who know its story, the Tonopah Belmont is one of the most unusual mines in the Osborn Mining District: a place of early promise, wartime revival, geological rarity, bureaucratic intervention, and persistent rumors of tragedy that have given the site an eerie afterlife. Discovery and Early Ambition (1907–1926) The story begins in 1907, when three prospectors — George Dillard, Dan McNeil, and Charles Wilcot — staked claims on a promising patch of ground they called the Belmont‑McNeal Mine. For nearly two decades, they dutifully completed assessment work, holding the claims through lean years and fluctuating metal prices. Their persistence paid off when the To...

  Pancho Villa (center) surrounded by soldiers  Mexico: 19th and 20th Century The history of 19th and early 20th-century Mexico is packed with revolutions and counter-revolutions. Since a tradition of viable democracy had no precedence in Mexico, strong men developed throughout the country who were beholden to a president and from whom military and political power were granted. Allegiances seemed to be held as long as the powerful were made comfortable. When movements to free peons from subjugation by these large landed estate owners arose, leadership frequently came from the less entitled classes, even gangs. When revolutionary leadership needed to raise large amounts of money for a local community or army, there was always the risk of mischief and thievery. To understand the sums of gold, silver, and resources moving about Mexico during revolutionary times, a bit of history is required. Pancho Villa, Mexican Revolutionary general wearing bandoliers in front of an insurgent c...

  Text and image taken from Wikipedia:    Roesler, F.E. (April 1908). "The Spanish Treasure Cave Near Sulphur Springs, Ark" . KCS Current Events: An Industrial and Agricultural Magazine . 7 (2): 148–153 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . Old Spanish Treasure Cave - Wikipedia Allsopp, Fred W. (1931). "Legends of Lost Mines and Hidden Treasures". Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Vol. I . USA: The Grolier Society. pp. 282–298 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . Skalicky, Michele (17 December 2018). "Along the Missouri-Arkansas Line, a Tale of Buried Spanish Treasure" . KSMU Public Radio from Missouri State University . Archived from the original on 4 December 2023 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 .   Harrison, David L. (1970). The World of American Caves . USA: Reilly & Lee Books. pp. 68–70 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 "Field Trip: Old Spanish Treasure Cave" . PBS Learning Media for Teachers . Houston PBS . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . The Old Spanish Treasure Cave ...

   Updated on November 17, 2024 John reads about the Old West, lost treasure, lost gold mines, and amateur gold prospecting. He prospects in Arizona and photographs mines. A Serial For the second installment, please see Apache-Land-Travels-and-Surprises Prelude Jack had just ridden into town for his long-awaited reunion with his betrothed. Her name was Nell, and as his buddies were apt to say, she was easy-on-the-eyes. Heading across the dirt street, the general store to the right and the saloon on the left, he saw dust in the distance. As he looked down the alley between the two businesses, he saw dust on the crest of the hills of Patagonia, Arizona. It rose like a light brown vapor. Too far to make out the nature of the disturbance, he continued. The hills were sparsely spotted with brush and cholla, the walls and blue sky framed the scene. It was a gorgeous day, and he took note. Nell's Concord stagecoach with burgeoning rear boot arrived in front of the saloon. Jack was al...

Investors in the stock market are navigating a difficult backdrop that includes a prolonged conflict in Iran, rising oil prices and a sell-off in government bonds that threatens to push borrowing costs higher across the economy. Despite all of this, they remain remarkably calm. The S&P 500 has climbed nearly 13 percent this year, and many analysts still believe the market could finish even stronger by year’s end. A major reason for this optimism is a strong corporate earnings season combined with continued enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. These forces have helped investors look past concerns about inflation and the impact of higher interest rates. Still, the rally may face challenges as the market moves into September, a month that has historically been difficult for stocks. Rising interest rates and growing worries about the enormous spending required for A.I. data centers also pose risks. The excitement around A.I. has been a powerful driver of the market for more than a y...

  Updated on August 24, 2023 John has prospected for gold in Arizona 10 years. His experience taught him to deal with the terrain, heat, and gold fever. He makes tools. Gold Prospecting Tools As is the case with anything, you can really go basic when you start out gold prospecting by using the minimum number of tools. For that matter, all you really need is a pan! However, there are four tools that will help the prospector save time—and time savings ensues more work and a superior gold yield. Here are a few tool suggestions. This is my personal magnetic separator. 1. Magnetic Separators As the panning process unfolds, there is usually a point where nothing is left but black sand. The black sand is likely magnetite—a magnetic mineral that occurs in almost all igneous and metamorphic rocks. The black sand found could be magnetic if dry. Wet black sand forms a muck that will result in pulling up gold, too, when a magnet is applied. Dry black sand can be used with a magnet for separati...