THE LOST DEAD BANDIT MINE….

Osage County, Oklahoma. Enjoy.
THE LOST DEAD BANDIT MINE

When I was only ten years old, at a Boy Scout camp I heard an elderly gentleman tell a story. The place was Camp McClintock and the man was known as “Pappy.” The story he told had the date and the names of some men. I don’t remember the date or the names. Anyways, here is my version.
As a store in Bartlesville was opening for business early one morning, two men arrived on horseback and robbed it. Automobiles were just becoming popular, yet these two men, described only as one young and the other quite older, chose to commit this crime with horses as their getaway conveyance. As my memory serves they took the contents of the safe, the contents of the cash drawer, several pocket watches, some canned food, and some ammunition.
Their take was said to be approximately 300 dollars in silver coins. Oddly there was no mention of paper currency, although they would have also taken paper.
A posse was quickly assembled consisting of Bartlesville businessmen. Just past noon the posse overcame the pair of bandits on Sand Creek near present day Osage Hills State Park. The bandits had stopped for lunch from the canned food and were caught off guard. Gunfire was exchanged and the pair took to their horses. They crossed the creek and raced up into a narrow draw. Around a few bends they realized their mistake. Cornered, they dismounted, grabbed the goods and climbed the steep rock embankment only to find a wide and steep cliff. There at the base was a small opening, a cave of sorts, and inside the pair sought cover. Relatively safe in the cave, I suppose these men were planning on making good their escape under the cover of darkness, but a member of the posse had left and headed to an area homestead where he knew that the landowner had just purchased the day before a large quantity of dynamite to clear tree stumps. Shortly before dusk he returned with a bundle of dynamite and a length of rope. With help from a spotter down below he positioned himself directly above the small cave. A threat to blast was shouted to the bandits and they replied with a couple of gunshots. The man above tied the bundle to the rope, lit the fuse, flung it into the cave, and ran.
Because of the late hour, the approaching darkness, the effects of the dynamite, and the squeamish nature of the businessmen, it was decided not to attempt to recover the money.
This small cave has another story of interest. When the Spanish were in this region searching for mineral wealth a seam was discovered on this ledge that bore a natural concentration of lead and other heavy metals. About 200 feet from the entrance is a well marked “El Grande” style death trap. This mine, like the dozen or so others in this region was worked by Native American people who were enslaved by the Spaniards. When at last the Indians had driven out the Spaniards, this particular mine was left open and unsealed. “Pappy” told of having seen bullets made from the ore, and said that Indians and homesteaders had worked the mine to get the lead just to make bullets. He also said these bullets tarnished black and were at least forty percent silver.
Copyright Bill Wade #grampawbill

Treasure Hunting Street & Road Tearouts by Mr Kenny Briggs (Author)

This book takes you through the steps of treasure hunting Street and Sidewalk Tearouts with a Metal Detector. I talk about the detectors, coils and other equipment I have used over the years of treasure hunting during street and sidewalk construction. This has information from Diggers Hotline and Wisconsin State Statute for digging.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692974695/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=treasure%20hunting%20kenny%20briggs&qid=1585949102&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR08_1xeJg4pu6KwTvLxp1Nv7oygZOvBJqy8t69RuPzuGa7yMdJH-pL-fHg

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Another new show, NOTE: This an adult show, no one under 18…

Texas and the Civil War….

By the end of 1863, the great majority of adult white male Texans were away from home, serving either in the Confederate army or in various state military forces. At least 65,000 Texans served in the war, more than 10 percent of the entire population of the state. Of all American wars, only World War II saw a higher percentage of the population mobilized than the Civil War.

Women took on the responsibilities of their husbands. They managed farms and plantations and took over jobs ranging from teaching to cotton freighting to keep their family businesses going. Women made bandages and bed linens and operated hospitals and sick wards for wounded soldiers returning from the war. Women also took the lead in providing indigent families of soldiers with food, clothing, and other assistance.

Shortages were the most obvious disruption to the everyday lives of Texans. The blockade had cut off treasured imports such as medicine, pins and needles, and candles. Newspapers gradually dwindled away for lack of paper. Manufactured goods such as clothing, shoes, and salt were going directly to the troops, while civilians patched, made do, and went without.

As the war entered its last year, the misery became widespread. At least two-thirds of Texas schoolhouses had closed their doors. Though basic staples such as pork and cornbread never failed, malnutrition and associated diseases such as diarrhea were on the rise, especially among the indigent wives and children of soldiers.

In some areas, outlaws ran wild. Bandits took over the Hill Country roads between Austin and Fredericksburg; Houston suffered through a wave of burglaries. Citizens struck back with vigilante justice. Fourteen people were strung up in Weatherford County, and a number of others in Parker and Gillespie counties. In Tyler, a mob stormed the courthouse and lynched four bandits.

The deteriorating conditions in Texas and other states had a direct effect on the Confederacy’s ability to continue the war. When soldiers heard about the conditions their families were facing, they deserted their posts and headed for home.

Camels in the Southwest United States…

Major Wayne was assigned to procure the camels. On June 4, 1855, Wayne departed New York City on board the USS Supply, under the command of then Lieutenant David Dixon Porter. After arriving in the Mediterranean Sea, Wayne and Porter began procuring camels. Stops included Goletta (Tunisia), Malta, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. They acquired 33 animals (19 females and 14 males), including two Bactrian, 29 dromedary, one dromedary calf, and one booghdee (a cross between a male Bactrian and a female dromedary). The two officers also acquired pack saddles and covers, being certain that proper saddles could not be purchased in the United States. Wayne and Porter hired five camel drivers, some Arab and some Turkish, and on February 15, 1856, USS Supply set sail for Texas. Porter established strict rules for the care, watering, and feeding of the animals in his charge; no experiments were conducted regarding how long a camel could survive without water. During the crossing, one male camel died, but two calves were born and survived the trip. On May 14, 1856, 34 camels (a net gain of one) were safely unloaded at Indianola, Texas. All the animals were in better health than when the vessel sailed for the United States. On Davis’s orders, Porter sailed again for Egypt to acquire more camels. While Porter was on the second voyage, Wayne marched the camels from the first voyage to Camp Verde, Texas, by way of San Antonio, Texas. On February 10, 1857, USS Supply returned with a herd of 41 camels. During the second expedition, Porter hired “nine men and a boy,” including Hi Jolly. While Porter was on his second mission, five camels from the first herd died. The newly acquired animals joined the first herd at Camp Verde, which had been officially designated as the camel station. The Army had seventy camels.
On March 25, 1859, Secretary Floyd directed reconnaissance of the area between the Pecos River and the Rio Grande using the camels still available in Texas. Lieutenant William E. Echols of the Army Topographical Engineers was assigned to conduct the reconnaissance. Lieutenant Edward L. Hartz commanded the escort. The train included 24 camels and 24 mules. It set out in May 1859. The expedition arrived at Camp Hudson on May 18. The group remained at Camp Hudson for five days and then departed for Fort Stockton, Texas, arriving on June 12. On June 15, the expedition set out for the mouth of Independence Creek to test the camels’ ability to survive without water. The distance traveled was about 85 miles at four miles per hour. The camels showed no desire for water during the trip, but were watered upon arrival. The party then set out on a 114-mile, four-day journey to Fort Davis near the Rio Grande. During this segment of the journey, one of the camels was bitten on its leg by a rattlesnake; the wound was treated and the animal suffered no ill effects. Upon reaching Fort Davis, the horses and mules were distressed, but the camels were not. After a three-day rest, the expedition returned directly to Fort Stockton. Hartz wrote that “the superiority of the camel for military purposes in the badly-watered sections of the country seems to be well established.”
Early in the Civil War, an attempt was made to use the camels to carry mail between Fort Mohave, New Mexico Territory, on the Colorado River and New San Pedro, California, but the attempt was unsuccessful after the commanders of both posts objected. Later in the war, the Army had no further interest in the animals and they were sold at auction in 1864. The last of the animals from California was reportedly seen in Arizona in 1891.
In spring 1861, Camp Verde fell into Confederate hands until recaptured in 1865. The Confederate commander issued a receipt to the United States for 12 mules, 80 camels and two Egyptian camel drivers. There were reports of the animals’ being used to transport baggage, but there was no evidence of their being assigned to Confederate units. When Union troops reoccupied Camp Verde, there were estimated to be more than 100 camels at the camp, but there may have been others roaming the countryside. In 1866, the Government was able to round up 66 camels, which it sold to Bethel Coopwood. The U.S. Army’s camel experiment was complete. The last year a camel was seen in the vicinity of Camp Verde was 1875; the animal’s fate is unknown.

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The Pyramids of the Grand Canyon, its “Off-Limit” Areas, & Egyptian Relics

In a restricted area of the Grand Canyon there are pyramids & caves full of hieroglyphics and Egyptian relics. Many people do not know about them as this information has been suppressed by the federal government for about a century.

The “Isis Temple” of the Grand Canyon

The sky over this area is restricted air space, the area surrounding this pyramid and cave on the ground is illegal (and treacherous) to navigate, and all official reports about this from the Smithsonian and elsewhere have been censored, modified, nullified, or retracted. This still did not stop people from attempting to visit this part of the canyon. Many have been arrested, and some have died attempting to climb to these sacred sites over the years. It has gotten to the point where the government feels it must have armed FBI agents guarding inside the entrance to the cave that is now known as Kincaid’s Cave.

Kincaid’s Cave was named after G.E. Kincaid, who was the first to enter the cave. After retiring from the Marines, G. E Kincaid worked for S. A. Jordan as a archaeologist. S. A Jordan was sent to the Grand Canyon by the Smithsonian Institute to investigate information reported by John Westly Powell. The tunnel is presently on a cliff wall 400 feet above the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Archaeologists estimate the Man Made Cavern is around 3,000 years old. This cavern is over five hundred feet long, and has several cross tunnels to large chambers. This was the lowest level and last Egyptian “tunnel city” that was built in the Grand Canyon. Since the time that it was constructed, archaeologists estimate the Colorado River has eroded 300 feet lower.

There were many Egyptian relics that were discovered in Kincaid’s Cave, one of which was a pure gold artifact for the Egyptian king named Khyan, Khian or Khayan. The relic is holding lotus flowers in both hands (native to Egypt). This was found in the first cross tunnel of the cave, which was in the exact same location as the shrines in the valley of the king’s tunnel cities, before the kings of ancient Egypt began to build pyramids and above ground cities. It was found that Khyan was a descendant of King Zaphnath in Egypt who may have been Joseph in the Bible.

This Egyptian golden tablet was also discovered in the depths of this tunnel city led by way of Kincaid’s Cave. This tablet serves as a history book, including names that began with King Zaphnath coming to Aztlan, and information about his decedent King Khyan coming to the Grand Canyon.

These pure gold artifacts from Kincaid’s Cave and these Egyptian urns from Powell’s Cave (pictured above) are some of the only historical artifacts from the Grand Canyon on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Where did the rest of them go? At least some of them were obviously photographed and documented, but who knows what wasn’t. There is a reason why other relics that have been found here are not on display.

The first American explorer/archaeologist that searched the Grand Canyon was John Westly Powell, who partnered with a native, Jacob Vernon Hamblin (both pictured above), who served in place of his late partner for the expedition. Powell worked as an explorer/archaeologist for the US Department of the Interior, and was the director of the Bureau of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1869, Powell traveled down the Green River to explore the Grand Canyon, and was the first person to report any archaeological information to the US government about natives that inhabited the Grand Canyon and their history.

John Westly Powell discovered what is now called Powell’s Cave (cave entrance pictured above). The following is a quote taken directly out of a book that Powell published:

“In this Canyon, great numbers of man made caves are hollowed out. I first walked down a gorge to the left of a cliff and climbed to a bench of the cliff. There was a trail on the cliff bench that was deeply worn into the rock formation. Where the trail crossed some gulches, some steps had been cut. I could see no evidence that the trail had been traveled in a long time. I returned to our camp about 3:00 PM and the men had found more Egyptian hieroglyphics on cliff walls near the cave. We explored the cave and found this shrine and other artifacts. That evening I sent a team member to notify the Smithsonian Institute of our discovery. We continued to survey the canyon and discovered more Egyptian tunnel cities. I estimate in my report that I think upwards of 50,000 Egyptians had inhabited the Grand Canyon at one time.”

The Shrine that Powell and his team found in Powell’s Cave 

This was identified as a Shrine for Seteprene sometimes spelled Smenkhare, Seti, or Smenkare. King Seteprene was King Akhenaten’s son that began his rule at Saqqara , Shemau in 1336 BC, but only lasted 10 years, which was when he died on his last trip to Saqqara Egypt.The hieroglyphics Powell’s team found. This is a diagram for the Egyptian writing system when the ancient Egyptians came to the Grand Canyon. It was a school tablet used for teaching Egyptian children to read and write.There were even crypts (sarcophagi) discovered. One of crypts was opened in the Grand Canyon to see if there were mummies in them before they were sent to the Smithsonian Institute storage building.

They also discovered this rock cut vault with statues 

Did you know that all the monuments in the Grand Canyon are named after Egyptian pharaohs? This famous canyon in Arizona is actually an ancient array of pyramids. The sites even align with the same stars that the pyramids of Giza align with, the constellations of Orion and Pleiades.

Zoroaster Temple in the Grand Canyon: named by Hopi IndiansAnother cave entrance in the canyon

Hieroglyphics from Kincaid’s CaveSo you tell me, do the artifacts or writing found in the Grand Canyon appear to be created by native Americans, or by ancient Egyptians? The answer is pretty clear.

The Windover Bog Bodies…Florida

 

The scientific world was rocked in 1982 when a construction crew working near Titusville stumbled upon an archaeological site like no other! Amazing Florida prehistory!

“Windover Bog Bodies, Among the Greatest Archeological Discoveries Ever Unearthed in the United States.

It was only after the bones were declared very old and not the product of a mass murder that the 167 bodies found in a pond in Windover, Florida began to stir up excitement in the archeological world. Researchers from Florida State University came to the site, thinking some more Native American bones had been unearthed in the swamplands. They were guessing the bones were 500-600 years old. But then the bones were radiocarbon dated. It turns out the corpses ranged from 6,990 to 8,120 years old. It was then that the academic community became incredibly excited. The Windover Bog has proven to be one of the most important archeological finds in the United States.

In 1982, Steve Vanderjagt, the man who made the find, was using a backhoe to demuck the pond for the development of a new subdivision located about halfway between Disney World and Cape Canaveral. Vanderjagt was confused by the large number of rocks in the pond as that area of Florida was not known to be particularly rocky. Getting out of his backhoe, Vanderjagt went to investigate and almost immediately realized that he had unearthed a huge pile of bones. He called the authorities right away. It was only thanks to his natural curiosity that the site was preserved. After the medical examiners declared them ancient, the specialists from Florida State University were summoned (another brilliant move by Vanderjagt- too often sites are ruined because experts are not called). Deeply intrigued, EKS Corporation, the developers of the site, financed the radiocarbon dating. Once the striking dates were revealed, the State of Florida providing a grant for the excavation.

Unlike the human remains found in European bogs, the Florida bodies are only skeletons – no flesh remains on the bones. But this does not negate their significance. Nearly half of the skulls contained brain matter. The majority of the skeletons were found lying on their left sides with their heads pointing westward, perhaps toward the setting sun, and their faces pointing to the north. Most had their legs tucked up, as in the fetal position, however three were lying straight. Interestingly, each corpse had a stake thrust through the loose fabric that enshrouded them, presumably to prevent them from floating to the surface of the water as decomposition filled them with air. This practical step was what ultimately protected the bodies from scavengers (animals and grave robbers) and kept them in their intended positions.

The find provides unparalleled insight into a hunter-gather community that existed 3,500 years before the Pyramids were built in Egypt. The skeletons and the artifacts found with them have been studied almost continuously in the decades since their discovery. The research paints a picture of a hard but good life in pre-Columbian Florida. Though living mainly off what they could hunt and gather, the community was sedentary, indicating that whatever hardships they may have faced were small compared with the benefits of the area they chose to settle in.

Theirs was an incredibly caring society. Children’s bodies were almost all found to have small toys in their arms. One older woman, perhaps 50, showed signs of having several broken bones. The fractures occurred several years before her death, meaning that despite her handicap the other villagers cared for her and helped her even when she could no longer contribute significantly to the workload. Another body, that of a 15-year-old boy, showed that he was a victim of spina bifida, a crippling birth defect where the vertebrae do not grow together properly around the spinal cord. Despite his many deformed bones, evidence suggests he was loved and cared for throughout his life. These discoveries are mind boggling when one considers how many ancient (and even a few modern) societies abandon the weak and deformed.

Contents found within the corpses’ as well as other organic remains found in the bog reveal an ecosystem rich in diversity. 30 species of edible and/or medicinal plants were identified by paleobotanists; berries and small fruits were particularly important to the community’s diet. One woman, perhaps 35 years old, was found with a concoction of elderberry, nightshade, and holly in the area where her stomach would have been, suggesting that she was eating medicinal herbs to try and combat an illness. Unfortunately, the combination did not work and whatever afflicted the woman ultimately took her life. Interestingly, the elderberry woman was one of the few bodies stretched out, as opposed to curled up, with her face pointing downward. In other Native American traditions, elderberries were used to fight viral infections

Another striking difference between the Windover bog people and their European counterparts is that none of the Floridians suffered violent deaths. The bodies include men, women, and children. Roughly half of the bodies were younger than 20 years old when they died but some were well over 70 years old. This was fairly good mortality rate for the place and time. The presence of brain matter in 91 of the bodies suggests that they were buried quickly, within 48 hours of death. Scientists know this because, given the hot humid climate of Florida, brains would have liquefied in bodies not buried quickly.

Somewhat amazingly, DNA analysis of the remains show that these bodies share no biological affiliation with the more modern Native American groups known to have lived in the area. Recognizing the limitations of modern technology, about half of the Windover site was left intact, as a protected National Historic Landmark, so that in 50 or 100 years’ researchers could return to the bog and excavate untouched remains” (Article by Kerry Sullivan in a publication called Ancient Origins))

BLUE MOUND (Washington County)

There is a lone hill a few miles east of Dewey. From a distance it appears to have a bluish color, thus the name “Blue Mound”. I was approaching from the east and noticed some white rocks high on the hillside. They were roughly triangular in shape and stood out against the drab background color. These stones were set in place many years ago by explorers who were marking their trail. To my knowledge this site has never been investigated. It is likely that on this hill there are other signs and symbols which could be helpful in determining who these men were and on what date they passed through this region. This is obviously a trail marker that was once of great importance but in modern times it remains undocumented.
An attack on a wagon train occurred a short distance to the north of this hill, I was told. The westbound pioneers were heavily armed and the Indians were repelled. The travelers buried their dead at the site. They marked the graves with wooden crosses. Also they abandoned three wagons. The reason being there weren’t enough animals left to pull them. I was also told that during World War II somebody picked up the wheel rings and other iron from the abandoned wagons, for a scrap metal drive, making the site impossible to find. The grave markers are all gone and the names have been lost to time. Perhaps no trace remains of the events except for this story. Copyright Bill Wade #grampawbill

A CREEK INDIAN FORTUNE HIDDEN…

Creek County, Oklahoma. Enjoy.
A CREEK INDIAN FORTUNE HIDDEN
(Creek County)

Near present day Kellyville a Creek Indian man received his land allotment. He set about farming and raising a family. Over time and through good business and luck and perseverance he accumulated approximately $60,000 in gold coins. He kept the fortune buried a short distance from his house. On occasion he would dig it up to add a portion and rebury it at a different spot on his property. Often he was accompanied by his young daughter.
One night he was abducted by thieves who sought to rob him, for they had heard he was very wealthy. They tortured him until they grew weary from the task, but he would not reveal the hiding place of his wealth. Frustrated, they killed him and fled away.
In the mid 1950s a middle aged woman, (I was told it was his granddaughter), returned to the area to seek the fortune. She searched, (as I was also told), for a standing rock as tall as a man, and for other rocks of certain shapes along the base of a small hill at an area on the property where her grandfather had often cut trees for firewood. Every version of this story that I have seen in print does not contain the information about the rocks. Every version does state that she searched for many days and left the area empty handed.
If you live in the Kellyville area and you can discover the name of the Creek Indian man, then you can go to the county courthouse and search in the land records and find the location of the property and the name and contact information for the current landowner. Like many other treasure stories this one has great potential.
Copyright Bill Wade #grampawbill