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French Ingots LbNA #14508 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 3, 2005
Location:
City:Pagosa Springs
County:Mineral
State:Colorado
Boxes:1
Found by: ThomasTreasrTrackrs
Last found:Jun 7, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Apr 3, 2005
French Ingots

Legend has it that in 1790 a French expedition of three hundred men set out to search the San Juan mountains for gold. They settled into an area near present day Wolf Creek pass and worked mines for over two years. Disease wiped out many of the men but they were said to have smelted a fortune in gold. But before breaking camp they were attacked by Ute Indians. During the long battle they hid the gold deep in the ground and made a map to the location. In the end only two of the Frenchmen survived to make it back to St. Louis and one of them died soon afterward.

Years later Sidney Greenstreet, a treasure hunter, had come up with a copy of the map. His men searched the area high and low but couldn’t locate the hidden gold (for more on treasure hunters e-mail cspr_gutman@yahoo.com). Because of this legend the mountain has been named Treasure Mountain and it is just south of highway 160 at Wolf Creek Pass.

To find the treasure locate the highway pullout under Treasure Falls 8.2 miles west of the pass summit, or 14 miles east of Pagosa Springs. There is a short trail that goes up under the waterfall that is very worthwhile. But since there is a near constant stream of people up and down this trail it is not a good place to hide gold.

At the start of the trail there is a sign that says “Legend of Treasure Mountain”. From this sign you can sight across the road at 293 degrees to the largest Douglas Fir tree. It is about six feet from the pavement of the pullout on the other side of the highway. At 282 degrees from this tree there is a 10 foot tall stump with a small chokecherry tree growing next to it about 12 steps away. From the stump look straight down hill at 214 degrees and see two dead trees that grew right next to each other. The French Ingots are hidden between these trees under some bark.