Is There Really Buried Treasure in Texas? (Legends Say Yes)
The notorious Texas outlaw Sam Bass boarded a Union Pacific train that had stopped at a water station nearby present-day Big Springs, Nebraska, on Sept. 18, 1877. Bass and his motley crew of fellow outlaws made their way to the train’s safe, where they found $450 inside. At first, they thought their risky heist was a bust, but then one of the outlaws noticed a few nondescript wooden boxes stacked next to the safe. Inside, they discovered $60,000 worth of $20 gold pieces — nearly $1.5 million in today’s dollars. The outlaws grabbed the loot and made a run for it.
According to legend, when Bass made it back to Texas, he buried his haul at a place called Cove Hollow. Bass was dead within the year, and it’s assumed that he never had a chance to spend his stolen loot. To this day, treasure hunters head to Cove Hollow in search of the gold coins said to lie beneath the North Texas prairie.
Texas is home to much rumored buried treasure, and plenty of would-be treasure hunters have set out in search of it with dreams of finding a fortune. If you think you have the guts and cunning to track it down, we’re here to give you a hand. Follow our treasure map to the locations of Texas’ many buried treasures.
The Cove Hollow Loot, Denton
Sam Bass’ Union Pacific haul is no mere urban legend. A farmer named Henry Chapman is said to have unearthed a trove of $20 gold coins believed to be part of Bass’ great train robbery in the early 1900s. Since then, treasure hunters have been looking for the rest of the loot, which is rumored to be buried in the rocky, hilly area northwest of Denton where Bass hid out.
The Lost Silver Mine, San Saba River
In 1756, a Mexican official traveling through Texas heard a story from some Cherokee about a hill in Central Texas that ran with a stream of pure silver. The Mexicans were unable to locate the exact spot. By the time early Anglo settlers made it to Texas, they had heard the story and were eager to find the legendary mine, which early maps showed to be somewhere along the San Saba River. Stephen F. Austin sent soldiers to look for it, and James Bowie made a personal expedition to find it. In the early 20th century, the United States Geological Survey found an unproductive mine shaft on Honey Creek, about 70 miles from the San Saba. Some people thought this may have been the legendary silver mine. But that wasn’t enough to convince treasure hunters; many believe the real lost silver mine is still out there.
The Cypress Creek Gold, Upshur County
The legendary Cypress Creek Gold is another buried treasure trove dating back to the Texas Revolution. In the early days of the Republic, the Mexican government was paying Cherokee tribes to fight back the advances of the Texas army. During a skirmish in 1839, the Texans fought the Cherokee at a spot near present-day Tyler. The Cherokee retreated up Cypress Creek, where their payment in gold is said to be lost and buried in the mud. Treasure hunters have been searching for it in the creek bed ever since.
The Singer Treasure, Padre Island
The story of the Singer Treasure is a reminder that “X” doesn’t always mark the spot — especially when it is drawn in a sand dune. In the mid-1800s, while sewing magnate Isaac Merritt Singer established the successful Singer Manufacturing Company in Texas, his brother John spent his free time wandering the coast of Padre Island. He is said to have discovered a chest of Spanish coins and possibly jewelry. Singer buried the treasure in a dune, but when he came back later to reclaim it, the winds had reshaped the surfaces of the dunes, and he could no longer find his treasure. Singer’s treasure is believed to lie below the southern tip of the island.
Laffite’s Spanish Silver, Hendricks Lake
The French pirate Jean Laffite is said to have stolen $2 million in silver from a Spanish galleon and attempted to hide it in the muddy waters of the Sabine River in southeast Texas. Stories surfaced over the years of fishermen hauling up silver bars, but the real treasure-fever hit in the 1950s, when a story about the treasure was published in True West magazine. Two oilmen from Dallas are said to have found evidence of metal buried in Hendricks Lake, an oxbow lake created by the Sabine, but a storm destroyed their digging gear and the location of their discovery.
The Lost Spanish Mine, Franklin Mountains
Spanish conquistadors and priests heading to New Mexico in the 16th century traveled across the Rio Grande near El Paso and through the Franklin Mountains. According to legend, on one trip, a group of Spanish priests hid 300 burro loads of silver in a mine shaft in the Franklins and sealed it up. In another version of the story, a Spanish conquistador hid gold, silver, jewels, and Aztec manuscripts in the mine. Whatever may or may not be in the legendary mine, no one has ever been able to locate the treasure trove, which, by this point, is probably protected by a dragon.
The Sunken Ship, Corpus Christi
One of the strangest treasure-hunting stories in Texas is also its most recent. Around 2006, Nathan Smith, a musician from California, began hunting for lost treasure. He stumbled upon the story of a shipwreck — a casualty of an 1822 hurricane near Corpus Christi. Using Google Earth, Smith believed he tracked down its location, and he headed to Texas with his metal detector. In the Mission River, Smith found some traces of gold & silver. However, his attempts to dig up the supposed treasure were cut short when adjacent landowners refused to let him excavate the spot. Smith went to court in an attempt to gain permission to dig, but the judge ruled against him. As far as anyone knows, that shipwreck is still buried in the ground — and the treasure along with it.
For more Texas mysteries, explore our most haunted places.
© 2020 Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
