Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arizona

by W.C. Jameson

Arizona's history is liberally seasoned with legends of lost mines, buried treasures, and significant deposits of gold and silver. The famous Lost Dutchman Mine has lured treasure hunters for over a century into the remote, treacherous, and reportedly cursed Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. Gold and silver bars discovered in Huachuca Canyon by a soldier stationed at nearby Fort Huachuca just before World War II remain inaccessible despite years of laborious attempts at recovery. Outside the town of Yucca, bandits eager to make a fast getaway buried a strongbox filled with gold, unaware they wouldn't survive the pursuit of a law-enforcing posse to recover their plunder. And somewhere in the Little Horn Mountains northeast of Yuma lies an elusive wash containing hundreds of odd gold-filled rocks. Selected from hundreds of tales passed down from generation to generation since the days of the gold-seeking Spanish explorers, the tales included here are among the most compelling that Arizona has to offer.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

W.C. Jameson is the award-winning author of 70 books, 1500 articles and essays, 300 songs, and dozens of poems. He is the best selling treasure author in the United States and his prominence as a professional fortune hunter had led to stints as a consultant for the Unsolved Mysteries television show and The Travel Channel. He served as an advisor for the film, "National Treasure" starring Nicolas Cage and appears in an interview on the DVD. Jameson has written the sound tracks for two PBS documentaries and one feature film. His music has been heard on NPR and he wrote and performed in the musical, “Whatever Happened to the Outlaw, Jesse James?” Jameson has acted in five films and has been interviewed on The History Channel, The Travel Channel, PBS, and Nightline. When not working on a book, he tours the country as a speaker, conducting writing workshops and performing his music at folk festivals, concerts, roadhouses, and on television. He lives in Llano, Texas.

Reviews

[Jadewik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arizona guides the reader through the trail of time to the Arizona frontier. W. C. Jameson tells engaging, historical accounts of lost riches in Arizona.

I liked that the stories were short. Right now, I have a limited amount of free-time so being able to read a few pages at a time and get a complete story was nice. I also enjoyed the storytelling. Each story provided back-story leading to the event using beautifully crafted language to paint a very clear picture of the location, time, and events. Some of these locations-- Fairbank, Arizona in the Burt Alvord story-- I've been too and mean to return to when the weather is cooler.

Jameson also doesn't end the story at the lost treasure, but continues with the story of how several of the locations were found and lost again-- usually because the person who observed the right location didn't know the historical significance of the area they were in and their steps could not be re-traced.

I also enjoyed that, while there were one or two well-known stories, the majority of the stories in this book were lesser-known legends from around Arizona.

One thing I would have liked to have seen would have been a bibliography of sorts for the accounts which referenced newspaper articles. There were a couple stories that said "in newspaper accounts of the day" or similar language. I like going to those newspapers and reading the stories myself, but the lack of specificity and my current lack of time make it difficult to go digging through newspaper archives. I did a quick search in the Library of Congress for information on the Vekol, Arizona lost silver story... but I all I found was the name of the main character and not the information about the brothers war which was "in newspaper accounts". At some point, when I have more time, I'd like to revisit this book and do some historical digging in the newspapers myself.

I can understand why the author didn't include his sources, but when writing historical accounts, a bibliography does volumes for authenticating information... and authenticity makes a book a better source for report writing and referencing.

Reading this book almost made me desire to go looking for some of these treasures, but it's been a hot summer (+110°F) and just thinking of those temperatures makes me feel the heat stroke I'd have being out in that. February is a much nicer time to explore... but I prefer the adventures that aren't too far off the beaten path.

I would not use this book as if it were a map to untold riches. The stories are a fantastic glimpse into early Arizona and some of the mysteries this great state has to offer. Read it in that context and I'm sure amateur historians and readers for entertainment purposes alike will enjoy this book.