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Treasure Train - Nevada Story

Hangman

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
10
Location
California Sierras
<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Tahoe’s Treasure Train
© 2005 by Anthony M. Belli
Word Count- 1300
* <o></o>
Many years ago back when David J. Stollery was writing his column for the newspaper Tahoe City World (1963 – 1975) he told a story about how some of the old timers living in the <st1>Lake Tahoe </st1>region could perform certain rituals enabling them to better forecast the upcoming winter weather. He described the odd behavior of these old timers as they set out in “stealth mode” into the forest. Some, he observed spied on the local wildlife whiles others sought out insect populations to gaze upon.
<o>*</o>
Then there were still others who could forecast the severity of the upcoming winter by careful inspection of how moss grows from trees, or by the weather at that moment, and still others found their forecast in the pages of the weekly newspaper. Stollery however always believed the best folks for predicting the severity of the upcoming winter season were the local Washoe and Paiutes who could trace their ancestry to the Tahoe–<st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Reno </st1></st1:city>area back thousands of years.
<o>*</o>
Certainly these people would have passed down their secrets for predicting the winter weather from generation to generation, he thought. One day while visiting <st1><st1>Pyramid </st1><st1>Lake </st1></st1>Stollery observed an old wrinkled faced Paiute Indian leaning against a hot dog cart and thought now would be the right time to prove his theory of ancient prophecy for predicting winter weather. Approaching the old Paiute, Stollery said… “You look like you’ve lived around here for a long time. What kind of winter do you think were going to have?”
<o>*</o>
The old man stood silently looking at the white man. He then extended his hand, palm up, whereupon Stollery dropped a silver dollar into the old timer’s hand. With great anticipation Stollery stood waiting for his earthy, no-nonsense winter forecast based upon the wisdom and knowledge of the ancients. Stollery wrote… “The old Indian looked up at the sky, down at the ground, across <st1><st1>Pyramid </st1><st1>Lake </st1></st1>and last at the wasps humming around the garbage can by the hot dog stand.” “Well,” he said, “I’ll tell you. You come back and see me next March and I’ll tell you what kind of winter we’re going to have!”
<o>*</o>
It was a cold winter morning in March 1891 when Zeb Walter, the Wells Fargo messenger at <st1:city w:st="on">Glenbrook</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Nevada</st1:state> locked up the Glenbrook station and headed off for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Carson City </st1></st1:city>to pick up the monthly payroll for the men working at the four Glenbrook lumber mills. The town of <st1:city w:st="on">Glenbrook</st1:city> was founded as a mill town and became the first permanent settlement on <st1>Lake Tahoe </st1>in 1861, after Pray’s Mill was first established here.
<o>*</o>
During those early years teamsters would haul timber to Glenbrook by ox driven wagons where it was milled into lumber in order to fill the demand from the rapidly growing Comstock mines, camps and towns. The milled lumber would then be transported in the same manner from Glenbrook over Spooner Summit and on to the Comstock. During peak production around 300,000 board feet of milled lumber passed over Spooner Summit daily. In it’s heyday the Comstock consumed about 80 million board feet of lumber and 2 million cords of firewood annually.
* <o></o>
In 1873 lumbering in the region was consolidated with the formation of the Carson & Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company. To improve efficiency and increase production the company constructed a V-Flume at Spooner Summit, which moved the lumber 11 miles downhill from the summit to Clear Creek where it was gathered and transported to the Comstock mines and towns by the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.
<o>*</o>
Two years later the ox driven wagons continued to deliver timber to Glenbrook, but in 1875 the Carson & Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Co., completed it’s 8.75 mile narrow gauge railroad and founded the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Co. The new L.T. Ry. & T. Co. replaced the ox driven carts and now hauled the milled lumber from Glenbrook to Spooner Summit. Although short, the line was difficult as it included a 487-foot tunnel just west of the summit and two switchbacks.
<o>*</o>
It was this very train, the L.T. Ry. & T. Co., #1 otherwise known as “The Glenbrook” that provided the transportation early that morning on the first leg of Zeb Walter’s journey to Carson City. Arriving at Spooner Station he connected with a stagecoach that took him on to his destination. At this time Glenbrook was now home to four lumber mills and Walters secured a strongbox containing 500 double eagles and 200 eagles, the monthly payroll of all four mills.
<o>*</o>
That afternoon as Walter’s was preparing for his return trip to Glenbrook he could see that a menacing looking storm had formed over the eastern summit, which was cause for some concern should the road to Spooner Station become impassable due to snow. Hastily he loaded the strongbox containing $12,000 in gold coin on to the stage and requested the driver to proceed quickly.
<o>*</o>
When the stage arrived at the summit Walter disembarked with the strongbox and found himself in blizzard conditions, noting deep snow was already piling up against the Flume House. He consider the option to wait out the blizzard at the Flume House, but being such a short distance from home, and considering the storm would reduce the risk of a robbery, and the fact that the final leg of his journey could be safely accomplished by train, Walter’s opted to continue.
<o>*</o>
At Spooner <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Summit </st1></st1:city>Walter’s loaded the strongbox on to the caboose and signaled the conductor to proceed. Walter’s claimed when the train reached one of the two switchbacks where it had to come to a complete stop, he moved the strongbox into the tender, directly behind the engine for security reasons as it would be a closer walk for him when departing the train to reach the station. The trip continued without incident and the L.T. Ry. & T. Co., #1 pulled into the Glenbrook Station as expected, but then something went horribly wrong.
<o>*</o>
As the train approached the dock Walter’s realized it wasn’t slowing, he has no time to react as seconds later the engine jumped the tracks, plunging it and the tender into the icy depths of the lake… taking the engineer and one frightful Wells Fargo agent with it. The fate of the engineer is unknown, however Walters did survive. The engine went straight to the bottom while the tender became separated and got hung up on an underwater ledge close to the surface.
<o>*</o>
As soon as possible with the arrival of summer the company made every effort to recover the strongbox from the tender. Divers descended to the ledge and discovered the tender had somehow become dislodged and had sank to a depth of 90 feet. Diving technology of the period prevented any further efforts at recovery. Over the years other recovery efforts have occurred, none however have proved successful. It remains <st1>Lake Tahoe's</st1> only known sunken treasure.
<o>*</o>
For those who enjoy ghost town hunting check out the site of Spooner Station founded in 1863 along the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Placerville</st1></st1:city>–<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Virginia City Road</st1:address></st1:street>. Following the Comstock excitement of 1859 this road was the major route connecting the California Mother Lode to <st1:state w:st="on">Nevada</st1:state>’s <st1>Comstock Lode. </st1>In 1863 it was improved as a wagon road and had more then 5000 teamsters operating along this route. The <st1><st1>village </st1>of <st1>Spooner </st1></st1>Station was located at the summit at an elevation of 7146’ and once supported a hotel, blacksmith’s shop, saloon, along with a number of barns and homes. Spooner’s Station became a significant way station in it’s heyday. Ten years later the ghost town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Summit </st1></st1:city>Camp was established just east of Spooner’s Station.
<o>* </o>
The ghost town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Summit </st1></st1:city>Camp was also located here and housed 500 employees of the Carson & Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Co. Founded in 1873 it was the eastern terminus for the Lake Tahoe Railroad.
<o>*</o>
TahoeTreasureTrainMap600x542.jpg

<o></o>*
This story is from my first treasure hunting book, Mysteries of Tahoe - Lost Treasures. Here is the link for anyone who'd like the book... http://www.lulu.com/content/188001
<o></o>*
Sources:
* <o></o>
Belli, Anthony M., Mysteries of Tahoe – Lost Treasure, Hangman Publishing, Pollock Pines, 2005

Penfield, Thomas, A Guide To Treasure In Nevada, True Treasure Publications, Inc., 1974, p.12 – 13
<o>*</o>
Taylor, Richard, Glenbrook’s Sunken Gold Coins, Lost Treasure Magazine, Grove, OK., July 1978, p. 21
<o></o>
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Thanks for posting the story - it's a good one. It seems that with the location pretty well nailed down, this should have been recovered by now, if only in 90 feet of water ?
 
Great story and a great map! The adding a map to the story lifts it above what is being put out there by others these days. In a past phone call with the Hangman, he stated he was working on a book if I remember correctly, hopefully it reaches the market, I for one would love to read it!
 
Thank you all for your nice words. As far as a recovery goes I understand that the tender now sits in the depths of Tahoe. There was a recovery attempt during the 60s and if I remember correctly it was unsuccessful. Since then the gov't has "outlawed" any attempt at recovery. Lake Tahoe is the only body of water within the State of Nevada that has any known submerged cultural resources, which include the train and any treasure it once carried. Glad you enjoyed my story -- as time permits I hope to post a few more. My best to you all and happy hunting!
 
Sounds like an interesting book, there's alot of really cool history around Tahoe
 
Hangman, is there any more to this story? I have never found anything that gives any credibility to the story.
 
nice story but there are no RXR tracks any where near there even if they were removed there would still be evidence of the RXR right of way.
 
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