It's okay, because we're here to bust them! The enduring story of Hendricks Lake is a treasure legend that has been around for more than 150 years. Small but made like a brick. Signup today for our free newsletter, Especially Texan. What if these stories are factual? I've heard for years, about a spot along Dickinson Bayou where Lafitte supposedly hid Treasure (very very near a certain Cemetary), Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. May the odds be ever in your favor. It seem to be one less treasure for us to find. JavaScript is disabled. Besides the mysteries surrounding the locations of Lafittes buried booty, comes the mystery of the man himself. The ones found their range from the late 1770;s to 1814 or so. during the Battle of New Orleans. An historian named Herbert Bolton, using the original journals of the Mexicans from the eighteenth century, found what is now known as the Boyd shaft on Honey Creek. It's in a very odd place for a large boat.". have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Could it be After getting some readings at the bottom of the lake (Hendricks Lake), two Dallas oilmen actually brought in a giant crane and attached a drag bucket to the cable. consisted of the currency he would receive in exchange for his foreign goods as In Texas they still search for a great deposit of silver and gold that Lafitte is reputed to have abandoned there. It is now thought that the money is on the southernmost tip of Padre Island. wrong move on Lafittes mason rouge. Found a mamouth tooth a a tiny brick made of shell it has letters P on it and the other I cant make out. Have a crack at it guys. they might find something, a storm rolls in. They know it. Its said that John Singer buried a chest in the mid-1800s containing $60,000-$80,000 in various Spanish coins, silver bars and jewelry which he acquired through salvaging shipwrecks. Rumor has it the outlaw hid gold in canvas sacks on Packsaddle Mountain and that some of it could still be there. that is. and its inlets. With the threat of imprisonment Buried Treasures in North America Jean Laffite's Loot Lafitte was later (All you English teachers out there, stop making fun of me for using the what is now known as phrase two sentences in a row.) Two oilmen from Texas actually brought a giant crane to the lake after getting some interesting readings from the bottom of Hendricks Lake. Hispanic conquistadors reportedly hid a massive cache of gold and jewels in a mine shaft in the Franklin Mountains near El Pasos Guadalupe Mission, OnlyInYourState.com reported. "Lafitte provided the perfect subject for the first American Gothic romance novel that came out in 1836, entitled 'Lafitte, the Pirate,' " said Robert Vogel, an archaeologist from St. Paul, Minn. Vogel has studied Lafitte for 25 years and has written many articles about him in academic journals. It is this tale that Christian wants to follow up on. People claim that a $2 million fortune stolen from the Spanish by Jean Lafitte was buried in the Sabine River. He was now legally authorized by Great Colombia to take Spanish ships. At the age of 25, Jean Laffite was living in New Orleans, operating a warehouse essential to dispersing the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre. The smuggling operations of the well-known privateer eventually came to a screeching halt, though, when the United States began enforcing the embargo in New Orleans city limits some time after the act passed. WebAt the age of 25, Jean Laffite was living in New Orleans, operating a warehouse essential to dispersing the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre. I think yall lying about the finding treasure, Plum bayou look for trees cut down and fake grave at the end. California musician Nathan Smith might have actually found one of Texas hidden treasure troves. I hope that you can help me out. More than once the crane almost toppled into the water. He uses rain barrels to get his water. Eventually, his skiff carves a path through a tangle of grass that sprouts from the water and is higher than his head. Jean Lafitte (Privateer, Smuggler, Pirate, 3. The man who was killed left an estate of 60,000 in cash plus land in Mississippi. into these uncharted waters, we need to know more about who Lafitte was. He wants to use equipment and divers to map the spot, try to identify the date and type of vessel, and assess whether it warrants further exploration. Well, my beloved fellow Texas readers, though I have no idea whether anything Im about to pass on to you is the slightest bit accurate, here are six of the supposedly great Texas treasures still waiting to be found. goal to once again evade U.S. seizure and to come back to it later. WebJean Lafitte is thought to have sunk a treasure ship containing $500,000 to $1,000,000 off south Padre Island. Having lived The silver was never recovered. So read this, get up, and go after your pot of gold. When you cross Bayou Des Allemands on Hwy 90, looking down the bayou to the south its a short ride to where the primary temple location was. As early as next summer, Hoyt plans a preliminary investigation. They just might inspire you to become a treasure hunter and find some real adventure out there! More information can be found in Guide to Treasure in Texas A minimum of five treasure ships are said to have sunk at or near the mouth of the Rio Grande. The Mexican government promised the Indians a large sum of money if they could defeat the Texans, but upon the realization that that was not going to happen, they buried the gold and silver and ran. Other stories of Pirate Treasures are discussed. James Bowie went on an expedition to find it. On 4 February 1823, Laffite was onboard the General Santander off the town of Omoa in Honduras. While such tales abound in historical accounts about Chambers County, Steve Hoyt, the Texas Historical Commission's marine archaeologist in Austin, says, "At this point, we can't say for sure what is down there. We use cookies to provide you with the best possible browsing experience. Lafitte's men are said to have loaded the silver into wagons and given them to a trader named Nicholas Trammel to take to St. Louis. It's incredible to think that just under the peaceful water lurks enough treasure to change your life! Between 1821 and 1828, Mexico issued many laws restricting or outlawing slavery. I grant you that in this case the O.P. and the fear of being captured, Lafitte allegedly buried his treasure with the The Cherokees started getting their butts kicked. It's apparently a large wreck and about the right size and shape for a Lafitte vessel.". the naval operations and common routes of port ships in the Mississippi River This warrants some underwater metal detectors to be taken The search is called off for the time being. Ten Notorious French Pirates Singer Treasure on Padre Island In the mid-nineteenth century, a man named Isaac Merritt Singer made significant improvements to the sewing machine. The Rosa was carrying a treasure cargo of silver bars and gold nuggets. Christian and the treasure hunting team are looking forward to using new technology to scan the bottom of the lake for possible anomalies, and hope to find a treasure which was missed in past searchers. Where there were bandits, perhaps there is Apparently, he found a chest full of Spanish coins and jewelry amounting to over $80,000. A nearby lake fed by the Sabine River also caught their attention, since the silver might have been transported there by the current. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) The Handbook of Texas devotes two pages to Lafitte's establishment of a base in Galveston around 1816. This national preserve protects the incredible diversity of life found where multiple habitats converge in southeast Texas. I always heard that an area Boat Company Owner started his business with a 5 gallon bucket of silver taken from that area. There are many accounts that say Lafitte settled in Check out some of these lesser-known places throughout the state: Natural wonders in Texas are perfect for those with an affinity for the great outdoors: Where are the most beautiful lakes in Texas? Laffite spent the rest of his life attacking merchant ships around Central American ports; sometimes as a pirate and sometimes as a privateer. "I had someone come talk to me about it just a few months ago. Jean Laffite's treasure in the Sabine River - Lone star They also had a raft built from which large pipes were sunk into the lake bottom, and used a metal detector to search the sediment. It really exists, and due to our rich history with Spanish and Mexican invasions, it makes sense that there would be a lot hidden here. A lookout for alligators and venomous snakes is When one of the recent landowners near the lake sold their property to the mining company, they inserted a treasure clause that reserves the rights to one-half of any treasure trove found on the Property by Purchaser. There will always be true believers in the treasure legend of Hendricks Lake. In Colombian newspapers, his death was lamented and his obituary described him as a brave naval officer. Charles Fitzhugh Grice had the technology needed to find Spanish silver if the treasure was there. Every dollar helps. A man claiming to be Lafitte's grandson, John A. Lafitte of St. Joseph, Mo.. claimed an interest in the ship but would years later be proved a fake, Epperson said. any leads as to where Lafittes treasure might be? Few besides him, who took part in the Battle of San Jacinto, are alive today. Mysterious shipwreck off Galveston is full Much to the My grandfathers mother lived next to his mother and we were told of the storys on where some was at. The mud is deep on the bottom, and just as accepts, and the show continues at Hendricks Lake in East Texas. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. pardoned by General Andrew Jackson in praise of his efforts and accomplishments I determined that there were maybe five that might have contained some sort of treasure. NOWHERE BUT TEXAS: SEARCHING FOR JEAN There are still treasure hunters to this day who believe the Lafitte fortune would be found if the lake was drained. Christian knows his pirate history! The state of Jean Fort Worth Daily Gazette, October 3, 1884. A family in Baytown, Texas tell their story as they believe they found one of Lafittes sunken ships. Yet because of his claim and the team's loss of salvage rights after failing to pay money owed on the state lease, that project also was abandoned, records indicate. I have a metal detector. parties, as the Mystery of Jean Lafittes Unfound Treasure seems to be a voyage The Lagina Brothers, famous for their search for the lost treasure on Oak Island and featured in the show The Curse of Oak Island, now hosts a new show called, Gary L. Pinkerton, Trammels Trace: The First Road to Texas from the North (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2016).