Join the Search for Lost Treasure First popularized by folklorist and author J. Frank Dobie in his book Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver in 1928, the legend of the Lost Adams Diggings is one of the most mythologized tales of lost treasure on the continent. In the 1860s, Gold was taken from Adams' canyon in enormous quantities, with nuggets ranging from dust-size to some as large as hen's eggs, all being plucked from the bottom of a shallow stream. This true story of the Lost Adams Diggings starts with the discovery of the rich deposit of gold in a remote mountain range, and ends with the author's own story of search and discovery in the twentieth century.

Border Bandits is an account of the many, many stories of back and forth skirmishes between the Mexicans and Texans during the late 1800s and early 1900s. There practically wasn't a border, which caused a lot of problems and thievery between the two countries. These seventeen tales in this book re-create border raids that originated from both sides of the fluid and much contested line and tells the stories of colorful characters – Mexican and American – that have since secured their place in history.

Leading the reader through a series of amazing coincidences and details, this book presents startling evidence that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, was never captured but escaped to live for decades, continue his acting career, marry, and have children. Compelling and revealing information in the form of papers and diaries has recently been found in private collections-materials that provide greater insight into the events leading up to the assassination of Lincoln as well as details of the pursuit and capture of the man the government claimed was Booth.

To promote the movie National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage, Walt Disney Pictures identified W.C. Jameson as one of the three experts in the U.S. on finding lost treasures. Disney representatives interviewed him for publicity of the film and then spent two days with him in the mountains filming what will become part of the trailer for the film on DVD. Well known for his compelling series on America's lost mines and buried treasure, Jameson ties stories of adventurous treasure hunting to American history to add this book to Taylor's growing "fun history" series. With his storyteller's gift, he relates episodes from early explorers through the colonial period, the Civil War, and the settling of the West. As a professional treasure hunter, he has followed the trails of many of the lost mines and buried treasures he describes. Sample treasures: Sir Francis Drake Treasure, Nez Pierce Gold, Benedict Arnold Treasure, Lafayette's Sunken Riches, Maryland's Lost Silver Mine, The Wandering Confederate Treasury, Lost Treasure of the Gray Ghost, Oklahoma Outlaw Cashe, Jacob Fagan's Lost Loot, Missouri River Gold Cache, Lost Spanish Gold in the Sandia Mountains.

What sort of person undertakes to rob a multi-ton train surging down a set of rails at high speed? For the Old West’s most famous outlaws, including Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the Dalton Gang, and Black Jack Ketchum, it was as much about the thrill of the crime as the riches to be won, thumbing their noses at the authorities, and getting away with their crimes more often than not. These men, and at least one woman, were dare devils, rule breakers, adventurers, and rebels. In addition to their train robberies, they led colorful, dramatic, and dangerous lives. The Old West's Infamous Train Robbers and their Historic Heists profiles sixteen noted train robbers (or train robbing gangs) along with the details of each their forty-seven hold-ups. The mechanics of each of their train robberies—planning, execution, and escape—are dissected and discussed. Pertinent background information relating to each outlaw/gang is included as well as what became of them following their train robbery days.

When it comes to historical mysteries, Texas offers numerous long-perplexing conundrums for readers. Several of the Lone Star state's enduring legends are associated with historical figures including Davy Crockett, Billy the Kid, John Wilkes Booth, the outlaws Sam Bass and Bill Longley, and the pirate Jean Lafitte. Lost mines and buried treasures are also a long-standing part of Texas history and lore, and the location of several of these riches has baffled searches for well over a century. Searches for these elusive treasures, represented by gold and silver ingots and coins, have ranged from Texas' mountain ranges to the prairies to the coast, and continue to this day. Texas may also have been the site of several "lost civilizations. Growing evidence suggests that Mayans, a culture long associated with southern Mexican and Central America may have established settlements in the state after having disappeared from their homeland. The Caddo Mounds spread out over a large section of southeast Texas represent what amounted of a city that was once inhabited by thousands of natives. The questions of where they came from and what became of them continue to intrigue researchers. This lively, easy-to-read book will cover these and many other mysterious happenings and will be popular with residents and tourists.

From the late 1870s to mid-1880s, Tombstone, Arizona, enjoyed impressive growth and prosperity as a result of the discovery of major silver deposits nearby. As in many boomtowns in the American West, its sudden prosperity attracted businessmen, outlaws, grifters, gamblers, prostitutes, and preachers. It wasn't long before there was a desperate need for lawmen and law enforcement. Outlaws like Johnny Ringo, Curly Bill Brocius, Buckskin Frank Leslie, Burt Alvord, and a handful of other lesser known criminals, all faced off with the legendary lawmen, including the Earp brothers--Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and Warren--who to one degree or another represented law enforcement in this wild, no-holds-barred town. In addition to Tombstone's reputation as a setting for colorful outlaw-lawman confrontations, it is also associated with a number of compelling and baffling mysteries. Ghosts are reported to roam the old taverns, hotels, opera houses, and other buildings. Eerie and unexplainable sounds and sights have been associated with Boot Hill, the famous cemetery, as well as the New City Cemetery. Cold Case: The Tombstone Mysteries investigates the real stories behind the mysteries, including unsolved crimes that await a solution. These old west cold cases continue to attract researchers and investigators to the town too tough to die.

Investigating History's Mysteries The assassination of Sheriff Pat Garrett, one of the most notorious lawmen of the American West, remained one of the most puzzling and perplexing unsolved mysteries for more than a century. As a result of sophisticated forensic analysis of the historical crime scene, as well as the discovery of new evidence, the mystery has been solved. Most know Pat Garrett as the self-proclaimed slayer of the outlaw, Billy the Kid, on the night of July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The event propelled Garrett into regional and national headlines and generated a momentum that led the lawman to consider seeking higher political offices. Garrett's plans were thwarted by his self-destructiveness, however. In spite of his notoriety, he was a bumbling lawman, a debtor, an alcoholic, an adulterer, and addicted to gambling. After being removed from his position as sheriff, he retired to a ranch in Uvalde, Texas, only to be summoned back to New Mexico to investigate the disappearance of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain. In this pursuit, he failed once again. Garrett's downward spiral created a sense of desperation in the lawman, and his continuing difficulties caused him to lose what few friends he had and generate numerous enemies. In time, his enemies had had enough of him and decided he had to go.

Billy the Kid: Beyond the Grave traces the life of this famous desperado through his role in the Lincoln County War, the alleged killing by Sheriff Pat Garrett, Billy's escape, and his life for the next sixty-nine years. In 1948, an old man named William Henry Roberts was confronted with evidence that he was Billy the Kid. At first he denied his identity, but reluctantly admitted who he was. Based on taped interviews with Roberts, new evidence discovered in the 1990s, and sophisticated photo comparison technology by the FBI, the conclusion that Roberts was Billy the Kid gains support.

One of the most colorful parts of American History is the time of train robberies and the daring outlaws who undertook them in the period covering from just after the Civil War to 1924. For decades, the railroads were the principal transporters of payrolls, gold and silver, bonds, and passengers who often carried large sums of money as well as valuable jewelry. For the creative outlaw, trains became an obvious target for robbery. Willis Newton has never enjoyed the recognition and fame of the better known train robbing outlaws of our time such as Frank and Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, the Daltons, and the Doolins, but he was the most prolific and successful train robber in the history of North America. Newton stole more money from the railroads than all of the others put together. During his lifetime, Newton robbed six trains and an estimated eighty banks, pulled off the greatest train robbery ever, netting $3,000,000, yet remains virtually unknown. So unknown was he that, of all of his successful robberies, he was rarely identified as a suspect. Following his greatest heist, Newton and his gang member, composed of his brothers, were arrested, tried, convicted, and sent to serve long terms at Leavenworth Prison. When they were granted early release for good behavior, they lost no time in returning to robbing banks. Willis Newton's life and times as America's greatest, and last, train robber has been gleaned and developed from extensive interviews he granted during the 1970s when he was in his eighties. In addition, newspaper reports of his numerous train and bank robberies have been obtained and researched for precise details of robberies and pursuit.

In a little-known mountain range in southern New Mexico is an unremarkable mountain called Victorio Peak. In a cavern in that mountain, it is rumored that billions of dollars' worth of artifacts and thousands of gold and silver ingots and coins have been cached for decades, a treasure that dwarfs all others. Its existence, or the belief in its existence, has been responsible for millions of dollars' worth of recovery efforts, blatant violation of laws and trampling of legal rights by the United States government as well as dozens of citizens, and the involvement of a wide variety of infamous characters. It has also been responsible for a number of deaths. For generations, people all over the world have been fascinated and enthralled by tales and legends of lost mines and buried treasures. There is something in the human DNA that embraces such things. North America has served as a setting for hundreds of such tales, and every now and then one of these treasures is found. Most can identify the Lost Dutchman Mine of Arizona's Superstition Mountains and the so-called Oak Island Treasure in Nova Scotia as prominent examples of legends that have seized the attention of millions. If one were to write a mystery/thriller incorporating colorful characters, murder, unexplained deaths, intrigue, theft, deceit, and political and legal machinations, one need not look any further than the incredible treasure mystery associated with Victorio Peak. It is, in fact, one of the most bizarre and confounding mysteries in American history and involves what my well be the largest treasure cache known to man.

This well-researched book is a biography of the life-and disappearance-of Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic in 1928. But did Amelia's plane really crash and sink in 1937, or was her fate entirely different?

This well-researched biography of the life and controversial death of Robert LeRoy Parker, a.k.a. Butch Cassidy, is a journey across the late-nineteenth-century American West as we follow Cassidy s exploits in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, where he made his name as a surprisingly affable outlaw. More important, this book answers the question: Did Butch Cassidy, noted outlaw of the American West, survive his alleged death at the hands of Bolivian soldiers in 1908 and return to friends and family in the United States? The evidence suggesting he did is impressive and not easily dismissed, but how he lived and what identity he assumed are still debated."

From the Guadalupe Mountains of the Chihuahuan Desert to the Hill Country to the Red River, the vast landscape of Texas has afforded the cultural depth and diversity to inspire its writers. The richness of Texas folklore, history, and traditions has left an unmistakable mark on the art of the region. Both native and transplant Texas writers alike have been keenly shaped by the distinctive aroma of fresh corn tortillas, tales of Mescalero Apaches, and Tejano and ranchera music.W.C. Jameson has compiled an assorted collection of fourteen essays by some of the most prominent Texas writers through which he hopes to explore the following questions: How did they accomplish their goals? Why did they choose the writing life? What influence did the history, lore, and culture of Texas play in their creative process? While readily citing the ""decidedly Texas flavor"" in his own fiction, Jameson seeks to uncover the inspirations in other writers from both the expansive and rugged Texas terrain as well as the varied people therein.The fourteen writers who comprise ""Notes from Texas"" range from the captivating and often humorous essayist Larry L. King to the beloved historical novelist Elmer Kelton. Other contributors include James Ward Lee, known for his expertise in Texas cuisine and culture, and poet and songwriter Red Steagall. This collection bestows each with a ""chance to express what they wished to share about their art and their life as a Texas writer.

The twenty-four tales in this book are of the most famous lost treasures in America, from a two-foot statue reportedly made entirely of silver (the "Madonna") and a cache of gold, silver, and jewelry that was rumored to also contain the first Bible in America to seventeen tons of gold-its value equal to the treasury of a mid-sized nation-buried somewhere in northwestern New Mexico. What makes these tales even more compelling is that none of these known-to-be-lost treasures have been discovered, although modern detecting technology has made them eminently discoverable.

Two subjects continue to fascinate people-the Old West and a good mystery. This book explores and examines twenty-one of the Old West's most baffling mysteries, which lure the curious and beg for investigation even though their solutions have eluded experts for decades. Many relate to the death or disappearance of some of the best-known lawmen and outlaws in history, such as Billy the Kid, Buckskin Frank Leslie, John Wilkes Booth, The Catalina Kid, and Butch Cassidy. Others involve mysterious tales and legends of lost mines and buried treasures that have not been recovered-yet.

All along the Atlantic Coast lie tales of zealous pirates, unfortunate shipwrecks, and cryptic maps discovered in musty attics. From Maine to Florida, W.C. Jameson chronicles more than thirty stories of lost riches and forgotten stashes in this ninth book of his Buried Treasures series. Although some treasure has been discovered over the years, many relics of the past still remain hidden, awaiting someone with the luck and perseverance to discover them.

The 32 tales from the area containing the backbone of America include The Gold Behind the Waterfall (Arizona), The Treasure of Deadman Cave (Colorado), Lava Cave Cache (Idaho), Henry Plummer's Lost Gold (Montana), The Curse of the Lost Sheepherder's Mine (Nevada), Lost Train Robbery Loot in Cibola County (New Mexico), Eighty Ingots in Spanish Gold (Utah), and Lost Ledge of Gold (Wyoming). As Jameson points out in his introduction, the Rocky Mountains still have many remote areas, ....

Legends of outlaw loot, pirate hoards, buried mines, and Santa Anna's pack-train gold. Contains 31 legends from the Lone Star State. As they relate to the lost fortunes of Native Americans, French pirates, Spanish explorers, and Mexican, German and Scotch-Irish settlers, these tales are products of the people of Texas: their experiences, adventures, and exploration

This fifth volume in W.C. Jameson's Buried Treasure series contains 38 tales gathered from the breadth of the American South. Eight states are included: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Do Indians living today know the location of the supposededly cursed Lost Gold of Devil's Sink? Did Sir Francis Drake bury millions of dollars'worth of ancient Incan treasures? Has anyone found the box of gold coins buried by a reputed giant in the Washington rain forest? Is there a noble family's fortune buried near an old log cabin in the Cascades?

The search continues even today. Modern-day counterparts of the Spanish conquistadors and the early 19th-century settlers still cling to the image of El Dorado. Searchers still arrive with little more than their dreams and hopes for the elusive riches.

Through 30 revived tales of wealth and splendor, readers will be tempted to throw some supplies into a backpack like the forty-niners of yore. Although numerous stories of lost gold and silver veins are abundant, they in no way represent all of the wealth hidden in California's folklore. California's mountains, deserts, beaches and cities are all emcompassed in this collection.