GhostMiner Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 This is a story that originated with my great great grandfather & was told to me many years ago by my grandfather. It has never been verified : A raw gold shipment from a mine in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California bound for processing was hijacked on a lonely mountain road & taken to a port on the west coast. The haul was purported to be somewhere between $50,000 - $75,000 at the time of the theft. A ship sat waiting to be loaded and a man by the name of William Shears was the captain. They sailed north along the coast all the way to Washington state where they unloaded the booty & buried most of it. My grandfather told me he believed it is still there. According to my grandfather the shipment was placer gold & was heading for a small smelting operation not too far from the mine. Someone had advance knowledge of the date of shipment and planned the robbery. He said there were five armed men on horseback who did the strong arm robbery while taking the two freight men hostage. By the time the mine owners were notified of the heist it was too late to find it. The thieves had planned everything out. They took it by water to a remote location far from the place of the robbery. How did my grandfather know this? It seems my great great grandfather was one of the mine owners. My grandfather called the ship captain a privateer. According to his story the thieves ran into problems moving the raw ore once back on land in Washington state & buried a good part of it. He said there was information given to the family back in the early 1900's that the gold was never found due to changes in terrain due to severe storms. However, my grandfather told me he thought he had a good idea of where the gold was hidden but was too old to look for it & my father had no time or interest in conducting a treasure hunt. My grandfather believed a man named William Shears was responsible for the planning of the heist. He said he was a sea captain from England with a bad reputation. As he told the story, Captain Shears took the ore into the harbor at Bellingham, Washington where it was off loaded into a freight wagon to be transported into Canada which he said was about 30 miles north. He said something happened on the way to Canada but refused to tell me what for some reason. At this time in his life he was very sick & frail and I didn't want to push him for more than he wanted to give. He said the gold was hidden in freight containers that were disguised as other items. He said there was an old road up there where the freight wagon stopped and the gold was burried not too far off the road. Why they didn't make it into Canada & who was waiting for it there is a mystery. With some help in research I found out there was indeed a Captain William Shears recorded in the 1851 census records. His address was Elliot Court Enumeration District Marlborough King in Devonshire county. His place of birth was Devonshire England and he was 46 years old in 1851. He was listed as married to wife Sarah age 43 & had a son James age 7 & daughter Mary age 2. Occupation was listed as Master Mariner. I have no idea if there really is a buried cache of gold somewhere between Bellingham & Canada but the story is intriguing. The start of a great & new adventure. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 I will be heading up to our mining property in northern California early August to collect gold from our leasing groups as well as do some exploration work. I am also planning on taking a trip up to the area my grandfather talked about in this entry here. If there are any good metal detecting people up in that area that would like to assist me on a hunt for this gold let me know. I am going to research this area before i go. I am also trying to get a bit more information on this gold shipment. At the best it's found treasure. At worst it's an adventure and a chance to learn metal detecting from some experts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 I remember my grandfather telling this story more than once when I was a little kid. I don't think my father ever believed it or maybe he thought it was only partially true. However, he thought enough of it to write down all the details my grandfather told him. I remember wanting to go look for the gold. I was about 10 yrs old. My father just laughed & said it would be a waste of time & money. My dad was a WW2 vet and became a prison gaurd & eventually got into industrial production with a big company. He had no time for things like this nor was he interested. I think if it was buried it probably wouldn't be very deep. I have a few ideas of where it might be because my grandfather took me aside one day about a month before he died. He told me a few things that he hadn't told my father because he said he didn't believe him. He gave me some landmarks to look for and very vague locations to check. I'm not sure how much of the story I believe either. My father said that my great great grandfather was a part owner of a gold mine in California but there were several other partners. I was only able to verify one descendant of one of them and when I contacted them they thought I was completely off my rocker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 This box was handed down through the generations & is now mine. Part of my great, great grandfathers mining claims were next to my present claims and some of his overlapped mine. I was told that there was a treasure cache found on one of the claims and it had been buried deep beside a large boulder. It also holds some other things from both my great, great grandfather and my grandfather and grandmother. Also my father's WW2 vintage cigarette holder & lighter (it's the black item). There is jewelry and some coins and a bit of raw gold in a pouch also. There was always talk of a map where my grandfather thought the best places to look for the stolen gold might be. Indeed, there was a crude map which I didn't show here. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 I am looking forward to this trip. I've had some eye surgeries on both eyes and may have one more to go. That has kept me from heading west for the last year. When I go out I take I80 all the way to Reno then get off and head north for a bit. If anyone would like to meet the GhostMiner in person and say hello I would welcome it. I am also talking with a few people about working Jed's old dog site. This is a real place where that crew worked in 1936 - 1937. If anyone is interested in that or the search up in Washington state let me know. Our camp is a great place and we are a fun loving bunch of low lifes LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 Also, if there is anyone who knows much about the northern Washington state area near the Canadian border feel free to comment. I have never been up that far north. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoJack Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Chirp, chirp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 I guess I forgot to mention that any qualified metal detectorists would be paid $500/day plus all expenses on this hunt. I certainly don't expect people to work for free. Thanks again, GM. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 (edited) - Edited March 2 by GhostMiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relichunter2 Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 How about offering a sign up bonus of lets say 10K , and some upfront cash to get to your site. I am sure there are plenty of forum members who would just jump on this once in a lifetime deals . Perhaps consider uping from 500 to 800 considering the price of goods have increased by at least 17% in the last 2 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 2 minutes ago, Relichunter2 said: How about offering a sign up bonus of lets say 10K , and some upfront cash to get to your site. I am sure there are plenty of forum members who would just jump on this once in a lifetime deals . Perhaps consider uping from 500 to 800 considering the price of goods have increased by at least 17% in the last 2 years. That is quite high. I am talking about a local person who could spend a few days or weeks working with me, my wife, son, & grandson. I think $500/day with all expenses paid is fair. It would be great for a retired person who loves to detect. i think they usually work for themselves for free as a hobby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 1 minute ago, GhostMiner said: That is quite high. I am talking about a local person who could spend a few days or weeks working with me, my wife, son, & grandson. I think $500/day with all expenses paid is fair. It would be great for a retired person who loves to detect. i think they usually work for themselves for free as a hobby? Before he died, I promised my grandfather that I would someday look into this story further and see if I could find anything. Hopefully this will be something my family will always remember. It's the adventure that counts. If we are able to find something that would just add to the fun. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 4 minutes ago, GhostMiner said: Before he died, I promised my grandfather that I would someday look into this story further and see if I could find anything. Hopefully this will be something my family will always remember. It's the adventure that counts. If we are able to find something that would just add to the fun. Cheers. Doing some thinking on wages - if the dectorist worked 8 hrs / day that would be $62.50 per day plus expences which would probably be another $75 - $100 per day. I only pay my geologist $1200/day plus expenses. To be fair, I will check the wage scale in that area. Maybe I am out of touch. Thanks for the input. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 Well, that was quick LOL. I had a number of people contact me about metal detecting this project & am happy to say we have our person. I am also thrilled to say this story has been signed to a live streaming deal & will air sometime January 2024. The name is too long as I have it & will be shortened just a bit. It will feature our metal detecing (person), my wife, son, & grandson as well as myself. My grandson will be the star of the show for sure. We are also in nogotiations with a major cable network for Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine. We are very close to putting that together as well. What a year this will be. And also hopefully funding a mine start up to be included in that show as well. Cheers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geof_junk Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Wish you and the crew the best of luck. Did you posted your "grand fathers" story a few years ago as it seem similar to one I read some where. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 (edited) 2 hours ago, geof_junk said: Wish you and the crew the best of luck. Did you posted your "grand fathers" story a few years ago as it seem similar to one I read some where. Thank you. Yes. That was on last yr. Hoping to get the other deal done as well. Been going back & forth for a few months but getting close. The Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine will be interesting if it gets done. We will be working at the actual 1936 site of the journal and also chasing dowm more of the history of the story. There will also be a brand new crew to gold mining working their own claim as well as working with us at times. Edited March 3 by GhostMiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 We will be getting started on this project early June and hope to have it wrapped up in early to mid July. I will be leaving this on the forum in hopes of helping the site build up some new viewers & members. I think there is potential for me to bring in hundreds if not thousands of people to this site once the show airs. It will be an adventure for sure. I have been doing quite a bit of research on this and also have a great metal dector person who will assist. I'm hoping to get to the bottom of this family story which has been handed down for years. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Hello all. It is looking like we will be in Bellingham, Washington the first wk of June to begin shooting the series. Our metal detectorist has appeared on cable before but I am not allowed to give the name at this time. We will also have the expertise of a professional treasure hunter. I can tell you that our targets are located south of the Canadian border in a specific area. I have been fortunate to have the treasure hunter working with me on this and he has turned up more information and narrowed the search zone. I am hopeful that we can put this old tale to rest one way or another. Cheers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Slim Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 9 hours ago, GhostMiner said: Hello all. It is looking like we will be in Bellingham, Washington the first wk of June to begin shooting the series. Our metal detectorist has appeared on cable before but I am not allowed to give the name at this time. We will also have the expertise of a professional treasure hunter. I can tell you that our targets are located south of the Canadian border in a specific area. I have been fortunate to have the treasure hunter working with me on this and he has turned up more information and narrowed the search zone. I am hopeful that we can put this old tale to rest one way or another. Cheers. Good luck getting permits for anything in WA State.It is illegal and unethical to collect artifacts on public lands. Artifacts include anything made or used by humans including arrowheads and flakes, pottery, basketry, rock art, bottles, coins, metal pieces, and even old cans. Collecting artifacts disrupts the archaeological record. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Dakota Slim said: Good luck getting permits for anything in WA State.It is illegal and unethical to collect artifacts on public lands. Artifacts include anything made or used by humans including arrowheads and flakes, pottery, basketry, rock art, bottles, coins, metal pieces, and even old cans. Collecting artifacts disrupts the archaeological record. Nice try. Anything to bring down the thread I suppose. Anyway, that's all been taken care of 2 months ago. Negative people told me years ago you can't get permits to mine in California. When I got them despite their warnings they had nothing to say. Nothing. If I listened to all the negative people in the world I would be afraid to step out of my door LOL. Edited March 25 by GhostMiner 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pairadiceau Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 Ghost, Well this all sounds like a great hoot, I wish you and your crew good hunting and a safe adventure! Jeff 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Slim Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 1 hour ago, GhostMiner said: Nice try. Anything to bring down the thread I suppose. Anyway, that's all been taken care of 2 months ago. Negative people told me years ago you can't get permits to mine in California. When I got them despite their warnings they had nothing to say. Nothing. If I listened to all the negative people in the world I would be afraid to step out of my door LOL. Why would I want to bring down your thread? I've spent a lot of time in WA and have friends who live there. They all say the same thing, "good luck with the state". If you have that all taken care of, great. I wish you success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 1 hour ago, Dakota Slim said: Why would I want to bring down your thread? I've spent a lot of time in WA and have friends who live there. They all say the same thing, "good luck with the state". If you have that all taken care of, great. I wish you success. Sure you do LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 2 hours ago, pairadiceau said: Ghost, Well this all sounds like a great hoot, I wish you and your crew good hunting and a safe adventure! Jeff It's going to be great fun. My grandson will be the star of the show. I'll be posting more very soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Well, it looks like I will be taking a trip to England to visit with a relative of Captain Shears. Last Fall we had hired a very reputable private investigator to do further research on this story and he turned up quite a bit of intersting information in England as well as Scotland. I have never had the opportunity to travel to Europe so I am quite excited to say the least. We are in the process of working out the details and setting dates which will be in early May. I have a good friend in Edinburgh and will plan a visit to his home as well. He actually visited our mine sites back in 2019 and we had a great time. It was his first trip to the States and he was amazed by my Ford F150. He told me that no one drives anything that big in Scotland. I simply said it's just a truck. We were in the process of testing gravels on a claim with an excavator & Heckler Fabrication trommel and he worked with us for a couple of days. He couldn't believe we were allowed to mine for gold. In the UK everything belongs to the Royals and it is forbidden to even pan although he does it and Scotland has some great places that with rich gravels. Always fun meeting new people. More on all this at a later date. Cheers/ GM. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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