Saturday, March 14, 2015

Interpreting Signs and Symbols

I'm often asked if there's a good book for interpreting the meanings of treasure symbols. While there are countless books on the market that claim to show such things most are just recycled from other books. The authors may have never seen the signs used in the field to verify their authenticity. I was once told there's more money to be made writing about treasure than there is hunting for it. I believe this holds true. If someone is trying to sell you a book about treasure signs then the odds are they're not finding treasure themselves.

There isn't a book that I can recommend as the single source for sign reading but there are a few books that will go a long way in helping you learn to read the signs for yourself. I highly recommend The Rocks Begin to Speak by Lavan Martineau. While this book covers how to read Native American pictographs the same process can be used for treasure signs. Especially when dealing with stacked or grouped symbols. Many of the Native symbols have been incorporated by other groups to be used as treasure symbols.

A safe bet would be that 99% of the treasure signs you come across are giving you one of three things. #1 is direction of travel. #2 the topography that you need to look for. #3 the layout of the treasure site. This is fairly universal among all groups. In our area you will often find symbols from the Spanish/Mexican and 19th century outlaws in the same area. What is a good area for one group is often good for others even if separated by a century or more in time.

I have spent countless hours researching and working in the field to understand what the signs and symbols are conveying. Hundreds of people over the years have sent pictures of symbols requesting help interpreting them. The majority of them I've been able to help with. My main effort is to help people to help themselves. You learn far more having to work out what a sign means on your own, with just a little guidance, than you ever will just being given the answer.

There will be a naysayer or two at my abilities to read signs but that is to be expected when you have so many armchair experts and book hustlers. Feel free to contact me for help. Unlike many others I'm not interested in knowing where your site is or charge a fee for help.

Good luck and good hunting!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The feds are lurking in the shadows

As Big Brother grows and encroaches upon our everyday lives we hear more and more about the federal government spying on US citizens. The NSA spying scandal is but one example.

From my personal experience big brother spent three years watching my internet posts on this blog, treasure forums, and facebook.

You can rest assured that they're trolling the internet pretending to be treasure hunters intent on entrapping someone in some sort of sting operation.

This is nothing new as I've read stories from decades ago warning about who to trust when it comes to treasure hunting partners.

Today though, they may start with innocent enough emails asking simple questions. In time these questions become more intrusive or leading.

One example is them pretending to be an arrowhead hunter asking if you've heard of anyone finding artifacts on federal property or know of such sites to find points. To this my reply is it is illegal to search for artifacts on federal property.

They might even show up at a treasure hunter get together pretending to be another treasure hunter hoping to find something incriminating against those in attendance.

It's possible they offer to trade guns for a good hunting spot. Nothing like getting firearms involved for potential future prosecution.

While this might seem a bit conspiratorial all this and much more is happening. That's why I prefer to keep things legal and shy away from anything shady.

So if something seems odd or fishy about someone contacting you, trust your instincts and leave them well enough alone.

Good luck and good hunting!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Expedition Unknown: The Legend of Jesse James

The Travel Channel's show Expedition Unknown hosted by Josh Gates will explore the legend of Jesse James and his treasure hidden in Oklahoma. You can catch the episode this Thursday (1-29-15) at 8:00pm central time on the Travel Channel.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Veterans Day

To my brothers and sisters in arms I say thank you for your service to our great country.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Treasure hunting, the internet, and reality tv

The search for buried treasure has become so popular that many of the major cable networks each have their own version of a treasure show now. When these shows first came out I had high hopes that they would capture the true essence of treasure hunting. Sadly for most of these shows there is very little reality in their reality tv.

I'm contacted all the time by production companies wanting me to try out for a show they are trying to sell to the networks. Very few are interested in my skill set of interpreting treasure signs. Instead most are just looking for big personalities. The concept of the hunt for treasure is lost to the train wreck drama and personal conflicts of those people starring in the shows. Don't get me wrong. Even with my disappointment in most of these programs I still tune in to watch them.

The internet has been both a curse and a blessing to treasure hunters. In the old days we had to search for our information at the local library or court houses. Read through numerous books and magazines. Track down old timers who might have a lead for you. I still do those things, but the internet now allows me do do most of these things and more from the comfort of home.

The online treasure forums allow treasure hunters to gather and swap stories and ideas. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation floating around the internet. Especially when it comes to KGC treasure.

Social media is the new phenomenon in the world of treasure hunting. It allows us to connect with other like minded people who enjoy the same hobbies and interest as we do. In some cases it even allows you to make up your own reality of who you are. I have a rich yuppie in mind who is trying to be a cross between Murdock from the A Team and Indiana Jones  when I say this.

The beauty of the internet is that if you have enough money you can create your own image. The above mentioned treasure hunter has done just that. He says that he is a professional because he derives his income from treasure hunting. This may be true. I can't seem to find any documented finds this person has made that would cover his overhead,  so it must be the dozens of websites, videos, and books that this person promotes that bring in the bucks. Like one of my old friends say....that's why they call us treasure hunters and not treasure finders.

However it is you enjoy treasure whether reading about it,  surfing the net, or watching it on TV take the time and do some searching outdoors for your own. Not all treasure is gold. Sometimes it just the memories we make with friends and family while on the hunt.

Good luck and good hunting!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Treasure Sign or Big Ugly Rock?

Is this a treasure sign or big, ugly rock? A self proclaimed professional treasure hunter may look at it and say that it's nothing more than a big, ugly rock. It would be foolish on his or her part without first asking a few questions. The first question I would ask myself, when deciding if something I find in the field is a sign or not, would be is it in context with others signs found in the area? Such as drill holes, carvings, shadow symbols, etc.

Second question would be does it have instructions? In the case of this bird head pointer it is saying go left.

Third question is does it lead to something?  If it's a sign it should lead you to something obvious. In the case of the one pictured above it pointed to another directional marker.

One stone mason who viewed the picture claimed it couldn't be a sign because it didn't have any tool or chisel marks. Several centuries of Oklahoma wind and rain tend to leave rocks weathered and it's highly doubtful and chisel marks would've remained. There's also the possibility that the rock was natural and only needed slight modification to make it look like a bird's head.

Not all signs you come across point to treasure. Some are just marking a trail or lead to a campsite or water source. They are still fun to find and photograph. Please don't remove them from the location you find them in.

Good luck and good hunting!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Treasure hunt for a book

I'm looking for a rare treasure book and decided to make a treasure hunt of it. I would trade this $5 gold coin for the book. The book is "Spanish Trail of Gold", by Robert O. Burch. It was self published in 1935. This will be a challenge for people to find.

Good luck and good hunting!