Letha Guthrie, Ovas eldest daughter from a previous marriage, described the next few years as a very happy time for the Noss family, one of simple, hard work with a bright, limitless future. That three or four weeks later Frank Foss told me that E.M. had called him and said he was in Central America. Now there were two military commands involved. It is estimated that 662,000 oz of gold have been produced from placer deposits throughout New Mexico from 1828 to 1991. To further complicate things, rumors swirled about various factions smuggling. Ova Noss, Leonard Fiege and others dont listen when they are told to shut up and they pay the price. According to members of the family, there would have been more, but Docs work was abruptly and unexpectedly brought to a halt in August 1939 when a dynamite blast, set to enlarge a narrow passage, instead caved the passage in, sealing off the main cavern. Begrudgingly, he did so. Mrs. Ova Noss said she shad filed papers retaining mineral rights in case the area opened up again. MEXICO CITY A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away . The family believes that as much as 100 tons of gold, which would be worth $1.25 billion at today's closing price of $358.90 an ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, remains hidden in the cavern. Mr. Fertig denied that the report had been censored. On the night of September 1, 1968, Porter drove to the peak with a friend and a civilian security guard from White Sands Missile Range named Clarence McDonald. After some discussion, the men decided that Porter should take the bar to a close friend of his who worked in the provost marshals office in nearby Fort Bliss, Texas. Discovered by a . The mystery boils down to a single question: Was Milton (Doc) Noss telling the truth, or just a tall tale? Two years later, he married Violet Lena Boles, which would further complicate ownership of the treasure rights for years to come. They believe that if the Lue Map and the hieroglyphs could be deciphered then the gold bars could be found. Mrs. Noss now says she never heard about the divorce and as serts that she is his legal widow. Mr. Bailey will not say, but Mrs. Noss and, her dozen or so partners have filed a $1billion Federal Court suit charging that the Government, the Secretary of the Army, several military officers and 200 John Does were conspiring to bilk her out of the treasure. The affidavit states, in part: In March of 1949 I handled 110 rough [sic] poured bars of gold in the area which is now White Sands Missile Range which is now the area of Victorio Peak. Most placer deposits in New Mexico had been discovered by 1900. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. Babe then began a regular correspondence with the military requesting permission to work her claim, but she was always denied. The rate of this tax varies from 5.125% to 8.8675% depending on where the business is . Two local ranch workers stumbled upon the search and notified Mrs. Noss. The gold, Porters friend stated breathlessly, ran in a tremendous stack along one side of the cavern stretching for approximately 200 yards. Published historic reserves exist for only two districts: Jicarilla with 5.4 million yd3 of 0.043 oz Au/yd3, or approximately 230,000 oz Au in place and Pittsburg with 2 million yd3 of 0.01 oz Au/yd3, or approximately 20,000 oz Au in place in 1936. Some believe that Doc Noss found the Casa del Cueva de Oro, Spanish for the House of the Golden Cave. Gold also concentrates above cemented gravels and clay layers within gravel deposits, which constrain downward migration of gold particles. However, disputing the military claim, New Mexico officials stated that they leased only the lands surface to the military. Maxmillian was assassinated in 1867. CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. We all dream of stumbling onto a map or riddle that will lead us on an adventure to find a treasure of glittering gold and jewels, but most of those tales only exist in bedtime stories and movies. Although a suitable path fit for wagons couldn't be found, traces of gold were found somewhere close to Silver City to the north. Leon Trabuco's Gold A Mexican businessman buries 16 tons of gold in the New Mexico desert and then dies before telling anyone where it is. We are a research and service division of: Placer gold deposits were an important source of gold in New Mexico prior to 1902, but placer production after 1902 has been minor. On each trip, Doc would retrieve two gold bars and as many artifacts as he could carry. When Maxmillian heard of the plot to assassinate him, he moved his gold and treasures out of Mexico. Led by U.S. Air Force Captain Leonard V. Fiege, the four had done extensive research on Victorio Peak, poring over old documents and records, and even traveling south into Mexico to check stories there regarding a man who has often been linked with the origin of the gold, Padre Philip La Rue. Dangerous unexploded 20mm shells from Phantom jet target practice dot the range, the Army insists. The fortune of a Mexican emperor? For the next few years, Mr. Noss sought partners to help him find the gold. In 1955, the missile range was expanded and, the Army closed Victoria Peak to outsiders. After the death of Doc Noss, Ova and her family continued efforts to regain access to the big treasure room. In 1979, Babe died without ever finding the treasure. Many streams in New Mexico contain at least traces of gold, enough to satisfy weekend gold panners. Current environmental and permitting restrictions also have hampered recent production in the New Placers and Jicarilla districts. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. . CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. The major took the bar and told Porter to check back with him in a few days. His wife and his two school-age children had also abruptly left. History [ edit] Doc Noss The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. 7 Louisiana Ghost Towns Hidden Deep in the Bayou. Doc was trying to obey the law but they grabbed our gold, Mrs. Noss said, He blew up. The Lost Padre Gold Mine in New Mexico. Edward Atkins of Decatur, Illinois, had been a claimant to the peaks gold and was vigorously pursuing that claim via attorney Darrell Holmes of Athens, Georgia, when Holmes died under mysterious circumstances. Thayer Snipes of El Paso, Texas, swore to an affidavit regarding another death. They would have the proper persons on guard duty., Possession of gold by private American citizens was illegal under federal law throughout the period of the Johnson presidency. The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. White Sands, New Mexico by the National Park Service. Parts of the treasure were described as gold, silver, jewels and as many as 16,000 gold bars estimated around $1.7 billion dollars. In one room he discovered a large stash of old swords and guns, papers and letters from the 19th century, and a kings ransom in jewels and coins. Ova Noss, her two sons, Harold and Marvin, and her two daughters, Letha and Dorothy, helped Doc in the strenuous task of removing the bars, one at a time, from the depths of the peak. This was one of Apache Chief Victorios hideouts and was the site of a battle in 1880 between Victorios warriors and the U.S. Army Ninth Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.. In a special act of Congress passed in 1989, the Hembrillo Basin was unlocked for Terry Delonas and the Noss heirs; however, nothing has been found. Moon, said that he was from the White House Secret Service detail and he showed the officer a green, laminated card which stated Secret Service, Division of the White House. Another man, an engineer named Dick Richardson, told the officer that he was a boyhood friend of Lyndon Johnsons and that he had personally counted 18,888 gold bars in one stack in a cavern at Victorio Peak, each bar weighing about 60 pounds. Edward Atkins himself died, reportedly of a heart attack, in April 1979 while returning to Illinois from El Paso on a matter pertaining to his claim. Los Angeles Times In the Fall of 1939, Doc wanted to enlarge the passageway into Victorio Peak so that the treasures could be more easily removed. In 1948, Doc met Charles Ryan, a Texan involved in drilling operations and oil exploration in West Texas. Floyd and his friend Pat were getting ready to look for treasure in an area where Pat found found three old metal bars in a cave on the old Spanish trail in New Mexico. Now, researchers say the bar was. In effect, no one could mine the treasure, and that included the Army and Babe Noss. He estimated there were thousands of these bars, each weighing over 40 pounds stacked against a wall. Acquitted on grounds of selfdefense, Mr. Ryan testified that Doc had promised him 51 bars of gold in return for his $27,000 investment. [5] She later was part of an unsuccessful 1963 search. Many people believe the search points to the area of the four corners. The gold was then shipped to Switzerland and sold in a new form in Zurich. A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away as they fled the Aztec capital . While Babe looked on from above, Doc inched his way down the narrow passageway into the mountain nearly 60 feet. Dozens of people claim a piece of the actionthat is, gold bars and treasure said to be hidden on the missile range, and worth from a few million dollars to $1.5billion. [3] Noss was ultimately killed by an associate, Charley Ryan, in 1949 after Ryan accused Noss of fraud and Noss threatened to kill Ryan and his family. Article content. Beyond that there is supposed to be another incline upward at about 30 degrees for some distance (40 feet as I remember it) where entrance is gained to a cave some 2700 feet long which contains many evidences that the cave was occupied as living quarters by a large group of humans for many years., The group evidently had some grisly practices, for the first thing Doc Noss encountered was a row of skeletons, 27 in all. Case But in 1977, the Army agreed to allow some searchers with competing claims, including Mrs. Noss, to search the grounds. In 1939, he hired a mining engineer to try to open a wider passage into Victorio Peak, but the attempt was disastrous and there was a massive cave-in. Forrest Fenn, a New Mexico art collector, created a treasure hunt in 2010. The gold was supposedly removed from the cave and sent to Fort Knox. Among the artifacts, Doc is reported to have retrieved documents dated 1797, which he buried in the desert in a Wells Fargo chest along with various other treasures. Years later, in 1946, Doc discussed his exploration with Gordon E. Herkenhoff, field representative of the New Mexico State Land Office.1. An affidavit dated October 28, 1961, was signed to this effect, also claiming to have seen a military jeep and a weapons carrier on the mountain. A Partner and a Gunfight. Once again, Doc began to descend about 125 feet before the shaft again leveled off into a large natural cavern. Ferdig, adding, The trouble with treasure stories is that there's always a little truth in them.. About $250,000 was spent, core holes were drilled, seismic tests were taken, and nothing was found. They believe that sophisticated equipment like devices to take soundings showing whether there are underground caves will help this search succeed where other ventures failed. Reportedly, he amassed a treasure of gold, silver, and jewels before being ordered back to Mexico City in 1607. In 1963, the Army allowed a group of searchers, including Mrs. Noss, to search for the gold. Doc tried several times to regain entry into his mine, but the shaft was sealed with tons of debris. This time, the military began a full-scale mining operation at the Peak. The secret stash of a gold mine owner? With so many options available, APMEX has made it easy to find the right Gold bar for your collection or portfolio. Returning through the main cavern, he noticed an immense stack of metal bars off to one side. An investigation by Freedom has probed the history of that region, particularly the nearly 49 years since gold bars were first found in that area in November 1937 by a man named Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss, as fascinating a character as ever held a six-gun. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) says it has now confirmed that a 1.93-kilogram gold bar was part of looted Aztec treasure (AFP Photo/Jesus VALDOVINOS) A gold bar, found 15 feet down in a Mexico City park in 1981, was just announced to have been part of Montezuma's treasure. Meanwhile, Babe Noss had filed a counter-claim on the entire area. [5] During the 1970s, lawyer F. Lee Bailey represented clients who claimed to know where the treasure was located. The daughter of another man, Harvey Snow, died from a gunshot wound in the head after Snow had disregarded repeated warnings in regard to the peak. Gold Bar Found Beneath Mexico City was Loot from Cortes' Aztec Retreat. At one time, he brought out a crown, which contained 243 diamonds and one pigeon-blood ruby. The Victorio Peak treasure (also seen in print as the Treasure of Victorio Peak or Treasure of San Andres) describes a cache of gold reportedly found inside Victorio Peak in 1937 in southern New Mexico . Placer gold collected from multiple districts in New Mexico, coupled with a broad database of previously analyzed placer gold samples indicate correlations between chemical signatures (especially gold, silver, and copper) and type of deposits (i.e., Au-rich copper porphyry deposits, Au porphyry deposits, and epithermal deposits). In all, eight persons told this writer they had received direct threats against their lives or against the lives of their families. There were 110 gold bars moved that night, according to an affidavit obtained by this writer and sworn to by Jolley. The future economic potential will depend upon the discovery of large-volume, medium-grade deposits that can be mined by bulk-mining methods. They dug under it, and Berlett and Fiege moved past it for another 100 to 125 feet, coming eventually to what Berlett described as a small cavern, approximately eight feet wide by 10 or 12 feet long. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. There were thousands of them, covered with old, dusty buffalo hides. Known placer gold deposits were found along the southern and eastern flanks of the Ortiz Mountains; however, there could be additional placer gold deposits along the western flanks of the mountain range. But the matter would not rest. During World War II, he divorced his wife, Ova, and disappeared for several years. Lampros, for example, described having his photograph taken with Colonel Willard E. Holt of Lordsburg, New Mexico; each held an end of a bar while it was being sawed in half. Fearing a Federal swindle at the time, Noss returned to Victoria Peak, carrying out gold bars and hiding them, Mrs. Guthrie said. This treasure was only the beginning. Mr. Noss returned in the late 1940's with a new wife, and a business partner. But, she said, mint officers confiscated the five bars and gave her husband a receipt for $97,000. Doc mentioned nothing of his find to the group, choosing instead to return to the site a couple of days later with Ova. some of the gold to Mexico, in light planes. Shriver also said that he had copies of other presidential messages, several initialed by LBJ, dealing with the clandestine, illegal removal of the gold. One story involves a Jesuit missionary named Padre LaRue whose band of 40 gold mining families was massacred in a punitive raid by Spanish soldiers in the early eighteenhundreds. Subsequently, he also filed several mining claims on and around Victorio Peak and a treasure trove claim. A number of sources also independently named Major General John G. Shinkle, the commander of White Sands Missile Range from June 1960 to July 1962, as knowing about the movement of tons of gold from Victorio Peak. For three months beginning on June 20, 1963, the group used various techniques to search the area; however, they failed to turn up anything. 2016, Trace Element Analysis of Placer Gold Samples (abstr. The three men had been on a hunting party when McDonald, who reportedly had imbibed several cans of beer, began talking freely about a huge stash of gold. A third story asserts that Geronimo hid, Apache booty in the area. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. It would also explain the presence of the Wells Fargo bags, packsaddles, letters, and other artifacts dating to Victorios time. Setting up camp on the desert floor at the base of Victoria Peak, the men headed into the wilderness while their wives stayed at camp. And for good reason. He also asserts that military security officers censored out of his report all references to military searches for the treasure. In March of 1949 I handled 110 rough poured bars of gold in the area which is now White Sands Missile Range which is now the area of Victorio Peak. That after he had been beaten to death, according to the information I received, his body was put back into his car, the car was doused with kerosene or gasoline, and then set aflame.. On August 5, Fiege and his party returned to Victorio Peak, accompanied by the commander of the Missile Range, a secret service agent, and 14 military police. For Trademark Information on Scientology Services. Native gold and electrum occurs with quartz, magnetite, ilmenite, amphiboles, pyroxenes, pyrite, zircon, garnet, rutile, and a variety of other heavy minerals. The dispute was finally worked out when a federal court issued a compromise of sorts, which stated the Army would continue to use the lands surface, but no one would be allowed on the property without the Armys consent. Later, the wealth in the cave would be calculated to be worth more than two billion dollars. Although the originals have never been recovered, a copy of one of the documents proved to be a translation from Pope Pius III. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mr. Bailey, who represents 50 unidentified claimants, says that with a helicopter and a half an hour he can lead officials to 292 gold bars, for openers. Noss refused to obey, and Ryan fired again, hitting Noss in the head, killing him instantly. Four major groups of claimants accuse the oothers of trying to cheat them out of it. The answer could be worth billions of dollars. The deposits generally occur in Late Tertiary- to Holocene-age alluvial fan deposits, bench or terrace gravel deposits, river-bars, and stream deposits or as residual placers formed directly on top of lode deposits typically derived from Proterozoic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary source rocks. The engineer suggested eight sticks of dynamite, to which Noss heatedly disagreed, claiming the mountain was too unstable. Peering into the darkness, Doc saw an old man-made shaft with a thick, wooden pole attached at one side. In 1958, Leonard V. Fiege, then an Air Force captain stationed at nearby Holloman Air: Force Base, and three other men, contended that while deer hunting they found a cave filled with gold bars. In 1797, when the work of the Spanish missionaries had almost come to an end, there was an old Spanish soldier who was at his death bed. Then in 1981, the construction crew found the gold bar, and today scientists have confirmed it was part of the Aztec treasures that Cortes hoped to steal away from Mexico for Spain. He also found some old letters, the most recent of which was dated 1880. Seventy-nine skeletons were described in an adjacent cavern. "We're treating the gold searchers just like any other client," said Jim Eckles, a spokesman for the White Sands range. Six men who worked with Doc in removing the gold C.D. The peak, named after a 19th century Apache war chief, apparently served as a repository for immense quantities of gold mined centuries ago by Spaniards and Indians and smelted into tens of thousands of crudely formed bars. Noss traveled down, passing caverns with Native American designs until he reached a room with hoards of gold, jewels, pouches, documents and 27 skeletons. The buying entity was a Middle Eastern principal, Shriver said. His warriors raided southern New Mexico and Texasin an all-out war against the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers. Testing the old wooden pole attached to one side of the passage, Doc rejected the idea of using it and dropped into the shaft with a rope instead. The night before his death, perhaps sensing that a business deal was going sour, Doc enlisted the aid of a cowboy named Tony Jolley to shuffle the locations of various stashes of the bars. By James P. Sterba Special to The New York Times. In 1981, a construction worker discovered the gold bar, weighing 4.25 lbs. The Army then shut down all operations stating that no additional searches would be allowed. She appealed to state officials, who forced the search to stop. He said he often grew angry that his grandmother was ignored or ridiculed for her efforts. All attempts failed, leaving him an embittered and angry man, which caused problems in his marriage. 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