Page 11 - the NOISE July 2013

they’d been recently used. Later, it was learned that Casner had devised a method of hiding his gold by boring holes into large pine trees in the vicinity of his ranch. After placing 50 twenty dollar gold coins into each bored-out hole, he would insert a neatly carved plug to conceal the cache. He made sure there were no witnesses around to spy on him.
The day came when Casner informed his lone cowhand that he had enough money and he was going to retire and return to Cali- fornia, but Casner had shipped only a small amount of gold by express from Flagstaff. It is assumed that he had been unable to locate and retrieve the gold-filled trees and that he may have inherited a sizable fortune from a relative in San Francisco.
In 1889, two cowboys accidentally found $1000 in gold coins stuffed into a hole in a tree that had been felled by a lightning strike atop Casner Mountain. There could easily be more trees stacked with gold coins still out there ... way out there! It is bone-dry gulch country, except for when it floods. Water is often scarce and unreliable and lack of it can turn treasure hunting into a desperate situ- ation. Water is the most valuable thing in the backcountry.
Following the tributaries and waterways of the Verde River or Oak Creek, they come to a confluence together. At the end of Tissaw Road near Cornville is another homestead ranch, owned by a wealthy family boasting hayfields and a mansion of a house. It was originally founded by the Tissaw family and was the base for a cattle ranching outfit.
A usually dry side tributary known as Black Canyon drains into the west side of the Verde River. At the head of Black Canyon is Ward Pocket, up in the mountains, and it is the site of a mother lode vein of gold; and nuggets and flakes known as “rice gold” have been panned from Black Canyon’s gorge. Riches have been extracted from the area, and can still be found by those persistent enough to conduct a thorough investigation.
Nearby, in the rock and clay ledges over- looking the Verde River, there is a secret
cache cubbyhole. It is a small, wooden- framed doorway in the ground, 18 inches wide, and is concealed in a very safe and out of the way place. The trap door is gone now, but the wood framing still remains and the opening is just large enough for one person to crouch into.
It is directly opposite the Alcantara Vine- yard, and is rarely visited now, though it may have been there for close to a hundred years. The chamber is now empty, but once con- cealed something precious to be sure. There are also remnants of a small corral, probably to hold a burro.
There is a well-formed cave shelter in the cliffs, dug out of a layer of bentonite clay. Nearby are numerous caves, littered with 800-year old corncobs and pottery shards. Trash mounds from the Sinagua are scat- tered around the Oak Creek side of the con- fluence.
Be aware that private property and ar- chaeological site laws do apply and are meant to discourage people from pocketing items of interest. It is strictly forbidden to dig up Indian sites, but the old homesteads and public lands are mostly fair game for those
“recreating,” but it is always best to get per- mission to investigate and do as little dam- age as possible. A metal detector is a great tool to use to search for treasure caches, es- pecially those buried and unseen.
** Next episode we will pick up the trail of the Spanish Conquistadors and the legendary Apache warrior Geronimo through the Mingus Mountains and into Sycamore Canyon.
| Ranger danger is an amateur treasure hunter who revels in the glory of the hunt and the air of fascination held by the old stories ... and the possibility of finding actual treasure someday! ranger@thenoise.us
thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news
• JULY 2013 • 11