CALIFORNIA

GOLD
Placerville, California, the discovery of gold at Coloma, California in 1848 started this town as a mining camp, and it soon gained unbelievable notoriety. What is now Main Street was known in early days as Shirt Tail Bend, and here brandy was sold in the saloons for fifty cents a glass, and a meal cost $25.00. The place became so prosperous and lawless, that lawbreakers were hanged first singly, then in pairs. So the settlement was named Hang Town.

Working as a wheelwright in the rear of a blacksmith shop, John Studebaker here acquired a capital, which he later used to start his automobile plants. Just get on highway 49 near the town and start panning in the nearest creek.
The town is between El Dorado and Colma. Write to Chamber of Commerce, Placerville, California 95667

GEMS
Ashley Gem Mine, Pala, California. This mine has tourmaline and beryl and dozens of other semi-precious gems. Not too much in money value, but it does make nice jewelry.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles, California 90060

TREASURE
Cecilville, California, there is $40,000 buried by Richard Barten, otherwise known as "Rattlesnake Dick," in 1856. Location believed to be near an old pack trail on the side of the Trinity Mountains near Cecilville.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles, California 90060

GHOST TOWN
The ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park, near Bridgeport, California, within twenty years of the discovery of gold, Bodie was in the words of it's Pastor Reverend F. M. Warrington, a sea of sin lashed by the tempest of passion, It had 30 mines, 3 breweries, 65 saloons, ale stoops, pot houses, restaurants, gin mills, and opium dens, and on maiden lane and virgin alley, plenty of ladies Eleanor Dumont (alias Madame Mustache) Nellie Monroe, French Joe, and Rosa May.

About five percent of Bodie has with stood the years of vandalism and heavy snowstorm. The Buildings that have survived all this destruction are maintained by the California State Park system. Now in a state of arrested decay, that is minor repairs are made and walls are shored up, but no attempt is made to make Bodie look any different than it did when it was at last abandoned in the 1930's.

Peering through windows as you take the mapped-out walking tour, you'll spot old fashion condiments, and canned goods on a general store shelf. Caskets inside the morgue, a pipe organ in the Methodist Church, it's all so eerie that you'll understand why the park Rangers who take care of Bode like company.
Write to Bode State Historic Park, P. 0. Box 515, Mono County, California.

TREASURE
Thousands of thousands of dollars is believed buried near the site of the old Santa Isabel Mission, near Julian California.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Julian, California 92036

GOLD
$7,000,000 ounces of gold believed hidden near Death Valley.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Death Valley, California 92328
In the rough hill country near Oak Grove is the Lost School Teachers Mine. Near Warner's Ranch, is the Innkeeper's treasure, which consists of $8,000 in gold coins. The gun cache in Davis Canyon is supposed to have been stored there for Pancho Villa. It's located near the Mexican border, and according to an old man who discovered it, there is a small grove of Palm trees growing near by the canyon.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, San Diego, California 92138

TREASURE
Arroyo's strongbox treasure, an early Los' Angeles landowner and his son buried the family's wealth in two boxes near the mouth of Arroyo Seco Canyon.
Write to Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles California 90060

GOLD
Brefogle Lost Ledge. The most consistent story tells of Brefogle fleeing from the Indians through the desert, he had no time to put on his boots, but carried them in his hand. He found a pool of foul bitter tasting water, and filled his boots with it. Somewhere in his wandering, he found a ledge of silver and gold. After a few years he went back to the ledge, but couldn't find it or his boots in the smelly water.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles, California 90060

GOLD
Brandy House Gold Coins. A man lived in Santa Barbara who roamed the desert for forty years passed on this story. He in turn got it directly from Death Valley Scotty. In the boom day's of Greenwater on the Nevada side of Death Valley, There was a Madam and a number of her girls who kept busy for a minimum charge of a $20 gold piece, It became known that she hid the money in five gallon kerosene cans. A couple of rough's attempted to make her talk, but she died without talking. Scotty and a friend of his Blake, hunted in 1923 and 1924. They returned saying you never saw so many kerosene cans in your life, all cut open.
Write to Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles California 90060


GOLD
San Diego, California, there was a lot of activity around the old Vallecito station, which resulted in numerous reports of lost or buried treasure in the area. The following is some of them. Some research through old newspapers from that area will tell you more.

The Vallecto station was held up by bandits and $60,000 was taken from the stage coach that was stopped there at the time. A gun fight erupted at the station, and the bandits rode off with the gold coins, but they were pursued and killed in another gun fight about fifteen minutes later. The gold was never found. It is assumed that the bandits hid it before the gun fight. This means that the site is less than fifteen minutes ride by horse from the station.

Somewhere in the Borrego Desert not far from the old site of the Vallecito station, loot from a stagecoach robbery was hidden. The bandit who buried it was later killed in a holdup, and his wife spent years trying to find the loot, but failed.

Treasure hunters have searched for the $60,000 in gold coins to have been buried along the old Butterfield Stage route, somewhere between the ruins of the station at Carizo and the restored station at Vallecito.

A Mexican is thought to have buried his loot consisting of about $80,000 in gold coins close to the Vallecito station.

There is a site known as treasure canyon, which is a part of the larger Potrer Canyon, located just to the west of the Vallecito station and northeast of Descanso, where two kettles of gold coins were buried.

Numerous lost gold mines have also been reported in the vicinity of the Vallecito Station, These include the Lost Bell Mine, The Lost Bill Williams mine, and the Lost Squaw Mine.