As a backup plan, they would supply all adjacent markets with fresh fish on ice. The Galveston Daily News made light of the effort by suggesting they move their operation to the Gulf of Mexico since a good deal of wealth has been left under its waters by shipwrecks. A week after that humiliation, Paul Tatum clubbed a man to death after he made fun of Tatums attempt to drain the lake. They used 10-foot poles to outline the vessel, which measured roughly 75 feet by 35 feet, news reports stated. I think I found Lafitte's treasure He was a French pirate and privateer. Theres quite a bit of back story on this one which can be read on Texas Monthly. well as the fortunes left on the merchant ships that he captured. I always heard that an area Boat Company Owner started his business with a 5 gallon bucket of silver taken from that area. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee, watching a crime TV show or scary movie. You are using an out of date browser. Although the state owns the land and materials below the lake, it will coordinate its efforts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls the surrounding property that is part of the Wallisville Reservoir project, he said. Markers are dropped, and divers are sent down. However, she says her husband remained certain that Lafitte's ship was buried in that mud. In 1816 Jean Lafitte, who was reputed to be an agent of the Spanish government (Agent 13, to be exact), raided a Spanish vessel called the Santa Rosa. The brothers meet with a Christian Roper who is actively hunting for the lost treasure of the pirate, Jean Lafitte. The stairs run beside it. Well, my beloved fellow Texas readers, though I have no idea whether anything Im about to pass on to you is the slightest bit accurate, here are six of the supposedly great Texas treasures still waiting to be found. Between 1821 and 1828, Mexico issued many laws restricting or outlawing slavery. Treasure chest worth $1 million hidden in Rocky Mountains finally found. Christian Here ya go Bum, Passed by it again on Tuesday. Maybe they can help them in their search from the insights learned from their own pursuit of the Money Pit. History suggests there is a possibility that hidden treasuresgold coins, doubloons, precious jewelryare somewhere beneath the surface just waiting to be found! Back in the 1580s, Spanish conquistadors and priests often passed beneath the peaks of the Franklins on their way to New Mexico to colonize the Indian villages. Barnie Waldrop, a Carthage television repairman, had used his own electronics to search the lake for years. Jean Laffite (sometimes spelled Lafitte) was a pirate and the subject of many stories of romance and adventure across the Gulf of Mexico during the early 19th did use the words "think" before that. Having lived Found bones of mamouth and Indian tools. Others have mounted full-scale salvage expeditions with backhoes and monster trucks and whatnot. The basic story is that in 1816 silver stolen by pirate Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. The information comes from books and treasure hunting Web sites (the best of which are legendsofamerica.com and treasurefish.com). He was a down. Hidden gems in Texas are one of our state's greatest joys. Jean Lafitte was sent to the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Island where he took command of the island - with an iron fist. Anahuac Jack feels certain that evidence will show that the boat belonged to Lafitte. Forced to leave the city, Lafitte decided to set up shop on a small island in Barataria Bay, about 40 miles south of New Orleans, to continue his smuggling ways. In Texas, the Laffites founded a pirate colony named Campeche. In 1884 treasure hunters were all over the Sabine and a nearby lake that had been fed by the Sabine. Charles F. Grice, Interview by Gary Pinkerton, February 2019. JHS grads making documentary about Was it buried underground or lost under water? Latest local news from South Texas from KSAT12. Huge beautiful tree. floor after a shipwreck. Treasure Texas, I learned, is full of buried treasureor, to be a bit more accurate, full of stories about buried treasures that no one has been able to find. ", As for the shipwreck in Lake Miller, Vogel says, "There is something actually down there. Jean Lafittes treasure Photo of Hendricks Lake, courtesy of Gary L. Pinkerton One particularly famous legend is that of Jean Lafittes treasure. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) It really exists, and due to our rich history with Spanish and Mexican invasions, it makes sense that there would be a lot hidden here. It is still In Colombian newspapers, his death was lamented and his obituary described him as a brave naval officer. Sherman, who died in 1879, said he was able to walk on its deck. Do you have The story revolves around oil fields in Texas, USA. Little is known about his origins, but he was probably born either in Basque-France or in the French colony Saint-Domingue. The show starts with the Lagina brothers, Rick and Marty, sharing how their search on Oak Island opened them up to a world full of mysteries and lost treasures to explore. Retired Avenger, current NFL free agent. Lets be honest, everybody loves a good treasure story. Jean Lafitte (Privateer, Smuggler, Pirate, Despite this, no silver bars were found. Rumor has it the money is somewhere underneath Little, A man named Nathan Smith thinks he's found the remnants of a sunken ship from an 1822 hurricane north of. In searching some old newspapers.found a newspaper article from 1935, a full page on Jean Lafitte. They say this inspired them to reach out to other treasure hunters and hear their stories. A huge battle ensued between the two groups near what is now known as Tyler. and its inlets. During 1957 and 1958 the most significant attempts to locate the treasure took place at the lake. Another legend has it that in 1595, Juan de Oate hid five silver bars, 4,336 gold ingots, nine burro loads of jewels, and four priceless Aztec codices (books or manuscripts) in the mine. People claim that a $2 million fortune stolen from the Spanish by Jean Lafitte was buried in the Sabine River. They will haunt you in your dreams for making a Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. May the hunters strike gold. Although he led an enigmatic life, Lafitte garnered a reputation as a romantic rogue, historians agree. Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. https://www.tshaonline.org, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hendricks-lake. March 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Much to the NOWHERE BUT TEXAS: SEARCHING FOR JEAN LAFITTES TREASURE ON GALVESTON ISLAND Jean Lafitte was born in 1780 and died in 1823. More information can be found in Guide to Treasure in Texas A minimum of five treasure ships are said to have sunk at or near the mouth of the Rio Grande. One time she wrote about sports. Thats a lot of money for a man who was a laborer just a few years before. This would later be used to his great advantage. Comanche Indians were said to be chasing a train of pack mules carrying hefty loads of silver in the early 1920s and the men in charge of the bounty buried the silver to keep it from being stolen. The man who was killed left an estate of 60,000 in cash plus land in Mississippi. Franklin Mountains, El Paso, TX 79904, USA, Back in the 1860s, a man named Isaac Singer started a clothing manufacturing company in Texas. To him it is the Chase and the history. this mystery still has historians, researchers, and treasure hunters alike He linked up with B.H. . hendrickslake.com Eventually, his skiff carves a path through a tangle of grass that sprouts from the water and is higher than his head. Maybe well be writing about you and your discoveries in the future. i will try and take a picture of the location. Although $25,000 worth of coins and jewelry have been accounted for, no one knows where the rest of the loot went, and Collins and Bass were killed before they revealed anything. My favorite part of the legend is that the Guadalupe Mission in El Paso was built in way so that the shadows of the mission point to the Lost Padre Mine.