The legend of the Fort Sill Treasure continues to captivate treasure hunters and historians alike, recounting a daring payroll robbery and a hidden fortune that remains undiscovered to this day. This fascinating tale of the Fort Sill Treasure began in the summer of 1892, involving a significant sum of gold and silver destined for soldiers at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The Daring 1892 Payroll Robbery
In June 1892, a stagecoach embarked on a critical three-day journey from Wichita Falls, Texas, bound for Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Its precious cargo included nearly $100,000 in gold and silver coins, intended to cover the payroll for the fort’s soldiers and employees. Despite having successfully completed this route seven times without incident, the decision to reduce the military escort proved to be a fateful one, leaving the stagecoach with only two heavily armed guards in addition to the driver.
As the stagecoach neared the Red River crossing in the early morning, a sudden ambush shattered the peaceful journey. Three masked outlaws emerged from a dense thicket of trees, immediately disabling the lead horses and wounding one of the guards. A fierce shootout ensued when one of the guards bravely returned fire, killing two of the robbers and wounding the third. However, the surviving bandit retaliated, fatally shooting the guard and forcing the driver and the remaining wounded guard to lie face down on the ground, effectively seizing control of the valuable payload.
The Lone Outlaw’s Risky Retreat
Despite a severe shoulder and chest wound, the surviving outlaw, later identified as Allen, painstakingly transferred six heavy saddlebags overflowing with coins onto the backs of his deceased companions’ horses. He then commanded the wounded guard and the driver to trek back to Wichita Falls, ensuring they would not immediately pursue him. Allen then rode northward, leading the two laden horses, with the initial intention of reaching Oklahoma City. However, his significant blood loss began to take its toll, forcing a desperate change of plans.
Recognizing his critical condition, Allen made an incredibly bold, almost unbelievable decision: he headed directly towards Fort Sill itself, seeking medical aid. He arrived just after sunset the following day, stopping at a well beside the trading post to water his horses. It was here, about ten paces from the well, that he buried the saddlebags filled with the valuable treasure. He then proceeded to the fort, fabricating a story that he was a hunter named Allen who had been accidentally wounded. The unsuspecting soldiers took him to the post doctor, who treated his injuries, administered a pain injection, and advised him to rest.
Imprisonment and the Fading Memory of the Treasure
Allen’s deceptive charade was short-lived. By the next day, his horse was recognized as belonging to one of the deceased outlaws from the payroll robbery. His true identity was revealed, leading to his swift arrest, trial, and conviction. He was sentenced to prison at Huntsville, Texas, where he spent 33 years reflecting on his crime and, presumably, his hidden fortune.
Upon his release in 1925, Allen, now an aged man, took a farm job near Levelland, Texas. His mind, however, was fixed on the buried payroll at Fort Sill. At his earliest opportunity, he returned, eager to retrieve his hidden wealth. To his dismay, the landscape of Fort Sill had dramatically changed over three decades. Four to six feet of fill dirt had been added to the area around the old well, disorienting him completely. He could no longer precisely recall the direction from the well where he had paced off his ten steps. A military guard, oblivious to his true purpose, soon regarded him as a vagrant and escorted him away from the fort. Dejected but not defeated, Allen returned to Texas, planning another attempt. However, his health was rapidly declining. Before his passing a few months later, he confided in a friend, G.W. Cottrell, sharing the secret of the buried payroll and providing a rough map. This deathbed confession was breathing new life into the legend of the Fort Sill Treasure.
G.W. Cottrell’s Decades-Long Quest
Several years passed before G.W. Cottrell, then 72 years old, finally journeyed to Fort Sill. He presented his compelling story to military officials and diligently completed numerous forms, requesting official permission to search for the treasure on military grounds. Weeks later, his request was granted, and on January 27, 1937, Cottrell returned with high hopes. He found that the old trading post had been demolished, but his determination led him to discover the filled-in well, now located in the corner of a maintenance building. Without the exact directional cues Allen had lost, Cottrell could only make educated guesses about the treasure’s precise location. Despite his strenuous efforts, he failed to locate the buried treasure. He returned to Texas, but his conviction about the treasure’s existence remained strong. In 1940, he revisited Fort Sill with additional help, but once again, his search proved fruitless.
The Army’s Search and the Unsolved Enigma
The compelling tales and persistent searches eventually piqued the interest of the U.S. Army. On April 1, 1964, the army publicly announced that they possessed sufficient evidence regarding the payroll’s existence to conduct their own search. Utilizing heavy machinery, military personnel dug 15 holes, each ten feet deep, in the area just south of the maintenance building, focusing on the believed vicinity of the buried wealth. Regrettably, despite their substantial efforts, nothing was found. Many observers felt that the search area was not expansive enough, leading to speculation that the treasure still lay hidden just beyond the excavated zones. Despite these lingering doubts, the army officially abandoned the cause, and subsequent requests from individuals to search for the Fort Sill Treasure were consistently denied by Fort Sill officials, solidifying the mystery.
The Enduring Legend of the Fort Sill Treasure
Today, Fort Sill remains an active Army base, its grounds still guarding the secret of the hidden payroll. The legend of the Fort Sill Treasure serves as a captivating testament to the allure of lost wealth and the dramatic history of the American West. While the gold and silver coins from that fateful 1892 stagecoach robbery have never been recovered, the story continues to inspire speculation and dreams of discovery. Perhaps one day, the earth of Fort Sill will yield its long-held secret, but for now, the treasure remains an enduring and tantalizing mystery, forever etched into the annals of Oklahoma folklore. The unsolved enigma of the payroll provides a thrilling chapter in the storied history of Fort Sill, reminding us that some secrets are truly buried deep.
