The allure of untold riches has long drawn adventurers to the American West, and few tales are as persistent and mysterious as that of the lost French gold on Treasure Mountain. This legend recounts an epic 18th-century French expedition into the Rocky Mountains, culminating in a violent confrontation and a buried fortune that has captivated treasure hunters for centuries.
The Ill-Fated French Expedition of the 1700s
In the late 1700s, a formidable French expedition, consisting of 300 men and 450 horses, embarked from an outpost near present-day Leavenworth, Kansas. Their ambitious journey led them deep into the majestic Rocky Mountains with the primary goal of prospecting for precious metals. Initially, their efforts proved fruitless, but as they worked their way south, they established a camp several miles east of Wolf Creek Pass, in the vicinity of modern-day Summitville.
It was in the creeks and streams surrounding what they named Treasure Mountain that their fortunes dramatically changed. The Frenchmen discovered a substantial quantity of gold, a cache that today would be valued at a staggering $33 million. To safeguard their immense find, the gold was meticulously stored in three separate locations, with the expedition’s commanding officer entrusted with the only map detailing these hidden caches.
However, their presence did not go unnoticed. While initially unmolested, local Native American tribes, likely Ute warriors, eventually mounted a brutal and fierce attack on the French encampment. In a desperate attempt to protect their discovery, the French quickly buried the gold and created new maps. Despite their efforts, the battle was devastating, resulting in the deaths of most of the Frenchmen. Only an estimated 17 to 35 men managed to escape the initial onslaught, only to face another brutal attack upon reaching the Front Range. From this second encounter, a mere five weary survivors began the arduous trek back to Kansas. The harsh winter conditions, coupled with starvation, claimed three more lives, leaving only two men to stumble into the Kansas outpost. Tragically, only one of these two, a man identified as “Le Blanc” – the expedition’s historian – ultimately survived. After recovering, Le Blanc made the long journey back to France, carrying two copies of the treasure map: one for the French government and one he kept for himself.
A Second Attempt: The Taos Connection
Spurred by the promise of the immense fortune, a second expedition was launched to retrieve the buried French gold. The exact origin of this mission remains debated, with theories suggesting it was either initiated by Le Blanc’s family or commissioned by the French government. Fifty men set out for the Summitville area, passing through Taos, New Mexico, where they enlisted a local guide to lead them to the treasure site.
Months later, the guide inexplicably returned to Taos alone. He claimed that the Native Americans had once again annihilated the entire expedition, leaving him as the sole survivor. The suspicious locals in Taos were unconvinced by his story. The guide was subsequently tried for murder in what is often cited as the last Mexican trial held in United States territory, though he was ultimately acquitted. An intriguing counter-theory suggests that the entire story of the second massacre was an elaborate fabrication orchestrated by the Frenchmen, who secretly recovered the gold and returned to France, paying the guide to disseminate the false narrative in Taos.
The Elusive Maps and Generations of Search
Over the centuries, numerous maps purporting to reveal the location of the Treasure Mountain gold have surfaced, each fueling new waves of exploration. A notable figure, William Yule, was believed to possess a copy of the original map and spent considerable time searching the western side of the valley, extending north to Saguache, but to no avail. Later, a prospector named Asa Poor reportedly obtained the map from Yule. Poor and two partners allegedly located several key landmarks mentioned on the map, yet the hidden gold remained elusive. One of Poor’s partners, Montroy, held onto the map for several years before it mysteriously disappeared.
In more recent times, a local family claims direct lineage from Le Blanc and professes to hold an authentic, French-language map passed down through generations. This family has reportedly been quietly searching for the lost gold cache for over three generations. After years of dedicated effort, they claim to have successfully identified seven of the eight crucial landmarks marked on their ancestral map.
An Eerie Discovery and Supernatural Encounters
The family’s quest took an extraordinary turn in 1993. While hunting elk in the mountains south of Del Norte, one family member sought shelter from a sudden, cold downpour. He discovered a 3-foot opening in the ground, which led to a man-made tunnel, approximately 5 by 4 feet in dimension. Crawling about 20 feet into the hillside, his path was abruptly blocked by an underground landslide. Shining his flashlight into the dark passage, he spotted a carving on the rock wall – a carving he believed to be the long-lost eighth clue.
The very next day, 20 family members returned, determined to excavate the cave-in. They tunneled an additional twelve feet into the mountainside. As dusk approached, they began lining the length of the passageway with candles. Before they could light the first one at the entrance, the candle at the far end of the tunnel inexplicably flared to life on its own! Frantically, the family member closest to the entrance scrambled back as a swarm of bats suddenly poured out from the hillside, squeaking and aggressively diving towards the surprised party. Undeterred, they knelt to light the first candle, only for the candle at the far end to flare on again. As the stunned group stared in horror, a giant owl dive-bombed the shocked party, coming within inches of their heads. Terrified by this series of highly unusual and unsettling events, the family fled the passageway and returned home, deeply shaken.
Was the French gold on Treasure Mountain
