The captivating tale of a lost treasure in Southern Colorado in 1910 unfolds through the vivid journals of artist Frederick Melville DuMond. His adventurous expedition through the American Southwest that summer unexpectedly led him and his guide to a remarkable discovery, chronicling perhaps the most intriguing lost treasure in Southern Colorado in 1910. This first-hand account, penned in 1911, transports us to a time when unexplored wilderness held secrets beyond imagination, revealing an ancient mystery and a hidden fortune.
Frederick Melville DuMond: An Artist’s Grand Vision
Frederick Melville DuMond (1867-1927), a prominent artist, embarked on an ambitious painting expedition across Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Colorado during the summer of 1910. His primary objective was to capture “twenty or thirty views or scenes painted from nature and interesting in ethnology and geology,” envisioning an exhibition that would showcase the “peculiar wonderland” of the American Southwest. This grand artistic endeavor aimed to bring the scenic marvels of the Grand Canyon, petrified forests, cliff dwellings, and Indian villages to a wider audience, culminating in a successful exhibition of 34 of his paintings at the American Museum of Natural History in 1912.
DuMond’s journey commenced with a celebrated “circular route” railroad trip through Southern Colorado. His initial stop was the renowned ruins of Mesa Verde, where he dedicated several days to painting from June 12 to June 16. Following this, he ventured into New Mexico and Arizona, where he stayed with the famous Indian trader Lorenzo Hubbell, who equipped him for an extensive two to three-week painting excursion into Canyon de Chelly and its surrounding historical sites. Upon returning to New York City, DuMond began drafting two narratives of his adventures, intending to submit them to Outing, a popular American magazine dedicated to sports and the outdoors, though they remained unfinished.
The Mesa Verde Expedition and Charley Ashleigh’s Role
The specific episode detailing the lost treasure in Southern Colorado in 1910 comes from DuMond’s narrative of his painting adventures near Mesa Verde. This account was later submitted by Richard Panofsky, DuMond’s great-grandson, who maintains possession of the artist’s original notebooks and documents. DuMond harbored a profound, lifelong desire to immerse himself in the ancient cliff dwellings, hoping to unravel the mysteries of their inhabitants and imagine their daily lives. His ambition was not to write a scientific treatise, but rather to “paint a word picture” of these ancient people and their villages, colored by an artist’s imagination.
The narrative truly begins as DuMond, whom he often referred to as a “tenderfoot,” found himself traversing the dusty landscape from Mancos toward what he called the Grand Canyon of the San Juan River – a location likely identifiable today as Grand Gulch, approximately 30 miles from Mesa Verde. His guide and companion on this adventure was Charley Ashleigh, a colorful character known for playing the first cornet in a circus band. Ashleigh’s tales and DuMond’s observations painted a vivid picture of their journey through the rugged Colorado terrain.
Discovery of the Mysterious Tower
One afternoon, while journeying along the rim of a secluded canyon leading to the Grand Canyon of the San Juan, Charley suddenly spurred his animal forward, gesturing for DuMond to follow. They rode directly through the cedars to the canyon rim, where Charley pointed to an extraordinary cone-shaped tower. This peculiar structure stood recessed not forty feet from the top of the opposite rim. They swiftly circled the small blind canyon, which they later christened Chimney Canyon, and returned with a coil of rope from their camp. Within moments, they had descended and swung onto the ledge. Charley confidently declared this to be the north-facing storehouse he had often spoken of.
Indeed, the site bore all the hallmarks of a storehouse, containing substantial quantities of corn and cobs, alongside numerous small niches where pots and urns had been carefully placed. Yet, a perplexing enigma remained: despite their thorough search, they could find no discernible entrance into the tower or chimney itself. This absence of doors led them to initially believe it might be a monument to a deceased chief or important figure. They observed slits positioned about four feet from the top, conjecturing the presence of an altar at the monument’s summit.
The Mummified Hand and Secret Passageway
A peculiar brownish object protruded from one of these slits, while corn cobs were embedded in the mortar at the masonry’s angles. Driven by curiosity, they ascended above, improvising a ladder from a long hemlock tree by chopping off its branches. Charley descended first, and DuMond followed, steadying the ladder as Charley climbed to the top of the tower. What DuMond witnessed next sent Charley into a torrent of
