The legend says Bass used Longhorn Caverns as a hideout after some of his robberies although treasure seekers have yet to find any loot there. Llano County is home to other buried treasure sites, including $60,000 in gold and silver coins buried by Sam Bass near the community of Castell in the western part of the county. Bass died from his wounds later on his birthday, July 21, 1878 at the age of 27, thus making him one of the original members of the 27 Club. He was buried in the cemetery at Old Round Rock. This venture left the two broke. New clues to the $60,000 in newly minted gold coins from the train robbery that Sam Bass buried just before he died in a bank hold up in Round rock Texas. This websites also uses 'cookies' to give you the most relevant experience while browsing. The next year, Sam met a teamster named Scott Mayes and the two headed to Denton, Texas, about 30 miles north of Dallas. You can imagine someone responding to the statement, I am from Round Rock with Oh, the place where Sam Bass was killed.. Bass buried the loot on a creek bed, marking the spot with a rock in a fork of a tree. Texas is estimated to have $340 million in buried treasure, more than any other state . According to legend, the infamous robber Sam Bass stole 3,000 gold bars worth $20 each from the Union Pacific Railroad. There are also local legends that Bass used a cave located near Grapevine Lake. This eventually took them to Nebraska, where they sold the herd and used the money to take up gold prospecting in the Black Hills. Another pair, composed of James Berry and Nixon, was split up and Berry was captured; Nixon, it is assumed, escaped with his share to Canada. This cave is a knights of the golden circle deposit, Only, on . Home Departments Planning and Development Services Historic Preservation The Historic Round Rock Collection The Story of Sam Bass. All the rancher found was a cave, and a piece of canvas sack with U.S. imprinted on it. A tree similar to the one described on the map was spotted by treasure-hunters and chopped downonly to come up empty. Sam traveled down the Mississippi, to Rosedale, Mississippi, where he worked for a year in Charles Mill. The silver has yet to be discovered. Please consider clicking the box NOTIFY ME below to receive email notifications when we post new articles. The location is on private land, but it is located on Signal Hill, which can easily be spotted from Interstate 35. Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. The stolen bounty was part of the Mexican payroll in 1836 and its allegedly buried 5 feet deep, near an oak tree with a carving of two eagle wings on it, according to TexasHillCountry.com. These pages are adapted from the original 1991 print version. His money and good spirits attracted many people, some of whom would later become a part of the Sam Bass Gang when he took to robbing trains in Texas. On the night of April 13, a box was lifted from the square cut chamber between the rocks, for the next day the workmen were gone and the blasting has ceased. there are a couple good books I have read on the subject. Your email address will not be published. 2. Required fields are marked *. Through patronizing saloons, Sam met Joel Collins in San Antonio and the two men decided to run a herd of cattle up north. Once in Denton, Sam explained his new found wealth from a strike he had made prospecting in the Black Hills. Williamson County Sun Publishers, Georgetown, Texas: 1973. Today, Sam Bass is not as well-known as he was in the past; however, the City maintains its historical legacy as evidenced by the street markers identifying the events in the celebrated shootout. Stories abound of individuals searching for the Bass gold. As Sam left the scene he was said to have uttered, Hell, boys, theyve hit me at last. Ranger Harold and a local citizen named Conner shot at the gang with rifles. Glenmoril Wyrd Treasure Map: Bangkorai. The location was said to be in a hollow tree on what is now the Sam Bass Road, about two miles west of Round Rock. In association with Jack Davis and another man known as Nixon, they held up seven stages over the next few months (Ibid. T.J. and Camera-Girl go Northwest of Dallas, Texas in search of Sam Bass treasure. I went to the area and found nothing. Jim was taken to Tyler to face charges of robbing the U.S. mails. You will need to inform the landowner of what you are going after, so a written agreement that lays out any potential discovery and how the treasure is to be split up is a necessity. You will find things that don't add up, plus some surprises. Curious throngs soon found the dark tunnel and with lights discovered traces of the large wooden box that had laid beneath the dirt for more than 60 years.. Sam Bass was a noted outlaw and train robber who led two gangs during the days of the Wild West - the Black Hills Bandits between 1876-1877 and the Bass Gang of Texas that operated in 1877-1878 The noted train robber was born in Mitchell, Indiana, on July 21, 1851, to Daniel and Elizabeth Jane Bass. You are using an out of date browser. The conquistadors are said to have filled in the mine so nobody else could discover the hoard. As the bandits were fleeing through Old Town, Frank, concerned about gunfire, had the presence of mind to warn a little girl who was playing in a tree to get in the house (Reed and Tate 221). After the ceremony, she reported that a man on a bay horse, whom she recognized as Frank Jackson, came riding up from the north. JavaScript is disabled. Jan. 1970: 31+. When Sam Bass, the Notorious Texas Bandit Was Killed, by Capt. It is believed that he went to Denton for a few days (Ibid. Citizens were deeply concerned about the presence of gangs of bandits in the state and the demand for law and order was sounded. Jim Judas Murphy spent the rest of his life in fear, worrying that one of Basss friends was going to avenge Sams betrayal by killing him. One of Sam Bass' hideout caves near Pilot Knob, amongst hundreds of purported spots scoured for hidden gold. 1878 was a time of political ill-ease in the State of Texas. One story places the hidden gold in a cave in East Mountain at Mineral Wells (Grigsby). When will you folks be re-stocking the prospector rounds? This statement caused the Rangers to assume that Dick Ware was the one who had administered the fatal blow. Bass is also tied to legends of treasure buried treasure in Burnet and Llano counties as well as Packsaddle Mountain, Lone Star Treasure reports. The Sam Bass legends are not the only treasure-filled stories flying around Williamson County. According to an Austin American story in the early 1920s, a pack train of burros carrying 40 jackloads of silver was pursued by a band of Comanche Indians and the men in charge of the pack train buried the silver near where the town of Leander is now located.. Sam's treasure map in NW part of map I received a letter from Sam that she had a treasure map - said it could be a prank. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; Who actually shot Bass has been the subject of much controversy. The Union Pacific gold train robbery happened in Big Springs, Nebraska and to this day remains to be one of the largest train holdups in history. The two arrived in Denton, and Sam found employment with Sheriff W. F. Dad Eagan (who would later spend much effort searching for the outlaw Bass) (Webb Century of Frontier Defense 371-372). After the Mesquite Robbery, a cry of indignation went out from the people of North Texas. But well get to that a little later in this tale. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Get started by scanning the QR code in the image above. No treasure was ever recovered, and today there is little remaining of the original McNeil, located in the northern part of Travis County near Round Rock. Ranger Ware claimed that he later saw him in the Arizona State Prison, using the name of Downing (Centennial Commission). The governor responded by calling in the Texas Rangers to find and capture the notorious bandits. As a legend, the accounts of Sams life are as varied as the number of individuals telling the tale. Supposedly, he diverted a gully directly into the mine, filling it with silt. Why? 301 W. Bagdad Avenue, Suite 210Round Rock, Texas 78664Phone: 512-218-5428 | Fax: 512-218-3286Inspection Services, 301 W. Bagdad Avenue Suite 100, 512-218-5550Code Enforcement, 221 E. Main Street, 512-218-3329Community Development, 221 E. Main Street, 512-341-3148, NewsCalendarJobsCity CouncilSitemapWebsite Feedback, Service RequestService DirectoryPayment CenterDevelopment/Permit TrackerOpen Records CenterPublic Notices, Staff DirectoryMobile AppsAlerts Sign UpE-Subscribe, City of Round Rock221 East Main StreetRound Rock, TX 78664512-218-5400, Sam Bass and the Great Round Rock Shootout of July 19, 1878. Good luck with your hunt! John R. Banister, the Ranger who was assigned to guard the dying Bass claimed that Sams last words were actually This world is a bubble, trouble wherever you go probably a more fitting epitaph for Sam Basss life (DiGesualdo and Thompson 114). The end result would be the death and capture of Sam and the renewed faith and financial support for the Rangers (Centennial Commission). It was at this point that Sam indicated that he was in too much pain to continue (Scarbrough 295-296). When the procession passed the house of J. W. Ledbetter, a Methodist Minister, he joined in and conducted a Christian funeral ceremony for Sam (Carmack 1B). Seeking immunity, and with an interest in collecting the reward money, Jim agreed to rejoin the Bass Gang and betray Sam to the Rangers (Ibid. While no one is entirely certain if this is true or not, the area is certainly one in which Bass frequented quite a bit so there is certainly a chance. Context The Governor decided that the time had come to call in the Texas Rangers to capture the bandits; thus the Bass War began. Copyright 2023 Provident Metals Corp. All Rights Reserved. However, the most convincing evidence that the Sam Bass legend continues was the publication of yet another meticulously documented book on Sam, The Tenderfoot Bandits by Paula Reed and Grover Ted Tate in 1988. Smith, Helena Huntington. He arrived in Denton, Texas in 1870 and Bass took work on a nearby ranch. Bass went to his hideout at Cove Hollow near Denton, Texas. A few of the men were later captured or killed. Equally fascinating is the enduring legacy of Sams hidden gold in Denton! Glenmoril Wyrd Treasure Map: Eastmarch. Writers Kevin Burns (developed for television by) Mark D'Anna Joe Lessard Stars Matty Blake Mary Matson, a black woman who had been employed by Sam Bass to cook some meals earlier in the week, observed the funeral from a cotton patch. Another version of the story says the gold still lies hidden somewhere in the mountain. Is there treasure on the Denton Square? I received a letter from Sam that she had a treasure map - said it could be a prank. He, along with Sam Bass and another man named Jack Davis, then drove the herd north to Ogallala, Nebraska, where they the herd for $8,000. The robbers quickly went for their horses hoping to escape. There are many accounts of what became of Frank Jackson after he left Round Rock. Since it is hard to imagine that Sam could have used up all of his gold before he started train robbing again, it lends credence to the story that Sam robbed for sport more than for profit. #1. Anyone have a suggestion or other help? However, Ware is credited with killing Seaborn Barnes (Ibid.). Thus, the stage was set for the eventual Ranger triumph over the gang in Round Rock. Such was the fame of Bass that it was believed that the person who shot hm would be subsequently killed by one of Basss supporters; thus, individuals were not anxious to be known as the person responsible for killing him (England). Lost Padre Mine Treasure. In June, a posse challenged the gang to a gunfight in which Arkansas Johnson was killed and Henry Underwood rode off never to return to the gang (Centennial Commission). Sam saved up his money and bought a racehorse that allowed him to quit his job and focus on racing and gambling. Found this at a rev war site in SC, any idea what it may be? 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