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Asotin County - Situated in the
southeastern most corner of
Washington
in a remote mountainous area, is the ghost town of Rogersburg,
with less than 25 residents today. A river boomtown stimulated by gold
discoveries, the town was once accessible only by horse or by boat. In fact, it wasn’t until 1938, that a road from Asotin finally reached
the small village. On or near Shovel Creek, off the Snake River,
is thought to be the lost Shovel Creek Mine. Also near Rogersburg
is said to be the Trio Lost Mine, as well as a hidden cache left by a
long ago prospector. Yet another cache is said have been buried
near Rogersburg by outlaw Charley Maguire after he robbed a
stagecoach.
Bloom County - Located in the heart of Puget Sound is Vashon
Island where a successful lumberman by the name of Lars Hanson lived
in the 1870’s. On the banks of Judd Creek, near Burton, he was
said to have hidden more than $200,00 in gold coins. |

Vashon Island sits in the heart of Puget
Sound and can
only be reached by boat, photo by David Benham.
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Clark
County - For more than a century, rumors have abounded that there is a
rich mine hidden in the Cascade Mountains. Said to have been located
near the headwaters of the Lewis River
somewhere in the wilderness between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams, the mine
was worked by an old Spaniard in the 1880’s. The miner often journeyed
south to The Dalles, Oregon, to bank his gold at the French & Company
Bank. On a number of occasions, other prospectors would attempt to follow
him as he returned to the mine, but the old Spaniard was clever and always
eluded them, using a number of tricks including putting the shoes on his
mule backwards. Suddenly the old Spaniard stopped appearing to bank his
gold and local miners began to wonder what had happened to him. About a
year later, numerous Yakama Indians began showing in a number of stores
in Washington, paying for goods with gold nuggets. When asked where they
had obtained the gold, the Indians refused to answer. Soon, rumors began
to circulate that the Indians had found the Spaniard's mine. Later, a
skeleton of a man and a mule was discovered near Spirit Lake by Mt. St.
Helens. It was thought to have been the old Spaniard who had been killed
by the Indians. The mine, that some say is hidden behind a waterfall in a
cavern, has never been found.
Grant County - Outlaws are said to have buried some $30,000 in gold
in a cave somewhere on Sentinel Mountain in the Saddle Mountain
Range, about three miles southeast of Beverly.
Pacific County - Captain James
Scarborough was the first white settler north of the Columbia River
and built a frontier cabin in 1843. Allegedly, he buried a
treasure near his cabin on what is now Fort Columbia. If a
treasure is buried there, it will have to stay hidden, as the
historic fort is now a
Washington
State Park.
Stevens County - The Lost Doukhober
Mine, discovered in 1929, is said to be located in the northern
part of Stevens County. Ore from this mine assayed at 1,000 oz of silver
per ton. Another lost cache is said to be buried at
Robbers' Roost near
Fruitland.
Stevens County - Located near the
town of Colville, a treasure known as The Highgrader's Poor Farm
treasure is said to be hidden. Poor Farm treasure refers to
"Matte" - a crude mixture of sulphides produced when smelting gold. It is thought to be buried near an old brickyard. |
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