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Stolen Loot at the Truckee River
It wasn’t just gold and silver miners
who flooded
Nevada in the late 1800s in search of their
fortunes.
Nevada, like other states of the
Wild West,
attracted its share of
outlaws and bandits. One such man, named
Andrew Jackson "Jack" Davis, led
a gang of thieves involved in robbing stage stops, bullion wagons, and
trains in Western
Nevada.
First arriving in the area in 1859,
Davis led
two different lives. To the outside world he looked like a
legitimate business man when he set up a livery stable in
Gold Hill.
However, in his "spare" time, Davis and his gang took to the bandit road,
taking gold and bullion from any source they could find.
Davis built a small bullion mill in Six Mile Canyon
east of
Virginia City,
Nevada and melted down his
stolen gold, selling it as legitimate gold bars. He then buried his
proceeds so people would not notice or catch on to how wealthy he
really was.
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Six Mile Canyon from C Street in
Virginia City, Nevada,
1866
This image available for photographic
prints
HERE!
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On November 4, 1870 the gang robbed the express car of
the Central Pacific Railroad near Verdi,
Nevada taking some $40,000 in
gold coins and bullion. Pursued by lawmen, they were said to
have buried the stolen cache along the north bank of the Truckee
River, between Reno and Laughton's Hot Springs west of town, near the
site of the long-abandoned River Inn.
The entire gang was apprehended and all
were sent to the
Nevada State Prison, but would not tell where they
had hidden their stolen loot.
In 1875, Davis was paroled but two years later, he was
shot in the back during a Wells Fargo stagecoach robbery near Warm
Springs,
Nevada.
If
Davis
ever returned for his cache is unknown, but many believe it is still
hidden
in Six-Mile Canyon or in the vicinity of
the Truckee River. Treasure hunters have long searched these two
locations without success.
Another legend
abounds that the ghost of Jack Davis protects his treasure in the
canyon. Many who have looked for the treasure have been
frightened away by the white screaming phantom that is said to
sometimes sprout wings and rise into the air.
Vintage Postcard - reprint 1871 Currier & Ives "The Route To California"
Truckee River Sierra-Nevada
Steam Locomotive train railroad engine
More Treasure Tales Next Page
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From the Rocky Mountain General Store
 Vintage
Photographs of the Old West - From our personal
Photo Print Shop, you can now order prints that provide
dramatic glimpses into the rich heritage of the
American
West. From notorious
outlaws,
to
Native Americans,
buffalo
roaming the range, and pioneers on the trail, and more.
We also provide hundreds of
photos
we've taken during our travels that can be used for personal or
commercial purposes.
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