Costilla County – The treasure of the paymaster of Fort Garland was stashed on Trinchera Creek.
El Paso County – Near Monument, between Colorado Springs and Denver, the Butch Cassidy Gang is said to have stashed $100,000 from their bank robberies.
Ute Pass, Colorado, 1893.
El Paso County – An outlaw gang called the “Bloody Espinosas” terrorized the San Luis Valley in 1863. Supposedly, the gang had received a vision from the Virgin Mary and tried to drive the Anglos out by robbing them. They were said to have buried their treasure near the present-day town of Cascade in Ute Pass on the slopes of Pikes Peak. The gang eluded capture for a time but was finally conquered by an army scout from Fort Garland, who rode back to the fort with their heads in a sack.
Garfield County – Train robbery loot hidden near Grand Valley remains undiscovered.
Gilpin County – A chest filled with gold was hidden on Ralston Creek Road between Central City and Denver.
Huerfano County – Two barrels of coins belonging to Henry Sefton were lost at the Gomez Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Lake County – Some of Jesse James’ stolen wealth is said to be hidden in Half Moon Gulch, southwest of Leadville.
Larimer County – The Musgrove Gang, headed by Lee Musgrove, were thieves and rustlers who ranged from Texas to Wyoming to Kansas. Noted for their barbarity, they were said to have killed at least twelve people during their raids. However, Colorado lawman Dave Cook went after the gang and, one by one, either killed or arrested every one of them. Lee Musgrove was finally caught by Cook in Wyoming Territory and was jailed in Denver. On November 23, 1868, a crowd stormed the jail and lynched the outlaw. The Musgrove Corral Treasure of gold and silver coins is said to remain buried along the Cache la Poudre River.
Otero County – The site of Bent’s Fort on the old Santa Fe Trail is supposed to be where much treasure is buried.
Lincoln County – In 1847, bandits stole $100,000 from Sacramento, California, during the California Gold Rush. The gold is said to have been hidden in a gulch several miles east of Clifford in Lincoln County. Three stones supposedly marked the spot, each bearing the date 1847. This story was further supported when a flat stone bearing the inscription “D. Grover and Joseph Fox Lawe, Aug. 8, 1847” was discovered near Clifford many years ago.
Moffat County – A cache of gold ore worth $10,000 was buried somewhere in Pat’s Hole within today’s Dinosaur National Monument. Today, the treasure is worth many times that value, but it has never been recovered.
Browns Hole, Colorado 1937.
In the 1890s, Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch often fled into the remote valley of Brown’s Hole to escape from lawmen. It is believed that much of their outlaw loot was cached here and never recovered. Located just south of Wyoming, along the Utah–Colorado border, it was rumored that the only law was that of the fastest gun. Brown’s Hole was located along the Outlaw Trail, which made it an ideal location for hiding rustled cattle and horses. Butch’s girlfriend, Josie Morris, lived at Brown’s Park on the Bassett Ranch, where Butch occasionally worked as a ranch hand. Little evidence is left of this outlaw paradise. Remainders include many graves along the river, Josie’s cabin, and remnants of Doc Parson’s cabin, where Butch Cassidy lived for a brief time.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2025.
Also See:
Colorado – The Centennial State
Mountain Treasures in Colorado
See Sources.