Mr. Thomas Payson budger@mail.com wrote the other day to inquire into an Oklahoma treasure story in the Kellyville, Okla., area. I know personally of this lost treasure since I once hunted for it, without success. Thomas wrote the following over the Internet. ? would like to inquire how I would go about obtaining a copy of an article Tom Vance wrote for one of your other publications (Treasure Cache, as a matter of fact). The article was about a $60,000 gold coin cache, five miles west of Kellyville, along an old ?urkey Track Trail· near the ghost town of Heyburn. A buddy gave me a copy and I lost or misplaced the article, and he won? give me another copy, because he thinks the cache is his. I think Tom even looked for the gold coin cache. Thomas Payson.·

Since your ?uddy·is probably going to read this, I hope I have not contributed to a complete breakdown in your relationship with him. You might consider yourself lucky that you two did not hunt this treasure and find ?is cache· There is no telling what might have happened on the site. Anyway, it is true that I did write about this old Indian stash and my search for it. I only spent one day looking so I really did not cover the area that well (the three of us did not grid the area to tell where we searched) and there was plenty of area to cover. Since that one day? search, I?e been back to the area to try to locate where we left old U.S. Highway 66, west of Kellyville, Okla. The roads in the area have been changed somewhat so that I did not recognize the place where we turned off. Too, back then in the late 1960s I did not drive to the site so I didn? pay particular attention to where we were headed and exactly how far out of Kellyville. I only know that it was west on old Highway 66 about five miles at a place where the highway hits a curve and goes sort of northwest before heading back west-south-west again.

This was an interesting site in that you could tell that it had been settled for a long, long time. We found some old social security mills made from aluminum and these would have come out of the 1940s, so someone lived there for at least into the decade of the forties. I recall locating a flat, rectangular sandstone rock with two holes drilled through it. One went straight through and the other was drilled at an angle so as to allow the user of the rock to locate something through either hole and then focus through the other hole at another location, perhaps the burial site of the treasure. There were also Spanish drill holes in the rocks near a creek crossing that lay on the east side of the property.

For those who haven? read the story, it related to an old Creek Indian who was allotted the land when he came to Oklahoma from Alabama during the removal of the five civilized tribes from the South to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He flourished and saved his money from the sale of his property in the South and used to take his young daughter with him as he periodically moved his kettle that contained $60,000 from place to place on his farm. Outlaws tortured him, trying to locate the cache he had hidden and since he would not tell them where he had hidden his money, they ended up killing him. The daughter came back to the Kellyville area in 1966 or 1967 and attempted to relocate the lost cache, but could not find it.

QIs this the place where I ask if you know of any place to metal detect? I ordered one of your magazines (October 2000 Edition) and read on pages 58 and 59 about people asking about places to metal detect near where they live. So I was wondering if you knew of any places near Mocksville, N.C., to metal detect? Alexander Sain, Mocksville, N.C.

AYes Alexander, you?e come to the right place to ask where to metal detect in your area near Mocksville. Actually, your county of Davie is kind of barren and has but two ghost towns and no known treasure tale sites. The ghost towns are Felix located six miles west of Farmington and Cornatzer some five miles east north-east of Mocksville. North of you in Yadkin County is the location of Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River eight miles east of Courtney. This was once the location of a settlement which dated from around 1700. Later in 1780 the American Patriots won a battle with the British Tories in the same area. Good research on your part might turn up some very good relics like musket balls and such. Along with the Shallow Ford location as described above, was a place called Trading Ford, about three miles north of this Shallow Ford, again on the Yadkin River and the site of an early settlement, where British troops camped in the 1780s.

Over in Forsyth County is the site of Bethabara about ten miles northwest of Winston Salem. This was called Old Town and also Dutch Fort during the period of 1753 to 1791 when it was abandoned. Thankfully, there are still foundations and the site of an old church should help you locate the old place.

QI am interested in a cache of rifles buried by General George Custer? troops while on an expedition into the Black Hills of South Dakota. I haven? been able to find any information that verifies their existence, or the skirmish that prompted the action. It? hard to believe that mere troopers could bury rifles and burn a wagon without filing a report. Someone must have been responsible for these items and that someone would be held accountable at some point. I have been looking for this cache for awhile now on faith . . . hoping that it exists. I would feel a bit more comfortable if I knew that it really existed. I would appreciate any help you can provide such as sources, people and whatever. William D. Leschensky, Custer, S.D.

ABill, it does appear from your letter that you have earnestly been looking for this cache of old Custer-era Army rifles for some time. Can you imagine having too many weapons in your arsenal that you have to bury some of them to be able to move a little more quickly in your campaign into the Black Hills of South Dakota? From the reports I?e read in this matter, Custer was not that far away from the action of his troops in burying the excess rifles. In fact, he probably gave the direct order to one of his subordinate officers to get the job done. Possibly he became aggravated at having to slow down the movement of his command to wait on the wagon(s) carrying the extra arms.

It is reported that General Custer was camped with his troops on Bogus Jim Creek near the town of Nemo. Slowed by his excess baggage consisting of arms, ammunition, whiskey as well as a large payroll chest, the order was given to make up a cache and bury it along the creek. It was thought that the Custer Command could pick up the cached goods on their return trip, out of the Black Hills. Due to Custer? pursuit of hostile Indians, he left that area failing to return by this route.

QI received my first issue of Lost Treasure magazine in January, 2000 and enjoyed it since it was very interesting, especially your ?uestions And Answers Column· Now, I have a question to ask you. I used to get a Lost Treasure magazine in 1987 and the address was P.O. Box 937, 15115 S. 76th E. Avenue, Bixby, Okla. Is this the same magazine that I? receiving now as back then in 1987? I? sure like for you to let me know if you can. Glen W. Warman, Centralia, Wash.

AGlen, it is nice to know of your interest in our fine magazine. Yes, it is the same magazine that you read back in 1987, just a different town (Grove, Okla.), but the same format with a little more emphasis on the Internet and computer input. You are correct in also stating that Mr. Michael Paul Henson (former Question & Answer man) has passed away. We hope that this puts your mind at ease in subscribing to Lost Treasure and we hope you will continue to read and enjoy the subject of treasure hunting out there in the state of Washington. I would also like to invite you to write me to inquire about some treasure tale I can help you with.

QI purchased a house in Lexington, Okla., and cleaning up we found a stock certificate of Stargo Mining & Milling Company of Nevada with the issue date of October 2, 1908. Is this mining operation still in business today and is the stock of any value today? Kenneth Bray, Lexington, Okla.

AI doubt very much that the Stargo Mining & Milling Company is still up and running today, but it wouldn? hurt to try to find out. I would write to the Nevada State Capital located at Carson City and direct my letter to the State Mining Commission. Also, include a photostatic (Xerox) of your mining stock certificate so that they know exactly which mining company you are referring to. One other thought in case the Stargo Company is out of business, and your certificate is worthless, you might try to locate someone in the antique business who might shoot you a price for your certificate, particularly if the paper is in good condition. Good luck.