I've heard this legend a few times over the years- 1500's-1600's Spanish party travel through uppereast tn/nc area when ambushed by cherokee and killed. Cherokee take large spanish cross and a fortune in gold (coins?) hid coins in cave at fork in river refered to as devils fork. I've heard that the cave is impossible to find or get to. Recently it dawned on me that I remember another/seperate legend (this time native american) about a sheer rock face called devil's ____. Which happens to have inaccesable cave openings and is located along the same river as the other legend. If anyone has any info or can point me in the right direction to find info about this gold legend please let me know.

Thanks, V.

-- V (V@anonymous.com), January 11, 2002

Answers

I don't exactly believe this stuff but my husband got a book for Christmas about the very thing you're asking about. BURIED TREASURES OF THE APPALACHIANS by W. C. Jameson Published by August House, Inc, Little Rock, AK, 1991

-- Rosalie (Dee) in IN (deatline@globalsite.net), January 11, 2002.

Read "Hustlers and Con Men" by Jay Robert Nash.

-- gita (gita@directcon.net), January 11, 2002.

My first thought on this is why would these Spanish explorers in that period of history be carrying "A fortune in gold (coins?)" . Were they expecting to find a shopping mall?

-- David A. (mncscott@ak.net), January 11, 2002.

The same legend persists in many other parts of the country, resurfacing regularly for a new audience. Here in the Ozarks, it was "Spanish Silver" that is buried somewhere now covered by Corps of Engineers lake water, etc.

WC's book is a very good one to put such legends in perspective. He is a friend of ours.

Vern M. in the Arkansas' Ozarks

-- Vern M. (modeland@runningriver.com), January 11, 2002.

Exploration was quite an undertaking. Are there any records of a trip to North Carolina and Tennesee? Who? When?

Instead of buying a book, you might be better off buying some lottery tickets.

-- paul (wprimeroselane@msn.com), January 11, 2002.

We got the same or similar story in Indiana indiana jack

-- indiana jack (injack1@aol.com), January 11, 2002.

http://goldprospectors.org/

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 11, 2002.

"Wow", "Amazing"! I've heard the same story here in N.E. Oklahoma on the Illinois river. When I was a little kid we would travel down hwy 10 to Tahlequah, Okla. and when we would come to this one place, you could see a shear dropp off on the big hill side over the river. There was a small cave opening on this drop off and my mother would always tell about the spanish supposedly hid some gold in this cave. She would tell me that the only way to the cave would be to climb down a rope to the cave opening.

No wonder the spanish didn't succeed in this new country, they kept hidding their money instead of investing it.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), January 11, 2002.

Hey, V-baby, if I knew where they hid the loot, do you think I'd tell you?? (It's Mine, all mine, aahahahahahaaa!!!)

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), January 11, 2002.

Here in Ky we have a similar ledgend but its a fortune in silver. Theres also Confederate gold hidden in them thar hills.

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), January 14, 2002.

I think the cave is along my property line. Just dig up all that bamboo (!!!) and we'll see. You can have it! ;)

-- Anne (Healthytouch101@wildmail.com), January 14, 2002.