The Lost Treasure of Hendrick?s Lake
seldom:
Out of all Texas Treasure this is the one I would like to see found. And it is one of the few I feel 99% about. There are reports back to the 1850's of search's for it. Back in 1975 I meet a guy who claimed to have worked as a hard hat diver in the 50's for a outfit from Houston. He never claimed to have found the silver but had pictures of metal wagon parts and other thing's found on the bank with a WWII mine detector.
The funny thing is I have only been to Hendricks once in my life and its not that far from me, so know little about were to look or even if you can still get to the area.
It's just a good story and would like to hear from others who might have looked for it.
The infamous pirate of the Gulf Jean Lafitte took a $2 million fortune in silver from a Spanish galleon and supposedly buried it in the Sabine River near the East Texas town of Sabine. Ho-hum, right? Just another myth? Well, according to a story by Mary Rogers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there is evidence that in the early 1800?s the theft did happen and that Jean Lafitte?s men, afraid that they were about to be ambushed, pushed several wagons loaded with silver ingots into the muddy waters. Some fishermen in the last century pulled several silver bars from those very waters with a hoop net. That set off a huge treasure hunting stampede. In 1884 treasure hunters were all over the Sabine and a nearby lake that had been fed by the Sabine.
The story died down but regained momentum when treasure hunting became popular again in the fifties and when True West magazine printed an article about the long-forgotten silver prompting treasure hunters to flock to Carthage and Tatum. After getting some readings at the bottom of the lake (Hendrick?s Lake), two Dallas oilmen actually brought in a giant crane and attached a drag bucket to the cable. But they got nothing. More than once the crane almost toppled into the water. The oilmen then built a raft with a hole in the center and sank large pipes into the goop on the lake bottom. They lowered another contraption through the pipe to the lake floor. A light came on when the probe hit metal. But a giant storm hit the area, destroying the raft and washing away all the evidence.
Later, someone else who got high metal readings tried to dynamite the bottom of the lake. But alas, nothing came of it. There are still treasure hunters to this day who believe the Lafitte fortune would be found if the lake was drained.
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GoldDigger1950:
Fishing there once, an old friend of mine needed to relieve himself of his early morning coffee and asked his fishing buddy if it was all right to do it in the lake. His pal replied, "Sure, but just don't flush."
There must be a flush handle, Seldom. Might be easier to find than the silver bars. Or a drain plug?
Out of curiosity, is the lake water clear or muddy?
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seldom:
Very muddy. Every report I have seen or heard say viability is zero. and soft mud is 6 or 8 ft.
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BitburgAggie_7377:
I'm with you Seldom, that particular legend has always been intrigueing.
BA
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GoldDigger1950:
Quote:Posted by seldomVery muddy. Every report I have seen or heard say viability is zero. and soft mud is 6 or 8 ft.
As a long time reader of Lost Treasure and W&ET, your accounting is not the first I've read of it. Have you thought of a MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) scan? You might even find one already done by planes from Beeville. Use the FOIA to request copies from the US Navy. Required training flights over water mean that nearly every square inch of lake or seabed in and around the USA has been mapped using MAD.
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seldom:
Good info GD but don't think I will go looking for this one got to many projects now but still interesting.
Little more info:
A man named Fox Tatum tried to drain the lake in 1855 but was unsuccessful.
In 1895 3 or 5 Mexicans showed up with a map and point out the area they thought the wagons were pushed in the lake. They tried to drain the lake also but left after several weeks. I have read several reports of this some say 3 men and others say 5 Mexicans were involved
In 1928 some fisherman found several silver bars were they lanched their boat. They and others hunted the area but no more were reported.
In 1975 some divers discovered metal fittings and a iron rim from a wagon wheel. if they found any silver it was not reported.
Also a iron wheel was found in 1959 and one in 1964.
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proberod:
I've read of this many times , as most stories it is probably founded in truth but also has many added personal spins as do most treasure stories do your research and you can be the winneer! ARGG [detecting]
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Bum Luck:
Where is Hendricks Lake? It seems to be near Tatum, Longview, Sabine, and Huntsville.
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seldom:
A man named Fox Tatum tried to drain the lake in 1855 but was unsuccessful.
Yea Tatum was named after Fox Tatum who searched for the treasure in 1855. Are you in that area Bum Luck.
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treasuremomo:
Very interesting story...
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