As far as I'm concerned, I've got more gold in my upper bridge than is in those mountains., The center of interest is Victoria Peak, a 1,500foot hill in the San Andres Mountains on missile range land about 25 miles northeast of Las Cruces. The NMBGMR is conducting a research project examining the origin, occurrence, trace element composition, and resource potential of placer gold deposits in the state. Using ropes for support and guided by his flashlights wavering beam, Doc Noss descended a series of interconnecting chambers which led downward for 186 feet. All Rights Reserved. An investigation by Freedom has probed the history of that region, particularly the nearly 49 years since gold bars were first found in that area in November 1937 by a man named Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss, as fascinating a character as ever held a six-gun. In the Fall of 1939, Doc wanted to enlarge the passageway into Victorio Peak so that the treasures could be more easily removed. We are a research and service division of: Placer gold deposits were an important source of gold in New Mexico prior to 1902, but placer production after 1902 has been minor. [7], Theories abound on the origins of the alleged treasure, including that it was pilfered from Mexico during the reign of the Austrian puppet Emperor Maximilian, or through collusion between Pancho Villa and Germany prior to World War I.[8]. He was overcome with joy that they might be gold. He said I'll get F.D.R. Deferring to Docs belief that the gold would all be taken by the government should his find become too broadly known, the work force was confined to the immediate family and a couple of handfuls of trusted associates. However, Terry Delonas, her grandson, continued the family tradition and formed the Ova Noss Family Partnership. That after he had been beaten to death, according to the information I received, his body was put back into his car, the car was doused with kerosene or gasoline, and then set aflame.. One partner, Charles Ryan, shot and killed Doc on March 5, 1949, in Hatch, N. M., after an argument. Description: Victorio Peak is surrounded by inhospitable environment near Hot Springs, New Mexico. This Massive Mine in Utah Has Produced More Gold than Most States! Later, some researchers would conclude that the shaft was the same as the Lost Padre Mine used by Padre LaRue in the late 1700s, then later used again by Chief Victorio to store his stolen goods. He also asserts that military security officers censored out of his report all references to military searches for the treasure. That about a month after that, I heard E.M. had been beaten to death in California. In November 1937, Doc, Babe, and four others left on a deer hunt into the Hembrillo Basin. Most placer deposits in New Mexico had been discovered by 1900. The slightest movement stirred up a cloud. However, Terry Delongas stated, Were not accusing the military of stealing the gold, but I do feel that the Department of the Army in the 1960s treated my grandmother unfairly However, weve worked very hard over the years to establish a working relationship with the military, and were certainly not going to jeopardize that by accusing them of theft.. To further complicate things, rumors swirled about various factions smuggling. Testing the old wooden pole attached to one side of the passage, Doc rejected the idea of using it and dropped into the shaft with a rope instead. The 1.93-kilogram bar was found by a construction worker during excavations for a new building along the Alameda, a picturesque park in the heart of the Mexican capital. hell, I'll get Eleanor.. Berlett viewed this as substantiation for the theory that Spaniards had been responsible for stashing the gold. Yet, Doc trusted no one, not even his Babe, disappearing into the desert, hiding pieces of the treasure in places that he never revealed. In the summer of 1961, upon the advice of the Director of the Mint, Major General John Shinkle of White Sands allowed Captain Fiege, Captain Orby Swanner, Major Kelly, and Colonel Gorman to work the claim. Attacking wagon trains, settlements, mail coaches, and churches, he took anything from them that they valued. Doc filled his pockets with gold coins, grabbed a couple of jeweled swords, and laboriously returned to Babe waiting anxiously at the surface. Another source, who asked to remain unidentified, stated that he had personally interviewed several men who had brought a large load of the peaks gold to Johnsons ranch. Some were sold on the black market, some were stolen but others remained hidden during the next seven years when Doc and a bevy of partners attempted to dig back into the caverns, she asserted. After the death of Doc Noss, Ova and her family continued efforts to regain access to the big treasure room. The family believes that as much as 100 tons of gold, which would be worth $1.25 billion at today's closing price of $358.90 an ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, remains hidden in. About $250,000 was spent, core holes were drilled, seismic tests were taken, and nothing was found. The Army says the gold was never found. The rate of this tax varies from 5.125% to 8.8675% depending on where the business is . Known placer gold deposits were found along the southern and eastern flanks of the Ortiz Mountains; however, there could be additional placer gold deposits along the western flanks of the mountain range. A retired U.S. Army officer said that while on duty at the provost marshals office on White Sands Missile Range during the period of LBJs presidency, he was visited by four men in a late model Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham who sought permission to drive to Victorio Peak. According to members of the family, there would have been more, but Docs work was abruptly and unexpectedly brought to a halt in August 1939 when a dynamite blast, set to enlarge a narrow passage, instead caved the passage in, sealing off the main cavern. Mr. Mitchell is said to have forwarded the matter to the White House. In a deeper cavern, Doc found what he thought was a stack of worthless iron bars. Noss divorced her, charging desertion. Becoming desperate for cash, Doc and a man named Joseph Andregg transported gold bars, coins, jewels, and artifacts into Arizona, selling them on the black market. Among the artifacts, Doc is reported to have retrieved documents dated 1797, which he buried in the desert in a Wells Fargo chest along with various other treasures. Then, in 1942 or 1943, she isn't sure, he tried to blast the tunnel bigger in order to haul up more gold bars at one time. He did, only to find that in the short, three-day interim the major had been whisked away, transferred to the Pentagon. This was one of Apache Chief Victorios hideouts and was the site of a battle in 1880 between Victorios warriors and the U.S. Army Ninth Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.. After discovering the treasure, Doc and Babe spent every free moment exploring the tunnels inside the mountain, living in a tent at the base of the peak. The family believes that as much as 100 tons of gold, which would be worth $1.25 billion at today's closing price of $358.90 an ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, remains hidden in the cavern. Legend says he sent a palace full of valuables to the United States to be hidden. Too much evidence supports the treasure, including photographs, affidavits, and relics held by the Noss family. They had trekked in from Hot Springs, New Mexico, a town since renamed Truth or Consequences. The charges concerning LBJs involvement included the following: According to this same source, Victorio Peak was just like a private vault to certain high-ranking people. They would go in periodically and get what they wanted. Mr. Bailey claimed that given a helicopter and a half-hour, he could find 292 gold bars. The reports of the massive treasure would consume his marriage and eventually his life, and mysteries around the treasure persist to this day (via Legends of America). On each trip, Doc would retrieve two gold bars and as many artifacts as he could carry. Decades of Searching. New Mexico does not have a sales tax. This was shortly before a much-publicized expedition, entitled Operation Goldfinder, took place at the site in March 1977. The soldiers, Airman First Class Thomas Berlett and Captain Leonard V. Fiege said they had found approximately 100 gold bars weighing between 40 and 80 pounds each in a small cavern. A legal battle and highly publicized search through Victorio Peak ensued but no treasure turned up, leading many to wonder if Noss had made the whole thing up. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Gold Bars Available from APMEX Gold bullion bars are an investor favorite. Where they the plunder of Spanish conquistadores who had conquered the Aztecs? He was also known to take prisoners back to the Basin, where he subjected them to elaborate torture tests before killing them. Neither the Denver Mint nor the Federal records center in Denver, which has copies of gold receints for that period, could find the Noss receipt, spokesmen there said. Montgomery, the two went into the mountain to blast out the shaft. By James P. Sterba Special to The New York Times. Among those who attested to the accessibility of the peaks treasure was Lynn Porter, a businessman now residing in San Diego, California. Claimants charge the Army purposely boobytrapped the area with the shells, yet almost weekly a few fevered treasure hunters sneak through helicopter and horsemounted Army patrols to search. Lampros, for example, described having his photograph taken with Colonel Willard E. Holt of Lordsburg, New Mexico; each held an end of a bar while it was being sawed in half. ", According to the family, Mr. Noss took some gold bars when he found the cavern in 1937, and planned to return for the rest. The affidavit states, in part: In March of 1949 I handled 110 rough [sic] poured bars of gold in the area which is now White Sands Missile Range which is now the area of Victorio Peak. Sensing a double-cross by Ryan, Doc dug up the gold that was to be used in the exchange and reburied it in a place where Ryan was unaware. The actual movement of the gold in this last, largest shipment, Shriver said, was done by [U.S.] military aircraft. Independent of Shriver, another source traced a number of large removals from Victorio Peak. Years later, in 1946, Doc discussed his exploration with Gordon E. Herkenhoff, field representative of the New Mexico State Land Office.1. According to accounts from members of the Noss family, Doc bagged no deer, but he found something that whetted his appetite for the area a shaft near the top of Victorio Peak which led into the bowels of the mountain. History [ edit] Doc Noss The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. Others speculate that the treasure could be the missing wealth of Emperor Maxmillian, who served as Mexicos emperor in the 1860s. The Army, which runs the missile range, required the searchers to put up $150,000 to cover the cost of environmental assessments, as well as increased security forces. We wanted to lay the matter to rest once and for all, said General Shinkle, who is now tetireil and lives in Cocoa Beach, Fla. We gave him a lie detector test beforehand and it was apparentiy, successful but he couldn't find anything.. The dispute was finally worked out when a federal court issued a compromise of sorts, which stated the Army would continue to use the lands surface, but no one would be allowed on the property without the Armys consent. On the walls were drawings, some painted and others chiseled, that appeared to have been made by Indians. and Montana Ave. in El Paso, Texas, to visit with a friend, Frank Foss, owner of the station. The sources of this threat, according to the man who relayed the threat to Scott, were two agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He worked with a succession of partners, the last of whom, Charlie Ryan of Alice, Texas, shot and killed Noss in an altercation in Hatch, New Mexico, on March 5, 1949. He also told his wife that there were enough gold and silver coins to load 60 to 80 mules.. He estimated there were thousands of these bars, each weighing over 40 pounds stacked against a wall. In addition, Victorio Peak lay on land owned by the state of New Mexico, and removal of gold without permission of the state violated New Mexico law.4. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2021. When it began to rain, Doc sought shelter under a rocky overhang near the mountains summit. All four men Fiege, Thomas Berlett, Ken Prather and Milleadge Wessel were, at the time of their find, employees at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But the legend of the hidden gold was fueled again during the Watergate hearings in 1973. Yet that is exactly what happened to Milton "Doc" Noss, a traveling doctor who discovered an extensive cave network laden with gold and historical artifacts or so he claimed. The bars that Noss and his crew removed from Victorio Peak were, in general, crudely formed, indicating the use of primitive smelting processes. I've heard that story at least 500 times. Current environmental and permitting restrictions also have hampered recent production in the New Placers and Jicarilla districts. A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away as they fled the Aztec capital . The engineer suggested eight sticks of dynamite, to which Noss heatedly disagreed, claiming the mountain was too unstable. According to Atkins son, John, Holmes possessed key materials which were being used to press the Army into allowing Atkins and Holmes access to Victorio Peak. At least one close relative was convinced that Atkins death was not accidental and that it was directly related to his getting too close to the true story of Victorio Peak. However, Noss demanded to see the money before revealing the new hiding place. Lyndon Johnsons name loomed large in the information that Freedom uncovered, with various sources claiming that the president was instrumental in the planning and execution of the removal of the gold. Doc thought that he had discovered an old abandoned mineshaft. But the matter would not rest. The answer could be worth billions of dollars. Possession of gold was against the law at the time, and the men reasoned that the bar would provide evidence to bring about an authorized, legal expedition to remove the vast quantity of gold. 'Like Any Other Client'. This was the beginning of protracted legal battles over the ownership of the claim. In 1955, the missile range was expanded and, the Army closed Victoria Peak to outsiders. Once again, Doc began to descend about 125 feet before the shaft again leveled off into a large natural cavern. Holes were drilled and it assayed at $20.67 an ounce, said Mrs. Noss. That while visiting Foss, a man we both knew, E.M. Guthrie, drove in to the station in a late model Ford Thunderbird. What looked to be a piece of iron was a solid gold bar. The men believed that Porters friend was in a good position to help arrange an official government expedition to claim the gold. This theory explains the thousands of gold bars, antiquities, and artifacts dating more than 100 years later. In 1963, the Army, consented to another search by a Denver mining company sponsored by the Museum of New Mexico. The Victorio Peak treasure (also seen in print as the Treasure of Victorio Peak or Treasure of San Andres) describes a cache of gold reportedly found inside Victorio Peak in 1937 in southern New Mexico. 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