15 Lost Treasures of Nevada

Photo of author

Cory Haasnoot

Published On:

There are many lost treasures of Nevada. Along with buried and hidden treasure, there are hundreds of stories of lost and abandoned gold mines that dot this state. In this article, you will learn about buried stagecoach loot, buried gold ore, and much more.

Nevada has a rich history from the gold rush days and with its history stories abound of lost treasures throughout the state. Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, and during that time many gold mining towns sprung up and most were abandoned. Leaving ghost towns all around the state that can be explored to this day.

With all the gold floating around in Nevada many thieves took advantage of the shipments. These bandits also would bury their loot and many times were unable to come back and retrieve it. Many miners also buried their gold and died before they could retrieve it. This left the tales of lost treasure that you will find in this article.

So sit back and enjoy as I bring you the 15 lost treasures of Nevada!


15 Lost Treasures of Nevada

TREASUREAMOUNTLOCATION
Buried Stagecoach Loot Near Nevada State PrisonUnknown Amount of Gold BullionNear the Nevada State Prison in Carson City Nevada.
Hidden Winnings In Johnnie Nevada$100,000Somewhere in Johnnie, Nevada.
Genoa Nevada Lost Gold$20,000 in twenty-dollar gold coinsGenoa Hills area of Nevada
Cache of Gold Ore Buried Near Tohakum Peak$250,000 worth of gold oreSomewhere near Tohakum Peak which is about 2 miles northeast of the northern tip of Pyramid Lake.
Hidden Treasure Near Pogue Station$200,000At the ruins of Pogue Station located about 67 miles West of Ely, Nevada on the west slope of the gap in the Pancake Mountains region.
California Gold Buried In The Ghost Town of Ramsey$75,000 in gold coins and barsThe ghost town of Ramsey is located about eight miles northwest of Silver Springs Nevada off of State Highway 50 and 95A in Lyon County.
Gold Coins on the Shores of Pyramid Lake In Nevada$50,000 in gold coinsBeaches of Pyramid Lake close to Anano Island.
A Ton of Gold Bullion Buried At Spanish SpringA ton of gold bullionSpanish Spring is located eight miles southeast of the ghost town of Manhattan in Nye County Nevada.
Two Treasure Chests of Silver Buried Near Mountain Springs Summit2 treasure chests full of silver coins and barsNear Mountain Springs Summit is about 20 miles southwest of Las Vegas and northwest of the Potosi Mountains.
Buried Loot In Six Mile CanyonUnknownSomewhere in Six Mile Canyon located east of Virginia City, Nevada
Cache of Gold Nuggets On Echo Summit420 pounds of gold nuggetsEcho Summit is located near Stateline, Nevada in Douglas County.
Buried Loot In The Ghost Town of Coyote SpringsUnknownCoyote Springs is located about 25 miles north of Crystal Springs Nevada
William Henry Knight’s Lost Cave of GoldA cave laced with goldPainted Hills near Sand Springs in Esmeralda County Nevada
Two Buried Safes Near GoldfieldTwo safes containing hundreds of gold coinsGoldfield, Nevada
Harry Bishop’s Wooden Leg Loot$50,000 worth of gold nuggetsSomewhere in the town of Goldfield, Nevada

Buried Stagecoach Loot Near Nevada State Prison

Aerial Photo of Nevada State Prison
Aerial Photo of Nevada State Prison

In the 1800’s stagecoach robberies were a common occurrence throughout the southern and western United States. This story is about a Wells Fargo stagecoach that got held up and robbed.

The Wells Fargo stagecoach was headed from Virginia City to Carson City Nevada with a huge shipment of gold that was going to the Carson City Mint to get minted into gold coins. So the driver William Manners and the guard riding shotgun Mike O’Fallon were very nervous, to say the least.

After a brief stop at the town of Empire that was about a mile from Carson City, they took off again. But as soon as they got going four thieves came out of nowhere and held them up. The thieves took the valuable cargo and also held up the passengers taking their personal valuables.

Without any casualties, the stagecoach headed to Carson City where a posse was formed to go after the bandits. The posse caught up with the four of them and shot and killed three. Manuel Gonzales the only surviving bandit was caught and questioned by Well Fargo investigators. The men had already buried the gold shipment. Gonzales wouldn’t talk.

Manuel Gonzales got 20 years in the Nevada Territorial Prison where he would brag to other inmates that he could see from his prison cell the spot that they had buried the Wells Fargo gold shipment. After being locked up for eight years Gonzales was released but he died soon after. He never had a chance to dig up the buried treasure.

Is the treasure really buried near the Nevada State Prison? Many guards from the prison are said to have looked for the treasure but it has never been found.


Hidden Winnings In Johnnie Nevada

The town of Johnnie Nevada was named after an Indian named Johnnie who would welcome early mining prospectors in the area. The town is famous for the lost Breyfogle mine that is said to be near the town of Johnnie.

This story is about a man and his hidden winnings. It is said that a man won about $100,000 at the crap tables in Las Vegas. When he returned to Johnnie he hid his winnings somewhere in the town. He soon died of a heart attack and never revealed where he hid the money.

Johnnie Nevada is now a ghost town and is located near Mount Sterling about 15 miles from Pahrump, Nevada in Clark County.


Genoa Nevada Lost Gold

Genoa Nevada Trading Post
Genoa Nevada Trading Post

There’s gold in them thar hills was a famous phrase used during the Western gold rush days. In the 1860s gold fever was rampant in Nevada. As you can see today there are so many stories of lost and abandoned gold mines in the state of Nevada.

Tons of gold was shipped out from the hills of Genoa and their payrolls would be sent to them by stagecoach. Many times bandits would take advantage of these shipments.

On one such occasion, a paymaster thought he would do things a little different when sending the payroll to Genoa. He decided to ship the gold coins in a regular nail keg and would send it with the ordinary delivery so as not to arouse suspicion.

Word got out that he was doing this and the stagecoach with the keg of gold coins was held up and robbed of just the nail keg. The thieves got away and the incident was forgotten for years. Until one day a miner who was dying confessed to robbing the stagecoach years earlier and said that they buried most of the loot which totaled $20,000 in twenty-dollar gold coins near a pine tree close to the spot that they held up the stagecoach.

The miner said that they never did go back and retrieve the gold coins. As people found out about the buried loot they went out and dug up about every tree around Genoa, Nevada looking for the lost gold coins. No coins were found.

But years later a few people have found gold coins in various spots around Genoa. There was an avalanche in 1882 in the area which probably displaced the coins around the area. Although some of the coins have been found most of the stolen $20,000 in twenty-dollar gold pieces have not been recovered and are still hidden in the Genoa Hills area of Nevada!


Cache of Gold Ore Buried Near Tohakum Peak

Tohakum Peak is one of the highest peaks in Northern Nevada. It can be seen from quite a distance. Legend has it that in the 1880s a gold prospector who had struck it rich in one of his gold mines buried $250,000 worth of his gold ore near this Peak.

It is said that he left for the winter but when he came back he was unable to locate the buried gold ore. The ore is still buried somewhere near Tohakum Peak which is about 2 miles northeast of the northern tip of Pyramid Lake.

If you find it be ready to do some back-breaking work and have some sort of equipment that you can haul it down the mountain with.


Digging Deeper: 13 Lost Treasures of Nebraska


Hidden Treasure Near Pogue Station

Pogue Station was named after its owner Jim Pogue. The station was the only source of water for miles around and Jim charged dearly for the water. It was also a stage station for Pritchard’s Fast Freight Route that ran in the area.

Jim is said to have made $25,000 a year from this station which was located near Eureka, Nevada. Jim never spent much money and was said to be a miser of sorts. He distrusted banks as many did in those days. So when Jim died on May 19, 1915 people started to wonder where all his money was hidden?

Word got out that Jim had died and his wealth was probably buried somewhere on the Pogue Station grounds. People flocked from all over searching for Jim’s wealth which was estimated to be $200,000! People turned the stage station upside down looking for Jim’s hidden wealth.

Over the years treasure hunters destroyed the Pogue Station looking for the treasure and only a little over $11 has been found. The site is now in ruins and is located about 67 miles West of Ely Nevada on the west slope of the gap in the Pancake Mountains region.


California Gold Buried In The Ghost Town of Ramsey

A gold prospector who was returning from striking it rich in the goldfields of California is said to have buried $75,000 in gold coins and bars when his horse broke its leg. This took place in the town of Ramsey. After burying the gold he set out to Virginia City to get a fresh horse. While there he bragged about the buried to gold to some people in town.

When he was headed back to retrieve the gold he was ambushed and killed. The gold cache was never recovered and is presumed still buried in the ghost town of Ramsey that is located about eight miles northwest of Silver Springs Nevada off of State Highway 50 and 95A in Lyon County.


Gold Coins on the Shores of Pyramid Lake In Nevada

Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake Nevada circa 1867
Tufa Domes, Pyramid Lake Nevada circa 1867

Indians are said to have attacked a wagon train that was carrying Chinese laborers and $50,000 in gold coins in 1814. Indians at the time had no use for gold coins other than to use them as jewelry. It is said that the Indians scattered the gold coins on the beaches of Pyramid Lake close to Anano Island.

It would be well worth the time to metal detect on the beaches of Pyramid Lake. There could be $50,000 in gold coins just waiting to be found.


A Ton of Gold Bullion Buried At Spanish Spring

This story dates back to the late 1700s when Spanish miners buried a ton of gold bullion after Indians had attacked their camp and killed many of them. The spot where they buried the gold is now called Spanish Spring and it’s located eight miles southeast of the ghost town of Manhattan in Nye County Nevada. ( Spanish Spring Coordinates 39° 39′ 30″ N, 119° 41′ 42″ W)


Two Treasure Chests of Silver Buried Near Mountain Springs Summit

In 1897 it is said that a gold miner buried 2 treasure chests full of silver coins and bars near Mountain Springs Summit which is about 20 miles southwest of Las Vegas and northwest of the Potosi Mountains. If the treasure chests are still there it would be worth thousands!


Buried Loot In Six Mile Canyon

Six mile canyon from C Street, Virginia City
Six-mile canyon from C Street, Virginia City

In October of 1927, the Virginia City Bank was robbed. The bandits got away with an undisclosed sum of money. It is said that they buried the loot somewhere in Six Mile Canyon which is located east of Virginia City, Nevada. The bandits were hung and they never revealed exactly where the loot was buried.


Cache of Gold Nuggets On Echo Summit

Snowshoe Thompson was a gold prospector who is said to have buried 420 pounds of gold nuggets on the far side of Echo Summit. He died of a heart attack not long after that so he was never able to go back and recover his gold.

Echo Summit is located near Stateline, Nevada in Douglas County. What a find that would be!


Buried Loot In The Ghost Town of Coyote Springs

Entrance to Coyote Springs, Nevada
Entrance to Coyote Springs, Nevada CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Coyote Springs is a ghost town located about 25 miles north of Crystal Springs Nevada. In the 1870s Coyote Springs was a popular hangout for outlaws. Stories abound of many buried loot caches in and around this town.

It would be fun to take a trip to Coyote Springs with a metal detector and a good shovel. There could be a ton of treasure hidden all over that town!


William Henry Knight’s Lost Cave of Gold

William Henry Knight was a mapmaker for the United States government. He was in Nevada in 1860 exploring for information that he could use on his map of the Pacific States. He wandered into a cave that he said was laced in gold.

But he was unable to find the cave again after he had left. As far as is known the cave was located on a small mountain range called Painted Hills near Sand Springs in Esmeralda County Nevada. Maybe someday someone lucky will stumble upon that cave again!


Two Buried Safes Near Goldfield

Goldfield was a mining town in Nevada. A flash flood struck the town in 1913 and it’s said that two safes containing hundreds of gold coins were washed away west of town. There ended up being tons of mud in the area. The two safes are said to be buried under all that mud that has hardened over time.

The two safes and gold coins have never been recovered. If you are willing to do some digging and get dirty take a trip to Goldfield Nevada it might yield some treasure!


Harry Bishop’s Wooden Leg Loot

Mohawk Mine in Goldfield Nevada circa 1900-1905
Mohawk Mine in Goldfield Nevada circa 1900-1905

Harry Bishop was a geologist who worked in the mines around Goldfield Nevada. One day the mine that he was in collapsed and he lost both of his legs. Harry could no longer work in the mines so he had to take a lesser paying job and worked as a smelter.

Over time Harry got angry with his new role and decided to start stealing from the company that he worked for. He would steal gold using his hollowed-out wooden leg. Bishop was finally caught after doing this for some time. He was sent to prison. When they went to his home they found about $50,000 worth of gold nuggets that he had stolen hidden in his basement.

The company estimated that he had stolen near $100,000 worth of gold. So where was the rest of it? It is presumed that the remaining $50,000 in gold is still hidden somewhere in the town of Goldfield because Bishop never returned and the gold has never been recovered.


Conclusion Lost Treasures of Nevada

Well, there you have it 15 lost treasures of Nevada. These are just a few of the many lost treasure stories that come out of Nevada. There are many more ghost towns and lost gold and silver mines that blanket this history-rich state. You never know what else is hidden here. But what’s for sure is that the landscape in Nevada is breathtaking and dangerous at the same time.

If you plan on treasure hunting in Nevada make sure you are well prepared and have plenty of water because it can be dangerously hot out in the desert. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below I love hearing from my readers. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting!

Photo of author

Author: Cory Haasnoot

Cory Haasnoot is an author, entrepreneur, metal detecting enthusiast, antique, coin collector, and founder of Treasure Seekr.

5 thoughts on “15 Lost Treasures of Nevada”

  1. Great Stories of treasure hunting. I am so interested in the history, and would love to find out more detail to each of these 15 lost treasures. Just reading about them is fun.

    Reply
    • Glad you enjoyed them. There are more lost treasure stories that I have written as well from other states if you are interested. Just click on Lost Treasure in the main menu of the site. I will have covered each of the 50 states soon. I’m a huge history fan as well and enjoy writing these articles. Thanks for your comment I appreciate it!

      Cory

      Reply
  2. Hello I loved the stories. I live in Nevada and wanted to search for theCalifornia Gold Buried In The Ghost Town of Ramsey. Can you please lead me to where you found the information. So I can look further into it . Thank you!

    Reply
    • Hi Nick, glad you enjoy the lost treasure stories! The story in question I gathered from various websites online. What I wrote in the article is about as much information as I could dig up. You might want to try searching old newspaper articles from 1848 onward, you might get lucky and find something more written about it. That is all the information I have on the story. Your comment is appreciated! Thanks for reading and Happy Treasure Hunting!!
      Cory

      Reply
  3. Hey Cory
    I really enjoyed your stories. Would you happen to have any more information about the Coyote Springs area?
    Thanks in advance
    Bryan

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Cory Haasnoot Cancel reply