Lost Oklahoma Treasure: Misplaced Mines, Outlaw Loot and Mule Loads of Gold

Oklahoma keeps its secrets. Adventurers combing the Wichita Mountains for the legendary Lost Cave with an Iron Door can slake their thirst at Cache Creek or Treasure Lake. Following the tradition of French and Spanish explorers, miners and pioneers stashed their valuable discoveries along the Santa Fe Trail and the California Road. Chief Opothleyahola reportedly buried gold coins that could be worth more than $14 million today, while businessman Dr. John J. Hayes never returned from a Confederate refugee camp to reclaim his hidden fortune. From the unrecovered loot of the James Gang to the fabled funds of the Knights of the Golden Circle, W. Craig Gaines tracks tales of treasure across sixty Oklahoma counties.