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The Great Trail - Legend of the Lost French Gold
The story begins at the French occupied Fort Duquesne before an
oncoming battle* against the English.
Not knowing the outcome of the battle, the French spared ten men to
escort a hoard of gold and silver to a place of safety, presumably Fort
Detroit. According to the legend there were sixteen packhorses carrying
the load. If trouble should arise the men were told to bury the
treasure and mark the spot.
After several days on the trail the French escort spotted what they
believed to be an advanced guard of British soldiers. The treasure was
quickly buried and landmarks made to relocate the spot.
Soon after, a skirmish took place and eight of the ten Frenchmen
were killed.
Hints of the Treasure
The story seemed to be lost until 1829, when a nephew of one of the two
Frenchmen who escaped the ordeal found memorandums of his uncle's
adventures. Among the papers was the story of the unrecovered French
treasure.
The young man made a search for the lost treasure in the area between
East Rochester and Minerva.
The search stirred much excitement among the citizens in the area.
He told them of the landmarks where the treasure was supposedly buried:
two springs, a deer carved on a tree one mile east, and another tree
with a rock in its branch, by a spring 1/2 mile west. After a long and
unproductive search the stranger gave up and returned home.
The Search Continued
This was not the end of the search. People in the area continued for
years to look and dig for the treasure. Between 1829 and 1875 the
landmarks were found, mostly by accident***. The two springs were known
and believed to be Beaver Hat Spring and Cranberry Spring.
The carved deer was also known, at that time, although this tree was
cut down at a later date. The stone in the forks of a tree was found
while cutting the tree to make fence rails. Other evidence has also
been exposed. Artifacts from the period were said to be found in this
area, such as a musket, shovel, bullet mold, musket balls, and other
like relics.
If the treasure ever existed, no one will ever know, that is unless
such a treasure should ever be found. The newspaper article of 1875**
once again stirred interest and people again began to pit the ground in
hopes of finding such a large sum of gold and silver. Even today people
return to this area to try their luck at locating the treasure. As of
yet, no treasure has been found and the story of the hidden treasure
lives on only as a legend.
The Celebration Today
Today the village of Minerva annually celebrates the legend with its
Lost Gold Festival.
Notes
*Some sources say it was during the advancing army under General
Braddock in 1755, others say it was during the approach of General
Forbes in 1758.
** The site is believed to be in the area of the southwest intersection
of Augusta and Ridge roads.
***The legend of this treasure was first printed in the April 3,
1875 newspaper, The Minerva Commercial.
This article by Doug Angeloni.
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