Cursed: You Will Never Find Ancient Gold In Utah

There has been a belief in Utah that the old mines that the Native Americans and Spanish dug for gold and other precious metals were cursed. Even today, there is still a feeling among some prospectors that those who go after the gold mines in Utah will find their efforts will be blocked, and if they continue, their health and livelihood ruined and eventually their death. 

This is a quote from a man named Edward T. Wolverton in 1928. He lived near the Henry Mountains in Utah, and it attributes to a medicine man. 

His blood will turn to water, and even in youth he will be as an old man, his squaws and papooses will die. And the earth will bring forth for him only poison weeds instead of corn. Various other punishments will attend to him; too numerous to mention. 

There are many stories that seem to lend truth to the claim of cursed gold. Two men in the 1800’s were warned by the Native American to stop prospecting or they would die. They continued anyway and wound up lost in the desert and dying of thirst. The spring they found poisoned them. They stopped prospecting for a time until greed overwhelmed them, and they began again. Both were dead a few weeks later. 

In a more recent account, there are those who believe there is a massive treasure buried somewhere near Kanab. 

Legends say that during the 16th century, 8,000 Aztec warriors carried King Montezuma’s gold from Mexico City to the U.S. to protect it from the Spanish conquistadors. 

There have been many throughout the years who have tried to find this gold. They believe the gold is in a cave below a small lake. The family who owns the land talk about the problems treasure seekers run into. 

Those seeking the gold would experience equipment failure to their scuba equipment or get turned around underneath the water. One person even claimed he was being choked by a ghost.

What do you think? Are the old gold mines of Utah cursed? Do ghosts haunt these ancients shafts? 

Finding A Turtle Carved in a Tree Could Mean Treasure

If you like to explore the wilderness areas of Utah, you know there is lots of great places to discover. Canyons to mountain tops, Utah has it all. One thing you may want to keep an eye out for is old Spanish Gold mines.  

Before the pioneers came to Utah, the Spanish were mining gold out of the mountains.

There are hundreds of old mines scattered throughout the state. Most of the entrances are hidden or have caved in and are not easy to find. Some have been purposefully closed because of the danger of cave-ins. 

The Spanish miners would leave markings on trees and rocks to locate the entrances. These markings were purposefully confusing, as they didn’t want anyone to find it except them. Sometimes an arrow or a line pointed away from the actual entrance. There were also false signs to carefully lead people miles away from the place where the mine was.

One sign, however, almost always means you have found a gold or silver mine. If you see a turtle carved into a tree or rock, the entrance is near. Search around, just make sure you don’t fall in it. A lot of the entrances go straight down at first. As you can imagine, mines that old are not structurally sound.  

A few years ago some Spanish coins from the 13th and 15th centuries were found in Glen Canyon recreation area. It wasn’t a hoard, but it did indicate the Spanish had come through there. This ignited treasure hunters to search for lost gold in the area.  

Just remember if you go out searching, look for the turtle carving.