Customer Reviews

Colorado Treasure Tales

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2 star:		(1)
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The author heavily fictionalizes theses stories to make each tale more story-like and detailed than it actually is. Don't expect honest or scholarly writing. The author uses no footnotes or even a bibliography to tell the reader what sources the information came from. Sometimes the writing is fictionalized to the point of being ridiculous and laughable to anyone who has done independent research on the treasure story in question.

For example, there are several instances of outright false information in the book. One such Example is the chapter on "The Mysterious Treasure of Deadman's Cave." Right off the bat Jameson refers to the discovery of this cave as "not too many years ago. When it was in fact over 120 years before the book was written in 2001. Later in the chapter he ridiculously states that the men " after parking their vehicle in the same place they did on a previous trip..." Seeing how I have seen this incident reported in the old newspaper "The Fairplay Flume" on October 28th 1880, could anyone explain to me why this guy puts references to automobiles and flashlights into this story?

Also in the Grand Lake treasure story, he states that the cache is likely on the north shore(heavily build up with homes)...when every other writing I have ever seen on the subject states it is on the east shore. Could they all be wrong and this author be correct..maybe. But if the author knows something else that no one else has found a cited source would be nice, or at least a some kind of reason to think this is something other than the author making stuff up.

It makes me wonder if he gets so many facts wrong on purpose so as no one else can find the treasures, since the author supposedly is a treasure hunter himself.

Adding such obviously erroneous information distracts from the story and makes the reader doubt the authors credibility as a source of reliable information on the treasures he describes. Such outright fictionalization isn't necessary! Readers who purchase a book on treasure stories are entertained enough by the tales of gold without having to dig through the BS.

H Glenn Carson's "A Guide to Treasure in Colorado" or Caroline Bancroft's "Colorado Lost Mines and Buried Treasures" are far superior and more factual books (they both cite sources that can be researched)...especially for anyone actually considering looking for any of these caches and needing a reliable source. Jameson's treasure books are worthless for fact finding and have little value except as entertainment. Want real clues to find treasure? Look Elsewhere!

Colorado's Lost Gold Mines and Buried Treasure (Bancroft Booklets)
A Guide to Treasure in Colorado (Prospecting and Treasure Hunting)

Great book! I enjoyed this very much. There are are couple of these stories I don't live to far from. I just may have to go and try my luck.

COLORADO TREASURE TALES by W.C. JAMESON is a superb and very enlightening read! I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!


The author has the areas divided up into 4 different sections:

* The Western Slope
* The Northern Rockies
* The Southern Rockies
* The Eastern Plains
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) ***THE WESTERN SLOPE***

The Three Skeletons Mine
Clem Tucker's Sheep Mountain Gold
Buried Shirley Gamg Holdup Loot
Animas River Valley Gold
Chimney Rock Gold
The Curse of Slate Mountain
The Golden Jesus
Lost Hansen Mine in Moffat County
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

2) ***THE NORTHERN ROCKIES***

Lost Reynold's Gang Gold
Lost Army Payroll Cache
Multi-Million Dollar Cherry Creek Treasure
A Fortune in Silver
Black Mountain Gold
Dutch Oven Gold Dust Cache at Grand Lake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3) ***THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES***

Lost Army Payroll in Trinchera Creek
The Lost Gold of Silver Mountain
The Lost Gold of Remy Ledoux
Spanish Gold in the San Juan Mountains
The Mysterious Treasure of Deadman Cave
Lost Conejos Creek Stagecoach Gold
The Treasure of La Muneca
Lost Confederate Coins Worth $$
Lost Lake of Gold
Roadside Gold Mine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4) ***THE EASTERN PLAINS***

Bandit Loot Buried at Big Sandy Creek
Hijacked 49er Gold Buried on Colorado Plains
Mystery Gold of Bent County