The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness [Paperback]

Jack Purcell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

An exhaustively researched account tracing all the threads of the legend of The Lost Adams Diggings gold mine. Complete footnotes and indexing assist the reader from the beginnings of the legend through the searches by the author during the past 20 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: NineLives Press of Olathe Kansas (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974385247
• ISBN-13: 978-0974385242
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heck, why not 5 stars? I wrote it., November 22, 2004

By 

Jack Purcell (Placitas, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness (Paperback)

The last reviewer found the book to be 'bunkum' without reading it. Causes me to wonder why he bothered to review a book he hasn't read.

He/she chose my book to provide an uneducated opinion of the entire concept of lost gold mines and gold that hasn't been found yet. He/she might be right, though a(n increasingly small) number of people believe he's wrong. Technology has allowed a lot of the 'lost' ones to be found over the past few years.

Meanwhile, interest in chasing that sort of dream has certainly waned. The chances are slight that unlocated mines will be the source of any heart attacks for the few geezers left tromping into the canyons to search.

This book would certainly give new leads someone who wants to search for the Adams. Most of the surviving searchers have already bought it. However, that's only a piece of what the book is about.

The Lost Adams Diggings - Myth, Mystery and Madness is a study of a legend and the men who believed in it at a time when men were still inclined to believe in such things, just as the name suggests. It's a study of how the legend began, how it slid through a century-and-a-half, how it was transformed by lies in the beginning and information that wasn't available until much later (and even then not available to everyone who searched).

The book inevitably follows a lot of trails through the Civil War years of New Mexico and Arizona. It's the time when it all began.

I don't recommend that anyone search for the Lost Adams Diggings unless you just need an adventure in your life. If you buy this book I hope you'll do it because you want to learn some history, puzzle over some mystery, shake your head over the things men give their lives for.

I gave a couple of decades of mine in this search. That story is part of the book. I don't care if you choose to believe the legend is bunkum after you've read it, but I do hope you enjoy the read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars " Just over the next hill", February 3, 2004

By 

B. Meeks (Roswell, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness (Paperback)

After having read Jack Purcel's book on the "Adams Diggins", it made me want to rig up the ole backpack and hit the hills. Jack weaves the different versions of the stories together in a way that makes sense out of the obscure and dim trails of the Adams party and those who sought the riches that lay in a mysterious New Mexico canyon. It's more than a "Lost Treasure Story". Jack's meticulous research of the persons and places gives us a view of the early history on New Mexico and those hardy folks who risked life and limb on the dangerous frontier. I believe that the Lost Adam's Diggins does exist and Jack Purcel knows more about it than any other person and he shares his insight and knowledge with clarity and humor. I recommend this book to all those who think beyond the asphalt!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden Treasure and Gold waiting for you, December 5, 2004

By 

Gayle Adams "gp" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness (Paperback)

I am amazed and delighted in the way Jack Purcell brings his well documented history and legend of the `Adams Diggings' to life. The historical accounts of people and times involved throughout this book and the unique way Mr. Purcell tells the whole story. He definitely brings the Wild West back alive through time. As a reader, you will enjoy the stories told of the tragedies, dreams, and personal lives, of Jacob Snively, Adams, and Brewer. You will read about many others who found their fortune in gold, searched their whole lives for it in vain, or knew where it was and told no one keeping it safe for themselves; all taking place in the trecherous regions of the South West. Pack your trail bag, because you will learn the secrets of where to look for the Adams Diggings, and where they aren't. Adventure, and the American Spirit of Freedom are not for the weak of heart, please read this book with caution.
Gayle Adams Peterson
Shipwreck hunter, and Author of :
Safe Harbor : One Girls Dream of Freedom.