[Sasqwatcher]

The Lost Adams diggings is a legendary lost gold placer mine located somewhere in New Mexico, United States. In 1864, a teamster named Adams (no sources disclose his first name) and some prospectors in Gila Bend, Arizona were approached by a Mexican Indian named Gotch Ear, who offered to show them a canyon filled with gold only 10 days ride away. The miners accepted and together they rode to find the gold. They crossed a road on the way which Gotch Ear said would lead back to Fort Wingate, and that they should remember it so they could go back that way for supplies when needed. They soon arrived at a canyon with a blind entrance. At the bottom of a Z-shaped narrow canyon trail they found a creek rich with gold.

The men paid Gotch Ear and began panning for gold. However, a force of Apaches, led by a chief named Nana, confronted the miners. Nana allowed them to mine the creek, provided they did not venture up past the waterfall. The miners obeyed at first, but eventually several miners began mining near the waterfall and discovered two rich veins of gold. The diggings were very rich, with some gold nuggets described as being the size of hens’ eggs.


http://en.wikipedia...._Adams_Diggings

[caesar]

I don't see this claim being closed anytime soon!

[Sasqwatcher]

I don't either.

[Kurb]

i remember hearing about this one along time ago on Unsolved Mysteries.

[Sasqwatcher]

As the article says, the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico are the most likely place for this lost mine. Having looked at the evidence, I must agree.

[filemaker01]

A writer by the name of Ron Jensen set out to debunk the legend and found the legend to be absolutely true, then found the area and the pot of gold left behind by the Adams party who were massacred. Jensen then wrote a website www.lostadams.com explaining his adventures and how he found the treasure in 2003, paid for ten years for the hosting account and then vanished as far as anyone can tell. I followed Jensen's writings while researching to find the location myself which after a few years I finally found the location by comparing the map Jensen found in the military records of the Calvery doctor who treated Adams and Brewer after they wandered nearly 120 miles through the horrible heat and worst terrain in the USA. Brewer died about a week after the rescue while Adams recovered and was arrested and held for murder after he grabbed a weapon from a Calvary guard and shot and killed one of the Apache sub chiefs he saw riding into the fort where Adams recovered and there was a final treaty signed unknowing to Adams who noticed the horse the Apache sub chief was riding was one of the horses traded to Gotch Ear the guide who brought the Adams party to the LAD. Adams then escaped knowing that if he were found he was already tried and given a death sentence so when he came back to find the LAD in later years and never did because he thought the little canyon was part of the southern most tip of the continental divide because of the various visually apperant fault lines that riddled the canyon. Adams refered to the canyon as the "Prettiest little canyon he ever saw". Adams never found the canyon again and there are stories that Adams was killed near Pie Town during a gunfight between a group of miners looking for the LAD and a group of Calvary soldiers, which could very well be. Adams owned a furniture store outlet in the little town of Adams which was the first colony located in where is now Los Angeles CA. I found his real first name may have been Morgan Adams.

The writer Ron Jensen wrote for several treasure hunting magazines and newspapers about his adventures while looking for the LAD until 2003 when he created the website explaining he did in fact find the LAD and treasure stating he would be back soon to write about more of his adventures then seemed to have vanished while leaving the website up and running so people could read, I believe in case anything happened to him someone would at least try to find the canyon to see what happened to Jensen. I have spoken and written all the various magazines and newspapers Jensen wrote for and nobody I've communicated with have seen or heard from Ron Jensen since he claimed to have found the LAD in 2003. I went much further over the next eight years and finally found the real location of the LAD and concluded that Ron Jensen did in fact find the LAD but may have been met with his fate soon after putting up the website. I also discovered through my research not only the actual location but the fact the small canyon was also a real Apache Chief burial ground and has various earth mounds and artwork created from the natural terrain that when viewed from the air, is rather spectacular. I also found various other clues including the fact the name of the canyon called the Sno Ta Hay canyon by Cheif Nana, translates to "Sno" meaning Under Cheif or Cheif under and Ta Hay translates to This Place or Chiefs buried under this place.

There are many signs of burial chambers that eroded and maybe pilphered over time by those people who may have kept the location a secret and took out the gold or all but what may be left of the gold illegally without proper permits or gold claims and also discovered that Ron Jensen paid for 300 gold claims to cover the entire canyon that for no good reason expired while Jensen hasn't been seen since. I also made more recent discoveries that may even prove that there were various people involved in the area that may have to do with Jensen vanishing but this should be properly investigated by law enforcement but unfortunately Law Enforcement seems to take no interest in the story or location of the LAD or have no knowledge of the story or care about the LAD or massacre that occured. The area is amazing and has all the signs of being an ancient buiral ground for thousands of years. There are formations that should be investigated by archeologists and the area should be preserved by law for future generations to learn from considering the horrors that went on there and I personally would never go into the area by myself without the proper back up and weapons unless i was with a film crew or a lot of people at one time. The area seems to be protected by various people living there under the disguise of cattle ranching while the area has no way of producting enough food or grazing for any cattle and the little water that comes from the Low Falls isn't enough that would not be poluted very quickly by cattle leaving no water for the humans living on what looks like a small ranch house.

Even the pintacle tall rock called Shaking rock is there laying on it's side after the area being hit by an earthquake. The secret door was also partially destroyed by the massive earthquakes in the area as dicribed by various witnesses over time including MacKenna the prospector who was mentioned in the book Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver that discribes the Adams party adventure from start to finish and the massacre.

I am willing to give the location to the proper authorities and any university or archeological group of scientists who are interested in researching and investigating the Apache Chief burial grounds and to find the remains of the Adams party, the cabin and the remains of Ron Jensen if he was met by fate in the canyon as myself and others suspect after finding the treasure and using the gold to pay for the 300 gold claims that expired that were filed with BLM just before Ron Jensen may have vanished. There are the most amazing earthworks that can only be seen by the air or from the highest points of the canyon that I'm sure was at least forty to sixty feet deeper when found by the Adams party. The earthquakes have caused various sides of the canyon to fall in and bring the level of the floor of the canyon to a shallower level. Every single point discribed in the map by Jensen is there and proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the area I found is in fact the LAD and can only be the same place.

If anyone can find the right people to talk to who will investigate the area, please have them write to me at lovefishn@hotamail.com and once they prove who they are I will be more than happy to give the location and coords as well as all the information I have found of the area.

Thanks, Phil A