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Show point: “All the stories have the same thing in common: Whoever finds this lost treasure gets lost. There’s a com- mon mythology running through all of the stories. There is something very enduring about lost gold ... people continually go off the deep end [regarding these stories.” The bottom line is that many of these myths can only be supported by a trip to the Archives of the Indies, in Seville, Spain. Only Spanish records can show where and how much gold was present-day treasure hunters begin their quest in Seville. And although many of the books writ- told.” tion to Seville, Spain, very few of the authors have been to Seville, and instead on second hand sources. Will Bagley admits, “No one has explored those archives.” Which rely But as really leaves to read them, they lead you right to the mines.” He told me the exact location of the mine, and invited me to check out the symbols. “The church paid fora telegraph system and several temples,” Eatchel notes. “They bought a steam. the question open: How extensive were the Spanish mining forays into the Americas? Until someone investigates the Seville archives, the answer is anyone’s guess, but one man is putting his money where his mouth is: He’s offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who engine from England for their Utah Central railroad ... There are church records that state they minted thousands of coins.” How did the church can show him Spanish gold. Claims of a Found Mine. -. 7 | Not everyone is so skeptical. In fact Brad Eatchel is a true believer. He owns a stake in what he calls one of the biggest mines in Utah history: The Lost Josephine mine. “I can prove to you that there are 200 mines from Kamas to the Colorado border. I know the approximate location of the lost Rhoades ... very few have been there... : Eatchel claims there are 11 mines on— Hoyt’s Peak alone. “There are Spanish symbols everywhere. If you know how ten on Spanish gold trace their informa- afford such ambition? “They must have paid in Spanish bullion.” | Eatchel and his partner Steven Shaffer—author of many books on the subject of gold—are currently mining their claim on Hoyt’s peak. They’ve — invested an estimated $100,000 into the mine, and approximate that with another similar sized chunk of cash, they can unearth the Spanish treasure. They’ve had experts come in to map Mysterious Spanish markings, ‘or graffiti? PHOTO BY BILL CONNELL out the inner chambers of what they ~. COMMUNICATIONS }O STATE FLAT NEW TRI-BAND RATE...AS LOW AS $ .10 A MINUTE. T PHONE TECHNOLOGY: % NTERNET SERVICE AVAILABLE... Two WAY RADIO PROVIDERS/SERVICE. INEW LOCATION-1612 UTE BLVD. #206 PARK CITY UT. KIMBALL PLAZA (435) 655-8789 6, |000Z ‘vi YIAWALdaS | mined. Many ind not all of the good mines are on Indian lands.” Eatchel is part historian, part prospector and he’s. got an actual stake in his claims of gold. He showed me | page upon page of photos and old-timer journal entries, waybills from Spain (though he’s never directly researched “it, he would love a chance) and Spanish symbols carved into trees. He claims a mother. lode mine is right in our backvard, up on Hoyt’s Peak near Kamas. “It’s an incredible history,” he says. The most incredible part is that it is true. It’s a fascinating history that needs to be |