Red Ledge Cache

Just west of the Uintah River and north of Cedar View Reservoir there is a plateau called Jefferson Park. At the western edge of this park there are a series of red ledges that can be seen for a good many miles when viewed from the south and from the west.

There is the story that somewhere in these red ledges, concealed in a cave, there is a massive Spanish treasure. It was reportedly found by a man who lived in Salt Lake City and, it being illegal at that time to own gold other than jewelry or coin, he called an old associate of his, a man of some wealth with connections in the black market - and asked for his advice on how he dispose of such a treasure. The man assured him that such a treasure could be disposed of, with no questions asked, through some acquaintances of his but he would first have to see the actual treasure himself, to make certain that it was there, before he approached them about the transaction. The Salt Lake City man told his old friend that he would take him to the place of the treasure and prove to him that it was really there, but only if he could take him there blindfolded. The terms, although somewhat unusual, were accepted and a specific date for their departure was agreed upon.

On the appointed day, the two men drove out to the reservation and at an undetermined location, not too far from their destination, the man was blindfolded and the journey continued. They parked within a few blocks of the treasure cave and continued on foot. When finally inside the cave, the blindfold was removed and the man saw the treasure in place and untouched - millions of dollars worth of Spanish gold and silver. Immediately, the guest of this unusual occasion peered toward the open entrance of the cave, hoping to catch a glimpse of some landmark outside the cave but all he could see were the tips of a large grove of pine trees. He started to move toward the entrance for a better view of the surrounding territory but was stopped short when the original discoverer of the treasure pulled a pistol from his pocket and demanded that he replace the blindfold. Without argument the blindfold was replaced and the two men returned to their vehicle and drove back to Salt Lake City.

The irony of the situation was that from that point on everything simply fell apart; the so-called purchasers, principals of a local crime syndicate, decided that they would acquire the treasure by means of strong-arm tactics thereby eliminating any form of expenditure. "Tell us where the treasure is located," they told the discoverer, "or you'll be one sorry son-of-a-bitch!" When he did not respond to their threats, he and his family became victims of a series of unexplained accidents, followed by threatening calls during the middle of the night. This pressure from the syndicate became so intense that the man buckled, fell into a deep depression and eventually killed himself, taking his secret with him to the grave.

Now, I cannot verify this story as being true, but I do know the man who gave me the story he is not story-teller. Furthermore, he knew the man and his family personally and was himself a firm believer in both the treasure and the tragic events which followed its discovery.

A young Indian once produced for us a very fine specimen of quartz which contained fair amounts of gold, silver, copper and large pockets of molybdenum. When asked where he had obtained the rock, his instructions led us to those very same red ledges. We prospected the area above the ledges thoroughly for the rich vein of quartz but could not locate it, nor did we locate any caves which might have contained the old Spanish treasure. We did, however, locate several smaller veins of mineralized quartz and upon them laid out eight claims which we called the "West Bank # 1 - 8." (See Map # 123.) The claims were later abandoned when a cost analysis revealed that the commercial value of the ore would not warrant the high cost of any further development of the property.

In spite of that disappointment, I can tell you, based upon the knowledge gained there during our prospecting forays, that if there is indeed a cave in those ledges containing Spanish treasure, it will not be located at or near the top of the ledges themselves. The cave would have to be on a rise near the base of the ledges or about half way up - at a point about level with the top of the trees which stand along the western base of the ledges.--Lost Gold of the Uintah, pg. 124

Another temple site is to be found just west of the Uintah River and north of present-day Cedar View Reservoir. Here there is a plateau known as Jefferson Park, on the western edge of which are a series of red ledges which can be seen for many miles from the south and the west.

Somewhere in these red ledges is a concealed cave filled with artifacts of gold and silver, in a room or rooms described in much the same fashion as other temple sites, with statues, gold-leafed walls inscribed with strange writing, and stacks of gold plates and bullion.

It was discovered by a man from Salt Lake City (whose family, as in most instances with these cases, has asked that he remain anonymous) who brought some of the gold back to that city, but found himself faced with a dilemma. At that time gold was illegal to possess, except in jewelry or coin, and the only sale that could be made of it was on the black market. He called an associate of his and asked for advice, knowing the man to have "connections." His associate assured him that there were ways to dispose of the treasure, but that he would have to see it for himself in order to convince the people he had in mind. The Salt Lake City man agreed, but only on the condition that his associate be blindfolded both coming and going, and when these terms were accepted, they set out for the site.

As soon as they arrived on the reservation, the man was blindfolded, and they walked to the site. Inside the cave, the blindfold was removed, and the man saw the tremendous treasure of gold and silver and was awestruck. After reveling in the sight and handling some of the artifacts, the man moved towards the cave entrance in hopes of viewing some landmark, but was stopped short by the discoverer of the treasure who pulled a pistol from his pocket and demanded that he replace the blindfold. Protesting his treatment, the man did as he was told and they returned to the car and drove back to Salt Lake City.

Everything began to fall apart at this point. Disgruntled over his treatment by the Salt Lake man, the associate turned the matter over to his friends, who happened to be the principals of a local crime syndicate. These toughs strong-armed the Salt Lake man in an effort to get him to reveal the location, but to no effect. "If you kill me," he told them, "then you will never find it." The syndicate then turned their threats upon his family, and launched a campaign of terror, with threatening phone calls in the middle of the night and a series of arranged accidents. The pressure became so intense the Salt Lake man fell into a deep depression and eventually took his own life. His secret died with him.

While a great deal of the above account is based on unverifiable information, one thing is certain-the family of this man still retains in their possession two small statuettes of solid silver in the shape of cats, and three gold ingots each weighing about half-a-pound. I have personally handled these items and can verify their existence.--The Gold of Carrie Shinob, pg. 139