| Rumors in Purgatory ... |
A Guide To
Treasure In COLORADO
~ by H. Glenn Carson
from — CHAPTER: LOS ANIMAS COUNTY
Note: ONLY the E-Book is illustrated.
There are many persistent, legendary stories of Spanish treasures in Purgatory Canyon. The Spanish gave the canyon its name. El Rio de Las Animas Perdidas en Purgatoir. The River of Lost Souls in Purgatory.
 Note: ONLY the E-Book is illustrated. |
The trip did not start out well. The Spaniard could not stand to have the Portugese, no matter how capable, leading the party. He became increasingly jealous and angry. Shortly after they were underway, the Spaniard killed the Portugese and took over leadership.
The priests would not sanction the murder. They refused to go further in the company of what they considered to be evil leadership. With others of the group, they returned to Mexico.
The remainder of the group continued on, northwards into what is now Colorado. It is believed Apaches attacked and killed them. As there were no priests left with the group the slain men were considered to be lost Souls, thus the name.
The French later changed the name to Purgatoire when they claimed the territory. Americans came and called it the Picketwire, but that really didn't stick.
One tale keeps popping up about twelve chests of Spanish gold coins being transported in about 1700, from Santa Fe to St. Augustine, Florida. The money was for the garrison there, soldiers' payments, garrison expenses, and so forth. The regiment transporting this money was commanded by one Carrasco Rodriguez.
He should never have even been in Colorado. What we know of the man tells us he should not have been in command of anything. He ignored good advice and went that way, anyway, preferring it for some reason over a more southerly route. Winter caught them and they had to winter over near where Trinidad is today.
When spring finally arrived, Rodriguez again led his caravan in the wrong direction. Nothing was heard of them again. They simply seemed to vanish from the face of the earth.
There are stories of the Spaniards hurrying those twelve chests of gold somewhere along the banks of the Purgatory River. Other suppositions claim the Indians who probably did in the Spaniards took their weapons, tools, clothing, and animals, but had no use for the gold. They probably threw it into some cave or gully. This makes some sense, for items of Spanish armor and craftsmanship later showed up in Indian possession. A skeleton and an ancient rusty firearm was found in 1924 in a cave east of the Willow-Vogel Canyon junction.
An even more nebulous tale is told, of a dark wagon pulled by dark horses on dark nights, always driven by a mysterious dark driver. Always at night, always near the sheer rim of the canyon. I don't know if they smoked marijuana back in those days or not, but this author feels the primary thing being pulled here is his leg. There are more concrete bits of evidence, such as pieces of arms and armor being found, showing the other tales are closer to whatever truth is there about possible treasures in Purgatory Canyon.
There have been rumors of recoveries of gold ingots hidden along the trail through Purgatoire Canyon. One man did find some Spanish gold coins. Don't entirely scoff this off! Would YOU tell anyone if you found a crude gold ingot in Purgatory Canyon?
 Note: ONLY the E-Book is illustrated. |
The man who found these things is said to have driven a knife into a tree outside the cave. In some tales he drove two, knives into a tree. For some reason he felt confident he was close to recovering the twelve chests of gold coins.
While leaving the cave, he fell and badly broke his leg. He lay there for two days and nights, dying of exposure. Some people found him before he died. He had enough time to tell his tale.
One suit of Spanish armor was found along the banks of the Purgatoire River in early days.
A persistent story crops up concerning a wagon train carrying 1,500 pounds of gold Ingots being attacked by outlaws and Indian renegades, in 1858.
At first, the would-be thieves were driven off. In an effort to elude their tormentors, the wagon train party detoured through Chacuaco Canyon. Once within the canyon they were again attacked by the outlaws. Three of the party loaded the ingots onto six mules, took the loaded animals to some eaves at some distance along the creek. They hid the gold as well as possible.
While doing this, the rest of the wagon train group was slaughtered by the outlaw gang. The three men escaped, recuperated in a Mexican village, but were killed by Utes when they tried to return to get the ingots.
right where they hid it.
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