Lost Treasure Hunters Found Dead

Lost Treasure Hunters Found Dead

Embarking on a treasure hunt can be dangerous. These are real life people who died searching for mystical treasures and places.

Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and conquistador, has long been associated with his quest for the legendary Fountain of Youth. Ponce De Leon, first came to the Americas at the age of 19 on Christopher Columbus’s second expedition.

In 1513, he set out for further exploration, reaching the coast of La Florida, which he named during his first voyage to the area. Legend has it that Ponce De Leon was in search of the mysterious Fountain of Youth, a life-giving fountain, which Europeans had been whispering about long before Ponce de Leon. During his final trip to Florida, Ponce de Leon and his party had a run-in with the the native Calusa people who took exception to Spanish presence and attacked. During the mele Ponce De Leon was struck by a poison-tipped arrow and died, having never found the mysterious fountain of youth.

Percy Fawcett

Lieutenant Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British surveyor, archaeologist, geographer, cartographer and explorer who disappeared searching for the Lost City of Z.

In April 20th 1925, Percy, his eldest son Jack and longtime friend Raleigh Rimell set off into the uncharted Grasso jungle region of Brazil in search of the fabled Lost City of Z. The party also included two Brazilian labourers, two horses, eight mules, and a pair of dogs. On May 29th, 1925, Fawcett wrote, to his wife that they were ready to go into unexplored territory with only Jack and Raleigh. They were reported to be crossing the Upper Xingu, a southeastern tributary river of the River Amazon. This would be the last time anyone ever heard from the party again. Percy, Jack and Raleigh vanished, never to be seen again.

Robert Restall

Robert Restall was an excavator lured to Nova Scotia’s enigmatic Oak Island in 1959 after hearing about a legendary pirate’s treasure buried there.

This treasure was allegedly placed in a series of booby-trapped tunnels that were meant to flood if tampered with. Two men from earlier excavations had already died searching the legendary tunnels. Undeterred, Restall signed a contract with the property owner to excavate the tunnels. On August 17, 1965, he was working to seal a storm drain when faulty equipment began filling the shaft with poisonous toxix fumes, causing Robert to become unconscious. Robert’s son tried to save him but lost consciousness as well. Graeser and two other workers went down to rescue them, but only one of the workers came out alive. Restall, his son, and two other workers all died. Local legend has it that seven people must die before the Oak Island treasure will be revealed. Restall and his team made six.

Adolph Ruth

Adolph Ruth was an amateur explorer who was obsessed with locating the storied Lost Dutchman Mine, holding 19th-century prospector Jacob Waltz’s hidden riches. Ruth had gotten hold of some treasure maps that indicated the location of the mine was in the Borrego Desert area of San Diego County. In 1919, Ruth and his son headed out to California looking for the loot but found only tragedy as Ruth fell from a steep ravine, fracturing his femur, which resulted in a permanent limp. In 1931, a lucky or perhaps not so lucky discovery of an unnoticed map led Ruth into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. Alone, Ruth set off into the Superstitions and vanished without a trace. The following winter, his was found with two bullet holes in it. Later his body was found along with other personal effects to include his un-fired revolver. Authorities believed he was murdered for the map, which was not on him.

3 Comments

  1. Travel Treasure on April 29, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    Treasure hunters are like compulsive gamblers, they will risk everything because they just know they are going to strike it rich…Most of the times this is just not so

  2. Adventure Archaeology on April 29, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    Nice job Russ! I am willing to go full on Indiana Jones for gold lol!

  3. MichaelSwan66 on April 29, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    Hi Russ 🙂 as for me i’ll stick to beach hunting not much danger other than maybe getting sunburn 🙂 HH buddy

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