Lost Rhoades Mine in Utah
Who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? Whether it’s an age-old treasure or something hidden less than 100 years ago, the thrill of the search is unmatched. So, it’s no surprise that the lore of the Uinta Mountains, and the gold within, has become one of America’s most compelling hunts for treasure.
It is said that somewhere deep in the Uinta Mountains is where the Aztecs got their bounty of gold, and is where they decided to hide some of their greatest treasures. Some even believe that these mines may be one of seven cities of Cibola that Spanish explorers tried (and failed) to discover.
But where does the name Rhoades come from?
Well, several Indian chiefs in Utah converted to Mormonism. As a gift, they allowed Bringham Young to appoint someone to be shown the secret, sacred gold mines. The man Young chose was Thomas Rhoades and it is rumored that the early Mormon currency and golden decorations of their temples comes from the gold of these mines.
Rhoades only shared the location with his son, Caleb, as he was worried he may be too sick to make the trek. For years, rumors swirled about the Rhoades family and many would claim that they saw Caleb return to his home with saddlebags full of gold. But, try as they might, no one could make the Rhoades men reveal the location of the gold mines.
But, the allure of the treasure has seen decades of treasure hunters try, and fail, to find this famed gold. The mine is said to be expertly hidden and that you could be standing directly on top of it, with no clue your feet were resting on an obscene amount of gold.
In fact, some people have even tried to bribe Ute elders in hopes that they could pay them enough to reveal the secret location. But, all attempts at bribery have failed.
Some rumors swirl that, after seeing the massive amount of greed that followed the Rhoades family after Thomas and Caleb and been given the location, the spirits that guarded the land were disgusted and have, with their own magic, obscured the mine from ever being found.
Or, perhaps, the mines never existed at all.
Thanks to Gold in Dem Der Hills for the blogstonishing topic!
The blog image is Locality: 80(-foot) level, Gold Hill Mine (Western Utah Mine), Gold Hill, Gold Hill District (Clifton District), Deep Creek Mts, Tooele Co., Utah, USA taken by Joachim Esche. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.
