Gold Prospecting, Treasure Hunting, Mining, Relic Hunting, and Metal Detecting in Oklahoma

Sooner State

GOLD

Since Coronado's explorations for the Seven Cities of Cibola in the 1500s, gold has been sought after in Oklahoma. The Wichita mountains in SW Oklahoma are filled with tales of lost treasure and small fortunes being made. Even in the 1700s, Mexican miners, following earlier explorer's footsteps, still traveled from Santa Fe to mine an area known as Devil's Canyon next to Soldier's Peak. During the height of the Indian Wars in the 1870s, cavalry troopers from Fort Sill had more problems with illegal miners trying to get in to the state than they probably ever did with Native Americans fighting just to keep their land.

Placer Deposits

A placer deposit is a concentration of a natural material that has accumulated in unconsolidated sediments of a stream bed, beach, or residual deposit. Gold derived by weathering or other process from lode deposits is likely to accumulate in placer deposits because of its weight and resistance to corrosion. In addition, its characteristically sun-yellow color makes it easily and quickly recognizable even in very small quantities.

The gold pan or miner's pan is a shallow sheet-iron vessel with sloping sides and flat bottom used to wash gold-bearing gravel or other material containing heavy minerals. The process of washing material in a pan, referred to as "panning," is the simplest, most commonly used, and least expensive method for a prospector to separate gold from the silt, sand, and gravel of the stream deposits. It is a tedious, back-breaking job and only with practice does one become proficient in the operation. Thankfully, technology finally caught up with our gold fever and brought us metal detectors!

Placer gold can still be found in numerous creeks in Comanche, Greer, Jackson, Kiowa, and Tillman Counties. Here are some of the better known locations:

Headwaters of Otter Creek (Tillman and Jackson Counties)

North Fork of the Red River (Greer and Jackson Counties)

Middle Otter Creek (4 mi SE of Roosevelt in Kiowa County)

RELICS, COINS, & JEWELRY

Oklahoma has a rich history of early settlements and Civil War era forts - the perfect combination for an energetic relic hunter! Here's a few more ideas to get you started:

Schools and College Campuses
Parks / Playgrounds / Picnic Areas
Foundations, Wells, and Cellar Holes of Old Churches or Houses
Downtown Construction Sites
Swimming Holes, Beaches, and Natural Springs
Camp Grounds, Boy Scout Camps, WPA Camps, and Mining Camps
Sports Facilities
Ghost Towns
Rodeo Arenas, Riding Stables, and Race Tracks
Old Fair and Carnival Locations
Old Town Dumpsites

LOST TREASURE

As in other areas of the US, there are several tales of lost treasure in Oklahoma concerning caches buried for safety. In many of these stories, people either died or forgot where they buried the stash. Contributing factors include:

1. Federal laws making possession of gold illegal in the early 1900s

2. Distrust of banks during the Great Depression.

Half a bushel of silver coins hidden by bandits on Holsum Valley road, Le Flore County, has never been found.
An outlaw's treasure on Boggy Creek near Boswell, Choctaw County, awaits a lucky searcher.
Treasure from California emigrants, is supposedly hidden on Fish Creek near the old Edwards Post south of Holdenville, Hughes County.
An Army paymaster's cache may be hidden at Twin Mounds near Jennings, Pawnee County. Similarly, an Army payroll was hidden at Cache, Comanche County, to prevent capture by Indians.

These excerpts are a sampling from American Coin Treasures and Hoards