By Dr. Curtis Varnell
Stumbling down the steep incline, we clung to small trees and branches to avoid slipping down the slope. Each of us were glad to reach the small level plateau below. Searching through the piled forest debris, we pushed aside fallen leaves to reveal the three large stone slabs that we were seeking. Each flat stone, a couple the size of a large table, were covered with drawings or pictographs etched deeply into the stone.
My colleagues had visited previously and I had heard the stories from other explorers and hunters. Each has a differing version of exactly what the drawing represented and exactly who had left them, but I was intrigued nevertheless. Various symbols covered the surface but were not readily assessable to the naked eye. Making a cardinal mistake in exploring, we scraped the lichen and moss from the stone and filled the carvings with chalk to make them stand out and easily photographed. Doing so, we damaged or destroyed one of the prime methods of dating the age of the etchings. Much younger at the time, we were unaware of the damage we were doing and, hopefully, enough of the original material is left for the future archeologists.
The site had been investigated previously by Dr. Abernathy, an archeologist attached to Arkansas Tech University. He determined that the etchings were roughly from the time period of the 1800’s and perhaps left by native or early pioneers of the time period.
One of the first to associate them with buried treasure was local explorer and treasure hunter, Blackie Gilbert. Well-read, he associated the symbols with a group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. The Knights, organized prior to the Civil War, wished to expand slavery and the cotton empires into new territories including Cuba, Mexico, and many of the Caribbean Islands. One of the national leaders of the organization was Albert Pike, a well-known and respected citizen of Arkansas. Other known members included vice-president John Breckinridge, Jessie James, J.E.B. Stuart, John Wilkes Booth and a host of additional influential men. As the Civil War drew to a close, several of the more influential members decided to hide as much of the Confederate wealth as possible in virtually inaccessible and hidden locations identified by symbols known only to members of the KGC. The James gang, members of the organization and former Confederates, were thought to have left a large portion of their gold to the Knights.
Gilbert had certainly heard about the KGC and about the millions of dollars of gold found hidden in Maryland in 1934 that were associated with the KGC. Bob Brewer, following similar symbols as those found on Rich Mountain, had discovered one-hundred thousand dollars’ worth of coins near his home in Mena, Arkansas. Those stories and others fueled Gilberts desire to search the area around the stone. After frequent and unfruitful searches of the area, he sought permission from the national forest service to explore using a back-hoe but was denied permission. He finally gave up his pursuit, still convinced there was gold to be found.
The carvings are unique and include squiggly lines, a bow and arrow, and several pointer marks all turned toward the southeast. A turtle, associated with the KGC symbols, is easily discerned. Supposedly, if the gold had been removed, the tail would be severed but this turtle was complete!
All three stones bare different symbols and perhaps lines indicating the flow of Shoal Creek, located in the nearby valley. Of course, given a different perspective, the symbols may be simply the etching of an artistic and bored explorer or even an 1800’s prank. That is the joy and also the exasperation of searching history. The story is often only half-told and leaves one searching for even more of the vestiges of our past. The key is to never forget from where we come or to forget the lives and times of our ancestors.
