Lost Treasures of Washington State-Photos

The shoreline of Vashon Island

Where are the lost treasures of Washington State?

There are several legends and tales of lost or buried treasures throughout the state of Washington. None of these treasures has ever been located and since word of mouth is the only proof of their existences, no one knows for sure if the stories are true or just fabricated stories.

One such legend is in Puget Sound on Vashon Island. Lars Hanson lived on the island in the 1870’s and was a rich lumberman. It has been told that he hid over $200,000.00 in gold coins on the banks of Judd Creek close by Burton.

On Sentinel Mountain in the Saddle Mountain Range, there is a rumor of $30,000.00 in gold hidden in a cave buried by robbers around three southeast of Beverly.

In 1843, Captain James Scarborough became the first white settler just north of the Columbia River. By legend, he buried a treasure close by his cabin, which is now known as Fort Columbia. The treasure will never be found since the fort is now part of the Washington State Park.

Close by Fruitland is there is an area called Robbers Roost that is suppose to be the location of a buried stolen goods.

There was a mine discovered in 1929 in the northern part of Stevens County, the mine is now lost but ore from the mine was essayed at around 1,000 oz of silver per ton. The exact whereabouts of the Doukhober Mine is still unknown.

From legend, robbers stole gold bars in a train robbery in the late 19th century close to Wallula. They had planned to catch a boat headed to Portland; however, they missed the boat and buried their stolen goods close to Fort Walla Walla. Before the bandits could return or tell anyone the whereabouts of the stolen treasure, they were shot and killed. The fort is no longer standing and the area is now known as Fort Walla Wall Park, which is on the western edge of Walla Walla.

Another treasure commonly referred to as The Highgrader’s Poor Farm treasure was buried near an old brickyard close to the town of Colville. The treasure is supposed to be Matte, which is a crude mixture of sulphides that is created when smelting gold.

There are probably many more treasure and buried loot throughout Washington, it only takes an adventurous soul and the time to travel the trails of train robbers, wagon trains, and of course searching the shoreline for pirate’s treasure.

Washington State Food Banks-relief from high cost of food

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Natural Beauty

Why does Washington State have such incredibly diverse scenery? One major reason is the Cascade Range, which runs the entire length of the state—from Washington’s border with British Columbia, Canada to the Columbia River Gorge—and encompasses two of Washington’s spectacularly beautiful national parks (North Cascades National Park and Mount Rainier National Park).

The Cascade Range bisects the state into two distinct climates and environments. Western Washington is lush and green year-round and is part of the coastal North American temperate rainforest that spans northern California to southern Alaska. East of the Cascade Range, the climate is more arid. Here, the Wenatchee River gives life to eastern Washington State’s orchard country; but you’ll also find dramatic desert landscapes of sage and bunchgrass, beautiful Ponderosa pine forests and the hypnotic sight of rolling hills covered in waving wheat fields.

These distinct Washington environments have one great thing in common: an abundance of natural beauty that makes you look forward to every turn in the road. Explore Washington Natural Beauty.