The Colorado Cave Of Gold

Many legends persist of lost Spanish treasure and ancient mines in Southern Colorado, but perhaps one of the more interesting accounts is that of La Caverna Del Oro.

Our recent expedition to the supposed location of this cave of legend proved quite a fascinating piece of research, exploration, and adventure.

La Caverna Del Oro, according to various sources, has quite a history.  The cave was discovered in 1869 by Elisha P. Horn, (with a name like that you’re bound to discover something) who noted a faded Maltese cross cut into the side of the cliff above the entrance to the cave.  Upon closer inspection, he found the remains of a skeleton still wearing Spanish armor!

He noticed that the arrows that had killed this person were still lodged in the skeleton. The location was in the Crestone needles area, and there are many caves known in that area, sometimes referred to as the Spanish Caves, or the Marble Caves.    The crevice where we determined the cave opening must be.

In 1919, a forest ranger named Paul Gilbert spoke to a 105 year old woman of either Native American or Mexican heritage, and she told of stories she had heard as a child of an old mine in which Spaniards had enslaved the Native Americans and forced them to mine the cave for gold.

She explained that the Native Americans had eventually rebelled and pushed the Spaniards away, forcing them to store their gold deep within the cave- but not before first marking it with a Maltese cross cut into the stone by the entrance.

Eventually a new expedition was launched by Mr. Gilbert, and another by a former member of the state historical society, LeRoy Hafen- both to the location given by the old women.  They did in fact find the cave and it did have the Maltese cross above the opening.

Their expeditions both continued to explore deeper, but in 1932 a new team of explorers Peter Moser, Victor Donald, and Jack Barth, all from Denver, are reported to have made an interesting discovery at 350-400 feet in a side passage of the cave: a human skeleton chained to the wall by its neck!

Eventually, the most qualified and equipped team of spelunkers, The Colorado Grotto of the National Speological Society conducted the most thorough explorations in the 1950s and in 1960 discovered new tunnels to explore.  To this date, the entire depths of the cave are still unknown.    If there have been new discoveries, they have yet to be announced publicly.

There is also an account of a possible entrance 1000’ below the cave entrance, hidden in the ruins of the mine’s mission.  There have been reports of debris and structure-like ruins there, but no sign yet of the hidden entrance.

That is, until another story later surfaced in the 1960s about a local man who spent much time in the area exploring the caves.  He did not want his name released, but he reportedly discovered, in one of the caves, an ancient wheelbarrow.  He believed that there was no way it could have been transported deep inside the cave to that location through any known opening, therefore, the ancient hidden entrance must exist somewhere.

He also claims to have found trails worn smooth in some of the rocks around what may have been the ancient entrance.  To this day, if it has been found, it has not been reported.

With this abundance of history and mystery, we set out to find this cave of legend ourselves.  Our resources were imperative, and helped us identify the range and the actual crevice where the cave was believed to be.   This report was written using these sources as well.  These books and maps are still available in most any bookstore.

1.  Treasure Tales of the Rockies, by Perry Eberhart, Copyright 1969
2.  Lost Treasures on the Old Spanish Trail, by George A. Thompson.  Copyright 1999
3.  Sangre de Cristo Range Map, by National Geographic.
4.  Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer, by DeLorme.  Copyright 1998

Also, though we did not utilize them, The Colorado Grotto of the National Speological Society may also have more information available.  Also, for the person interested in becoming more proficient in caving, here are some links of interest:

www.desertusa.com/mag99/feb/stories/caving.html
www.cavediggers.com/html/links.html

We won’t reveal how we found the cave.  Fortunately there are no signs whatsoever that say “La Caverna Del Oro”.  There is one sign that points to the “Marble Caves”, but it appears deep into the route, and does not identify La Caverna Del Oro.

So, the amateur adventurer can still get a sense of the unknown- some discoveries are more fun when you can figure it out for yourself!  Using the materials above, you should be able to identify the location, and gain a sense of satisfaction in the process.

 

 

 

We will say however, that the journey involves a good four-wheel drive trail, then a hearty hike up to about 12,000 feet.   Though the trail is well marked, until the end- then it’s up to you to use logic and find out where the cave could be.

It took us two days to get there- the first day, we had to turn back due to bad weather, and we did not give ourselves enough time.  The second day, we made it back down the mountain just as nightfall had begun, so it was a full day adventure.

 

 

 

 

From what we can tell, this certainly seems to be the actual location of the legendary cave, but we cannot be certain.  Perhaps there are other caves with the same Maltese cross still evident, hidden by evergreens or moss, still waiting to be discovered.

We enjoyed our adventure, and someday will return to search for other caves in the area and try to identify the mysterious hidden entrance.   For now, the secrets of La Caverna Del Oro continue to be safe from the rest of the world.

I can’t help but wonder if, somewhere at the bottom of the cave, there is the skeleton of an ancient Conquistador still in his armor, guarding the gold and waiting for his officers and soldiers to return en masse and escort the last shipment of gold back to Spain.

 

 

 

Note of Caution:

If you do find the cave however, we advise that you DO NOT ENTER.  The cave has a sudden drop off inside which is hard to see in the darkness, and as always, spelunking is best done in the company of others, and with professionals or highly skilled and trained spelunkers.  We do NOT recommend you go inside the cave.

Also, while there, please respect the site so others may enjoy it.  Take pictures, have lunch, (and clean up of course) enjoy the clean mountain air, and the beautiful view and think about the stories this old cave could tell.   The Maltese cross has already been vandalized and is fading enough from erosion and time.  Please be considerate of this important and delicate piece of history.

La Caverna Del Oro

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Southwest Traveler: Lost Mines: Buried Treasure: A Guide to Sites and Legends of the Southwest (American Traveler Series)

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Ramble Colorado: A Wanderer’s Guide to the Offbeat, Overlooked, and Outrageous

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