Bookcover: The San Saba Treasure: Legends of Silver Creek

The San Saba Treasure: Legends of Silver Creek

vol. 26: Texas Folklore Society Extra Book

David C. Lewis — author. 
Subjects: Texana, Texas Folklore

December, 2018

Published

240

Pages

20 b&w illus. Index.

Features

$19.95

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About Lewis's The San Saba Treasure

In 1868, four treasure hunters from San Marcos, Texas, searched for a lost mine on the San Saba River, near today’s Menard. It was popularized as folklore in J. Frank Dobie’s treasure legend classic Coronado’s Children. One hundred and fifty years later, a descendant of one of those four men set out to discover the history behind the legend. This book recounts that search, from the founding of the ill-fated 1757 mission on the San Saba River up to the last attempt, in 1990, to find the treasure in this particular legend. It describes Jim Bowie, a fake treasure map industry, murder trials, a rattlesnake dancer, fortunes lost, a very long Texas cave, and surprising twists to the story popularized by Dobie.

The book will not lead anyone to the legendary ten-thousand pounds of silver, but it will open a treasure trove of Texas history and the unique characters who hunted the fabulous riches.

About the Author

An ancestor of Sam Fleming, one of the 1868 San Marcos treasure hunters, DAVID C. LEWIS developed an interest in Old West history while growing up near Carlsbad, New Mexico. He received degrees in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University. He currently resides in Kentucky with his wife and three children.

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