Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Desert Galleon For Western Wednesday...!

Folks have been dreaming about finding gold or treasure from a pirate ship for a very long time, but probably not in the Colorado desert.

This following story has been around so long, it makes me wonder if it has any truth in it. Know what I mean?

The Lost Ship In The Desert

If there’s any place you don’t expect to find a lost Spanish galleon, it’s probably the Colorado Desert. But in the 1870s, there were rumors galore about the lost ships. According to the Los Angeles Star, a treasure hunter finally found what he was looking for in November 1870. On December 1, a man named Charley Clusker claimed to have found an extraordinarily well-preserved Spanish galleon, but nothing was ever brought back from his expeditions into the desert. The ship was a pirate vessel and the treasure was still on board.

It might sound insanely farfetched, but there’s a small possibility that there actually was truth in the story. The Salton Sink is a massive depression created millions of years ago in the Colorado Desert, a depression that has been known to turn into a lake. Evidence of flooding includes the presence of oyster beds high in the San Felipe Mountains. It’s possible the pirate ship made its way up the Gulf of California and then ran aground. The crew would have ultimately died, leaving the galleon baking in the sun. Whether or not that’s really the case is still up for debate, but the sheer number of reports about a lost desert ship are enough to spark the imagination.

Call me crazy, but I kinda wish this was a true story. Never hurts to keep a dream alive, does it?

Coffee out on the patio this morning!

8 comments:

linda m said...

It would be great if someone did find that ship. Just to prove that it was possible and the theories were correct. Sun is shining today so I will take advantage of it and venture outside. Have a good day.

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
You are exactly correct about that I'm thinking the very same thing.
Thanks for stopping by today!

JO said...

`All things are possible in these deserts. But I'm sure by know this ship would have been found if there ever was one. But the romance in the story is interesting.

Still a little to chilly for sitting on the porch so I will be with you on the patio.

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
A little romance never hurt anyone, right? Besides, the hunt alone would be fun, don't you think?
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I have seen a couple of TV fiction stories based on that ship and its gold. There always has to be something somewhere to give all those treasure hunters something to look for. . .

Unknown said...

I too have seen and read different versions of this ship. One would think that if it existed it would have been discovered but I am sure there are people looking. Do you remember the afternoons we spent searching the caves up and down the San Gabriels for the Sam Bass treasure? I could use a "cuppa" right about now. Is it too late?

Unknown said...

I too have seen and read different versions of this ship. One would think that if it existed it would have been discovered but I am sure there are people looking. Do you remember the afternoons we spent searching the caves up and down the San Gabriels for the Sam Bass treasure? I could use a "cuppa" right about now. Is it too late?

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
Seems to me that the hunters like a challenge and aren't easily discouraged. Like you say, there will always be something for them to hunt, more than likely.
Thanks, my friend, for the visit today!


Hey B...
Never too late around my house for a cup of coffee, you know that. I practically live on the stuff! Yeah, the old days around old Georgetown was a lot of fun, for sure. Too bad it got all citified!
Thanks for coming over for a visit, B.