|
 CABALLO
MOUNTAINS, NM - There is a tunnel in the desert; a dark crevice
sequestered by fear of its folklore in a place they call “the middle
of nowhere”; a place across a dried riverbed and shaded by the
Caballo Mountain range; a place lit by a desert sun that turns yucca
bushes into stumpy, abstract black shadows; a place where winds turn
grains of sand into a fog of stingy pellets; a place that once
radiated with the vibrant spirits of gold diggers; now a deserted
mining shaft; a mining shaft known as Rattlesnake Hole.
It is
there, William White (photo left) stood.
The author and
historian had visited the location numerous times before, searching
for gold, only to leave with nothing. However, White, who had
previously climbed 85 feet into the tunnel during a solo expedition,
mentioned with a smirk, “the gold is always one foot further.” On
this day though, White did not dig for gold. Instead, White, in
research for a new book, dug for facts.
White, a resident of
New Mexico, has been searching for precious metals and treasures for
over 30 years; in fact, since his return from Vietnam. In 1965,
White enlisted into the Marines and was deployed to Vietnam as an
infantryman the following year. The time abroad, while admittedly
tough for White, broadened his scope on life and honed his goal to
adventure.
“The time in Vietnam was not easy, and personally
even recalling the thoughts can be tough,” said White, crouching at
the entrance to Rattlesnake Hole. “But, the Marines were an
incredible source of discipline for me, a discipline I have tried to
use throughout my entire life.”
In 1967, White returned to
the states, married and raised a family. The war veteran, now home,
would spend weekends with his wife and children, searching for
different adventures. In an effort to “find something to do” when he
went hiking, White started to go on treasure hunts.
“Originally, the hunts were never about treasure or gold,” said
White, “but something fun I could do with my children.”
However, White, with each hike/hunt, discovered an insatiable desire
to not only find treasures but to uncover history's great secrets.
So, White, in an effort to link the past with the present, began to
hunt for stories of gold. In his research, White began to notice
there was far more than a sliver of history but a treasure chest
full of rich stories.
“[Milton Ernest] ‘Doc' Noss discovered
a gold crown in this mountain,” said White, pointing to the Caballo
Mountain range. “But after his wife flaunted it in town, Noss took
it back, and placed it back in this mountain somewhere.”
To
this day, White explained, men and women mine in the mountain,
digging anywhere between 25 and 300 feet in search for Noss' gold
bullion. So far, there has been no success. It is stories, such as
this, which prompted White's first novel, “Tales of the Caballos.”
The novel is an account of the treasure lore and legends of the
mountain's mysticism.
White enjoyed so much personal and
professional success from the novel, he became inspired to write
another. For White's second novel, he expanded his hunt from gold to
American Southwest folklore. The result was “True Treasure Stories
of the Southwest,” a collection of stories ranging from precious
metals to UFOs. For White, the search became no longer about the
“find” but the journey.
“The planning and activity itself are
as much fun as finding something,” said White, squinting from the
sun light. “Whether you search with a simple metal detector or use
more sophisticated equipment you will experience the same thrill of
the hunt that makes it worthwhile.”
White, who began to gain
notoriety within the Southwest, wrote through a personal scope for
his third novel, “Reflections.” The book consists of personal
accounts of deep sea diving off the California coast to surfing the
Pipeline in Hawaii. More than this, it is an account of a young man
growing up in the fifties and sixties. These stories range from a
winter in Aspen, Colorado, learning how to ski, to leading a squad
of Marines through the jungles of Vietnam.
The experience of
writing “Reflections” was liberating for White, who continued to
humbly praise those who have supported him throughout the years. One
such man, Duane Shaw, the president of Ol' Skool 4x4, has gone as
far as bringing White on trips to give members of the off-road
community a tour.
“Mr. William White is a legend in this
area,” said Shaw, who brought White on an off-road trip to the
Caballo Mountains in late 2013. “The man is so knowledgeable about
the area, its stories, its history, and most of all, he is one the
kindest men I have ever met.”
Following “Reflections,” White
felt compelled to return to the lore of the Caballo Mountains and
the American Southwest Region for his next two books: “More Treasure
Stories and Folklore of the Caballo Mountains” and “Mad Dog and
Treasure Hunters.” The former is a book that includes many untold
stories of the Caballos, as well as, the local treasure hunters with
their successes and failures. The latter is an archive of William's
colorful past experiences.
One definitely gets the impression
after reading White's books that he knows a lot more than he is
saying. The historian will freely admit such a notion, stressing
that no current hunt should be disturbed.
“Any untold stories
represent either unfinished business or a need to protect the
privacy of individuals still actively engaged in the hunt for
treasure,” said White, staring into the darkness of the Rattlesnake
Hole.
For his fifth and sixth novel, White shifted his
literary efforts to fiction. In “The Treasure of San Miguel Island,”
the reader is ensconced in a treasure hunt off the coast of
California, a story based upon the Freddie Steele story first
published in “Reflections.” In his most recent book, “The Pancho
Villa Treasure of the Guadalupe Mountains,” White tells the story of
Pancho Villa and his faithful lieutenant Leonardo Regaldo, who took
by force of arms a massive treasure stolen from the Mexican people
by the despot dictator Porfirio.
Despite all of the literary
and treasure hunting success, White claims he is still looking for
the “big one.” The “big one” could lie within his future plans,
which include a shipwreck salvaging in the Pacific Ocean, as well
as, continuing his search on land for treasure not located. Or
perhaps, the “big one” lies within the Rattlesnake Hole. And, for
White, there would no better place to find than one than in New
Mexico.
“This is my home,” White said, smiling, “this is
where I want to be.”
By U.S. Army Spc. Alexander Neely
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
Comment on this article
|
