Coronado's Treasure

Texas Canyon


One of the fun things about staying at the Diamond J in Tucson is getting to know Doc Justin (Neil Justin). The “Doc” is because he has PhDs in both Archeology and Biology, an interesting combination. He also was the head of one of the departments at Arizona University in Tucson. He is a true teacher and loves to share his knowledge with anyone and it is always interesting.

Those are some big rocks!
On one Saturday evening he hosted a bonfire for everyone. Sitting around the bonfire he shared with everyone the history of the Tucson area. When I say shared the history I mean going back millions of years. When he got to the exploration of the area by Coronado in the 1540s, he explained that they brought with them all sorts of armor and weaponry but as they crossed the desert they decided to leave these things behind. His theory is that they hid it expecting to return and pick it up. Well Coronado never did make it back through this area so the thought is that the “treasure” is still out there hidden away in the desert. Doc’s theory is that they hid it in Texas Canyon where there are lots of big rocks that could have been moved around to hide it. He has done lots of exploring that area and has yet to find the treasure but he still believes it is there. So if there are any treasure hunters out there just talk to Doc and he will give you his take on it.
Texas Canyon

As we were driving on !-10 to get to New Mexico you drive through Texas Canyon. In fact there is a rest stop there. We couldn’t resist so we stopped to take a couple photos of the rocks in this canyon. Yep, I can see that this would be a good hiding place. Treasure anyone?

I did want to answer a question Evelyn had on the New Mexico Parks that others might wonder about. The day use fees in both NM parks we have stayed in are waived if you are camping. We found that true at Roper Lake State park in Arizona. Also while in Nevada we went to Valley of Fire State Park we paid the day fee to get in but the guy at the gate said if you were camping they also waive the day use fee. I don't know about California as we were at a COE park there. Hope that helps.

Happy trails.........

Comments

  1. Jim and SandieMarch 23, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    Every time we drive through Texas Canyon I am amazed at the rock formations. They are just so incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Gypsy G-MasMarch 23, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    It's always fun to see a history lesson in person. That's one reason I think this lifestyle would be amazing as a kid. I wish I could remember half the lessons we learned (and then promptly forgot) in school. What a treat to get a free lesson from some a knowledgeable person.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RV Khronicles of KevelynMarch 24, 2011 at 3:54 PM

    Thanks for explaining about the day use fees. I didn't see that anywhere on their websites. We would have been more likely to stay at one of them if we had known that. We usually like state parks better than private ones. The price was just too high. We're driving on Hwy 10 right now and I just saw the high wind signs telling you not to stop in travel lanes. Luckily it's not windy today!

    ReplyDelete

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