Is There a Golden Treasure Buried at Colorado’s Horsetooth Reservoir?

An exciting mission for adventure-seekers in Colorado could be heading out to locate a hefty treasure that remains buried near Fort Collins' Horsetooth Reservoir.

According to the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters, the unfound chunk of money, known as the Robber's Roost Treasure, would be equivalent to more than a million dollars in today's currency.

Get our free mobile app

Back in 1863, a stagecoach carrying $60K in army payroll was traveling from northern Colorado's Virginia Dale Station to Fort Sanders in Wyoming. The money consisted of freshly-minted $10 and $20 double-eagle coins. However, just a couple miles after leaving the station, the wagon was robbed by six outlaws – it was the wild west, after all.

The outlaws stole the box containing the coins and quickly fled the scene, going west towards the foothills of Fort Collins. The thieves managed to break the lock, accessing the sum of money inside the box, but were met with threats of the looming U.S. Calvary, who wanted them dead. Left with no other choice, the outlaws hid the gold coins somewhere on the east side of the reservoir in hopes of coming back to their wealth after evading the Calvary.

Before they could return to their hiding spot, though, the outlaws were killed by the U.S. Calvary. Following their deaths, the Calvary did locate the iron box which once held the army payroll but, much to their dismay, it was now both full of bullet holes and empty.

Many treasure hunters believe this large amount of loot can be found atop Table Mountain, about one mile northeast of the Virginia Dale Stage Station.

The six outlaws were the only people to have known where the plethora of coins was hidden, and to this day, the money has yet to be found. Who will be the one to locate these gold coins?