The Treasure map • Los Angeles Times

Is gold hidden under a California peak? This treasure map says so

An Old Hollywood actor created a treasure map. Could it be real?

Tracing the arc of the man behind a treasure map revealed a story that entangled a forgotten film star, an “Andy Griffith Show’’ obsessive and other intriguing characters.

We scrambled over jagged rocks that lined the mouth of the cave, and stepped into darkness.

The craggy entrance gave way to an inky chamber, one with a padlocked metal door. It blocked access to a dizzying array of tunnels that snaked into and under a mountain of granite and limestone. 

The expedition’s aim: to find a subterranean canyon where a tidal river washed over black sand fabulously rich in gold.

Headlamps flashed over damp sediment, illuminating a startling handwritten sign that alerted trespassers of something sinister.

Los Angeles Times full piece here