Jesse James Hidden Treasure: Laughable “science.”

It should go without saying, but the following is just my opinion: I watched the show and although some parts were fascinating, especially when it concerned the possibility that Jesse was not assassinated, the part that the so-called NGS played was beyond ridiculous.

It’s hard to know where to start with this silliness: We see some jokers who are members of a virtually unknown group called the National Geomantic Survey, Inc. (NGS). Internet searches for them come up with virtually nothing except a hit about someone who was apparently approached by the NPS in a bizarre story involving “Men in Black”, space aliens, ghosts, missing persons, and all kinds of insane stuff. Check out the NPS website.  What you will find is a tiny rinky-dink website loaded with misspellings and grammatical errors but only vague claims about what they actually do. None of the members listed have any apparent background at all to qualify them for the type of work they claim to do and they have a virtually non-existent resume. They clearly should not even be touching important archeological or historical objects.

I contacted them with two questions: 1) When using ground penetrating radar, they found what they said appeared to be a large buried trunk in an area they believed might have buried treasure, why did they simply give up and leave when they claimed their backhoe wasn’t big enough to finish the job. Apparently, they couldn’t afford to rent large equipment even though they claim to be a professional organization who does this type of thing all the time. Heck, a local contractor would have been happy to donate the equipment. I would have paid for it! The History Channel would have certainly written a check to finish digging the hole to find what could have been the discovery of a lifetime that would have made them rich and famous. But no! They just packed up and left a big hole in the ground. Alarm bells should have been going off in any rational viewer’s mind. Let me get this straight: They were only inches or feet from what could possibly be the find of their lifetimes and what they had been supposedly seeking for years and they simply quit and leave because a backhoe can’t quite dig deep enough?!

The second question I asked them was why they were packing firearms and what the badges they wore represented. Don’t get me wrong! I’m a life member of the NRA, a member of my state rifle association, Gun Owners of America, and The 2nd Amendment Foundation. I’m not against guns. I was just curious about why they felt the need to pack firearms on private property while metal detecting.

The answers I received back were hilarious. As for leaving the hole and quitting, they only said, “The adventure continues” – whatever that means. As for the guns, the answer was, “Adventure involves danger.” Woooooooo. A couple of jokers goofing around with metal detectors in the woods think they face great danger! They would be in far more danger walking the streets of any city in the country or just driving down any road. They gave no explanation for the badges but the badges looked suspiciously like the badges that are advertised in the back of any gun magazine. They are totally useless and unnecessary. People with concealed carry or open carry permits do not need a badge. And anyone can carry a firearm on private property. But I was told carrying the weapons was their “protocol” developed over many years of experience! ?

What we have here, in my opinion, is a few guys fantasizing about being Indiana Jones. I’m surprised their protocol doesn’t require them to carry whips.

It should be obvious to anyone that these jokers had absolutely no idea what they were doing and, in my opinion, they faked their discovery of the gold coins. For example, when their metal detector indicated that it found something, did they dig where it indicated? No! They reached into a nearby hollow tree stump and, sure enough! They found what appeared to be a gold bar. How convenient! But one of the “experts” thought it was brass and didn’t even know that brass tarnishes. Whoops! Of course, we are never told what an analysis of the supposed gold revealed.

They see markings on a canyon wall and, after admitting that they have no idea how to interpret them, jump to a series of conclusions that were individually bizarre but when combined are simply ludicrous. They see a bunch of carved hatch marks in the rock and surmise that it may mean that the treasure is that many paces from a hollowed out part of the wall that they assumed was a seat. They figured that if you sat in the seat and walked the indicated number of paces in the direction you would be facing when sitting in the “seat,” you might find treasure. Now, why would someone carve a bunch of hatch marks in rock to indicate how many paces to walk to reach treasure when he could simply scratch the number instead? And why would carve clues to a treasure’s location in the rock anyway. Is this starting to sound like a kids movie – Goonies, for example? As a matter of fact, I created a much better treasure hunt for my grandchildren some years ago. It was much more convincing too.

They talk about coins being placed in Mason jars then, sure enough! A minute later they just happen to find a Mason jar and coins! What a coincidence!

Go to their website. It’s really funny. Read their qualifications. Read their resume of accomplishments. See pictures of their equipment which includes their personal cars! Notice that most of them are listed as being part of their “security.”

What in the world was The History Channel thinking of when they got involved with these jokers?

Again, that’s all my opinion. But check it out for yourself. But you will have a hard time finding information about the so-called NGS because they are virtually unknown despite their claimed years of experience. By the way, could it be that they chose the acronym “NGS” to confuse people into thinking they are somehow associated with the National Geographic Society.

What a joke!



The Latest Fake Jesse James History from Ron Pastore

James-Younger Gang Journal Pans Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure


Jesse James Hidden Treasure: Laughable “science”

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Deconstructing Chapter One

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Deconstructing Chapter Two

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Deconstructing Chapter Three

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Chapter 4 deconstructed

Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure – Chapter 5 Deconstructed

Newman University Promotes Bogus Jesse James Historian Ron Pastore

Jesse James Family Challenges Newman University’s Presentation of Bogus History

Wichita Man Tries to Change History of Jesse James

Wichita’s Jesse James Museum Challenges Jesse James History as We Know It

Area Historian Takes a Fresh Look at Jesse James

Techniques of Jesse James Con Artists

6 thoughts on “Jesse James Hidden Treasure: Laughable “science.””

  1. I have lived 14 years in Kansas now since retiring from the military. Metal detecting being one of my hobbies for 40+years. I couldn’t fiqure how they were passing up an item based on the readings they (detecters) give and hurring off to more “fruitful” things. I have found a gold half eagle in the sand at Avila Beach California that read pull-top.
    Any guns just flop and get in the way or pull your pants up if tied down so why they would have any is beyond me.
    The whole thing was a joke from the opening line “Somewhere in Kansas” and it went downhill from there.
    I’ve never found silver still silver or anything in a gultch that washes out every spring as can be seen by the bare rocks in the lowest part and the roots sticking up on the tree trunks. Probably a real gullywoomper in that location being lower than the areas around it.
    Sometimes people put things down an old well when they dig a new one and of course trash in outhouses but this “chest” really made me laugh. No one could dig a hole as deep as that foundation they were bulding for that poor farmer, that is if they ever finished it.
    As my Wife left the room disgusted with hearing me (and I don’t blame her) tha last thing I said to her was “How can the History channel allow this”

  2. Thanks for beating me to the punch on most of my own observations about this mess..

    Two things..

    1)There is no way in hell these guys actually found those coins as claimed. those coins in my experience and opinion, are without question SALTED. The purpose of the salting seems to be to further/underwrite the nonsensical claims/book deals that sell stories about paid ‘sentinels’ who will improbably take 50 bucks in stolen bullion/coin to guard millions worth of treasure, and not simply dig it up and run off to California where no one will ever find them and they will be the richest men in the state…

    That location is the only topography in the area, and was a MAGNET for picnics,outings, KIDS DRINKING, HUNTERS…etc..
    for many years.. anytime you put down a metal detector you are going to dig a lot of junk metal esp at a well-used location such as this. I have zero-doubt that these coins were 100% planted to further the purposes of those selling this show.
    Finding this legitimately, would be the statistical likelyhood equivalent of getting attacked by a bear, and a polar bear, at the same time in midtown manhattan..

    2) The first thing anyone who grew up in a rural area would think when you find a BOX BURIED on top of a hill in a rural area, as per the groundscan…
    its a gravesite.

    Everyone in these areas for hundreds of years takes a picturesque hillside to bury their beloved grandma/grandpa who can enjoy eternity with the sun rising on them from the top of the hill..

    IF these guys really found what they claimed to find..a box buried on top of a hill.. there is one really good likelyhood for what that was = a casket.

    these guys likely dug up a unmarked gravesite and made up a excuse after prying the coffin-lid off of the land owners great-great-grandfathers brother..

    and to their disappointment finding only ELMER’s remains, and no treasure..

    so this preposterous excuse about not being able to dig the last 8 feet..

    if these guys knowingly tampered with human remains in the pursuit of the morons I expect they are…
    I beleive there are laws pertaining to disturbing the dead, hoping that their caset/box has treasure in it.. and you KNOW that these guys even realizing its a coffin went into it, expecting it was part of some great conspiracy to better hide the treasure..

    they dug up a grave in my best guess.

  3. I just saw the rerun of “NGS” buried treasure show on History Channel. The history of Jesse James was very good and intreging, esp. with the near proof that he was not assasinated. But the treasure hunter portion of the show was absurd.

    In my opinion they ended the show because there really was no “box” buried there, and not because winter was coming–the weather looked fine. The “box” looked like it was a few feet below the surface on the scan image, yet they said it was 16ft down??? How in the heck could Jesse dig down 16 ft. and why would he?? Even 8ft[considering hillslope changes] would be deeper than any normal gravesite.

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