Finding Buried Treasure Whilst Hunting For Jesse James’ Lost Gold I Expedition Unknown

A new treasure hunter, a copper map, and an unexplored location. We might actually be onto something.
But I’m still trying to figure out the code on the brass bucket. We will go to the west side of the Kichi Hills, follow the trail line coming through the mountains just east of Lone Hill, where he buried Jack. Whatever Jesse was talking about, Jaime thinks it points to this patch of land across from Buzzard’s Roost.

Okay, so who is Jack? Jack is not a person. He’s not. Jack is actually something that was laid out in rocks—the name “Jack.”
And how do we know that? I have a photo of it. Really. Joe Hunter found it in 1933, looking down from Buzzard’s Roost.
Let me see it.

This is from Buzzard’s Roost. If you look at this corner right here, you’ll see “Jack” laid out.
Look at that! You do?
That’s amazing. It’s right on the hillside there. It says “Jack,” plain as day.
If you look at the angles that the letters were laid out, it’ll lead you to this side of the Roost.
Jamie, I think you might be onto something here.

So, is this the one thing driving you here?
No, the copper map is what brings me here.

What’s the copper map?
The copper map’s what was found in 1932 by Joe Hunter over on Buzzard’s Roost. Bud told me about Joe Hunter back at Robbers Cave and how he found the brass bucket. But Hunter also dug up the copper map, and it sounds like Jamie has a pristine copy.
This is the one that Jesse’s brother, Frank, was looking for. And he said if he could find it, he’d find stacks of gold bars.

And have a lot of folks seen that?
No, not very many people have.

Can we take a look at it? Is that possible?
I don’t know if we should show this one on camera.
You want to think about it for a second?
Yeah, let’s think about that.
Okay, take a second. Think about it. Let me know what you want to do.

Last time someone’s seen it, part of it… I felt like this is not going to go my way. That wasn’t a good deal because…
Hey, guys, sorry not to bust you up, but I have a compromise that has occurred to me.
What if we don’t show it on camera?
You can be sure as hell I won’t be able to interpret it. I’m just a dumb TV host.
What if we kind of keep it from the cameras a little bit so that the secret doesn’t get out?

We’ll do that.
Yeah, that sounds good. We can do that.
Yeah, sure. Appreciate that. Thank you.

Though we can’t show you the map, Jamie and his team believe that it narrows down their search grid to less than two square miles, and we’re right at the center now.
This is a pretty complicated looking map. To me, it looks like chaos.
The map has to be worked in two separate parts—north and south, south and north. And that’s about all I can go into with that.

You guys aren’t gonna kill me at the end of this, are you?

Look at this! This is a high-tech operation here. Jamie and his crew are on the cutting edge of the Jesse James gold rush.
Unleash the beast. What is this?
This is a metal detector. It’s all electronic. This one will take you 30 feet deep. It’s not your grandma’s coin shooter.
This square is actually the sensor. This is the… that’s what finds the money. Is it safe?
Sure.
That’s why you’re holding it, right?

I noticed that you’ve gotten 10 feet behind us. And what is this?
A Shawn stat.
A Shawn stat? That’s definitely a made-up word. What is that?
It finds cast iron, in the event the treasure is inside of something like a teapot or something like that.
Yeah, this is like some 21st-century treasure hunting. Are you ready?
That’s ready. Let’s go.

What do we do?
Walk that way.
Alright, I can do that.
We’re just going back and forth in straight lines here?
Yeah, you have to work it kind of like a grid.
Are you visually seeing data?
Yeah, I’m basically seeing data right now.

[Music]

What is that?
It’s probably the nails in your boots.
Oh, yeah.
If it’s something more substantial, I assume it makes a difference?
If the short one’s probably your boots, if it’s a really loud one, then we’ll got it.

I’m starting to realize that even with all this fancy equipment, treasure hunting is still a lot of walking.
I can’t believe how patient these guys are. It’s basically like mowing a lawn. How long are we gonna be out here doing this?
Do you have a tent?
Oh boy. This is gonna be a long day.

Look at this.
What do you got?
I don’t know.
It’s right in there.
Yeah, it’s definitely detecting something.
This thing picks up iron, so maybe just the rock.
Let’s get that shovel and try and take that out.

Well, now what if… what if something’s running out here?
Wait, what do you mean, like what?
I don’t know. Something lives in there.
Give me your top three things that could be living in here.
A snake.
A pack rat.

What’s a pack rat?
That’s a real thing? That’s an animal?
Yeah.
I thought it was just a hoarder.

Before I lose a finger to a pack rat, I need to make sure the Shawn stat isn’t just picking up the iron in the rocks, so we’re bringing out the big gun and getting into position.

Hey, go back.
Something there?
Yeah, check that spot again.
What’s it seeing?
Yeah, we got some kind of metal there.
Do it again.

[Music]

There you go. Got it.
So it’s just imaging something down there.
Something kind of elongated.
Yeah, holy—okay, great. Let’s check it out. Come on.

Okay, let’s get that shovel.
Wait a minute… what the hell?

[Music]

Jamie, get over here. What do you got?
Seriously, what is this?
It’s a bar.
Are you kidding me? A bar of what?
Silver, maybe?
Are you… me?

Jamie, what is this? Some kind of bar? It weighs a ton.
Yeah, it’s got weight to it.
Doing it. He’s got something written on it.
You have a brush or something? There’s some water there.
Be water. Here’s some.

Lyman.
Lyman? What is that?
It’s gonna be lead. Yep, that’s a lead bar.
They’re a lead manufacturing company.
Yeah, that’s what they make bullet castings out of.

What year do you think this is, man?
It could be 100 years old.
That is unbelievable. It’s not Jesse James treasure, but it’s still pretty amazing.
Well, we know your machine works.
Yeah.

For a split second, I thought I was rich.
What’s the value of lead these days?
Not enough.
Yeah.

I was so close. Part of me thought that just maybe we hit Jesse James’ lost gold. It’s a rush, and now I understand why people like Bud and Jamie spend their lives chasing it.

Is there any doubt in your mind that that treasure’s still up here somewhere?
That treasure’s still here.
It’s just gonna take a little more searching to find it.

Too many clues have been discovered over the last century to dismiss the treasure as pure legend:
The brass bucket with the contract. The cryptic markers. The copper map.

As for Jesse James, beneath the myth is a man—and perhaps not a very decent one at that. Though it’s easy to say he was a product of his time, his tendencies for brutal violence can’t be overlooked.
But the air of mystery surrounding him is undeniable.

I think Jesse’s fame endures because we see in him only what we want to see:
A thirst for adventure, a longing for unfettered freedom.