Proof of the Reynold's Gang Treasure Found??? Options

[Enigma1]

Hello Everyone,

I've been hunting, hiking, fishing, and camping in Geneva Gulch since my father first took me there nearly 30 years ago. In my own opinion, I'd say I know the area better than most.

I'd never heard of the Reynold's Gang treasure until about a year ago when I was researching the ghost town of Geneva. At first I didn't pay much attention, and just found the tale an interesting footnote to the area's history.

Then I remembered an unusual find I had made in August 2011-

While on a long, remote hike, I stumbled onto the bones of a very large animal, partially buried in years of sediment and moss near a swampy/bog like area at about 11,000 ft. elevation. The bones were extremely old, and badly deteriorated. I uncovered several, including a fragile jaw bone that was under several inches of moss and mud that still contained a few teeth. A short distance away I noticed a rusted object which turned out to be a very old rusted shovel/spade head.

Due to the length of the hike back to camp, and the size of the bones, I only kept the jaw, and snapped a few photos of the rest. I didn't think anything of the shovel/spade I had found, and left it were it lay after a quick look. I had no idea what kind of bones I had found, and didn't think the shovel was connected to them in any way at the time.

I was interested to find out what kind of bones they were, as I had never seen such a large animal in the area. They weren't elk or moose bones, and why would such a giant animal have been wandering around at or above timberline where there is so little forage?

I posted the pics on an archaeological forum, and within a few days I had my answer from a Professor at British University- The bones I had found were those of a horse, and the Professor noted the extent of the decay as unusual and stated that this indicated they were quite old- he estimated around 150 years old.

I've since begun to wonder if these bones and the shovel may have been tied to the Reynold's Gang?

The account of the shootout, and the buried treasure mentions a horse that became mired in a swampy area that had to be killed/abandoned on the spot, and it is said that the stolen loot was buried at the head of a gulch around 11,000 ft. The tale also mentions the loot was buried in an old prospect hole after they had "followed the mountain around to the right". Geographically, where I found the horse skeleton and shovel, there was a large hill and the lay of the land "followed it around to the right".

Also since learning of the Reynold's Gang, I've done some research on Civil War era shovels, and the shovel I found was similar.

I'll be returning this summer for an extended search of the area, and sorry, I won't be sharing the exact location with anyone!

Here are photos of the bones I think may be the mired horse of the Reynold's Gang-

Cheers!

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