Jesse James Treasure

History Channel just ran ad for monday night looks interesting.

A buddy of mine, Dr. Roy Roush (PhD--Archaeology), was a consultant for that show. He (naturally) also recommended I watch it.
Don.........

History Channel just ran ad for monday night looks interesting.

I've seen the trailer/teaser as well. Appears as if History Channel may be running a special on the various conspiracy theories surrounding Jesse James and the plethora of legends. 

Are you gonna call in and ask them to produce documents?

History Channel just ran ad for monday night looks interesting.

I've seen the trailer/teaser as well. Appears as if History Channel may be running a special on the various conspiracy theories surrounding Jesse James and the plethora of legends. 

Are you gonna call in and ask them to produce documents?

Would you have a problem with that, if I did?  Surely someone that believes the Moon Landing was a hoax, such as yourself, would request supporting documentation.

No problem. I'll even help you look for the phone number.

If you want to contribute to the fake moon landing thread, you can do that. This is not that thread. But if you see footage of Jesse James, I guess it has to be real, right?

History Channel just ran ad for monday night looks interesting.

I've seen the trailer/teaser as well. Appears as if History Channel may be running a special on the various conspiracy theories surrounding Jesse James and the plethora of legends. 

Are you gonna call in and ask them to produce documents?

Would you have a problem with that, if I did?  Surely someone that believes the Moon Landing was a hoax, such as yourself, would request supporting documentation.

No problem. I'll even help you look for the phone number.

If you want to contribute to the fake moon landing thread, you can do that. This is not that thread. But if you see footage of Jesse James, I guess it has to be real, right?

Jesse James (the outlaw) is dead. The chances of seeing footage of him are as ridicules as saying the Moon Landing was a hoax.

Yeah, I kind of figured he was dead. But I don't have documented proof. We shouldn't believe it without documented proof.
I'd still say you have as good a chance seeing footage of him as you do seeing a real moon landing. No proof for either.

I saw that dirtscratcher and thought it might be pretty cool to watch, but I go back to work that night.  I ain't gonna be a smarta** and go on about actual footage of Dingus and the moon landin, and if Elvis is alive, and so on.  Your post didn't relate to that.  Thanks for the heads up.

For those who forget to watch or have a VCR malfunction it will
be rebroadcast on saturday night. siegfried schlagrule

I live not to far from Kearney MO...to hear tell, there is Jesse James treasure buried from here to Oklahoma and from here to Kansas and Kentucky...  But in all seriousness, if you do the math....and the research, where did all those years of proceeds from the robberies go?  In the 1980's the State of Mo allowed Medal detectors on the James property (first time ever detected) 1 park attendant per detector person.....NO Caches..NO LOOT...they said they didn't really think money would be hidden there.  Mainly due to the Pinkertons and other agencies of dubious character watching the premises.  

Thanks for the INFO....just set TV to record it.....I'll find those hidden treasures.

Thanks for the INFO....just set TV to record it.....I'll find those hidden treasures.

Careful...don't run upon any stills.

     I grew up hearing all kinds of stories about Jesse James and what all he and his gang supposedly did in this area. I am no expert but it doesn't take much common sense to realize that most of it has to be embellished. Here is a neat on-line book written by Cole Younger (his auto-biography) after he was released from prison in 1903. It mentions Jesse James briefly and doesn't go into any details of a lot of robberies except for the Northfield raid but it is a very interesting first hand, believeable account of how things happened back then. I hope you enjoy it,

Charlie

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24585/24585-h/24585-h.html

I live not to far from Kearney MO...to hear tell, there is Jesse James treasure buried from here to Oklahoma and from here to Kansas and Kentucky...  But in all seriousness, if you do the math....and the research, where did all those years of proceeds from the robberies go?  In the 1980's the State of Mo allowed Medal detectors on the James property (first time ever detected) 1 park attendant per detector person.....NO Caches..NO LOOT...they said they didn't really think money would be hidden there.  Mainly due to the Pinkertons and other agencies of dubious character watching the premises.  

I am pretty sure they would have buried it too deep for a mere metal detector of the 1980's to find. Perhaps a two box or a magnetometer of today would be capable of finding it if any is there.

GG~

Jesse and Frank were big into horse racin, so I've heard.  They probably spent most everything they ever stole.  Still, it's pretty fun to speculate about treasure they never spent.

 

     Lol Baspinall, you know telling some adults that Elvis is dead is worse then telling little kids that Santa is dead

BS, I saw the King this afternoon at the car show in McAllen selling funnel cakes today. He is not dead! Thanks for the heads up dirtscratcher. I had heard about it and forgotten it was playing Monday. As for SWR"s antics, just chuckle and go on with life. He does this sort of thing a lot, but don't be provoked. Again, thanks.

Cool.  Dirtscratcher just posted a little heads up about somethin we might want to watch with no judgement either way on the material.  Thanks.  Antics?  Well, I suppose you could say that  SWR is an easily provoked smartass.  Well, I guess so am I because I have to side with SWR on a lot of things.  I just protest them in a different way.  I may not agree with them, but SWR has some posts that made me back up and take a different look at some things.  I learn a lot from controversy.

Look, a good soul (dirtscratcher, and no I do not have documented proof on him being a good soul) simply posted some very good info for those of us that want to tune in Monday. Deviation from that is just antics. Opinion really does not matter here. Heck, I do not necessarily believe all the KGC stuff about James but I would like to watch the show. My opinion on weather or not the James deal is true has nothing to do with the atrutistic nature of this thread. Yes, starting a debate here on the truth or conspiracy of the KGC and Jessie James is slinging cow pie against the wall and seeing if it will stick. Yes, immature antics indeed. Not nice. I am sure SWR makes great post and does a fine job of being the devils advocate. Sorry, but this is not the approiate thread. Like it or not, it is the truth.

Look, a good soul (dirtscratcher, and no I do not have documented proof on him being a good soul) simply posted some very good info for those of us that want to tune in Monday. Deviation from that is just antics. Opinion really does not matter here. Heck, I do not necessarily believe all the KGC stuff about James but I would like to watch the show. My opinion on weather or not the James deal is true has nothing to do with the atrutistic nature of this thread. Yes, starting a debate here on the truth or conspiracy of the KGC and Jessie James is slinging cow pie against the wall and seeing if it will stick. Yes, immature antics indeed. Not nice. I am sure SWR makes great post and does a fine job of being the devils advocate. Sorry, but this is not the approiate thread. Like it or not, it is the truth.

General Discussion is the section this is posted in...and general discussion it shall be.

Your opinion counts, as well as mine. HOWEVER...as statistics show...when SWR makes a post, the woogies come out of the woodwork in a wonderful fashion of hush your mouth.

HA!

That's because almost every time you make a post it's telling someone they are wrong, or misled. A lot of us don't necessarily disagree with you on some of your beliefs, it's just that every time someone sneezes they are made to feel silly because they can't prov it was a real sneeze. It really gets old. REALLY!

That's because almost every time you make a post it's telling someone they are wrong, or misled. A lot of us don't necessarily disagree with you on some of your beliefs, it's just that every time someone sneezes they are made to feel silly because they can't prov it was a real sneeze. It really gets old. REALLY!

Might I suggest using the IGNORE feature, rather than disrupt the thread? 

Ignore don't make the problem go away. If it were that simple.
Good grief man, just give people a little breathing room.

Prospector 40:
I read (either on this thread or elsewhere) that the JJ show will be rebroadcast on Saturday. You may wish to check the History Channel listings to confirm.
Don.....

SWR: I would like to apologize. You re-posted your original and you know I really misread it. I see that now and again would like to offer my sincere apologia.  Sorry.
Prospect: Why can you not see it? If it is work or something they are going to rebroadcast it, or possibly you do not get the History channel? Regardless, if you cannot get this I will go old school and burn it to DVD for you. Later pal.

My g'mother was the first person Cole Younger came to see after returning to KC from Mn.He wanted a job or money.She gave him some money but no job.He and Frank James then went to Ok to supposedly look for a cashe,their's or someone else's,I don't know.Not being able to locate it,they then went on to the Wild West show.No other buried treasures that I know of although Jesse's wife lived in an upper middleclass part of KC after his death and I don't know the source of her income.My folks really didn't talk too much about them to us kids.I know they did see Belle Starr's daughter Pearl and that her g'daughter lived near us.I would think that there was no more than maybe one or two buried cashes.Money was spent fast by the gang.Frank especially liked horse racing and worked at a track for awhile.He was also a shoe salesman.I noted some of this a while back on t'net - http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.....msg446217/topicseen.html#msg446217

  I can document that Jesse James was the first man on the moon.....he hid a few million dollars there.
  Thanks for the heads-up on the documentary guys.

This is a fact. He also carved a bunch of turtles, owls, wolfs, skulls into the mountains and craters to show where the treasure was buried.


Jay

Frank came down to Oklahoma and bought a place near Fletcher, and allegedly scoured the Wichitas for lost caches, and maybe found some... It's an established fact Frank came down there and bought the place.  His mom died in Oklahoma City while returning to Missouri from Fletcher on the train.  They moved Frank's house over to that park by Cache.  I've sat on the front porch before.  One thing most folks don't realize is that the Ford brothers could never have took out Frank.  He got milder in his later years, but he was very cold blooded and quicker prone to violence.  So whatever he says he was lookin for in the Wichitas, it's fine with me.

I dont have cable where I live, not to mention I am too cheap to spring for the more pricey alternatives. 

Then how are you gonna know it was the real space shuttle that blew up?

Well, let the show begin.

Whew! I was afraid Geraldo would be hosting the show.

That's because almost every time you make a post it's telling someone they are wrong, or misled. A lot of us don't necessarily disagree with you on some of your beliefs, it's just that every time someone sneezes they are made to feel silly because they can't prov it was a real sneeze. It really gets old. REALLY!

The advice I received by a very smart lady here on T-net, was when he gets like that, just shake him off your leg and go on  

GG~

  Well, the History Channel show brought up more questions than answers.
There was a little excitement when two small (AHEM) caches were unearthed.
But the biggest surprise was the Kansas locality the search team found James/
KGC? markers.
  Naturally the team ran out of cash before getting to the big cache.  Talk about
not covering your holes.
  I gave it three stars for originality.  The Dalton connection was debunked also.

 "Shake him off your leg and go on ." I'm gonna use that a lot in future replies to one individual 
 I saw some interesting things in the show . What I saw most was someone jockying for another 2 hr
TV show .
 As I posted on another thread ; that baby 'hoptoad' was capable of digging much more than they scratched in 'Part One'.......Stay tuned for the next exciting episode .

Hey gang,
 Watched the show twice tonight and recorded it.... It was pretty cool, they found a small cache ( 21 coins including a $10 and $20 gold coin ) and a small dore bar ( gold )...

PLL

Think they were real or plants?  It was hard to tell, and the lone gold bar under a tree?  I guess they just could have been really really lucky.

I am just getting started in detecting and have no experience but those coins they found on that show looked like they were in awfully good condition compared to what I have seen of other finds posted on here.

i tivoed and watched the show and i liked it! very entertaining! i wish they would have had more on the research they did to come up with locations, but i guess that would not be in their best interest after spending so much time and money on this research! he had a lot of notes and hand drawn maps that he had made over the years of his research! im sure all of the locations on the show were on private land, so going out looking for a place to dig wouldnt be productive!

Ron (Warsawdaddy) ill see you saturday at the meeting in Wellington!

Think they were real or plants?  It was hard to tell, and the lone gold bar under a tree?  I guess they just could have been really really lucky.

     I was wondering the same thing Jimmy...I hope they weren't planted there to make for "good TV" but the recovery looked real enough. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt unless some one with the crew comes out and says different, I think they really did find these caches. It would be a really good publicity stunt to get more funding though. As far as leaving the "vault" dig site unfinished I just can't buy that, I have seen guys dig ponds and move a lot more dirt in a very short time with a lot less equipment. I don't think there is anyone on Earth that would stop digging if they truly believed there was a huge vault of treasure just a few feet deeper.

     Overall it was a very good show, I am now more inclined to believe that Jesse James death was faked after hearing some of the questions raised by the researchers:

1. Why would the governor assassinate Jesse and pardon Frank? I would like to know more about Governor Crittenden's political views and previous actions.

2. Why did the Clay county Sherriff get involved at all, the murder took place in Buchanan county almost 50 miles away. As high profile of a case as this one was at the time I can't see St. Joseph officials allowing another county to step in like that.

3. The sign in sheet from the Confederate reunion was pretty interesting too, I wonder why anyone would sign Jesse James name to it? Would they have thought this was a good joke back then and is there any way to analyze his hand writing along with the signature?

     It was a very good program, I hope they do a follow up.

HH Charlie

Some of you may be interested in this site.It is very in depth with JJ biographers and researcers and descendants.Lots of documentation to a lot of your questions.You may have to join the site,it's free.Go to the site and click on Jesse James discussion.Click on any topic on the left and when it comes up,also at the top of the left side will be 'All'.Click on that and you will get all the history topics discussed(50 at a time).

http://forums.prospero.com/delphicomz/myforums

As far as I know DNA test ended any doubt as to Jesse James being dead and buried in the alleged grave.  The signiture in the book was most likely someone playing a joke or someone could have signed it for Jesse James, you know like Jesse was still among them in spirit.  As for the last treasure, I agree, why would anyone leave that site?  A few guys with shovels could have gone a few foot deep in a day beyond what the backhoe did. If he really believed any real treasure was there he would not have left the site and obviously any landowners in the area will now know the location by the giant hole.  I mean how deep could they really have buried it in 1880, chances are it was brought to the remote site on a wagon by a few men with shovels.   What would be the need to bury it 20 feet instead of 5 or 10? 

Found this today.  Where's my silver & gold  

Ron (Warsawdaddy) ill see you saturday at the meeting in Wellington!

I'll be there! See ya saturday.

Why is that jar called a "Mason" jar?  
 
A Mason jar is a glass jar used in canning to preserve food. They were invented and patented by John L. Mason in 1858.  They are also called Ball jars, after Ball Corp., a popular and early manufacturer of the jars; fruit jars because they are often used to store fruit; or generically glass canning jars. While largely supplanted by other methods for commercial mass-production, they are still commonly used in home canning.

Antique mason jars are eagerly sought by collectors, and are bought and sold not only through antique stores, but also on auction sites such as eBay. While most jars sell for only a few dollars, some have sold for as high as $30,000. The value of a jar is related to its age, rarity, and condition.

GG~

hey gang,
 According to the show ( and several books ) the DNA is in question, because they couldn't use the main DNA testing, they had to settle for the second one, and I can't remember the name . Also, there was a question about the donor source of DNA and that there were many James family members buried at the farm, they are not sure if it was Jesse that they dug up. Here is a link to the data http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Stone.JFS.2001.pdf

PLL

 On the golddore bar it was buried pretty deep in the main root section of the tree. I was wondering if they found more but elected not to show it on TV...

PLL

Nail on the head!! A big two hour commercial for funding so Pastore won't have to get a real job!

In my opinion both treasures they "found" were planted. The coins and jar were way to clean to have been in the ground for 100 years. The "gold" bar would have been completely enveloped by the tree and not stuck back in a crevice like it was. If that was put there 100 years or more ago that tree would have been a twig at the time. Anything in the ground that long gets caked with dirt that doesn't just fall off and show a shiny silver coin.

In my opinion this whole thing was completely bogus and just a way for Pastore to be "famous", something he's wanted to be his whole life.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,167457.0.html

I thought I remembered a post related to this subject.

Also they left the targets and came back later to dig them to check out other sites.  I mean a good hit at 12in?  How long will that take to dig with a large shovel? A minute.  If the objects were real and you received a hit like that you would not wait, move to another site a few miles away and come back later, it makes no sense.  If it was done for good tv they could have just shown the clip later.  IDk I find it suspicious, chances of this being related to Jesse James or the KGC IMO are remote, very remote in fact.  If anything it was a farmers stash but even then why bury it so far out and not closer to your house?  I guess all things are possible but I still think it was a plant it just doesnt add up.  And both jars just happen to have gold coins in them?  Come on...  The only reason im not 100% sure its fake is due to the fact that some coins were dated after 1882, why would they plant coins dated after his death?

     If and I stress "IF" they planted them, putting dates in there after 1882 adds to the possibility that he faked his death.

Speculating that Jesse James buried the coins in the first place is just speculation. 

 

     If and I stress "IF" they planted them, putting dates in there after 1882 adds to the possibility that he faked his death.

Good point considering that was one of the main focus of the show.  So now we can add to the fact that the coins were dated after his death BUT just enough after his death to make them relevent to him had he faked his death.  So say he did fake his death and you needed some sort of cache proof of this coins from the mid and late 1880's would be perfect, coins from the 90's and into the 1900's would be too new IMO.  These Caches were just too perfect to the story to be true IMO.  Had they dug some early 20th century caches i'd have faith they were real but 2 caches, in seperate locations dated to just after his death?     These guys should play the lottery.

   Someone on this thread or the other one mentioned that the broken glass jar they dug up was pretty clean and shiny too. I thought the porcelain lid liner was pretty clean for being dug also. Every one that I have ever dug was packed with dirt.

In reference to the other string with the photo of the back to back J, that is the same double J that was shown on the show. The guy that made the post did not take that photo. I think he blamed it on a relative or something. That photo was taken at the site shown on the show. I know because I took that photo!

Why use coins dated after 1882, because he was trying to prove JJ didn't die then. Speculation and BS is what Pastore is really good at. Besides, if you're going to seed a hole you might as well use newer coins because they are cheaper to buy! 

In reference to the other string with the photo of the back to back J, that is the same double J that was shown on the show. The guy that made the post did not take that photo. I think he blamed it on a relative or something. That photo was taken at the site shown on the show. I know because I took that photo!

Why use coins dated after 1882, because he was trying to prove JJ didn't die then. Speculation and BS is what Pastore is really good at. Besides, if you're going to seed a hole you might as well use newer coins because they are cheaper to buy! 

Did you detect the site?  Was there any targets there when you hit it?  A mason jar would be pretty hard to miss right at the base of that cliff.  If you have been to that site and detected it, this is just more proof that the jar was planted.

Yes, that cliff was checked several times with different detectors and we didn't miss anything. There is a small set of caves along that cliff face and the spot he "found" the coins and jar at was just to the south of the last cave entrance. The double J is at the other end of the caves and no where near where they made their "find". I will also say that these caves were formed by water trickling through the sandstone, water that still trickles out now so that the sand along that cliff face is almost always damp if not wet. This would add to the inconsistency of the silver coins being nice and clean, almost shiney when they came out of the ground.

One other thing, Pastore likes to grand stand and when he would think he found something in a hole he was always yelling and screaming and acting like he was the man with the plan. There was none of that when they "found" either of the two treasures on this show. He was very calm and cool, just like he expected it. And for a treasure hunter he couldn't work a detector to save his life. He didn't even own one and probably still doesn't to this day.

 None of these posts look good for the History Channel home team 

That "guy" is more than a little off. He has always wanted to be famous and said several times he would announce to the world when he found a treasure that it belonged to JJ just so he could be famous.

I can see carrying a gun, for snakes (both kinds) but the badges and matching jackets? That's Pastore trying to be "important". He likes to call himself an acheologist but he used to dig holes using a hand auger instead of a shovel. He wasn't worried about preserving anything. He also declared once that he had found a bone while digging a hole and screamed out loud "we have a body here" . It turned out to be a tree root!

Alec,
 
     I noticed that you have not posted since Feb. of '08. I am just curious as to why this subject brought you back to the forum after such a long absence? Obviously you have personal expierences with Ron Pastore, would you being willing to elaborate a little more on your past dealings with him? Sorry if I am being nosey but you have definitely got me curious.

Charlie

Yes, I have been absent from this forum for awhile. I had been posting at Ancient Lost Treasures forum for a while.

I worked that very same site as on the show with Pastore several years ago. He contacted me wanting help interpreting the signs.  I was only with the group (Pastore, two others and myself) for a couple of months. Even though he and the others camped out on the property I later found out they hadn't even talked to the land owner about being there. He told me a nieghbor told them the land owner probably wouldn't mind if they looked around. He took this as permission to do whatever he wanted.

Pastore would always ride with someone else and use somebody elses stuff because he never had any of his own and didn't bother trying to get any. In my opinion he liked to mooch off of anybody and everybody he could (and apparently still does). He would show up at the site at 10 a.m. drinking Jack Daniels and sit around while everyone else searched the area for carvings and markers. At lunch he would take a break from sitting on his ass and smoke some dope. That's when I decided he wasn't for me.

I consider him to be a very big detriment to any site and hunt beacuse of his drinking and smoking, his attitude and the way he does things in general.

I am only posting concerning this because I want to make sure that people don't fall for any of his BS and get sucked into letting him on their site thinking he can find treasure. He couldn't find his own ass with both hands. He's a user and I don't care for people like that. This show pissed me off and It's my opinion the treasures they "found" on the show were planted just for the show. Pastore would have ran around screaming like a little girl if he had uncovered a real treasure.

I think honest, hard working treasure hunters deserve a better reputation than Ron Pastore.

   Ok, I'm just curious what you guys what like to see.... I mean, you think it's planted, you think he's trying to " cash In ", you don't like what they wear.... So just how does a " professional " ( keep in mind it's a team of people ) look, act, and what's wrong with trying to make a living out of what we do That does require one making money some way, some how ?? How does one do that if not through TV Just curious, not looking for a argument, just curious.....

PLL

Thank you SWR!  

I'm not trying to argue either and I'm all for making money and if you can do it treasure hunting then more power to you! That's what I would like to be doing. For me this is about warning people. Trusting this guy with your information or site would be a very big mistake in my opinion.

Do you and your treasure hunting buddies wear matching jackets and have a name for your group? You have to know this guy to know what he is doing. He is all about the image. Just like a con man, you have to put on the right show to get the payday. Always leave them wanting more.

I do think the treasures were planted and common sense is on my side. I can't prove it and this is definitely my opinion but personally, I think it's a pretty good opinion.

  Ok, I'm just curious what you guys what like to see.... I mean, you think it's planted, you think he's trying to " cash In ", you don't like what they wear.... So just how does a " professional " ( keep in mind it's a team of people ) look, act, and what's wrong with trying to make a living out of what we do That does require one making money some way, some how ?? How does one do that if not through TV Just curious, not looking for a argument, just curious.....

PLL

     There were several little things that this "team" did that just didn't seem right.

1. Rubbing a gold coin with their gloved fingers to get the dirt off of it. No one would do that if they had a clue what they were doing.

2. Digging with a spade like that after they found the top of the jar.

3. The glass from the broken jar looked like it was brand new. I have dug a lot of broken glass and I have never seen any that clean.

     There were several other little things that I just don't think anyone who has been around treasure hunting for any length of time would do. This is just my personal opinion but it seems that there are a few others on here with the same opinions.

HH Charlie

  Ok, I'm just curious what you guys what like to see.... I mean, you think it's planted, you think he's trying to " cash In ", you don't like what they wear.... So just how does a " professional " ( keep in mind it's a team of people ) look, act, and what's wrong with trying to make a living out of what we do That does require one making money some way, some how ?? How does one do that if not through TV Just curious, not looking for a argument, just curious.....

PLL

     There were several little things that this "team" did that just didn't seem right.

1. Rubbing a gold coin with their gloved fingers to get the dirt off of it. No one would do that if they had a clue what they were doing.

2. Digging with a spade like that after they found the top of the jar.

3. The glass from the broken jar looked like it was brand new. I have dug a lot of broken glass and I have never seen any that clean.

     There were several other little things that I just don't think anyone who has been around treasure hunting for any length of time would do. This is just my personal opinion but it seems that there are a few others on here with the same opinions.

HH Charlie

My personal favorite was scraping that gold with a pocket knife!! 

My personal favorite was scraping that gold with a pocket knife!!  

     Yeah that was another one, lol. My personal favorite was the shiny, bright white porcelain lid liner and the fact that there was no dirt packed in the lid. I have dug my share of those too and it's hard enough to get one that's in one piece let alone that nice and clean. It just didn't look like a dug jar lid, at least not like any that I ever dug.

Charlie

Alec,what area of Ks was that 'canyon' in?I would think it would have to be in the SE of Ks.I think they mentioned central ks and the only area I could place that at would be in the Smokey Hill area or north of topeka.

Alec,
  Could you give a little more info on this guy....where's he from....is he working any other sites, etc.  General information.  If you don't feel comfortable doing this, that's fine. Maybe a pm would be better.  
  Thanks for the input that you've already given.

Alec,
  Could you give a little more info on this guy....where's he from....is he working any other sites, etc.  General information.  If you don't feel comfortable doing this, that's fine. Maybe a pm would be better. 
  Thanks for the input that you've already given.

 I'd like to know more about him as well...

PLL

Everyone likes a good story.

As far as I know he is from Kansas. He has lived in Kansas for the last several years and maybe his whole life. Also, as far as I know he's not working any other sites alhough I know he has poked around SE Kansas some a few years back and still may be. The site that they said was central Kansas is central Kansas. This is not near Topeka, it's farther west than that. I'm not going to give out any specific information about where the site is only because of the family who owns the land. I've worked with them before and I'm not going to put them in a position of having unwanted people trying to sneak onto the property.

Pastore used to have a couple of websites, one for some kind of mound exploration he supposedly did and the other was about JJ. As far as I know they have both been shut down for at least a couple of years. At one time he had written a book about "dingus" that he was trying to sell. He couldn't get it published anywhere but was selling it on his website. I'm sure with the TV show he may be trying to push that manuscript again somewhere. He also ran a small "museum" in Wichita, KS at one time focusing on JJ stuff. He used stuff from the James family that was on the show for his display. I think he charged to get into the museum, it didn't last long.

Thanks Alec,
  I wasn't wanting anything concerning the details of his treasure sites, maybe just a State that he is/was looking for treasure in.  Thanks again!!!!!
  

That name "Pastore" kinda rang a bell in my memory.  I stopped subscribing to the treasure hunting magazines back in the early to mid 1980s because they started to recycle treasure stories and even a lot of the "how-tos".  Anyway,  there was a guy and his wife that popped up all of a sudden with all kinds of articles of "finds" and how-to-do it stuff that were also recycled.  You see, I had a hell of a collection of treasure mags and recognized the stories.  Those people's name was Pastore and they were from New Jersey, I think.  I remember thinking "how could they be doing all of their stuff in New Jersey; especially the pictures and info about the Southwestern states." 

Fast forward to the History Channel's program. 

I agree with the points already made about the conditions of the coins, glass, and using a knife on that "dore" bar.  I'm no expert,but wasn't that "dore" bar pretty clean?  I thought those bars were crappy looking because of the trash they carried with the gold. 

The "expert" pointed out the anchor made with back to back "J's" , but he didn't say a word about the big spot (hole) on the left side of the figure that would indicate a possible cache. 

And, the word "cache" is pronounced "cash" NOT  "cash-aaaa".

Did anyone else notice the large, triangle-shaped stone covered in a layer of fresh dirt that they used to lay those rusted jar lid pieces on?  I thought to myself, "Damn, that's a pointer stone that those fools MOVED."   That's a big thing that told me those guys are amateurs.

Do those guys really think JJ dug out that "spotters seat" in that cliff?  Dumb!!!!!

Do those guys REALLY think that JJ and crew would actually dig a 30 foot deep hole ANYWHERE, much less on a hilltop to hide ANYTHING?  Then, they use a backhoe to dig down to within shovel depth and STOP!  Pastore is trying to hook somemore investors for his project.  Also, you can bet he gets a cut of the sales of the DVD's of the program from the History Channel folks.  If I were in a position to investigate that area, those DVDs would allow me to study those carvings before going into the area.  But, since I'm not going there, I won't be buying the disc. 

Sorry ... I don't have an opinion yet.  I just wanted to jump on the wagon and receive notices on this subject and get all of the good "dirt."  But I will say this much ... I'm "digging" what I hear so far. Keep it coming, and take no prisoners. From what I gather, the James gang never did! 

 

  I too noticed the Pastore name which was the same as Jay Pastore who
wrote for W&E Treasure Mag I believe.  Probably a coincidence.  Anyway,
supporters of this Pastore better start defending him.  He's getting trounced
on here.  I hope History Channel isn't in on any shenanegans during filming.

  True TV has been airing some staged reality shows lately and needs to be
called on it.  History Channel will get a black eye if this proves to be a hoax.

  lastleg

If it is posted here, I apologize for missing it and for this repeat.  But if not, it will be of interest to note that ...

The History Channel program will air again ...

This coming Saturday evening - November 14th at (Check your local listings)

Oh boy this is getting good!

This is turning out to be a great story!

The program was pretty good compared to ones I have seen. Like the meteor men. Just was not enough! But the show gives off a very weird vibe. Not sure what is going on with this Pastore guy or the crew he brought along but they do not run the detectors well and I as a user of GPR am not impressed with the grid and scanning techniques. Next you are telling me that no one else has been over that area ten times over with a detector? Alec says that they had already covered that area with detectors previously. When we go out and find ANY signs like the marking on the rocks we really cover that ground. We won't miss it if something was in the ground. I was looking at the grass and weeds in the area. They did not cover it well at all. The only places the grass was trampled down was where the supposed treasure was buried. It does not take long to knock the grass down in an area when scanning it properly. The whole thing is nuts. I thought more highly of the program until I watched it the second time and really paid attention.

I won't automatically blackball The History Channel for this one program.  If this Pastore is a real snakeoil salesman, he could easily have conned a city-boy producer working for the channel.  I've watched UFO programs on the History Channel and they've been pretty evenhanded in their presentation, although a little bit more comments from skeptics, but that's OK.  I've been in the UFO "game" for years and have seen some real stinker programs that claimed to be "fair".  That one with Peter Jennings last year sucked big time because his personal negative bias showed through. 

Anyway, I'll give The History Channel some slack for now.  Their producer on that project is either a con artist or a con victim.   

     I don't think the History channel would knowingly be involved in anything rigged or we would have seen it happen before this. However I can see them getting duped into believeing what they see on tape. I doubt if any of the decision makers there would notice the things that we think are suspect. I'll give them the benifit of the doubt too and I'll lay odds that they have already recieved a few E-mails questioning the "finds" made on the show.

I'll give the History Channel the benefit of the doubt also. I watch it all the time, and find it "entertaining." But let's not forget, they will produce just about anything that will keep their ratings up.

After all, how many of us actually believe in Warewolves - Loc Ness - Big Foot - UFO's? And the list goes on and on.  And yet, the History Channel doesn't seem to have a problem airing that kind of stuff. In fact, it's some of the most watched programming on the air!  So why should we be surprised when they put together a program titled ... "Bigfoot Seen Lurking Around Site Of Buried Jesse James Treasure That Was Spotted From A UFO With A Warewolf For A Pilot And Nessie As The Co-Pilot."?  Subtitled : "As Told By Direct Decendant Of Jesse James Who Claims His Cousin Bubba Is The Illigitiment Love Child Of Elvis Presley And Marilyn Monroe."

I know, you don't have to tell me I've gone too far. I'm just trying to exemplify that "When legend becomes fact, print the legend!"

For example; How many of us remember the movie, "The Left-Handed Gun," starring Paul Newman?  For years people thought Billy The Kid was left handed, when in fact it turned out that the tin-plate negative of him was reversed, and that he was, and always had been right handed!  

I'll give the History Channel the benifit of the doubt too.  I watch it all the time, and find it "entertaining." But let's not forget they will produce just about anything.

After all, how many of us actually believe in Warewolves - Loc Ness - Big Foot - UFO's
and the list goes on and on?  And yet, the History Channel doesn't seem to have a problem airing that kind of stuff. In fact, it's some of the most watched programming on the air!  So why should we be surprised when they put together a program that should have been titled... "Bigfoot Seen Lurking Around Site Of Buried Jesse James Treasure That Was Spotted From A UFO That Had A Warewolf For A Pilot And Nessie As The Co-Pilot." ? 

WOW !!!!!! When does that air LOL

all i got to say that if i was in a group with much fire power i would find it hard to sleep at night wondering who done it with what and where.  not all of the sites on that show were in ks a very close family friend is commpettitors with pastore and they have bummped heads more than once on his uncles property in neosho missouri. which was where according to him was where one of the undisclosed sites were at was at uncle charlies farm in neosho missouri.  i have also heard stories from family elders that a old hermit fella lived in the bluffs of south st joseph was a centinnal .  from his cave on the bluffs he had a clear view of the stockyards  the railyards and a field that has had nothing built on it since before the civil war. about half the size of a football field gonna go there someday and use the old dfx 300 and see what i can hear after i get permission from the railroad .the jars are what gave it away the sandy soil could have kept the silver clean as it was but surry folks i dont belive the story that jesse died in st. joseph mo april 3 1882 there is a book out written by vincel simmons called the jesse james the real story .and the dna was from the star report and due to the over abundant amount of people buried on the james farm the dna test was unconclusive but it may have been his dna ?either it is or it isnt his dna that is like this is my foot but it belongs to some one else . oh boy what am i getting my self into here ? good night all  olepossum

     The thing that was the most compelling to me was Jesse M James, and his " possibility " of being the REAL James... Anyone have any info on this

PLL

    The thing that was the most compelling to me was Jesse M James, and his " possibility " of being the REAL James... Anyone have any info on this ???

PLL

I don't have any specific info to share ... other than to say "I was blown away by the similarity of the photo comparison between young Jesse and the older J. W. James, and that it's pretty compelling evidence that can't help but make you wonder."

Also, Jesse's middle name was "Woodson" ... Thus ... J. W. James ???

Yes I knew that the REAL Jesse's middle name was Woodson, but I agree that the similarities with Jesse M were a bit unnerving...

PLL

Yes I knew that the REAL Jesse's middle name was Woodson, but I agree that the similarities with Jesse M were a bit unnerving...

PLL

                          This is Jesse James ... Age 17 ... Taken in 1864

Yes I knew that the REAL Jesse's middle name was Woodson, but I agree that the similarities with Jesse M were a bit unnerving...

PLL

     That guys name (alias) was Jerry M. James, at least thats what it said on his grave stone. I thought I heard them refer to him as "Jeremiah" once also. When they were interviewing his decendants they all refered to him as "J.M." The family resemblance was pretty eerie too.

Charlie

I wonder what this collection of Jesse James' guns and boots are worth today ??? $$$

         How would you like to be digging around and find something like this ???

                                    Handwriting on bottom reads :

                                              May 4th 1923
                                                    To
                                             H H Crittenden   < thanks to Charlie's keen eyes.

                                   These are authorative pictures
                                        with my compliments
                                            Jesse James Jr.

I wonder what this collection of Jesse James' guns and boots are worth today $$$

         How would you like to be digging around and find something like this

     Where does it say that display is located?

     I believe the name/signature at the bottom left is "H.H. Crittenden", son of Thomas T. Crittenden who was the Governer of Missouri (1881-1885) at the time of Jesse James death.

Charlie

If my research proves correct, the Jesse James gun collection (or at least part of it) is now located in the James Farm Museum in Kearney, Missouri. Located 25 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri on Interstate 35. ( Notice that the display case is a steel "vault!")

Also, The gun and holster set used by Robert Ford to (supposedly) kill Jesse James was last auctioned in California in 2003 and sold for ... $350,000.00
                    (It's current location is unknown ... at least to me!)

                                              

The Discovery Channel did a one hour show on the Kansas James family a few years back. They are the ones that paid for the exhumation and DNA testing of Jeremiah James. The DNA was conclusive that he was not Jesse James and there isn't any "chain of eveidence" problem as stated on the show. I do however believe that this James family is related to Jesse and Frank James. Their evidence, most of which was not televised is pretty compelling.

I don't know, you can make an argument for just about anything....the show was well done....I would love to find the stuff they did.

Those guys are good researchers, but from what I saw not much for boots on the ground. The hokey part when they found the gold bar really had me wondering about them.  Did they really think someone would hide a bar of brass down in a tree? And their lack of excitement on any of their finds seemed odd. Also their treatment of the artifacts (coins, jars, gold) was amateurish.

And how many TH'ers do you know of that would not dig a target when they got a signal where treasure was supposed to be buried?

The whole thing looked staged for the cameras and not a very good job at that either.
At the end where they said they needed a bigger backhoe to dig a little deeper, made me think they were stalling to create suspense to have another show with more airtime. Maybe they will get Geraldo for the opening of the supposed vault.

Either these guys know a lot more than they are telling or they are scamming the History Channel for a payday.
All in all though it was a good show and it kept me watching and I will watch it again when it returns for the rest of the story.

GG~

* I found out it was taped in August so I doubt it was too cold to dig like the excuse they used.

 You know, one of the things that I have been wondering is while everyone is concentrating on Jesse ( or Jeremiah )..... What about Frank ? How well did he do after Jesse's death ? Was he being paid ? Was he a sentinel ? and if Jesse buried ALL this gold.... Wasn't he with him ? and wouldn't he also know where it all was ? Did he uncover it ? or simply tell the KGB where it all was and drew maps for them?

PLL

Let's back up to the gold bar buried under the tree part.  There was one post earlier that said the tree would have been a twig one hundred years ago. Does anyone recognize the type of tree it was, and who can substantiate how old it was? If in fact it was a variety that could only have grown to that size, say, in eighty years, then in my opinion this would shed a whole new light on the gold bar being "buried" under a tree that wasn't even there at the time, and suggest to me that it most definitely was "planted!"

Maybe when the episode airs again this coming Saturday evening (as well as on the 24th again) some tree expert among us can answer this question more intelligently!

Let's back up to the gold bar buried under the tree part.  There was one post earlier that said the tree would have been a twig one hundred years ago. Does anyone recognize the type of tree it was, and who can substantiate how old it was? If in fact it was a variety that could only have grown to that size, say, in eighty years, then in my opinion this would shed a whole new light on the gold bar being "buried" under a tree that wasn't even there at the time, and suggest to me that it most definitely was "planted!"

Maybe when the episode airs again this coming Saturday evening (as well as on the 24th again) some tree expert among us can answer this question more intelligently!

 Gotta have a DVR that way you can record it and play it back anytime....

PLL

I have a recorder ... but the problem with the tree deal is I don't know a Cottonwood from a Sycamore tree. (Actually, I do) But I definitely don't know size vs age, and was hoping some tree guy would like to make my day!  If he says that tree can't be more than 100 years old (1909) then I'm going to write the History Channel a very stern letter!

Sure, sure ... the bar could have been buried in the 1920's or later, but that would sure blow a hole in the whole Jesse James connection!      

I have a recorder ... but the problem with the tree deal is I don't know a Cottonwood from a Sycamore tree. (Actually, I do) But I definitely don't know size vs age, and was hoping some tree guy would like to make my day!  If he says that tree can't be more than 100 years old (1909) then I'm going to write the History Channel a very stern letter!

Sure, sure ... the bar could have been buried in the 1920's, but that would sure blow a hole in the whole Jesse James theory!      

Why couldn't the bar have been buried with no tree there? I'm not saying the bar wasn't a hoax, but a tree seed could have fallen there at anytime and started growing.

I thought about that too. And it very well could have been the case.  But my stand is that just about everything pertaining to the program hinges on a huge mountain of assumptions.  For example:  Why didn't the narrators suggest that the tree might not have been there at the time? After all, aren't they supposed to be "experts?"  But no, they purposely led us to believe it was stolen from a passing stage and buried under that particular tree by none other than the notorious James gang!  I believe they are not only planting hoaxes, but planting ideas in our heads so we buy into their shanagins!

I thought about that too. And it could very well have been the case.  But my whole stand is that just about everything pertaining to the program hinges on a mountain of assumptions.  For example:  Why didn't the narrators suggest that the tree might not have been there at the time? After all, aren't they supposed to be "experts" in their field?  But no, they purposely led us to believe it was stolen from a passing stage and buried under that particular tree by none other than the notorious James gang!  I believe they are not only planting hoaxes, but planting ideas in our heads so we buy into their shanagins!

I'm with you.

 Maybe.....Just maybe, they did find it in another location, and didn't want anyone to know the EXACT spot where they found it. Maybe the History Channel was in on hiding the REAL location.....

PLL

                                  Then it's not "HISTORY"

                                   It's  "HISS" - "STORY"

                                     or, if you prefer ...

                                        "His"  "Story"

                                                

   If it looks like a skunk - walks like a skunk - smells like a skunk - then it's a skunk!

Frank James spent several years before his death in Oklahoma looking for and recovering some of the the treasures he and Jesse left behind. He recovered at least two that I know of and maybe more. And he didn't turn them over to the KGC!

It's doubtful that the tree on the program is 100 years old, just my opinion and I'm not a "tree guy". The central Kansas area that they were looking in has an abundance of water year round which would accomodate the faster growth of a tree.

11/11/2009

TOPEKA | Kansas Lottery officials are excited with news that someone in Kansas has the winning Powerball ticket from Wednesday night's drawing. The jackpot was worth $96.6 million

I hope it was Ron Pastore, maybe now he can afford to finish digging up Jesse James treasure. 

  

The following letter has been prepared with the hope Ron Pastore will read it personally. Something tells me he has tapped into this thread and follows it with curious enthusiasm. If not that, then someone he knows surely does. Maybe he'll even respond to it, although doubtful. I mean absolutely no disrespect here, and fully realize I am going way out on a limb. But honesty is honesty, and if a person has nothing to hide, then by all means, come out and defend yourself.

Dear Mr. Pastore

Thank you so much for developing the world's first effective antibiotic that we all know today as penicilln. Oops! I'm sorry, that was another Pastore. I remember now, you're the guy who discovered Jesse James' lost treasure. My apologies! I get easily confused these days with so much false information going around. In any event, I personally would like to invite you to step forward and put an end to all of the controversy and accusations that have been slung in your direction lately regarding the legitimacy of your recent discoveries.  If anyone can cast a shinning light on the subject, you can. So please tell us ... Who do you think will go to the Super Bowl this year?  Now don't hold back, I'm certain you have an opinion on the subject! Will it be Denver and New York, or Minnesota and whoever?  Oh, and while you're thinking about it, also let us know if the coins you dug out of that hole were real or planted! It's a simple one word answer, I know you can do it! 

Again, I mean absolutely no disrespect. I just know if it was me I'd jump all over this thing like a fumbled football!

Respectfully,

SODABOTTLEBOB  

P.S.  I know, I know ... it was Louis Pasteur, not Pastore.  But hey, remember, I'm the guy who is so easily confused!


  

     Nice letter Bob but unfortunatly I don't think anyone would believe him just because he posts on here that it was all real and not a hoax. He is much better off just staying out of it and not commenting. Now if he would make available to the public all of the raw, unedited footage of the digs and close up photos of the coins, maybe. But I don't see that happening any time soon, lol. He has to wait until the sales from the $24.95 DVD's dies down.

HH Charlie

I think you are better off sending any open letter you have to the History Channel. If they don't know they were duped then they should.  Here's an e-mail address you can use for them if you care to.  thc.viewerrelations@aetv.com

P.S.

This is for all of the serious coin collectors among us!  Would you actually buy one of those coins at quadtriple (or more) of their true value simply based on the pretence they were supposedly connected to Jesse James?  ( And, come to think of it, the answer to this question by all of us should help seperate the believers from the non-believers).

Along with soda bottles, I  also collect comic books. And buying one of those coins would be like me buying a Superman no.1 for $1000,000.00, only to discover when I got it that it had Mickey Mouse on the cover, and the seller saying, "Gee, I'm sorry, I honestly thought that was Superman!  Oh well, no refunds allowed!"

And where are those coins now?  Probably in private hands!  But shouldn't they be in a museum if they were real?  I guess that will come next ...

                           "Pastore's Maybe Museum"

                        Admission only ... $12.50 (Maybe)

P.S.

And this is for all of the serious coin collectors among us!  Would you actually buy one of those coins at quadtriple their regular value under the pretence they were connected to Jesse James?

And where are those coins now?  Probably in private hands!  But shouldn't they be in a museum if they were real?  I guess that will come next ...

                           "Pastore's Private Museum"

                           Admission only ... $12.50

You already missed that boat. He had his own "museum" in Wichita, KS for a while but couldn't keep it running and then he tried an internet museum that he charged $2.00 for people to enter the website and see what he had. That failed also. I'm sure that won't keep him from trying again though.

Ok seriously.. Why do you think they had the Badges and guns? What does it mean to me as the viewer of the program?

golddredgergold:

  Braggadocio.  But I really liked Pastore's hat.  Hides a balding head nicely.
For real cache hunting you need a ball cap for the headphones.

lastleg

Ok seriously.. Why do you think they had the Badges and guns? What does it mean to me as the viewer of the program?

To me as a viewer, guns and badges suggest the possibility of fowl play and/or violence! The fowl play being the hoax that was played, and the violence being the violation to my integrity by expecting me to believe that a true-blue treasure hunter would chop away with a shovel in a hole in the ground that he suspected might contain some of the most valuable coins in American history! Every one of us knows that if we lucked upon something like that we would be down on our hands and knees with a toothbrush and dental pick! I don't even hunt coins and I do this with many of the bottles I find.  

It just makes no sense to me. At the end of the program when they are digging with the tractor there is a couple of guys sitting on the ridge above the dig site with a double barrel shotgun. In of course plain view of the camera. Now where we are from if you have permission to be on a property and are doing what you are supposed to be doing and in a big area like that with no one around the only reason we have a gun is for a snake or mountain lion or bears. And we don't carry them along they are just in the vehicles near by.  My question is do they really have permission to be there digging. What where they so afraid of?

If they where worried about other treasure hunters that is a joke. I the other treasure hunter will just wait till they leave and go in.

I thought I read that a neighbor had told them that he thought it would be ok with the landowner and they took that as permission and never saw the actual landowner.

Something just crossed my mind, which, I realize is about the size of a pea these days.  But doesn't it seem odd that not one word of this so called "discovery" ever appeared in any of the newspapers. (At least not the one I read every day).  Surely you would think if it had any legitimacy whatsoever that the Associated Press or one of the other major wire services would have picked up on it by now. Something as big as finding Jesse James' treasure would be world news!  But no! Nothing! Zip! Nada!  But then again, this really shouldn't surprise me all that much. The newspapers didn't report the re-discovery of Warewolves either that still lurk in many of our backyards.  Which leads me to believe we have about as much chance of seeing Jesse James' treasure as we do in seeing a Warewolf anytime soon!    

I thought I read that a neighbor had told them that he thought it would be ok with the landowner and they took that as permission and never saw the actual landowner.

That was the first time he was on the property about ten years ago. I would think with all of the activity the land owner would have known they were there this time.

The guns and badges are just Pastore's way of putting on a show, wanting to look more important than he is and get that extra showmanship for the con.

Something just crossed my mind, which, I realize is about the size of a pea these days.  But doesn't it seem odd that not one word of this so called "discovery" ever appeared in any of the newspapers. (At least not the one I read every day).  Surely you would think if it had any legitimacy whatsoever that the Associated Press or one of the other major wire services would have picked up on it by now. Something as big as finding Jesse James' treasure would be world news!  But no! Nothing! Zip! Nada!  But then again, this really shouldn't surprise me all that much. The newspapers didn't report the re-discovery of Warewolves either that still lurk in many of our backyards.  Which leads me to believe we have about as much chance of seeing Jesse James' treasure as we do in seeing a Warewolf anytime soon!    

This entertainment special simply rehashed the same old tired conspiracy theories that have been kicking around for years. Nothing new...no new theories...no new support for the existing conspiracy theories. Just another dose of What if....wouldn't it be great and scads of I think this is what happened

SWR you are just a ray of sunshine! Why so down on guys talking about it? Does it hurt anyone? Nope! Maybe something of interest might pop up? Yep maybe! Maybe it will trigger a few guys to get off the arse and go out to detect. If that happens then great.

I saved my best for last ...  

I'm 57 years old, and for as long as I can remember my father, who is currently 88 years old, has told my brothers and I about the time my grandfather went quail hunting with Frank James in Oklahoma around 1900. I've heard the story so many times, I generally just accepted it with a grain of salt, and never really challenged it's authenticity until now. So after seeing the History Channel special I started doing some research, which included having my father tell the story again. I also spoke with my aunt, who is 92 and living in a rest home. Even when I informed them that the James brothers were from, and mostly active in the Missouri, Kansas areas, they both stood their ground in support of their father's quail hunting story involving Oklahoma. It wasn't until I did some further research, (influenced by the program) that I discovered Frank James had in fact been in Oklahoma around the same time as my grandfather, who was born in 1880. But please don't ask me what a 20 year old kid who was born in Kentuck and on his way west on the train was doing quail hunting with a famous outlaw like Frank James. That part of the story has been lost to aged memory, and will never be known. And the only reason I even mention it here now, is to say that this particular History Channel program has allowed me to make the Oklahoma connection to my grandfather's story, and has made a true believer out of me regarding a part of my grandfather's life that I had previously grown to suspect was un-true, but now believe. Not that this makes me special, because I'm not. I imagine everyone has a Jesse and Frank James related story. I just thought I would share mine with you. Just as I'd like to share the following photo of my grandpa that was taken in 1897 when we was in the military during the Spanish American war. And, no ... I don't have a Teddy Roosevelt and San Juan Hill story! I wish I did!

Interestingly, Frank died on February 18, 1915 at the age of 72. In 1900, when my grandfather went quail hunting with him, Frank was 57 years old ... which is exactly the age I am now. The difference being, I'm a nobody, and Frank is ... well, you be the judge of that!

Thanks for tolerating my indulgence.

Bob  

Good story,bob,thanks for sharing.

I can't decide if these guys were just happy go lucky morons or hoaxsters.  Their use of the GPR was a joke; I especially loved how they seemed to know 2-3 phrases which made them seem to have a clue, like "parabolic reflections." The so-called certified GPR guy didn't impress me much.  This whole "oh we're stopped by the weather or the coming of hurricane season," etc., is a standard ploy used in lame treasure shows to build drama where none can be built naturally. Noone would have attempted to bury a large chest at that depth.  This is the kind of misconception that the general public swallows hook line and sinker but no digger who's spent an hour digging a Civil War shell at 3' plus would ever fall for.  In addition, such a burial would leave a noticable depression in the ground.  The guys in Central America who dig for the likes of Inca graves, the only clue they ever get is a distinct depression and a different feel by ground probe.

The issue of Jesse James being murdered in 1882 is as settled as the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  His wife and children were in the next room and cradled his lifeless form.  So they were in on a coverup?  His mother euligized him movingly at his funeral.  His body was examined and found to have 2 healed chest wounds in the same spots Jesse was known to have, a portion of one finger missing as called for, and dental records matched.  Case closed.  So by definition if the allegedly found cache was for real, it was no earlier than 1894 and has nothing to do with Jesse James.

I thought the facial recognition was bogus.  The guy has a named company.  Well whoop dee do. Anybody with facial rec software and printed business cards can call themselves an expert, and this guy was operating out of his bloody living room, which did not impress me.
1) he picked a picture comparison which presented a large time difference.  They used his pic at like 16 versus his death picture, when using the last known living picture would have been a fairer test.
2) after supposedly dismissing the death picture, he then goes on to try to "prove" the other guy could have been Jesse. So Ok he has a resemblance.  Well DUHHH he darn well should, because he was fairly closely related to Jesse, and it may come as a shock to some people, but people who are cousins are often very similar in appearance.
3) so then he matches the eye distance, which is an issue of proper image sizing.  Then, the nose of the older gent is well below Jesse's nose, but he quickly says that "he was looking down."

This whole thing is an insulting slap in the face to the true direct descendants of Jesses James.  The book Background of a Bandit: the Ancestry of Jesse James by Joan Beamis is the accepted sourcebook for the detailed family history of the James.  If this guys thinks he is a direct descendant of Jesse, he doesn't need to rely on facial recognition. He can get in touch with the James Family DNA project and prove his relation with just a little spit:

http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/History2/jamespressrelease.htm

I'll get back to reading the thread but in the first couple of posts about whether JJ is alive or dead and wanting documented proof - come on. He's definitely dead, else he's 150ish years old....

Okay back to reading. Had to get that out of my system!

Hey dude ... (Jokingly)   

Don't you know that DNA never dies !?

Sorry I think I was a bit too overbearing. 

                                           In My Humble Opinion!

                                          After reviewing the play ...

       1. Jesse James was "probably" killed by Bob Ford and there was no conspiracy!

       2. Ron Pastore is a con and the "stuff" he found was "probably" planted!


                  Signing off until "Part Two" airs on the History Channel.

                            Sincerely,  SODABOTTLEBOBBROWN

         P.S.  For "Hundreds" of images of Jesse James go to www.Bing.com

I can see a new conspiracy now. LOL 
Ford was in on the supposed killing of Jesse, as was the entire family. In order to alieve the pressures of the bounty, they faked his death and buried someone else in the grave. Thus allowing Jesse to go on till his real demise. Then the bodies were switched when Zerelda could no longer live alone, her son’s body was moved to the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri and placed next to his wife on July 29, 1902. Frank James was present at the re-burial of his brother.

Now the various things that can supposedly prove it's Jesse in the grave are there for the exhumation to say it was Jesse all along. 

Just a story of my own imagination. 

Where to start...

I finally got around to watching the program last night.  I know there are some KGC treasure enthusiasts on here and I won't knock them by any means, but I didn't find their KGC references too terribly convincing.  There wasn't any true evidence, just speculation.  From the get go, something also bothered me about the Pastore guy and his cohorts.  Their supposed skill sets really didnt impress me.  I love how it said the loud one was GPR certified.  I'm sure when they bought the GPR system, they took a course on it issued by the GPR manufacturer and afterwards gave them a certificate saying they are GPR certified.  From my experience as an archaeologist being around GPR (I am not GPR certified, haha), they really didn't display a true mastery of it in both their usage as well as interpretation.  Next comes the metal detectors.  I by no means claim to be an expert detectorist, but come on, they were reading off the Garrett like it was a machine that just spit out a 100% true answer for what was in the ground and what it was and how deep it was. 

I still am pretty skeptical about the gold bar and mason jar find.  It was just all too convenient.  I get on here a few times a week to read about finds and stories of TNET'ers who spend more time in the field than they do at home.  I don't recall many stories of mason jars with silver dollars and gold coins or gold bars being found very often, and these amateurs just stumble upon them after their interpretation of some symbols.  I really hate being a skeptic like this, but I just can't help it.  And seriously, if you have dug down 8-10 feet or whatever, how do you stop all of a sudden and claim you need more investors for heavier equipment and just hope to make it back before the winter.  If you feel it is necessary to carry shotguns and have pistols strapped to your sides, how would you just leave a half excavated area there?  I've got an idea, sell your gold bar and coins.  If they were real finds, that should have been an easy $10k, and if you cannot rent a bigger backhoe for a day or two for $10k, you've got problems. 

That was the issues I had with the program.  The only other comment I have is regarding the family of the JM James who claim he was Jesse James.  They said the negative DNA report was inconclusive because the evidence chain on the DNA.  That is only an argument you would make at a criminal trial.  What I couldnt understand was why didnt they just do a DNA test on the grandson or great grandson?  To me, that sealed the deal that they were of no relation to Jesse James.  That would have been the first thing to do.  If they did that though, it wouldnt have made for good tv when it came back negative.

In summary, I just don't buy it.  As I said before, I really hate being the skeptic like this, but if I can easily say it doesn't add up, it really doesn't.  I suggest that the History Channel hire actors to portray the treasure hunters next time.  They may be more believable then.

Well said Philvis 
I must say that upon reviewing the program, I have to agree with everything you said!

GG~

I found this video of James Randi explaining the

"compass trick." 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/siDy1o9-swk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/siDy1o9-swk</a>

Honestly, I admit I don't think he faked it.  I watched it yet again and believe it or not, I don't think he knows how to use a compass.  For it to continue to read due north, you must be walking due north.  I think the guy simply started walking 30 degrees off north, and the compass read this, as it should.  Then he had a "religious experience" moment. By the way, I've met many people who don't know how to use a compass.  You can't use a compass by holding the compass and walking a line that seems to point in a given direction; at least not very well.  You need to take a sighting on a faraway point of land, walk to that point, take another reading, etc.

On the Jesse James Foundation website, they have begun a chapter by chapter debunking of the whole thing. 

Do you have a link to the Jesse James Foundation site in regards to this legend?


Here you go. 

http://ericjames.org/wordpress/?author=1

Sorry I was confused about the "foundation."  There is no such thing apparently; that was a "pigment of my imagination." That is the blog from the site called "Stray Leaves: A James Family in American Since 1650."  That has the links for the first two chapters, and a blistering attack on the Ganis guy. The main Stray Leaves site is simply http://ericjames.org/

Some interesting items from the site:

Facts and Myths about Jesse James:

http://www.ericjames.org/Jesse_James_Myths_and_Facts.html

Frank James was asked in the early 1900s if they hung out in caves in Missouri.  His answer is pretty funny.

Judge James Ross on claimants to being Jesse James.   He is a great-grandson of Jesse from his son.

http://www.ericjames.org/JamesRossMemoriam/page2.html

By the way, I've met many people who don't know how to use a compass.

I have considerable experience panning, prospecting, and dredging for gold in 3 states, most of it in Virginia. I was field trip chairman for a rock club in Richmond called MESA which I must admit I took on to get the permission for all the spots we went.  I trained numerous people to pan for gold.

An experience I used to have all the time was this: A guy would go "oh man the pan is chock full of gold.  Problem is it just floats away!"  I am reminded of the feeling I had then, when I watch this guy, pretty much everything he does.

If my analysis of how to use a compass is bogus I'd like to know. 

hey, im new here but im intrigued with the jesse james treasure as well as beale treasure so if i may of assistance im from the northern Mo area about 30 min from the home of JJ...

man i knw ive been in that terrain, born n breed ks boy. we farmed from se ks 2 goodland, sures h ell dont look anythg like topeka, manhattan, junction city, saline cities, definitely south of i70

kgunn