Stories and theories on the whereabouts of Montezuma's treasure are numerous. Amateurs and experts alike have spent countless hours studying the long-ago story of the Aztec ruler who allegedly sent a large group of warriors north with a load of treasure.
So, when someone comes forward saying they know the location of at least part of that treasure, most folks treat the claim with a certain amount of doubt.Which is why Gordon Smith of Beaver has spent six years trying to figure out how to tell his story.
Smith, 30, a part-time packer and guide who spends much of his free time exploring the nooks and crannies of the Arizona Strip, believes he has stumbled onto a major discovery in relation to Montezuma's treasure. The Arizona Strip is the area located in the northwest corner of Arizona, most accessible from Utah and Nevada.
His biggest problem: figuring out how to tell the world.
"I'm caught in between a rock and hard place," said the quiet Smith.
Described by friends and family as a survivor who feels more at home in the outdoors than under a permanent roof but also as a person who can be counted on, Smith claims to have found a large ice cave containing artifacts, gems and as many as 27 bodies, which he believes make up part of King Montezuma's legendary cache.
Accounts say Montezuma sent a party of more than 2,000 warriors north ahead of invading Spaniards, heavy-laden with gold and silver. Speculation persists that the treasure is located somewhere near Kanab, in the canyons and mazes along the Utah-Arizona border.
Smith, who now works as a guide for the Lazy L Ranch near Puffer Lake, says he was riding his mule one day in March 1985, when he stopped to smoke a cigarette on a slope in the Mount Trumbull-Mount Logan area. He felt cold air coming from under the slab of rock he was sitting on.
On investigating what appeared to be an ice cave, Smith stepped inside the entrance and saw what he thought were bodies and vessels along each wall. The spooked Smith immediately covered up the entrance and left the area, not returning until mid-1989.
On his second visit, Smith explored more of the cave, careful not to disturb the contents. He returned again earlier this year to explore further.
"I haven't slept much since I found this cave," Smith said. "Every time I go back, I'm jumpy for weeks after."
Smith recounts finding what appears to be six animal skin sacks full of gems of a variety of colors. He also says he found as many as 30 closed animal skin vessels that are 2 to 3 feet long. Stacked along one wall are 26 bodies, wrapped in some kind of material - but well-preserved because of the frost that has enveloped them in the cave.
But no gold.
Smith, who since finding the cave claims to have studied the many legends and stories of the huge treasure, says everything fits into place.
But getting Bureau of Land Management officials and the news media to believe his story has been a battle.
Bill Lamb, district manager of the Arizona Strip of the BLM, said when he heard of Smith's find several years ago, he called the Beaver man to check out the story.
"We chatted for awhile, but he was very non-committal," said Lamb.
"We hear stories like this all the time, usually things over near the Kanab area . . . When people come in and tell us, we record them and look into them. Still, if he's found something, he deserves credit for it."
However, under existing federal regulations, Smith will have to work through proper channels to process the find, something he hasn't yet done.
"If something is going to be done with his find, it must be done under the law. If he'd come to us, go through the procedures, we could work it out. If he bypasses us, he could have more trouble," said Lamb.
According to Lamb and Vermillion Resource Area Head Archaeologist Aline Laforge, two laws - the Archaeologist Resource Protection Act and most recently, the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act - are very specific on what happens when a site like this is discovered and how items must be handled. Lamb also worries how he would police such a find if it were identified as part of the Montezuma legend.
For the time being, however, the wary Smith has chosen to try and attract television companies who might be interested in the story. An episode many years ago in which he feels he was denied credit for a major rock panel find in the Grand Canyon has caused him to distrust government archaeologists.
According to Smith, there is an area television station interested in taking on the project and helping him work through proper channels.