True West Treasure Hunters

If you look back at old True West issues—back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, when Joe “Hosstail” Small was ramrodding the outfit—you’ll see a lot of familiar topics.  Outlaws, lawmen, Indians, etc.  

But you’ll also see stories with titles like “Treasure Hunter’s Jubilee” and “The Lost Treasure of Hendrick’s Lake”—which set off a hunt for pirate Jean Lafitte’s buried treasure around Carthage, Texas.  There were treasure hunting contests and awards and lots of ads for metal detectors.  There’s no record of anybody striking it rich after finding one of the treasures featured in the magazine.