Stolen Gold From Rogerson To Pocatello ID May Still Be Out There

Who doesn't love a good buried treasure tale? Two south Idaho stagecoach robberies that took place 140 miles apart in the 1800s resulted in several hangings, and the lost loot has never been officially recovered.

Treasure seeking has always fascinated me. There's something very cool about those who spend their free time lugging around high-tech treasure detecting equipment for a chance at striking it rich. It's this very lifestyle that inspired me to buy my own metal detector in 2020.

I took my 5-year-old son out to the Dierkes Lake area in Twin Falls last summer, and aside from a likely soda can buried 17 feet underground, we left without getting a single ping. It was still exciting for both of us.

For those that may not know, there are reportedly two gold payloads that were stolen from stagecoaches over 120 years ago in two southern Idaho locations. The first heist took place near present-day Salmon Dam in 1888. A man who stole the gold shipment is said to have hidden it prior to being hunted down approximately 15 miles west of Rogerson, Idaho, in Twin Falls County.

The other local notorious gold theft, which is referred to as the "Portneuf Stage Coach Robbery," took place about 20 years prior to the Rogerson heist, and involved a group of outlaws and a sheriff who joined forces and stole what would amount to approximately $1.5 million today. The gold was being transported between Virginia City, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah; this treasure is also believed to have never been recovered.