Yes, there really are two undiscovered chests full of gold at the bottom of the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities. And, another hidden gold treasure in Walla Walla County. Both stories involve bandits and stolen gold. The value of each cache is uncertain, but these two prized treasures are still waiting to be found.

Buried Gold Bars Near Old Fort Walla Walla

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As the story goes, two bandits robbed a train in the area of Wallula around 1906. While being chased by a posse the bandits needed to hide their heist - fast. They were near what is now known as the Old Fort Walla Walla location when they unloaded the stolen gold bars and hastily dug a hole, buried the gold, and continued on their way, hoping to escape the fast-approaching authorities. Well, they weren’t fast enough and were captured and hung (some say shot) for their dirty deeds. They never gave up the location of the gold bars. Fort Walla Walla is now a park, so it’s probably not a good idea to go digging without permission. The gold bars are still unaccounted for.

Two Chests of Gold Are Still At the Bottom of the Columbia River

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The next story of stolen and lost gold occurred in the early 1900s. Banditos (again) stole three chests of gold bullion and while being chased, they threw the chests into the Columbia River near Plymouth, Washington. One of the chests was located in 1911, but the other two are still at the bottom of the river waiting to be discovered. The chests are no doubt covered with years of sentiment and debris. Good luck!

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