History & local legend
The treasure legend at Dents Run in Elk County begins with a supposed Civil War shipment of Union gold. In one version, soldiers transporting 26 gold bars painted black toward the Philadelphia Mint disappeared in 1863. Their wagons were found empty, leaving a story of treasure hidden somewhere in the surrounding hills.
Treasure hunter Dennis Parada, co-founder of Finders Keepers, pursued the story for years. His work helped bring the FBI to Dents Run in March 2018, after testing indicated an underground mass with a density consistent with gold. Federal agents excavated the site.
The FBI said it recovered no gold. Parada questioned that result and sought the excavation records through a lawsuit. Associated Press reporting in October 2023 described the continuing dispute, including conflicting accounts of activity at the dig. The modern excavation is documented; the vanished Civil War shipment remains the legend that set the search in motion.
Sources
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Finders Keepers USA v. Department of Justice, September 27, 2023, memorandum and order
- Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press via WHYY, interviews and account of the FBI’s March 2018 dig
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, released case files, Alleged Missing Civil War Gold in Dents Run
- WJAC reporting from the Route 555 staging area in Benezette Township, March 13, 2018
- Geotagged 2024 photograph, Route 555 in the village of Dents Run