Burnet's Buried Treasure

For decades, rumors have spread that Burnet is home to more than one cache of buried treasure.

Longhorn Caverns, outside Burnet, is said to be the home of more than one treasure trove. One tale involves who else but Sam Bass, who supposedly used the cavern as a hideout following robberies in the region. Today the main opening of Longhorn Cavern is called the Sam Bass entrance.

No treasure traceable back to Bass has been found, but even today, parts of the 11-mile cavern are still being explored.

Another Longhorn Cavern tale involves the search for a treasure supposedly buried on Woods Ranch near Burnet. After years of searching, one of the treasure hunters went to seek the advice of a palmist, whose cryptic recommendation was to dig "under the footprint." Just what footprint would that be? There was speculation that this "footprint" might be a foot-shaped impression on the ceiling of one of the Longhorn Cavern rooms. The crew dug below this formation--only to find a container-shaped hole below the surface. Where there had once been a metal container--and possibly a treasure--there was now nothing but a rust-lined hole.

The Sam Bass legends are not the only treasure-filled stories flying around the region. One treasure story dates back to an ancient Spanish document regarding an old Spanish mine, located somewhere near Burnet.

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