All language subtitles for The.Curse.of.Civil.War.Gold.S02E05.WEBRip.x264-ION10

NARRATOR:
Tonight on
The Curse of Civil War Gold...

Isn't it great to be
back in Georgia again?

BRAD:
There were six wagons
full of gold.

GARY:
And it was stolen at this site?

Once the robbery got underway,
it was just a free-for-all.

GARY:
If you was running

with gold in your pockets,

this is the type of place
you'd hide it.

-What is that?
-I don't know.

I've never seen
anything like it.

-GARY:
Wow!
-AL: Wow!

Nice!

It's time to go down
and see if that's real gold.

♪

NARRATOR:
While waiting for a permit

that would allow him and his
team to search Lake Michigan

for a sunken train car full
of lost Confederate gold,

treasure hunter Kevin Dykstra

has been researching
other places

where additional gold could
have been taken

during the chaotic last days
of the Civil War.

We're meeting a lady
by the name of Carlene.

Unbelievably, she's got some
very interesting insight

into missing gold
from the Confederacy.

-Wow.
-And talking with her
on the phone, she's legit.

I can tell you that.

NARRATOR:
According to Kevin Dykstra's
research,

the gold that he believes
lies buried at the bottom

of Lake Michigan was once part
of the Confederate treasury.

It was confiscated by members
of the 4th Michigan Cavalry

during their arrest
of President Jefferson Davis

in Irwinville, Georgia
on May 10, 1865.

Although many mainstream
historians insist

that the Confederacy
was nearly bankrupt

at the end of the Civil War

and that Davis had no gold with him at the time of his arrest,

Kevin and his team have
recently uncovered

important information.

Well, I understand you've got
a lot to show us here today.

This is only a small amount
of what I've got.

NARRATOR:
Four weeks ago,

they were shown
compelling evidence

that not only was Davis
fleeing the South

with millions
in Confederate gold,

but that the gold
captured with him

may have been only a portion
of a much larger cache.

Here I have a letter written
by a Confederate veteran.

"We crossed the Savanna River,
arriving at Washington, Georgia.

"It was there that
the Confederate treasury

was divided."

So those six wagons
that were Davis,

that wasn't the only bit
of gold.

-That's correct.
-Wow.

-There was a lot
of missing gold.
-Mm-hmm.

-[laughs]
-Well.

KEVIN:
You know, we know there's gold
missing all over the place.

-Mm-hmm.
-Here we get a chance

to get some oral history,
handed down from generation

-to generation.
-Yep.

Something tells me

that she's been itching
to talk to somebody

about what she knows.

I just have a feeling
she's gonna blow the lid

off from this.

Excited to talk to her.

-Oh, I can't wait.
-I know.

KEVIN:
I believe all that gold was
with Jefferson Davis,

and I think they split it off
and then started

to take different directions
with different portions of it.

Here's Brad's house.

So there's no telling how many
Confederate gold treasures

can be out there,
and you could see

traces of it surface
in the most unlikely places.

-Hey, guys.
-KEVIN:
Hey, Brad.

-Come on in.
-How are you?

-Big Al.
-How's it going?

Good. Well, our guests
are already here.

-Hello.
-Hello.
-Hi.

AL:
Hello.

-I'm Kevin.
-Hi, I'm Carlene.

NARRATOR: Carlene Ingram is
the great-great-granddaughter

of John Chennault, the owner of a large plantation

located near the town
of Washington, Georgia.

Based on stories passed down
within her family,

Carlene believes that not only
was a large portion

of stolen Confederate gold
hidden years ago

on the family property,
but that remnants of that gold

might still remain
buried there,

even after more than 150 years.

So nice to meet you in person.

KEVIN: So when Carlene Ingram
said that she wanted to share

her family history,
I was really excited

because I always look
at information handed down

from families
as kind of a window

into what actually happened.

You are a descendant
of the Chennaults

from the Chennault Plantation.

Yes, my great-grandmother,
Ginny Chennault,

was born in Washington, Georgia,

and John Nelson Chennault
was the slave master.

Ginny was the slave.
[laughs]

He committed the unpardonable
sin at that time.

He not only fell in love
with his slave, he married her.

-AL:
Oh!
-[laughs]

-Wow.
-BRAD:
Fascinating.

BRAD:
It's a real social commentary
on the...

-Yeah.
-...the time period.
-CARLENE: Right.

-Right.
-KEVIN:
And a good story.

CARLENE:
[chuckles] Yes.

It is. I mean,
our family history, it is.

BRAD:
So, the story goes

that when
the Confederacy government

left Richmond, Virginia,

five banks emptied their gold
and silver coins onto wagons,

and made their way down to
eventually Washington, Georgia.

Well, I know what happened

to, if not all,
at least most of the gold

that was dumped at or near
the Chennault Plantation

in Washington, Georgia.

Wow.

[indistinct shouting]

NARRATOR:
On the night of May 24, 1865,

a group of some
20 ex-Confederate soldiers

stormed a camp on the
Chennault Plantation grounds

in response to rumors
that a portion

of the Confederate treasury
had been taken there.

According to published reports, the thieves made off

with some $251,000 worth
of gold, silver and jewelry,

nearly $4 million worth
in today's dollars.

But there are many who believe
that a portion of it

may still remain
somewhere on or near

the Chennault Plantation.

There's only a few of us
still living today

that knows about this.

So either we die out with it
or we preserve it

for generations to come.

And I felt like it's time
to get it out there.

Sure.

My Aunt Janie had
explained to me

about my
great-great-grandfather.

He was a slave
on the Chennault Plantation.

He had found some gold.

Okay.

In a creek.
She said it was in a creek.

Can you show us
where this creek is at?

No. My Aunt Janie just
told me that he found it.

All I know, it was somewhere
around the plantation.

You know, after it rains,
every now and then,

somebody would find a gold coin

here and there
on the plantation.

That's what
my Aunt Janie told me.

KEVIN:
She said that coins would just

surface after a rain?

-Well... So he didn't...
-No kidding.

-they did not get it all.
-BRAD:
They didn't get it all.

-They didn't get it all.
-That's right.

Do you think that there's
still coins buried there today?

The gold was dumped in the
1800s, so it's a possibility

it could still
be some gold there.

So that gold could
really be laying anywhere?

-AL:
Anywhere.
-And I'd like to go down there

after a rain and find a few.

[laughter]

AL:
Is this, like, a family secret?

Nobody outside of your family
has heard this?

-Right.
-ALL: Really?
-BRAD: Wow.

I feel like
we are extremely fortunate

to hear this information
that's never been published,

it's never been shared
outside the family.

But I feel it's drawing me down

-to the Chennault Plantation.
-Me, too.

KEVIN:
I can think
of nothing better to do

while we're waiting
for this permit

than to head down to Washington,
Georgia and see if we can find

some of that gold or jewelry

where Carlene's
great-great-grandfather

said he saw it.

I can't thank you guys enough
for making the trip.

Well, always a pleasure
to meet history buffs.

-You guys, too. Thank you.
-Pleasure to meet you all.

Thank you for having us.

NARRATOR: One day before
heading south

to Washington, Georgia,

Kevin Dykstra,
along with his brother Darren,

travels to the marina
in Frankfort.

-JEFF:
Hey, all right.
-KEVIN: Gentlemen!

-There he is.
-How are you?

Good to see you, man.
I'm glad you made it.

-Man. Here you go.
-Thank you.

-Hey, Darren.
-Darren.

NARRATOR:
While waiting
for official permission

to thoroughly explore an area at the bottom of Lake Michigan,

where Kevin believes
a large portion

of stolen Confederate gold

was deliberately dumped
back in the late 1800s...

This is Brian Abbott.

...Kevin has arranged

for underwater imaging expert
Brian Abbott

to conduct additional
sonar scans of the area.

If additional search sites
can be identified,

Kevin might still
have time to amend

his permits to include them.

Al, myself and Brad
are gonna be down in Georgia.

Uh, we got some terrific leads

-to follow down there.
-All right.

So with Darren coming aboard--
Darren is just as good

a diver as Al and I,
so he's gonna take our place.

-Sure.
-We're gonna really ramp up
the search.

-Okay.
-I've got a map here,

and what I'd like to do
is outline

where I think we need
to start searching.

We've covered a lot
of this area to the south.

If we can focus
a little bit more north,

and really scour that.

-Really scour it hard.
-Gotcha.

-Yeah.
-KEVIN:
If you guys come up

with an interesting target--

-Brian, it's gonna
kind of be up to you.
-Yeah.

If you see a target you feel
they need to dive on,

-put those guys in the water.
-All right. Will do.

Jeff, you'll do the video,
but we take our lead from Brian.

-Yep.
-Fred, you're gonna keep
an eye on these guys.

-I'll keep them alive.
-Just do what
you've always done.

-It'll be done.
-Good.

I think if we can find
multiple sites of interest

to present to the state,
that would be huge.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, for sure.

All right. Well, guys,
I got to get down to Georgia.

We got a lot of work
to do down there.

DARREN:
Have a safe trip.

KEVIN:
Isn't it great

-to be back in Georgia again?
-Sure is.

NARRATOR: Having traveled
more than 900 miles southeast

from Muskegon, Michigan,
Kevin Dykstra,

along with his brother Al,
Brad Richards

and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton,

arrive in Washington, Georgia
to search for evidence

of Confederate treasure
that could still be found

on the historic
Chennault Plantation.

And joining the team
for this trip is Alex Lagina,

the son of Kevin's investor,

Oak Island treasure hunter,
Marty Lagina.

So, this is maybe
a separate cache of gold?

BRAD: Yeah. There were
six wagons full of gold

that went with Jefferson Davis.

This is unrelated to that.

Yeah, this-this
is totally separate,

and I think what we're
looking at here

is one other example
of Confederate gold

that traveled
all over the South.

Right.

NARRATOR:
If Kevin can find evidence

of Confederate treasure

on what was once
the plantation grounds,

it could further
support his theory

that Jefferson Davis
had a large amount of gold,

silver, and jewelry with him
at the time of his arrest.

You know, to be searching
for the gold

at the bottom of Lake Michigan
for eight years

is exciting in its own right.

Cool property up here.

KEVIN: But to find out that
there's other caches of gold

that were moving
around the South is huge.

You know, history records
that there was wagons of gold.

There was also some jewelry.

If we can find some of that,

it definitely means
we're on the right track.

How big of an area
are we looking?

The Chennault Plantation
was over 1,000 acres

and a fellow by the name
of Dan O'Leary

owns 300 of those
original acres.

So we have permission to go

where the-the wagons
of gold were.

But he's also given us
permission to use a backhoe

-if we need to dig further.
-Wow.

NARRATOR:
Because the historic
Chennault mansion

is undergoing
a major renovation...

KEVIN: Oh! Here they are
right here, guys.

-Yeah.
-NARRATOR:
...Kevin and his team

have chosen to focus
their search

on a 300-acre area
of the plantation property

where they believe the incident

involving the Confederate gold
originally took place.

Nice to meet you, Dan.
I'm Alex.

Hey, Alex.
Good to see you. Yes, sir.

KEVIN:
This is amazing.

So how long have you
been researching

this property, Bob?

Uh, I've been hearing
about this whole business

with the gold robbery
all my life,

and about ten years ago,

I did some more research on it,
and wrote a book about it.

Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Bob Young is the former mayor

of Augusta, Georgia

and the author of
The Treasure Train,

a historical novel detailing
a number of Civil War events

including the infamous
Chennault Plantation robbery.

Now this road that you drove
down to get down here to us,

that was a main superhighway

for troops coming back
at the end of the war.

There was a tremendous
amount of traffic,

ex-Confederate soldiers
trying to get home,

and so there were
a lot of troops

that were hanging
around this area.

Around Eastertime,
April of 1865,

the Union forces
were pressing on Richmond.

And so the banks pooled
their gold and silver reserves

to escape the advancing
Union troops,

about $450,000 worth all total.

Interesting.

BOB:
Then on May 24th,

a train of five wagons

with a light escort

and the clerks
from the bank came up

what we know now
as Graball Road,

and they camped
for the night up here,

and that's when it was robbed.

And everybody who got something

in the robbery would've fled
by way of Graball Road.

And that's why this is named
Graball Road, out here,

because they were grabbing
all that they could.

Mm-hmm.

And, it sounds like
it was all gold coins.

It was a mix of gold and silver

and the jewelry that was
collected from the people

across the Confederacy
to support the war effort.

Okay.

NARRATOR:
Because the robbery

on the plantation was committed in the middle of the night,

and not all the gold
and treasure was recovered

after the robbery,

there are many
who believe that portions

of the Confederate gold
might still be found

on the Chennault property.

It is a theory that gained
further credibility

after Kevin's meeting
with Chennault descendant

Carlene Ingram.

Al and I met with
a direct descendent

from the Chennault Plantation

and she gave us a story
about some gold

being found by one of her
forefathers in a creek.

BOTH:
Mm-hmm.

AL: Now, we were told they
are still finding gold coins

around here. Have you,
have you heard of that?

That's an excellent question.

-It's very possible.
-Mm-hmm.

It's possible that there's
money placed in many places.

So it could be on the ground
or it could be with the looters?

It could be.
Let me give you the numbers.

Okay, th-th-there
was $450,000 total,

$159,000 was not taken.

-Wow.
-$111,000 was recovered.

$40,000 on the ground
and $70,000 from robbers.

So that leaves unaccounted,
$179,000.

-Oh, man.
-[laughter]

You know, I believe Carlene's
story is totally legit.

We'll do a thorough search

of the property
and we'll find out.

Are there any creeks
on your property?

As a matter of fact,
one is just right back here,

which would be
extremely close to

where I think
Graball Road would've gone.

Gary, I think that
might be a place...

Yeah, puts a whole new meaning
to the words "river bank."

-[laughter]
-DAN: I like the way you think.

Oh, yeah.

You know, I've got a couple
of aerial photographs and maps

that might be really helpful
if you'd like

-to take a look at 'em.
-Yeah, I think we should.

Okay, sure.

Take a look at this aerial here.

This is the old
Chennault Plantation,

-just directly
across the street.
-Mm-hmm.

And it looks as though
Graball Road

probably went along
that area there.

ALEX:
Yeah, it definitely does.

The existing creek actually
crosses Graball Road.

You know, somewhere
in this area here,

the creek and old
Graball Road intersect.

I think we need to get up
on that Graball Road.

I think we need
to break up into teams,

and we'll just kind of work
towards each other.

-Cool.
-Does that sound like a plan?

-Yeah.
-Sounds like a plan.

That sounds great.
Well, good luck.

-Happy hunting.
-OTHERS: Thank you.

-Thanks, guys.
-Thanks again.
-See you later, guys.

KEVIN: All of the stories
that we've heard about gold

being spilled
at the Chennault Plantation

happened on Graball Road.

I think we have the best chance for success in that creek

that Carlene's
great-great-grandfather

found the gold in.

Well, I think, um,

you know, right here is where
Graball Road come down.

-Yeah.
-What do you think, Gary?

This road going down here,
this is the prime area to me.

Why don't, um, you and Alex

start metal detecting
up this way,

and then the rest of us
will head down and approach it

from the other end.

Let's get some tools out

and let's get this process
underway.

-Okay.
-About time.

-Anticipation's been
killing me here.
-Grab a shovel.

-All right. Let's get started.
-All right. Let's do it, man.

NARRATOR:
While Brad and Alex
begin searching

along the old Graball Road,

Kevin, Al and Gary
look for the creek bed where,

according to Carlene Ingram,

lost Confederate gold and
silver may still lie buried.

Oh, look at that erosion
down there.

You can see where the water's
been filling up in this creek

and it's eroded the banks.

Any gold hidden in the banks,
in this we're gonna find it.

So should we check
this spot out?

-Yeah.
-Let's do that.
You lead the way.

I'll stay up here
and watch out for snakes.

AL:
All right.

Oh, now you remind us
of the snakes.

We'll know if he sees one
'cause he'll scream.

Fantastic erosion. This is
a great place to hide stuff.

Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR:
If Kevin and his team

can find physical evidence

of stolen Confederate treasure
on the Chennault property,

it will validate his theory

that lost Civil War gold
and silver might be found

not only in Michigan,
but at numerous locations.

The gold at the bottom
of Lake Michigan, in my opinion,

is by no means all of the gold.

It's a small portion of a much
larger cache of gold

I think that's scattered
around the country.

-[metal detector whirring]
-I mean, look at this.

I mean, this puts you
back in the day,

'cause if you was running
with gold in your pockets,

this is the type of place
you'd hide it,

-in amongst all
the roots and stuff.
-Absolutely.

This is the place
I think we're gonna find it.

That's a tough one to tell
what it is, mate.

-[metal detector whirring]
-How deep?

It's only, uh, three inches.

You're right,
it is rocky, ain't it?

Mm. It is!

Would it be on top of the rock
or under it?

It'll be on top of the rock.

That's a good thing that
the rocks are trapping targets.

They're a natural barrier,

they stop things
from sinking further.

-Is that...?
-Whoa!

-Oh, look at that.
-GARY: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Just outside
of Washington, Georgia,

on land that was once part

of the historic
Chennault Plantation...

Whoa!

NARRATOR:
...Kevin and Al Dykstra,

along with metal detection
expert Gary Drayton,

are carefully searching
an old creek bed.

They are hoping
to find physical evidence

of a 150-year-old robbery

involving gold,
silver and jewelry

that had once been part
of the Confederate treasury.

That's old, mate.

I think this might be part
of a thrown horseshoe.

I'm pretty certain that this is
a horseshoe. Take a look here.

Oh, yeah, nail hole.

GARY:
Oh, you can see all the holes.

This is definitely a horseshoe,
and-and this is an old one,

and it's interesting because
it is, it's totally wore out.

AL:
Yup.

A farmer who's using his animals
would never let that shoe

wear down that far,it would do damage to the horse

or the mule's foot.

So, the fact that this is
just totally wore out

said this-this animal had been
travelling a long time.

You know, with Bob saying that
this was the road they believe

the gold travelled on, and us
finding a definite horseshoe,

we're on the right track,

but let's keep checking here,
all right?

Yeah, there might
be more in there.

NARRATOR: As Kevin and his team continue to search

the Chennault Plantation area

for evidence of lost
Confederate treasure,

Kevin's brother Darren,

along with fellow
treasure hunters

Jeff Zehr
and Frederick J. Monroe,

meet with boat captain
Matt Mervau

and underwater imaging expert
Brian Abbott

back in Frankfort, Michigan.

JEFF: We got some smaller things
on the side-scan here.

FRED: So we'll probably circle
around and double-check that.

NARRATOR:
As before, the team is
searching for the remains

of a boxcar that, according to
Kevin's research,

was filled with
millions of dollars

in stolen Confederate gold
and on its way west to Utah

when,
sometime in the late 1800s,

it was deliberately pushed
off a ferryboat

and sent crashing to the bottom of the lake.

Although they have already
identified two possible

dive sites, and have applied
to the state for the permits

that will allow the areas
to be investigated,

the team is hoping to find
additional places

where the gold might be.

Ah, we got something right here.

Left-hand side.

BRIAN:
That's a nice target.
That's interesting.

FRED:
What do you think it is, Brian?

BRIAN:
I don't know,
but it's a good target.

FRED:
It is a good target.

Yeah. So let's get ready
to deploy the sonar,

-if you can hold position here.
-We can do that.

See, that's when it
gets exciting now.

NARRATOR:
Having located a promising
object on the lake bottom,

the team deploys the MS1000
sector scanning sonar device,

which can generate a 360-degree three-dimensional map

of underwater environments.

BRIAN:
20 feet. 40 feet.

Okay, we're on bottom.

If we can put engines
in neutral.

MATT:
Neutral.

BRIAN:
And I'll start scanning.

-JEFF:
Got an image yet, Brian?
-BRIAN: Yeah.

-Keep an eye on this.
-Yep.

[clicking rapidly]

BRIAN:
Wow, this is phenomenal, guys.

I'm getting full range
out there.

It may be nothing, but it's got
some stuff kind of spread out.

We do have a target over here.
Not sure what it is.

Could you give us
some dimensions on that?

I don't think I can be exact.

It's a little over
six inches in height.

Roughly, about a foot long.

-JEFF: Is that right?
-Yeah.

They're six inches wide,

a foot long; that sounds to me
like a gold bar.

JEFF:
It's time to go down and see
if that's real gold.

We need to dive on this.

FRED:
What are you waiting for?

Heck yeah, let's do it.

JEFF:
I can't tell you

how anxious I am
to get underwater again.

To actually know that
there's a possibility

that we're gonna see
bars of gold.

It's hard to keep me
out of the water.

We're gonna look for
what we saw on the sonar,

because we know the sand
could have covered up

-all kinds of stuff.
-Cool.

-All right, you ready to go?
-Ready, willing and able.

Yep, right here.

So, everything else looks good.

BRIAN:
Diver in the water.

Okay, diver two in the water.

Jeff, let me know when
you guys are on the bottom.

Go west 25 feet.

What type of debris
do you see?

NARRATOR:
A gold bar?

Is it possible that Darren
and Jeff have located

a second debris field,
one that contains the remains

of a 19th-century boxcar
that was once carrying

stolen Civil War gold?

Is it gold or what?

NARRATOR:
Although the sediment-covered
object

appears to be the right
size and shape

of a possible gold bar,

without a government permit,
Jeff and Darren are prohibited

by Michigan law from digging,

picking up, or even touching
anything on the lake bottom.

JEFF:
That could have been a bar
of gold, but you never know

until you actually see
what's down there.

We have targets to check off,

and right now,
we're gonna continue searching

this big area till we just
have to call the dive.

We need an air check, gentlemen.

What is the PSI in your tanks?

-Okay.
-Thank you, gentlemen.

I'm gonna call it
in about two minutes.

Jeff, you have
a two-minute notice.

NARRATOR:
While searching for a fortune

in stolen Confederate gold

at the bottom of Lake Michigan,

Jeff Zehr and Darren Dykstra
may have just made

an incredible discovery.

Gold bar.

We'll give 'em a couple
extra minutes.

-Uh, we'll see.
-[laughs]

Have you found the object
you were looking for?

They're going through their air
pretty quick.

They've been in a little over
17 minutes.

Time to quit playing.
I'm gonna call it.

All right, gentlemen,
showtime's over.

Start your ascent.

Head back to the anchor rope.
Do you copy?

NARRATOR: Although
they would like more time

to examine the area,

Jeff and Darren's air supply is
nearly exhausted.

Copy that.

NARRATOR:
They must return
to the surface immediately.

-MATT: Two divers up.
-Two divers up.

BRIAN:
Diver all right? Okay.

BRIAN:
Good job. Tell me about it.

You mentioned a debris field.

What was the context of that?

Well, the very first objects
we got to,

I still couldn't tell you
what it was made out of.

-All right.
-And then I saw two things

that were lipped up,
and they looked like--

They really looked like they
could have been a gold bar.

-Okay.
-And, uh, one of them was

definitely brick-shaped.

It was definitely curious
when we went up to it.

I-I was hoping it was
a gold brick,

-because it was,
like, that size.
-Yeah. Yeah.

JEFF:
And, uh, we'll see how
the video comes out.

Boy, that sometimes
shows things that I

may have missed seeing or...

-Right, a camera will.
-Yeah.

Much more to look at.
Much more to look at.

All right, well,
let's get you on deck here.

JEFF:
So Darren and I had
a great dive

in terms of just seeing
what's down there.

So we're gonna go back
to that area again.

And right now,
we can at least

take a shot at getting
the sector scan out

-and getting some more reads.
-Let's pull the buoy.

JEFF:
We need to get as many
targets as possible

before Kevin comes back home.

So, we just finished
the north side.

We did get some good data
I can add to the mosaic

that we've already started
to build out here.

Let's move to the south side,
and we'll work our way south

-and see what targets
we can pick up.
-Okay.

NARRATOR: While the team
finishes up their work

on Lake Michigan,

Kevin Dykstra, his brother Al,
and Gary Drayton continue

searching the grounds of the
historic Chennault Plantation

in Washington, Georgia.

-Ooh, look at that one.
-Good one.

-KEVIN: Square nail, yeah?
-AL: Yeah.

Yeah, this is called a cut nail.

This is typical late 1800s.

It could have been used
in construction.

-On a wagon.
-Yeah, could have been a wagon.

Maybe an old bridge that might
have been here at one time.

Could have been just
about anything.

You know what, guys,

I think we need to get
the backhoe in here.

-It'd be a a whole lot faster
than doing it this way.
-AL: Yeah, I agree.

GARY:
It's easier to take
a bucket out, you're right.

KEVIN:
For sure. I'm gonna go
grab the backhoe.

-All right, mate.
-Excellent.

[metal detector beeping]

GARY:
This is a good little area.

[device whining]

-AL: What'd you get?
-GARY: I got a ring!

Oh, yes! That's awesome.

I got a ring, mate.
I got a ring.

Let me see.

No way.

GARY:
It is a ring.

That is a silver ring,

-and that looks like
an oldie as well.
-Wow.

Looks like an old design.

NARRATOR:
A ring?

Could it be one of the pieces
of jewelry that was reportedly

part of the Confederate
treasury,

of which a portion had been
confiscated by Union troops

before being stolen by rebels
on this same property

back in 1865?

-GARY: Kev's gonna lose it.
-AL: Oh, he's gonna freak.

AL:
Hey, Kev.

You've got to come
and see this, mate.

-What is it?
-You won't believe it.

-Oh, this is big.
-No.

It's not gold, but it's
the next best thing.

Put your hand out, mate.

AL:
Silver.

-Silver ring.
-GARY: Silver ring.

-Man.
-Yep.

And by that pattern--

and that is from the day;
that's period.

AL:
That's a find.
That's a good one, ain't it?

-That's a top-pocket find.
-It really is.

-Yep.
-KEVIN: So, to actually

find silver, to find a ring

in that creek was huge.

It definitely showed
we're on the right track.

You know, right now, I'll
settle for any kind of proof.

Proof for Marty,
and proof for my team.

He's still getting
readings in here.

Yeah, there's still
a lot of metal in here.

KEVIN:
We're fighting this water.
I mean,

if we can get the water stopped
for just a brief period

and I can bail
some of this water out,

then we're looking
at the ground underneath.

And I, and I feel like we could
be uncovering gold coins

under the water,
we just can't see them.

-Sure.
-So, if we dam the creek up
for just a minute,

we'll clear this out
and we'll see what's down there.

-Good idea. Good thinking.
-I'm gonna set this back.

-I'm going to jump back
in the excavator.
-Okay, mate.

There could be stuff
in this as well, in the bank.

-Yeah, in the bank?
-Easily.

-This is a crossing.
-Yep.

NARRATOR:
Using the backhoe
to dam up the creek,

Kevin and his team
will be able to create

a relatively dry search area.

GARY:
I'm telling you, Al,
we're gonna find

-some really good stuff in here.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
As Kevin continues

damming up the creek,
Brad Richards and Alex Lagina

are metal-detecting the area
around old Graball Road...

-All right, Alex,
let's make this thing sing.
-Yep.

...which,
according to Bob Young,

might be littered with remnants of Confederate treasure

that was dropped by thieves
when they raided

the Chennault Plantation
in 1865.

[beeping]

-That's all reading as iron.
-Okay.

ALEX:
We are basically

ten feet off of Graball Road
as we're searching this area.

Kind of fits the story.

It's just about within sight
of the plantation.

[beeping]

Right there.

Still in there.

It's out now.

What is it?

What is that?

BRAD:
I've never seen
anything like it.

That's a piece of jewelry.
It's decorated.

Look, you can see a decorated
pattern here on the bottom.

-Hang on, let me check.
-Have a look.

BRAD:
Oh, yeah. That is engraved.

ALEX:
Mm-hmm. Let's see what Gary
thinks about that.

-That's a good find.
-That's cool.

Yeah, I think
we should check this area

-a little bit more.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
While Brad and Alex continue

to search for more evidence,

Kevin Dykstra, his brother Al and Gary Drayton

investigate the area
where Carlene Ingram

claimed her
great-great-grandfather

kept finding
a number of gold coins

for years after the Civil War.

Yeah. Right there.

-That's the one we wanted.
-GARY:
Yep.

-That'll be the golden bucket.
-Yep.

NARRATOR:
After building a dam

to clear the water
out of a creek bed,

Kevin now uses the backhoe
to dig up what he hopes

could be important clues,
and possible treasure.

Ooh, I see an horseshoe!

-AL:
Oh, look.
-GARY: Right on top.

That's a crossing, mate.

-Look at that. Yeah.
-KEVIN:
That is wore out,

-just like the other half.
I knew it.
-AL: Yeah.

KEVIN:
And this completes
that horseshoe.

GARY:
And I'm telling you, mate,

this is just
a drop in the bucket.

-Yeah.
-Yeah. We got to...
-It really is.

-We got to keep going. Okay.
-Yeah.

Let's see what else
we got in here.

KEVIN:
That's a pretty low tone.

GARY:
That sounds good.

So hopefully there's something
good being masked,

'cause some of this stuff
sounds good,

and I can see it on top,
this one.

Oh, I know what that is.

♪ That is Civil War.♪

-What is it?
-It's an hanger.

A belt hanger.

It used to hang off
a belt or a sash.

-AL:
Oh, that's a good find.
-Yeah, I found those

in the southern states
all over on Civil War sites.

That is really cool; that would
have been on a soldier

during the Civil War.

-No kidding.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
A belt hanger?

Could this have been worn
by one of the men

that was involved in the rebel
attack in May of 1865?

You know, it's funny. It seems
the deeper we're digging,

-the older we're getting.
-Yeah.

Yeah, and we're getting
a wide variety of finds now.

I'll say that's
a great little start.

[beeping]

The heck is this?

That looks like a pin.

GARY:
Oh, I'm not sure.

That... that's jewelry.

Look at that.
I see stones in it.

NARRATOR:
While searching for evidence of stolen Confederate treasure,

on property that was once part
of the Chennault Plantation,

Kevin Dykstra, his brother Al

and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton,

have just made a potentially
important discovery.

That's a little bobby-dazzler.

AL:
It's got, uh, blue stones,
green stones.

Emeralds on the sides, and maybe
a sapphire in the middle?

KEVIN:
You know, there was jewelry

missing at the
Chennault Plantation as well.

So quite likely, this could be
some of that jewelry.

Gary, why don't you put that
in your top pocket?

I'm running out of pockets,
mate. That's a good sign.

-Don't lose it.
-Two pieces of jewelry.

-That is pretty special.
-AL:
That's a big day.

Are you good, or do you want
to take more out?

I don't think we should take
any more out today.

It's getting late in the day.

That was very successful,
look at all the stuff we found.

We found jewelry, we found
period Civil War pieces.

Well, I think we're done
for today, mate.

All right.
Well, I'm gonna push this back

and we're gonna clear this creek
out so the water flows again,

and then we'll hook up
with the other boys

-and see what they found.
-Okay.

NARRATOR:
Although they didn't find
gold bars or silver coins,

Kevin and his team

discovered enough evidence
to convince them

that stories of the Confederate treasury being scattered

throughout the United States
could very well be true.

-Look at all that stuff.
-[laughs]: I know.

NARRATOR:
If so, it would mean

that the gold bars he's hoping
to recover from the bottom

of Lake Michigan represent
only the tip of an incredible

multimillion-dollar iceberg.

GARY:
And we've done fantastic.

Ooh! That was a day.

AL:
That was.

NARRATOR:
The next day...

KEVIN: This is an amazing
amount of stuff.

...before Kevin Dykstra
and his team return

to their home base
in Muskegon, Michigan,

they meet once again with property owner Dan O'Leary

and area historian Bob Young.

They are eager share with them
their incredible finds.

Wow.

KEVIN:
These artifacts tell a story.

We know that Jefferson Davis
was traveling

with a bunch of gold and wagons,
but we also know

there were other caches of gold.

So we found artifacts
that lend credibility

-to our research.
-Yeah.

KEVIN:
When we laid all those
artifacts out for Dan and Bob

to see on that table,
it made me feel like

we were definitely looking
at a time capsule here.

And all of those artifacts
only helped my theory.

This is a silver ring
from the Civil War era.

That is amazing.

We got a little brooch here,
a little pin.

DAN:
Look at that.

KEVIN:
We found silver,

but we didn't find gold.

Whether we ever find a piece
of gold or not, uh,

look at all this history
that took place on our property.

I mean, that's just so exciting.

I do believe
there is gold there.

-So do I.
-I do believe that.

KEVIN:
With the many searches
we have going on,

we feel that there was gold
that spread

in many different places
across the South.

Unfortunately,
we just don't have the time

-to dedicate more here.
-Sure.

KEVIN:
So to have the privilege
to excavate on your property

really pushes
this project forward.

Well, I really appreciate
you guys coming out

and digging up the stories

that we've heard
about our own property,

but really,
you've brought it to life.

KEVIN:
After these amazing finds
at the Chennault Plantation,

who knows where the discoveries will come next?

This was an amazing,
worthwhile and exciting trip,

but I am very anxious to get
back home and look for that gold

that's at the bottom
of Lake Michigan.

And can you say it?
Y'all come back now.

-[laughter]
-Y'all come back now, you hear?

You hear?

NARRATOR: For Kevin Dykstra and his team,

the search
for lost Civil War gold

has become bigger
and more challenging

than they could have ever
previously imagined.

What began
as a deathbed confession

concerning a boxcar filled
with stolen gold

has become a trail of clues,

and a mystery begging
to be solved.

But what next?

Will Kevin find millions of
dollars' worth of stolen gold

at the bottom of Lake Michigan?

Or will the trail
lead him elsewhere,

perhaps far out west, or to a location as yet unknown

that is hiding not only gold,
but evidence of a conspiracy

that, once exposed,
could rewrite...

[gunfire]

...history.

Next time on
The Curse of Civil War Gold...

BRAD:
Every property
Charles Hackley developed,

there's rumors of tunnels.

Charles Hackley and the idea
of the Confederate gold

was not speculation.

Could Edwin Stanton
have been connected

to Charles Hackley?

It's a strong possibility.

And Stanton was involved in
the murder of Abraham Lincoln?

-Yes.
-Wow.

11 feet across.

Six feet wide.

That's what we're looking for.

I'm getting a bad feeling
about these waves.

AL
Holy [bleep]!

Aah!

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