The Denver Mint and the Birth of a Legend
The Denver Mint, established as a United States Assay Office in 1863 and upgraded to a full branch mint in 1906, emerged from the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, a frenzy that transformed Coloradoâs frontier. Initially housed in the facilities of Clark, Gruber & Company, a private mint purchased for $25,000, the Denver Mint began striking coinsâgold and silver denominations bearing the âDâ mintmarkâin 1906. Its first year saw over 167 million coins produced, valued at $17.9 million, including dimes that would later spark one of Americaâs most intriguing treasure tales. The story of the âLost Dimes of the Denver Mintâ centers on a supposed 1907 shipment of 1907-D dimes, allegedly lost in Coloradoâs treacherous Black Canyon of the Gunnison, bound for Phoenix, Arizona. Popularized by numismatist Ed Rochette in a Numismatic News article, the tale claims four to six wagonloads of dimes, packed in wooden kegs, vanished along with their drivers and guards, leaving no trace.
The legendâs roots are shaky, as historical evidence is thin. The Denver Mintâs records, detailed in the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint (1906), confirm high dime productionâover 4 million 1907-D dimesâbut no documentation supports a lost shipment. The storyâs plausibility is further strained by the eraâs transportation methods: by 1907, railroads, not wagons, were the standard for moving currency, especially from a mint as modern as Denverâs. Skeptics note the scarcity of Mint State 1907-D dimes, suggesting the loss might explain their rarity, but others attribute this to heavy circulation or melting. Despite these doubts, the tale persists, amplified by treasure-hunting forums like TreasureNet and local lore, which describe scattered coins found near the Gunnison River, hinting at a disaster in the canyonâs depths.
Black Canyon: A Treacherous Grave for Treasure
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a formidable chasm in western Colorado, is central to the lost dimes mystery. Stretching 50 miles with sheer walls up to 2,000 feet deep and 1,000 feet wide, the canyonâs rugged terrainâdescribed by explorers as nearly impassableâmakes it a plausible setting for a lost treasure. According to the legend, the wagon train, traveling from Denver to Phoenix, disappeared between Crawford and Montrose, near the canyonâs North Rim. Some accounts suggest the wagons plummeted off a cliff into the Gunnison River, scattering kegs of dimes across the rocky ravine. TreasureNet posts recount a cowboy finding a broken cask and blackened dimes on the South Rim, and later discoveries of coins along the river, though only âa drop in the bucketâ compared to the rumored haul.
The canyonâs dangers bolster the storyâs allure. Early 20th-century trails, like those along the North Rim Road, were precarious, with vertical drops and unstable paths. A Friendly Metal Detecting Forum post describes the canyonâs trails as so grueling that kayakers abandoned expeditions, hauling gear up cliffs after deeming the river too deadly. If a wagon train did perish here, the canyonâs depth and inaccessibility could explain why no significant recovery occurred. Yet, the lack of contemporary reportsâno mention of a missing shipment in mint records or local newspapersâcasts doubt. The Black Canyonâs transformation into a national park and the construction of dams, like the Gunnison Diversion Dam, further complicate searches, as flooding may have buried or dispersed any coins, leaving the canyon as both a guardian and a graveyard for the fabled dimes.
Chasing the Coins: Treasure Hunters and Lingering Doubts
The hunt for the lost dimes has captivated treasure enthusiasts for decades, though tangible results remain elusive. In the 1970s and 1980s, magazines like Treasure fueled interest, recounting tales of coins scattered in the Black Canyon after a wagon accident. Online forums, such as TreasureNet (2007) and Friendly Metal Detecting (2010), buzzed with speculation, with users like âcptbilâ claiming a cowboyâs find of dimes was a starting point for searches. Some hunters reported recovering small quantities of 1907-D dimes near the Gunnison River, but no major cache has been verified. Modern searches face daunting challenges: the Black Canyonâs protected status limits access, and its terrain demands extreme caution, with permits required for exploration. A 2010 X post even suggested a cover-up, alleging authorities hid the find, though no evidence supports this.
Skeptics argue the story is more myth than reality. The Denver Mintâs efficiency, documented by the U.S. Mint, makes a lost shipment unlikely, as losses would have triggered investigations. The wagon narrative, anachronistic for 1907, may be a conflation with earlier frontier tales, possibly linked to the regionâs gold rush era. Numismatic experts, like those at CoinSite, note that 1907-D dimesâ scarcity could stem from normal wear or melting under the 1916 Silver Purchase Act, not a dramatic loss. Still, the legend endures, driven by the romance of a fortune hidden in Coloradoâs wilds. Whether truth or tall tale, the lost dimes of the Denver Mint remain a numismatic enigma, luring dreamers to the Black Canyonâs edge.
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