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11:21It's going to cost you $140.
11:23$140?
11:25Yes.
11:25He didn't say anything about money.
11:26He didn't.
11:27No.
11:28That's what it's going to cost you.
11:30Okay, what am I buying?
11:36Right there.
11:37I want $140 for this nickel.
11:40According to Don, he's the key to finding the treasure.
11:44So this guy here is the key to finding Custer's treasure?
11:47Yes.
11:48On a nickel?
11:49Yes.
11:52Well, it wouldn't leave me on a wild goose chase.
11:55This looks like an Indian head nickel?
11:58Indian head buffalo nickel.
11:59Well, I've heard of Indian head pennies, but not nickels.
12:03Well, here's Indian head penny.
12:04Big difference.
12:07Hmm.
12:08I have seen these before, and actually I know a little bit about them.
12:13Indian head pennies were minted back around 1860.
12:17I think they minted them for around 50 years, and actually that is not a real native face.
12:23That's correct.
12:25The Indian head penny doesn't feature an Indian, or even a man like most people think.
12:30The coin is supposed to be Lady Liberty, which some say has always had connections to Venus, the goddess of
12:38prosperity.
12:43When I look at these two, this is not Lady Liberty.
12:47This looks like a real native.
12:48Do we know who this is?
12:49Yes, we do.
12:50Okay.
12:51Who is it?
12:51Chief Two Moons of the Cheyenne tribe.
12:53Well, this is a pretty good likeness, but how is Chief Two Moons involved with this Custer treasure?
12:59Chief Two Moons was involved at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
13:02Okay, so he was one of the Indian chiefs involved in the battle?
13:06Well, there's a legend that there was a treasure involved with this whole thing, that there's a map buried in
13:11a vault.
13:12With Two Moons?
13:13Yes.
13:14So where is this map?
13:16The map was sealed in a manila envelope in Two Moons' grave.
13:20All right, and how does that help me?
13:24This might help you.
13:26This is not a treasure map, this is a highway map.
13:29Yes.
13:29Of Montana.
13:30Yes.
13:31This is Busby, Montana.
13:33So the man who knows where the treasure is, is in Busby?
13:37Yes.
13:51If Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer had a lost treasure made up of his men's pay, valuables, and who knows
13:58what else,
13:59it stands to reason Montana is a good place to look for it.
14:04After all, that's where the Battle of the Little Bighorn was.
14:11There's a chance the treasure may be made up of a lot more than what was left on the battlefield
14:16once a Cheyenne chief named Two Moons got a hold of it.
14:20Before he died, rumor has it, he told one man where it was buried
14:24and that a treasure map was sealed in a manila envelope and placed in his tomb.
14:31I'm on my way to meet a guy who writes stories about international adventure and knows all about Two Moons.
14:37He may be able to answer some of my questions.
14:56You must be the guy I'm meeting here today.
14:58Yeah, I'm David Meyer.
14:59Nice to meet you.
15:00I'm Scott.
15:00Nice to meet you.
15:01So I hear you're looking at Custer's lost treasure.
15:03What do you know so far?
15:04I understand the story of George Custer and the Little Bighorn,
15:08but there's also a story about some treasure that he had that disappeared after the battle.
15:14And my understanding is that it's out here somewhere and connected to some guy named Two Moon.
15:19His name was Chief Two Moon.
15:21It stands for second moon of the year.
15:23It's been anglicized to Chief Two Moons over the years, but Chief Two Moon is the original name.
15:27It turns out Two Moon probably did know where the treasure was,
15:31and he told a man named W.P. Moncure about it.
15:34What happened was he entrusted the secret of the treasure to W.P. Moncure,
15:39and W.P. Moncure built a monument for him.
15:42You know what?
15:43I think I saw that monument.
15:44When I was driving out here, I saw something that looks kind of like a squat pyramid.
15:49Yeah, that's the one.
15:50That's correct.
15:51I actually have a picture of it if you want to see it.
15:53Yeah, you know, it was surrounded by barbed wire.
15:55I didn't even stop, but if you've got pictures, I'd love to see them.
15:58They don't like people to necessarily be very close to it,
16:01but I was able to take some photos of it for you.
16:05Okay, that's a beautiful photo.
16:07Yep.
16:07So it's made of different rocks?
16:09Yeah, it has unfortunately been vandalized over the years.
16:12Some of the rocks are still in that area, but most of the monument is still intact.
16:16Oh, yeah. Okay.
16:18And what's this here?
16:19This is a plaque.
16:20You can see W.P. Moncure at the very bottom.
16:22It turns out that, you know, not only is he the one who built the monument and interred two moon
16:27in there,
16:27but he also interred a treasure map and relics from the battlefield as well.
16:32So Moncure built this monument in 1936, and he put a treasure map in there along with some artifacts from
16:39the battlefield.
16:41What happened next?
16:43In the late 1950s, a reporter became interested in this story.
16:46She was from Billings, Montana, not too far away from the Cheyenne Reservation.
16:50Right.
16:50And she drove out, and she investigated the monument, and she earned the trust of the Cheyenne tribe,
16:55and they allowed her to take a look inside it.
16:58So she actually got inside the monument, saw the artifacts, and the treasure map?
17:29And she was from the beginning of the year, and she was from the beginning of the year,
17:32I'm in Montana, investigating the lead that when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was killed, he left a treasure behind.
17:40A possible mix of soldiers' pay and valuables from the Little Bighorn battlefield.
17:51I also learned that a burial monument was built for a Cheyenne chief named Tumun by his friend W.P.
17:58Moncure.
17:59It was vandalized several years ago, and I couldn't get access to it.
18:04It's an important marker in this investigation, because a reporter allegedly saw a map to the hidden treasure in the
18:11monument.
18:12So she actually got inside the monument, saw the artifacts, and the treasure map?
18:17Yeah, she did. She has some photos of it. I can show you an article that she wrote about it
18:22in 1957.
18:23Oh, yeah. Okay. Indian Trader's Cash.
18:29So in 1957, she came in, she opened up the monument, and she found a cavalry soldier's gun.
18:36She found a rubber bullet mold and a few other artifacts from the battlefield, a portrait from Tumun, and a
18:43mysterious manila envelope that supposedly contained a treasure map.
18:47So she saw all of these things?
18:49She did. But unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to access the envelope at the time.
18:53She didn't look in there. It was my next question. I mean, if I saw a manila envelope, I'm looking
18:58in it if I can.
18:59It wasn't supposed to be opened until 1986, which was exactly 110 years after the Battle of Little Bighorn.
19:05So there was a plan here, and obviously Moncure was part of it. Tumun was part of it. What was
19:12the ultimate plan?
19:13Tumun wanted the treasure to be used for his people. We know that this monument sort of served as a
19:1850-year time capsule.
19:19So the treasure was going to be put away, and 50 years later, the Cheyenne could open it up and
19:23perhaps have a nice legacy to enjoy.
19:27What happened next?
19:28Well, that's when this vault was robbed.
19:30It was robbed. So the treasure map, that was taken too, I assume?
19:35Yes. The monument was vandalized, the treasure map was taken, and no one has seen any bit of it since
19:41then.
19:42Well, it sounds to me like it was this article that inspired somebody to break into the vault and steal
19:48this map.
19:49It would seem clear that's the case. We know that Tumun wanted to use the treasure to protect his people,
19:55and so it's entirely possible that someone took the map in order to try to protect it and save it
19:59for future generations.
20:01That is exactly what I was thinking, because once it became publicized, there may have been people possibly within the
20:06tribe that thought, we need to get this and preserve it and protect it.
20:11As far as we know, nobody knows where the treasure is to this day, right?
20:15Yeah. Unfortunately, it remains missing to this day, as far as we know.
20:18Do we know anything? I mean, after this was vandalized, did anybody suddenly come into money, or did the tribe
20:25come into money?
20:26No, there's no evidence of that. It appears it's disappeared into thin air.
20:29Well, David, without this treasure map, the fact that it was stolen, I'm not sure where we go from here.
20:34I mean, that pretty much ends it, doesn't it?
20:36Well, the thing about legends is they captivate everyone. There's a couple of guys I think you should meet, guys
20:42who are keeping part of that legend alive today.
20:48I'm at a loss right now as to what happened to Custer's treasure. If it really existed and got into
20:54the hands of Toomer, I'm sure he felt that keeping it was justified for all the atrocities his people endured
21:00at the hands of the U.S. government.
21:10I thought my investigation was over after I heard a map to the supposed treasure was stolen.
21:16But after talking to David Meyer, it doesn't sound like that's the case.
21:24Now I have a man named W.P. Moncure to consider as part of this investigation.
21:29It appears he held valuable clues to the treasure and its location.
21:34I wonder why Chief Two Moon trusted him.
21:38After learning all I could from David, I'm heading to the place where it all began.
22:01The Battle of the Little Bighorn is known as the worst military disaster in American history.
22:06Thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne Native Americans gathered in Montana to fight for their sacred lands against the U.S.
22:14cavalry.
22:15Custer was among three groups assembled to attack the Natives all at once, but he ignored orders to wait for
22:21the others.
22:22He charged ahead with his men into Native territory where Native American warriors greatly outnumbered them.
22:28In less than an hour, Custer and over 250 U.S. soldiers were killed.
22:59In less than an hour, Custer and over 250 U.S. soldiers were killed.
23:06Good to meet you.
23:07Me too.
23:08Well, that's pretty impressive over there.
23:10What's going on?
23:11Well, this is the U.S. Cavalry School, the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
23:16The U.S. Cavalry School is a hardcore training school where people can reenact history by learning to ride using
23:23cavalry tactics to prepare for the ultimate battle of the Little Bighorn.
23:27People from all over converge here to learn about history and live as cavalry troopers.
23:33That looks like fun over there.
23:35It is a tremendous amount of fun.
23:37It's not only fun, it can be dangerous.
23:39I bet it can when you're, you know, playing with horses and doing what they're doing.
23:44I bet it can be dangerous.
23:45You won't just bet.
23:47You'll see.
23:59We've got to get you enlisted, get you in the proper uniform, because this outfit just isn't going to work.
24:06You want me to put on a uniform?
24:36You want me to put on a uniform?
24:38Absolutely.
24:39Right over here, we'll get you outfitted.
24:43See what I'm saying?
24:44Put on your proper uniform, report to the captain, he'll tell you what to do.
24:48I'll do my best.
24:49Good luck.
24:51Scott, we'll take you down here to your quarters where you can get changed and get into the action.
24:57When I was sent here to Montana to look into Custer's lost treasure, I was certain I'd be tracking down
25:03a treasure map or some kind of tangible clue that would lead me to it.
25:08I'm out of my element playing dress-up in this reenactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
25:13But if that's what it takes to find out where Custer's lost treasure is, I guess it's what I'll have
25:18to do.
25:32Well, John, how do I look?
25:33You look like a real trooper now.
25:35You know, we're here where Custer's battle was fought, and I'd like to know more about Custer the man.
25:42He had reached the rank of Major General by the time he was 24 years old.
25:48Really?
25:49And that is impossible today.
25:52He was boisterous, kind of flamboyant.
25:55He designed his own uniform and made it very flashy, very showy.
25:59His troops loved him.
26:01He led most of the time from the front all throughout the Civil War.
26:05So he was a brave guy.
26:07Very brave guy.
26:08Okay, so the stories of him being courageous and a great fighter, a warrior, if you will, that's all true,
26:15right?
26:16Absolutely, absolutely.
26:17Okay, let's talk about the attack itself.
26:20Some people say that it was a surprise attack, that it was done before the sun rose.
26:25In fact, don't they call him Warrior of the Morning Star or something like that?
26:29The Son of the Morning Star is what they call it.
26:31Oh, Son of the Morning Star.
26:32He had a tendency to attack before the sun was up, this battle being the exception.
26:37He already lost the element of surprise.
26:40His orders weren't to attack.
26:42His orders were to find the village, report the location, wait for the infantry support.
26:46Well, wait a minute now.
26:47So what you're saying is if he lost the element of surprise, what that really means is the natives that
26:53were camped here knew that he was coming, right?
26:55Yeah, exactly.
26:56Are we sure about that?
26:58They knew he was coming beforehand.
26:59The natives had engaged his pack train, and they engaged him and were able to kill one of them, but
27:06the other two escaped.
27:07They would have reported back here.
27:10So the whole story that we've heard that this was a surprise attack, that the native encampment here, they were
27:16just minding their own business, and all of a sudden they were attacked.
27:19You think that's bunk?
27:20They were ready for it.
27:21How many people were here at this encampment?
27:24This was the Lakota camp that we were standing on.
27:27There were around 10,000 Lakota here.
27:30That is, that's a huge encampment, isn't it?
27:33That is enormous.
27:34I'd like to switch topics for a second.
27:37The missing Custer treasure.
27:39Have you heard of that?
27:40Heard some rumors?
27:41Well, I just talked to an expert who told me about after the battle, the natives came in, and they
27:48secured a wagon that had gold, silver, and currency.
27:52And then, of course, they stripped the soldiers of their valuables, and this became known as Custer's treasure.
27:58The story that I heard was that Chief Two Moon took this treasure and actually hid it.
28:05When he died, a white trader built a monument for him that was in the shape of basically a squat
28:11obelisk.
28:12And inside this monument is where the map for this treasure was, along with some artifacts from the battlefield.
28:18In 1960, the monument was broken into, and the map disappeared, and it's been missing ever since.
28:24And so, maybe the treasure was recovered, maybe it wasn't.
28:28That's the whole mystery.
28:30That's what I'm trying to figure out.
28:32We can only speculate, because we're looking at the past.
28:37But, you know, it is quite possible.
28:39We know Custer was a writer.
28:41Did he ever write anything about treasure that he carried with him?
28:44Sergeant.
28:45You know, Scott, that's a good question, but we've got to get moving.
28:49We've got to get you on a horse, and we still have to enlist you.
28:53Sergeant.
28:55Sir, the lieutenant has enlisted another recruit.
29:00Who is he?
29:02Trooper Scott Walter, sir.
29:04Can you ride a horse?
29:05Yes, sir.
29:07Excellent.
29:08Well, welcome to the best regiment of the United States Cavalry.
29:11Thank you, sir.
29:11All right, let's go ahead and stand at attention, and we'll swear you in.
29:15Repeat after me.
29:18Aye.
29:18Aye.
29:19Scott Walter.
29:20Scott Walter.
29:22Will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America.
29:25Will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America.
29:29I know this is an official training school for cavalry history, tactics, and horsemanship,
29:34but it's pretty intense.
29:36They take this history seriously.
29:39Many of Custer's men were recent recruits, a group of 20-somethings with little experience,
29:45but they had a lot more than me.
29:47Going up against a force of 2,000 Sioux and northern Cheyenne protecting their land must
29:52have been terrifying.
29:54That I will serve them honestly and faithfully.
29:58That I will serve them honestly and faithfully.
30:02According to the rules and articles of war.
30:05According to the rules and articles of war.
30:09We'll have a lot of training to do.
30:12We're going on campaign soon.
30:13You'll have to do the training on the trail with all the other new troopers.
30:19Excellent job, Sergeant.
30:20Are you ready?
30:21I'm ready.
30:21Let's get going.
30:35I'm about to head into the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
30:38Something the guys out here have spent weeks training for.
30:41This is a simulated battle experience.
30:45When I arrived here in Montana to investigate a lead on Custer's lost treasure, I had no idea
30:51I'd be doing this.
30:52As a member of Custer's cavalry, I know this isn't going to end well for me.
30:57Just like it didn't end well for the more than 250 soldiers and an unknown number of Native
31:02Americans who died here on this land.
31:05No, this way.
31:08Just at it.
31:09All right, this way.
31:11Now we're done.
31:12Come on.
31:13Come on.
31:13Let's go.
31:23In addition to Chief Tumun, who may have gotten a hold of Custer's treasure, there were
31:28a lot of notable Native warriors engaged in this battle, including two whose names many
31:33people recognize.
31:42Lakota Chief Sitting Bull led his warriors into the battle and said he had a vision where
31:47he saw the defeat of Custer's troops.
31:50He was right.
31:50Lakota Chief Crazy Horse and his men also took part, and he was later honored with a monument
31:56in the Black Hills land he sought to protect.
31:59If there was a treasure taken from fallen soldiers left on the battlefield by Native Americans,
32:04I'm sure they felt it was justified after all their people had endured.
32:10Where do you think that treasure went?
32:13Well, it's either already been found or it's still out there.
32:18So are you ready?
32:19I'm ready.
32:20At the trot.
32:21Go.
32:21March.
32:34March.
32:44March.
32:46March.
32:48March.
32:50March.
32:53March.
32:53March.
32:55March.
32:57March.
33:01March.
33:04Let's go.
33:33Let's go.
34:12Scott, what'd you think?
34:14I think I have a sense of what it was like when that day happened in 1876.
34:19I mean, when we started coming in on the horses, the horses were charging, the natives were
34:24running around, and we were circling, and the guns.
34:27I mean, it was exhilarating, but, you know, in real life, it would have been terrifying.
34:34Absolutely.
34:34You know, the conditions that day would have been horrendous.
34:38There was sweltering heat.
34:39There was rainstorms coming in and out, humidity, the bloodshed, horses, the dust, the screams
34:47of the wounded.
34:47It would have been horrifying.
34:50All these things happening, I mean, sound, movement, light, I mean, it's just, it's overwhelming.
34:56It is.
34:57It is.
34:57So you've done this a few times.
34:59What makes you come back?
35:01The history, the enjoyment of interacting with the Lakota that come out, and the Crow.
35:09Well, they sure did a good job of making me feel part of the action.
35:14But back then, if I was pulled off my horse, it would have been hand-to-hand combat, and
35:19eventually, I would have been overwhelmed and killed.
35:22Right.
35:23You know, when I first came out here, one of the goals was to investigate this treasure.
35:29But, you know, the treasure really, in my mind, became secondary to learning more about
35:34what happened here, and more about General Custer.
35:37And one of the things that seems to happen everywhere I go is that, you know, the standard
35:42story, this is the history that we were told about the little bighorn.
35:45Well, after dealing with you guys, I've learned that it was, we know what the outcome was, but
35:51the details are a lot different than we've been told.
35:53You know, the other thing, John, is even though we're done here with the reenactment, I've
35:58learned a lot.
35:59I still want to see if we can figure out what happened to this treasure.
36:02What is the treasure, and where did it go?
36:26A treasure tip from a friend in Minnesota took me on an unpredictable journey west.
36:33In the past, I've always associated Montana with a battle of the little bighorn, but now
36:38it's tied to a treasure tale I can't stop investigating.
36:41While in Montana, I learned that Chief Tumun, who was also part of the battle, may have hidden
36:47a treasure made up of valuables and soldiers' pay from the battlefield.
36:53Chief Tumun allegedly told one man its whereabouts, and even gave him a treasure map.
36:59That man was W.P.
37:00Moncure, his white friend who worked as an Indian trader.
37:04It said Moncure was given instructions to hide the map after Tumun passed.
37:09But years later, someone stole it.
37:12What if this adventure I've been on was for nothing?
37:29I recently stumbled on an article about a couple who discovered millions of dollars of gold coins
37:34stashed in rusty cans on their California land.
37:40It's called the Saddle Ridge Horde, and I think it's possible it could play a significant part
37:46in this Montana mystery I'm trying to solve.
37:51In California gold rush territory, a couple walking their dog on their property noticed
37:56a rusty can half buried in the dirt.
37:59They dislodged it with a stick, and inside found a bunch of gold coins minted in the 1800s.
38:05That can led to the discovery of eight more cans filled with more than 1,400 coins, some
38:12of them in mint condition.
38:14No one knows where they came from, but today they're worth over $10 million.
38:19Could this be Custer's alleged lost treasure?
38:37I'm back in Minnesota and headed to where the investigation first began.
38:42Don Shelby, my friend who started me on this treasure hunt, is also going to be there.
38:47I want to figure out if the gold coins found in California could be Custer's lost treasure.
38:54Hi, guys.
38:54Scott, how are you?
38:55I'm doing great.
38:57Jim?
38:57Hey, Scott.
38:59Scott, I have something I'd like to show you.
39:04U.S. Cavalry Certificate of Achievement for Trooper Scott Walter.
39:09I fought in the reenactment of the Little Bighorn.
39:13I didn't do very well.
39:14We were all killed.
39:15And I think I handled myself with distinction and honor according to my superiors.
39:21You know, guys, in the interest of trying to vet this Custer's treasure out all the
39:26way, make sure we cover all the bases, I have one possibility I want to ask you about.
39:30I saw this article about a couple who found a cache of gold coins, and I'm wondering if
39:35it's possible, if you've heard about this, and if so, could it be related to Custer's
39:41treasure?
39:42Well, this is the Saddle Ridge Horde.
39:44Okay, you've heard about it.
39:45Yes, I have.
39:46Here are coins very similar to the coins that were found in that horde.
39:52These were coins used by the U.S. Cavalry.
39:55Jim, could this possibly be related to Custer's treasure?
39:58I don't think so.
40:00They're dated from the 1880s and 1890s.
40:03Well, that's a problem, isn't it?
40:05It is.
40:061876 is the time and the moment of the Battle of Greasy Grass, the Battle of Little Bighorn.
40:12That's what the natives called it, right?
40:14Yes.
40:14It almost puts it out of reach.
40:16In the same story that you were looking at, it shows that the coins in that cache from
40:21the Saddle Ridge, 1847 to 1894, if it's after 1876, it cannot be part of that, with one possible
40:30exception.
40:30It's possible that this treasure could have been from the Little Bighorn and was placed
40:35in the ground, and they added the later coins to this cache at a later date.
40:39Now you're thinking like an investigative reporter.
40:41If you're looking at this from a purely investigative approach, you have to look at the one person
40:47we haven't looked at at all, and that's Moncure.
40:50Moncure was the best white friend of Chief Tumun.
40:55He was the guardian of the burial site.
40:58He knew the secrets.
41:00I'm not suggesting that anyone who stole that has any relationship to Moncure, but I think
41:06if anyone knows where it is, then it would have been Moncure.
41:11Well, I'm not sure if you guys are aware or not, but in 1957, a reporter did a story about
41:16Moncure and the treasure.
41:18So it's either a very elaborate hoax, or this is a real thing.
41:23I do believe that there is a treasure.
41:25So the question is, Don, that treasure has to still be out there.
41:29It has to be out there, marked on that stolen map.
41:33Sounds to me like there's more work to be done.
41:36In the end, it's impossible to say whether Custer's lost treasure really even existed at all.
41:42The real discovery here was that people are keeping more than just legends alive.
41:47They're keeping history alive by investing time and effort recreating and teaching people
41:53about Custer's last stand in the most epic way possible.
42:00I have a strong suspicion the treasure map stolen from Two Moons Burial Monument may have held
42:06the only clue to really solve this mystery.
42:09I'm hoping someday someone will come forward with a missing treasure map so we can solve this
42:15case once and for all.
42:23Next time on America Unearthed.
42:25What is this?
42:25This could be a clue as to the location of Captain Kidd's treasure.
42:29There's an old story about the Astor family coming into its money through Captain Kidd's treasure.
42:34You want it, Captain Kidd?
42:35Here's Captain Kidd.
42:38If you have a mysterious artifact or sight I need to see, I want to know about it.
42:43Go to history.com slash unearthed.
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