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00:08So my main interest at the time was exploring the cave.
00:13I wanted to know what it was, how far it went.
00:22There are bronze weapons in there, swords, spears, shields, knives, many artifacts,
00:29something like 7,000. No two are exactly the same.
00:40It proves that many of the things that have been taught in elementary school,
00:45high school and colleges is wrong.
00:53They were treasure hunters searching for that cave.
00:56So I decided to completely hide its location.
01:02Search all you want, you will never find it.
01:11The history that we were all taught growing up is wrong.
01:15My name is Scott Wolter and I'm a forensic geologist.
01:19There's a hidden history in this country that nobody knows about.
01:22There are pyramids here, chambers, tombs, inscriptions.
01:26They're all over this country.
01:29We're going to investigate these artifacts and sites and we're going to get to the truth.
01:34Sometimes history isn't what we've been told.
01:57Our country is filled with caves, caverns and burial chambers that could hide artifacts and sacred wonders from long ago.
02:08I've looked for the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail and other things rumored to be hidden here.
02:14I think these things are just waiting to be found by those who search hard enough.
02:20Without a doubt, some of the greatest lost treasures of all time are those from ancient Egypt, where vast burial
02:27chambers lie virtually empty, the pharaoh's riches having vanished.
02:34Many people believe these old world artifacts were brought to the new world, and I think they could be right.
02:40A few years ago, I examined some alleged Egyptian artifacts said to have been found in a cave in rural
02:47Illinois.
02:48But Illinois isn't the only place said to hide such treasures.
02:53That's why I'm heading to another place where many think ancient Egyptians once came with their vast riches, the Grand
03:01Canyon.
03:06Stretching 277 miles, the Grand Canyon is about 18 miles wide and up to 6,000 feet deep.
03:14It was carved out by the Colorado River about 500 million years ago, and the layering of the rock reveals
03:20a huge amount of our nation's geological history.
03:25And there are caves here, but only a few of them have been explored.
03:31So if ancient Egyptians brought their treasure here, it's likely still hidden.
03:36And I'm meeting a guy who says he knows where it is.
03:46Well, Jerry, thanks for meeting me here today in this amazing place.
03:50It is. It's very amazing.
03:51You know, there are many myths and stories about ancient cultures coming to America with fantastic treasures.
03:58Some people say that there's a treasure buried here somewhere in the Grand Canyon.
04:03And I have a newspaper article from the Phoenix Gazette in 1909 that talks about a treasure here.
04:10Let's take a look at this.
04:13Explorations in Grand Canyon, mysteries of immense rich cavern being brought to light.
04:20Remarkable finds indicate ancient people migrated from the Orient.
04:24And that's amazing.
04:25Yeah, it is.
04:26And you know, the person who did this exploration was G.E. Kincaid.
04:30He'd been hired by the Smithsonian, and he went pretty much looking for this cave full of treasure in this
04:37lost city that's down there.
04:39Did he find it? And what happened after that?
04:41Kincaid knew what he was looking for.
04:43He pretty much went to the spot, found a series of steps that went up the cliff wall, went into
04:51the cave.
04:51He found not only hieroglyphs, but he found all kinds of artifacts.
04:56Like what?
04:57Well, it was statuary. There were mummies in there.
05:00There were indeed pieces of gold and silver.
05:05Now, one of the things they mention here is that this particular cave is virtually inaccessible.
05:11Although it does talk about 1,400, 1,500 steps, sandstone steps that were carved into the rock that would
05:18allow them to get there.
05:20The other thing that's amazing to me is, according to the article, this cave is so massive that 50,000
05:26people could have lived there.
05:28So, potentially, there could have been thousands, if not millions, of artifacts inside this cave.
05:34And the fact that we look around here and we see this geology, we know we've got sandstone, limestone.
05:40It's going to lend itself to caves, and I know that there's a lot of caves here, so, you know,
05:44that fits.
05:46But today, the Smithsonian's official position is that this whole story is a hoax, is that correct?
05:52We'd contact the Smithsonian. They deny that there's a cave, that there's any evidence, that there was anything here.
05:58So, are you suggesting that the Smithsonian is covering up something here in the Grand Canyon?
06:02Oh, they absolutely are.
06:04Because I know that you've done a lot of work out here. You've made some expeditions here. What did you
06:08find?
06:09Well, we came here trying to find the truth.
06:13Kathy, my wife, did the research over a number of years and finally pinpointed a spot that we believe is
06:20exactly where this would need to be if it truly existed.
06:23So, where is that location?
06:25You know, this is a really difficult place to get to, Scott. It isn't easy at all. But yeah, I
06:31can show you where we believe the cave is at.
06:33So, you're up for it?
06:34I'd be happy to show you what we know.
06:46Well, Jerry, what makes you so sure that you know where this site is?
06:50Well, once we got to the site that Kathy had identified, we started looking very closely at anything that might
06:56have been left behind by the Smithsonian explorers and excavation team that had been there ahead of us.
07:01We found buttons, pieces of glassware, a name badge, several small pieces that were 80 to 100 years old.
07:11So, do you think this corresponds with the expedition back in 1909?
07:15Yeah, I do. This place is very dangerous.
07:19Why do you say that?
07:20Well, it's dangerous because while we were there on several occasions, there were government stealth helicopters.
07:26Stealth helicopters? Seriously?
07:29They know what's there, Scott. And we know that they know what's there.
07:34So, do you think they were trying to scare you off?
07:37I know they were trying to scare us off.
07:40Let me tell you this. If there's an ancient site somewhere down in the Grand Canyon, possibly Egyptian, they're not
07:47going to scare me off.
08:12Ancient Egypt is famous for its vast riches and immense wealth.
08:16When King Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922, his coffin alone was made from solid gold and was worth over
08:24$13 million.
08:28Much of the treasure attributed to Egyptian pharaohs has yet to be found.
08:33So, what I want to know is, could it be here in America?
08:38If it was hidden away on U.S. soil, some people think it's in the Grand Canyon.
08:44An old news article suggests Egyptian treasure was found here.
08:48And another treasure might be here too, the Ark of the Covenant.
08:52My search for the religious relic turned up clues nearby in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.
08:59If any treasure is here in the canyon, it's in an incredibly dangerous and inaccessible spot, possibly even guarded by
09:07the government.
09:07But the reward is too great, and I have to find out what's hidden here.
09:12There were things that were going on that just didn't make any sense for such a remote location.
09:16I want to find this thing wherever it is, and I need your help.
09:20This area where the cave is located is considered sacred ground by the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, and other tribes of
09:26this area.
09:27Do you think that maybe they might have some information that could be helpful to us?
09:31Well, I know someone who might have some answers fill in the blanks.
09:48The Zuni tribe are Pueblo people who have made the Southwest their home for hundreds of years.
09:54To the Zuni, the Grand Canyon is a holy place.
09:57Their creation story telling how the ancestors climbed up from its basin.
10:03Even today, Zuni men still make pilgrimages to the Grand Canyon to venerate this sacred site.
10:09Clifford, as a Zuni tribal elder, what can you tell me about the Grand Canyon, what it means to your
10:15people?
10:15Well, the Grand Canyon to the Zuni people and other Pueblo tribes, this is considered our place of origin.
10:22Not only in terms of religion, but also spirituality about where our forefathers and our ancient ones came out of.
10:30Is there anything in your creation stories that talks about some of these mysterious caves?
10:36Maybe even the one that could possibly hold Egyptian artifacts?
10:39In our spiritual teachings, there are actually rooms inside the Grand Canyon and there's several passageways.
10:47Right.
10:48So that parallels with some of the history about the early 1900s and also about some of the treasures that
10:55a lot of Indian tribes talked about.
10:58Are there any stories about what might be in some of these caves?
11:02I've heard a lot of different stories from different tribes that talk about these treasures that are supposedly in there.
11:11But then also I heard about a pyramid that's supposedly inside the Grand Canyon.
11:17A pyramid?
11:19A pyramid.
11:19So Clifford, your oral stories say that there were cities inside of these caves and pyramids in the Grand Canyon.
11:26I absolutely believe in that because there's been a lot of different crossing of different cultures in this part of
11:32the world.
11:33It's my understanding that there was a lot of Egyptian-type relics and artifacts that were taken from inside the
11:43Grand Canyon.
11:44Are there any stories about any of these caves being cursed?
11:47In most Native American sites, there are natural occurrences that might be considered cursed.
11:54It's sort of like a guardian-type thing.
11:57And it's still even in existence to this day.
12:00You have to tread very carefully.
12:02Absolutely.
12:04So do you think there still could be treasure down there?
12:06Oh, absolutely.
12:07This is a huge place.
12:09And if you look at the rooms and the space inside the canyon itself, there's a lot of artifacts of
12:17past civilizations.
12:18I believe in that, that there's a lot of treasure still inside the canyon.
12:23Do you think we can get there?
12:25Well, you might try getting there, but it's very dangerous.
12:43Well, you know, I appreciate what Clifford was saying, but I'm not ready to give up yet.
12:49We have to figure out a way to get into that cave.
12:52Well, it's a very dangerous place.
12:54Clifford was right.
12:55Well, I have some video to show you of our 2002 expedition into the canyon.
13:00It'll show you exactly how dangerous a place this is.
13:04Sounds good.
13:05Let's take a look.
13:15This is our camp from our 2002 expedition, when we were at the Grand Canyon,
13:21trying to find a way down to the area where Kincaid's Cave would be found.
13:26It looks like it drops right off, right?
13:28Beyond this point is just a sheer 2,000-foot drop off.
13:32People standing here on the edge of the canyon, past that point, it is straight down maybe 2,000 feet.
13:39Just what I'm seeing here does look, I mean, that's a pretty steep slope.
13:44It's absolutely dangerous.
13:47Absolutely dangerous.
13:48And here you see, now they've gone over the edge, they're hanging off the ropes, they've gone down maybe 800
13:55feet.
13:57And this one fellow is just hanging off the rope.
14:00They're suffering heat exhaustion.
14:02There's no way you can carry enough water to get to this place.
14:06So basically what you're saying is to get to this cave, I mean, it's virtually impossible.
14:11It is.
14:12All right, what you're looking at here is while our team was going down, descending into the canyon over these
14:19cliffs, you can see very clearly.
14:22Holy crap.
14:23There's this unmarked plane that's flying well below the canyon rim.
14:28You see it going right through there.
14:31We've also seen helicopters and they've buzzed us at various times we've been there.
14:36They don't have any markings either.
14:38And we feel they must be government helicopters, government airplanes.
14:43They were watching us.
14:45Or maybe they were trying to scare you off.
14:47Probably trying to.
14:49So they never did get down to the cave entrance.
14:51They never did.
14:52Yeah, it proved to be way too difficult.
14:56Heat exhaustion took over and it was really very difficult to get them back to the surface.
15:01Do you think that we could climb down here realistically?
15:04No.
15:04I mean, how long would that take?
15:05What are we talking about time-wise?
15:07You need expert mountaineers and a lot of rope.
15:11Well, you know what?
15:12There might be another way to get there.
15:14All right.
15:15What do you have in mind?
16:10Here we are over the Colorado River.
16:11I need you to tell me exactly where you need me to go.
16:14Okay.
16:15Yeah, it's just right down there below that ridge.
16:18So I'm going to do an orbit.
16:19I'm going to lose a little bit of altitude here.
16:21Okay.
16:22And do an orbit over the location.
16:24Okay.
16:24You know, fly, 16th and equate 519 Clemming 95.
16:27Any 049 over the Little Colorado River.
16:30Right there.
16:31We need to descend down below that ridge line in order to see directly across into the canyon.
16:37I can't do that.
16:38The FAA has restricted all flight below the canyon rim.
16:42I'm not allowed to descend down there.
16:44So you're telling me that the FAA, the government, will not allow us to go down there?
16:48Absolutely not.
17:18We need to descend down below that ridge line in order to see directly across
17:23The FAA has restricted all flight below the canyon rib, not allowed to descend down there
17:29So you're saying that the government will not allow us to fly over this area right here?
17:33This is where the Egyptian cave is supposed to be?
17:36No sir, we're not allowed down there
17:44That's the level that we think that the cave is at, right there
17:47Okay, just beyond that next drop-off
17:50That next, exactly
17:52So Jerry, we are pretty much above it, on top of it, do you think?
17:56Yeah, there's the circle of rocks from our campsite
18:00Is there any way that we could get down on that plateau just above it?
18:04Could you land there?
18:05We can land on the top, I can get you on that plateau right over there
18:08Okay, well that would, I guess that's the next best thing
18:11I'm going to go ahead and just land right down there
18:14And 978 Eagle 49 is landing, I'll call you back up in the air
18:31I'm going to go ahead and see you in the air
18:32So, there's no way that we can get down there
18:44And I'll catch up with you in the air
18:48And you see that the city will be a good village
19:03So, Jerry, this was your base camp right here, right?
19:06This is where you started your operation to get down to what you hoped was the Egyptian cave.
19:11This is it.
19:21When we were here before, the guys that were going over, we thought they were prepared.
19:27We really didn't know what it would take at the time.
19:29And they went down about 800 feet, and they ended up getting stuck.
19:34800 feet?
19:35That's only about, what, halfway down to where you think the cave is?
19:38It's about halfway, yeah.
19:39Going over the side, it just seems impossible.
19:42You can't see the cave from the bottom, nor can you see it from the top.
19:47It's at an in-between level.
19:49It's completely obscured.
19:51That newspaper article is very compelling from 1909.
19:54Something happened here in the Grand Canyon.
19:56I think the government is hiding something.
19:58The fact that a plane flew by when you guys were down here rappelling tells me that they had to
20:04have been watching you.
20:05They're guarding something.
20:06The oral stories of the Zuni and other tribes around the Grand Canyon clearly suggest that some people came here,
20:13that there are many caves here, but there may be caves that housed ancient cultures and maybe artifacts, possibly the
20:20Egyptians.
20:21So I'm convinced that there is something here.
20:23Well, we've only scratched the surface, and we're sure that there were ancient cultures who came through here.
20:29It could have been the Egyptians.
20:30We think it was someone from the Orient.
20:33There's some talk that even the Ark of the Covenant might have come through here.
20:36You know, I recently was in the Petrified Forest, and I saw a petroglyph that looked just like the Ark
20:43of the Covenant.
20:44So maybe the Ark of the Covenant did come to North America through the Petrified Forest.
20:49Maybe it's down there in that cave.
20:53After taking a good look around, it's clear that further exploration is impossible.
20:59It frustrates me not to reach this cave.
21:02But it isn't the only cave in America rumored to hide Egyptian treasure.
21:08There's another cave in southern Illinois.
21:11And while I've studied artifacts allegedly taken from it, I've never seen the cave itself.
21:17I met the man who claims he found this cave, Russell Burroughs.
21:22And I even got his story on camera.
21:25They were people searching for that cave, treasure hunters.
21:29So I decided that the best thing to do is to completely hide its location, which I did.
21:38Now he won't talk to me at all.
21:41But maybe it's time to go look for the cave and see once and for all if Russell was telling
21:46the truth.
21:48You know, speaking of treasures, there's another cave in southern Illinois, Burroughs Cave.
21:52I'm sure you've heard of it.
21:53We have.
21:54I've actually spent quite a bit of time looking at the artifacts, but I've never found the cave.
21:59And that's where I'm headed next.
22:00I want to find Burroughs Cave.
22:17If I can find Burroughs Cave, it would be a huge step toward proving Egyptian treasure really did make it
22:24to America.
22:24And that's why I need to visit someone who may know just how to find it, Harry Hubbard, an artifact
22:31collector and researcher who's devoted his life to studying the Illinois Treasure Cave.
22:42Harry has some examples of the treasures that he's eager for me to see.
22:48This is amazing.
22:49It looks like the greatest hoard of treasure I've ever seen in person.
22:54But they're not gold.
22:55These are made of lead, right?
22:56That's correct.
22:57These are replicas of original gold pieces brought out in 1985.
23:02What happened to all the gold?
23:03Where is it?
23:03These are replicas.
23:04Right.
23:05Well, Burroughs melted the gold and then sold it off.
23:07Oh, really?
23:08Yes.
23:08Okay.
23:09You know, I'm seeing Egyptian iconography.
23:12I'm seeing some interesting text, a sun god symbol.
23:16To see all this stuff that you have here and to think that it was actual gold treasure at one
23:21time is amazing.
23:22I mean, it's got to be one of the greatest hoards in history.
23:25The original pieces came from here in Marion County.
23:27Okay.
23:27It's an ancient tomb very nearby.
23:29Okay.
23:30The cave, right?
23:31The cave.
23:31All right.
23:32Tell me about the cave.
23:33The original description indicated that there were 13 crypts.
23:37Okay.
23:37The main crypt had a king in a solid gold sarcophagus, and there was one crypt that actually had a
23:43woman in it.
23:44And the rest were ancient kings, 13 cadavers buried in one crypt.
23:49So you're convinced that the gold that came out was real?
23:53Oh, yes, most definitely.
23:58Well, let's get back to Russell Burroughs.
24:00He's the guy that told me fantastic stories about pulling out not just gold artifacts,
24:07but artifacts carved and made out of stone.
24:10I've talked to him about these artifacts.
24:12And did you study those artifacts?
24:14Absolutely, I did.
24:15What did you determine?
24:16Well, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I think I know what's behind this notorious mystery of the
24:23Illinois cave
24:24and how it might connect with the Grand Canyon cave that I just looked at.
24:55I'm on the hunt for Egyptian treasure
24:57that legends say is buried somewhere in America.
25:00The big question is, where is it?
25:04I've checked out a prohibited area at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
25:09And now I'm examining replicas of possible Egyptian artifacts
25:13found in another cavernous hiding place here in southern Illinois.
25:19Legends says the original gold and the other carved pieces were taken from a cave here in the 1980s.
25:26But whether this is a true story or a tall tale remains to be seen.
25:32I've spent years trying to get to the truth myself.
25:35In 2010, I managed to get the only interview of Russell Burroughs ever known to be filmed.
25:41And I examined some of the artifacts he claimed he found.
25:45The varied collection ranged from a shaman and a cartouche carved in black marble
25:50to a white marble stone with the Greek goddess Isis on it.
25:55But after I questioned their authenticity, Russell refused to speak with me again.
26:01The key to the mysterious cave in Illinois here really centers on Russell Burroughs.
26:07I mean, he's the one that made the cave famous.
26:09That's why they call it Burroughs Cave.
26:11He is the reason that a lot of people have become skeptical of the artifacts
26:15because a lot of them have been tainted and forged.
26:18You know, I felt it was important to give Russell an opportunity to say something about it.
26:22So I interviewed him back in 2010.
26:25I'd like to see what he's got to say.
26:32Well, in 1982, I was out working with my metal detector searching for an old homestead.
26:42I was walking down the trail on the bluff and I stepped on a rock
26:48which dropped me into a pit or a hole.
26:53And lo and behold, behind it was a cave.
26:57There are bronze weapons in there, swords, spears, shields, knives, many artifacts,
27:04many, many, something like 7,000.
27:07No two are exactly the same.
27:12Well, that's quite a story, isn't it?
27:14This one is different from the rest of them.
27:16Oh, really?
27:17Yes.
27:17The story changes quite frequently.
27:19Well, one of the things that does jump out at me is his descriptions of what he sees in the
27:25cave
27:25are incredibly detailed.
27:27Well, Burroughs describes 13 crypts.
27:30The main crypt is a man in a solid gold sarcophagus.
27:33I believe he saw those things.
27:35Well, I have an artifact I want to show you.
27:39That's the Isis Stone, an Egyptian-looking female who's kneeling in reverence to Ra, the sun god.
27:47And this is an artifact that, if you look closer, is very revealing.
27:54You look right here.
27:55You can see that there are some carved characters here.
27:59This is English cursive writing.
28:01Why would English writing be on an ancient Egyptian artifact?
28:06That's problem number one.
28:08This particular stone is exactly two inches thick,
28:11as are most modern white marble tombstones used between about 1850 and 1950,
28:18very commonly used at that time.
28:19But it gets more interesting after that.
28:22If you look at this kind of dark gray material, that's actually modern mortar.
28:28The next thing that happened here is you see these chips on the backside?
28:32Right.
28:33Somebody chipped the backside, apparently to try to remove the inscriptions on the back
28:39and make it look old.
28:41So there's no question in my mind that this is a fake artifact
28:44and that it was made from a modern white marble tombstone.
28:49But that doesn't mean that the cave doesn't exist.
28:52In fact, it could very well exist.
28:54And I have a couple of artifacts that I want to show you that Russell claims came from his cave.
29:01It looks like perhaps it's an Egyptian shaman.
29:05It's got the Egyptian beard.
29:06It has a very creepy look to it.
29:08And it could very well be authentic.
29:10Who knows?
29:12This is another artifact that looks very interesting to me.
29:15Right.
29:16This is a cartouche, an Egyptian cartouche.
29:18Yes, it is.
29:18And in most cases, cartouches carry the name of a pharaoh or somebody of importance.
29:25Well, these two are authentic.
29:27There's no doubt in my mind.
29:29There's not that many people that know Egyptian glyph.
29:31And the ones that are carved in Egyptian glyph, the grammar, syntax, everything is pretty much correct.
29:41After looking at all these artifacts here, looking at all the replicas of the gold, imagining this vast treasure underground,
29:49my question to you is, do you think the cave is real?
29:52I know the cave is real.
29:54And we know how all this came over here.
29:56Come on, let me show you something.
29:57Okay.
30:08This is the man who brought all the treasures over here from Egypt.
30:11Oh, really?
30:12Yes.
30:13And who is this?
30:14His name is Alexander Helios.
30:16He is the missing son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
30:24Alexander Helios was an Egyptian prince whose famous parents, Antony and Cleopatra,
30:29committed suicide when a Roman emperor conquered Egypt.
30:34Alexander Helios, as the eldest son, may have feared for his life and fled the country with the family fortune.
30:41At the time, Egypt had many sailing ships.
30:45So perhaps Helios came to what's now America to seek refuge, bringing his treasure with him.
30:52All right, so why did he come over here?
30:54One of the stones clearly says, we left the Mediterranean to escape persecution.
31:00And he's all over these artifacts, probably on about 500 of them.
31:04And it tells his life story here.
31:06After about age 10, he vanishes off of the face of history.
31:10But here we have him as an older man, as a younger man, in different costumes.
31:15He was a priest of the sun.
31:17And that was his name, Helios, which is Greek for the sun.
31:20Okay.
31:21So you think he came here?
31:22Yes.
31:23And when was this?
31:24It was probably about 25 B.C.
31:27Well, that's very interesting.
31:28And how many people do you think came with him?
31:30According to the tablets, probably 50,000.
31:3350,000 people.
31:35Well, that's pretty interesting because when I was out at the cave in the Grand Canyon,
31:40they talked about it being big enough to house 50,000 people.
31:44And maybe the cave that you have here that you think is here,
31:48maybe those people also went out to the Grand Canyon.
31:50So what do you think of the theory that Alexander Helios came here to North America with all these treasures?
31:56Well, it's interesting for a couple of reasons.
31:59One is Helios and the people you talked about are real historic figures.
32:03And the fact is, they did disappear from the pages of history.
32:06And they had to go somewhere.
32:08Why not here?
32:09So I like it from that standpoint.
32:11But I need to see more evidence before I'm convinced.
32:14I mean, these are great, but I need to find that cave.
32:17Do you know where that cave is?
32:18Yes, we know where the cave is.
32:20All right, show me.
32:26Now, this map came from the file cabinet of one of Russell Burroughs' associates.
32:32I've been researching this for 20 years.
32:36And there's been a few things that I was wrong about here and there,
32:39but the location of this tomb is not one of them.
32:41Okay.
32:42This is what we call the pinpoint map.
32:44All right, so this is his secret map, right?
32:46This is Russell Burroughs' secret map.
32:49And if you'll notice, there's a ravine system here.
32:53And right here, there's dots right here.
32:57And also, there's a red dot right here.
32:59Okay.
33:00There's a cavern in one ravine and a large room underneath the ground of the other one.
33:05Okay.
33:05And I'm going to put an X right there and right there.
33:08So X marks the spot.
33:10You got it.
33:11How far away is this ravine system?
33:14About four and a half miles away.
33:15Well, Harry, if you're right, I've got to get out there and find this cave.
33:21You know, there's always truth and legend.
33:23We have to get to the truth.
33:24And that's what I'm going to find.
33:41Some people believe that ancient Egyptians may have come to America with their treasure.
33:47And now, I'm searching for these caves that may hide these amazing artifacts.
33:54I visited the Grand Canyon, where it's believed there were caverns of vast riches from afar.
33:59And here in Illinois, I've examined replicas of the many Egyptian artifacts that are said to have come from Burrell's
34:07cave.
34:07When I saw them, I said to myself, where in the world is he's from?
34:11Using the secret treasure map that Harry Hubbard gave me, I've tracked down the landowner of the area on the
34:18map.
34:19And although Harry wasn't allowed on the site, I've been given access.
34:23And if there's a cave here, I'm going to find it.
34:26I'm investigating the possibility of Egyptians bringing treasure to America.
34:32I was just out in the Grand Canyon, and I investigated a mysterious cave that is alleged to contain treasures.
34:40And now I'm here in southern Illinois investigating the Burrell's cave mystery, another Egyptian treasure possibility here.
34:48What do you think about all this?
34:49I think it's a very fantastic legend.
34:52How could people from the Middle East have made it across the Atlantic, up to Mississippi, and have found this
34:57spot here out in the middle of nowhere?
34:59I can appreciate your skepticism, but there is an historical figure called Alexander Helios,
35:05who about 2,000 years ago did disappear from the pages of history.
35:09And he was of Egyptian heritage.
35:12He did have ships.
35:13He did have a following.
35:15And the question is, where did he go?
35:17Well, the other thing that is really interesting and compelling to me is that there are at least 7,000
35:24artifacts that reportedly did come from Burrell's cave.
35:28I've seen a couple thousand of them myself, and some of them are quite ornate and beautiful, and they had
35:34to come from somewhere.
35:35Those are two things that do intrigue me.
35:37But I want to hear more about what you have here.
35:41And this is supposed to be the area where the cave is.
35:43What do you know about it?
35:44Well, let me show you on my aerial view here, my property here.
35:47Okay.
35:49We have the road to the north that we entered here, and we're parked right here at the edge of
35:54the woods and this open field.
35:56And there's supposedly two ravines where these Egyptian tombs or caverns are supposed to be located.
36:03Okay.
36:04I do have a map here that I'd like to compare with your map.
36:09Okay.
36:11So, here's you.
36:12It looks like it's right here.
36:14So, that would put us...
36:16These are the two ravines you're talking about right here?
36:19Correct.
36:20So, apparently, this is where Burrell's cave is located.
36:25That's what most people believe, yes.
36:27Are you willing to take me in there?
36:29Yes, I am, Scott.
36:31Discovering Burrell's cave here in Illinois would be the find of the century.
36:36But the questions surrounding the veracity of the artifacts discovered are a problem for most everyone, including me.
36:44I want to know, did Russell Burrell's really find and conceal this cave, or did it ever exist at all?
36:52His own accounts suggest it's off a trail near some bluffs, just like the bluffs on Stephen's land.
36:59So, I think we're in the right area.
37:03Burrell said he slipped into a pit that led him into a long treasure cave.
37:07My examination of the geology here will be key.
37:11If there's not a cave here, then I need to analyze the rock to see if there could be one
37:16underground.
37:18Well, Scott, this is the West Ravine.
37:34That is a natural rock shelter.
37:38Does it go under here, too?
37:39Yes, there's a ledge underneath where we're standing.
37:42Pretty impressive, actually.
37:45Can we get down there?
37:47I sure would like to look around here a little more.
37:49Yeah, there's a trail over here to our right that leads down into the ravine.
37:55The first thing I can say is the rock shelter in the ravine is not a cave.
38:00But a cave entrance discovered back in 1982 might have become hidden by a rockfall or overgrown by trees in
38:07the 30 years since Burroughs first found it.
38:22I'm not ready to give up on the idea.
38:24Ancient Egyptians might have come here and tunneled out deep into rock.
38:28But to find out if that's possible, I'll need to test the rock type.
38:37So, Scott, here we're at the spot that was marked as an X on your map, but I don't see
38:41any caverns or chambers or anything.
38:44I see a lot of sandstone that's been naturally eroded by water for hundreds of years here.
38:50Well, you're right, and, you know, looking at the map, it was a very small-scale map, and that dot
38:57that was put on there, and it may be on the correct spot, it may not.
39:00You know, one of the things I'd like to get a sense of is how well compacted this sandstone is,
39:09how strong it is.
39:11Could they have tunneled through this, following fractures and maybe taking advantage of natural, you know, openings in the rock?
39:24You know what I want to do is I want to see what is holding those sand grains together.
39:30You see anything, Scott?
39:33Yeah.
39:34I'm seeing sand grains that appear to have little or no cement.
39:39That's why this stuff is pretty soft.
39:41Uh-huh.
39:42Yeah, this piece is just crumbling on my hands.
39:44Right, right.
39:45There's one more test that I would like to do, though.
39:50What we have here is dilute hydrochloric acid.
39:53I want to see if there's any calcite cement, and if it's there, it'll fix.
39:57So let's see.
40:01Looks like they're being absorbed into the rock.
40:04Yeah.
40:05It's soaking in quickly, which means there's little, if any, cement.
40:08It's an open space between the sand grains.
40:11This rock, in fact, does lend itself to carving caves.
40:15You know, I've been to places where I would say absolutely not.
40:19But here I would say it's possible.
40:27So, Scott, what does it all mean?
40:29Well, what it means to me is, could ancient cultures, conceivably from Egypt, have come here to your property and
40:38carved caves and put Egyptian treasure in them?
40:42Yes, I think they could have.
40:45Being a realist, I'm not sure I believe that the Russell's cave or the mystery tomb ever existed.
40:50And I think this thing's sort of been perpetuated by the fact that Southern Illinois has the nickname as Little
40:57Egypt.
40:58That's been around since the early 1800s.
41:01There's various things that have that word Egyptian in them.
41:03Like, the local newspaper has pyramids on it and there's pictures of the finks.
41:10And as a coincidence, the town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio is named Cairo.
41:16For anybody that's come over from the Middle East, made it all the way over here across the Atlantic, and
41:22much less down in Illinois, would be just the most fantastic voyage in the history of mankind.
41:27Well, you think it's geographically far-fetched that the Egyptians could have come here to the heartland of America, but
41:32I'm not ready to give up on that idea just yet.
41:35In fact, I firmly believe that there were many cultures that came here prior to Columbus, going back thousands of
41:40years.
41:40So, it's certainly possible that the ancient Egyptians did come here to America.
41:46We just need to find more proof.
41:56There are incredible stories that ancient Egyptians somehow made their way to what is now the United States.
42:03But from all that I've seen, I think that behind these legends is an astounding truth.
42:09At the Grand Canyon, I heard from a descendant of some of Arizona's earliest inhabitants about encounters with ancient travelers
42:17from the East.
42:18It's a story echoed by the earliest European explorers, who found clues to an Egyptian voyage that I think the
42:25government may be covering up.
42:26I saw an amazing account of a Smithsonian expedition to uncover a wealth of Egyptian treasures hidden in a cave,
42:34large enough for 50,000 men.
42:37Maybe the 50,000 men whom some believe were led here by the son of Antony and Cleopatra.
42:46I think the Illinois Treasure Cave and the cave in the Grand Canyon could very possibly be real.
42:52The geology proves beyond a doubt that ancient people could have carved hiding places for their vast treasures in both
42:59locations.
43:03This great land we know as America has many natural treasures, and I'm absolutely convinced that it's been drawing people
43:10here for thousands of years.
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