Alva Review-Courier -

Throughout the years, people have searched for lost treasures whether they seek a buried pirate chest or a sunken ship carrying gold. There are plenty of movies and books based on treasure hunts, both true and fictional.

A search of the internet brings up several tales of lost treasure in Oklahoma. Here are a few:

• During the Civil War, four barrels of gold coins were captured from two Federal wagons by Confederates during a battle in Kansas. The rebels were attacked by outlaws in Oklahoma and the gold coins were hidden in a cave close to the Blue River (about 5 miles northeast of Brown).

•. In a cave near Mill Creek, in the Arbuckle Mountains, is a treasure of Army stolen payroll, in gold and silver coins.

• At Old Fort Sill Trading Post, an outlaw tossed four bags of gold and silver coins into a well that is now covered. The approximate worth at that time, in 1892, was $100,000.

• The ghost town of Standing Rock was in existence before the 1964 dam was completed at Lake Eufaula. Standing Rock and a few other towns were flooded as a result. A silver bar was found near the base of a rock that was an area used as a campsite by westward travelers.

• In 1933, Samuel Stewart buried $5,000 in $20 gold coins in the Gyp Hills on his farm near Butler. He concealed the coins in a metal box, in a cave-like niche in the hills.

• In the 1870s, outlaws accumulated $500,000 worth of stolen gold coins and metal bars in Colorado and were being pursued by a posse in Oklahoma. In the area of Kite, the gang buried the gold in several different places on the side of a small creek that ran from east to west, no more than 5 feet from the running water.

• Near the town of Geronimo and the Cache River, in the Wichita Mountains, is a treasure of gold bullion worth approximately $1 million. The hoard was buried by the famous outlaw Jesse James.

• There is a legend that a huge cache of treasure is buried near Sugar Loaf Mountain.

• In the early 1900s, three outlaws made off with $40,000 in gold coins during a Wichita bank robbery and headed off for the Wichita Mountains.

Unclaimed Property

I’m not interested in traipsing around the state looking for rumors and clues of lost treasure. But there’s another way.

In Sunday’s Alva Review-Courier is a long list of people and businesses in Woods County. The ad was placed by the state treasurer’s office. More than 1.2 million Oklahomans have more than $1 billion in unclaimed property, according to the OKTreasure.com website.

As I read through the list, I spotted my late husband’s name. I decided to check the website and found another. One included his full middle name while the other just had an initial.

On Sunday’s list, I also found an employee’s name, but it was out of order alphabetically. I finally found the listing on the website putting her first name in the space for the last name. Somehow, her first and last names were switched.

I tried that with my husband’s name and found one more listing. Of the three, two are over $100 and one is less than $100. That’s the only information you’ll learn about the money unless you submit a claim.

Sunday’s ad included a form to fill out and submit by mail. If you try to fill out information online, you’ll be told to print it out and mail it. With your form, you need to send a copy of your driver’s license and social security card. In the case of a deceased person, proof of relationship is also required.

Many years ago, I noticed the Alva Review-Courier was on the list. I submitted the form and later had to submit a little more information. Eventually we received a check from the state. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to be worth the small effort involved.

How does this property end up in the treasurer’s office? Here’s what the website says:

Property is considered unclaimed when there is a lack of activity generated by the rightful owner of the property. Evidence of this inactivity includes failure to cash a check, the return of a check or correspondence by the Post Office as undeliverable, or the absence of any communication from the owner. If property remains unclaimed for a certain number of years set by statute, it is considered abandoned and must be reported to the state's unclaimed property program.

The types of unclaimed property are numerous: royalties, proceeds due beneficiaries, miscellaneous outstanding checks, money orders, individual policy benefits, cashier’s checks, checking account, savings account, net revenue interest, premium refund on individual policy, group policy benefits, refunds due, credit balances, accounts receivable, accounts payable, matured certificates of deposit, payroll or wages or salary, treasurer’s checks, utility deposits, dividends, credit balances, funds for liquidation, escrow accounts, other amounts due under policy, working interest, vendor checks, customer overpayments, refunds or rebates.

If you have access to the internet through your phone or computer, you can check for lost treasure. Just log onto OKTreasure.com and follow the instructions. You’ll only need to enter your name and city. Remember to check with your first and last names switched, too.

I wonder how much money is sitting there just waiting for me to apply.