A legend tells of a cache of Civil War-era gold buried somewhere in the hills of Elk County, Pennsylvania. Over the past few decades, treasure hunters have descended upon the community of Dents Run to seek their fortune – and to find out if the stories are true. Dennis Parada’s search began in 1974. He spent the majority of his lifetime researching the tale, put years into combing the woods, and told his son bedtime stories of Union soldiers on an ill-fated trip. Then, one day, he believed he finally found it. His research was so convincing that in 2018, the FBI agreed to excavate the site Dennis pinpointed. According to the FBI, they found nothing: no gold, and no evidence that gold had ever been there. But not everybody is convinced that the FBI is telling the full truth. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What is the legend of the lost gold in Elk County?
The sun is going down in Pennsylvania. It's time for little kids to get some sleep. Dennis Parada tucks in his young son, Kem, and settles in to tell him a bedtime story. It's one he's been telling for years. A legend about the lost gold of Dent's Run, a community northeast of Pittsburgh.
According to local folklore, the story begins in the summer of 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, when a small group of Union soldiers made their way through the wilderness with a shipment of gold. They were headed for the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, but they never made it. Over the years, theories proliferated about what happened to the gold, but most versions of the tale seem to agree.
To this day, it's buried somewhere in Elk County, just waiting for someone to find it. Dennis had even searched for the treasure himself once upon a time, but eventually he gave up. Kem pleads with his dad to go look for it again, together. But Dennis tells him they can't. They don't have the resources, and it's dangerous.
They likely have no idea that years later, the father and son will locate the exact spot where they believe the gold is hidden, or that they'll go head to head with the FBI in their attempt to uncover the fabled treasure. Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. You can find us here every Wednesday.
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Hi there, this is Steve Fishman from Orbit Media. Our new series, season four in the Burden feed, is Get the Money and Run. You'll love it.
Here's the trailer. I'm standing here with Joe Loya. Over 14 months, Joe robbed so many banks, he lost count.
Just terrify these people and get them so scared that not only would they give me the cash, they would give me their terror. It made me feel strong. All I know is we're f***ing helpless. All I know is anarchy. All I know is chaos. I just leaned into that.
Listen to Get the Money and Run on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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