Case file · Folklore / legend
Jean Lafitte's buried treasure
The pirate Jean Lafitte ran his Campeche colony on Galveston Island from 1817 to 1821, and treasure stories have followed him along the whole Gulf coast ever since.
1817 CE · 29.30, -94.80 · status: legend
The account
Diggers have searched Galveston, Barataria Bay, Contraband Bayou at Lake Charles and dozens of other places. Lafitte's ghost is said to guard the gold.
The sceptical view
No Lafitte hoard has ever been found; the pirate needed his money for his operations.