Where Wonder Rests
A treasure box can hold more than gold and silver. Stones collected by M. Hayward open a story of historic cargo, Oregon’s natural riches, and the personal worth of something found and kept.
Oregon Lost Mines, Legends &
Fieldwork
Lost Cabin Mine
Explore Oregon's lost-mine legends through historical research, annotated maps, treasure-hunting adventures, field notes, and campfire humor.
Along the way, Jimmy and his sketchy raccoon companion turn fieldwork, folklore, and questionable decisions into stories worth telling.
Research
Legends
Oregon lost mines, treasure legends, folklore, and historical mysteries, researched source by source.
Research & Evidence
Articles
Deep dives into historical records, documented sources, maps, and the evidence behind Oregon legends.
Ground Truth
Adventures
Treasure-hunting trips, field observations, route stories, and outdoor misadventures from the places behind the legends.
Articles
Latest Articles
A Forest Remembered in Stone
A forest can disappear and still leave its grain behind. Personal finds from Oregon rivers and desert country tell a story of ancient trees, mineral-rich water, and the quiet treasure preserved within petrified wood.
Where the Desert Keeps the Sun
A wounded warrior, a mountain with a heart in its history, and stones that reveal their color in the light. M. Hayward explores Oregon sunstone lore through her own finds near Hart Mountain.
Legend Files
Featured Legends
The Ship the Shore Remembered
A lost Spanish galleon, marked stones, and stories of treasure buried near Neahkahnie Mountain. Historical research and a childhood connection to the coast follow the Beeswax Wreck from local memory to its identification as the Santo Cristo de Burgos.
Where the Sage Keeps the Story
A continuing look at the 1845 Meek Cutoff, Oregon Trail history, surviving diaries, old roads, and another possible route through eastern Oregon.
The Triskitt Gang and the Gold That Vanished
Five fugitives. A pursuing posse. A fortune in gold. Somewhere between Sailors’ Diggings and O’Brien, the treasure disappeared.
Campfire
Campfire
Jimmy’s 3 A.M. Department of Questionable Connections: Always Five
One little word has Jimmy thinking about mathematics, counting marks, and the different ways people approach a puzzle. Could “always five” be suggesting a method rather than an answer? The raccoon has already tested the theory with crackers. His math is questionable.
Little Discoveries Along the Way: Pacific Northwest Adventures
A collection of small discoveries from Oregon's forests, rocky creeks, quiet trails, and everyday life. Sometimes the best treasures aren't the ones we set out to find.
Jimmy on the Grid: A Pacific Northwest Treasure Hunting Music Video
Jimmy hits the backroads of the Pacific Northwest in a dark drill music adventure filled with forest mysteries, questionable clues, and one unruly raccoon.
Field Humor
Funnies
Year Two, BOTG #1: Jimmy Finds the Perfect Spot and Immediately Climbs a Tree
Everything led Jimmy to one spot. Then the trail disappeared, the bear mace was missing, something black moved, and Jimmy discovered trees have advantages.
Trip 6 - The Raccoon Who Got In Trouble
The Sketchy Raccoon turns a simple situation into snack-related chaos in this Lost Cabin Mine comic.
Trip 5 – The Hotel in the Woods
Jimmy takes the treasure hunt indoors at a strange hotel in the woods, searching halls, rooms, and vending machines while a soggy raccoon keeps watch.
Adventures
In the Field
Jimmy's Adventures: One Beautiful BOTG, One Very Long Night
A hidden little paradise, a hillside full of suspicious rocks, and a perfect day of treasure hunting. Then the sun went down. Jimmy has since revised her camping policy.
Jimmy's Adventures: The Things We Never Went Looking For
Seven teenagers. Three nights in the Oregon wilderness. Two wonderful evenings and one night nobody could explain
Adventure #7: Jimmy’s Driving Lessons: Jump the Creek
Jimmy learned to drive a stick shift the sensible way: by pointing an old truck at a creek, saying “I got this,” and letting momentum handle the details.