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Buried Treasure: An Interview with Artie Ayers

Artie Ayers and wife Mary

Artie Ayers and wife Mary

by David Rittershouse

Who wouldn’t like to find a buried treasure? You’d have fame and fortune! I’ll probably never be lucky enough to find any, but there is no shortage of stories about lost Spanish hoards, secret Indian mines, treasure caches of the old bushwhacker era, and even tales of gold buried in Mason Jars.

The “lost” Yocum Silver Mine is our most famous local tale. But tales of the Yocum mine and Yocum Silver Dollar are based in reality. As the story goes, in the early 1800s Jim Yocum arrived in Stone County and took an Indian wife. Sometime later the tribe moved west and somehow Jim came into possession of the secret location of their silver mine, according to Jim. Soon after,  Yocum dollars were being traded in southwest Missouri. Sometime in 1846 Jim and his wife were killed in a cave-in at the mine. The entrance was ‘hidden’ and since then it’s been officially lost.

I recently had the pleasure of my first time in front of a camera for an oral history interview. The subject of the interview, Mr Artie Ayers, was a most charming and knowledgeable man. His family has been in Stone and Taney county for many, many generations.

He has written several articles, one book (Traces of Silver), and given a few lectures on the Yocum silver mine legend and the Yocum dollars used as currency. He started the interview with a historical preface beginning long before the Civil War and talked about the arrival of the Yocum family, many of whom still live in Stone County today.

In the late 60s a Yocum descendant did give Artie a map. Artie thought he had found the lost mine, but eventually proved himself wrong. He has since found a new possible location and is still actively searching.

Although the legendary mine was said to exist in a hidden location,  the fact is that silver has only been found in one other place in Missouri. Many suspect the Yocum silver came from some other ‘source’ and that the mine was used as a ruse to disguise the actual (perhaps illegal) source of the silver.

Some claim to have seen Yocum dollars, but Artie knows of no one today who owns one, to the best of his knowledge. There is no accurate guess as to how many of these dollars were passed into circulation but tales persist of those who  saw barrels of newly minted coins. When one was analyzed by Federal Authorities in Springfield during the 19th century, the Yocum dollar contained a higher quantity of silver, and was therefore worth more than the federal dollar.

Mr. Ayers brought in a fire hoe said to have been used to stir the fires under the smelting pots. This is an authentic tool passed down through the Yocum family and given to Artie.

We hope to reconnect with Artie each year for updates on his project in locating the Lost Yocum Silver Mine.

5 Comments

  1. Jack Ratliff

    i have found a gold silver ore laying on the ground,it weighs 3/4 once and its not pyrite magnet will not stick to it and acid tested it and does not tarnish if you would like to see it or pictures email me i can arrange it would like to show it to Artie.

    • Mark wallace

      I would love to go on the hunt with Artie.my family is the yocums.so I would like to help UN earth some history.

      • Dean w Phillippe

        I have been doing research on an Indian family from eastern United States NAMED OCCUM. They were full blooded Indians and migrated to indiana and lived there with the Delaware and Miami Indians. There documented history that they migrated west to Missouri and changed there name to yocum. Have you ever had a DNA test to see if you had Native American ancestors? You can contact me montaukett1@icloud.com. I’m originally from Missouri. My name is Dean phillippe.

    • Lee Rackley Ratliff

      Jack Ratliff Hi This is Lee Ratliff and Mark Radclyffe we would love to talk with you and see what you have and what we have I think we can help! keoweecherokee@gmail.com

  2. John Leffel

    my name is John leffel and I’ve lived in Stone County my entire life pretty much I’m 45 years old I’ve been looking for the Silver Mines since I was a kid I have a few Clues and a few leads on a few different things I’d like to get in touch with you guys .. 4173653768

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