FYI - Treasuresites.com

[Matt Mattson]

Treasure Sites, my old website has passed away. One of the greatest pleasures of that was the migration to here, of some of the greatest treasure hunters the world has known. You guys never knew it (I don't think), but one of the people answering posts frequently when I was away (literally up until his death in 2008) was Bob Weller (Frogfoot) - good writeup on him here: http://www.treasureexpeditions.com/bob_ ... weller.htm in action here: http://www.1715fleet.com/bob.htm -- it was he that sent me west to the gold fields. For many years he remained #6 on the all time list of treasure hunters in found money. Another was Calvin (Cal) DeViney. He was a mag operator in the U.S. Navy on minesweepers and sub chasers, and magged most of the wrecks in the Great Lakes that modern archaeologists now claim as their discoveries (and of course the need for public funding to explore (the modern way to treasure hunt). His exploits were well documented in his numerous treasure articles in the 1960's treasure magazines. When a ship was discovered in the Keys by Art McKee as being one of the 1733 galleons, he quickly packed up his family, headed down and quickly magged the rest of them on contract to various treasure hunters, Weller among them. He was the original discoverer on contract of the Padre Island fleet - did the mag work, and was then banned by the State of Texas from returning . . . I can only think of what expletives he would come up with if he knew the same thing that happened to him happened to me on the Bayport shipwrecks (both being banned by the state from working them and archaeologists coming along 30 years later and claiming discovery and wanting public funding). Anyway, this is long and they're just a couple of the people some of you guys conversed with here along the way. Most of the people I knew in that field are dead now and continuing the site began to be pointless - especially after meeting and marrying Connie and moving to Alabama.

Cheers to all of you living and dead!

[russau]

Gods speed to them and a long happy life for you and Connie!

[Hoser John]

Good man and a GREAT woman-god bless you and wish you all a long life ,many pleasures and treasures-respect-John

[Matt Mattson]

Thanks John, Russ (and the rest that emailed). Connie and I have gone Leonard's route, we have a different life now and it's a wonderful life - still filled with adventures but different from the hard knocks of the gold fields. And - I know I'm a good man, must be - I've never had more prospectors and miners concerned and inquiring about my health as after marrying Connie . . .