Open Legends
Lost Adams Diggings
Legend since 1860s ยท Western NM / eastern AZ borderlands
UnsolvedThe prize. A gold-choked canyon
Where. Western NM / eastern AZ borderlands
Status. Unsolved
Where. Western NM / eastern AZ borderlands
Status. Unsolved
The account
A prospector led to a glittering canyon lost the way after an Apache raid. The "Zigzag Canyon" has never been refound.
Leads, where the trail points now
- The search zone is the rugged canyon country of western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, between the Datil and Mogollon ranges; Adams's own conflicting accounts keep it vague.
- The legend's landmarks are a zigzag canyon, a waterfall, and a lone pumpkin-shaped peak; matching them on the ground is the whole puzzle.
- Decades of searches, including by Adams himself, failed; much of the area is national forest or tribal land that requires permission.
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