The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness

Rating:
Summary: " Just over the next hill"
Review: After having read Jack Purcel's book on the "Adams Diggins", it made me want to rig up the ole backpack and hit the hills. Jack weaves the different versions of the stories together in a way that makes sense out of the obscure and dim trails of the Adams party and those who sought the riches that lay in a mysterious New Mexico canyon. It's more than a "Lost Treasure Story". Jack's meticulous research of the persons and places gives us a view of the early history on New Mexico and those hardy folks who risked life and limb on the dangerous frontier. I believe that the Lost Adam's Diggins does exist and Jack Purcel knows more about it than any other person and he shares his insight and knowledge with clarity and humor. I recommend this book to all those who think beyond the asphalt!

Rating:
Summary: " Just over the next hill"
Review: After having read Jack Purcel's book on the "Adams Diggins", it made me want to rig up the ole backpack and hit the hills. Jack weaves the different versions of the stories together in a way that makes sense out of the obscure and dim trails of the Adams party and those who sought the riches that lay in a mysterious New Mexico canyon. It's more than a "Lost Treasure Story". Jack's meticulous research of the persons and places gives us a view of the early history on New Mexico and those hardy folks who risked life and limb on the dangerous frontier. I believe that the Lost Adam's Diggins does exist and Jack Purcel knows more about it than any other person and he shares his insight and knowledge with clarity and humor. I recommend this book to all those who think beyond the asphalt!

Rating:
Summary: Hidden Treasure and Gold waiting for you
Review: I am amazed and delighted in the way Jack Purcell brings his well documented history and legend of the `Adams Diggings' to life. The historical accounts of people and times involved throughout this book and the unique way Mr. Purcell tells the whole story. He definitely brings the Wild West back alive through time. As a reader, you will enjoy the stories told of the tragedies, dreams, and personal lives, of Jacob Snively, Adams, and Brewer. You will read about many others who found their fortune in gold, searched their whole lives for it in vain, or knew where it was and told no one keeping it safe for themselves; all taking place in the trecherous regions of the South West. Pack your trail bag, because you will learn the secrets of where to look for the Adams Diggings, and where they aren't. Adventure, and the American Spirit of Freedom are not for the weak of heart, please read this book with caution.
Gayle Adams Peterson
Shipwreck hunter, and Author of :
Safe Harbor : One Girls Dream of Freedom.


Rating:
Summary: Bunkum?
Review: I haven't read this book, but it seems like a travellers tall tale, aka. tour-guide history to amuse city slickers. Better to rent City Slickers.

Some facts to ponder:

--gold in the natural state, as in free Au nuggets, was depleted by prehistoric man. So if gold nuggets exist, why didn't the Apache themselves pick it up? Do we really need crusty old miners? That said, if you're talking sluicing gold using heavy industrial equipment, including mercury/ quicksilver, that's a different story. But the idea of old english-speaking miners finding gold nuggets lying around is ludicrous

--if there's gold in them thar hills, somebody would have found it, not unlike Suiter Mill (CA '49ers); Virginia City (Ag), NV; Klondyke gold fields, even (and especially) South Africa, where the gold is a mile below the surface. Point being: real gold is like money, it attacts real people. "Lost gold" only attracts readers (gullible readers) and tourists.

I give the book two stars since the author knows what he is talking about: spinning a yarn, even a plausible yarn. For that he gets credit.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Informative
Review: I thoroughly enjoy Mr. Purcell's writing style. It kept me glued to the book and I was sorry whenever I had finished reading about the Lost Adams Diggings. Extensive research provided an interesting insight into times and activities of the characters. I look forward to any future books he might have.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Informative
Review: I thoroughly enjoy Mr. Purcell's writing style. It kept me glued to the book and I was sorry whenever I had finished reading about the Lost Adams Diggings. Extensive research provided an interesting insight into times and activities of the characters. I look forward to any future books he might have.

Rating:
Summary: A Book About Dream Chasers
Review: Sit back, close your eyes and imagine for a moment, if you will, what it would be like to be on the trail of a gold field. You know it's out there, waiting. And it's within your reach, maybe. Okay, you can open your eyes. The gold's there, but that maybe I mentioned is a real big one, because to get the gold, you're going to have to make some drastic changes in your life. You're going to have to give up all your creature comforts. You're going to have to live hard off the land, desert land. Okay, so maybe that gold isn't just within reach, but there are men, real men, who took a chance, gave up everything, threw themselves into the search of gold, found it, lost it and tried to find it again. This book is there story.

First off, the book asks the question, did the Lost Adams Diggings ever exist at all and concludes that they probably did. Then we follow the search for the gold in Adams' own words. We see how he and his partners found the gold, how most of them were murdered by Indians. How he got away.

We follow along with Adams as he tries to refind the field. And we follow along with those that came after him. The gold, these men believe, is out there, waiting to be discovered again.

So, if you're interested in reading about the Old West, the desert, Indians or even if you're hankering to invest in a pick and a shovel, this book is for you.

I must admit that I read The Lost Adams Diggings because the author sent me a copy to review. Normally this isn't my cup of tea, because I'm a city girl. That said, I've got to admit that after I got used to the way these Nineteenth Century miners wrote, I got sucked into their stories, their dream. These were men.

This isn't the kind of book you'll read in one sitting, but it is the kind of book that you'll tell your friends about. I know, because it's sparked a lot of conversations around my house. I just can't get these dream chasers out of my mind.

Review submitted by Katie Osborne

Rating:
Summary: Heck, why not 5 stars? I wrote it.
Review: The last reviewer found the book to be 'bunkum' without reading it. Causes me to wonder why he bothered to review a book he hasn't read.

He/she chose my book to provide an uneducated opinion of the entire concept of lost gold mines and gold that hasn't been found yet. He/she might be right, though a(n increasingly small) number of people believe he's wrong. Technology has allowed a lot of the 'lost' ones to be found over the past few years.

Meanwhile, interest in chasing that sort of dream has certainly waned. The chances are slight that unlocated mines will be the source of any heart attacks for the few geezers left tromping into the canyons to search.

This book would certainly give new leads someone who wants to search for the Adams. Most of the surviving searchers have already bought it. However, that's only a piece of what the book is about.

The Lost Adams Diggings - Myth, Mystery and Madness is a study of a legend and the men who believed in it at a time when men were still inclined to believe in such things, just as the name suggests. It's a study of how the legend began, how it slid through a century-and-a-half, how it was transformed by lies in the beginning and information that wasn't available until much later (and even then not available to everyone who searched).

The book inevitably follows a lot of trails through the Civil War years of New Mexico and Arizona. It's the time when it all began.

I don't recommend that anyone search for the Lost Adams Diggings unless you just need an adventure in your life. If you buy this book I hope you'll do it because you want to learn some history, puzzle over some mystery, shake your head over the things men give their lives for.

I gave a couple of decades of mine in this search. That story is part of the book. I don't care if you choose to believe the legend is bunkum after you've read it, but I do hope you enjoy the read.