Battle of the Neches Mexican Payment Gold — Smith County

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Battle of the Neches Mexican Payment Gold — Smith County

Lost Treasure TX • Smith County County
Description
Smith County legend of unrecovered Mexican gold carried with Cherokee allies before the Battle of the Neches — the July 1839 engagement east of Tyler that ended the Cherokee War.
Historical Notes
The Battle of the Neches was fought July 15–16, 1839, along the Neches River in present Smith and Cherokee counties. Texas forces under Kelsey H. Douglass and Gen. Thomas J. Rusk defeated Cherokee Chief Duwali (Bowles) and his warriors; Chiefs Duwali and Bowles were killed. Mexican agents had promised land and money to militant Cherokee factions. Folklore holds that payment chests were abandoned in the river bottoms or buried along the retreat route toward Little Cypress Creek. KETK and regional media group this tale with East Texas buried-treasure traditions centered on Tyler. Coordinates approximate the Battle of the Neches site east of Tyler in Smith County.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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