Fort Snelling-Fort Ripley Buried Payroll

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Fort Snelling-Fort Ripley Buried Payroll

Lost Treasure MN • Sherburne County County
Description
1862 legend of soldiers transporting an army payroll from Fort Snelling to Fort Ripley burying two saddlebags of gold near Blue Hill during the Dakota uprising — both men who knew the spot were later killed.
Historical Notes
Dispatched from Fort Snelling, the troop learned of nearby hostilities and buried the payroll before racing toward Mankato. One variant places the burial under oak roots north of Elk Lake along Battle Brook in the Baldwin area; a later fire erased the landmark. Aaron McDonald of Zimmerman retold the Battle Brook version to local historians in 1978, pairing it with Old Sherburne's separate gold legend.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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