Heart River Idaho Miners False-Bottom Gold

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Heart River Idaho Miners False-Bottom Gold

Lost Treasure ND • Morton County County
Description
August 1863 Missouri River legend of Idaho-bound miners massacred at the Heart River mouth near Mandan — a mackinaw boat with gold-dust pouches and a false-bottom compartment sank before Yanktonai warriors overran the party.
Historical Notes
Eighteen men, one woman, and three children armed with rifles and a small cannon fought nearly 200 Dakota after refusing Fort Berthold trader Fred Gerard's warning. Cannon recoil cracked the boat bottom; survivors were killed and warriors traded spilled pouch gold for ammunition while Arikara scouts later scraped the sandbar. Horatio M. Larned claimed a concealed boat compartment held far more bullion cached ashore — treasure hunters have searched the shifting Heart–Missouri confluence for more than 160 years.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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