Discovery's 'Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch': Is Utah treasure cursed? The truth behind mysterious gold caverns
Blind Frog Ranch seems like an odd name, but the ranch, situated near the infamous Skinwalker Ranch, is even odder than its name. The ranch is known for its rich metal deposits and reported paranormal activity, much like its neighboring ranch. More importantly, there is a system of underground caverns that run underneath the property that could hold millions of dollars worth of gold and precious metals. However, locals in Utah claim that a dark force protects the treasure.
The ranch is the subject of a new show from Discovery named 'Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch' which focuses on Diane Ollinger's quest for treasure on the property. The show will follow Ollinger, his son Chad Ollinger, his best friend and retired Sheriff's Deputy Charlie Snyder and geologist Eric Drummond as they set out to find the treasure buried under the ranch.
The rumored treasure beneath Blind Frog Ranch is just one of the many tales of cursed gold in Utah. Legend has it that Spanish conquistadors found gold in the Uinta Mountains in the region, but they were already being mined by the Aztecs. The early Utah Indian chiefs reportedly allowed Mormon patriarch Brigham Young to strike a deal with Ute Chief, Wakara, to appoint one messenger — Thomas Rhoades — to be shown the mines and take gold for church purposes such as minting early Mormon coins and decorating temples.
According to a report by Cristina Bailey, Tami Merkley and Byron Loosle, another legend states that five thieves who stole gold bars taken from an old Spanish mine buried their loot, but because there was a curse associated with the access to the mine, all five suffered horrible deaths at the hands of their captors. Yet another legend states that an old Mexican woman would make frequent visits to a gold mine with her family and some of her people drew a map of the location. They would mine the gold and take it back to Spanish Fork where they could sell it. One day, when they returned to camp, they found all their people dead. As the story goes, Native Americans had killed them. The Mexican woman and her husband then placed the bodies inside a cave and built a masonry wall, sealing the mine, and fled to Mexico with as much gold as they could carry.
Many stories and legends have been told about the Uinta Mountain gold, leading to prospectors going to the area since the 1800s, but they never found anything significant. According to The Denver Post, hikers and prospectors have found stone ovens on the Uinta mountains that could be gold smelters and remnants of old mines. A homemaker in the area, Patsy Sursa, told the publication, "Gale Rhoades once told me that the reason nothing is being found is that the bad spirits don’t want good people to get the gold and good spirits don’t want bad people to get it."
'Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch' premieres on Discovery Channel on Friday, January 1, 2021, at 10/9c.
