The legend of the "pot of pirate gold" buried within Indian Draft is one of the most remarkable and detailed folklore stories preserved in the WPA records.
The Origin of the Pirate Loot
The story begins on the lower Mississippi River, where English-speaking prisoners of pirates managed to make a daring escape from their captors. In the process of their flight, they stole a portion of the pirates' treasure, filling a two-gallon pot with gold, silver, and precious stones.
The Great Inland Smuggling Route
To hide their stolen fortune from both the pirates and the authorities, the escaping prisoners undertook an astonishing, thousands-of-miles-long journey up the continent's river systems to reach the remote wilderness of the Allegheny Mountains. They navigated:
- Up the Mississippi River
- Up the Ohio River
- Up the Kanawha River
- Up the Gauley River
- Up the Williams River
- Down Stony Creek to Indian Draft
They finally came to rest in the narrow valley of Indian Draft—a secluded branch that cuts between two prominent mountain ridges, rising near Elk Mountain (south of Gay Knob) and flowing south to join Stony Creek at Campbell Town.
The Buried Fortune
Deep within this remote valley, the men buried the two-gallon pot of treasure, planning to leave it hidden until they could safely return from the English-speaking settlements located east of the Endless Mountains. However, local tradition holds that the men never returned to retrieve it, and the gold, silver, and gems still await a finder.
Some historians speculate that the origin of this and other local treasure legends might actually stem from the early dispersion of a French and English exploring party in the region.
The Modern Treasure Hunters
While Indian Draft is the primary focus of the legend, local debate has simmered for generations. Some claim the treasure is not located there at all, but was instead buried along Cloverlick Creek, Stony Creek, or Stamping Creek.
The legend remains incredibly active. The WPA surveyors noted that "only a year or two ago," prospectors from the northwestern part of the state arrived in Pocahontas County armed with old maps to actively hunt for the lost pirate gold.
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