There is also the case of a Bob Lewis from Magdalena, New Mexico who worked as a cowboy and law officer in Socorro County where he met Adams. In 1949, Lewis claimed to have gone exploring with Adams in 1889. Lewis kept searching for years in and around the Datil Mountains, eventually discovering a twisting canyon with an even smaller side channel hidden behind a boulder - just like the "Little Door" of Gotch Ear.
A Natural Arch in the Datil Mountains.
Outside the door, Lewis reported finding 5 human skeletons and several of horses, dumped into a gully. Brewer's supply party had 6 men, all of whom supposedly perished, apart from Brewer himself, who escaped. If Lewis' story is true, this may very well have been the right place. Lewis also claimed that the valley was exactly as Adams had described, down to the burnt out cabin ruins and the rock hearth. Yet, he found no gold. Lewis said that he later discovered the gold had been previously unearthed by a wandering shepherd from Magdalena, who later sold the gold for $20,000 and bought a ranch in Albuquerque.
Many have claimed to find the the lost Sho-ta-hay Canyon over the years, including the producers of this map.
Could this really have been the extent of the treasure's value, when Adams and his men reported so much more? Did the Apaches use the gold to fund their wars with the US Army? It makes sense that Chief Nana would have known the real value of the abundant metal, or at least come to know, despite reports to the contrary. Perhaps the Apaches planned to kill the miners and take the gold from the beginning, and used Adams and company for their knowledge and skill with panning. That is all pure speculation, of course. Maybe Lewis actually did find the gold and was just covering his tracks. Or Shaw or Dowling or even Adams himself could have fabricated any or all of the details we have been left with. Maybe there was never such at thing at all!