The team behind new History show The Curse of Civil War Gold hunt for a cave on this week’s episode — which was once believed to have been used to hide 280 gold bars.
Last week’s episode saw treasure-hunter Kevin Dykstra and his team explore the history of lumber tycoon turned banker Charles Hackley in Muskegon, Michigan — who they believe played a huge role in laundering looted Confederate gold — and this week they examine his mining operations in Utah.
Dykstra believes Hackley smuggled the gold to the state by rail so he and others could make it look as if they actually mined it themselves. Preview footage from the episode showed Dykstra reveal that 280 gold bars, all hallmarked ‘U.S. Cavalry’, were apparently hidden in one particular cave.
The team then go in search of the cave in a bid to find evidence that could help prove their theory about $2million of Confederate treasury bullion eventually ending up at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Sneak peek footage at the end of last week’s episode showed Dykstra and his team exploring a cave which they apparently believe to be the one used to hide the gold bars. He was later shown presenting Marty Lagina, who he hopes will fund his search of Lake Michigan, with the contents of a box, saying: “If you wanted tangible proof!”
A newly released trailer for this week’s episode sees Dykstra explaining: “The whole thing was a plan to get the gold to Utah so they could cash it in as if they mined it themselves. ”
He and his team are then shown finding old railroad tracks and exploring the desert and mountains by quad bike — before examining the cave, as Dykstra is heard saying: “Wow, what is this?!”
Watch the trailer for this week’s episode of The Curse of Civil War Gold below!
The Curse of Civil War Gold airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on History.