Civil War Gold in Bates County

Sometime during the Civil War a band of guerrillas supposedly robbed a bank and looted a small unnamed town in the vicinity of Adrian, Missouri. The raiders, with $90,000 in gold were persued by a party of Union soldiers. They halted only long enough to bury the three buckskin bags of gold they had obtained at the base of a large tree. This spot is believed to have been about eight miles west of Adrian.

The raiders then fled west into Kansas. The Union soldiers were about to overtake them when Jayhawkers caught and killed the guerrillas. One of the dying bandits told of burying the gold by the tree. He died, however, before he could give the exact location. It is said that this treasure has never been found. The burial site is usually placed on or near White Oak Hill.