Rattlesnake Dick’s Stolen Loot
The annals of the American West are rife with tales of daring outlaws, desperate circumstances, and fortunes won and lost in the blink of an eye. Among these figures stands Richard Barter, a name synonymous with banditry and intrigue in the California Gold Rush era. Better known as Rattlesnake Dick, this charismatic rogue left an indelible mark on the landscape, not just through his criminal exploits, but also through the enduring legend of his hidden loot. The story of Rattlesnake Dick’s stolen loot continues to captivate treasure hunters and history enthusiasts alike, promising untold riches for those brave enough to seek them out.
Richard Barter, the man who would become Rattlesnake Dick, was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1833, to a British army officer and his wife. Details of his early life remain scarce, shrouded in the mists of time and speculation. However, accounts suggest a restless and perhaps unruly youth, hinting at the adventurous spirit that would later define his life. He was said to be of striking appearance, standing nearly six feet tall and weighing around 160 pounds. Despite his slender build, he possessed a remarkable muscularity, a testament to the hard life he would eventually lead.
The Barter family’s journey to America began in approximately 1850, following the death of Richard’s parents. Along with his brother, sister, her husband, and a cousin, he joined a wagon train bound for Oregon. They initially settled near Corvallis, in a town called Sweet Home. However, the allure of gold proved too strong for Richard, his brother, and their cousin. They soon ventured south to California, drawn by the siren song of the Gold Rush.
The trio made their way to Rattlesnake Bar, a bustling mining camp along the American River in Placer County. Sadly, their dreams of striking it rich were quickly dashed. All the promising claims had already been staked. Undeterred, they took employment working for other, more established miners. It was here, amidst the rough-and-tumble environment of the goldfields, that Richard Barter earned his infamous moniker: "Rattlesnake Dick." The exact origin of the nickname is debated, some believe it was due to his quick temper, others say it came from his stealthy movements.
After a year of toiling for others, Richard’s brother and cousin, disheartened by their lack of success, returned to Oregon. But Barter remained resolute, convinced that fortune awaited him in California. However, his patience soon wore thin. Frustrated by his inability to find gold through honest labor, he turned to a life of crime. In 1853, he was convicted of grand larceny for stealing horses and sentenced to a year in the notorious San Quentin State Prison. This marked a turning point, solidifying his descent into the world of outlawry.
Upon his release from San Quentin, Richard Barter wasted no time in embracing his newfound identity. He joined forces with the notorious Tom Bell gang, immersing himself in a life of horse theft, robberies, and even murder, all within the sprawling mining country of California. The gold rush towns, with their transient populations and abundance of readily available cash and goods, provided fertile ground for criminal activity. After Bell’s death in 1856, Rattlesnake Dick, with his charisma and ruthlessness, ascended to the leadership of the gang, further solidifying his reputation as a dangerous and cunning outlaw. The legend of Rattlesnake Dick’s stolen loot begins to take shape during this period, fueled by his audacious exploits.
The year 1856 proved to be a pivotal one for Rattlesnake Dick and his gang. A drunken mining engineer, perhaps loosened by alcohol and a desire to impress, revealed to Barter that large shipments of gold were being transported down Trinity Mountain from the lucrative Yreka and Klamath River Mines. This information sparked an audacious plan in Barter’s mind. He dispatched George Skinner and three other members of his gang to intercept the gold shipment, which was being transported by mule train.
Skinner and his accomplices successfully ambushed the mule train outside Nevada City, California. Brandishing their firearms, they quickly subdued the muleskinners, who meekly surrendered their precious cargo: $80,600 in gold bullion. Not a single shot was fired. The bandits wasted no time in making off with their ill-gotten gains, intending to rendezvous with Barter and Cyrus Skinner in Folsom.
However, the weight of the gold proved to be a significant obstacle. The bandits found it exceedingly difficult to navigate the treacherous mountain passes with such a heavy load and without fresh mules. Realizing the impracticality of carrying the entire shipment, George Skinner made a fateful decision: he divided the gold, burying half of it somewhere in the mountains, intending to retrieve it later. This hidden cache forms the basis of the enduring legend of Rattlesnake Dick’s stolen loot.
As the outlaws made their way towards Auburn, they were intercepted by a Wells Fargo posse, who had been alerted to the robbery. A fierce gunfight erupted, the air filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder and the cries of wounded men. In the ensuing chaos, George Skinner was killed, and his remaining confederates scattered, fleeing for their lives. The lawmen managed to recover $40,600 of the stolen gold, but despite their best efforts, they failed to locate the remaining $40,000.
Meanwhile, Rattlesnake Dick and Cy Skinner were not at the designated rendezvous point in Folsom. They had been temporarily incarcerated for stealing mules, a relatively minor offense compared to the gold heist. Upon their release, Barter immediately sought out George Skinner, eager to claim his share of the gold. However, he was met with the devastating news of Skinner’s death. Undeterred, Cy Skinner and Barter spent the following weeks scouring the mountains, desperately searching for the buried gold. But their efforts proved fruitless, and they eventually abandoned the search, leaving the treasure to the vagaries of time and the elements.
Despite this setback, Rattlesnake Dick and his gang continued their reign of terror. Their crimes included the audacious burglary of a Wells Fargo safe in Fiddletown in February 1857, as well as numerous stagecoach robberies, netting them over $30,000 in stolen goods. The authorities, desperate to bring Barter to justice, offered substantial rewards for his capture, but the gang continued to evade law enforcement, seemingly untouchable. The daring exploits of Rattlesnake Dick captured the public imagination, and dime novels began to romanticize his life, dubbing him "The Pirate of the Placers."
On several occasions, Rattlesnake Dick was captured and brought before the courts, but he repeatedly managed to escape custody, demonstrating his cunning and resourcefulness. In 1858, he was caught attempting to break out of an Auburn prison while awaiting trial. Reluctant to return to San Quentin, he repeatedly filed for continuances, delaying his court date. Finally, he managed to escape and sought to avenge his capture. He camped all night outside the house of Sheriff John Craig Boggs, but the lawman wasn’t home and didn’t return while Barter was there, so he left a threatening note pinned to his front door.
Barter and Cy Skinner soon resumed their criminal activities, robbing stagecoaches and relieving muleskinners of their gold shipments coming from Nevada City. However, their luck was running out. On July 11, 1859, a posse, consisting of Undersheriff George C. Johnston, Deputy Sheriff W. M. Crutcher, and Deputy Tax Collector George W. Martin, finally caught up with Dick and Skinner on a stage road near Auburn. The outlaws fought desperately, shooting their way out of the ambush, killing George W. Martin and wounding Johnston’s left hand.
Both Barter and Skinner were wounded but managed to escape. Barter’s body was found the next day outside Auburn, riddled with bullets. Two bullets were lodged in his chest, and a third was in his brain. Rather than face imprisonment again, he had taken his own life. A note scrawled in pencil was found clutched in his gloved hand. It read, "If J. Boggs is dead, I am satisfied." He would have been unhappy to know that his lawman nemesis lived until 1909. Cyrus Skinner was eventually captured and sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
Rattlesnake Dick Barter terrorized the Sierra foothills for over three years, from 1856 to 1859. He is buried at the Old Auburn Cemetery in Auburn, California. The inscription on his tombstone serves as a stark reminder of his violent life and untimely end.
The legend of Rattlesnake Dick’s stolen loot, however, lives on. The $40,000 in gold taken by Barter’s gang in 1856 and hidden in the Trinity Mountains, near Redding, has never been recovered. Forty thousand dollars in gold still awaits its finder, but the search would be difficult in the vastness of the more than two million acre Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The rugged terrain, dense forests, and unpredictable weather make the search a daunting task, but the potential reward continues to lure treasure hunters to the area, hoping to uncover the lost fortune of Rattlesnake Dick.
The allure of Rattlesnake Dick’s stolen loot remains strong. Perhaps one day, someone will stumble upon the hidden cache, bringing an end to this enduring legend. Until then, the tale of Rattlesnake Dick serves as a reminder of the wild and unpredictable nature of the American West, where fortunes were made and lost, and where the line between law and lawlessness was often blurred.