Long Tom's treasure

Long Tom's treasure is a tale from American folklore said to take place in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, about four miles west of the old Tanner immigrant trail near a Havasupai village.

According to the legend, in 1910 a man named "Long Tom" Watson discovered a set of papers in an abandoned cabin. These documents, reportedly written by outlaws, described a hidden cache of stolen gold concealed behind a seasonal waterfall deep within the canyon. Watson began searching for the treasure in 1912 and continued his quest for two years. In the spring of 1914, just as he was about to give up, he spotted a waterfall while traveling along the Horse Thief Trail from Moran Point.

Curious, Watson hiked to the falls and found a cave hidden behind the cascade. Inside, he discovered gold nuggets of unknown quantity. But as he attempted to leave the cave, he slipped, fell, and broke his leg. Unable to carry the gold, he left it behind and painfully crawled to the nearby Buggeln Ranch, where he was rescued and eventually recovered from his injuries.

After regaining his strength, Watson launched a new search for the cave and the treasure—but he was never able to locate the mysterious waterfall again. Frustrated and broken by the failure, he ultimately took his own life.