• Madeline Lewis •
• Originally published January 5, 2009 at 2:01 a.m., updated January 5, 2009 at 2:01 a.m.

Somewhere below five oak trees, deep down in the dirt of Refugio County, an 8-foot golden cross from Mexico might lie.

But no one knows for sure. In the mid-1950s, a group of people searched for the cross on Toland Farm between Woodsboro and Bonnie View, but came up empty.

"They dug 8-feet deep and they could never find anything," said Floyd Nieman, who was a teenager at the time and now lives on a ranch near the site of the dig.

The golden cross is not the only treasure rumored to be buried in Refugio County. Longtime residents can list a few places in the community where treasure is said to be located.

"There's supposed to be stuff buried everywhere," said Audrey Carr, who currently resides in Corpus Christi, but grew up in Refugio.

Some people believe that treasure is buried in a tunnel traveling from Our Lady of Refuge Church in Refugio to Mission River, Carr said. However, no one has ever discovered these valuables.

The Houston Chronicle reported on Dec. 30 that a Los Angeles man wants to dig for gold and silver along the Mission River in Refugio County.

Nathan Smith believes that a ship, carrying treasure, sunk in the area during the 19th century, according to the Chronicle. On Dec. 29, he testified in a Houston courtroom that a metal detector scan of the site confirmed his belief.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner must now decide whether the supposed location of the treasure is in navigable water or part of the estate of the late Marie O'Connor Sorenson, the Chronicle reported. Sorenson's heirs have the right to decide whom, if anyone, can dig on the land if the judge rules it is on their estate.

Smith approached Sorenson's nephew, Victoria Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor, with the idea that there was buried treasure in the area about a year ago.

"I had some conversations, trying to get some facts - something more concrete about what this person's desire, interest, location was," O'Connor said. "He was very evasive."

Smith has not pinpointed the exact location he thinks the treasure is buried, O'Connor said. But O'Connor knew the general vicinity were wetlands that were treacherous to navigate and potentially dangerous.

"I have recommended that he not trespass on private property," he said. "Texans don't take that lightly."

O'Connor wouldn't rule out the possibility of treasure, but said he would need to "see actual scientific evidence" before taking the claims seriously.

He has long heard rumors of treasure in Refugio.

"As a boy, I was always looking," he said. "We have found a few arrowheads, but nothing more."

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