The Curse of Civil War Gold premieres tonight — following a hunt for lost Confederate gold which it’s believed could be worth as much as $140million today.
In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was trying to flee Union soldiers when he was tracked down and arrested. But millions of dollars’ worth of Confederate gold and silver that he was believed to have had with him vanished.
The mystery of what happened to that lucrative haul continues to this day, with several theories abounding — but treasure-hunter Kevin Dykstra thinks he has the answer.
The Curse of Civil War Gold centers around Dykstra’s hunt for the missing loot, which he believes was stolen by Union troops who captured Davis and then transported to Michigan, where it ended up being pushed off a ferry in a railway boxcar which now lies at the bottom of the lake.
Dykstra began his hunt for the treasure several years ago, and has already made several significant finds. However, he now wants to scan an estimated one hundred square miles of Lake Michigan which will cost tens of thousands of dollars.
All well and good apart from one thing — he doesn’t have the money. Dkystra approached Marty Lagina of The Curse of Oak Island fame, now a keen treasure-hunter himself and a multi-millionaire to boot thanks to his interests in the oil and gas industry, for funding.
Footage from the premiere shows Dkystra explaining to Marty what he thinks happened to the money; how he believes Jefferson was caught by the 4th Michigan Cavalry who then hid the treasure before managing to get at least part of it back to their home state.
Marty says in the sneak peek: “Here’s the picture I’m getting — a bunch of Union guys from Michigan capture Jefferson Davis, they find his gold. They realise they’re never going to be able to keep it, so they hide it and then try to figure out a way ‘how can we keep this gold’, right?
“So then they get it up to Michigan and start laundering it — and you think you can prove all this?”
Dysktra replies: “Yes I do, I believe I can.” Marty, who like Dykstra is from Michigan, says: “Get out there and find it!” The deal made between the pair is that Dykstra will need to show tangible proof of this theory to Marty before The Curse of Oak Island star will invest in his sonar-scanning venture.
To do this Dykstra must follow the trail of what he believes happened to the money, from the original heist through to its supposed fate at the bottom of Lake Michigan. If he can positively show that the treasure really did likely end up there, then Marty will fund the next stage of the hunt.
The Curse of Civil War Gold also features Marty’s fellow The Curse of Oak Island star Gary Drayton, who lends his metal-detecting expertise to the team. The premiere airs tonight following the Season 5 finale of The Curse of Oak Island. Watch the trailer below!
The Curse of Civil War Gold premieres tonight at 10/9c on History, then airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c from next week.