I have a copy of the magazine in which the article originally appeared (Old
West, Summer, 1969). At first, I thought this George Casner was of my line.
However, after piecing the information together that was given in the
magazine article, I have concluded he is not of my line. He probably is of
the Casner line that was in TX in the 1800, then the majority of them
migrated to CA - there were many, many of those from TX that eventually
settled in CA.
Somehow the George Casner that hid his gold in the pine trees has gotten
mixed up with Moses Casner that hid his gold in dutch ovens around the ranch
he owned.
Most of the land, canyons, trails, etc. were named after Moses and Riley
Casner who arrived in Yavapai County, AZ in 1875 (after leaving the OR/WA
area) along with their brothers John, William and Daniel - the son of John
(John Lewis) was also with them. Apparently, the George Casner (that hid
his gold in the pine trees) arrived there a short time after my bunch of
Casner arrived there - really confusing
The only thing George Casner wanted when he came to this land from
California in
1876, fleeing drought, was a patch of cool timber and some
good grass for his sheep. What he got was and eternity of wonder about his
considerable wealth and his unusual love of gold coins.
They say that Casner had a powerful aversion to banks, which forced him to
find
another repository for his money. His solution was to drill deep holes
in pine trees in the precise dimensions of a $20 gold piece.
His ranchland, 25 miles south of Flagstaff on what is now Casner Mountain
(a
designated Wilderness Area), is said to be a kind of natural vault, with
many of the tallest pines still jammed with gold coins.
Fact or Fantasy, it doesn’t matter. These legends possess power, They
burrow into
the brain and take hold. It’s how the Haunted Wilderness draws
you in. Whether it lets you leave is another matter.
* "Haunted Wilderness",by Leo W. Banks, Arizona Highways, September 1994