My story Cherokee Gold was a figment of my deranged mind based in part on a local tall tale. Unfortunately, I fat finger deleted an email from a reader who grew up in NE Oklahoma on a small farm or ranch.
A branch contained by a wooden box fed into a small steam which flowed through their land. As he excavated the hill seeking the water source, he encountered the remains of a stone holding box. While digging this out, he ran across some $20 pieces in a rotted leather bag. They thought maybe the coins were from a plundered Federal payroll train that was left behind in the escape. These coins paid for their college education.