For many years, there lived in a cabin on Shell Creek an old Spaniard
named Juan Gonzalez (not to be confused with Juan Gomez). He claimed
that he had pirated with Gasparilla and knew where the famous pirate
had buried one of his treasure casks. He said, “that it was buried near
the shore of Lettuce Lake,” (this is near Ft. Ogden, Florida) and “that it is
worth several million dollars.” Shortly after the Civil War Gonzalez made a
deal with two cattlemen to dig up the cask. When the two men went to
Gonzalez’ cabin with a skiff on an oxcart as per agreement, he was too
sick to go. When they returned a few days later, they found him lying on
the floor, dead. After he was buried, they searched his cabin. All they
found was a jar full of gold coins and an engraved copper plate. This
engraving may be the key to the buried treasure, but nobody has ever
been able to decipher it. (I have seen a picture of the plate myself, and it
seems to be authentic.) Whoever deciphers the engraving correctly (text
only) will be a few million dollars richer. This is one of the most interesting
pirate treasures in Florida.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECIPHERED

VER------------- LOOK
VAR------------- ROD
LEAGUE------- MILE
HASTA--------- GOODBYE X S

O-NWW1/4 LOOK FOR ROD
0-SWW1/10 LOOK FOR ROD


Which makes.......


0 ?NWW DEGREE 337 AT 1320 FEET LOOK FOR ROD
0-SWW DEGREE 236 528 FEET LOOK FOR ROD
0-W DEGREE 270 264 FEET LOOK FOR CHEST
0 - ANCHOR 0 DEGRESS O FEET O SPOT
Famous Pirates of Florida