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The Secret of the Torqua Cave

Dr. Charles Fredrick Holder's archaeological discoveries have been disregarded, resulting in the oversight of the compelling possibility that a vast amount of Spanish treasure of the 16th century is buried nearby the Torqua Cave, a sensitive rock shelter with many intricate pictographs created by the Pimu'gnans, the Native Americans that once occupied Santa Catalina, CA.

The Forgotten History of Santa Catalina

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The attractiveness of the island is not the only reason why we returned. We returned because of the archaeological site known as the “Torqua Cave.” Among the many archaeological sites on the island, the “Torqua Cave” is arguably the most significant and sensitive archaeological site on Santa Catalina Island!

Spanish Gold Lures Them:

The Mysterious Article

of the Torqua Cave

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An article published by the LA Times in 1911 explains that "Avalon, Aug 20 – A hunt for $30,000,000 in Spanish gold is about to begin on Santa Catalina Island. The greatest secrecy has been preserved by those concerned in the negotiations which have been carried on concerning the removal from the island of the treasure trove, if found, but the fact that these negotiations are proceeding is established."

The Plundering of Sir Francis Drake along the Channel Islands

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Sir Francis Drake had come upon a fleet of Spanish Galleons during a heavy storm while sailing south along the California coast during his circumnavigation. Drake successfully plundered one of three Spanish galleons, taking the treasure load. The other two Spanish Galleons had escaped the pursuit of Drake and found shelter from the storm along a beach on the west side of Santa Catalina Island, now known as Ben Weston Beach.

The Insight into the Secret: Charles Holder is Andrew Bolton

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The article "Spanish Gold Lures Them" explains that Andrew Bolton is a “fictious name meant to conceal the identity of a well-known Los Angeles man.” Finding out the identity of Andrew Bolton gave me an insight into the mystery of the article.

The Evidence of Buried Spanish Treasure

Charles Holder explains that the “cavern” contained “many articles of the chase and of the domestic economy of the cave-dwellers...” This statement indicates that Charles had found artifacts within the Torqua Cave that would interest treasure hunters as well as the ethnologist.

The Archaeology of the Torqua Cave

The Torqua Cave is a special and unique archaeological site because the rock shelter contains the most pictographs than any other known archaeological sites on the Channel Islands! These peculiar red pictographs and the formation of the rock shelter suggests that the archaeological site had been a sacred point, a boundary between portals to the spiritual realms.

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