Legends Of Confederate Gold - In Lake Michigan

Rumors of gold lost in past conflicts fuels many a search for treasure, sometimes in quite unexpected places.

Two Michigan divers are diligently searching for a rumored lost railroad car full of stolen Confederate gold that allegedly sank in Lake Michigan.

The Detroit Free Press: Shipwreck discovery may lead to Great Lakes treasure

The pair began scanning Lake Michigan off the coast of Frankfort as soon as the ice melted, looking for a boxcar they claim holds more than $2 million in gold bullion.

"Forty years of waiting," said Monroe, referring to how long it's been since he first heard about the possibility of gold treasure in the lake. "I'm sure this season we'll find it."

Dykstra and Monroe believe the lost Confederate gold is somewhere at the bottom of Lake Michigan, thanks to a two-part story that has transcended generations and was last relayed to Monroe in 1972.

"I was sitting down and talking to a friend of mine, and all of the sudden he says, 'Fred, you're just the person I want to see with your diving experience,'" said Monroe. "'My grandfather told me a story that he heard from a lighthouse keeper, who originally heard it during a deathbed confession, that there's two million dollars of gold bullion inside a boxcar that fell off a ferry into Lake Michigan.'"

Two million dollars is worth searching for, but I'd say so far there is only very thin evidence as to the legendary boxcar's existence.

I wish them luck as the search goes on.