I love me a good controversy. I absolutely adore lost history and government coverups. And when all of those stories collide, they’re all the better. Gold, Lies & Videotape is the byproduct of one such mashup. The truth is seemingly out there… somewhere.
This new docuseries follows the Noss family, which accidentally discovers a historic $28 billion buried treasure and spends the next 80 years fighting the U.S. government while attempting to legally claim their spoils. Unfortunately, it’s an underdog vs. big-government conflict where the real-life monsters terrorizing the God-fearing citizens have been voted into office. Or is it all a con job by the family and possibly a government coverup?
The series premiere, “David vs. Goliath,” offers multiple possibilities, all coming from an amazing origin story. On the first day of deer hunting in 1937, Milton “Doc” Noss discovered a hidden entrance into Victorio Peak, New Mexico. Returning to explore the narrow labyrinth down a deep fissure (a large crack that bisects a mountain) that was at least 20 stories tall eventually led to a cave full of prized possessions. Among the historical relics found there were 16,000 bars of gold (“Doc” counted them all), various jewels, coins and a chest labeled “Carlota” that is believed to be a possession of a late Mexican emperor’s wife in the 1880s, whose palace valuables were removed before an assassination attempt and were never found.
If it all sounds too good to be true, it depends on whom you ask. Apparently, there were plenty of family members who helped excavate the cave, see and hold their treasures, as well as the 70 skeletons (some mummified) found there. But after legally laying their mining claims, the Executive Order 6102 made it illegal for any U.S. citizen to possess or trade gold anywhere in the world. And after getting some assistance by the state’s governor, the entire entrance collapsed. Fifty-three years later, the family was finally allowed to do a proper excavation, and they were confronted by military troops. It seems that White Sands Missile Range has now claimed the land and the government has most likely taken the spoils. We may never know.
It’s a good thing documentary filmmaker Alex Alonso was instantly obsessed with the legend, as his footage, along with family home videos and archive footage from various television shows unspool the storyline. It’s absolutely possible the government doesn’t want this story going public, but it’s also true that bad luck has befallen every treasure hunter who has attempted to remove anything from the location. I’ll definitely be tuning in for Episode 2 in order to find out if the site is actually cursed.
“With this story, there’s really never a need to exaggerate, the real events are totally crazy…”
The leading theory of Victorio Peak’s treasures involves the Apache people and their ancestors, having plundered from the Spanish in the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as the Mexican empire much later. Even though only one episode has aired so far, there’s so much greed paired with secrets and tragedies in this story, I was immediately hooked. Trust No One, indeed.
Having seen so many buried treasure TV shows, I can appreciate the fact that the Nosses were “regular people” and not treasure hunters, who happened to stumble upon something very valuable. That’s definitely one aspect of the story that sets this one apart from all the others and makes it relatable. It’s incredibly unfair for the federal government to prevent the family from legally claiming their treasure trove. That fact, along with the hand-drawn maps that were intentionally cryptic, using symbols used as if from a cypher also adds the intrigue. I’m immediately reminded of Lost Gold of World War II.
This family quest remains unsolved for many decades now and their quest for truth and its fortune continues. Hopefully they can finally claim what is legally theirs and the truth will eventually surface all these years later. Gold, Lies & Videotape airs on Discovery and streams on Discovery+.