In March 1951 Colliers Magazine featured a story “They’re After Pirate Gold” which told the story of a number of early treasure hunters who were on the trail of Spanish gold and silver supposedly lost or hidden in Florida or along its coast. The story mentions two early hunters and competitors, Steadman Parker and John W. Prince. Their contentious battle for salvage rights of the 1715 Fleet wreck sites was highly publicized in the early 1950’s. Also mentioned in the article was Art McKee, a city recreational director at Homestead Florida who became an icon in the shipwreck salvage community. (NOTE: His daughter, Karen, is a Fleet Society member #29.)
Also included in the story was a map created by Ralph Odum who at the time this piece was published was Assistant Attorney General for the State of Florida. The map purportedly pinpointed the location of the treasure said to be hidden in or around Florida. The map sold for $1.00. (NOTE: We published a black and white copy of this map in our post on July 10, 2024. Here we feature a colorized version.
