Lost Gold of Jean Lafitte

**Lost Gold Of Jean Lafitte** is the 4th episode in Season 5 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Josh Gates investigates the legends swirling around the storied life and death of French pirate Jean Lafitte who is reputed to have buried treasure at sites in coastal Louisiana.

## Historical Context

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jean Lafitte. In the early 1800s, Lafitte makes a fortune in treasure by raiding ships in the Gulf of Mexico and smuggling stolen goods through the outlaw city of New Orleans. He is, in short, an untamable criminal. But when war comes to America's shores, many contend that for one brief moment in time, he becomes something else - an American hero. His final act is to vanish from the history books, leaving behind rumours of a horde of treasure worth millions."

~ Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to New Orleans, Louisiana and meets up with Bradley Williamson, a treasure hunter, and they discuss Lafitte's life as a smuggler and privateer and look at a map of where he may have left his treasure. They then go to meet J Boutte, an airboat captain and head out to Grand Terre Island, Lafitte's hideout which they explore. They then go to the Fleming Plantation where Lafitte's treasure may have been hidden. They find lead sheeting and other old metal objects as well as a silver medallion.

Josh then visits Jean Lafitte, Louisiana and the local Baratoria Museum. There he learns about how Lafitte was pivotal in the War of 1812. Josh's final stop is in Galveston, Texas, where Lafitte lived for a period of time before vanishing on his flagship, The Pride. He goes to an antique store where he meets Cody, Chuck, and Jay Hix, treasure hunters and descendants of Jean Lafitte. They show him that a man named Jean Ottoman may be Lafitte because there are many similarities between the two.

The brothers and Josh meet up with Seth Gambill and Jake Pruiett, a survey team. They go out to a piece of land that was once underwater and they use a terrestrial magnetometer to detect and see if The Pride, Lafitte's flagship is there. They find a big hit, up to 100 feet in length, and probe down 15 feet consistently in many spots, confirming that it is one large object beneath their feet. They suck up debris and find charred wood and an old metal nail.

## Final Words

"The passage of time has turned the exploits of Jean Lafitte smuggler, pirate, and one-time patriot, into the stuff of legend. Equally famous are reports of his treasure, tales of pillaged booty buried in the Louisiana Bayou, and reports of a sunken ship scuttled off of Galveston Bay. We found compelling artefacts from the early 1800s, but no definitive proof of Lafitte's treasure, or of his flagship - at least not yet. Treasure hunters operate on the hazy border where history and legend meet. One day, one of the rumours of the buccaneer's hidden riches will pan out, and the lost loot of Lafitte will finally be found."

~ Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* Brad Williamson was also featured in Captain Kidd's Treasure.

## Quotes

* "Shark attack!"
* "This just in. I'm drunk - pretty seriously."
* "Lafitte may not have a statue in his honour, but he does have the next best thing - his own museum, complete with an animatronic puppet show."
* "You've got a generator hooked up to a sump pump that's sitting in a milk crate that's pumping water to a pressure washer that is then pushing that water through the end of a pipe."

## References

1. ↑ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGJiNTgwMjMtNmFlNi00ODNhLWFkMjMtNmQ2YzljYWM4NmRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM3MDMyMDQ@.\_V1\_.jpg