Informant-Wesley Ball: 50 year old male and my father. This is a piece of legend from Texas that my father grew up with because he is from Austin.

Sam Bass Legend: When I moved to Texas I was 12 years old, entering 7th grade at Round Rock Middle School. We moved to the northwest side of Austin, basically in the boonies where our neighborhood was surrounded by the Texas hill country wilderness. The local legend was Sam Bass. He was a notorious outlaw that operated in the Austin – Round Rock area after the Civil War. He robbed banks, trains, stagecoaches and was a known killer. He liked to hide out in the hill country after his robberies and was known to stash money in caves. My friends and were avid snake catchers. We would go all over the countryside looking for snakes to add to our collections. Whenever we were out hunting snakes, if we saw a cave or a hole in the rocks, we would make sure it was clear of snakes then we would look to see if there was any Sam Bass booty in the the rocks. We never found anything but there are supposed to be stashes out there to this day.

Thoughts: This is one of my favorite stories my Dad tells. I love Texas and the folklore from there is so interesting. My Dad is so outdoorsy and has made me so similar I would likely be doing the same thing as him if I had grown up with this legend

History: This is a common legend in Texas often told in many different versions. The legend and history can be found here:

Permentor, Paris, and John Bigley. “Texas Treasure Tales – The Buried Treasure of Texas Hill Country, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley.” Texas Treasure Tales – The Buried Treasure of Texas Hill Country, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. <http://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-treasure6.html>.