Treasure found in Lake Hamilton

Treasure?

It was on Friday I took an adventure into Lake Hamilton to finally get to the bottom of a mysterious floating case I spotted three days prior. Let me start from the beginning.

I was sitting outside on a Tuesday enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Hamilton when I saw what appeared to be a floating case. I was hoping there may be millions of dollars enclosed, but I was expecting to find stale beer and fishing equipment.

Either way, I couldn't go without seeing for myself what was in this case. The only thing I was missing was a boat.

By the time I mulled over the idea of swimming to this mysterious floating case in the crisp 60-degree November weather, and actually retrieved swimming attire, the case had floated too far. So I conceded.

Fast-forward to Friday: I'm driving over the lake when I see not one — but two cases washed up on a small island in the middle of the lake. I'll just let the very informal video footage posted to my social media explain the rest:

So, there you have it. There was indeed no mysterious floating case in Lake Hamilton at all, just a few dock buoys gone astray. And if you look around, they are all over the place.

But I won't let my unfortunate story put a stop to the telling of actual intriguing finds found in Lake Hamilton.

An Al-log-gator

The Al-log-ator

The al-log-ator isn't an actual find either, but this was one of the first stories The Post broke, and I still find good humor in it. The Al-log-ator created quite a stir in the community last summer.

After a viral image of an alligator sighting on Lake Hamilton became the talk of the town on June 16, 2021, an Arkansas Game and Fish spokesman later confirmed it was in fact just a log.

For the full story on how if it were to be an alligator, no alarm would have been necessary, click here.

The Mysterious Classic Car

Diver's view — Photo From Motorious

Before sharing the following story by Steven Symes, of Motorious, it's important to note the car was found this June. Very little coverage has been published on the 7-month-old finding.

When a fisherman using sonar found a car sitting in Lake Hamilton in Arkansas, he reached out to authorities for help. There are a few missing persons in the area and he figured the police should check out the potential lead. For whatever reason they didn’t, so the man turned to Adventures with Purpose.

The fisherman thought he had found an old muscle car submerged in the lake.

After successfully sticking a magnet with a line on it to the car, the diver is able to swim down and locate the car. Visibility is only 4- to 6- feet, so it’s difficult to see details in the murky depths. The diver is able to tell much of the vehicle is deteriorated, including the top missing after sleeping with the fishes for who knows how long. He concludes whatever environmental damage the car would do has already been done. Now the vehicle is part of the ecosystem.

Because of its deteriorated state, the car is harder to correctly identify. Right away, you can see the tires are super skinny, which is a dead giveaway this is something built a long time ago. There are other hints this find is a classic car.

The damage done by the water might be in part why it looked like a muscle car on sonar. The diver thinks it might be an old military vehicle of some sort. Maybe you could have figured out what it is even with low visibility, but keep in mind these divers aren’t necessarily gearheads, so cut them a little slack.

So what do you think this vehicle is? Check out the video * here.

*There is no confirmation or evidence this finding is related to Kerry Joe Angell Jr.

A Millionaire with his Car

The finding of Charles Ewing, a Mississippi millionaire, along with his new Cadillac, was ruled an accident but remains an unsolved mystery to many, including his family.

In May of 2011, Ewing traveled to Hot Springs with two women. A few days later, his body and week-old car were found in Lake Hamilton near what is now the DoubleTree. The accident was thought to have occurred a day and a half prior.

During that day and a half, Ewing's home in Mississippi was robbed. Money was taken, and stolen papers were burned in his driveway.

His ex-fiancee, who married two weeks after Ewing's death, contacted his daughter in 2017 saying she would give information on his death in exchange for money. The offer was declined.

For the full story, including the third woman who met with Ewing before his death, and the missing items that were never found, click here.

One Big Fish

According to Arkansas Game and Fish, the largest fish to have ever been caught in Lake Hamilton was a 68 lbs., 8 oz. Buffalo, Smallmouth by Jerry Dolezal, of Berwyn, IL, on May 15, 1984.

Perhaps if there ever has been true treasure found in Lake Hamilton, the discoverer may not care to share it with the public. But let us know in the comments: What's the craziest thing you've found (or thought you've found) in a Hot Springs lake?