Imagine yourself digging in your own backyard with a shovel, your heart pounding, sure that you are just a few inches away from the fabled treasure that Sir Francis Drake once owned.
For Robert L. Stupack, this wasn’t a daydream. It was his life for over 20 years grueling years, as chronicled in Nova Albion and The Treasure of Sir Francis Drake. His quest for Drake’s gold, silver, and gems in Marin County was a rollercoaster of adrenaline, danger, and defiance, captivating adventure fans and treasure hunters with its raw intensity.
In 2000, while mowing his lawn at 35 Via Corona, Stupack, a former stockbroker, happened to notice a green rock engraved with arrowheads. It led to an obsession. Using the Hondius Map as a guide, he transformed his yard into a network of trenches, discovering several artifacts, including the Emerald Goddess – Umina. This Inca stone was last seen in the 16th century.
The thrill of discovery was addictive, like solving a 400-year-old puzzle with every shovelful.
But the chase wasn’t glamorous. Physical dangers loomed large. Digging exposed Stupack to Boron, a toxic element from Drake’s ancient smelter, causing dizziness, nausea, and chills so severe he shivered in 90-degree heat. Despite his doctor’s confirmation of boron poisoning and the fact that there was no treatment other than time, Stupack persisted, wearing a dust mask and gloves and eventually wearing a wetsuit to shield him from the toxic elements in the ground. He had taken soil samples, which provided him with evidence of gold and silver far in excess of what is commonly found in Marin County. However, the samples also proved that the land was toxic and connected to the high cancer rates in Marin County.
Legal battles added to the chaos. When Stupack’s excavations overflowed into Rod Cooper’s yard, a heated altercation ensued. Despite a signed “Treasure Sharing Agreement,” Cooper threatened legal action, forcing Stupack to fill trenches and repair fences. After Stupack’s sluice box’s muddy runoff destroyed his pool, another neighbor became enraged.
These disagreements were more than just annoyances. They put Stupack’s resolve to the test.
The adrenaline flowed again in 2022 when Stupack, who went bankrupt and was living elsewhere, returned to Greenbrae Ridge. Spotting an empty Cooper house, he found a way to enter the property via an abandoned property’s rickety deck, hauling a jackhammer up a steep hill at night. He tried to dig as quietly as possible, fearing that neighbors or the police would hear him. One evening, a hollow sound beneath his feet signaled the entrance to a cavern. The rush was electric—Drake’s treasure felt within reach. However, getting to the site and a shouting neighbor forced him to abandon his excavation, dragging his equipment down a steep hill stuffed in a duffel bag and narrowly escaping detection.
Stupack’s journey is a testament to the spirit of the treasure hunter. It is relentless, risky, and exhilarating. From dangerous digging to collapsing caves and so much more, his story offers a power-packed journey of thrill and intrigue. Despite losing his home, health, and savings, he uncovered truths about Drake’s Nova Albion.
For adventurers, his story is a wild ride that demonstrates that chasing a legend entails embracing danger, defying odds, and relishing the heart-stopping moments when history speaks back.
To know the whole story about Robert’s breathtaking yet challenging adventure, get your copy of “Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake” from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1917238312.
