The rumors around who the real Bill Bowlegs is can be
quite confusing because there were at least three during the 1800’s to trend
upon the coast of Florida. No matter who it was there was a real pirate known as
William Bowlegs some believe it was William Bowlegs Rogers, but you will find
others that disagree with this. Whoever, it was he was at one time a member of
the Jean Lafittes Baritarian pirates around 1812. Lafitte moved his operation to
Galveston Island in 1818 while Bowlegs stayed behind. He formed his own band of
pirates with a secret hideaway on the north Gulf Coast of Florida. He and his
band of pirates would prey upon Spanish ships in the gulf until the year of
1838.
During 1838, the pirates disbanded and Bowlegs had
quite a bit of fortune accumulated in gold and silver. During the disbandment,
Bowlegs took the gold and silver from his personal schooner and hid some of his
fortune on the northern gulf coast of Florida. Many believe the hidden area is
around Santa Rosa Island. However, there are many islands on the northern coast
of Florida that fit the description of the island in which Bowlegs hid his
treasure. Along with burying treasure on this island, he also buried some of
ill-gotten gain on the mainland.
In 1840, he decided once again to ride the high
seas, gathered 27 members of his band of pirates, and started pirating again. A
British war ship was his real demise. He had to sink his own ship along with all
the treasure aboard in order to save himself and his crew from capture. He
headed off to New Orleans leaving behind his crew to watch over the lagoon where
they had sunk the ship. On his return with diving equipment, he found many of
his dead from fever or from Indian attacks. Before they could begin diving, his
wife came down with the fever and passed away. Bowlegs built a cabin on the
mainland across from the lagoon from the island where he had hidden the
treasure, and watched over his treasure until the day he died. Before his death,
he told a friend of the exact location for finding the treasure. The landmarks
had changed over the years and to this day, no one has found all the treasure
even though a few bags of gold coins and silver bars have been found on Santa
Rosa Island.
