During the Great Depression, Los Angeles faced a widespread economic downturn. Local leaders were grappling with how to help Angelenos facing poverty while also having lower revenue.

Everyone was strapped for cash. That kind of desperation can lead to some questionable ideas — like hunting for hidden treasure. That’s what occurred when L.A. County was offered a strange but compelling proposition: Allow the digging up of parts of L.A. in hopes of finding millions in gold, and take a share of the bounty.

It sounds like something out of a movie — but it actually happened.

Downtown’s gold legend

The saga revolves around a man named George Warren Shufelt, a mining engineer who was fascinated with hunting for gold. He was by no means the only person trying to strike it rich in those days, bu

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