Skip to main content

Juson: Lake of Gold

Written by: Jeff Rent
Case Filed:
10/29/03 - Hickory, Mississippi
Executive Producer:
Rick Garner



In rural Newton County, near the small town of Hickory, sits a small lake with a big history - Lake Juson (Jew-zon). Barely an acre in size, tales and lore surrounding Lake Juson run as deep as its cool water. Murder, stolen gold, and insanity. All attributed to the lake's namesake, Pierre Juson, an early French settler.

"He was quite a guy," says local historian Melvin Tingle. "I think Pierre came up here about 1810, the best that we can figure, and established his trading post at Chunky Chitto trading town. He was one of the first white settlers to Newton County."

Juson set up a trading post just off the military highway which ran past the lake. For years, Juson traded with settlers but it was the Choctaw Indians he identified with best.

Tingle says, "He could speak French, he could English, he was fluent in Choctaw. He married a princess. You know that everybody that married an Indian, married a princess, but he did. He married the niece of Pushmataha, who was a famous Choctaw Indian chief."

Juson would even lead a band of Choctaw Indians in the battle of New Orleans alongside Andrew Jackson, where Juson is credited with giving us the everyday word of "okay."

"He said, 'Pierre, how goes it?' and he says okay. That's where the word "okay," if you look and it goes back the origin of it is Andrew Jackson, gives credit for the word okay coming from the Choctaw word "okey." So, hey, Pierre, done a lot for us!"

These stories alone make Juson an interesting historical figure. However, residents of Newton County say there's much more to the tale of Peirre Juson.
"Where the real thing gets creepy is in his later years, prior to leaving here in 1840, they said he went crazy."

"I guess the story I remember the most is the story about the treasure that was supposed to have been dumped in here." Johnny Burkes lives right next to Lake Juson and he owns the property where the trading post was likely located and for decades he's been hearing tales about the dark side of Pierre Juson.

"I understand that he would trade with the trappers and beat the trappers out of what money they had gotten for their furs. And I have even heard that he robbed some of them, and killed them, and thrown them into this lake. The story on the gold is one of the stage coaches was coming through here and he robbed the stage coach of gold shipments."

That's when legend says law enforcement came looking for Juson.

"He took the gold and paddled out in this lake and dropped it in the bottom of the lake."

From there, some stories say Juson was caught and hung for his crimes. Although, Tingle says that's probably not the case and that Juson actually moved to Tennessee and was buried along the Tom Bigbee River.

Many believe Juson is still at home along the lake. Tingle adds, "I know some friends of mine who coon hunt. They won't go around there. They say that on a moonlight night, hunting around that lake...you see shadows that's uncalled for. You see movement."

"There were some ghost stories told here that Old Man Juson had come back and walk around the lake in a ghost form. That was later on. I never seen him."

But what we do know is that the gold has never been found, despite many attempts to locate it.






Additional Resources:

Adventure Divers & Watersports






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hidden Secrets

Written by: Jeff Rent Case Filed: 5/16/03 - Edwards, Mississippi Executive Producer: Rick Garner Tucked behind 200-year-old magnolia trees lies the Yeiser House. Built in 1832, it's a house full of history going back to the Civil War. The story and events at this house actually started several hundred yards down the road on May 16, 1863, during the Battle for Champion's Hill and a little known Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman who was shot. Historian DeAnna Thompson-Blailock says, "If it was a sniper, (he was wounded) in the throat. And due to the blood pattern where he bled to death in the Yeiser house, it would seem like a sniper shot because of the blood pattern on the floor." After being shot, General Tilghman was taken to the Yeiser, which was being used as a field hospital. There, in one corner of a front bedroom, Tilghman bled to death.

Unexplained Cases | Baltimore Street Murder House

Written by:  Darren Dedo Case Filed:  06 /20/19 - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Executive Producer:  Rick Garner Battlefields, homes, pubs, and restaurants. Almost anywhere you go in Gettysburg you will come across a place that is supposedly haunted. It is very easy to understand why. Tens of thousands of men lost their lives here in this small Pennsylvania town in July of 1863. We visited one unassuming and haunted location that was here during the Battle of Gettysburg and was a casualty collection point just like many buildings were used for back then. It would make sense that the spirit who sets off ghost hunting gadgets in this Baltimore Street home fought and died in the Civil War. But, this resident spirit has no connection to the Battle of Gettysburg. Our guide for the evening, P aranormal Investigator Robert "Night Monkey" Simmons  with Gettysburg Paranormal Association / Gettysburg Ghost  Tours . He  shares with everyone the details.  “The morning of August 31, 198

Faith and the Paranormal

Written by:  Rick Garner Case Filed: 4/9/23 Executive Producer:  Rick Garner   Decades spent documenting and exploring unexplained cases, Rick Garner has often experienced resistance, concern and judgement from those who share his faith in God. Often he encountered the belief that no human spirits roam the earth and that there are only "familiar spirits" - demons masquerading as loved ones. However, in his discernment, Rick knew that not only was he not encountering demons but neither were multiple people who were sharing with him their unexplained activity. He began to make connections with many who shared his faith and an interest in the paranormal. Rick collected 14 hours of video footage with guests answering the same questions and edited that into "Faith and the Paranormal." This special documentary attempts to go deep into finding an answer to the question: can faith and the paranormal coexist? We thank our special guests: Brandon Kramer, Angela Boley,