1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: They say that everything is bigger in Texas, belt buckles, stakes, 7 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: even state pride. But the lone Star state can officially 8 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: lay claim to one thing that it does bigger than 9 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: any other states in the Union, that has the most 10 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: buried treasure. And it was all thanks to one man 11 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: and his family. Off the coast of Texas in the 12 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: Gulf of Mexico is an island. It's called Padre Island, 13 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: the longest barrier island in the world world, stretching one 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: hundred and thirteen miles from end to end. It had 15 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: once belonged to several Native American tribes, including the Karankawa. 16 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: Much of their culture has been lost to time and colonization. 17 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: Today only five hundred words of their language are known, 18 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: But what we do know is that they were very 19 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: nomadic and very tall. It's believed that the Karankawa were 20 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: over six feet tall, with some even pushing seven feet. 21 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: They also communicated using smoke signals. Around fifteen fifty four, 22 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: a fleet of Spanish ships invaded the island. Three vessels 23 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: crashed along the island's sandy shores and left behind at 24 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: least one hundred and fifty casualties. The survivors spread rumors 25 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: about the Karankawa being cannibalistic, although it's more likely that 26 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: they invented that excuse when it became clear that they 27 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: would not convert to Catholicism. The last vestiges of the 28 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: tribe were wiped out in the eighteen nineties by Mexican 29 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: and Texan colonists. Now Padre Island earned its name in 30 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: the seventeen hundreds thanks to Jose Nicholas Bali. Bali was 31 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: a secular Catholic priest or Padre who owned the island 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: during that time. Many years later, in eighteen forty seven, 33 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: a man named John Singer and his wife Johanna came 34 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: to Texas to settle down. They started a shipping business, 35 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: hauling cargo on their new three masted schooner, which they 36 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: dubbed the Alice Saddle. During their first year, as entrepreneurs. 37 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: Their vessel met a similar fate as those Spanish ships 38 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: from hundreds of years before. A nasty storm shipwrecked the 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: Singers on Padre Island. When the reins cleared, they got 40 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,919 Speaker 1: to work grabbing what they could from the vessel. Suddenly, though, 41 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: it dawned on them they would need shelter, so John 42 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: built a small home on the island for the family 43 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: to live in, constructing furniture out of driftwood and pieces 44 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: from the ship. Pretty soon they knew their arrangements would 45 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: no longer be temporary. They stayed put even when help 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: finally arrived to take them home. They loved Padre Island 47 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: and found it to be the perfect place for rebuilding 48 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: their lives. To go back and forth between Pidre Island 49 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: and the mainland. Though John constructed a smaller boat, he 50 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: also bought cattle and planted a garden selling vegetables to 51 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: make ends meet. Granted, Johanna's family had plenty of money already, 52 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: so they never really wanted for anything anyway. After about 53 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: four years of this, the Singers gained possession of Padre 54 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: Bally's ranch, which they purchased from his estate. John also 55 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: became a wreck master, meaning that he was allowed to 56 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: keep anything salvaged from any of the ships that crashed ashore, 57 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: and over the course of their lives, quite a bit 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: of treasure washed onto the island. In fact, one storm 59 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty four brought them untold amounts of gold, jewelry, 60 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: and other items. Sadly, their slice of paradise would not 61 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: be their forever home. At the start of the Civil War, 62 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: the Confederates in Texas pushed Singer, his wife, and his 63 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: seven children off of Padre Island. But before they left, 64 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: they made sure to hide their hull somewhere in a 65 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: sand dune they called Money Hill. The Singers buried roughly 66 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: eighty thousand dollars in cash, Spanish, bablloons, and jewelry. Today 67 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: that fortune would be worth about three million dollars. At 68 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: the end of the war, the family returned to the 69 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: island to reclaim what they had left behind. Very little 70 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: of their homestead remained. Their house had been dismantled for firewood, 71 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: and their cows had been killed for food by the 72 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: Confederate soldiers. What's more, the island itself was now a 73 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: shadow of what it had been. The terrain was all 74 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: different changed by war and weather. Money Hill was gone 75 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: and with it their treasure. John tried on multiple occasions 76 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: to find the missing money with his son Alexander, but 77 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 1: to no avail. He died in eighteen seventy seven, and 78 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: with him any chance of finding it. Others have tried 79 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: to look for the treasure today, but none have been 80 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: able to locate it. The theories vary, with some claiming 81 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: that it's at the southmostern tip, while others believe it 82 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: stashed in between a pair of oak trees. Legend has 83 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: it that the treasure is still out there waiting to 84 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: be found. Just grab a shovel and keep an eye 85 00:04:49,800 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: on the weather. How much is a paper clip worth? 86 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: It's actually a more complex question than you might think. 87 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: Value is relative, after all, and an item's worth is 88 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: determined by a number of factors. If you go on 89 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: Amazon right now, you can order one thousand paper clips 90 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: for about ten bucks. Based on that, you could say 91 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: that a paper clip is worth a penny. But what 92 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: if your paper clip was made out of sterling silver 93 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: and emblazon with the word Prada. In twenty seventeen, paper 94 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: clips like that were actually sold, and a single one 95 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: would have cost you about one hundred and eighty five 96 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: US dollars, which sounds like highway robbery until you learn 97 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: about a very curious story from two thousand and five. 98 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: It all began with a single red paper clip, which 99 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: belonged to a twenty six year old Canadian man named 100 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 1: Kyle MacDonald. While Kyle was little, he used to play 101 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: this game called Bigger and Better, which was basically where 102 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: you had an item and you try to trade it 103 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: for something that was well bigger and better. So that's 104 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: it exactly what he set out to do with his 105 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: red paper clip. In June of two thousand and five, 106 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: he listed the little Office supply on Craigslist and he 107 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: said that he was open to trade offers. Two women 108 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: from Vancouver saw the post and thought it was funny. 109 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: They searched around the house for something to swap and 110 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: soon responded to Kyle with a proposition. How would he 111 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: like to trade his paper clip for a pen shaped 112 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: like a fish? And Kyle said sure, why not? Next 113 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: thing he knew, he was the proud owner of a 114 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: quill with gills. From there, he made a deal with 115 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: a potter who lived in Seattle. Kyle sent the fish 116 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: pen to the US and received a handmade doorknob in return. 117 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: The trades kept piling up a doorknob for a camping stove, 118 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 1: the camping stove for a one hundred watt generator, a 119 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: generator for an empty beer keg and a light up 120 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: Budweiser sign. And then the most lucrative swap yet, Kyle 121 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: got in touch with a Montreal radio host who apparently 122 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: really wanted that Keg and Neon sign. In exchange, he 123 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: offered Kyle a snowmobile. In just six trades, Kyle had 124 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 1: managed to turn a paper clip into a fully operational vehicle, 125 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: and that would be impressive enough, but he didn't stop there. 126 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: His curious crusade was starting to earn him some media attention, 127 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: and a small town Canadian magazine wanted to make a trade. 128 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: They told Kyle that for the snowmobile, they would give 129 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: him an all expense pay trip to the snowy town 130 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: of Yak, British Columbia, which is just across the US 131 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: Canadian border. Kyle couldn't believe his luck. Obviously, he said yes, 132 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: and then he turned around and bartered that trip for 133 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: a literal moving truck. Now this is where Kyle really 134 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: went off the rails. Instead of trading the truck for 135 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: another item, he swapped it for a service, a recording 136 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: contract with a professional music producer. This included recording and 137 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: post production of a full album and a promise that 138 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: the finished product would be pitched to executives at Sony 139 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: and XM Radio. This was huge, and it kept getting bigger. 140 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: An aspiring singer wanted that contract desperately, and she agreed 141 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: to give Kyle a year of free rent in her 142 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. But Kyle did it. I want 143 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: to live in Phoenix. So he swapped that year long 144 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: vacation for an afternoon with rock legend Alice Cooper, and 145 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: then he traded that once in a lifetime opportunity for 146 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: a snow globe. Okay, now would be a good time 147 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: to remind you of how we began this story. That 148 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: all value is relative, and this wasn't just any snow 149 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: globe that he had just traded for. It was a 150 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: special collectible snow globe inspired by the rock band Kiss. 151 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: And while most of us probably wouldn't care about a 152 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: branded glass sphere, there was someone who did. He was 153 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: a collector named Corbin Burnson. And in exchange for the 154 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: snow globe, he gave Kyle a credited speaking role in 155 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: a film being produced by a major studio. And look, 156 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: Kyle knew that this was it one more trade and 157 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: he would have exactly what he was looking for. The 158 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: Mayor and Town Council of Kipling, Saskatchewans soon reached out 159 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: to him with an offer. They would like to swap 160 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: him the movie role for a house on Main Street. 161 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: And this is what Kyle had wanted all along. From 162 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: the outset. He had dreamed of bartering that little red 163 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: paper clip until he got himself a place to live. 164 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: He moved in on July twelfth of two thousand and six, 165 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: about a year after his first trade. So again, what 166 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: is a paperclip worth a penny or a house? And 167 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: the answer to that question is a curious one indeed. 168 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 169 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 170 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 171 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 172 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 173 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 174 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:46,439 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 175 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: worldoflore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.