In the mid-1980s, he bought a ranch near Santa Fe that includes the 57-acre ancient pueblo of San Lazaro, where he has spent years digging up bones, pottery and other artifacts that he keeps in a room off his garage.

NPR: 'I Love Mysteries,' Says Man Claiming Hidden Gold

If the business sometimes resembled a black market, it was a small one: nobody seriously imagined getting rich digging up prehistoric bones.

NEWYORKER: Bones of Contention