Mapping the Myth: C.V. Pratt’s Mission to Decode America’s Hidden Treasures.

Few authors bring the discipline of a decorated military career and the curiosity of a lifelong investigator together quite like C.V. Pratt. A retired Air Force Colonel with more than thirty-five years of service, Pratt has transformed decades of operational planning, historical study, and real-world leadership into a powerful new voice in the world of treasure hunting and American history. His newest book, If I Were You: A Treasure Hunter’s Guide to America’s Lost & Hidden Treasures, blends adventure, rigorous research, and a deep respect for the past—inviting readers into a world where legends are examined with precision, mysteries are unraveled through method, and discovery begins long before a single step is taken into the field.

What sets Pratt apart is his ability to merge the thrill of adventure with the discipline of historical investigation. His signature 90 Percent Rule—a philosophy that every successful mission begins with planning—challenges readers to approach treasure hunting the way a commander approaches an operation: with clarity, curiosity, and meticulous preparation. With a storyteller’s instinct and an investigator’s eye, Pratt elevates treasure hunting from hobby to craft, offering a rare blend of entertainment, education, and real-world methodology. His work reminds us that the greatest discoveries aren’t just buried in the ground—they’re found in the process of understanding the stories, people, and forgotten histories that shaped them.

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Tell us a little bit about your background.

I began my journey in uniform at 19, enlisting in the Marine Corps before transferring to the U.S. Air Force when I was 27, where I would serve for over thirty years, ultimately retiring as a Colonel in 2023. My career spanned multiple commands and combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq—decades that forged my enduring belief that precision and preparation are survival.

After military life, I redirected this discipline toward education and investigation. For more than twenty years, I have taught Joint Planning and Joint Warfare Planning at the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College and Air University. I now instruct Saudi Arabian officers in those same principles as a DoD contractor. After earning a graduate degree in U.S. Military History in 2017, I published my first historical essay and continued to explore what I call “fractured history”—the process of assembling scattered truths into one clear story. I have enjoyed teaching and mentoring students for many years and still do to this day.

My wife, Katie, and I make our home near San Antonio, Texas. When I’m not decoding treasure legends, lecturing on operational theory, or doing projects around the house, you will likely find me with a guitar in hand and piano nearby—writing and performing music, a passion I have carried since 1996. At heart, I’m still doing what I’ve always done—solving problems, closing loops, seeking truth where uncertainty always is present, and trying to enjoy the thrill of music, treasure hunting, and life with my wife Katie.

What was the impetus for you to write If I Were You: A Treasure Hunter’s Guide to America’s Lost & Hidden Treasures?

The idea for If I Were You was born out of frustration and fascination. After retiring from thirty-five years of military service, I saw countless enthusiasts chasing America’s treasure legends without structure—hoping that luck might replace preparation. My military background told me otherwise: every mission, aerial or investigative, succeeds only through planning.

That realization became my guiding philosophy—the 90 Percent Rule—the conviction that discovery depends almost entirely on what happens before a search begins. I wanted to give others that same framework, a mission manual for transforming speculation into evidence-based inquiry.

When my daughter gifted me W.C. Jameson’s Lost Treasures of American History at my retirement, the spark turned into fire. The book was enthralling but left me wanting solutions, not just stories. So I began my own deep dive into Jameson’s first tale, A Lost Spanish Treasure Ship in the California Desert. The research quickly grew into binders of maps, LIDAR scans, Google Earth overlays, and decades of cross-referenced notes. I realized others might benefit from that same disciplined approach, especially when no one seemed willing to share such intensive methodology publicly.

Jameson later became a mentor and penned the foreword to my first volume—a gesture of generosity for which I remain deeply grateful. Together, those experiences shaped If I Were You into something more than a treasure guide; it became a philosophical blueprint. It’s not a book about shortcuts or fantasy treasure. It’s a manual for professional-grade inquiry—an invitation to prepare, to question, and to discover the truth that still hides beneath the dust of legend.

The series reads like a mix between a history book and an adventure guide. What can readers expect when they pick it up?

The If I Were You: A Treasure Hunter’s Guide to America’s Lost & Hidden Treasure, book series walks the line between history book and adventure guide—a blend of romance and rigor that takes readers from dusty archives to the rugged canyons of the American frontier. I want readers to feel the thrill of chasing a lead through old maps, but also to see how disciplined research and analysis shape real outcomes. For me, each chapter functions like a mission brief, combining narrative storytelling with data-driven research—reconstructed maps, field assessments, and archival investigations drawn from real historical hunts such as the Lost Adams Diggings, The Lost Silver of the Spanish Mule Train, or the Sublett Mine.

But beneath the excitement lies reverence. I try to remind readers that every lost treasure comes from human loss—stagecoach robberies, Spanish mule trains attacked, displaced Native miners, or frontier battles that left scars still visible in the landscape. We are literally walking trails of blood when we search, and that awareness keeps me, and I hope the reader, humble. It’s a sensibility shaped by my own military service in Afghanistan and Iraq, where I witnessed the cost of conflict firsthand. For me the hunt is not just about gold—it’s about remembering the lives and stories buried with it, and the ultimate treasure experience of getting out of the house, off the couch, and having an adventure.

Ultimately, If I Were You is part history, part field manual, and part meditation on perseverance. I believe it invites readers to become investigators—to learn how adventure truly begins at the desk, guided by patience, respect, and the discipline of discovery.

For someone new to treasure hunting, what’s the best way to get started?

Start with discipline, not shovels. That’s the first rule for new treasure hunters—and it’s one I truly mean literally. Too many first-time treasure hunters and enthusiasts sprint into the field on excitement alone. Real discovery begins with disciplined research and a fact-finding methodology.

For me the process starts with framing the story, myth, or legend through the six questions of What, Who, Why, When, Where, and How. When those answers hold up, the story shifts from myth to mission. I urge new hunters to filter noise ruthlessly using historical maps, thoughtful analysis, weather and terrain data, and period records, building a research dossier as if you’ll have to brief a skeptical commander.

With that said, fieldwork brings real dangers—both physical and legal. Federal, state, and local laws are not to be ignored. They carry serious penalties if you get it wrong. Most of all, I ask hunters to move with humility. Every site we explore sits on someone’s history—often bloody, often tragic. I’ve served in war zones; I know what those scars mean. We are guests on that ground. Ultimately, I believe treasure hunting rewards the prepared, not the impulsive. The map and the mind are your first tools - respect the story, respect the land, and let discipline guide your adventure.

Who do you think is the main audience for your book?

This series is written for critical thinkers—men and women drawn to American History, mystery, data, and disciplined discovery. Some are historians; others are field explorers, archivists, or military veterans who recognize the power of structured analysis. But I think it also resonates with dreamers—the readers who’ve always suspected that history still holds secrets. It’s really for anyone who believes that what’s buried isn’t just material, but human: stories, motives, decisions, and moments of courage waiting to be rediscovered. I believe my books are entertaining, yet valuable intelligence and thus it could bring joy and entertainment to the young and old.

Beyond gold or artifacts, what do you think people really discover through the act of treasure hunting?

I think the act of treasure hunting can bring self-awareness, patience, and perspective. Every search really becomes a mirror. You begin chasing gold, but what you find are your own limits—how you handle uncertainty, frustration, and endurance, and ultimately finding yourself in these stories. Treasure hunting demands respect for history, resilience in failure, and humility in success. Real treasure isn’t found—it’s verified through diligence. Many of my most meaningful discoveries weren’t coins or ore, but historical connections—a confirmation in a handwritten journal, a rediscovered landmark, a family’s forgotten story. Treasure hunting, when done right, becomes a form of stewardship and, beyond the hope of rich discoveries, it's simply preserving truth for the next generation.

How do you see your upcoming volumes expanding the story? What can readers look forward to in Volume II and III?

The If I Were You series represents both evolution and purpose—a journey that transforms casual adventurers into disciplined investigators who approach legend with the rigor of historians. Across three volumes and fifty-six stories, I’ve applied my 90 Percent Rule to separate history from myth, tracing the people, places, and conditions that define each legend and testing whether discovery is still possible today. Volume I set the foundation, exploring frontier legends and early American caches while introducing readers to the discipline of structured investigation. Volume II turned to the stories rooted in America’s transformation—the Trail of Tears and the Civil War era—where loss and resilience shaped the treasures and the myths that followed. Volume III, releasing this November, carries the pursuit into the rugged realm of lost mines and outlaw hoards, capturing the spirit of endurance and ambition that built the West. Collectively, these volumes embody the same blend of adventure and academic precision, reminding readers that the real reward lies in understanding, not just in recovery.

Threaded through every story is continuity—a deeper look at how treasure legends mirror the American identity itself, defined by conflict, curiosity, and discovery. The series doesn’t simply teach you how to hunt; it teaches you how to honor the ground you walk on and the history beneath it.

My next work, due out is

Decoding American History’s Lost & Hidden Treasure: The 90 Percent Rule — A Methodology for Planning, Preparation, Execution & Recovery, which serves as the capstone to the series. In it, I open my research process in full: the analytical tools, emerging technologies, and the legal and logistical frameworks that guide responsible exploration. It’s a blueprint for disciplined inquiry, born from watching too many treasure hunters invest years and fortunes only to fail because they skipped the groundwork. The message remains the same across all my writing—the path to discovery begins long before the search itself, and the ultimate treasure is not just what we find, but how faithfully we preserve the truth we uncover. Look for it on Amazon in late December of this year.

What’s the main takeaway you want readers to have from your book?

I’ve always said the treasure is out there—but the real reward lies in the method. The 90 Percent Rule isn’t just a system for finding things buried in the earth; it’s a mindset for how we approach uncertainty, how we honor truth, and how we leave behind something cleaner and stronger for the next generation of seekers. That’s what I want readers to carry with them. In the end though, for me treasure hunting—like any serious pursuit—reflects character. It’s patience tested, curiosity sustained, and integrity proven. If my readers walk away ready not just to search but to steward history, then the mission is complete.

https://cvpratt.com