Fascinating theory.  Now everybody will be hustling off to Samoa, digging for treasure.

This was one of the books that filled my imagination during childhood. I just loved it. I read it more than once and in a way I lived the story every time I reread it.

Stevenson came to Monterey to be with Fanny, not San Francisco. Many believe the seeds for Treasure Island were planted during his time there, and while on his honeymoon in Calistoga, staying at an abandoned mine called the Silverado.

Admit it.....we allll went through a phase when we aspire to be treasure hunters searching for pirate's gold

"A General History of Pyrates" written in the early 1700s by Daniel Defoe under a pseudonym is actually the basis for a VAST majority of "pirate fiction" over the years, not Stevenson's "Treasure Island", as even he was inspired/influenced by the old popular book, as it remained VERY popular in the centuries since it was written. Defoes' book is basically a compilation of recollections and "true" accounts of the various different piratical figures of ranging infamy in the Caribbean during the "Golden Age" of piracy. You see, even back then, 300+ years ago, there was A LOT of fascination with piracy, as they were often viewed as "folk heroes" or what we would call "rock stars", or "rebels without a cause". The Scottish Captain William Kidd is often famously credited with burying his loot as he revealed during his trial before execution, but hiding one's valuables in creative ways was and still is practiced by many people, it just doesn't get talked about that often, thus it's highly likely the idea of a pirates' "buried treasure" isn't exclusive to the realm of fiction. One-legged pirates weren't invented by Stevenson either, as it is written in the old "pyrates' code" that any crew member who loses a limb in battle gets reimbursed, each limb having different value, legs being listed separate from arms, hands, fingers, and eyes; if it wasn't a matter of importance/prevalence, it wouldn't have been included in the centuries old document. Stevenson also didn't invent pets being on pirate ships, as it was common practice for a ships' crew to take on pets like exotic birds, dogs, and monkeys; dogs on board ships mainly served as a form of pest control in killing any rats/mice, and U.S. President Andrew Jackson, while not a "pirate" was well known for his talking pet parrot, who infamously cursed all the time, even at his funeral, and Jackson was long before Stevenson was even born.

I loved the story, which was one of the very first books I read as a young child... A true classic that every child should read

Samoa 🇼🇸 is a magnificent country. I’ve seen his house in Apia many times. It’s near the Botanical gardens off Cross Island road. It’s pretty amazing. When you get up to where his grave is, there’s a large bell that tradition says must be rung. Yep. Even to this day

I read this when I was 12, Never stopped reading

The Spanish priest thinking the treasure of Lima belonging to them was funny.  History is just funny.

This was not Stevenson's only book! The others are just as well written, with great characters and gripping narrative. The idea that his pursuit of this treasure inspired the wonderful prose of Treasure Island is silly.

captain flint is the only one who knows where it is buried

You forgot to mention RLS family and the supposed remaining treasure left behind in that bank sized vault.

Great stuff, as always. Thank you.

Whenever I hear of treasure Island, I think of Black Sails. Fantastic series and is so underrated. The book is awesome too. Read it when I was young and when I got older.

That is definitely an interesting hypothesis. But like most things from history, we will never know with any certainty.

Robert Lewis Stevenson visited
Point Pleasant NJ
On the Manasquan River.
In 1888 and  renamed Osborne Island Treasure Island. Many of the old timers believed
This is where he wrote the book after!

Very good work Hispaniola forever

Fascinating!  Would be fun to know if it is true.

Wow this is fascinating

:If the natives of an island have stories of a fish god that likes Pigs, then it MUST be Stevenson was there and found a huge treasure that he never spent. BULLOCKS!