Arizona place-name expert Byrd Granger wrote, as of 1977, the Lost Dutchman's story had been printed or cited at least six times more often than two other fairly well-known tales, the story of Captain Kidd's lost treasure, and the story of the Lost Pegleg mine in California. The Superstition Mountains are a mountain range east of Phoenix and are known for their picturesque volcanic peaks and and jagged canyons. The story differs but heres the most common take, mind you there are over 100 different versions of the Story. As a sort of reward for this generosity, he was apparently one day asked to put on a blindfold, after which he was told he would be led to the mythical lost cavern of gold. About Lost Dutchman State Park. Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine. As with most of the terrain encompassing the Phoenix metropolitan area, and the Superstition Mountains, have a desert environment, with scorching summer temperatures and sparse sources of water. The multi-acre museum site soon saw the addition of a historic Cossack 20-Stamp . It is easily accessible about 40 miles east of Phoenix via U.S. Highway 60, the Superstition Freeway. In late November or early December 2009, Denver, Colorado citizen Jesse Capen disappeared in the Tonto National Forest. His skull with two bullet holes was recovered about six months after he disappeared. The two Jacobs found the gold but refused to tell anyone else where it was. Dr. Years later, a man called Dr. Thorne treats an ailing or wounded Apache (often alleged to be a chieftain) and is rewarded with a trip to a rich gold mine. In this story (actually two interconnected stories), members of the Apache tribe are said to have a very rich gold mine located in the Superstition Mountains. They are encircled by U.S Route 60 on the south Arizona State 88 on the northwest, and Arizona 188 on the northeast. Yes, the deserts of Arizona carry a spooky secret. Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains 30.3K subscribers 251K views 2 years ago Ever heard of the Hermit of the Superstition Mountains or wondered what the legend was behind calling Elisha. Waltz relocated to Arizona in the 1860s, and stayed in the territory for most of the rest of his life. Indeed, in the decades since Waltz made his mysterious proclamation of the mine public, there have been numerous earnest attempts to try and track it down, and these have the sinister habit of meeting rather gruesome ends. The Apaches were either enraged over the violation of their sacred mountains or wanted to steal the gold from them. The gift shop also has an indoor museum. This was our first stop for the day. He turned out to be the surviving Peralta, and, to express his gratitude, he gave them directions to his familys gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. However, Blair argued that there is a strong likelihood that there never was a second man named Weiser, but rather that a single person named Waltz was, over the years, turned into two men as the legend of the Dutchman's mine evolved. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Arcana Exploration. Erwin gave the data to his father Adolph. The men must deal with a lack of water and the fact that the map leads him into lands held sacred by the Apaches. In 1977, 292 acres (118ha) abutting the Tonto National Forest were set aside as the Lost Dutchman State Park. The mine is named after German immigrant Jakob Waltz (c. 18101891), who purportedly discovered it in the 19th century and kept its location a secret. Reports of inexplicable sounds, sightings, and events have led to claims of supernatural beings and even aliens. Skeptoid Media, 29 Jan 2013. He was then led along a harsh, meandering route of an estimated 20 miles, after which they removed the blindfold and he was met with the sight of a pile of gold sparkling in the sun near an entrance into the presumed lost mine. Very similiar to big foot hunters. On Valentines Day Elvis was available at the church for weddings. The breathable air on some surfaces actually gets even hotter; this is the biggest killer in the Superstition Mountains and dont forget the rattle snakes, scorpions, tarantula spiders, Gila monsters plus huge mountain lions and dozens of other things that will take your life. In June 1931, Ruth set out to find the lost Peralta mine. Lights, screams, and shadows of Apache armies have been reported. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. They either mined or found enormous gold deposits in the Superstition Mountains. To begin with, there was never any real Dutchman involved with the lost gold mine. January 1933 a Mining electrican named J.A. The park offers 134 campsites, each with a picnic table, barbeque grill, and fire pit, and 68 equipped with electric hook-ups and water. However, Ruth ignored Barkely's advice, and set out for a two-week stint in the mountains. The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine (also known by similar names) is, according to legend, a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They even had the old rock crusher up and working. Afterwards, Waltz fell ill (he was rumored to have contracted pneumonia during the flooding). Blair had little doubt that Waltz related to Thomas the location of an alleged gold mine. Ruth ended his note with the phrase "Veni, vidi, vici. The museum with its indoor and outdoor exhibits is a pleasant surprise and definitely worth your time if youre going on the Apache Trail or to the nearby Lost Dutchman State Park. Read on to find out if you should start planning your trip to a Dark Mountain. Get-rich-quick schemes are as American as the Fourth of July. Long before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and grifter-socialite Anna Delvey, we had the Gold Rush and even today, plenty of Americans are still fixated on an either long-lost or fictional gold mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains.For more than a century, adventurous souls have sought the Lost Dutchman Mine, and since 1891 . Image property of Arcana Exploration, photo taken at the Lost Dutchman Museum Apache Junction, Arizona. The Peralta Stones are a set of engraved stone tableted works that are approximately 18 inches long and weigh about 25 lbs. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. The Lost Dutchman Mine is said to be a rich goldmine located somewhere in the southwestern American state of Arizona. One of the most prominent such tales is that of an affluent mining family from Mexico, the Peraltas, although some versions of the story say they were ranchers. In March of 2011, three filmmakers disappeared in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona while documenting their search for the Lost Dutchman mine. In any case, the event led to the naming of the Massacre Falls after it. Cravey said he would walk out of the mountains on June 28, 1947. The Apache warriors who had massacred them are then said to have reburied the entrance to this enormous trove of gold, and to this day the area where this is believed to have happened has been labeled the Massacre Grounds, and there are other places names that denote this grim history such as Massacre Falls and others. And is that information relevant? In the weeks and months to come we will use much of the historical information, and show how it ties directly to what we have found. The Superstitions are one of four mountains which mark the ancestral territory of the Apache People. Blair insisted that the Peralta portion of the story is unreliable, writing: "The operation of a gold mine in the Superstitions by a Peralta family is a contrivance of 20th century writers". In the version in which the Apaches killed the Peralta Family, the surviving member then went on to get embroiled in a brawl fight years later. The stories differ from here onward. Hanna-Barbara, Jean Giraud, and Don Rosa have incorporated the story in their cartoons. [volume], October 11, 1933, Page NINE, Image 9, "Arizona desert searched for missing Denver man seeking gold mine", "Mother of missing treasure hunter holds onto hope", "Body of man who hunted legendary 'Lost Dutchman's' gold mine believed found in Arizona mountains", "3 Utah men still missing on Arizona treasure hunt", "3 Search for men looking for Lost Dutchman's gold suspended", "More remains found in Superstitions; may be hiker's", "Escape - When The Man Comes, Follow Him", "The Lost Dutchman's Mine History and Bibliography", Arizona Mining Scams and Unassayable Ore Projects of the Late 20th Century, "Skeptoid #347: The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lost_Dutchman%27s_Gold_Mine&oldid=1137505190. October through April A group of modern day treasure hunters search for the Lost Dutchman mine in the Superstition mountain range of Arizona. In later years there is the story of the adventurous Spanish born Doctor Abraham Thorne, who was at the time living among the Natives of the region and studying their medical practices. Ruth vanished while hunting for the mine in the summer of 1931. You came here for the nasty bits that are constantly swept under the rug. The lost Dutchman Gold mine is generally believed to be somewhere near or in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. There have been countless such deaths and disappearances in the region over the years, many of them with missing heads or gunshot wounds to the head. At the time he had ventured out into the Tonto National Forest in search of the legendary treasure, having looked for it on several occasions in the past and accumulating hundreds of books and hundreds of pages of research on the matter. Dont expect High Street class; do expect old West charm, plenty of local history and lore, and the beautiful backdrop of the Superstition Mountains, not to mention a surprisingly good gift shop. Willing died in 1874 before there had been a thorough investigation of the documents or opportunity to cross examine him on the stand as was later done with Reavis. Hardie agrees to join a father searching for his son who is seeking a lost gold mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. Bands of roaming cannibals are said to hunt the area and the curse of the Lost Mine to many isnt a tall tale but a stark reality. [26], Blair wrote that "the national wire services picked up the story [of Ruth's death] and ran it for more than it was worth", possibly seeing the mysterious story as a welcome reprieve from the bleak news that was otherwise typical of the Great Depression. After he had spent many years in their midst, the Apache Elders decided to reward his selfless service with gold. https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/superstition-mountains/index.html, They were once known in Spanish as Sierra de la Espuma . Since James Reavis, "the Baron of Arizona", was convicted of fraud when the Peralta family genealogy and other documents to support the land grant (and a barony associated with that land) were determined to be forgeries it also raises questions about the original purchase of the land grant by Dr. George M. Willing Jr. (the transaction had supposedly occurred at a primitive campsite to the southeast of Prescott without the benefit of the typical documentation; instead of a notarized deed, the conveyance was recorded on a piece of greasy camp paper bearing signature of several witnesses). The Supers are east northeast of Phoenix. The University of Arizona is the oldest college in the state, existing before Arizona achieved statehood. 6 episodes that go absolutely nowhere. Some certain that the natives killed the party. FREE with paid Adult Fact Analysis: Along with the body was found a mysterious note ensconced within a bottle, which said that he had broken his leg and needed help, but which also stated that he had had managed to find the legendary Lost Dutchmans Mine. Wednesday Sunday The Apaches told him he could grab as much of the gold as he could carry on his person, which he did before being led back out, never knowing the precise location, although he did mention a sharp peak of rock, which is thought to have perhaps been Weavers Needle, a popular landmark in the area. 9 May 2022. Non one really knows, but the answers just may lie out there in the desolate reaches of those desert badlands. January 7, 2023 12:00 pm - April 29, 2023 3:00 pm, Desert Safety and Survival (March Sold Out), Weaving Class with Nanabah Aragon (March Sold Out). [42] The park was expanded to 320 acres (130ha) in 1983. Legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Parts 2 & 3: Finally Found! John D. Wilburn in his book Dutchman's Lost Ledge of Gold (1990), wrote that the Bulldog Gold Mine near Goldfield, Arizona, fits very well the description Jacob Waltz gave as the location of his 'lost mine'. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable and I am looking forward to returning with my kids. [13] In most versions of the tale, Jacob Waltz locates a rich gold mine in the Superstition Mountains (in many versions of the story, they rescue or help a member of the Peralta family and are rewarded by being told the location of the mine). [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. [5] One Lost Dutchman's mine is said to be in Colorado, another in California; two are said to be located in Arizona. In-Season These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. People off his Mine that he cover up with a ironwood tree :The books give me my Weavers Needle, a peak located in the Superstition Mountains. Ahh, heres the chronological faux-pass. Treasure hunting at Superstition Mountains Arizona - The Lost Dutchman's Mine. Later, he remarked that he had noticed a towering rock formation nearby, but otherwise remained clueless about the whereabouts of the place. Hes led back to town and the tale spreads like wildfire. It is generally accepted that the Peraltas and roughly 400 peon miners were massacred by the Apaches sometime around 1848. For the next 20 years, he falls in and out of consciousness, whenever he wakes its just garbled speak and horrific tales; hes enveloped in kaleidoscopic delirium Something, a doctor once told his family, having chewed at his sanity and left nothing but brittle bones. He dies, screaming from a nightmare in 1891. [25] Blair noted that the conclusion of the Arizona authorities was rejected by many, including Ruth's family, and "those who held onto the more romantic murdered-for-the-map story". Travis Tumlinson, a policeman, discovered the Peralta Stones on a roadside near the Superstition Mountains in the 1940s. In January 2011, three sets of remains assumed to be those of the lost men were retrieved. I really enjoyed it here. Youve come to the ideal place. Randomly stopped by on my way home from Lost Dutchman State Park and I was super happy I did! Over the decades, this tale was gradually absorbed into the Lost Dutchman's story. We are a non-profit corporation under Section 501 (c) 3, organized to collect and preserve the history and legends of Arizonas Superstition Mountains, and to support research, education and publications involving the region. On 8 June 2019, a fire broke out in the Superstitions Wilderness area and soon spread across 26,000 acres. In March of 2011, three filmmakers disappeared in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona while documenting their search for the Lost Dutchman Mine. There have been many stories about how to find the mine, and each year people search for the mine. Lost Dutchman State Park is located near the Superstition Mountains in central Phoenix, about 40 miles from Phoenix. But what they actually found has been a hidden secret that people have been trying to piece together for last 125 years. Mysterious bodies turned up in the Superstition Mountains all through the 1960s and 70s, with at least five people found dead with bullet holes to the skulls, and with other bodies found minus the heads, which were never found. The man is barely alive. The Peralta family would go on to be suspected of having left some evidence behind of their discovery in the form of a series of odd stones mysteriously etched with codes, pictograms, and cryptic messages written out in imperfect Latin, which are said to hold the key to finding the treasure and which have been dubbed the Peralta Stones. These stones were allegedly written up by the family shortly before their massacre and left behind by Apaches who did not know their true meaning and so left them to rot away in the sun. Want to reenact that James Franco film with the rusted and dull pocket knife? Combine these with the legends of the indigenous Pima Indians and the mountains live up to their name. The stones are named for an obscure "Peralta family", said to be an old and powerful Mexican family. The search, nevertheless, still continues. Very sweet museum with great views of the Superstition Mountains. She was oblivious, baffled, and would apparently later sell the map of the now dead treasure hunter to parties unknown. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Weiser was the mans best friend and confidant. In many areas they cannot, and will not for any reason land, and actually have designated no fly zones. Here is a place of sprawling rugged wilderness, encompassing the Superstition Wilderness Area and drawing in hikers, rock climbers, campers, and all manner of those looking to enjoy the natural splendor and outdoor activities on offer. The Superstition Mountains, with a name like that you might as well give away fancy proton-backs, of the Ghostbuster variety, at the visitors center, is a series of jagger tooth mountains in Arizona just the east of Phoenix. In gratitude, Gonzales told Erwin about the Peralta mine in the Superstition Mountains, and gave him some antique maps of the site (Gonzales claimed to be descended from the Peralta family on his mother's side). Let may say this; it is not important who engraved the stones, and if itwas Tomlinson and he being the maker or someone else being the engraver of the stones while historically interesting it is not the most important thing. The blindfold is taken off, the shine of the yellow stuff rattles Thornes mind, the chieftain speaks, Take as much gold ore as you can carry.. Fun, family friendly historical site with a lot to see including replicas of old buildings, plenty of hiking, a gift shop and free lectures by locals describing how life was like. Im talking Smaug levels of the shiny stuff. It is rumoured that if the stones are put together in the right way, they are a map to the Peralta Familys gold deposits. They never made it out of the Superstitions.
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