The praying hands formation at the Superstition Mountains range. So who killed the Spanish treasure hunters that came to the land? There are several paths that go through the brush and cacti. "Dutchman" was a common American term for a German ("Dutch" being the English cognate to the German demonym "Deutsch", and not a reference to the Dutch people). In an addition to this legend, it's claimed two soldiers came to the Superstitions after hearing of Dr. Thorne's story to see if they could locate the cache. Adults $7.00 The soldiers are alleged to have presented some of the gold, but to have been killed or to have vanished soon after. Arcana Exploration has been there on four separate trips the first in October of 2015. The highest peak of the range is Keeper Hill or Slievekimalta at 694 metres (2,277 ft) high. To underline his great find, he had also written Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, and I conquered) in his diary. Famed Apache Geronimo is sometimes mentioned in relation to this story. The Superstition Mountain Mining Company (SMMC) No, we're not really a mining company. 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). [29][clarification needed]. His expeditions led to the discovery of several of what he called Spanish mines which, at the time, was in contradiction to accepted history. If you need rescued, they will land two miles away and hike in to get you. They found what they were looking for and then some, according to Lost Dutchman State Park. Researchers point to an old beliefby local farmersthat the nearby Pima Native American tribe were superstitious about the mountains. Ask any prospector and they will tell. Bellhop Jesse Capen, 35, was obsessed with the legend of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. Searching for The Gold of the Lost Dutchman Mine in Superstition Mountain Follow the Process. The initial search party found no trace of him, but then, in December 1931, they found a human skull with two holes from a .44 caliber. Going on a year now. 3: Gift Shop and Event Manager Dave McElligott But Blair suggested that this core story was distorted in subsequent retellings, comparing the many variants of the Lost Dutchman's story to the game of Chinese whispers, where the original account is distorted in multiple retellings of the tale.[15]. A note in a bottle found floating down the Salt River said that he needed help on account of his leg and that he had found the Lost Dutchmans gold mine. Get Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains gear at https://my-store-cadb1e.creator-sprin. (2004). We have imaging taken, with Go-pros, Sony 7000s; Osmo stabilized film cameras and Dji Phantom and Bee-bop drones. They didnt find it because its not in the superstitions Too bad i cant post pictures, because i know exactly where it is, Did you ever think the Dutchman might have used another mine location to through As the mountains have a desert climate and few water resources, there is not much vegetation here. Additionally, there is a partial tunnel, or drift, in the canyon below that moves in the direction of the main shaft and was crudely walled up. It's impossible to know for certain, but there is one big clue. The Lost Dutchman mine is far from the beginning of the legends of gold hidden in the Superstition Mountains. It is known as the Pit Mine because of the funnel like shape it was dug in, which was common in Spanish and Mexican mining. Other prominent features that fit Waltzs clues, among many others, include: Skeptics will tell you, as will anyone who has hiked those mountains, that there are many other places that fit these descriptions and that seeing faces, or other objects, in rocks can be simple pareidolia, and there is a fair amount of truth in that. He spent much of his spare time reading about it and searching for it. [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. 1: Recorded description of the museum. Web. There was indeed a Jacob Waltz who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany. [42] The park was expanded to 320 acres (130ha) in 1983. In fact, after five years including thousands of hours of research and then four expeditions starting in 2015, The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been found by Arcana Exploration and Discovery. It's likely this legend just got re-adapted to the Superstitions to boost the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine. The record high temperature is 128 degrees. Due to the out-of-control fire, the Arizona authorities were forced to close the State Route 88, and, along with it, public access to the Canyon, Apache Lake, Apache Campground, picnic sites, and trailheads. Gary also spoke to the Feldman family, who have been searching for the mine since the 1960s, under patriarch Ron's tutelage. It can also be a touchy subject to broach, depending on who you are speaking with. Blair cited evidence of the historical Jacob Waltz and suggested that additional evidence supports the core elements of the story that Waltz claimed to have discovered (or at least heard the story of) a rich gold vein or cache. In some versions of this story, Waltz was actually plundering these shrines for his own gold. 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. In 1875, James Rogers made a claim there and dubbed it The Silver Chief. 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. The western portion of the Superstitions was made a national wilderness area in 1983, and it's been closed to prospecting and mining ever since. Seniors $6.00 (65 and older) Jesuits - Ancient Lost Treasures [8] The mine was quite profitable, earning about $35,000 in less than one year; Blair described this as "an unusually good return" for such a small gold mine to earn in such a relatively brief period. Blair suggested that this Waltz could be the same Waltz who later came to be regarded as the legendary Dutchman, and that he Americanized the spelling of his family name. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. Apparently, Waltz began to hint he knew of a secret gold vein hidden in the mountains, even giving out a few clues to its location. They're convinced the mine is to the east of the mountains at the. Nov 19, 2003 #8. Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains - YouTube Cox was a contrarian to the accepted Waltz lore of the day and had his own theories about thePeraltasand Waltz. Silvermines - Wikipedia When you visit, follow the hard rock mining process from mine to bullion. He died of pneumonia in 1891 and, according to the three neighbours who cared for him, he left them the box of gold under his bed and directions to the gold mine. Supposedly a mine with fabulously rich gold deposits. In fact, the Dutchman lies on the eastern edge of the Superstitions, a few miles southwest of Iron Mountain. First you drive to the outskirts of Phoenix and find Apache Junction, then pick up the old Apache Trail (route88) and go about 35 miles to Tortilla Flat, site of the old stage coach Pony express stop, along the Apache Trail. It is a prominent landmark located generally south and east of the Salt River, rising approximately 3,000 feet (910 m) above the Salt River Valley. What is important is the informational content recorded on the stones. The story sometimes claims there were arrows all around, and so thus it must have been the Apache protecting their sacred mountains. While a few versions have Waltz outright stealing the gold, in other versions, he either rescued or fell in love with an Apache woman who shared the secret of a gold vein her people had been mining for centuries, but as punishment for sharing the knowledge with an outsider, her tongue was cut out, ensuring she could never speak again. Yet, legend insists that it does. When and where we can get a direct line of sight, we use high tech Walkie talkies, to communicate with each other. The Lost Dutchman Mine, and the Superstition Mountain Within the refuge are 14 trail heads that cover 190 miles. New posts Top Treasure Finds Search forums Members Current visitors New profile posts Search profile posts. It's an entire genre all its own, from pirate maps to all the stuff Nicolas Cage got up to in the National Treasure movies. Another detail which casts doubt on the story is the fact that, according to Blair, there was never any Dr. Thorne in the employ of the Army or indeed of the Federal Government in the 1860s. Sep 2, 2019 5 6 . It is easily accessible about 40 miles east of Phoenix via U.S. Highway 60, the Superstition Freeway. When they immigrated to Pennsylvania from Deutschland (Germany), the locals mistook Deutsch for Dutch. FREE with paid Adult There are many variations of this story, including that the mine is cursed, killing anyone who . Erwin passed the information to his father Adolph, who had a long-standing interest in lost mines and amateur exploration. The photographic evidence taken at the site along with a selection of maps combined with historical documentation together, links the most generally accepted and related informational evidence too present day boots on the ground reality. Explore The Mysteries. Perhaps this is why many of the legends involve people bringing gold to the mountain and leaving it hidden there. Thats just the name we use for the group of mining exhibits that youll experience when you visit the museum. But there's no evidence he was any sort of engineering or mining genius like some legends claim. They are anchored by Superstition Mountain, a large mountain that is a popular recreation destination for residents of the Phoenix, Arizona, area. There's the thrill of the hunt, solving the clues, and what could be a better payoff than a big cache of riches? Arcadia Publishing. Cerro Rico: Devil worship on the man-eating mountain - BBC News This is very important! Without going into a lengthy scientific explanation, I will say that geology defies the existence of gold in most of the Superstition Mountains, especially on the western side. Nearly fifty years later, Ron Feldman proved Coxs theory to be true, documenting a Spanish mine at Rogers Springs, only a few miles from the Pit Mine. Cravey said he would walk out of the mountains on June 28, 1947. For the first time ever, Arcana Exploration has undeniable physical proof that the mine exists, proof that is to say, photographic physical documentation that many of the generally excepted clues, are in fact real and do exist and are physically present in one location. 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. Then the Apaches killed Jacob Weiser,or according to some, Waltz himself did it. The 500-year-old mines of Bolivia's Cerro Rico mountain produced the silver that once made the Spanish empire rich. For more. Travis Tumlinson, a policeman, discovered the Peralta Stones on a roadside near the Superstition Mountains in the 1940s. No, were not really a mining company. (However, in some versions,[14] the 'mine' is actually a cache put there by the Peraltas.). The map is supposedly filled with clues, and there are many others purportedly given by Waltz at various points in his life according to legends, but it's hard to prove he actually ever said any of those things. ENTER THE HEART OF DARKNESS | Legend of the Superstition Mountains (S1 Also, there's no documentation showing he ever filed a claim for a mine in the Superstitions or any paperwork showing where he allegedly sold mass amounts of gold. In a story that echoes some of the earlier tales, Ruth's son Erwin C. Ruth was said to have learned of the Peralta mine from a man called Pedro Gonzales (or Gonzalez). Superstition Mountain hasan elevation of 5,024 feet. It was the fifth-largest fire in Arizonas history, it raged for over a month, despite the strenuous containment efforts of over 600 firefighters. Everyone loves a good treasure hunting story. This also fits Waltzs description. Finally - The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Is Found! Not only that, but some legends claim there were a number of shrines in the mountains filled with gold meant to be an offering to the Thunder God. The only thing slightly off the cuff, is that three of them do ride their Harleys from central Ohio to Sturgis and back on a regular basis, but more about them later. Some have died on the search. Treasure Map of the Superstition MountainsThe Peralta Stones These are tall, volcanic formations in the wilderness and are popular as hiking destinations. Some searchers for the mine have disappeared in likely wilderness accidents. The Pit Mine is located close to the Randolph Mining District, which is historically well known and produced vast amounts of silver. Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine - Wikipedia Shrouded in mystery, the mine is not only allegedly rich in gold but is also said to have a curse upon it, leading to a number of strange deaths and people who mysteriously go "missing" when they . Superstition Mountain - Wikipedia The one, tangible piece of evidence still in existence are the samples remaining from the ore taken by Dick Holmes, namely the matchbox. [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). The man said Dr. Thorne could take as much as he could carry, at which point he was blindfolded again and led out. He had metal pins in his leg, and used a cane to help him walk. The lost Dutchman Gold mine is generally believed to be somewhere near or in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. When the townspeople went to look for them, they found nearly all of the family slaughtered. During Kinos time other Missionaries in California and Mexico were jealous and suspicious of Kino because, while they were poor and struggled his missions were rich and flourished, they said he had a secret gold mine from which he took rich gold and funded his missions and rancheros amassing 50 thousand head of cattle making him the Southwests first mega rancher. Silver King Mine Superstition Mountains. 5: Museum Administration and Membership matters, E-MAILVolunteering questions: [emailprotected]Site rentals: [emailprotected]Membership questions: [emailprotected]Retail and event issues: [emailprotected]Accounting issues: [emailprotected]Administrative and other issues: [emailprotected]FAX(480) 288-6524, Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day and Easter. Only one (sometimes two) could not be accounted for. This is considered to be the starting and gathering point for most Dutch Hunters. [16] A man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg. Superstition Mountain has an elevation of 5,024 feet. According to the story, in about 1912 Erwin C. Ruth gave some legal aid to Gonzales, saving him from almost certain imprisonment. 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. Two prominent landmarks here are the Weavers Needle and the Miners Needle. Blair suggested that "fragments of this legend have perhaps become attached to the mythical mine of Jacob Waltz".[6]. Nobody else has ever been able to find that rich of ore since then anywhere else in AZ.