They found what they were looking for and then some, according to Lost Dutchman State Park. The Lost Dutchman is America's most famous lost mine, and many people have risked their lives searching for it. In most variants of the story, the family of a man called Miguel Peralta discovered the mine and began mining the gold there, only to be attacked or massacred by Apaches in about 1850 in the supposed Peralta massacre. Courtesy Collection of Greg Davis / Superstition Mountain Museum , The Lost Dutchman is one of the greatest lost mine stories of them all. 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]. Jumping ahead to the late 1860s, German prospector Jacob Waltz moved to Phoenix and began prospecting in the mountains east of the new city. None of this rules out that he simply found a cache of abandoned gold, of course, and when he died, he did have in his possessions some high-grade gold ore, though its value is unclear and it may have just been for attracting potential investors in his prospecting operations. Wikimedia CommonsThe Weavers Needle rock column of Arizonas Superstition Mountains is often said to mark the location of the Lost Dutchman Mine. The Lost Dutchmans Mine is featured in Season 1, Episode 21 of the television series Unsolved Mysteries. The episode first aired on April 12, 1989. The Lost Dutchman Mine Lost In The Woods Podcast True Crime According to legends, the Lost Dutchman Mine is hidden in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. He had worked as a miner but was an amateur prospector at best. The story is that he was given a 5 million acre land grant from the King of Spain and vested with the title "Baron of the Colorados.". Julia, whose occupation is sometimes listed as a nurse and sometimes as a baker, took care of Waltz late in life and the two became close friends. However, Ruth ignored Barkely's advice, and set out for a two-week stint in the mountains. All were unsuccessful; a few are said to have never left the mountains. Ruth and his son came into some maps of mine locations, including the Peralta Mine. According to the tales, a Spanish conquistador (often said to be Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, but sometimes reported as any number of other explorers, real and fictional) came to the Superstition Mountains in the mid-1500s searching for a mythical city of gold, one of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold, somewhere in the mountains, according to Legends of America. Barkely repeatedly urged Ruth to abandon his search for the mine, because the terrain of the Superstition Mountains was treacherous even for experienced outdoorsmen, let alone for the 66-year-old Ruth in the heat of the Arizona summer. This bug is to make my fortune, he continued, with a triumphant smile, to reinstate me in my family possessions. Stories vary on how Waltz found this hidden treasure. Going on a year now. Lastly, the alleged mine directions Ruth had were from an 1895 newspaper account. . This tale involves two German men, Jacob Waltz and Jacob Weiser. Waltz, now the sole possessor of all the gold, eventually moved to Phoenix where he died in 1891, but not before relaying his story to his neighbor, Julia Thomas. The story sometimes claims there were arrows all around, and so thus it must have been the Apache protecting their sacred mountains. RaksyBH/Shutterstock Many people have dismissed them as a hoax. He joined an expedition looking for a rich. After one hundred and twenty- five plus years incredibly, the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been found, proving that the legend is more than mere myth and as predicted by Jacob Waltz himself No miner will ever find my mine. There are several paths that go through the brush and cacti. However, even armed with the clues and map, no one in the area could find the Dutchman's mine, thus giving it the name of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine. We miss it. We are currently in the process of planning for a return trip to further document our findings. A band of Apache braves in Arizona. In some versions of this story, Waltz was actually plundering these shrines for his own gold. There's no evidence they ever came to Arizona at all. For instance, about six of the maps are relevant, others may be relevant, but for now do not appear to be. The land contained parts of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Superstition Mountains. Its said they saved his life, and in gratitude, the man (one of the two who had escaped the Apache massacre) took his new friends to several Spanish gold mines. First. 8 - 12. Let's start with the basics. Waltz did claim to have a treasure, but he really didn't and was simply telling tall tales to make his life seem more interesting, then Julia Thomas believed him. (Courtesy: Robert Cooper) Three years ago, a Denver bellhop ventured into Arizona's Superstition Mountains determined to find the Lost Dutchman's Mine, an elusive, vast gold reserve that has. Clay Worst says the Dutchman bounced all over America obsessed with finding gold---and found nothing. by Bob Willis | Apr 1, 2005 | Travel & Preservation. In January 1932, human remains were discovered about three-quarters of a mile (1.21km) from where the skull had been found. There's some evidence to suggest he engaged in a shady practice called highgrading basically claiming ore is more valuable than it really is. It involves murder, secrets, and a whole lotta sweet, sweet gold. After growing up on the East Coast and California, Feldman moved in 1968 to Arizona where he established a successful stable offering trail rides and pack trips into the rugged mountains that were once home to the Apaches. Neither Thomas nor anyone since has been able to find the now legendary gold of the Lost Dutchman Mine, although that has not discouraged people from trying (one widely-circulated estimate from the 1970s claimed that 8,000 people a year search for it). The body of a man who was 'fueled by obsession' to find a legendary gold mine has reportedly been found in the remote Superstition Mountains of Arizona. Image property of Arcana Exploration, photo taken at the Lost Dutchman Museum Apache Junction, Arizona. 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). Allegedly, Dr. Thorne tried to find the cave again but was unsuccessful, or found it and was killed. Skeptoid Media, 29 Jan 2013. The Superstition Mountains in Arizona are bound to be home to at least a few good stories by virtue of their name alone. It wasnt until the late 1870s that the man who would give the mine its legendary name was able to lock down the location with the help of one of the Peraltas descendants. 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. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Furthermore, Wilburn stated that geology indicates that there is no gold in the Superstition Mountains, which are igneous in origin. Here he worked at the Vulture Mine as a paid miner. Some of you reading this may know a lot, about the Lost Dutchman Goldmine, others may be new to the story of the Lost Dutchman Mine, so before going much further, I will do a very quick overview. A note from Ruth saying he needed help and had discovered the mine was found in the Salt River. His head had been severed from his body and was lying several feet away. As a reward, Dr. Thorne was blindfolded and led to a cave in the mountains. Up on the mountain, if someone breaks a leg; it will take at least two on the team to get you down; it is dangerous for three healthy climbers, much less one with broken body parts. He disappeared after going on a quest for the legendary 'Lost Dutchman's' gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. Ruth ended his note with the phrase "Veni, vidi, vici. The story of the missing mine started when the Peralta family moved to the area in the early 19th century to try their luck at mining. You need at a bare minimum, at least a three- man team. That, in and of itself, is a separate legend. And is that information relevant? After traveling to the region, Ruth stayed several days at the ranch of Tex Barkely to outfit his expedition. The average high temperature in June, July and August, is 104 degrees. [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. It does not matter if Tomlinson engraved them or someone else did, exactly when they were made is not important, what matters is what is on them. 2217 KB. In fact, after five years including thousands of hours of research and then four . Ruth had in his possession what he claimed was a map giving the location of the Peralta's Las Minas Sombreras. First, let's talk about the geology of the mountains. It is an easy thing The name comes from a prominent local legend of the enigmatic . OH, I almost forgot there is no cell phone service absolutely none. 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. Both of these legends are sometimes set before the Dutchman arrived in Arizona, but some time afterward, and thus Dr. Thorne and the soldiers may have stumbled across the Lost Dutchman's mine. As the story goes, Waltz and his partner befriended a Mexican who had been working a mine in the mountains. Top ways to experience Goldfield Ghost Town and nearby attractions. Dark Mountain: Directed by Tara Anase. Photo: Marine 69-71 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Padre Kino founded many missions including Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson. This is what brought him to the Superstition Mountains (yes, that's their real name) near what is today the city of Phoenix, Arizona. According to legends, a man named Jacob Waltz, the titular Dutchman (though he was actually German and not Dutch), came to America to seek out his fortune around the 1860s, according to Lost Dutchman State Park. April Warnecke 4/11/2022. The conquistador and his men arrived and made their way deep into the mountains, despite the warnings of danger from the local Apache. "The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine." The lost Dutchman Gold mine is generally believed to be somewhere near or in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. To determine if the skull was Ruth's, it was examined by Dr. Ale Hrdlika, a well-respected anthropologist who was given several photos of Ruth, along with Ruth's dental records. have experience in the Superstition Mountains, actually looked for the mine themselves, found evidence to support the mines existence . Through Coxs widow, Feldmans group gathered firsthand knowledge that Cox excavated a mine and uncovered a stash of Spanish bullion, a fact that has been almost substantiated by the use of Ground Penetrating Radar. In his 1945 book about the Lost Dutchman's mine. Arcadia Publishing. 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. With Ida Lupino, Glenn Ford, Gig Young, William Prince. Then around 1692, the Jesuit padre father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived. Since federal regulations restrict the use of power equipment, the headframe operates much like it would have in the 19th century. In subsequent years, the Dutchmanas Waltz was calledworked both placer and lode gold mines in the region. But he was soon known as the Lost . 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. Waltz relocated to Arizona in the 1860s, and stayed in the territory for most of the rest of his life. Supposedly, the Peraltas actually found a very rich gold vein and set up a mining operation. Where: 46109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction. Cox concentrated his search on the eastern end of what is now the Superstition Wilderness. 2017. Thus, it seems these Jesuit priests might have stashed their treasure somewhere in the mountains as they passed through, thus ensuring the Spanish empire couldn't get their hands on the Jesuit fortune. He contracted it as a young child, when he was enthralled with books and stories of hidden treasures and lost gold. Legend of the Superstition Mountains: With Keenan Johnston, Mark Dodson, Frank Augustine, Wayne Tuttle. Later on came a long list of early and newly appointed Dons of Spain who also made forays into the Prima Alta looking for riches. Visiting Lost Dutchman State Park. 1873. The network's all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming. The Lost Dutchman Mine: The Fabulous Story of the Seven-Decade Search for the Hidden Treasure of the Superstition Mountains of Arizona Hardcover - January 1, 1960 by Sims Ely (Author) 11 ratings See all formats and editions Hardcover $47.55 7 Used from $43.57 1 Collectible from $95.00 Print length 178 pages Language English Publisher He pursued mining and prospecting, but seems to have had little luck with either. The detailed record keepers the Mexican miners were, there is not another mine in here that would 'fit' for this time and location. While this doesn't mean it's impossible there's gold to mine up there, it makes it far less likely. Once again, only rumors kept the legend alive, and these events drove even more Dutch hunters to the dangerous mountains. Allegedly, people saw the Jesuits come up to the Superstition Mountains with their loads of gold, but when they were spotted again on the other side, the mules carried no loads. [16] A man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg. It is generally accepted that the Peraltas and roughly 400 peon miners were massacred by the Apaches sometime around 1848. There's the thrill of the hunt, solving the clues, and what could be a better payoff than a big cache of riches? Indicates that there is no cell phone service absolutely none be home to at least few... 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