Finally, there really was a successful gold mining family named Peralta, but they were in California, not Arizona, according to Gold Rush Nuggets. After traveling to the region, Ruth stayed several days at the ranch of Tex Barkely to outfit his expedition. 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Dr. George M. Willing Jr. paid Peralta $20,000 for the mining rights for an enormous swath of land about 3,000,000 acres (12,000km2) in southern Arizona and New Mexico based on a deed originally granted by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century. One of the worst kept secrets of the Superstition Mountains. He had metal pins in his leg, and used a cane to help him walk. As Curt Gentry wrote, "Dr. Hrdlicka positively identified the skull as that of Adolph Ruth. Behind The Scenes menu tab will take you to additional "Behind the Scenes" materials . As early as September 1, 1892, The Arizona Enterprise was reporting on the efforts of Thomas and several others to locate the lost mine whose location was told to her by Waltz. If you need rescued, they will land two miles away and hike in to get you. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. Instead, he went missing and his skull was found 6 months later with two large circular holes. If you were inclined to seek it out, your starting location would be the Rogers Trough Trailhead, though you would not be taking that trail, rather you would be backtracking along the ridge, roughly northwest, in generally the same direction as the primitive road you drove in. 9 May 2022. The area is filled with ghost tales, monster . The Superstition Mountain Mining Company (SMMC) No, we're not really a mining company. Superstition Mountain hasan elevation of 5,024 feet. 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). Don Miguel Peralta was the head of a powerful and wealthy Mexican family from Sonora, and they were either ranchers or operated mines or did both. 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. STSTW Media strives to deliver accurate information through careful research. Join us as we explore the Mysteries, Legends and stories of the Superstition Mountains. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. People have been seeking the Lost Dutchman's mine since at least 1892,[2] while according to one estimate, 9,000 people annually made some effort to locate the Lost Dutchman's mine. 3: Gift Shop and Event Manager Dave McElligott This is what brought him to the Superstition Mountains (yes, that's their real name) near what is today the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Jacob Waltz took possession of his mine in 1869, six years before the Silver Chief was filed as an original location. Generally speaking, this mine is claimed to be situated in the Superstition Mountains, described by one source as "a collection of rough terrain that has gained the name of a single mountain" which lies to the east of Phoenix, the Arizonan capital. The Superstitions Mountains lie within the Tonto National wildlife refuge and consist of 242 square miles not counting other designated and preserved areas that boarder the Tonto National Forest and wildlife refuge. On 8 June 2019, a fire broke out in the Superstitions Wilderness area and soon spread across 26,000 acres. The mine is there to be seen, appraised, and judged in any way you see fit, but the story of how it got there is the real treasure. None of the tribes in the area ever considered the mountains to be sacred, and while the Apache tribe does have a thunder deity in their religious beliefs, they don't claim he lives in the Superstitions. Depending on the season, you'll see not only gorgeous desert vegetation but also wildlife. In his 1945 book about the Lost Dutchman's mine. If you get it hurt you better have your own team. The case for the Pit Mine is not new, in fact it has been an open secret for quite some time. Many of Ruth's personal effects were found at the scene, including a pistol (not missing any shells) and the metal pins used to mend his broken bones. Either way, she went to the mountains for a while to search. They supposedly did and brought a good amount of gold back to town according to Tom Kollenborn Chronicles. Bellhop Jesse Capen, 35, was obsessed with the legend of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. The earliest Lost Dutchman's mine in Arizona was said to have been near Wickenburg, about 180km (110mi) north-west of the Superstition Mountains: a "Dutchman" was allegedly discovered dead in the desert near Wickenburg in the 1870s alongside saddlebags filled with gold. Within the refuge are 14 trail heads that cover 190 miles. 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. Arcana Exploration. Not much silver was recovered in the 1979 time period and there was no mention of gold having been taken. 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. Intrigue Journal. For instance, about six of the maps are relevant, others may be relevant, but for now do not appear to be. This is only speculation, what I do know is that, people who have dismissed the information on the stones, no matter who carved the stones, those non believers have been badly mistaken. gold is where you find it. Choice of of building material I like Ironwood +, There is a typo that should be alpha mine not alfa mine. 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. Among the many legends to have emerged from the area, one of the most enduring ones is that of The LostDutchmansGold Mine. They were supposedly dug up in the desert, in area east of Gold canyon and Tucson in the late 1940s byTravis E Tomlinson. The 500-year-old mines of Bolivia's Cerro Rico mountain produced the silver that once made the Spanish empire rich. The record high temperature is 128 degrees. According to Legends of America, the Native Americans in the area believed the Thunder God of their religion lived in the Superstition Mountains, and thus they were required to protect it with lethal force, killing any who might set foot on the mountain and disturb their deity. Through the years, truth and fiction about . The location in question is called the Pit Mine or The Silver Chief. Mike . And, amazingly, a few of these people were also found in the same headless state as Adolph Ruth. In some versions of this story, Waltz was actually plundering these shrines for his own gold. Buy "In Search of the Heart" by Phil Reinhardt at http://www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org/museumgifts/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_. "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). Only one (sometimes two) could not be accounted for. On our may trip in 2016 one day it reached 108 degrees, that same day up on the mountain, climbing on a surface of Granite and sandstone ours guys Trek watches read what they were breathing at an actual 119 degrees. Official estimates vary (the Superstition Mountains are also a popular hiking area and sometimes it's likely difficult to tell if someone was just hiking and got lost or was looking for the Lost Dutchman), but there are at least some every decade. 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. In December, 1931, The Arizona Republic reported on the recent discovery of a human skull in the Superstition Mountains. I feel the information on the Peralta stones is most likely from a very old map of Jesuit origin. 2: Cashiers for questions about whats happening at the museum and local area Like most legends, when you strip it down as close to the truth as possible, it is never as glorious as imagined. What really happened to Ruth? 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. When and where we can get a direct line of sight, we use high tech Walkie talkies, to communicate with each other. The legend then states that, sometime later, the last Peralta survivor(s) were helped out of some kind of bind by Jacob Waltz, and in his debt, they gave him the only thing they had of value: a map to the Peralta family mine in the Superstition Mountains, according to Cowboys and Indiansmagazine. In the year 1870, with his consent, they blindfolded him and took him on a 20-mile trip to an unknown location piled with gold ore. Lastly, the alleged mine directions Ruth had were from an 1895 newspaper account. [10] Trouble came after Willing learned that the deed was entirely bogus. In the first, a doctor (sometimes said to be an Army doctor) called Dr. Thorne was said to have had a Native American man who needed medical assistance brought to him. The newcomers, thus, became the Pennsylvania Dutch. [16] A man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg. Sign up for exclusive updates, previews and special content: So, where is it then? Front View of the Peralta Stones. 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. 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'. Unfortunately, when a group followed the clues given in Ruth's letter, they found nothing. Once again, only rumors kept the legend alive, and these events drove even more Dutch hunters to the dangerous mountains. (In truth, Apaches make up just one of the tribes found in the area, but these were typically all lumped in as "Apache" by white settlers who didn't appreciate the differences in Native American tribes.). In some versions, he's not just a man but the chieftain of the Apache tribe. Today along route 88 is a pull off gravel road, that leads out behind the Lost Dutchman Museum, you follow it to a designated area, here you will find marked trail signs with trails simply marked as the Massacre Grounds.. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The early Spanish the Peraltas the Jesuits and many others all came to the Superstition Mountains looking for legendary gold. Many people have dismissed them as a hoax. Children 10 and under The Superstition Mountains, with a name like that you might as well give away fancy proton-backs, of the Ghostbuster variety, at the visitor's center, is a series of jagger tooth mountains in Arizona just the east of Phoenix. We miss it. 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. It is easily accessible about 40 miles east of Phoenix via U.S. Highway 60, the Superstition Freeway. The search has been a profound one and I discovered that it wasnt the mine I was looking for, but the story. He'll tell you the ore assayed out to something like 10,000 ounces of gold to the ton. While walking thru the shaft holding a digging iron one day, I was tapping the floor to make sure it was solid. Every week see new adventures that unfold another Mystery of the Superstition Mountains on our YouTube Channel. Over the next few weeks and months I will share some photos that will not give away the location but will show things that until now have never been shown before. That is not to say that it was hidden in plain sight, defying discovery under our very noses, but rather that it was concealed by the collective expectations of generations of Dutch Hunters, veiled in legend. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. There are several paths that go through the brush and cacti. 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 Take, for example, the story of Adolph Ruth, an experienced treasure hunter who typically worked with his son, Erwin. Hanna-Barbara, Jean Giraud, and Don Rosa have incorporated the story in their cartoons. His skull with two holes in it identified as bullet holes was recovered about six months after he vanished, and the story made national news, thus sparking widespread interest in the Lost Dutchman's mine.[22]. There are other legends about gold in the Superstition Mountains. He never returned, and months later, an archaeological expedition encountered his remains, which indicated he had been shot, and a hand-written note claiming he had found the entrance to the mine. The Legend Of The Lost Dutchman And His Gold Mine Explained, ever filed a claim for a mine in the Superstitions. A doctor from Illinois, Doctor Abraham Thorne, provided his service to treat the indigenous people of the Southwest. As the mountains have a desert climate and few water resources, there is not much vegetation here. 1: Recorded description of the museum. 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. There are numerous hiking trails that hikers can access from multiple points, one of the more well-known ones being the Peralta Trailhead. Travis Tumlinson, a policeman, discovered the Peralta Stones on a roadside near the Superstition Mountains in the 1940s. There's the thrill of the hunt, solving the clues, and what could be a better payoff than a big cache of riches? The story of the Peralta Stones is that they lead you to a small almost invisible ledge, like a small birds nest perched in the middle of a forest of giant oaks concealed by the natural elements, it obscures itself from all beasts of prey especially man. Kinos Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson unlike other missions in California was both massive and opulent, and still stands today. Elevation: 6,001 Feet (1,829 Meters) Primary Mineral: Copper Lat, Long: 46.3369, -113.26190 Map: View on Google Maps Then, she took the map that was either from Waltz's imagination or her own and made a whole lot of money selling copies of it. These trails traverse from the desert floor up into the edges of the mountains. Waltz died in 1891 of pneumonia, but before he passed, he gave a few final clues to the location of his mine and even provided a crude map to it. This is considered to be the starting and gathering point for most Dutch Hunters. 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. They removed his blindfold and let him take away as much as he could carry. It appears no one ever bothered to just ask the Native Americans in the area if the mountains were sacred. What is important is the informational content recorded on the stones. Weavers Needle, a peak located in the Superstition Mountains. 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. I also believe the mine was never lost. Over the decades, this tale was gradually absorbed into the Lost Dutchman's story. The legend of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine is a quintessential version of just such a story. (Latin Heart Reader / Wikimedia Commons). You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. According to some storytellers, in September 1848, a band of Apaches slaughtered the entire Peralta Family, except one (someone had to live to tell the tale). When you visit, follow the hard rock mining process from mine to bullion. We have imaging taken, with Go-pros, Sony 7000s; Osmo stabilized film cameras and Dji Phantom and Bee-bop drones. 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. This tale involves two German men, Jacob Waltz and Jacob Weiser. One of the most professional and serious-minded efforts was led by Oklahoma City private detective Glen Magill, who organized multiple expeditions in the late 1960s and early '70s, and claimed on at least two occasions to have identified the location of the mine, later to concede he was either mistaken or the locations were "played out," or bereft of gold. After the conquistadors and priests are purported to have come and gone from the Superstition Mountains, legend tells of another group who arrived sometime in the earlier half of the 1800s. Later, he remarked that he had noticed a towering rock formation nearby, but otherwise remained clueless about the whereabouts of the place. The Peralta Massacre is a legend that Apaches supposedly ambushed a mining expedition the Peralta family sent into the mountains. When is the documentary goimg to start back up? Still, this doesn't dissuade treasure hunters. [3] Former Arizona Attorney General Robert K. Corbin is among those who have looked for the mine. We are currently in the process of planning for a return trip to further document our findings. [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. 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. They either mined or found enormous gold deposits in the Superstition Mountains. [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=1148479290, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from April 2023, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Much of the truth has laid obscured in old Spanish, Jesuit and Catholic Church documentation, including maps, expedition journals, and diaries and in many cases with those buried in long ago lost and forgotten graves. He pursued mining and prospecting, but seems to have had little luck with either. Now riddled with tunnels, the mountain is a death trap for the . Jacob Waltz took to returning to the mountains only when he needed the gold. His expeditions led to the discovery of several of what he called Spanish mines which, at the time, was in contradiction to accepted history. So what do we really know about these legends, Waltz, and the Superstition Mountains? If these conditions do not exist, gold will not exist. Recently, however, non-destructive tests have become possible and the two samples have been compared. 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. 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. The one, tangible piece of evidence still in existence are the samples remaining from the ore taken by Dick Holmes, namely the matchbox. Much of the interior is so brutal with severe weather shifts (the Apache winds) that much of the interior is off limits for search and rescue. James Rogers was the man who actually discovered the ledge and he became a partner with Enslinger. No one knows for sure, but his disappearance and death, while better-documented than other legends revolving around the Lost Dutchman's gold mine, may have simply furthered the legend and put even more treasure seekers in danger. For more. However, there were no directions to the conquest mentioned in his diary. Dec 18, 2016 #6 JFDIAFF: There's another story that supposedly took place three centuries earlier also involving a treasure stashed away in the area. In it, he puts together the clues and evidence and makes a convincing case for the Pit Mine. Image property of Arcana Exploration, photo taken at the Lost Dutchman Museum Apache Junction, Arizona. Then the Apaches killed Jacob Weiser,or according to some, Waltz himself did it. Legends have. There have been many stories about how to find the mine, and each year people search for the mine. A two-room rock house in a cave across the canyon from the mine, The peak of Weavers needle being visible from the top of the mine, The military trail being visible below, but not vice versa, It being in a smaller east-west canyon inside a north-south running canyon, The case for the Pit Mine is not new, in fact it has been an open secret for quite some time. 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. He had acquired maps that he was sure would lead him straight to the gold. It is here were you will reach areas that are barely penetrable, this is where most trails stop abruptly for safety reasons. Animals like deer coyotes, pumas and bobcats live here, existing alongside birds, rodents, snakes, and other reptiles. 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). Silvermines, historically known as Bellagowan (Irish: Bal tha Gabhann), is a village in County Tipperary in Ireland.It lies immediately north of the Silvermine mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver nearby.
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