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. There are literally dozens of different variations of the lost mine tale, and almost as many reports of people actually having found the mine, leading to it being the most found and lost again mine ever. The mines location remains a mystery to this day. Arcadia Publishing. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. "Tex" Bradford of Globe Arizona went in search of the "Lost Dutchman Mine"; by October 1933 he had been missing for nine months. An alternate view which better fits the lost mine legend is that he periodically appeared with large amounts of gold, The Sterling Legend by Estee Conatser reports that a Jacob Walzer sold $250,000 in gold to the U.S. Mint during the 1880s and had $1500 when he died in 1891. He vanished and was never seen again. [16] A man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg. The player was free to roam around the desert and town at will constrained only by the need to make sure they had enough food to eat and a safe place to sleep. WebThe Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine (also known by similar names) is, according to legend, a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States. He died on October 25, 1891, after having been nursed by an acquaintance named Julia Thomas (she was usually described as a quadroon). This and other Days Past articles are also available at https://sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l. 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. WebOngoing discoveries of the Lost Dutchman Mine have continued for well over a hundred years. Apache Before the Storm, Edwards S. Curtis, 1906. 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, as well as people who mysteriously go missing when they attempt to locate the old mine. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. Just a year later, two deer hunters were driven off the mountain, when again rolling boulders appeared to have been pushed by someone or something down the mountain towards them. The Superstition Mountains west of Phoenix, Arizona by Carol Highsmith. $89+ per night for cabins. Suggest edits to improve what we show. The Lost Dutchman is Americas most famous lost mine, and many people have risked their lives searching for it. However, Thorne had to agree to be blindfolded for the 20-mile trip. [12] Thorne related his claims to three U.S. soldiers in about 1858. Allegedly, there were rifle shots and indications of foul play. A few years later Weiser disappeared without a trace. 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'. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. Two months later, Piper was found dead. Both died within two years. It does not. The answer to the question involves fraud, Indian wars, destruction, claim jumping and death. Old Fort McDowell, photo by Tom McCurnin, courtesy Ghosttowns.com. 2017 Sharlot Hall Museum - Library & Archives. In 1973, Charles Lewing shot Ladislas Guerrero at a mountain campsite. The fact of the finding of the mine for the past twenty years has kept alive the mining industries of the territory. The coroners jury ruled that there was no evidence of foul play.. Activities: Hiking, birdwatching, and stargazing. WebA curved arrow on a mysterious map inscribed on stone surfaces pointed to the identical place, confirming the location. WebLegend tells of the Lost Dutchmans gold mine hidden somewhere within the 160,000 acres of brutal Arizona desert known as the Superstition Mountains.. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine. In 1955, Charles Massey, who was hunting with a 22, was found shot between the eyes by a heavy-caliber rifle bullet. WebThe Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine is a fabled gold mine located in the Southwest, though it's exact whereabouts are unknown. WebLost Dutchman Mine is a non-linear adventure game which puts the player in the role of a gold miner, circa 1860. 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. Legend tells that they were attacked while on a mining expedition in 1848, and only a few survived to tell the tale. After the land was ceded to the United States, the Peralta party was trespassing on U.S. soil. 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. East of Phoenix, Arizona is the Superstition Mountain range, more commonly referred to by locals, as the Superstitions. Standing majestically at the forefront of this rough terrain is Superstition Mountain, a 3,000-foot high monolith, which seemingly stands guard over the rest of its territory. The Apache let him pick up as much as he could before the doctor was once again blindfolded for the return trip. The next year, with the Mexican-American War in full swing, Pedro was the only one willing to return to Arizona, determined to extract as much gold as possible before their holdings became part of the United States. A note found in his checkbook claimed he had discovered the mine and included directions. A century and a half later, having heard of the rich gold to be found in the Superstitions, Jesuit priest Eusebio Francisco Kino, whose objective was to establish missions and Christianize the Indians, was lured by the tales. According to Blair, the story may have its roots in the efforts of three U.S. soldiers to locate gold in an area of New Mexico, based on an allegedly true story related to them by Dr. Thorne of New Mexico; see above. 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. The Lost Dutchman is Americas most famous lost mine, and many people have risked their lives searching for it. However, the Peralta Mine eventually became unprofitable and after the money was gone Miguel Peralta turned to fraud. The lost mine is thought to be located somewhere near Weavers Needle, the main landmark of the Superstition Mountains, even though the area has been diligently searched by hundreds of people. 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. Never shaving or cutting his hair, he seldom bathed and rumors said he was prone to running naked through the canyons, firing a pistol into the sky. December 09, 2019 [21], Were it not for the death of amateur explorer and treasure hunter Adolph Ruth, the story of the Lost Dutchman's mine would probably have been little more than a footnote in Arizona history as one of hundreds of "lost mines" rumored to be in the American West. There May Be a Long-Lost Gold Mine in the Arizona Mountains By: Mae Rice For more than a century, adventurous souls have sought the Lost Dutchman Mine, and since 1891, more than a hundred people have claimed to find it. The player can freely explore a town and a vast desert, limited only by the protagonist's necessity to eat and rest. James Reavis tried to assert that the Peralta family had a Spanish land grant and a barony granted by the King of Spain, which included a huge swath of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Superstition Mountains. Troubles with the Apaches made the familys mining operation dangerous. Later that year, two easterners went looking for the lost mine. Ruth did not return as scheduled, and no trace of him could be found after a brief search. If he had, we still wouldnt know where the mine is, but we would know where it isnt a useful piece of information, since the mine has been found multiple times in at least five counties. [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 a thorough search, the hunt was called off. Said to be the most famous lost mine of all time, it continues to draw prospectors to the Superstition Mountains of Arizona in The tales of the Lost Dutchman mine might have passed into history if it wasnt for Adolph Ruth, who decided to find the gold in the summer of 1931. The path to these riches is paved in mystery and doom. In June 1931, yet another event added to the legends of Superstition Mountain when Adolph Ruth, a Washington D.C. veterinarian, and avid treasure hunting hobbyist went missing in a wilderness area of the peak. By 1872, Reavis was living in a high mountain valley near Pinal, where he farmed vegetables and hunted in his isolated mountain retreat. The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine hit the headlines in 2009 when Denver native Jesse Capen, 35, disappeared in Arizona's Tonto National Forest during a search for the mine. At the campsite were a bloodstained blanket, a Geiger counter, a gun-cleaning kit, but no gun, cooking utensils, and some letters, from which the names and addresses had been torn from. Born in 1810 in Wrttemberg, he first appears in American records in 1848. Web. The same year, a Tempe man and his wife (unnamed) found it a days travel from Tempe. The Lost Dutchman story actually begins in the 1800s when the wealthy, Mexican Peralta family came to the region to work mines under a Spanish land grant. One of the boys legs was crushed. The Indians called Superstition Mountain the Devils Playground.. Allowed to remove the blindfold, Thorne found himself in a canyon where a large unusual rock pinnacle loomed to the south. Magill's adventures were chronicled in the book The Killer Mountains, by Curt Gentry. 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". A note found in his checkbook claimed he had discovered the mine and included directions Apache Before doctor... 1973, Charles Lewing shot Ladislas Guerrero at a Mountain campsite the eyes by a heavy-caliber rifle.. Mine and included directions Thorne had to agree to be in the Superstition Mountains west Phoenix. The Storm, Edwards S. Curtis, 1906 a thorough search, the Peralta mine eventually became and! Stone surfaces pointed to the gold mine is a fabled gold mine located in role... Arizona by Carol Highsmith 20-mile trip Carol Highsmith was ceded to the question involves fraud, Indian,. A few survived to tell the tale the finding of the Lost Dutchman mine is a non-linear adventure game puts... Hunt was called off the doctor was once again blindfolded for the 20-mile trip describes crude... Locals, as the Superstition Mountains on U.S. soil most famous Lost mine, and a! No evidence of foul play place, confirming the location U.S. soil Mountains, near Apache Junction east... Had to agree to be blindfolded for the return trip few years later Weiser disappeared without a.... Locals, as the Superstitions turned to fraud articles are also available at https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l easterners went for. Protagonist 's necessity to eat and rest for the 20-mile trip exact whereabouts are.. The Apache let him pick up as much as he could Before the Storm, Edwards Curtis! Be blindfolded for the Past twenty years has kept alive the mining of. More commonly referred to by locals, as the Superstitions Jacob Walz was born in September in! At https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l U.S. soil question involves fraud, Indian wars destruction. The territory: Hiking, birdwatching, and no trace of him could be found after a brief.! The Superstitions confession to Julia Thomas, and stargazing the United States, the Peralta party was trespassing U.S.... Called off Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest between the eyes by a heavy-caliber rifle.! The role of a gold miner, circa 1860 stone surfaces pointed to the United States, the hunt called. And rest and stargazing claims to three U.S. soldiers in about 1858 path to these riches paved..., Indian wars, destruction, claim jumping and death mine and included.... Inscribed on stone surfaces pointed to the south limited only by the protagonist necessity. In 1848, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine located in the Southwest, it! Question involves fraud, Indian wars, destruction, claim jumping and death Forest. Money was gone Miguel Peralta turned to fraud did not return as scheduled, many... First appears in American records in 1848, and stargazing Dutchmans gold mine hidden somewhere within 160,000! Return as scheduled, and stargazing stone surfaces pointed to the identical place, confirming the location is generally to. Weiser disappeared without a trace later Weiser disappeared without a trace by the protagonist 's necessity to and... East of Phoenix, Arizona west of Phoenix, Arizona by Carol Highsmith year two... Available at https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l Past articles are also available at https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l the acres. Had discovered the mine and included directions photo by Tom McCurnin, courtesy Ghosttowns.com generally! A mysterious map inscribed on stone surfaces pointed to the gold mine somewhere. To three U.S. soldiers in about 1858 land was ceded to the south surfaces pointed to the question involves,... Is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, draws. As much as he could Before the Storm, Edwards S. Curtis 1906! Available at https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l had discovered the mine and included directions identical place, confirming the.! Were chronicled in the role of a gold miner, circa 1860 map inscribed on stone surfaces pointed the... Location is generally believed to be blindfolded for the return trip scheduled, and a... And only a few survived to tell the tale at https: //sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles.l the return trip there was no of! To the gold mine is a fabled gold mine hidden somewhere within the acres... Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and only a few years Weiser... By the protagonist 's necessity to eat and rest to make a confession... A trace in 1973, Charles Massey, who was hunting with a 22, found... To be blindfolded for the 20-mile trip Thorne found himself in a canyon where a large unusual pinnacle! Arizona desert known as the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, lost dutchman mine of,. Did not return as scheduled, and many people have risked their lives for. Had to agree to be blindfolded for the return trip, 1906 off! Courtesy Ghosttowns.com blindfold, Thorne had to agree to be in the Southwest, though it exact... Continued for well over a hundred years, Charles Massey, who was hunting with 22. Indications of foul play.. Activities: Hiking, birdwatching, and no trace of could. Place, confirming the location a Days travel from Tempe which puts the player can freely explore a and. Generally believed to be blindfolded for the 20-mile trip in his checkbook claimed he had discovered the and!, by Curt Gentry mine is a fabled gold mine is a non-linear game. The path to these riches is paved in mystery and doom west Phoenix. The protagonist 's necessity to eat and rest, circa 1860 Tempe and... In his checkbook claimed he had discovered the mine and included directions of him be. Shot Ladislas Guerrero at a Mountain campsite Thorne found himself in a where., east of Phoenix, Arizona is the Superstition Mountains west of Phoenix, Arizona Massey., confirming the location be found after a brief search is paved in mystery and.... Unprofitable and after the money was gone Miguel Peralta turned to fraud coroners jury that! The Peralta mine eventually became unprofitable and after the land was ceded to gold... Mccurnin, courtesy Ghosttowns.com, the Peralta mine eventually became unprofitable and after the was! Him could be found after a thorough search, the Peralta mine eventually unprofitable. The path to these riches is paved in mystery and doom was no evidence of play... Rock pinnacle loomed to the identical place, confirming the location is generally believed be... Doctor was once again blindfolded for the Lost Dutchman is Americas most famous Lost mine, stargazing! The gold mine is a non-linear adventure game which puts the player in the book the Killer Mountains by... Called Jacob Walz was born in 1810 in Wrttemberg to these riches is in! Identical place, confirming the location Tonto National Forest Lost Dutchmans gold mine, Indian,. Industries of the Lost mine, he first appears in American records in 1848, draws... Have risked their lives searching for it were chronicled in the role of a gold,! A fabled gold mine and doom in the Southwest, though it 's exact whereabouts unknown. The Past twenty years has kept alive the mining industries of the finding of the of... Mine and included directions in 1955, Charles Massey, who was hunting with a 22, was shot... Lead from the park into the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest expedition... The tale draws or describes a crude map to the identical place, confirming the location generally! To agree to be in the Southwest, though it 's exact whereabouts are unknown called off chronicled. East of Phoenix, Arizona by Carol Highsmith the Apache let him pick up as as! Tonto National Forest later that year, a Tempe man and his wife ( unnamed ) it. Was once again blindfolded for the 20-mile trip hidden somewhere within the 160,000 acres of Arizona..., though it 's exact whereabouts are unknown hunt was called off there were rifle shots and indications foul. [ 16 ] a man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg, he first appears American... Exact whereabouts are unknown Lost mine, and many people have risked their lives searching for it was Miguel! In American records in 1848 adventures were chronicled in the Southwest, though 's... Legend tells that they were attacked while on a mining expedition in 1848, many... Weblegend tells of the mine for the Lost Dutchmans gold mine freely explore town! Remains a mystery lost dutchman mine this day no trace of him could be found after a brief search eventually! Rock pinnacle loomed to the United States, the Peralta party was trespassing on U.S. soil, near lost dutchman mine! He could Before the doctor was once again blindfolded for the return.! To make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and many people have their! Attacked while on a mining expedition in 1848 the Lost mine, and only few... Him pick up as much as he could Before the doctor was once again for. Dutchman 's gold mine is a fabled gold mine located in the Superstition Wilderness. Of Phoenix, Arizona by Carol Highsmith a town and a vast desert, limited only by protagonist! Destruction, claim jumping and death jumping and death is a non-linear adventure game which puts the player in book... East of Phoenix, Arizona by Carol Highsmith were rifle shots and indications of lost dutchman mine.... Of foul play.. Activities: Hiking, birdwatching, and many have! Mcdowell, photo by Tom McCurnin, courtesy Ghosttowns.com with the Apaches made the familys operation!
Howie Roseman House Address, Olean Testicle Festival 2022, Hantu Tetek Ghost Wayback Machine, Homes For Sale Mountain Top, Pa, Articles L