Unfortunately, when a group followed the clues given in Ruth's letter, they found nothing. There are secrets yet in those mountains, blood and gold in the most literal sense. 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. Intrigue Journal. In 1931, the two sought the Lost Dutchman's gold mine, but Adolph Ruth, against his son's wishes, went looking alone, according to Skeptoid. 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. As a reward, Dr. Thorne was blindfolded and led to a cave in the mountains. Ask any prospector and they will tellyou,gold is where you find it. 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. Follow the Process. However, Ruth ignored Barkely's advice, and set out for a two-week stint in the mountains. Hanna-Barbara, Jean Giraud, and Don Rosa have incorporated the story in their cartoons. 4087 East Apache Trail These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. Regardless, Dr. Thorne helped the man and he recovered, according to Legends of America. Both fabled and mythical, they have helped to drive the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine. Even though some have said the stones story is much older (it is true the source information is likely much older) than the Dutchmans time and therefor there is no connection, they are going to be slapping themselves in the face trying to overcome their denial when they realize the stones leadto the same birds nest. Now riddled with tunnels, the mountain is a death trap for the . If you get it hurt you better have your own team. 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. The beginning and end of the tale will be told with ore. Gold ore has its own fingerprint, discernible from other gold ore. In it, he puts together the clues and evidence and makes a convincing case for the Pit Mine. Another well-known Dutch Hunter, Jack San Felice, boldly made the case for the Pit Mine in his bookThe Lost El Dorado of Jacob Waltz. Rogers was partnered with Aaron Mason, foreman of the Silver King mine. 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. The case for the Pit Mine is not new, in fact it has been an open secret for quite some time. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Great discoveries have been made in the name of hunting for hidden wealth, but much blood has been shed in those same pursuits, too. While he allegedly worked as a miner at numerous mines earlier in his life, eventually Waltz decided he wanted to prospect on his own. Over the next few weeks I will share some images that are safe for us to show. When the townspeople went to look for them, they found nearly all of the family slaughtered. 1: Recorded description of the museum. These include Barry Storms book Thunder Gods Gold, published in 1945, detailing his own efforts to find the gold, and the Glen Ford and Ida Lupino movie, Lust for Gold, from 1949. It involves murder, secrets, and a whole lotta sweet, sweet gold. 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 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. As the mountains have a desert climate and few water resources, there is not much vegetation here. Ruth did not return as scheduled, and no trace of him could be found after a brief search. These are rectangular, cross-shaped, and heart-shaped stones with etchings of a horse, a priest, a dagger, a trail, topographic features, and Spanish inscriptions. 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. Once again, just ask Gollum. It seems likely there was no Dr. Thorne, but there was a doctor in New Mexico who told a similar tall tale, except he was kidnapped by the Navajo tribe in his story. This also fits Waltzs description. 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]. Join us as we explore the Mysteries, Legends and stories of the Superstition Mountains. The Legend Of The Lost Dutchman And His Gold Mine Explained, ever filed a claim for a mine in the Superstitions. Arcana Exploration has been there on four separate trips the first in October of 2015. A lack of historical records leaves uncertainty as to whether a Peralta family ever had possession of land, or mines, in or near the Superstition Mountains. Mystery of 'deathtrap' lost gold mine where people seek fortune - but 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. The closest approximate was a German miner of the PennsylvaniaGerman community. There's the thrill of the hunt, solving the clues, and what could be a better payoff than a big cache of riches? In some versions, he's not just a man but the chieftain of the Apache tribe. The Pima Indians famously feared the mountain that they knew as Ain-we-gophon (Superstition Mountain). Seniors $6.00 (65 and older) It's also worth noting the mountains aren't known to have gotten their ironic name from any of the above legends. There was indeed a Jacob Waltz who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany. In 1875, James Rogers made a claim there and dubbed it The Silver Chief. Some carved stones in the area are referred to as "Peralta Stones" and Spanish text and crude maps on them are considered by some to be clues to the location of a Peralta family gold mine in the Superstition Mountains, although others believe the stones to be modern fakes. The Supers are east northeast of Phoenix. What there is documentation to support is that the Dutchman may have been a con man. But there's no evidence he was any sort of engineering or mining genius like some legends claim. , The Waterbury Democrat. 3: Gift Shop and Event Manager Dave McElligott Going on a year now. Still, this doesn't dissuade treasure hunters. 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. While walking thru the shaft holding a digging iron one day, I was tapping the floor to make sure it was solid. There have been many books, films, and cartoons about the Lost Gold of the Superstition Mountains. each. They planned to return, but once they left, they were never seen again. 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. Nobody else has ever been able to find that rich of ore since then anywhere else in AZ. 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. 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. Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine. The highest peak of the range is Keeper Hill or Slievekimalta at 694 metres (2,277 ft) high. Cravey said he would walk out of the mountains on June 28, 1947. When I was a young buck, I used to always visit my dad in Arizona. Yet, legend insists that it does. While this doesn't mean it's impossible there's gold to mine up there, it makes it far less likely. VISIT The Lost Dutchman Mine, Arizona - Legends of America 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". There are several paths that go through the brush and cacti. 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. (However, in some versions,[14] the 'mine' is actually a cache put there by the Peraltas.). While the Jesuits were eventually allowed to return to the area, it seems they either forgot the treasure or couldn't find it, and so it was still in the mountains when it was perhaps discovered by none other than the Dutchman himself, Jacob Waltz. The one, tangible piece of evidence still in existence are the samples remaining from the ore taken by Dick Holmes, namely the matchbox. Elevation: 6,001 Feet (1,829 Meters) Primary Mineral: Copper Lat, Long: 46.3369, -113.26190 Map: View on Google Maps Later I will give more details and then begin providing information on how things fit together. At the low elevations, you will encounter tall saguaro cactusand Ponderosa pines at higher levels, and these are generally near the streams. 2: Cashiers for questions about whats happening at the museum and local area Thats just the name we use for the group of mining exhibits that youll experience when you visit the museum. [42] The park was expanded to 320 acres (130ha) in 1983. According to the story, in about 1912 Erwin C. Ruth gave some legal aid to Gonzales, saving him from almost certain imprisonment. For over a century, treasure hunters have sought the treasures supposedly lost in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, but what do we really know about the events surrounding this tale? And, amazingly, a few of these people were also found in the same headless state as Adolph Ruth. Still, there is by no means a consensus among Dutch Hunters and many dismiss it entirely, regardless of scientific evidence. The Lost Dutchman Mine Part Eleven: The Stone Maps, The Lost Dutchman Mine Part Ten: The Dutch Hunters, Linda Hazzard: Seattles First Serial Killer. Mike . 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. These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. There's no evidence they ever came to Arizona at all. [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. Skeptoid Media, 29 Jan 2013. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. When is the documentary goimg to start back up? Early on during the Spanish Conquest, Conquistadors such as Francisco Vazquez de Coronado (1535) came to the American southwest (New Spain) in search of gold trying to locate, Montezumas Seven Cities of Cibola. As the mountains have a desert climate and few water resources, there is not much vegetation here. Tantalizingly, Ruth's checkbook was also recovered, and proved to contain a note written by Ruth wherein he claimed to have discovered the mine and gave detailed directions. He had acquired maps that he was sure would lead him straight to the gold. More questions about the Silver Chief Mine - TreasureNet The It appears no one ever bothered to just ask the Native Americans in the area if the mountains were sacred. Hardie agrees to join a father searching for his son who is seeking a lost gold mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. In 1875, James Rogers made a claim there and dubbed it The Silver Chief. Instead, he went missing and his skull was found 6 months later with two large circular holes. There, his blindfold was removed and he saw a cave full of gold. The early Spanish the Peraltas the Jesuits and many others all came to the Superstition Mountains looking for legendary gold. [12] Thorne related his claims to three U.S. soldiers in about 1858. [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. Cox was a contrarian to the accepted Waltz lore of the day and had his own theories about thePeraltasand Waltz. Forums. A Map to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine - Big Think