Stories vary on how Waltz found this hidden treasure. Arcana Exploration has been there on four separate trips the first in October of 2015. Because of what we have discovered at the site, Arcana Exploration believes we have proof for the first time that there is a common link between Waltz and the Peraltas. Over the years, the Lost Dutchman Mine legend grew to become the Wests most famous lost mine, reaching a fever pitch in the early 1950s when hundreds of Dutch hunters flocked into the western end of the Superstitions. In some versions, he's not just a man but the chieftain of the Apache tribe. The Lost Dutchman's Mine Legend in the Superstition Mountains Documented by Timothy Draper Categories & Site Details: Famous Treasure Stories, Field Research, Gold, Gold & Doubloons, Metal Detectors, Mining Legends, Mysteries, Spanish History, Spanish Treasure, Treasure Sites in America Table of Contents Troubles with the Apaches made the family's mining operation dangerous. 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. Humankind has been enthralled by lost treasure legends for ages. Keep in mind for security reasons for now I have to be selective on what we divulge. #1. 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. 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. Courtesy Collection of Greg Davis / Superstition Mountain Museum , The Lost Dutchman is one of the greatest lost mine stories of them all. That, in and of itself, is a separate legend. Watch on The reported mine was dubbed Lost Dutchman around 1892 after Waltz died. Next week I will list some clues that are absolutely relevant to what we have physically on site. Its believed the group buried their amassed bullion, hoping to return at a later time. 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. Furthermore, Wilburn stated that geology indicates that there is no gold in the Superstition Mountains, which are igneous in origin. Blair contended that this story can be divided into "hawk" and "dove" versions, depending on whether the German(s) are said to behave violently or peacefully. [5] One Lost Dutchman's mine is said to be in Colorado, another in California; two are said to be located in Arizona. National ArchivesA 19th century map detailing mines in Arizona. During the miners escape to Mexico, Apaches attacked and 148 of the party were massacred. The Dutchman found this mine, and his 'story' advises he 'obtained' it from Mexicans miners who were working it. 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. 14 - 18 years. [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. Armed with a new clue that could unearth the location of the famed Lost Dutchman Mine, lifelong Dutch Hunter Wayne Tuttle, leads a team into Arizona's Superstition Mountains. The exact year varies, but the story goes that a rich Mexican mining family named Peralta also came to the area in search of gold. The Superstition Mountains in Arizona are bound to be home to at least a few good stories by virtue of their name alone. Either way, she went to the mountains for a while to search. [10] Trouble came after Willing learned that the deed was entirely bogus. 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. Everyone loves a good treasure hunting story. [11] According to Blair, the origin of this story can be traced to a doctor named Thorne who was in private practice in New Mexico in the 1860s. With Ida Lupino, Glenn Ford, Gig Young, William Prince. The elder Ruth had fallen and badly broken several bones while seeking the lost Pegleg mine in California. The Supers are east northeast of Phoenix. 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. The body of one dutch hunter (as they are known to locals) was found in the Superstition Mountains as recently as 2012. 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. As the story goes, Waltz and his partner befriended a Mexican who had been working a mine in the mountains. The breathable air on some surfaces actually gets even hotter; this is the biggest killer in the Superstition Mountains and dont forget the rattle snakes, scorpions, tarantula spiders, Gila monsters plus huge mountain lions and dozens of other things that will take your life. So what about Jacob Waltz? As the legend goes, prospector Jacob Waltz found a gold mine but went to his grave without sharing the secret of where that mine was located. The Pennsylvania Dutch Country. HISTORY is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. 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. In some versions of this story, Waltz was actually plundering these shrines for his own gold. Erwin passed the information to his father Adolph, who had a long-standing interest in lost mines and amateur exploration. (2004). Ruth did not return as scheduled, and no trace of him could be found after a brief search. After the land was ceded to the United States, the Peralta party was trespassing on U.S. soil. We miss it. The legend continues to explain that the luck of the Peraltas eventually ran out and they were ambushed by the Apache, who left no trace of the treasure and only a few survivors who brought the tale of the hidden horde back to Mexico. After this look at the Lost Dutchman Mine, read up on historys most fascinating sunken ships, some of which went down with legendary treasures. 9 May 2022. The land contained parts of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Superstition Mountains. [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). Here amongst this vast maize of volcanic interior, fixed and clinging to the mountain side, flanked on one side by a very small almost invisible ledge is the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, 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. PERALTA DESCENDENTS HAVE GIVEN US DOCUMENTS 100S OF YEARS OLD. Since federal regulations restrict the use of power equipment, the headframe operates much like it would have in the 19th century. They planned to return, but once they left, they were never seen again. As Curt Gentry wrote, "Dr. Hrdlicka positively identified the skull as that of Adolph Ruth. Clay Worst says the Dutchman bounced all over America obsessed with finding gold---and found nothing. There are lots of similar tales of gold-hunting soldiers, too, from all over the southwest. He is blindfolded and taken there by a circuitous route, and is allowed to take as much gold ore as he can carry before again being escorted blindfolded from the site by the Apaches. Cox concentrated his search on the eastern end of what is now the Superstition Wilderness. 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. Updated: 10:22 PM MST May 13, 2022. In June 1931, Ruth set out to locate the lost Peralta mine. 1. Photo: Marine 69-71 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. The nearly 70-year-old man was found dead about four miles south of his home on a trail near Roger's Canyon. Finally The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Is Found! 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. by Bob Willis | Apr 1, 2005 | Travel & Preservation. A group of modern day treasure hunters search for the Lost Dutchman mine in the Superstition mountain range of Arizona. Soon, fact and fiction became easier to sort. What there is documentation to support is that the Dutchman may have been a con man. Within the refuge are 14 trail heads that cover 190 miles. Only the materials differ. When and where we can get a direct line of sight, we use high tech Walkie talkies, to communicate with each other. have experience in the Superstition Mountains, actually looked for the mine themselves, found evidence to support the mines existence . 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". I will provide a picture and a little information but nothing as far as revealing the location of this mine. 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. The stories of conquistadors and Jesuits bearing gold are completely unverifiable without documentation or archaeological evidence. LOST DUTCHMAN MINE FOUND - FINALLY! I will make a statement in the near future that will surprise a lot of Dutch Hunters it surprised me. Finally, there really was a successful gold mining family named Peralta, but they were in California, not Arizona, according to Gold Rush Nuggets. This, of course, is how the Dutchman is supposed to havereally found his treasure. April 1, 2018 (Borrego Springs) - Way back in the late 1820s, Thomas "Pegleg" Smith got lost in a sandstorm and hobbled up a hill on his wooden leg to get his bearings. For over a third of a century, he read stories and books about the Peralta Mines and the lost Spanish treasures hidden deep in the Superstitions, and he heard the tale of Jacob Waltzs famous Lost Dutchman Mine. Three Aitons, father and two sons, are reported to have found what was known the past fifty years as the "Lost Dutchman" mine in the Bradshaw mountains. He really did die in 1891 of pneumonia. Arizona's most notorious lost treasure story for both believers and otherwise takes place in the mysterious Superstition Mountains. Mules and horses carried raw ore to the chute; the dumped ore tumbled out the front into wagons that carried it away. He gradually gained the respect of the old-timers who, in their later years, shared much of the knowledge they had gathered themselves. 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. Background: The Lost Dutchman Mine was founded by a German prospector named Jacob "The Dutchman" Waltz in 1876. 8 - 12. There's some evidence to suggest he engaged in a shady practice called highgrading basically claiming ore is more valuable than it really is. Many people have dismissed them as a hoax. The U.S. Government issued the group one of few Treasure Trove Permits. 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. [28], One fact against the existence of "Lost Dutchman Mine" is that Waltz was a "placer miner"; while the gold pieces he had were in quartz, the Superstition Mountains are in fact volcanic. 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. Background Jesse Capen was born on June 2, 1974 in Colorado to parents David Capen and Cynthia Burnett. It is generally accepted that the Peraltas and roughly 400 peon miners were massacred by the Apaches sometime around 1848. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. Lemuria: The Fabled Lost Continent That Turned Out To Be Real Almost, How Al Jorden Made Doris Day's Life A Living Hell, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. As of mid-2017, he and his crew had spent about 30 production days in and around Apache Junction. $169.00. If you get it hurt you better have your own team. Then around 1692, the Jesuit padre father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived. [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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The St. Johns herald. Lost Mine found in the Superstition Mountains David Jones 14.3K subscribers Subscribe 6.6K 728K views 4 years ago #MOTSM #superstitionmountains #lostmine Mysteries of the Superstition. But what they actually found has been a hidden secret that people have been trying to piece together for last 125 years. Lost Dutchman Mine. Ruth . The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Lust for Gold: Directed by S. Sylvan Simon, George Marshall. The Gold Rush was in full swing and Waltz wanted a piece of those potential fortunes. 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. This account is usually dated to about 1870. 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. Nevertheless, the lore has led to the publication of several books (and, in turn, a few movies), although they mostly just embellish off the basics of the existing oral legend one of the great tales of treasure in modern history. Top ways to experience Goldfield Ghost Town and nearby attractions. He had worked as a miner but was an amateur prospector at best. In 2009, Denver bellhop Jesse Capen, obsessed with finding the Lost Dutchman gold mine, took a month's vacation into the Superstition Mountains outside Phoenix to . 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 The early Spanish the Peraltas the Jesuits and many others all came to the Superstition Mountains looking for legendary gold. His head had been severed from his body and was lying several feet away. After traveling to the region, Ruth stayed several days at the ranch of Tex Barkely to outfit his expedition. Once again, only rumors kept the legend alive, and these events drove even more Dutch hunters to the dangerous mountains. The man said Dr. Thorne could take as much as he could carry, at which point he was blindfolded again and led out. "Tex" Bradford of Globe Arizona went in search of the "Lost Dutchman Mine"; by October 1933 he had been missing for nine months. 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. Normally if a mine produces two and half ounces of gold per tonne of rock it's considered a bonanza. The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is the most famous lost mine in American history. And importantly I have hard facts that the Stones are linked to other historical information. Ruth and his son came into some maps of mine locations, including the Peralta Mine. Fact and fiction blend in these tales, becoming "faction", but key elements are "lost Apache gold", "a Dutchman", "a lost gold vein, found by . Intrigue Journal. 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. 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