It's likely this legend just got re-adapted to the Superstitions to boost the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine. Within the refuge are 14 trail heads that cover 190 miles. There was indeed a Jacob Waltz who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany. Supposedly, the Peraltas actually found a very rich gold vein and set up a mining operation. Then around 1692, the Jesuit padre father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived. [25] Blair noted that the conclusion of the Arizona authorities was rejected by many, including Ruth's family, and "those who held onto the more romantic murdered-for-the-map story". You can Google the story of how I solved the Peralta stones and the Peralta deerskin map in LOST TREASURE MAGAZINE JUNE ISSUE COVER STORY LOST DUTCHMAN GOLD MINE. RaksyBH/Shutterstock 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. The Weavers Needle rock column of Arizonas Superstition Mountains is often said to mark the location of the Lost Dutchman Mine. 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. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. 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. 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. In 1891, German immigrant Jacob Waltz, nicknamed "the Dutchman," lay on his deathbed. However, they eventually disappeared after a trip into the Superstitions. It seems likeliest one of two things happened. Updated: 10:22 PM MST May 13, 2022. January 1933 a Mining electrican named J.A. Grade level. [3] Former Arizona Attorney General Robert K. Corbin is among those who have looked for the mine. Admission: $7 . Ruth had in his possession what he claimed was a map giving the location of the Peralta's Las Minas Sombreras. 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? In his 1945 book about the Lost Dutchman's mine. 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. 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. Later that year, two easterners went looking for the lost mine. This first bucket of debris was five years in coming when the Forest Service finally released the first Treasure Trove Permit issued in the Superstition Wilderness. Said to be the most famous lost mine of all time, it continues to draw prospectors to the Superstition Mountains of Arizona in search of its rich gold. 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. 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.". One member of his team, Mic McPherson, helped Feldman find the Lost Adams Diggings in 1989. Now wait a minute isnt the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine located in the Superstitions? 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". He contracted it as a young child, when he was enthralled with books and stories of hidden treasures and lost gold. 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). 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. [27], Throughout the 20th century, various expeditions and individuals continued to search the Superstitions for the Lost Dutchman Mine. A not-insignificant number of those Dutch hunters have gotten hurt or even killed. [16] A man called Jacob Walz was born in September 1810 in Wrttemberg. Mules and horses carried raw ore to the chute; the dumped ore tumbled out the front into wagons that carried it away. The Lost Dutchman Mine: The Greatest Gold Horde Thats Never Been Found. In 1870, Waltz had a homestead of about 160 acres (0.65km2) near Phoenix where he operated a farm.[18]. Ruth disappeared while searching for the mine in the summer of 1931. We will share as much as we can for now, but as I stated earlier we are preparing for a return trip, and the location has to remain secret. Sadly, the 35-year-old became another target of the fables when he disappeared from the Tonto National Forest in 2009. 2016 ISSUE. See more in Season 1, Episode 1, \"Secrets of the Lost Map.\"#LegendoftheSuperstitionMountains Subscribe for more from Legend of the Superstition Mountains and other great The HISTORY Channel shows:https://histv.co/SubscribeToHistoryFind out more about the show and watch full episodes on our site:http://www.history.com/shows/Check out exclusive The HISTORY Channel content:History Newsletter: www.history.com/newsletterWebsite - http://www.history.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HistoryTwitter - https://twitter.com/historyThe HISTORY Channel 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. All Treasure Hunting. The story of the Lost Dutchman Mine might have become just another obscure legend had it not been for an easterner named Dr. Adolph Ruth, an amateur treasure-seeker who ambled into the Superstitions in the summer of 1931. He vanished into the mountains in 2009 and his body was not discovered until three years later, hidden in a crevasse 35 feet up a cliff, and destined to become yet another chapter in the continuing story of the lost mine. 1:00. Normally if a mine produces two and half ounces of gold per tonne of rock it's considered a bonanza. Waltz fell ill and died in 1891, but not before revealing the location of an alleged gold mine to Julia Thomas, the neighbour who cared for him. The Jesuits, who had been collecting the gold for many years from various sources, were said to be fleeing as they had been expelled from the Spanish empire, who owned most of the land that would eventually become the southwestern United States at the time, according to the Great American History Blog. Padre Kino founded many missions including Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson. Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine. 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 What happens if they discover the Spanish bullion? For 25 years he lives the good life and enjoys his riches. 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 story sometimes claims there were arrows all around, and so thus it must have been the Apache protecting their sacred mountains. $169.00. 54. They planned to return, but once they left, they were never seen again. Lyndon Graves 135 subscribers 10K views 4 years ago After 15 Long Years, and long battles with Government agencies , we have decided to reveal the treasures. Some searchers for the mine have disappeared in likely wilderness accidents. I've, Was the Lost Dutchman Mine real? 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. "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). Then, see some astonishing photos taken at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. Top ways to experience Goldfield Ghost Town and nearby attractions. 14 - 18 years. In this series, forensic geologist Scott Wolter -- considered a real-life Indiana Jones by some -- travels across the country to uncover some of the hidden treasures and to reveal the history. File size. Intrigue Journal. This account is usually dated to about 1870. National ArchivesA 19th century map detailing mines in Arizona. The Peralta Stones are a set of engraved stone tableted works that are approximately 18 inches long and weigh about 25 lbs. The soldiers are alleged to have presented some of the gold, but to have been killed or to have vanished soon after. Next week I will list some clues that are absolutely relevant to what we have physically on site. In the next century, the Peralta family extracted gold from this mine. The legend of the Lost Dutchman began in the 1800s when an Apache attack massacred a Mexican mining family. In 1847-1848 during the time of the Hidalgo Treaty when Mexico sold the territory to the United Sates the Peraltas, knowing they would lose access to their mines made one last trip bringing hundreds of miners from Sonora to mine as much as they could, but were attacked by Apaches. Now, Feldman and his team are on the prowl for the Lost Dutchman Mine. They came back from the mountains hauling a lot of gold and saying there was far more from whence it came. After a five-year wait, HEAT obtained a Treasure Trove Permit for the purpose of re-excavating a mine in the Superstition Wilderness. As the story goes, Waltz had some minor success drawing gold out of the mountains, and eventually, he started coming back to town with huge loads of high-grade gold ore. [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. Now, he may be on the edge of finding it. Granger wrote that "fact and fiction blend in the tales",[3] but that there are three main elements to the story: In 1977, Granger identified 62 variants of the Lost Dutchman's story some of the variations are minor, but others are substantial, casting the story in a very different light from the other versions. 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. While this theory did not ignore the two holes in the skull, it did fail to explain how Ruth had managed to remove and bury the empty shell, then reload his gun, after shooting himself through the head". The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Since Jacob Waltz's death, thousands of people have searched all throughout the Superstition Mountains for the location of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine, to no avail, according to USA Today. 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. Pingback: Legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Parts 2 & 3: Finally Found! History of the Lost Dutchman Mine The rugged range of mountains east of the Salt River Valley encompasses some of the most breathtaking, untouched wilderness recesses in America. Come on. This is their turf and only the highly experienced and prepared should venture forward. But they're even better known for something else: the legendary Lost Dutchman's Mine, a much-ballyhooed secret stash of wealth sought by daring adventurers known as "Dutch hunters." A 19th century map detailing mines in Arizona. It's not even out of the question the expedition was a misdirect to make it seem like she and her cohorts were looking for something to bolster the legend. 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 If you need rescued, they will land two miles away and hike in to get you. A band of Apache braves in Arizona. However, despite several men claiming to have found the mine, no one ever came forward with the gold. 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. 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. Then later the Mexicans including the powerful Peralta family made forays to the area from Sonora and are believed to have had 18 gold mines in the Supers. Troubles with the Apaches made the family's mining operation dangerous. According to historian Tom Kollenborn, the Superstition Mountains were an unlikely place to strike it rich: He pursued mining and prospecting, but seems to have had little luck with either. It appears no one ever bothered to just ask the Native Americans in the area if the mountains were sacred. 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.. 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). 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. The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine - Found! 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. We are currently in the process of planning for a return trip to further document our findings. The only thing slightly off the cuff, is that three of them do ride their Harleys from central Ohio to Sturgis and back on a regular basis, but more about them later. Thorne claimed that he was taken captive by Navajos in 1854, and that during his captivity he had discovered a rich gold vein. It's impossible to know for certain, but there is one big clue. Arizona. However, despite several men claiming to have found the mine, no one ever came forward with the gold. There was a catastrophic flood in Phoenix in 1891, and Waltz's farm was one of many that was devastated. It was loosely named Lost Deutschman or Lost German Mine, and to this day, anyone who researches or tries to find the gold are generally referred to as Dutch hunters. Soon, fact and fiction became easier to sort. Most likely because Pedro de Peralta had been the Spanish Governor of New Mexico (in the 1600s) his family name of "Peralta" was the inspiration for a number of legends in the American Southwest. His head had been severed from his body and was lying several feet away. Photo: Marine 69-71 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The St. Johns herald. It's unclear if Waltz himself ever specifically claimed to have a secret gold mine in the mountains, but one woman said he did claim just that Julia Thomas, Jacob Waltz's friend and neighbor, according to Skeptoid. Richman, Irwin. Surprisingly, he was a real man. Apparently, he was rewarded. Skeptoid Media, 29 Jan 2013. Not in a flu-like way. Today, the lost gold would be worth over 200 million dollars. Visiting Lost Dutchman State Park. "Tex" Bradford of Globe Arizona went in search of the "Lost Dutchman Mine"; by October 1933 he had been missing for nine months. The start of the most famous legend to come from the mountains, that of the Lost Dutchman Mine, begins with these fortune-seekers. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. There's even been a ban on mining in the Superstition Mountains since 1984 due to the number of people coming and getting killed in mining accidents searching for the Lost Dutchman's gold. What really happened to Ruth? 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. Blair argued that this Peralta story (well known to Arizona residents) was eventually incorporated in the Lost Dutchman's story, in a severely distorted version, following the renewed interest in the Lost Dutchman's mine in the 1930s. Documentation suggests that only two young boys survived and made it to Mexico. Arcana Exploration is made up of a group of five friends and supporters, from central Ohio, who until five years ago knew very little if anything about the LDM. They were supposedly dug up in the desert, in area east of Gold canyon and Tucson in the late 1940s byTravis E Tomlinson. All of these elements can be found in the search for the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, reportedly well hidden in Arizona's mysterious-looking (and aptly named) Superstition Mountains (pictured above). There are several paths that go through the brush and cacti. 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. Stories vary on how Waltz found this hidden treasure. 1. APACHE JUNCTION, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Arizona's Superstition Mountains draw people from around the world, coming to see not just to . That's not even counting those hunting the treasure in the ensuing years. 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. 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. [5] One Lost Dutchman's mine is said to be in Colorado, another in California; two are said to be located in Arizona. The name comes from a prominent local legend of the enigmatic . Chances you could find the Lost Dutchman's Mine: It's probably not real, but don't let that stop you . OH, I almost forgot there is no cell phone service absolutely none. 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