(Jameson, 2009). Lost Goldmine and Cougar Loop. It is a fact; however, that the Cibicu Indians of the Cherry Creek Valley knew of the existence of a rich placer field. He disappeared, as usual, one night, and never returned. The Lost Goldmine Trail is a permanent, eleven-mile multi-use trail across the south face of the Superstitions that connects the Peralta trailhead on the east to the Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction. In the 1870s, Jacob Waltz, "the Dutchman" (actually a native of Germany), was said to have located the mine through the aid of a Peralta descendant. This story was based on the adventures of a young surgeon named Thorne, who, having cured the eye troubles of a couple of Apache Indians where he was stationed, was induced to visit the Indian village where there was an epidemic of the same disorder. In 2006, all of Arizonas gold production came as a fortuitous byproduct of copper mining. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The butte was one of three, thus entering the significant landmark of three buttes in most versions of his story. He would return at night, in equally as mysterious a manner, his burros loaded with gold ore of wonderful richness. Lost Dutchman Mine Found ? Each step into the desert may bring you a little closer to a fortune. The Legend Of Arizona's Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Is Downright Deadly Who doesn't love a good mystery? The gun had been there so long that even the hammer and trigger had rusted away. Below, in the sand of the wash, was almost a pavement of gold nuggets. Safford commanded the recruits from Tucson and was elected commander-in-chief of the party at the camp near Grant. Quite literally so, according to Southwestern Folklore author and researcher Byrd Granger. Waltz also makes a deathbed confession to a Julia Thomas, and even draws a crude map of the mine. Pegleg and his party had acquired a large number of pelts during their trip and selected Pegleg and another member of the trapping party to take the supply of pelts across the desert to Los Angeles for sale. Who doesnt love a good mystery? Doc is just one of an endless stream of treasure hunters in search of the. According to legend, this was when he spotted the large quartz outcropping, which later became the Vulture Mine. Before we get into those, here are some genuine facts about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine: There really was a Lost Dutchman, although he wasnt Dutch. But, the two prospectors had discovered some wonderful gold diggings, from which an almost impossible quantity of dust had been accumulated by a couple of days work. A cryptic map of the gold mine, or just a fake? Gold mines subsequently popped up all over the state in riverbeds, hills, caves and mountains. Legends and stories of gold mines filled the hearts, souls and minds of prospectors, driving them into some of the most dangerous and desolate lands in search of gold. The second significant gold discovery was made by Pauline Weaver (of Weavers Needle fame) in 1862 on the Colorado River at La Paz. Many legends of lost treasure from Arizonas early Gold Rush days still remain to this day. 2023 Warner Bros. 8320 Lost Mine Rd. I've got to have help quick. Tales of the lost Apaches gold, or Dr Thornes mine. Digging for Gold Today Colorado; a place we usually associate with snow-capped mountains and green grassy meadows, winter skiing, and kayaking in its clear, mirror-like lakes. In the coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon, beachcombers flock to the sand in hopes of finding one very specific treasure: glass fishing floats. The stories of lost gold mines still lure prospectors, even today. #sedona #redrocks #outhiki, Oddball vending machines, #3 in the series. There are hawk and dove versions, depending on whether the men behaved violently or not. In 1977, Granger noted that the Lost Dutchman story was printed at least 6 times more often than the story of Captain Kidds lost treasure or the story of the Lost Pegleg Mine in California. Some of the stories have many versions, each containing a few facts that differ from each other. At the head of the Prescott Party was Ed. Wanting to retire in 1866, he sold 80% of the mine to Benjamin Phelps and other East Coast investors. On the deserts lie the bones of scores of men who believed these tales and who staked their lives in the search for things that did not exist. Yavapai County - Rich Hill. The ore was not the same as that at the Vulture Mine. Prominent among the lost mines stories of Northern Arizona was that of the Adams Diggings. Most indefinite are the details, and the various locations indicated lie anywhere from the Colorado River through to Globe. The Superstition Mountains (their name inspired by Pima Indian legends) have been a source of mystery and legend since early times. If only it were that easy. December 09, 2019 Ruth injured his leg so severely in the process that he developed a lifelong limp. But Ruth did indeed find the Lost Dutchman, according to a message in a bottle. Scott Taylor/Flickr The richest always was somewhere out in the desert, beyond water, or within almost inaccessible mountains, where wild Indians guarded the golden secret handed down to them by their forefathers. International mysteries, vintage maps, hidden treasure Explorers Justin and Emiliano are on the case. As you probably guessed, they were fakes. Basin. Stories abound of riches buried by Spanish explorers or Native Americans, as well as tales of precious ore pulled from mines whose . Arizona Gold Adventures, Congress. Long before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and grifter-socialite Anna Delvey, we had the Gold Rush and even today, plenty of Americans are still fixated on an either long-lost or fictional gold mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. While on the butte, she saw a railroad construction camp where she was given water, food and time to rest. Walk down Main Street, explore the many shops and historic buildings. American mining history in Arizona begins after the American-Mexican war in the 1840's. In the 1850's prospectors from the played-out gold fields of California began exploring more of the American West in search of gold and silver. They keep hoping that one day soon, they will be the lucky one who discovers the long lost mine, the one which has been sought after for years by others with similar faith. Arizona Mineral Rights & Mining Claims Have found the lost Dutchman. from Germany; a common error, see also Pennsylvania Dutch). The Indian said he had seen much larger pieces of the same substance and started off to show him the treasure. Ruth was an amateur prospector in the that he had never found gold but had been seeking it for it for years. It's near a cabin in a cave! All he could be induced to do was to toss his arms and say, Plenty gold here; go hunt. Ben did hunt for years and was outfitted several times by A.H. Peeples, who believed that he finally died of thirst on the desert. Additionally, there never was an army doctor named Thorne in the 1860s in Arizona. Jacob Snively hit the first major gold strike around 1857 with sizeable nuggets found in the Gila River near Gila City, Arizonas first boom town. All of the legends and stories mentioned in this article have been told many times by miners and prospectors who believe that the Pegleg and Lost Dutchman Mine exists. On his way out of California, he stole 300 to 400 horses and drove them to Taos, New Mexico where he planned to sell them. This area is known today as the Massacre Grounds. The Cerro Colorado Mine, which sits a little less than 20 miles from the Arizona-Mexico border, produced mostly silver but also small amounts of gold, lead, and copper. As was common in the West, the first discoveries of gold were placer deposits, followed by lode deposits found near Apache Junction, Big Bug, Bullhead City, Chloride, Globe, Oatman, Pearce, Quartzsite, Salome and Tombstone, which yielded the lions share of the states early gold supply. The differences are evident in the variance of descriptive landmarks, dates, and historical information. It has been looked for in Colorado, California and in two places in Arizona the other one being near Wickenburg, 180 km north-west of the, Granger distinguished three main elements to the story, with the most complete version of the story incorporating all three legends. This post card is a humourous version of the many serious treasure maps that undoubtedly circulated in Arizona and environs at the height of gold mine fever, at the end of the 19th century. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. One searcher claimed to have found veins of gold in a narrow canyon just south of the Mazatal Mountains (near Four Peaks on Maricopa/Gila County borders). After his leg was amputated, his friends fashioned him a wooden leg, thus earning him the name Pegleg. In 1848, during a routine expedition to carry gold back to Mexico, the large party was ambushed by Apaches, and all were killed except for a few Peralta family members who escaped. In 1916, two miners found an old Spanish saddle bag filled with $16,000 worth of smelted gold near the site of the Peralta Massacre. After about a decade, the story sank into obscurity, regaining notoriety when it had acquired more spectacular aspects, in a fashion not dissimilar to a game of Chinese whispers. - arizona gold mine photos et images de collection Where he digs for gold and searches for the legendary lost Dutchman mine. Adventure Reality-TV Brothers Josh and Jesse Feldman head into the rugged desert of southeast Arizona to track the history of a legendary Apache chief said to have buried two strongboxes of gold somewhere in the region's imposing mountains. This might be the way the Peralta story became incorporated into the Lost Dutchman legend. In the early 1850s, the Colorado River crossing at Yuma became a major route for gold seekers from the East. 480.982.7661 In May 1871 he was in Prescott, coming with several companions from Nevada, and in that month reached Phoenix from the North with about thirty men. Southwest Treasure Hunters Gem & Mineral Guide: Where & How to Dig, Pan and Mine Your Own Gems & Minerals, GemStone Press, 2008. But to find the big gold payout, theyll put their lives on the line by diving deep beneath the raging waters of one of Alaskas wildest creeks. Today, the consensus among geologists is that the Superstitions are unlikely to contain a secret gold mine. When his father later examined the specimen, he noticed the underside of the quartz was covered with fine wire gold and pinhead nuggets. Jakob Waltz was nicknamed Dutch (i.e. Apache Before the Storm, Edward S. Curtis, 1906. The lapse of time had made Adams very uncertain in his location, but he remembered that it was in a deep canyon running in an easterly direction, at a point where a gold ledge was sharply defined on the sides of the gulch, and near two black buttes. The root of this story is the effort of three US soldiers to locate gold in New Mexico based on what Dr Thorne allegedly told them. Come and visit Goldfield Ghost Town today! Arizona Lost Mines By James Harvey McClintock in 1913 Arizona Prospector Almost every prospector, whether professional or tenderfoot, had his own pet "lost mine" that he looked for. He claimed to have been abducted by Navajo in 1854, discovering a rich gold vein during his captivity. Entrance is free. Experience this 4.0-mile loop trail near Gold Canyon, Arizona. He died in California on May 10, 1934, at the age of 70. List of Arizona Mineral & Mining Museums. I had been prospecting out of Prescott AZ. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Watch on. The legend continues to evolve: recent additions are versions in which the gold is really a secret treasure trove of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Confederate secret society active during the American Civil War (1861-1864). Written by James Harvey McClintock in 1913, compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated July 2020. Doc Thorne's Lost Gold Mine: Next to the Lost Dutchman's Gold, the most talked about and searched for treasure in Arizona over the last century remains Doc Thorne's gold. Thorne was afterward denounced as an impostor. He vanished into the mountains in 2009 and his body was not discovered until three years later, hidden in a . Asteroid Ryugu Has Dust Grains Older Than the Sun. Monica is a Din (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Thorne is later unable or unwilling to reveal the location of the mine. He kept the location hidden, perhaps in hopes of one day being able to take advantage of its riches when the timing was right. The Vulture Mining Company was born. Click here, Dig Here! One of the best authenticated of these stories was of the Lost Soldier Mine. The story has had little embellishment and, in part, may be true. Get-rich-quick schemes are as American as the Fourth of July. No one was ever able to follow the Indian into the desert to discover his secret gold mine. 8248 Lost Mine Rd. One story describes the journey of a discharged soldier who followed Pegleg's trail from Yuma to Los Angeles. 928.443.8000 8356 Lost Mine Rd. On the slip was the word take. The editor feared to even remain silent, for most of the letters told of the organization in eastern villages of parties of heavily-armed men to get the gold dust or die in the attempt, and there might have been dire consequences on the head of the imaginative journalist had Phoenix been reached by even one of the desperate rural eastern expeditions. Just a few feet down the trail, we found several people swishing gold pans in the water, while others had more intensive operations with motors set up behind the screen of brush along the riverbed. 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. He had a very irritating habit of disappearing from the camp once in a while, going by night, and taking with him several burros, whose feet would be so well wrapped that trailing was impossible. There is a Superstition Mountain Museum at 4087 N. Apache Trail, Highway 88 in Apache Junction. 480.982.0276 Water was found just in time to save their lives, for Wormley already had become delirious. The Arizona Daily Star reported that the mine also experienced a fair amount of banditry, which includes approximately $70,000 in bullion (precious metal bars) stolen and hidden. As he was nearing death in 1891, Waltz was being cared for by Julia Thomas, an acquaintance with whom he shared the golds location. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. Dig Here! Some 8,000 people each year try to find it. Keep your ears and eyes open, for you may be the lucky one who discovers the three buttes where Pegleg Smith found his black-coated gold nuggets, or a gold filled saddle bag from the Peralta Family's last mining expedition. He was blindfolded and taken to the village, not knowing his direction. A number of other people, in addition to the Peralta family, had knowledge of the mine's location. The gold trail led through New Mexico, Tucson, and Yuma to California. The assumption that he was murdered by Apache Indians appears to have been sustained by a prospectors discovery near the Vulture Mine in the summer of 1895 of the barrel of an old muzzle-loading shotgun, and by it, a home-made mesquite gun stock. There have been 428,000 ounces of gold mined here, the vast majority of which comes from the Vulture Mine near Wickenburg. After he had conquered the epidemic, he was placed upon a horse and taken to a deep rock-walled canyon laced with a high ledge of quartz that glittered with flecks of gold. Around 1870, two U.S. Army soldiers discover a vein of almost pure gold in or near the. Back in 1540 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led a large expedition across Arizona in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Most popular of lost mine stories in pioneer days was that of the Ni**er Ben. In 1891, a miner named A.H. Peeples, who had been prospecting with the Weaver Party, told an editor what he knew of the legend. However, the name "Apache" came to be closely associated with the Superstitions, and the mountains became an Apache stronghold in the 1800s. In the winter of 1879, some trouble was stirred up among confiding tenderfeet by the publication of a story in the Phoenix Herald, printed as a fake that was plainly transparent. Night skies are getting 9.6% brighter every year, How skills-based training can build the workforce of the future, Parents, boys also have body image issues thanks to social media. When they failed, it is reported they sold copies of a map for $7 each. The Lost Goldmine Trails winds for miles at the base of the Superstition Mountains. 16 Lost Treasures of Arizona Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine Herman Wolf's Treasure Trove Legend of the Lost Opata Mine The Smiling Bandits Lost Loot Red Jack Almer Gangs Lost Loot $72,000 in Gold Coins: Stolen Army Payroll Buried Cans of Gold Coins at Ashurst Ranch Lost Gold at Granite Dells Blacksmith's Lost Booty Hidden Indian Gold Near Lynx Creek The records do not account for any gold that was sold locally or given to family or friends. She climbed upon one of three buttes to try and figure out where she was and on the ground she found black-coated gold nuggets. Outdoor Recreation: Treasure Hunting. The explanation then was given that the Indians were afraid that the white men would come in such numbers that the Indian preponderance of population would be lost. On one occasion, Alchisay, a Chiricahua Apache scout, is known to have pawned a nugget worth $500 for $10 worth of supplies, and later to have redeemed the gold, of which he seemed to know the full value. A medical examiner ruled that Ruth died of natural causes (i.e., that broken leg, plus starvation), but some maintain that he was murdered because he knew too much about the legendary mine. When they arrived; however, the chief would show him no further, seemingly being struck by some religious compunctions he hadnt thought of before. The legend continues to evolve: recent additions are versions in which the gold is really a secret treasure trove of the Knights of the. Pegleg Smith was a rugged mountain man who traded furs and supplies, rustled horses and trapped beaver. Within a year, Thomas and others began searching for the hidden gold and even sold maps with instructions to get to the mine. 8302 Lost Mine Rd. Sources: Eugene L. Conrotto, Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest, 1996; Jay Fraser, Lost Dutchman Mine Discoveries, 1988; John D. Mitchell, Lost Mines of the Great Southwest, The Rio . The individuals who truly believe in a particular legend, spend the greater portion of their lives collecting data and facts about the lost mine they so eagerly seek. Superstition Mountains. Roadrunner Prospectors Club, Phoenix. Maricopa County is also popular for prospecting because much of the gold here is found in sizable pieces that can be found with metal detectors . The ore was all that Flannigan claimed and $1,800 was realized from its sale. Click here. In the desert somewhere west of Vurna, many expeditions have searched for the lost Peg-Leg Mine, said to have been discovered by a one-legged individual named Smith, about forty years ago. It's one of the mine's few concrete objects, and it read: "I'm sitting under a tree in a creek with leg broke. Vekols Buried Silver Ingots: Just a few miles north of the old ghost town of Vekol, near Casa Grande in Pinal County, lies a legendary cache of 300 silver ingots, each weighing 25 pounds. Then, in 1891, he died . Often, there is a map (sometimes called a "waybill") purportedly showing the location of the mine. Join Lawrence Fishburne as he uncovers the truth behind the strangest mysteries of all time in History's Greatest Mysteries: Solved - https://histv.co/HGMSTh. This is one of the better counties for gold mining in Arizona. Depending on the purity of the silver, various estimates place the value of the silver cache at close to one million dollars. Find a club in your city: Goldminers HQ, Desert Gold Diggersclubs with gold claims in Arizona, Legends of America Treasure Clubs, Gold Mining Tours & Instruction Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest by Eugene L. Conrotto, Dover Publications, 1991. However, the Lost Dutchman remains much discussed in Arizona. That is, until Miguel Peraltas family stumbles upon the site and start mining the gold. 8338 Lost Mine Rd. Click here to view the video Riding on Gold - Pegleg Smith. Pegleg's Lost Mine - video Riding on Gold - Pegleg Smith By the 1860's large discoveries of gold were occurring in the Bradshaw Mountains, especially along the Hassayampa . Flannigan made several unsuccessful attempts to return to the find, but he dreaded the desert and never went very far from the river. Not only is it 600 miles of mountains, lakes and rivers, but leaving late in the season means the winter may derail their plans. Attempts have been made to locate it at, The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been situated in four quite distinct locales. The men searched as far as the Gila River, near San Carlos and then up to the headwaters of the Gila and back again to Fort Apache, but they had no success and still undiscovered are the ashes of an old cabin where Adams told Bell, was buried gold dust worth at least $5,000. Word traveled fast and, after Weaver found gold, every miner who had not yet struck it rich in California headed for Arizona. In 2006, all of Arizonas gold production came as a fortuitous byproduct of copper mining. Want to read up on some other Arizona mysteries? There are men who have claimed to have found Pegleg's lost Mine. The desire for gold can be so great that it motivates men to endure unbelievable hardships including starvation, dehydration and death. Subsequent searchers have sometimes met with foul play or even death, contributing to the superstition and legend that surround these mountains. 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