However, the Lost Dutchman remains much discussed in Arizona. Officials initially cited the cause of death as naturalfrom thirst or a heart conditionbut this did not explain the bullet holes and Ruths undischarged pistol found with the remains. The mines involved usually contain a high-value commodity such as gold, silver or diamonds. The story was widely copied, and from eastern points, so many inquiries came that the Herald editor had to have a little slip printed to be sent back in reply. It was against the tribal law and beliefs of the Apaches to tell others where the gold was located. 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. from the Netherlands) because he was, The Lost Dutchman Mine is also the most sought after in American history. Where can you find these magnificent perennial plants? Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. As early as Sept 1, 1892, a local newspaper relates . As he was nearing death in 1891, Waltz was being cared for by Julia Thomas, an acquaintance with whom he shared the golds location. Ruth injured his leg so severely in the process that he developed a lifelong limp. Governor A.P.K. The soldiers dug out coarse gold by the aid of their knives. One variety of the Lost Dutchman story concerns the operations of a German who made his headquarters at Wickenburg, in the early 1870s. This article first appeared on Curiosity.com. He disappeared, as usual, one night, and never returned. The ingots were buried in 1891 in a hastily made, shallow excavation and, likely, only a few inches below the surface. Six Planets are Retrograde, What Does that Mean for You? Pegleg's questionable character and his reputation for drinking and lying add to the controversy surrounding the legend of his lost mine. Outdoor Recreation: Treasure Hunting. We must ask ourselves the toughest question of all -- "Do I believe there is still gold to be found in the desert?" 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 . International mysteries, vintage maps, hidden treasure Explorers Justin and Emiliano are on the case. Ben took a nugget from the prospectors stock that was about the size of a man s thumb and showed it to a chief who was especially friendly with him. This wall has vertical eroded ridges resembling a pipe organ. Later, after the Indian died in a fight, $4,000 worth of gold was found in his bunk. Click here to read the original article. #sedona #redrocks #outhiki, Oddball vending machines, #3 in the series. He struck up a friendship with several Yavapai chiefs, even when they were the most hostile to the other miners, and they told him of a place where there was much gold, far more than on Rich Hill, where we were working. 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. The second significant gold discovery was made by Pauline Weaver (of Weavers Needle fame) in 1862 on the Colorado River at La Paz. Above it were two quartz veins, one narrow and the other sixteen feet wide. Waltz also makes a deathbed confession to a Julia Thomas, and even draws a crude map of the mine. Get-rich-quick schemes are as American as the Fourth of July. Pegleg Smith was a rugged mountain man who traded furs and supplies, rustled horses and trapped beaver. James C. Bell, later of Globe, with two companions joined this party near Prescott and were made members, while four more joined at Fort Verde. During the 1830s and 1840s, Pegleg settled down and started a trading post along the Oregon Trail in Idaho, specializing in the sale of horses. There was a Dr Thorne who had a private practice in New Mexico, however. Rich Hill was the single richest discovery of gold in one place. By 1869, water was once again flowing from the ancient Hohokam canals for the first time in 400 years into the fertile land of what would later become known as Phoenix. Roadrunner Prospectors Club, Phoenix. 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. 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. Mining flourished in Gila City until 1862 when a flood destroyed the town. Where to Find Gold in the Desert by James Klein, Gem Guides, 1994. To keep up with the pace of change, organizations that havent already can benefit greatly from exploring skills-based training. He gathered the black pebbles thinking they were copper and carried them to Los Angeles where he later discovered they were gold. Chapter 12 of Thunder God's Gold by Barry Storm (John Clymenson), published in 1945, tells a very interesting story about a large piece of rich gold quartz found by William (Bill) Jenkins while on a picnic in the Superstition Mountains with his family in 1937. Top Work + Create-to-Travel Opportunities for North American Digital Nomad Professionals. While the story remains essentially the same as originally published, heavy editing has occurred for spelling and grammar corrections, revisions for the modern reader, and updates to this historic tale. Jesse Capen was obsessed with the legend of the lost gold, despite the lack of hard historical evidence. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. The next find was some small heaps of very rich gold rock, probably where sacks had decayed from around the ore, and then, a short distance away was discovered a shallow prospect hole, sunk on a gold-bearing ledge. 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. But theres enough to it to encourage people to go after that gold. The largest exploring and prospecting expedition Arizona ever has known since the days of Coronado originated on the tale of a prospector named Miner. Robsons Mining World, Wickenburg: Pan for gold with guided instruction and view the worlds largest collection of antique mining equipment.. Here's the thing about the House on the Rock it's certainly a sight to behold, but it's no museum. Recommended Reading 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. Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of the Southwest by David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, 2009. It is called the Lost Dutchman Mine and is said to be located in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. The gold trail led through New Mexico, Tucson, and Yuma to California. 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. 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. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly holda legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. 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 district into which the party penetrated has been thoroughly prospected during the past twenty years and contains many mines of demonstrated richness. When he reached the top of the butte, he discovered free particles of gold scattered about. Wickenburg established a farm near this settlement, now known as the town named in his honor. If only it were that easy. He was able to tell the story of the gold find, and the rescuing party went farther to find Crossthwaites body. 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. The Lost Dutchman State Park, which opened in 1977 and has the Peralta Trail, is also a nod at the legend. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. Gold mines subsequently popped up all over the state in riverbeds, hills, caves and mountains. ), The Desert Environment Old time miners would sample gold bearing rivers following the wa. Though the Indians pressed handfuls of the nuggets upon him, Thorne still persisted that the stuff was worthless and refused to take any, convinced that he could again find the treasure. He claimed to have been abducted by Navajo in 1854, discovering a rich gold vein during his captivity. This area is known today as the Massacre Grounds. #scotland #sanquhar #magi, Townspeople probably think Im a witch. 2. The trails are well marked. Taking some of the horseflesh with them, they struck northerly, seeking water in what is supposed to have been the Granite Wash range of mountains in Northern Yuma County. 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 What i, Magic hour castle walks. Ed Schieffelin, who discovered the Tombstone mines, would later search diligently for the lost mine, but if he found it, he never told. 480.982.0276 As recent as January 2011, the Arizona Republic reported more remains found in the Superstition Mountains, suspected to be three Utah friends who disappeared the previous July while searching for the riches of the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine. In fact, there is a man who claims to have found Pegleg's Lost Mine in 1952. He reportedly said it came from a secret mine in the Superstition Mountains. 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. Packing their booty onto a number of mules, they fled, heading northwest toward a remote pass through the Arizona/Mexico border. The Indian said he had seen much larger pieces of the same substance and started off to show him the treasure. Less than a days journey from the river, the three men separated, after the horse had dropped dead. 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. Miner, at the time, was thought to have been mistaken in his bearings, but members of the party later became convinced that he was merely a liar. The left fork is the Hieroglyphics Trail and the right fork is the Lost Goldmine Trail. Lynx Lake Mineral Withdrawal Area & Gold Panning Trail, Prescott. Arizona Mineral Rights & Mining Claims Parker Schnabel and his friends pay tribute to the legends before them and attempt the Klondike Trail of 1897. Lost Goldmine and Cougar Loop. The differences are evident in the variance of descriptive landmarks, dates, and historical information. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. Some writers have indicated that there actually was a Miguel Peralta whose family operated a gold mine but this was in the 1860s, near Valenciana in California. I had heard of a publicly declared gold excavation and panning trail in the Lynx Lake Recreational Area near Prescott and decided to investigate. Click here, Dig Here! Want to read up on some other Arizona mysteries? the historic main street. This is one of the better counties for gold mining in Arizona. 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. Another Lost Soldier Mine was found by a scouting soldier from old Fort Grant in the hills north of the Gila River, not very far from the mouth of the San Pedro. He argued that each of these three legends contains some truth, but have become badly distorted through time. Desert Rocks & Minerals: GOLD! The worlds longest cave system is a gargantuan labyrinth of 420 miles of twists and turns and nooks and crannies, with limestone travertine stalactites dripping from the ceilings. 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. While at the camp, she told the workers about the gold nuggets she found and left them with one of the nuggets before she continued on her way. 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. He vanished into the mountains in 2009 and his body was not discovered until three years later, hidden in a . A cryptic map of the gold mine, or just a fake? According to the legend, the Apaches buried and hid the gold and covered up the mine. 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). Mining towns such as Tumco, Bodie, Oatman and Randsberg were once booming with growth due to the mining operations which provided jobs and drew gold seekers from all over the country. 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