This is very interesting and both are true. Finding gold at the Lost Dutchman mine. Arcana Exploration has been there on four separate trips the first in October of 2015. 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. So where did all these rumors of lost gold in the Superstition Mountains originate? However, even armed with the clues and map, no one in the area could find the Dutchman's mine, thus giving it the name of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine. THE TWO PEOPLE WHO HAVE RUN THE LOST DUTCHMAN . "Waltz said it was a vein of gold surrounded by hematite in quartz," according to Tuttle. 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. 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. National ArchivesA 19th century map detailing mines in Arizona. Courtesy Collection of Greg Davis / Superstition Mountain Museum , The Lost Dutchman is one of the greatest lost mine stories of them all. Later that year, two easterners went looking for the lost mine. It seems likeliest one of two things happened. Adolph Ruth, a government veterinarian, had an obsession with finding the Lost Dutchman Mine. Clay Worst says the Dutchman bounced all over America obsessed with finding gold---and found nothing. WE HAVE ALSO SOLVED THE PERALTA BURBRIDGE MAP OF 1753. The Lost Dutchman Mine Lost In The Woods Podcast True Crime According to legends, the Lost Dutchman Mine is hidden in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. Weiser (if he ever existed at all) eventually met the same unfortunate fate as the Peraltas and was killed by the Apache, although some versions of the story have him murdered by his former partner. It was supposedly discovered and kept secret by a German immigrant named Jacob Waltz in the 19th century, in Season 3, Episode 2, \"Guardians of Superstition Mountain.\" #AmericaUnearthedSubscribe for more from America Unearthed and other great HISTORY shows:http://histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYTFind out more about the show and watch full episodes on our site:http://www.history.com/shows/Check out exclusive HISTORY content:History Newsletter - https://histv.co/newsletterWebsite - https://histv.co/HistoryFacebook - https://histv.co/FacebookTwitter - https://histv.co/TwitterIn \"America Unearthed,\" host Scott Wolter uses hard science and intuitive theories to explain the most mysterious artifacts and sites in America. In gratitude, Gonzales told Erwin about the Peralta mine in the Superstition Mountains, and gave him some antique maps of the site (Gonzales claimed to be descended from the Peralta family on his mother's side). This bug is to make my fortune, he continued, with a triumphant smile, to reinstate me in my family possessions. While we are rather skeptical of the finding of the Lost Dutchman claim, if the new find is rich in gold it will do until the old discovery is really brought to light. They also claimed to have seen the ghost of the Dutchman, and his Apache wife and young assistant. Stories vary on how Waltz found this hidden treasure. Hiking and camping are popular activities. It's also worth noting the mountains aren't known to have gotten their ironic name from any of the above legends. For 25 years he lives the good life and enjoys his riches. However, the Peralta Mine eventually became unprofitable and after the money was gone Miguel Peralta turned to fraud. , The Waterbury Democrat. Padre Kino founded many missions including Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson. When: Open 365 days a year. [9] As of 1975, ruins of the Peralta mine were standing.[9]. When and where we can get a direct line of sight, we use high tech Walkie talkies, to communicate with each other. 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. A group found the Lost Dutchman Mine in the Eastern Superstitions and extracted a considerable amount of rich gold ore. Mining records show that Jacob Waltz did file claims, two claims with others. So who killed the Spanish treasure hunters that came to the land? Later I will give more details and then begin providing information on how things fit together. setTimeout(function(){var t=document.createElement("script");t.setAttribute("src","https://sample.dragonforms.com/getEmbeddedClientScript.do?embeddedsite=TW_dispatch_nl"),t.setAttribute("type","text/javascript"),document.body.appendChild(t)},5); Become a subscriber today and youll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues. Arizona place-name expert Byrd Granger wrote, as of 1977, the Lost Dutchman's story had been printed or cited at least six times more often than two other fairly well-known tales, the story of Captain Kidd's lost treasure, and the story of the Lost Pegleg mine in California. In June 1931, Ruth set out to locate the lost Peralta mine. Sadly, the 35-year-old became another target of the fables when he disappeared from the Tonto National Forest in 2009. In the next century, the Peralta family extracted gold from this mine. He contracted it as a young child, when he was enthralled with books and stories of hidden treasures and lost gold. 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 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. Is it possible he took his own life? A note from Ruth saying he needed help and had discovered the mine was found in the Salt River. In yet another version of the tale, two (or more) U.S. Army soldiers are said to have discovered a vein of almost pure gold in or near the Superstition Mountains. He really did emigrate from Germany, though this seems to have occurred decades before the legends claim, because there are verified documents showing he filed to become an American citizen in 1848, long before he supposedly arrived in 1860, according to the Superstition Mountain Museum. When the townspeople went to look for them, they found nearly all of the family slaughtered. While HEATs members would certainly hope to claim a portion of any find, they declare that its just as important to find and change a piece of history. [29][clarification needed]. from. 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. A not-insignificant number of those Dutch hunters have gotten hurt or even killed. [4], Robert Blair wrote "[t]here have been at least four legendary Lost Dutchman's gold mines in the American West, including the famed Superstition mine of Jacob Waltz". Ruth disappeared while searching for the mine in the summer of 1931. None of this rules out that he simply found a cache of abandoned gold, of course, and when he died, he did have in his possessions some high-grade gold ore, though its value is unclear and it may have just been for attracting potential investors in his prospecting operations. Except perhaps not. The Lost Dutchman story actually begins in the 1800s when the wealthy, Mexican Peralta family came to the region to work mines under a Spanish land grant. This is trails end; this is the domain of the Dutch Hunters. True. Pingback: Legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Parts 2 & 3: Finally Found! "The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine." The Gold Rush was in full swing and Waltz wanted a piece of those potential fortunes. Wikimedia CommonsThe grave of Jacob Waltz. Adolph Ruth set out to find the Lost Dutchman Mine but apparently broke his leg on the journey. Next week I will list some clues that are absolutely relevant to what we have physically on site. In some versions, he's not just a man but the chieftain of the Apache tribe. Or, he never made any such claims at all and Thomas made up the whole story based on some gold ore she found in Waltz's possessions. The story goes that in the mid-1700s, the Superstition Mountains were visited by a group of priests of the Jesuit Order, and they came with over 240 mules loaded down with gold, according to the Denver Post. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. A cache of gold ore was stolen from a candle box . 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". George Mallory's Lost Camera. Blair had little doubt that Waltz related to Thomas the location of an alleged gold mine. Cox concentrated his search on the eastern end of what is now the Superstition Wilderness. Much of the truth has laid obscured in old Spanish, Jesuit and Catholic Church documentation, including maps, expedition journals, and diaries and in many cases with those buried in long ago lost and forgotten graves. 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. As the story goes, Waltz and his partner befriended a Mexican who had been working a mine in the mountains. There was a catastrophic flood in Phoenix in 1891, and Waltz's farm was one of many that was devastated. The story of the missing mine started when the Peralta family moved to the area in the early 19th century to try their luck at mining. 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. 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. People off his Mine that he cover up with a ironwood tree :The books give me my These trails traverse from the desert floor up into the edges of the mountains. The man said Dr. Thorne could take as much as he could carry, at which point he was blindfolded again and led out. Lost Dutchman Mine. Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:29 pm. That, in and of itself, is a separate legend. ARIZONA, USA It's arguably the most famous legend in all of Arizona: A gold mine of unfathomable riches in the . 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. 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