As Curt Gentry wrote, "Dr. Hrdlicka positively identified the skull as that of Adolph Ruth. A map is available in the gift shop and signage along the path explains the stages. One of the worst kept secrets of the Superstition Mountains. 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? The area is filled with ghost tales, monster . According to the story, in about 1912 Erwin C. Ruth gave some legal aid to Gonzales, saving him from almost certain imprisonment. George Flemming and Charles Enslinger filed claim on the Silver Chief mine in 1875. Furthermore, Wilburn stated that geology indicates that there is no gold in the Superstition Mountains, which are igneous in origin. Many other mysterious deaths in the Superstition Mountains followed that of Ruths in the subsequent years, including two soldiers from the U.S. Army. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly hold a legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. 2: Cashiers for questions about whats happening at the museum and local area While this doesn't mean it's impossible there's gold to mine up there, it makes it far less likely. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. The Superstition Mountain Historical Society was formed on December 27, 1979. 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. I will make a statement in the near future that will surprise a lot of Dutch Hunters it surprised me. Some have died on the search. Additionally, there is a partial tunnel, or drift, in the canyon below that moves in the direction of the main shaft and was crudely walled up. Nobody else has ever been able to find that rich of ore since then anywhere else in AZ. The Pennsylvania Dutch Country. James Rogers was the man who actually discovered the ledge and he became a partner with Enslinger. Around 1860 a German immigrant named Jacob Waltz moved into the Wickenburg Arizona area about 80 miles from Phoenix. While a few versions have Waltz outright stealing the gold, in other versions, he either rescued or fell in love with an Apache woman who shared the secret of a gold vein her people had been mining for centuries, but as punishment for sharing the knowledge with an outsider, her tongue was cut out, ensuring she could never speak again. Dec 18, 2016 #6 JFDIAFF: [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. The stories of conquistadors and Jesuits bearing gold are completely unverifiable without documentation or archaeological evidence. Blair suggested that this Waltz could be the same Waltz who later came to be regarded as the legendary Dutchman, and that he Americanized the spelling of his family name. Recently, however, non-destructive tests have become possible and the two samples have been compared. Silvermines, historically known as Bellagowan (Irish: Bal tha Gabhann), is a village in County Tipperary in Ireland.It lies immediately north of the Silvermine mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver nearby. Not only that, but some legends claim there were a number of shrines in the mountains filled with gold meant to be an offering to the Thunder God. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. If you need rescued, they will land two miles away and hike in to get you. He died on October 25, 1891, after having been nursed by an acquaintance named Julia Thomas (she was usually described as a quadroon). Some have died on the search. Some of you reading this may know a lot, about the Lost Dutchman Goldmine, others may be new to the story of the Lost Dutchman Mine, so before going much further, I will do a very quick overview. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. The clues themselves do not prove that it is the Dutchman. Director: Earl Bellamy | Stars: Dale Robertson, John Litel, Myron Healey, John Dennis. Finally, there really was a successful gold mining family named Peralta, but they were in California, not Arizona, according to Gold Rush Nuggets. Now the Last Similarities There is a Company that claims there millions of tons of copper under a Area in the Superstition's. They tested that area, it just so happens to be a Area the Mexicans mined back in the day. Take, for example, the story of Adolph Ruth, an experienced treasure hunter who typically worked with his son, Erwin. One day he travelled to the fabled site of the mother lode, Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona, and never came back. Here he worked at the Vulture Mine as a paid miner. After the conquistadors and priests are purported to have come and gone from the Superstition Mountains, legend tells of another group who arrived sometime in the earlier half of the 1800s. I understand that it has been filled in recently and the surrounding area may have been hit by recent wildfires. Ruth disappeared while searching for the mine in the summer of 1931. Jacob Waltz took possession of his mine in 1869, six years before the Silver Chief was filed as an original location. The elder Ruth had fallen and badly broken several bones while seeking the lost Pegleg mine in California. [9] As of 1975, ruins of the Peralta mine were standing.[9]. In the year 1870, with his consent, they blindfolded him and took him on a 20-mile trip to an unknown location piled with gold ore. According to their folklore, the mountain guards an ancient storehouse of precious metals and treasures, and anyone who ventures forth to get the treasure is likely to die. The two Jacobs found the gold but refused to tell anyone else where it was. The praying hands formation at the Superstition Mountains range. 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. 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. One of the best treasure tales in the history of the American West is the Lost Dutchman Mine. On our may trip in 2016 one day it reached 108 degrees, that same day up on the mountain, climbing on a surface of Granite and sandstone ours guys Trek watches read what they were breathing at an actual 119 degrees. This tale involves two German men, Jacob Waltz and Jacob Weiser. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Superstition Mountain has an elevation of 5,024 feet. Dec 4, 2008 4,168 3,192. [3] Former Arizona Attorney General Robert K. Corbin is among those who have looked for the mine. The Jesuit priests were the most educated and loyal orders to the King of Spain (and to the Pope). The closest approximate was a German miner of the PennsylvaniaGerman community. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Perhaps this is why many of the legends involve people bringing gold to the mountain and leaving it hidden there. However, Ruth ignored Barkely's advice, and set out for a two-week stint in the mountains. The Lost Dutchmans Mine is featured in Season 1, Episode 21 of the television series Unsolved Mysteries. The episode first aired on April 12, 1989. If these conditions do not exist, gold will not exist. Now riddled with tunnels, the mountain is a death trap for the . In June 1931, Dr. Adolph Ruth set out on a two-week voyage through the legendary Superstition Mountains in search for the lost treasure. A not-insignificant number of those Dutch hunters have gotten hurt or even killed. The Superstitions Mountains lie within the Tonto National wildlife refuge and consist of 242 square miles not counting other designated and preserved area's that boarder the Tonto National Forest and wildlife refuge. So, where is it then? Blair had little doubt that Waltz related to Thomas the location of an alleged gold mine. In many areas they cannot, and will not for any reason land, and actually have designated no fly zones. This, of course, is how the Dutchman is supposed to havereally found his treasure. I personally spoke with Ron a few months back when he described his findings to me, which he is publishing in a forthcoming book. Legends have. 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. 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. It is common knowledge that someone was working the mine in the late 1990s, though what exactly they extracted varies between tellers. I cannot speak for the current condition of the mine. It's also worth noting the mountains aren't known to have gotten their ironic name from any of the above legends. Intrigue Journal. But the map to the Peralta mine was said to be missing. 9 May 2022. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. The highest peak of the range is Keeper Hill or Slievekimalta at 694 metres (2,277 ft) high. 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. The weather in the Superstition Mountains is notoriously unpredictable, with storms seeming to come out of nowhere and accompanied by abrupt drops in temperatures. The legend of the lost gold continued to attract people, and, in 1932, a veterinarian in the Park Service, Adolph Ruth, decided to go treasure hunting. I have been lucky enough to uncover a few, which you will forgive me if I keep, at least for now. The legend goes that an immigrant named Jacob Waltz found the mine and then took his secret to the grave. When you visit, follow the hard rock mining process from mine to bullion. So what do we really know about these legends, Waltz, and the Superstition Mountains? It's an entire genre all its own, from pirate maps to all the stuff Nicolas Cage got up to in the National Treasure movies. ZERO ZIP NADA!! To underline his great find, he had also written Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, and I conquered) in his diary. And now we get to the real problem with these legends there's basically zero evidence any of them ever happened. That, in and of itself, is a separate legend. Still, there is by no means a consensus among Dutch Hunters and many dismiss it entirely, regardless of scientific evidence. He had worked as a miner but was an amateur prospector at best. (Latin Heart Reader / Wikimedia Commons). [1], The Lost Dutchman's is perhaps the most famous lost mine in American history. The Jesuit Treasure of the Superstition Mountains. The photographic evidence taken at the site along with a selection of maps combined with historical documentation together, links the most generally accepted and related informational evidence too present day boots on the ground reality. Do some math. Considering that any mining activity in the area would be a federal crime, you can understand why folks might not be so forthcoming with information. [4] Early on during the Spanish Conquest, Conquistadors such as Francisco Vazquez de Coronado (1535) came to the American southwest (New Spain) in search of gold trying to locate, Montezumas Seven Cities of Cibola. To paraphrase an old Dutch Hunter, I dont know where the Dutchman is, but I know a thousand places it isnt! The meaning here is that gold can only exist in a prerequisite set of geological conditions. What there is documentation to support is that the Dutchman may have been a con man. They either mined or found enormous gold deposits in the Superstition Mountains. We are currently in the process of planning for a return trip to further document our findings. Yet, legend insists that it does. There are lots of similar tales of gold-hunting soldiers, too, from all over the southwest. 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. Among the many legends to have emerged from the area, one of the most enduring ones is that of The LostDutchmansGold Mine. By Catharina Moh. 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. The stories differ from here onward. Despite his efforts, Willing was never able to recover the money he gave to Peralta. Silver Member. 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. Ruth ended his note with the phrase "Veni, vidi, vici. But Blair suggested that this core story was distorted in subsequent retellings, comparing the many variants of the Lost Dutchman's story to the game of Chinese whispers, where the original account is distorted in multiple retellings of the tale.[15]. So where did all these rumors of lost gold in the Superstition Mountains originate? This is trails end; this is the domain of the Dutch Hunters. 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.