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. Bellhop Jesse Capen, 35, was obsessed with the legend of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. The Superstition Mountain Historical Society Inc is a non-profit corporation organized to collect and preserve the history, legends, and lore of Arizonas Superstition Mountain, to support research, education, and publications involving the region, and to maintain a historical museum devoted to these endeavors. The map is supposedly filled with clues, and there are many others purportedly given by Waltz at various points in his life according to legends, but it's hard to prove he actually ever said any of those things. No, were not really a mining company. These include Barry Storms book Thunder Gods Gold, published in 1945, detailing his own efforts to find the gold, and the Glen Ford and Ida Lupino movie, Lust for Gold, from 1949. I also believe the mine was never lost. He died on October 25, 1891, after having been nursed by an acquaintance named Julia Thomas (she was usually described as a quadroon). The clues themselves do not prove that it is the Dutchman. When you visit, follow the hard rock mining process from mine to bullion. Among the many legends to have emerged from the area, one of the most enduring ones is that of The LostDutchmansGold Mine. 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. Still, there is by no means a consensus among Dutch Hunters and many dismiss it entirely, regardless of scientific evidence. These are tall, volcanic formations in the wilderness and are popular as hiking destinations. [28], One fact against the existence of "Lost Dutchman Mine" is that Waltz was a "placer miner"; while the gold pieces he had were in quartz, the Superstition Mountains are in fact volcanic. It's likely this legend just got re-adapted to the Superstitions to boost the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine. It is believed that all were killed except for two Peralta family members who were severely wounded but managed to escape. While Francisco Coronado did exist and did explore what is now the southwestern United States, there's nothing indicating he ever visited the Superstitions. He had metal pins in his leg, and used a cane to help him walk. On 8 June 2019, a fire broke out in the Superstitions Wilderness area and soon spread across 26,000 acres. But the map to the Peralta mine was said to be missing. The Superstition Mountains ( Yavapai: Wi:kchsawa) is a range of mountains in Arizona located to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Blair cited evidence of the historical Jacob Waltz and suggested that additional evidence supports the core elements of the story that Waltz claimed to have discovered (or at least heard the story of) a rich gold vein or cache. each. 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. Don Miguel Peralta was the head of a powerful and wealthy Mexican family from Sonora, and they were either ranchers or operated mines or did both. [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. Some have died on the search. 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. Cerro Rico: Devil worship on the man-eating mountain - BBC News There are other legends about gold in the Superstition Mountains. Skeptoid Podcast. 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. Ask any prospector and they will tell. Waltz is also said to make a deathbed confession to Julia Thomas, and draws or describes a crude map to the gold mine. Paperback $39.95 9 Used from $24.95 The Saga of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine legend. Mike . Researchers point to an old beliefby local farmersthat the nearby Pima Native American tribe were superstitious about the mountains. It is common knowledge that someone was working the mine in the late 1990s, though what exactly they extracted varies between tellers. Buy "In Search of the Heart" by Phil Reinhardt at http://www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org/museumgifts/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_. Front View of the Peralta Stones. So what about Jacob Waltz? 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. 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. These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. They didnt find it because its not in the superstitions Too bad i cant post pictures, because i know exactly where it is, Did you ever think the Dutchman might have used another mine location to through