There are many stories about hidden gold in the Superstition Mountains, and these usually mention the Peralta Family. The mountain is also frequented with mysterious sounds that many people have claimed to have heard. Ahh, heres the chronological faux-pass. The Grand Canyon State. In January 2011, three sets of remains assumed to be those of the lost men were retrieved. Around 1860 a German immigrant named Jacob Waltz moved into the Wickenburg Arizona area about 80 miles from Phoenix. Named after the fabled lost gold mine, Lost Dutchman State Park is located in the Sonoran Desert, at the base of the Superstition Mountains, only 40 miles east of Phoenix. OH, I almost forgot there is no cell phone service absolutely none. The large wooden structure overlooking the museum is a 100-year-old Cossak 20-stamp ore mill, a state-of-the-art piece of mining equipment that was used around the turn of the century in the West. Cute fun stop for anyone visiting the area to learn more about the history of the area. However, there were no directions to the conquest mentioned in his diary. In his 1945 book about the Lost Dutchmans Mine. 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. In most variants of the story, the family of a man called Miguel Peralta discovered the mine and began mining the gold there, only to be attacked or massacred by Apaches in about 1850 in the supposed Peralta massacre. After moving to the area, Ruth lingered numerous days at the ranch of Tex Barkely to outfit his expedition. Youve come to the ideal place. 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. In June 1931, Ruth set out to locate the lost Peralta mine. 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. Yep, more footage has been found, kids. The 66-year-old Ruth, who was by all accounts absolutely and hopelessly obsessed with the location of the Lost Dutchmans Mine, ventured out into those badlands despite warnings against it, and shortly after vanished without a trace. He's written articles for MU and Daily Grail and has been a guest on Coast to Coast AM and Binnal of America. Ruth vanished while hunting for the mine in the summer of 1931. His skull with two holes in it identified as bullet holes was recovered about six months after he vanished, and the story made national news, thus sparking widespread interest in the Lost Dutchman's mine.[22]. 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. The Lost Dutchman's Mine has gone on to become a pop cultural legend, written of in countless books and appearing on numerous TV shows. And then I finally paid a visit this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. From the Press Release Wednesday Sunday The man is barely alive. Most likely because Pedro de Peralta had been the Spanish Governor of New Mexico (in the 1600s) his family name of "Peralta" was the inspiration for a number of legends in the American Southwest. Its now the 1870s. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. The museum does not disappoint! Please note that admission prices for Special Events are subject to change. Due to the out-of-control fire, the Arizona authorities were forced to close the State Route 88, and, along with it, public access to the Canyon, Apache Lake, Apache Campground, picnic sites, and trailheads. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. When is the documentary goimg to start back up? 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In March of 2011, three filmmakers disappeared in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona while documenting their search for the Lost Dutchman mine. Finally did a little digging and it sounded interesting. Intrigue Journal. 3: Gift Shop and Event Manager Dave McElligott In fact, after five years including thousands of hours of research and then four expeditions starting in 2015, The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been found by Arcana Exploration and Discovery. Arcana Exploration has been there on four separate trips the first in October of 2015. In later years there is the story of the adventurous Spanish born Doctor Abraham Thorne, who was at the time living among the Natives of the region and studying their medical practices. We arrived at Shaun's house at 7:30 am in St. George Utah. We have imaging taken, with Go-pros, Sony 7000s; Osmo stabilized film cameras and Dji Phantom and Bee-bop drones. That was circa 1850. Get-rich-quick schemes are as American as the Fourth of July. Superstition Mountain at night. "The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine." This isn't another nauseating, shaky-cam mess. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. The Superstition Mountain Museum collects, preserves and displays the artifacts, history and folklore of the Superstition Mountain region and the Apache Junction area. Read on to find out if you should start planning your trip to a Dark Mountain. You need at a bare minimum, at least a three- man team. But the map to the Peralta mine was said to be missing. Hrdlicka positively identified the skull as that of Adolph Ruth. Want to climb a perilous cliff? (However, in some versions,[14] the 'mine' is actually a cache put there by the Peraltas.). Other storytellers claim that the Peralta Family escaped with gold, but another family died in the massacre. In January 1932, human remains were discovered about three-quarters of a mile (1.21km) from where the skull had been found. Come on. From this base he easily could have worked a gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. In a story that echoes some of the earlier tales, Ruth's son Erwin C. Ruth was said to have learned of the Peralta mine from a man called Pedro Gonzales (or Gonzalez). But they're even better known for something else: the legendary Lost Dutchman's Mine, a much-ballyhooed secret stash of wealth sought by daring adventurers known as "Dutch hunters." Lost Dutchman State Park is located near the Superstition Mountains in central Phoenix, about 40 miles from Phoenix. [21], Were it not for the death of amateur explorer and treasure hunter Adolph Ruth, the story of the Lost Dutchman's mine would probably have been little more than a footnote in Arizona history as one of hundreds of "lost mines" rumored to be in the American West. In December, 1931, The Arizona Republic reported on the recent discovery of a human skull in the Superstition Mountains. 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]. Some places have long been thought to be simply no good. Its estimated worth is around 200 million dollars. Web. Barkely repeatedly urged Ruth to abandon his search for the mine, because the terrain of the Superstition Mountains was treacherous even for experienced outdoorsmen, let alone for the 66-year-old Ruth in the heat of the Arizona summer. In 1870, Waltz had a homestead of about 160 acres (0.65km2) near Phoenix where he operated a farm.[18]. But, loyal reader, you came here for the things the tourist board fails to mention. The mine is named after German immigrant Jakob Waltz (c. 18101891), who purportedly discovered it in the 19th century and kept its location a secret. So let me say it again, the documentation found ON the stones is the most important thing not so much who carved them. Blair insisted that the Peralta portion of the story is unreliable, writing: "The operation of a gold mine in the Superstitions by a Peralta family is a contrivance of 20th century writers". Ruth disappeared while searching for the mine in the summer of 1931. The Valentine State. 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. He pursued mining and prospecting, but seems to have had little luck with either. All Rights Reserved. He had acquired maps that he was sure would lead him straight to the gold. According to these legends, this treasure was almost never seen by mortal eyes, at least not by anyone who lived to tell about it, but there are some tales of outsiders stumbling across it. No suspects or motive were ever found. He would take this secret location practically to his grave, but as he lie dying from a bout of pneumonia in 1891 he allegedly told all, laying out the secret location of the lost and cursed Apache treasure, giving detailed but cryptic instructions on how to navigate the rough terrain to the entrance, as well as scrawling out a crude map to it all as he lay on his deathbed. For the first time ever, Arcana Exploration has undeniable physical proof that the mine exists, proof that is to say, photographic physical documentation that many of the generally excepted clues, are in fact real and do exist and are physically present in one location. Saturdays bring the added fun of gun fight shows with a friendly crew that welcomes photos during the show and posing with them after the show. Intrigue Journal. They are bound on three sides by U.S. Route 60, Arizona State Route 88, and Arizona State Route 188, and are visible from miles away. https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/superstition-mountains/index.html, They were once known in Spanish as Sierra de la Espuma . For a small fee you can see items owned by locals and learn all about the local history. In this case the body was found first, with the rest of the body following a full 6 months later.