Willing died in 1874 before there had been a thorough investigation of the documents or opportunity to cross examine him on the stand as was later done with Reavis. Arizona's most notorious lost treasure story for both believers and otherwise takes place in the mysterious Superstition Mountains. January 1933 a Mining electrican named J.A. [17] Note that tombstone pictured shows birth year as 1808. Clue 16 - Miliary Map. [26], Blair wrote that "the national wire services picked up the story [of Ruth's death] and ran it for more than it was worth", possibly seeing the mysterious story as a welcome reprieve from the bleak news that was otherwise typical of the Great Depression. When: Open 365 days a year. Jacob Walzer and Heidelberg (Germany) were punched in the edges of the tintype, leading Ron Feldman to think it could be of Jacob Waltz. 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. The elder Ruth had fallen and badly broken several bones while seeking the lost Pegleg mine in California. [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. Reading age. See more in Season 1, Episode 1, \"Secrets of the Lost Map.\"#LegendoftheSuperstitionMountains Subscribe for more from Legend of the Superstition Mountains and other great The HISTORY Channel shows:https://histv.co/SubscribeToHistoryFind out more about the show and watch full episodes on our site:http://www.history.com/shows/Check out exclusive The HISTORY Channel content:History Newsletter: www.history.com/newsletterWebsite - http://www.history.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HistoryTwitter - https://twitter.com/historyThe HISTORY Channel is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. 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. Lost Dutchman's Cabin in the Superstition Mountains StrangeAgo October 21, 2017 In this article, two men went in search of the Dutchman's mine and claimed they found his cabin. As a reward, Dr. Thorne was blindfolded and led to a cave in the mountains. Under present regulations, the federal government will claim the find and hold it for one year. (St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona Territory [Ariz.]) 18851903, September 8, 1892, Image 2", Dunning, B. 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. Ruth . April Warnecke 4/11/2022. This is the story of the men who went searching for it's hidden gold our links: https://www.instagram.com/lostinthewoodspodcast/ Only the materials differ. He further stated, after examining the two holes [in the skull], that it appeared that a shotgun or high-powered rifle had been fired through the head at almost point-blank range, making the small hole when the bullet entered and the large hole when it exited".[23]. The earliest Lost Dutchman Gold Mine in Arizona was said to be near Wickenburg, where in the 1870's a Dutchman was found dead in the desert, together with some saddlebags filled with gold. Finally, there really was a successful gold mining family named Peralta, but they were in California, not Arizona, according to Gold Rush Nuggets. Finding gold at the Lost Dutchman mine. People have been seeking the Lost Dutchman's mine since at least 1892,[2] while according to one estimate, 9,000 people annually made some effort to locate the Lost Dutchman's mine. Jesse Capen was obsessed with the legendary Dutchman Gold Mine and was convinced he could locate the treasure hidden deep in the Superstition Mountains. The body of a man who was 'fueled by obsession' to find a legendary gold mine has reportedly been found in the remote Superstition Mountains of Arizona. He had worked as a miner but was an amateur prospector at best. 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. [19][20] After this was unsuccessful, Thomas and her partners were reported to be selling maps to the mine for $7 each. Clay Worst says the Dutchman bounced all over America obsessed with finding gold---and found nothing. Apparently, he was rewarded. ARIZONA, USA It's arguably the most famous legend in all of Arizona: A gold mine of unfathomable riches in the . Later I will give more details and then begin providing information on how things fit together. Soon, fact and fiction became easier to sort. Fortune seeker Barry Storm stumbles onto some clues that may lead him to the fabulous Lost Dutchman Mine, but others have tried and been murdered. According to Legends of America, the Native Americans in the area believed the Thunder God of their religion lived in the Superstition Mountains, and thus they were required to protect it with lethal force, killing any who might set foot on the mountain and disturb their deity. After traveling to the region, Ruth stayed several days at the ranch of Tex Barkely to outfit his expedition. There's some evidence to suggest he engaged in a shady practice called highgrading basically claiming ore is more valuable than it really is. Jacob Waltz said, "From the RIDGE ABOVE my mine you can see the Military Trail, but from the trail you cannot see my mine". 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. The Lost Dutchman Mine: The Greatest Gold Horde Thats Never Been Found. According to historian Tom Kollenborn, the Superstition Mountains were an unlikely place to strike it rich: 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. That's not even counting those hunting the treasure in the ensuing years. 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. I will provide a picture and a little information but nothing as far as revealing the location of this mine. There May Be a Long-Lost Gold Mine in the Arizona Mountains By: Mae Rice 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. Its believed the group buried their amassed bullion, hoping to return at a later time. The land contained parts of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Superstition Mountains. Published: 9:16 PM MST May 13, 2022. 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. Allegedly, people saw the Jesuits come up to the Superstition Mountains with their loads of gold, but when they were spotted again on the other side, the mules carried no loads. "Tex" Bradford of Globe Arizona went in search of the "Lost Dutchman Mine"; by October 1933 he had been missing for nine months. Over the next few weeks and months I will share some photos that will not give away the location but will show things that until now have never been shown before. He even has a gravesite you can visit today in Arizona. People off his Mine that he cover up with a ironwood tree :The books give me my The Lost Dutchman Admission: $7 . . True. We at Arcana Exploration believe we can show that this was later worked by Jacob Waltz, and after his death came to be known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. 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. Hola amigos - I am writing this post because of the continuing controversy over whether there is any real evidence of the famous Lost Dutchman's gold mine. The park is said to be haunted by the spirits of people who died over the years searching for the mine. 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? It's very possible the clues are also unverifiable legends people have clung on to in hopes of finding riches. Thomas admitted she drew the map herself but claimed she based it on descriptions given by the Dutchman, according to Skeptoid. This is considered to be the starting and gathering point for most Dutch Hunters. He joined an expedition looking for a rich. Going on a year now. While this doesn't mean it's impossible there's gold to mine up there, it makes it far less likely. Years later, a man called Dr. Thorne treats an ailing or wounded Apache (often alleged to be a chieftain) and is rewarded with a trip to a rich gold mine. It seems likely there was no Dr. Thorne, but there was a doctor in New Mexico who told a similar tall tale, except he was kidnapped by the Navajo tribe in his story. Lastly, the alleged mine directions Ruth had were from an 1895 newspaper account. #1. Next week I will list some clues that are absolutely relevant to what we have physically on site. He found that even a neophyte like himself could pick up nuggets of information from other Dutch hunters who virtually inhabited the Superstitions. In 2009, Denver bellhop Jesse Capen, obsessed with finding the Lost Dutchman gold mine, took a month's vacation into the Superstition Mountains outside Phoenix to . The main shaft heads down to two tunnels. The prospector went searching in 1961, and his headless body was found three years later. And now we get to the real problem with these legends there's basically zero evidence any of them ever happened. Julia, whose occupation is sometimes listed as a nurse and sometimes as a baker, took care of Waltz late in life and the two became close friends. I Hold for No One! Road Agents Attempt to Rob Kinnears Stage Near Contention, A Western Jubilee: Songs and Stories of The American West. Tantalizingly, Ruth's checkbook was also recovered, and proved to contain a note written by Ruth wherein he claimed to have discovered the mine and gave detailed directions. Arcana Exploration. It's likely this legend just got re-adapted to the Superstitions to boost the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine. The name comes from a prominent local legend of the enigmatic . Furthermore, Wilburn stated that geology indicates that there is no gold in the Superstition Mountains, which are igneous in origin. Blair contended that this story can be divided into "hawk" and "dove" versions, depending on whether the German(s) are said to behave violently or peacefully. Famed Apache Geronimo is sometimes mentioned in relation to this story. (However, in some versions,[14] the 'mine' is actually a cache put there by the Peraltas.). Feb 21, 2021. 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