We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. Later, he remarked that he had noticed a towering rock formation nearby, but otherwise remained clueless about the whereabouts of the place. The Supers are east northeast of Phoenix. But what they actually found has been a hidden secret that people have been trying to piece together for last 125 years. A group of modern day treasure hunters search for the Lost Dutchman mine in the Superstition mountain range of Arizona. Cravey said he would walk out of the mountains on June 28, 1947. This is considered to be the starting and gathering point for most Dutch Hunters. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. You came here for the nasty bits that are constantly swept under the rug. Their bodies were never found. The lost stash of gold, which has gone on to be rather oddly known as the Lost Dutchmans Mine, has catapulted itself into one of the most intriguing unsolved modern mysteries there is, and the allure of its undiscovered riches has led many people to their deaths, with some estimates saying that over 600 people have mysteriously died or vanished during attempts to try and pry it from its ancient resting place. However, the Peralta Mine eventually became unprofitable and after the money was gone Miguel Peralta turned to fraud. 2023 Copyright Phoenix Ghosts. Indeed, in the decades since Waltz made his mysterious proclamation of the mine public, there have been numerous earnest attempts to try and track it down, and these have the sinister habit of meeting rather gruesome ends. They believed that the entrance to the underworld itself lay somewhere in among these peaks, and that powerful spirits roamed the withered landscape. Animals like deer coyotes, pumas and bobcats live here, existing alongside birds, rodents, snakes, and other reptiles. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Weiser was the mans best friend and confidant. Erwin passed the information to his father Adolph, who had a long-standing interest in lost mines and amateur exploration. Get the latest on your favorite shows, plus updates on HISTORY events and more. [7] A man named Miguel Peralta and his family did operate a successful mine in the 1860s but near Valencia, California, not in Arizona. https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/superstition-mountains/index.html, They were once known in Spanish as Sierra de la Espuma . Another detail which casts doubt on the story is the fact that, according to Blair, there was never any Dr. Thorne in the employ of the Army or indeed of the Federal Government in the 1860s. Up on the mountain, if someone breaks a leg; it will take at least two on the team to get you down; it is dangerous for three healthy climbers, much less one with broken body parts. Out in the remote badlands of the U.S. state of Arizona, just to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area lies a sun scorched, dried up, arid moonscape of twisted peaks and sprawling expanse of badlands called the Superstition Mountains, at one time called the Sierra de la Espuma . James Reavis tried to assert that the Peralta family had a Spanish land grant and a barony granted by the King of Spain, which included a huge swath of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Superstition Mountains. The park offers 134 campsites, each with a picnic table, barbeque grill, and fire pit, and 68 equipped with electric hook-ups and water. The early Spanish the Peraltas the Jesuits and many others all came to the Superstition Mountains looking for legendary gold. 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]. As the mountains have a desert climate and few water resources, there is not much vegetation here. Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman Mine The lost Dutchman Gold mine is generally believed to be somewhere near or in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. (Chris J / Flickr). 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. Jacob, meanwhile, the lone survivor, is near catatonic. It was the fifth-largest fire in Arizonas history, it raged for over a month, despite the strenuous containment efforts of over 600 firefighters. Waltz is attacked and wounded by marauding Apaches, but survives at least long enough to tell a man called Dr. Walker about the mine. Thorne is said to be either unwilling or unable to relocate the mine. The Lost Dutchman State Park, which opened in 1977 and has the Peralta Trail, is also a nod at the legend. The soldiers are alleged to have presented some of the gold, but to have been killed or to have vanished soon after. Youve come to the ideal place. 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. The lost Dutchman Gold mine is generally believed to be somewhere near or in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. See production, box office & company info. He was then led along a harsh, meandering route of an estimated 20 miles, after which they removed the blindfold and he was met with the sight of a pile of gold sparkling in the sun near an entrance into the presumed lost mine. Along with the, The Superstition Mountain Museum presents a celebration of fine art from Mexico at this free three-day event, March 10-12, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 4, Private Events have become an important part of the Superstition Mountain Museum event schedule over the past few years, and next season will be no, As a member of the Apache Trail Attractions Committee, Superstition Mountain Museum shares in the concern with reopening Apache Trail (SR-88) from Apache Junction all, On November 25-27, 2022 and again on December 10-11, the museum will be hosting Holiday Boutiques featuring artists and merchants displaying and selling their unique, The Superstition Mountain Historical Society was awarded an Arizona Humanities grant in September, 2021 to build a public outdoor exhibit of an authentic Apache Wickiup. 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. It is generally accepted that the Peraltas and roughly 400 peon miners were massacred by the Apaches sometime around 1848. In March of 2011, three filmmakers disappeared in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona while documenting their search for the Lost Dutchman mine. Lots to see on site from a barn, trains, petting zoo on Saturdays, little gift shop, and a labyrinth and even a chapel dedicated to Elvis. They never made it out of the Superstitions. Legend tells of the Lost Dutchmans gold mine hidden somewhere within the 160,000 acres of brutal Arizona desert known as the Superstition Mountains. The promise of a $200 million mother lode has lured thousands of treasure hunters and continues to claim the lives of those eager to decipher the legends clues and riddles. 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". Director Tara Anase Writers Tara Anase (story) Tamara Blaich (story) Stars Ron Eagle D'Andre II Adam Haley Sage Howard For instance, about six of the maps are relevant, others may be relevant, but for now do not appear to be. Among the many legends to have emerged from the area, one of the most enduring ones is that of The LostDutchmansGold Mine. Eight months later their camera and cell phones were recovered along the western edge of LaBarge Canyon. And is that information relevant? In June 1931, Ruth set out to locate the lost Peralta mine. The roofs of the cave are blackened from centuries of Native Ameri Go Wildcats! Ruths son Erwin C. Ruth heard of the Peralta mine from a man called Pedro Gonzales. [9] As of 1975, ruins of the Peralta mine were standing.[9]. The earliest documentation of him in the U.S. is an 1848 affidavit in which Waltz declared himself to be "about 38 years old". January 7, 2023 12:00 pm - April 29, 2023 3:00 pm, Desert Safety and Survival (March Sold Out), Weaving Class with Nanabah Aragon (March Sold Out). He was remembered as having been obsessed with finding the mine for several years. STSTW Media strives to deliver accurate information through careful research. No sign of the filmmakers themselves has been found to date. Barkely urged Ruth to abandon his search for the mine: the area and the mines cursed and full of devils.. Reports of inexplicable sounds, sightings, and events have led to claims of supernatural beings and even aliens. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Theyre filled to the brim with ghosts and spirits. Yet the mountains and their cursed treasure would get their most well-known mystery with the arrival of a German immigrant named Jacob Walz, also often spelled Waltz, who was a gold prospector in the Phoenix valley in the late 1800s. This is your spot. The museum does not disappoint! German? Dr. George M. Willing Jr. paid Peralta $20,000 for the mining rights for an enormous swath of land about 3,000,000 acres (12,000km2) in southern Arizona and New Mexico based on a deed originally granted by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century. The curse of the treasure would continue in the 1940s, when a 62-year-old treasure hunter by the name of James A. Carvey journeyed into the Superstition Mountains and also ended up dead and with his head separated from his shoulders. It is here were you will reach areas that are barely penetrable, this is where most trails stop abruptly for safety reasons. About this campaign You may also be interested in Gogopicks Funding The MOST PROFESSIONAL Smart Toothpaste Dispenser January 1933 a Mining electrican named J.A. And the answer is absolutely yes! The chieftain, overtaken by the act, blindfolds the doctor and takes him on a trip to the mines. We will share as much as we can for now, but as I stated earlier we are preparing for a return trip, and the location has to remain secret. Padre Kino founded many missions including Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson. "[24], Authorities in Arizona did not convene a criminal inquest regarding Ruth's death. No suspects or motive were ever found. George Johnston, who first tried to find the treasure in the 1950s, was still working for the Superstition Mountain Lost Dutchman Museum up until his August 30, 2017, death at age 97. [29][clarification needed]. Dr. 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. 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. The neighboursJulia Thomas, Rhinehart Petrasch, and Hermann Petraschspent weeks looking for the gold, but failed to find it. Magill's adventures were chronicled in the book The Killer Mountains, by Curt Gentry. Their bodies were never found but their camera was. "Dutchman's Gold" was the season 4, episode 19 of, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 00:14. We have imaging taken, with Go-pros, Sony 7000s; Osmo stabilized film cameras and Dji Phantom and Bee-bop drones. but their camera was. The weather in the Superstition Mountains is notoriously unpredictable, with storms seeming to come out of nowhere and accompanied by abrupt drops in temperatures. I Often Hear That: I'll Share Some With You, TikTok and Its Strange Proliferation of Mysterious Accounts of Skinwalkers, Shamans, Psychedelics, and One Man's mystical Journey in the Amazon to Find a Miracle Cure. The mine is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz,18101891. According to Blair, the story may have its roots in the efforts of three U.S. soldiers to locate gold in an area of New Mexico, based on an allegedly true story related to them by Dr. Thorne of New Mexico; see above. 5: Museum Administration and Membership matters, E-MAILVolunteering questions: [emailprotected]Site rentals: [emailprotected]Membership questions: [emailprotected]Retail and event issues: [emailprotected]Accounting issues: [emailprotected]Administrative and other issues: [emailprotected]FAX(480) 288-6524. These are tall, volcanic formations in the wilderness and are popular as hiking destinations.