Silver Chief Mine - Western Mining History (St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona Territory [Ariz.]) 18851903, September 8, 1892, Image 2", Dunning, B. The rest of his remains were found a month later about a mile away. 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. 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. [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. He even has a gravesite you can visit today in Arizona. That, in and of itself, is a separate legend. Those of us local to the area and who have researched the subject know that. This is what brought him to the Superstition Mountains (yes, that's their real name) near what is today the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Do you think the Silver Chief Mine is where Jacob Waltz got his gold It is believed that all were killed except for two Peralta family members who were severely wounded but managed to escape. Today along route 88 is a pull off gravel road, that leads out behind the Lost Dutchman Museum, you follow it to a designated area, here you will find marked trail signs with trails simply marked as the Massacre Grounds.. The legend goes that an immigrant named Jacob Waltz found the mine and then took his secret to the grave. The initial search party found no trace of him, but then, in December 1931, they found a human skull with two holes from a .44 caliber. [12] The three soldiers set out to find the gold, but without success. Humankind has been enthralled by lost treasure legends for ages. John D. Wilburn in his book Dutchman's Lost Ledge of Gold (1990), wrote that the Bulldog Gold Mine near Goldfield, Arizona, fits very well the description Jacob Waltz gave as the location of his 'lost mine'. The Pit Mine IS the Silver Chief Mine. 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. Towards the very south of the Silvermine Mountains is the highest peak in the mountains, Keeper Hill or in Irish Sliabh . Not much silver was recovered in the 1979 time period and there was no mention of gold having been taken. I have been lucky enough to uncover a few, which you will forgive me if I keep, at least for now. Then around 1692, the Jesuit padre father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived. It is known as the Pit Mine because of the funnel like shape it was dug in, which was common in Spanish and Mexican mining. 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]. These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. 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. Recently, however, non-destructive tests have become possible and the two samples have been compared. It is here were you will reach areas that are barely penetrable, this is where most trails stop abruptly for safety reasons. There was indeed a Jacob Waltz who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany. 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. I cannot speak for the current condition of the mine. When and where we can get a direct line of sight, we use high tech Walkie talkies, to communicate with each other. These steep, jagged volcanic mountains were formed over 29 million years ago and they cover an area of 160,000 acres. To recoup the costs of the search, Julia Thomas actually began to make handmade copies of Waltz's map and sell it to others. Ask any prospector and they will tellyou,gold is where you find it. And the answer is absolutely yes! 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. Take, for example, the story of Adolph Ruth, an experienced treasure hunter who typically worked with his son, Erwin. In fact, the Dutchman lies on the eastern edge of the Superstitions, a few miles southwest of Iron Mountain. The neighboursJulia Thomas, Rhinehart Petrasch, and Hermann Petraschspent weeks looking for the gold, but failed to find it. January 1933 a Mining electrican named J.A. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly hold a legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. It is about three and a half miles of rough trail, though, if youre observant, you will eventually come across some of the more infamous Dutchman clues. While the Jesuits were eventually allowed to return to the area, it seems they either forgot the treasure or couldn't find it, and so it was still in the mountains when it was perhaps discovered by none other than the Dutchman himself, Jacob Waltz. A man named Harry LaFrance was said to have been hiking in the Superstitions, and when he took refuge in a cave from a sudden storm, he found a very large pile of gold bars. Here he worked at the Vulture Mine as a paid miner. While Francisco Coronado did exist and did explore what is now the southwestern United States, there's nothing indicating he ever visited the Superstitions. In 1870, Waltz had a homestead of about 160 acres (0.65km2) near Phoenix where he operated a farm.[18]. [2] [3] The Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Thus, it seems these Jesuit priests might have stashed their treasure somewhere in the mountains as they passed through, thus ensuring the Spanish empire couldn't get their hands on the Jesuit fortune. 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. According to legends, a man named Jacob Waltz, the titular Dutchman (though he was actually German and not Dutch), came to America to seek out his fortune around the 1860s, according to Lost Dutchman State Park. Cox also believed he had found the Dutchman, though it is unclear to which one of his claims he made this attribution. There have been many stories about how to find the mine, and each year people search for the mine. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Waltz is attacked and wounded by marauding Apaches, but survives at least long enough to tell a man called Dr. Walker about the mine. . So what do we really know about these legends, Waltz, and the Superstition Mountains? He died of pneumonia in 1891 and, according to the three neighbours who cared for him, he left them the box of gold under his bed and directions to the gold mine. If you were inclined to seek it out, your starting location would be the Rogers Trough Trailhead, though you would not be taking that trail, rather you would be backtracking along the ridge, roughly northwest, in generally the same direction as the primitive road you drove in. Both of these legends are sometimes set before the Dutchman arrived in Arizona, but some time afterward, and thus Dr. Thorne and the soldiers may have stumbled across the Lost Dutchman's mine. Silver Member. This is trails end; this is the domain of the Dutch Hunters. The newcomers, thus, became the Pennsylvania Dutch. Two prospectors saved his life and, in gratitude, he gave them directions to the gold mine, thus setting off a wild goose chase that continues to the present day. Some carved stones in the area are referred to as "Peralta Stones" and Spanish text and crude maps on them are considered by some to be clues to the location of a Peralta family gold mine in the Superstition Mountains, although others believe the stones to be modern fakes. 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. How To Enjoy The Beauty Of Arizona's Superstition Mountains It's very possible the clues are also unverifiable legends people have clung on to in hopes of finding riches. Frank Jacobs. It's likely this legend just got re-adapted to the Superstitions to boost the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mine. Some have died on the search. FREE with paid Adult And is that information relevant? They supposedly did and brought a good amount of gold back to town according to Tom Kollenborn Chronicles. Depending on the season, you'll see not only gorgeous desert vegetation but also wildlife. There May Be a Long-Lost Gold Mine in the Arizona Mountains - Discovery A Map to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine - Big Think 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 When you visit, follow the hard rock mining process from mine to bullion. Alleged lost gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. They were supposedly dug up in the desert, in area east of Gold canyon and Tucson in the late 1940s byTravis E Tomlinson. gold is where you find it. As early as September 1, 1892, The Arizona Enterprise was reporting on the efforts of Thomas and several others to locate the lost mine whose location was told to her by Waltz. It is common knowledge that someone was working the mine in the late 1990s, though what exactly they extracted varies between tellers. Other prominent features that fit Waltzs clues, among many others, include: Skeptics will tell you, as will anyone who has hiked those mountains, that there are many other places that fit these descriptions and that seeing faces, or other objects, in rocks can be simple pareidolia, and there is a fair amount of truth in that.

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silver chief mine superstition mountains

silver chief mine superstition mountains

silver chief mine superstition mountains