Saturday, June 16, 2012

Let's Go On A Treasure Hunt...!

Some legends are just meant to remain a mystery!

There has always been stories of the Lost Dutchman mine as long as I can remember. Many folks have attempted to find it and nearly all such attempts have ended in failure! Quite a tale of the lost mine and it's history, as I'm sure you will see in this story!

The Lost Dutchman Mine



Somewhere in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, located east of Phoenix, Arizona there is reputed to be a gold mine so rich that if the walls are tapped with a hammer, nuggets of gold come tumbling down. The mine was supposedly discovered by the Apache who kept it a closely guarded secret until finally revealing it to select few of the first Spanish monks who reached Arizona from the colonies in Mexico. It is known locally as ‘The Dutchmen’s Mine’ because two of the many 19th century claimants were thought to be from Holland. Jacob Waltz and Jacob Weiser were two German explorers who rescued a Don Miguel Peralta from a brawl in the Mexican town of Arizpe. Don Miguel told his rescuers about a secret family mine that one of his relatives had staked the claim for in 1748. The party of three left for Arizona with the Peralta family map and found the Peralta family mine shortly thereafter. The three men picked up $60,000 worth of gold. Don Miguel sold the map and the title to the mine to the Germans for their half of the proceeds. The two Germans continued to work the mine over the next 2 decades, but then disaster finally struck. Waltz came back to the camp one evening after camping near the mine to find Weiser had disappeared, on the ground was a blood-stained shirt and Apache arrows.

In 1880 the mine was again discovered, by chance. The discoverers were two young US soldiers who appeared in the town of Pinal with their saddlebags full of gold. They said that the ore came from a funnel-shaped mine in a canyon near a sharp pinnacle of rock. When they did not return from a second venture to the mine, a search party was dispatched. They found the bodies of the two soldiers who were both shot dead. Over time much of the stories surrounding the mine have succumbed to legend and embellishment now that there exists many variations on the tales. Currently the area is a State park, Lost Dutchman State Park. Mining is prohibited, but that doesn’t stop the 8000 people every year who come to search for the lost gold.


Well, I've given you the map, so let's get a fresh cup pf coffee and sit on the patio. We can study the map to the gold together!

12 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

I don't know, the price of that knowledge seems rather high!

Sixbears said...

There's a local legend of a lost silver mine somewhere in Northern NH or Western Maine. In colonial days a guy came out of the woods with a huge cunk of very pure silver he claims to have clopped out with an ax.

No one ever found the location again. There are small quantities of precious metals in these mountains. A copper mine used to produce a fair amount of gold and silver as a byproduct.

Ben in Texas said...

Who hasn't dreamed of finding that "lost" gold mine that someone told them about? or the stolen loot from a bank robbery hidden by the bad guys just before they were killed.

Phyllis (N/W Jersey) said...

Good friends are better than gold!
Hey, Sixbears: My Dad used to go to Maine and dig in the mines - on one trip he brought back a chunk of ore with large silver flakes in it! I still have that piece.
Two cups of coffee today, please ... I'll bring chocolate donuts,.

Momlady said...

I hope it stays lost forever.

JO said...

The best books out where written by John Holmes, there are 2 I recommend these books if you are interested.

Quick cup for me on my way to do a craft show.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
That is the case in nearly all stories of greed!

Like I said, some things are better left unknown!

Thanks for coming by this morning!


Hey Sixbears...
Don't you just love the old treasure stories from the past? Sort of activates the imagination!

I would have never thought of gold and silver up in your area!

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Ben...
Texas has more than it's share of lost or hidden treasure or stolen loot stories!

Sam Bass was supposed to have hidden some gold from a robbery in a cave outside of Round Rock, Texas.

True? Who knows? Fun to think about, though!

Thanks, buddy, for coming by this morning!


Hey Phyllis...
What a great keepsake! Right you are about good friends being better than gold!

Chocolate donuts? YUMMY...!

Thanks for dropping by today!


Hey Momlady...
It would be nice if the mystery would just linger around for a few more generations.

Thanks, lady, for coming by this morning!


Hey JoJo...
I wish you luck on the craft show!

Books about treasure and such are fun to read! Lots of history there!

I appreciate the visit, sweetie!

kare said...

my Grandfather had a Claim ..just to putter around.. he used to talk about The Lost Dutchman.

It would be fun to find but leave it and not tell anyone. Just knowing you solved they mystery would be neat..
..but peoples are SO anxious to share news aren't we... uh-huh!>

Bob Mc said...

Lost mines, pirate’s treasure, buried loot from a robbery; the stuff dreams and tall tales are made of. The closest I’ve ever heard of actually coming true are the ocean explorers who find old sunken ships; but they usually have to split their find with one government or another.

HermitJim said...

Hey Kare...
My grandfather would take off on some wild treasure hunt and be gone for a long time! Never found any, as far as I know!

I think it would be kinda fun!

Thanks for dropping in today!


Hey Bob...
I hope the stories never stop coming! We all need something to spark our imagination from time to time, ya know?

Still, it would be nice to find a piece of a treasure just to have it!

Thanks, my friend, for coming over today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I have been in that area. Drove from Appachie Junction to Tortia Flats. That is some beautiful country. I highly reomend taking that drive if you are ever in that area.

linda m said...

When I lived in AZ my husband and I would drive over to the Superstition Mountains and dream of finding that mine. Needless to say we never did and we now live in WI so it is too far to to just poke around there. But a person can dream of striking it rich someday.