The question is, "Do these lost mines exist, and are the legends of the lost treasures true?" Less than a days journey from the river, the three men separated, after the horse had dropped dead. Dr. DeCourcy searched for years, and was never able to find the three buttes the miner described on his death bed. Learn how your comment data is processed. The group wandered around the desert unsuccessfully, and Pegleg ended up deserting the group and turn up later in Los Angeles. - arizona gold mine photos et images de collection Where he digs for gold and searches for the legendary lost Dutchman mine. Lost Mines & Buried Treasures of Arizona by W.C. Jameson, University of New Mexico Press, 2009. Jacob Snively hit the first major gold strike around 1857 with sizeable nuggets found in the Gila River near Gila City, Arizonas first boom town. - arizona gold mine stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images This post card is a humourous version of the many serious treasure maps that undoubtedly circulated in Arizona and environs at the height of gold mine fever, at the end of the 19th century. lost dutchman state park - arizona gold mine stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Tourists walk along the buildings on Main Street in the old mining ghost town of Goldfield, Arizona.. the old gold mining town of bisbee, az. His quest was to find gold. He died in California on May 10, 1934, at the age of 70. A man named Ross Browne, in 1863, said that at the store of Hooper & Hunter in Arizona City he saw masses of pure gold as large as the palm of the hand, brought in by adventurers who stated that certain Indians had assured them that they knew places in the mountains where the surface of the ground was covered by the same kind of yellow stones. This wall has vertical eroded ridges resembling a pipe organ. 623.934.6882 Pegleg's questionable character and his reputation for drinking and lying add to the controversy surrounding the legend of his lost mine. In the desert somewhere west of Vurna, many expeditions have searched for the lost Peg-Leg Mine, said to have been discovered by a one-legged individual named Smith, about forty years ago. The Weaver - Rich Hill district is located near the intersection of four townships, each one being one of Arizona's top gold areas. Sources: Eugene L. Conrotto, Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest, 1996; Jay Fraser, Lost Dutchman Mine Discoveries, 1988; John D. Mitchell, Lost Mines of the Great Southwest, The Rio . Pegleg's Lost Mine - video Riding on Gold - Pegleg Smith Check out our article, 6 Disturbing Unsolved Mysteries In Arizona That Will Leave You Baffled. If only it were that easy. Wild beaches, snow-capped mountains, dense woods, and lush rainforests can be found across America. Love Arizona? They build files which contain details, bits and pieces of a legend so old and peculiar, they cannot rest until the mystery is solved. Hunting lost Spanish gold mines for me started back in 1992 when I moved back to Sedona Arizona. Click here. Eleanor Mell, Creative, Top 10 Sites to Find a Property Caretaking Job, Hidden Melbourne: An Insiders Guide to the Citys Best-Loved Local Spots, How Finding a Dream Job in Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean Turned Us Into Digital Nomads, ModernDayNomads.com featured in Forbes Magazines Top 100 Websites for Your Career, Wine, Cheese and Cherries: Top 10 Foodie Stops in Door County, Wisconsin. While on the butte, she saw a railroad construction camp where she was given water, food and time to rest. Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of the Southwest by David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, 2009. 480.982.0276 Click here, Dig Here! Stars Jesse Feldman Josh Feldman Clark Moore See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 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. There are men who have claimed to have found Pegleg's lost Mine. On one occasion, Alchisay, a Chiricahua Apache scout, is known to have pawned a nugget worth $500 for $10 worth of supplies, and later to have redeemed the gold, of which he seemed to know the full value. In the coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon, beachcombers flock to the sand in hopes of finding one very specific treasure: glass fishing floats. In the distance, he saw a high mountain, crowned with a peculiar rocky formation like a gigantic thumb turned backward (a description that might be Sombrero Butte) to the east of Cherry Creek Valley. The best times to visit this trail are September through May. In 1853, Pegleg organized a second search party which had no greater success in finding the butte where he found his treasured black-coated gold nuggets. Arizona Association of Gold Prospectors (AAGP), Phoenix. Thorne is later unable or unwilling to reveal the location of the mine. (It's Free. Other members were, Bob Groom, the noted pioneer; Al Sieber, the foremost Indian campaign scout of the Southwest, Willard Rice and Dan OLeary. He later earned a teaching certificate, served asTheodore Roosevelts right-hand-man in the Rough Riders, and become an Arizona State Representative. Through the years, truth and fiction about this mine have been irrevokably mixed up, producing 62 varieties of the legend. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com. 8284 Lost Mine Rd. For the last 150 years, people have risked their lives to go in search of Arizonas lost gold, silver and other buried treasures. Ruth injured his leg so severely in the process that he developed a lifelong limp. Some 8,000 people each year try to find it. Possibly connected with the Miner tale that led Safford and his party very far afield was the lost Thorne Mine. A number of other people, in addition to the Peralta family, had knowledge of the mine's location. It has been looked for in Colorado, California and in two places in Arizona the other one being near Wickenburg, 180 km north-west of the, Granger distinguished three main elements to the story, with the most complete version of the story incorporating all three legends. Come and visit Goldfield Ghost Town today! When you think of treasure hunters, it's typically Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones that come to mind. Legends of lost gold have long been part of Arizona history. Written by James Harvey McClintock in 1913, compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated July 2020. "The Arizona Expeditions: Third Arizona Expedition" +/-Manuscripts "Chlorutahlite Mining in Utah"; "Gold and Silver Tales" "The Daughter of Julius Caesar" "A Lost Gold Mine of the Mojave Desert" "The Miracle Nugget of Mariposa" "Chapultepec Canyon and the Gold Cache in Cedar Valley" "The Very Peculiar Record of Mary L. Black" The three, finally driven out by famine, started out and found on their trail, the bodies of all their comrades, who had been murdered by Apache Indians. In 1932, campers found a note from him bobbing in Arizona's Salt River. There are three Indian legends of black-coated gold in the desert that support Pegleg's legend. #scot, Lynx Lake Mineral Withdrawal Area & Gold Panning Trail, Arizona Association of Gold Prospectors (AAGP), Phoenix/Scottsdale City Expert for HomeandAbroad.com, Want to read more travel articles from MDN? It is possible that the mountain was the Harqua Hala. If I do believe, how can I find gold in the desert and where do I begin searching? But did you know the state is also home to a 30-square-mile sand dune field? But, the two prospectors had discovered some wonderful gold diggings, from which an almost impossible quantity of dust had been accumulated by a couple of days work. Experience this 4.0-mile loop trail near Gold Canyon, Arizona. Lost Pick Mine of Old Arizona: Hidden Gold Remains Hidden By Andrea Aker December 29, 2009 8325 7 Excerpt from In Old Arizona by Marshall Trimble, the state's official historian. Pegleg Smith was a rugged mountain man who traded furs and supplies, rustled horses and trapped beaver. 16 Lost Treasures of Arizona Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine Herman Wolf's Treasure Trove Legend of the Lost Opata Mine The Smiling Bandits Lost Loot Red Jack Almer Gangs Lost Loot $72,000 in Gold Coins: Stolen Army Payroll Buried Cans of Gold Coins at Ashurst Ranch Lost Gold at Granite Dells Blacksmith's Lost Booty Hidden Indian Gold Near Lynx Creek On the deserts lie the bones of scores of men who believed these tales and who staked their lives in the search for things that did not exist. Arizona Mineral Rights & Mining Claims Back in 1540 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led a large expedition across Arizona in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. After he had conquered the epidemic, he was placed upon a horse and taken to a deep rock-walled canyon laced with a high ledge of quartz that glittered with flecks of gold. During the 1830s and 1840s, Pegleg settled down and started a trading post along the Oregon Trail in Idaho, specializing in the sale of horses. Taking some of the horseflesh with them, they struck northerly, seeking water in what is supposed to have been the Granite Wash range of mountains in Northern Yuma County. As was common in the West, the first discoveries of gold were placer deposits, followed by lode deposits found near Apache Junction, Big Bug, Bullhead City, Chloride, Globe, Oatman, Pearce, Quartzsite, Salome and Tombstone, which yielded the lions share of the states early gold supply. Heres a roundup of the best mining clubs, tours, dig sites, claim staking, books and historical information to help you start your own quest for Arizona gold. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly holda legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. The Arizona Daily Star reported that the mine also experienced a fair amount of banditry, which includes approximately $70,000 in bullion (precious metal bars) stolen and hidden. According to the legend, the Apaches buried and hid the gold and covered up the mine. When the mines closed, the towns died, and their remains have become ghost towns and tourist attractions. These tales have been told by prospectors, doctors, law enforcers, rangers and by every common person who believes enough to retell the tale. Monica is a Din (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. february 2004 arizona highways magazine eternal search for lost gold mines discover our newest desert preserve first peek at kartchner caverns big room the lure of wild orchids gold , gold ev. About fifty pounds of this golden quartz they loaded on the remaining horse and then set out for the Gila River. Attempts have been made to locate it atleast since 1892. In Colorado, Exploring the Worlds Longest Cave System, Washingtons Olympic Peninsula is a Natural Wonderland, UNEXPLAINED AND UNEXPLORED: Investigating the Legend of California's Gold-Laden Ghost Ship, The Bermuda Triangle Isn't Actually a Mystery, The House on the Rock Is the Tourist Trap to End All Tourist Traps, Every Year, Thousands of Glass Orbs Are Hidden on This Oregon Beach, Female Ocean Rower Attempts Record-Breaking Solo Crossing, The Explorers Club Discovery Expedition Grantees, she and her team passed over two enormous gold mines, they made it into the San Francisco Chronicle. (Jameson, 2009). Several trails through the Superstition wilderness reference the mythical mine: there's Treasure Loop trail, Peralta Trail, and Dutchman's trail. Here's the thing about the House on the Rock it's certainly a sight to behold, but it's no museum. Entrance is free. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine Has Been Found! This event led to the California Gold Rush, a time when gold fever plagued even the most innocent and content of men. Jakob Waltz was nicknamed Dutch (i.e. I had been prospecting out of Prescott AZ. In those days, mining exploration often went hand in hand with slavery. Almost every prospector, whether professional or tenderfoot, had his own pet lost mine that he looked for. He led two expeditions into the country but found no less than four such formations such as he remembered and the bonanza never was discovered. He died before he was ever able to return to the desert in search of his gold-covered buttes. It was during one of Waltzs prospecting trips that he somehow discovered the location of hidden gold in the Superstitions. Six Planets are Retrograde, What Does that Mean for You? Wickenburg established a farm near this settlement, now known as the town named in his honor. Gold Mining Clubs & Dig Sites When Waltz died, the 29-year-old Thomas sold her bakery, got a group together, and went searching for the mine. The country has been thoroughly prospected since that time and mines of importance have been worked in that vicinity, but the nearest approach to the discovery of the old-time bonanza has been in the finding of placer gold in several of the gulches. Jakob Waltz was nicknamed Dutch (i.e. They are the tallest trees on Earth, with some reaching more than 250 feet tall. James C. Bell, later of Globe, with two companions joined this party near Prescott and were made members, while four more joined at Fort Verde. The trails are well marked. The Lost Dutchman State Park, which opened in 1977 and has the Peralta Trail, is also a nod at the legend. Get counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday. He argued that each of these three legends contains some truth, but have become badly distorted through time. They failed to return and nine more, driven by impending hunger, took the same trail, leaving in camp only Adams and two others. So how to get started? One searcher claimed to have found veins of gold in a narrow canyon just south of the Mazatal Mountains (near Four Peaks on Maricopa/Gila County borders). Nearby, was a human skeleton, bleached from long exposure. Safford commanded the recruits from Tucson and was elected commander-in-chief of the party at the camp near Grant. To help you get started on your journey, I will share with you some of the most famous legends and tales about lost mines and how they were once discovered and then lost again. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. And not just crackpots: former attorney general of Arizona Bob Corbin was one of the many mine-seekers. Years later, an army doctor by the name of Thorne treats an ailing Apache (possibly a chief) who as a reward takes him to the mine blindfolded, of course where he can take as much gold as he can carry. There are hawk and dove versions, depending on whether the men behaved violently or not. Got a strange map? Offers gold prospecting private instruction, day trips & vacationsin the Weaver Mountains from Sept-June. (Waltz definitely existed, and was definitely German, but his ore is not as well documented.) (Jameson, 2009). #sedona #redrocks #outhiki, Oddball vending machines, #3 in the series. The quartz veins of the mine produced 366,000 ounces of gold over the next century. Follow the lives of ambitious miners as they head north in pursuit of gold. Thank you! The Lost Dutchman Mine is also the most sought after in American history. Copyright 2007-2023 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved. A man of that name was born in Wrttemberg in 1810 and emigrated to the U.S. From the 1860s onward, hehomesteaded in Arizona, pursuing mining and prospecting as a hobby a quite unsuccessful one. Henry Wickenburg came to Arizona in 1862. The lapse of time had made Adams very uncertain in his location, but he remembered that it was in a deep canyon running in an easterly direction, at a point where a gold ledge was sharply defined on the sides of the gulch, and near two black buttes. The Lost Goldmine Trails winds for miles at the base of the Superstition Mountains. There's even a museum exhibit about the mine in the area, which tasks itself with "the separation of fact from fiction" fitting for a mine that's right on the border between mythical and real. McClintock began his career working at the Salt River Herald (later known as the Arizona Republic). Above it were two quartz veins, one narrow and the other sixteen feet wide. Packing their booty onto a number of mules, they fled, heading northwest toward a remote pass through the Arizona/Mexico border. Golden Circle, a Confederate secret society active during the American Civil War (1861-1864). The story is made up of an assortment of hints about the mine's location. They are massacred by the Apache in 1850. His partner had been killed, and he had escaped only by a miracle. Desert Rocks & Minerals: GOLD! He and his son had searched California's Borrego Desert for gold, but they found none. With Arizona's wild and violent past, you can bet there are quite a few that exist in our Southwestern state. He had a very irritating habit of disappearing from the camp once in a while, going by night, and taking with him several burros, whose feet would be so well wrapped that trailing was impossible. When Ashleys dad took a break to go into Phoenix on business, the young man decided to investigate a rumored lead deposit nearby. In the morning they found the spring fairly paved with gold nuggets. The assumption that he was murdered by Apache Indians appears to have been sustained by a prospectors discovery near the Vulture Mine in the summer of 1895 of the barrel of an old muzzle-loading shotgun, and by it, a home-made mesquite gun stock. Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest by Eugene L. Conrotto, Dover Publications, 1991. Thorne pretended that the sand was of little value, but furtively took all that he could. Maricopa County. Lost Spanish mines In Arizona. 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