His quest was to find gold. 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. When we arrived, the parking area held a variety of license plates, from California to Florida. Want to read more travel articles from MDN? 914.589.3985. If only it were that easy. Finally, in disgust, the different parties separated at Wheatfields and returned to their homes. Prospectors often recite stories that support the fabled legend of Pegleg's 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. He gathered the black pebbles thinking they were copper and carried them to Los Angeles where he later discovered they were gold. The question is, "Do these lost mines exist, and are the legends of the lost treasures true?" Free, no day use fee. It is said that Pegleg got drunk while in Los Angeles, started a brawl in the local saloon and was quickly kicked out of town by the authorities. Flannigan made several unsuccessful attempts to return to the find, but he dreaded the desert and never went very far from the river. Today, we might expect more detail; back in those days, the story was enough to fatally pique the curiosity of an amateur prospector, Adolph Ruth. 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. Subsequent searchers have sometimes met with foul play or even death, contributing to the superstition and legend that surround these mountains. The second significant gold discovery was made by Pauline Weaver (of Weavers Needle fame) in 1862 on the Colorado River at La Paz. Before we get into those, here are some genuine facts about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine: There really was a Lost Dutchman, although he wasnt Dutch. However, the article that appears here is far from verbatim. Usually, the story ran that the Indians would bring in gold and silver, but would refuse to tell the secret of their wealth. P.S. 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. Some favorites include: Doc Thornes Lost Gold Mine: Next to the Lost Dutchmans Gold, the most talked about and searched for treasure in Arizona over the last century remains Doc Thornes gold. Tour the historic Mammoth Gold Mine and visit the Goldfield Museum. The Indian said he had seen much larger pieces of the same substance and started off to show him the treasure. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Weaver - Rich Hill district is located near the intersection of four townships, each one being one of Arizona's top gold areas. 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. Thank you! Hunting lost Spanish gold mines for me started back in 1992 when I moved back to Sedona Arizona. There are hawk and dove versions, depending on whether the men behaved violently or not. Click here to read the original article. 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. Just one day into his journey, he disappeared. While at the camp, she told the workers about the gold nuggets she found and left them with one of the nuggets before she continued on her way. However, the story and possibility of stumbling across immense wealth has enticed hundreds of people to attempt searching for the gold mine and a fair number of those lives have ended in death. Lonely humans will become infatuated with AI-fabricated personas. Briefly narrated, it is this: In the summer of 1869, Abner McKeever and family were ambushed by Apache Indians on a ranch near the Big Bend of the Gila River. So how to get started? Finder of this note please give to Howard Peterson. Gold miners Dakota Fred and his son Dustin are determined to make a fortune no matter the risk. Offers five-day prospecting lessons and mining excursions for small groups throughout the year. There are men who have claimed to have found Pegleg's lost Mine. Golden Circle, a Confederate secret society active during the American Civil War (1861-1864). Research shows that spending more time on social media is associated with body image issues in boys and young men. 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Long before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and grifter-socialite Anna Delvey, we had the Gold Rush and even today, plenty of Americans are still fixated on an either long-lost or fictional gold mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. Love Arizona? The records do not account for any gold that was sold locally or given to family or friends. He died in California on May 10, 1934, at the age of 70. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. 623.934.6882 Mining flourished in Gila City until 1862 when a flood destroyed the town. Tiffany Owens is a freelance travel writer and the Phoenix/Scottsdale City Expert for HomeandAbroad.com. Copyright 2007-2023 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This area is known today as the Massacre Grounds. Arizona Association of Gold Prospectors (AAGP), Phoenix. This story involves Jakob Waltz (some sources say Weitz, Weitzer, Walls, Welz,) and another German named Jakob Weiser although this second German probably is a spin-off of the first Jakob, which occurred in the re-telling of the story. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! How? Not only has the value of gold, silver and other precious metals surged over the last decade, but financial experts claim that their worth will only increase exponentially in years to come. Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of the Southwest by David Hatcher Childress, Adventures Unlimited Press, 2009. In many versions of the story, Weaver's Needle is a prominent landmark for locating the lost mine. The tests revealed the gold to be rich, but the man was never able to find the original dig site again. 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 men searched as far as the Gila River, near San Carlos and then up to the headwaters of the Gila and back again to Fort Apache, but they had no success and still undiscovered are the ashes of an old cabin where Adams told Bell, was buried gold dust worth at least $5,000. Maricopa County. In the 1870s, Jacob Waltz, "the Dutchman" (actually a native of Germany), was said to have located the mine through the aid of a Peralta descendant. (It's Free. Asteroid Ryugu Has Dust Grains Older Than the Sun. Ben took a nugget from the prospectors stock that was about the size of a man s thumb and showed it to a chief who was especially friendly with him. Some writers have indicated that there actually was a Miguel Peralta whose family operated a gold mine but this was in the 1860s, near Valenciana in California. 8356 Lost Mine Rd. Many believe it is easier to find a mine that has been lost, than to discover a new location. The third Indian legend is about a Yaqui Indian who lived and worked near Warner's Ranch. 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. Why 2023s Venus-Jupiter conjunction wont be bettered until 2039. Jacob Waltz moved to Phoenix and died in 1891, at the age of 83. The soldiers dug out coarse gold by the aid of their knives. Waltz fell ill and died in 1891, but not before revealing the location of an alleged gold mine to Julia Thomas, the neighbour who cared for him. Arizona Lost Mines By James Harvey McClintock in 1913 Arizona Prospector Almost every prospector, whether professional or tenderfoot, had his own pet "lost mine" that he looked for. Skeleton Canyon Treasure: During the late 1800s, a gang of bandits conducted a raid on the city of Monterrey in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Further west, around Tysons Wells, also has been found placer gold, though none of these discoveries seem to exactly fit the special conditions of the Lost Soldier mine. Over this wall and back of the next rise is a prospect hold with large chunks of galena (lead sulfide) on the surface. While searching for the fluted wall, Ashley tumbled down a steep wash bank and, while nursing his bruises, noticed a ledge of pure white quartz streaked with red and green. He broke off a piece and put it in his sample sack. The legend continues to evolve: recent additions are versions in which the gold is really a secret treasure trove of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Confederate secret society active during the American Civil War (1861-1864). In addition to the bank, the bandits looted the citys cathedral. By the time the miners had excavated all of the gold at La Paz, they had retrieved eight million dollars worth. 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. Additionally, there never was an army doctor named Thorne in the 1860s in Arizona. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. 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. Later, Pimas and "Apaches" (some of whom may have been Yavapais) occupied parts of the region. The location of the mine never became known to anyone, save its discoverer. But only rarely is it spectacularly visible from Earth. Legends and stories of gold mines filled the hearts, souls and minds of prospectors, driving them into some of the most dangerous and desolate lands in search of gold. There is a Superstition Mountain Museum at 4087 N. Apache Trail, Highway 88 in Apache Junction. Rich Hill was the single richest discovery of gold in one place. 2023 Warner Bros. After about a decade, the story sank into obscurity, regaining notoriety when it had acquired more spectacular aspects, in a fashion not dissimilar to a game of Chinese whispers. Experience this 4.0-mile loop trail near Gold Canyon, Arizona. In 1916, two miners found an old Spanish saddle bag filled with $16,000 worth of smelted gold near the site of the Peralta Massacre. Want to read up on some other Arizona mysteries? Miner, at the time, was thought to have been mistaken in his bearings, but members of the party later became convinced that he was merely a liar. Its location is not exactly known but it is rumored to be somewhere within either the Superstition Mountains which is near the Apache Junction on the eastern side of Phoenix, Arizona. 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. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly holda legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Misinformation and rumors about the mine grew so ubiquitous that in 1895, they made it into the San Francisco Chronicle. #s. Statue of Scotlands beloved poet, Robert Burns, Loch Ness, Nessie map and Urquhart Castle Ruins, S, Christmas lights on the historic Sanquhar Tolbooth, Flock and ruins, Sanquhar Castle, Scotland. It wasn't until after the 1849 Gold Rush that Pegleg returned to California to organize a prospecting party to search for the butte where he found the black gold nuggets. (Jameson, 2009). Mining flourished in Gila City until 1862 when a flood destroyed the town. Attempts have been made to locate it at, The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been situated in four quite distinct locales. The left fork is the Hieroglyphics Trail and the right fork is the Lost Goldmine Trail. They keep hoping that one day soon, they will be the lucky one who discovers the long lost mine, the one which has been sought after for years by others with similar faith. The country for miles around was searched carefully to find the source of his wealth, which could not have been very far distant. Since there is more than one version of the story, there are many contradicting facts. After the mine became unprofitable, Miguel Peralta turned to fraud. Got a strange map? With Arizonas wild and violent past, you can bet there are quite a few that exist in our Southwestern state. 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). Hundreds of lost mine stories have been localized everywhere over the West. The trio succeeded in returning safely to San Bernardino and in 1875, gathered twelve men to return to the lost bonanza. Most popular of lost mine stories in pioneer days was that of the Ni**er Ben. In 1891, a miner named A.H. Peeples, who had been prospecting with the Weaver Party, told an editor what he knew of the legend. The differences are evident in the variance of descriptive landmarks, dates, and historical information. All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. On his way out of California, he stole 300 to 400 horses and drove them to Taos, New Mexico where he planned to sell them. But will big risks lead to an even bigger pay out? Spaniard Don Joaquin conducted mining exploration in the Sierra Estrella Mountain Range south of Phoenix, Arizona in the mid-1800s. During the 1840s, the Peralta family of northern Mexico supposedly developed rich gold mine(s) in the Superstition Mountains. But with the dollars decline in recent years, gold mining has experienced a sudden resurgence: From the Discovery Channels show, Gold Rush Alaska, where six men risked it all to strike it rich mining the Alaskan wilderness to a distinct rise in gold claims filed in Arizona. The trailhead has a Port-a-Potty for your convenience. For the last 150 years, people have risked their lives to go in search of Arizonas lost gold, silver and other buried treasures. Desert Geological Terms, Home | About | Contact Us | Feedback | Privacy | Site Outline | Advertising on DesertUSA | Hotels, New Evidence About the Lost Dutchman Mine, 7 Smartphone Apps to Improve Your Camping Experience. He claimed to have been abducted by Navajo in 1854, discovering a rich gold vein during his captivity. This story was based on the adventures of a young surgeon named Thorne, who, having cured the eye troubles of a couple of Apache Indians where he was stationed, was induced to visit the Indian village where there was an epidemic of the same disorder. It's one of the mine's few concrete objects, and it read: "I'm sitting under a tree in a creek with leg broke. Through the years, truth and fiction about this mine have been irrevokably mixed up, producing 62 varieties of the legend. Some think this mine was first excavated by Mexico's Peralta family, then commandeered by Apaches or simply abandoned. After his leg was amputated, his friends fashioned him a wooden leg, thus earning him the name Pegleg. A cryptic map of the gold mine, or just a fake? (Jameson, 2009). Follow the lives of ambitious miners as they head north in pursuit of gold. 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