He argued that each of these three legends contains some truth, but have become badly distorted through time. This is a popular trail for hiking and mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The Lost Goldmine Trails winds for miles at the base of the Superstition Mountains. During the robbery, they were confronted by a small contingent of Mexican soldiers and police and a battle ensued. In our Solar System, even the two brightest planets frequently align in our skies. The second legend concerns an Indian woman who was wandering about the desert in a state of dehydration. 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. Maricopa County. The question is, "Do these lost mines exist, and are the legends of the lost treasures true?" Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest by Eugene L. Conrotto, Dover Publications, 1991. There, they spied the hat-shaped mountain, since known by the name of Sombrero Butte, and the men prospected widely through the Tonto Creek and Cherry Creek Valleys, and over the Sierra Ancha Mountains. You'll also get to witness an old west gun fight performed by the famous Goldfield . the old gold mining town of bisbee, az. 8266 Lost Mine Rd. From Grant, they marched to the Gila River, up the San Carlos and then to the Salt River. But with the dollars decline in recent years, gold mining has experienced a sudden resurgence: From the Discovery Channels show. There have been 428,000 ounces of gold mined here, the vast majority of which comes from the Vulture Mine near Wickenburg. Back in 1540 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led a large expedition across Arizona in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. 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. 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. Gold fever has stricken thousands of men and women over the years. (Jameson, 2009). He died in California on May 10, 1934, at the age of 70. Gold in Morgan City Wash: In 1934, Palmer Ashley was helping his father work a difficult, low-grade prospect near Morgan City Wash, 23 miles outside of Wickenburg. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. I had been prospecting out of Prescott AZ. from Germany; a common error, see also Pennsylvania Dutch). 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.. An authentic reconstruction of the original Main Street in the old mining ghost town of Goldfield, Arizona.. In the morning they found the spring fairly paved with gold nuggets. One of the best authenticated of these stories was of the Lost Soldier Mine. The story has had little embellishment and, in part, may be true. {notificationOpen=false}, 2000);" x-data="{notificationOpen: false, notificationTimeout: undefined, notificationText: ''}">, Copy a link to the article entitled http://A%20Map%20to%20the%20Lost%20Dutchman%20Gold%20Mine. Men who claimed to have found the Peralta mine were unable to return to it, or some disaster occurred just before they could file a claim, all adding to the lore of a "lost mine.". Not only is it 600 miles of mountains, lakes and rivers, but leaving late in the season means the winter may derail their plans. - arizona gold mine photos et images de collection Where he digs for gold and searches for the legendary lost Dutchman mine. Scientists in China Discover Rare Moon Crystal that Could Power Earth, When Well Know if NASAs Asteroid Impact Test was a Success, What Screaming Black Holes are Telling Us, The First Native American Woman Travels into Space with NASA's Crew-5 Mission. 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. Lost Spanish mines In Arizona. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. The ore in the heaps was about the same character as that which had been brought into Wickenburg in the early days by the Lost Dutchman, but it didnt agree at all with the ore in the shallow prospect hole, which was not considered worthy of further development. Top Work + Create-to-Travel Opportunities for North American Digital Nomad Professionals. Superstition Mountains (in some versions they are told the location by a grateful member of the Peralta family, whose life they saved). Arizona Mineral Rights & Mining Claims As recent as January 2011, the Arizona Republic reported more remains found in the Superstition Mountains, suspected to be three Utah friends who disappeared the previous July while searching for the riches of the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine. Safford commanded the recruits from Tucson and was elected commander-in-chief of the party at the camp near Grant. 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. Hundreds of "lost mine" stories have been localized everywhere over the West. The Apache (some even mention their famous chief Geronimo in this respect) are the only ones who know of a very rich gold mine in the. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tdich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). of gold. Golden Circle, a Confederate secret society active during the American Civil War (1861-1864). One of the most popular Arizona legends also happens to be one of the most deadly: the Lost Dutchman's gold mine. Township 14 0090N 0050W ranks third in the state with 179 placer claims. Since there is more than one version of the story, there are many contradicting facts. True or not, the legend of the Lost Dutchmans Gold Mine continues to fascinate the public. 2. The Lost Dutchman Mine is also the most sought after in American history. But the prospector, with only his burro for companionship, was wont to dream strange dreams and, eventually, to transmute them into what he considered reality. There are hawk and dove versions, depending on whether the men behaved violently or not. At the time, he was living in Phoenix, reportedly on land owned by Julia Thomas, a local bakery owner. 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. "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" There is a Superstition Mountain Museum at 4087 N. Apache Trail, Highway 88 in Apache Junction. Usually, the story ran that the Indians would bring in gold and silver, but would refuse to tell the secret of their wealth. This article first appeared on Curiosity.com. The body of one "dutch hunter" (as they are known to locals) was found in the Superstition Mountains as recently as 2012. By Jim Bremner, More By 1869, water was once again flowing from the ancient Hohokam canals for the first time in 400 years into the fertile land of what would later become known as Phoenix. He died in Phoenix in 1880. When we arrived, the parking area held a variety of license plates, from California to Florida. It was during one of Waltzs prospecting trips that he somehow discovered the location of hidden gold in the Superstitions. While on the butte, she saw a railroad construction camp where she was given water, food and time to rest. 8248 Lost Mine Rd. But will big risks lead to an even bigger pay out? The Lost Dutchman State Park, which opened in 1977 and has the Peralta Trail, is also a nod at the legend. December 09, 2019 Most of the stories of lost mines had to them an Indian annex. For the last 150 years, people have risked their lives to go in search of Arizonas lost gold, silver and other buried treasures. (Conrotto, 1991). Then in 1868, Wickenburg used his gold proceeds to fund a new project that would change Arizona history forever: The Swilling Irrigation Canal Company, conceived by ex-Confederate soldier Jack Swilling of Prescott. There are multiple versions of the Pegleg legend as well as other stories of black nuggets that seem to correlate with some of the facts stated in Pegleg lore. Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. Lonely humans will become infatuated with AI-fabricated personas. It was against the tribal law and beliefs of the Apaches to tell others where the gold was located. They failed to return and nine more, driven by impending hunger, took the same trail, leaving in camp only Adams and two others. Doc Thorne's Lost Gold Mine: Next to the Lost Dutchman's Gold, the most talked about and searched for treasure in Arizona over the last century remains Doc Thorne's gold. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. In 2006, all of Arizonas gold production came as a fortuitous byproduct of copper mining. The district into which the party penetrated has been thoroughly prospected during the past twenty years and contains many mines of demonstrated richness. Your email address will not be published. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 480.982.7661 He struck up a friendship with several Yavapai chiefs, even when they were the most hostile to the other miners, and they told him of a place where there was much gold, far more than on Rich Hill, where we were working. The expedition never returned, and the members of the party were later found dead at the foot of the San Ysidro Mountains. Desert Rocks & Minerals: GOLD! 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. The trio succeeded in returning safely to San Bernardino and in 1875, gathered twelve men to return to the lost bonanza. Many were willing to tell me where I could buy my own panning tools and I also learned that gold is easiest to find after a hard rain. About fifty pounds of this golden quartz they loaded on the remaining horse and then set out for the Gila River. It's near a 1,000-foot-tall rock tower! In 1932, campers found a note from him bobbing in Arizona's Salt River. Are Electric Highways the Way of the Future? Over the years, additional grants from Arizona State Parks and private developers helped build three trailheads, two parking lots . Pegleg and his party had acquired a large number of pelts during their trip and selected Pegleg and another member of the trapping party to take the supply of pelts across the desert to Los Angeles for sale. Attempts have been made to locate it at, The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine has been situated in four quite distinct locales. Less than a days journey from the river, the three men separated, after the horse had dropped dead. Other members were, Bob Groom, the noted pioneer; Al Sieber, the foremost Indian campaign scout of the Southwest, Willard Rice and Dan OLeary. Lost Mines & Buried Treasures of Arizona by W.C. Jameson, University of New Mexico Press, 2009. Offers gold prospecting private instruction, day trips & vacationsin the Weaver Mountains from Sept-June. 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But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. The records do not account for any gold that was sold locally or given to family or friends. Superstition Mountains. 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. During their journey through the desert, Pegleg had gathered some pebbles which he found on top of a butte in the Colorado Desert. It is a fact; however, that the Cibicu Indians of the Cherry Creek Valley knew of the existence of a rich placer field. Men struck out on his trail and soon found Flannigan, who would have lasted only a few hours longer. Granger distinguished three main elements to the story, with the most complete version of the story incorporating all three legends. Wormley reached the river, almost demented from his sufferings, and was unable to guide a party back into the desert. 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. The Indians would not harm him, evidently on account of his color. As early as Sept 1, 1892, a local newspaper relates how Thomas and others were trying to locate the mine. For More Information From a single shovelful of earth had been panned seventeen ounces of gold. (Jameson, 2009). Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. The largest exploring and prospecting expedition Arizona ever has known since the days of Coronado originated on the tale of a prospector named Miner. Get counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Subsequent searchers have sometimes met with foul play or even death, contributing to the superstition and legend that surround these mountains. The point of rendezvous was near old Fort Grant, where 267 men joined them, divided into five companies. - arizona gold mine stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images 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. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. 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. 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. Want to read up on some other Arizona mysteries? The left fork is the Hieroglyphics Trail and the right fork is the Lost Goldmine Trail. When the mines closed, the towns died, and their remains have become ghost towns and tourist attractions. The root of this story is the effort of three US soldiers to locate gold in New Mexico based on what Dr Thorne allegedly told them. In 2006, all of Arizonas gold production came as a fortuitous byproduct of copper mining. A cryptic map of the gold mine, or just a fake? Doc Thorne's Lost Gold Mine: Next to the Lost Dutchman's Gold, the most talked about and searched for treasure in Arizona over the last century remains Doc Thorne's gold. 914.589.3985. 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. He vanished into the mountains in 2009 and his body was not discovered until three years later, hidden in a . 8356 Lost Mine Rd. Quite literally so, according to Southwestern Folklore author and researcher Byrd Granger. A third party was organized to search for another lost mine near the Virgin River, were Dutch George Yount, a trapper, claimed he discovered a ledge full of gold, which of course he was never able to relocate. One of the most popular Arizona legends also happens to be one of the most deadly: the Lost Dutchmans gold mine. He would return at night, in equally as mysterious a manner, his burros loaded with gold ore of wonderful richness. At the head of the Prescott Party was Ed. Where can you learn of other dig sites or techniques and trade secrets of gold prospecting? There are three Indian legends of black-coated gold in the desert that support Pegleg's legend. Two of the most famous lost mines are the Lost Dutchman Mine of Arizona and Pegleg Smith's Mine of Southern California. 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. Get-rich-quick schemes are as American as the Fourth of July. Rich Hill is the center of a vast 40 square mile placer mining area. Then, in 1891, he died . Share A Map to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine on Facebook, Share A Map to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine on Twitter, Share A Map to the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine on LinkedIn. The North American Deserts 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. The gold trail led through New Mexico, Tucson, and Yuma to California. 623.934.6882 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. 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