The ore was not the same as that at the Vulture Mine. 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. 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. There May Be a Long-Lost Gold Mine in the Arizona Mountains By: Mae Rice 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. I've got to have help quick. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Apache Before the Storm, Edward S. Curtis, 1906. Where can you find these magnificent perennial plants? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Then, in 1891, he died . 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. 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. They were friendly, and he gave her hints about the mine's location. Superstition Mountains. A passing prospector had told him to hike a half-mile up the wash to a 20-foot-high wall on the right bank. Want to read up on some other Arizona mysteries? 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. Neither she nor dozens of other seekers in the years that followed were able to find the "Lost Dutchman's Mine." He died in California on May 10, 1934, at the age of 70. However, the article that appears here is far from verbatim. Lost Dutchman Mine Found ? 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. The records do not account for any gold that was sold locally or given to family or friends. This might be the way the Peralta story became incorporated into the Lost Dutchman legend. If only it were that easy. Just one day into his journey, he disappeared. Apache Trail Tours, Apache Junction: Two-hour jeep tour to the foothills of the Superstition Mountains with guided instruction on gold panning and how to tell the difference between real and fools gold. Panning equipment provided. Common reasons for the mines being lost include: Ruth". 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. Less than a days journey from the river, the three men separated, after the horse had dropped dead. Wormley reached the river, almost demented from his sufferings, and was unable to guide a party back into the desert. But the mine remains shrouded in mystery, so much so that it might not exist at all. Though the Indians pressed handfuls of the nuggets upon him, Thorne still persisted that the stuff was worthless and refused to take any, convinced that he could again find the treasure. That is, until Miguel Peraltas family stumbles upon the site and start mining the gold. 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. Follow the lives of ambitious miners as they head north in pursuit of gold. Quite literally so, according to Southwestern Folklore author and researcher Byrd Granger. 8266 Lost Mine Rd. The Indians would not harm him, evidently on account of his color. 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. Offers five-day prospecting lessons and mining excursions for small groups throughout the year. Goldfield Ghost Town, Goldfield: Stop in at the Prospectors Palace to learn the art of panning from a gold historian. He was able to tell the story of the gold find, and the rescuing party went farther to find Crossthwaites body. 8230 Lost Mine Rd. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As early as Sept 1, 1892, a local newspaper relates . Scott Taylor/Flickr There have been 428,000 ounces of gold mined here, the vast majority of which comes from the Vulture Mine near Wickenburg. Later, after the Indian died in a fight, $4,000 worth of gold was found in his bunk. Two of the most famous lost mines are the Lost Dutchman Mine of Arizona and Pegleg Smith's Mine of Southern California. #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? Weekly, he fields questions from visitors who want to know where the gold is. 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. The lost padre gold mine of Arizona. Click here, Dig Here! Men struck out on his trail and soon found Flannigan, who would have lasted only a few hours longer. The stories of lost gold mines still lure prospectors, even today. Are Electric Highways the Way of the Future? Superstition Mountains, are able to present some of it to a third party but afterwards are killed or vanish. The second significant gold discovery was made by Pauline Weaver (of Weavers Needle fame) in 1862 on the Colorado River at La Paz. 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. Ruth was an amateur prospector in the that he had never found gold but had been seeking it for it for years. The location of the mine never became known to anyone, save its discoverer. In May 1871 he was in Prescott, coming with several companions from Nevada, and in that month reached Phoenix from the North with about thirty men. 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. He later earned a teaching certificate, served asTheodore Roosevelts right-hand-man in the Rough Riders, and become an Arizona State Representative. Spaniard Don Joaquin conducted mining exploration in the Sierra Estrella Mountain Range south of Phoenix, Arizona in the mid-1800s. They are the tallest trees on Earth, with some reaching more than 250 feet tall. 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. Wanting to retire in 1866, he sold 80% of the mine to Benjamin Phelps and other East Coast investors. 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 Indian said he had seen much larger pieces of the same substance and started off to show him the treasure. 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. In 1912, when Arizona became the 48th state in the Union, President Taft signed the statehood proclamation with a golden pen, made from gold mined in local gold mines. But did you know the state is also home to a 30-square-mile sand dune field? This is a popular trail for hiking and mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. A few mines are still being actively worked today, but most mining companies that have tried to revive the old mines have been unsuccessful. In those days, mining exploration often went hand in hand with slavery. A number of other people, in addition to the Peralta family, had knowledge of the mine's location. However, the Lost Dutchman remains much discussed in Arizona. 928.443.8000 There are records of Waltz selling or transporting gold which are estimated to total $254,000.. There was a Dr Thorne who had a private practice in New Mexico, however. 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. Was Peg Leg's Gold Found? The famous legend began during a trapping expedition down the Colorado River in the late 1820s or early 1830s. He claimed to have been abducted by Navajo in 1854, discovering a rich gold vein during his captivity. Join DesertUSA as we continue the search for gold in the Desert. Numbers of others have tried to find the Ni**er Ben diggings, but they have not been discovered as yet. And not just crackpots: former attorney general of Arizona Bob Corbin was one of the many mine-seekers. Adams understood to have been a San Bernardino colony Mormon, in 1886 heard from a Mexican, a story of a rich gold deposit, and forming a party of 22 men, struck eastward to a point supposed to have been near Fort Apache, where the Diggings were found. Over the years, additional grants from Arizona State Parks and private developers helped build three trailheads, two parking lots . Numerous maps have surfaced over the years, only to become lost or misplaced when interested parties pressed for facts. After his leg was amputated, his friends fashioned him a wooden leg, thus earning him the name Pegleg. from the Netherlands) because he was, The Lost Dutchman Mine is also the most sought after in American history. The individuals who truly believe in a particular legend, spend the greater portion of their lives collecting data and facts about the lost mine they so eagerly seek. From a single shovelful of earth had been panned seventeen ounces of gold. Desert Rocks & Minerals: GOLD! The second legend concerns an Indian woman who was wandering about the desert in a state of dehydration. Weiser is attacked (either by Apache or by Waltz) but survives long enough to tell a Dr Walker about the mine. Later, Pimas and "Apaches" (some of whom may have been Yavapais) occupied parts of the region. 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. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. Many legends of lost treasure from Arizonas early Gold Rush days still remain to this day. The gun had been there so long that even the hammer and trigger had rusted away. If the story ended there, the legend of the Lost Dutchmans gold mine would make an interesting story. 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