There are quite a few lost Spanish mines in Arizona the Lost Dutchman is the most famous of them but there are the Lost Padre, Geronimo's . Notes and Author: This article is primarily a tale told by James Harvey McClintock between the years of 1913 and 1916 when he published a three-volume history of Arizona called Arizona: The Youngest State. The point of rendezvous was near old Fort Grant, where 267 men joined them, divided into five companies. Gold miners Dakota Fred and his son Dustin are determined to make a fortune no matter the risk. 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. To this day, both lost mines are actively sought after by old time prospectors and treasure hunters. They were friendly, and he gave her hints about the mine's location. Click here to view the video Riding on Gold - Pegleg Smith. Updated June 25, 2020 The Lost Dutchman State Park, which opened in 1977 and has the Peralta Trail, is also a nod at the legend. In fact, there is a man who claims to have found Pegleg's Lost Mine in 1952. 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. 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. That is, until Miguel Peraltas family stumbles upon the site and start mining the gold. It's near a cabin in a cave! Legends of lost gold have long been part of Arizona history. Hundreds of lost mine stories have been localized everywhere over the West. His body and supplies were found in the mountains; the mine was, of course, not, though the area near his corpse was intensively searched. The Apache Indians spoke of a place in the desert where the ground was littered with gold nuggets. 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. 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 was blindfolded and taken to the village, not knowing his direction. He claimed to have been abducted by Navajo in 1854, discovering a rich gold vein during his captivity. Tragicomically, she and her team passed over two enormous gold mines on their search for the Lost Dutchman Mine, which they didn't find. The Lost Dutchman Mine is also the most sought after in American history. Thorne pretended that the sand was of little value, but furtively took all that he could. Today, the consensus among geologists is that the Superstitions are unlikely to contain a secret gold mine. Get counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Two of their horses dropped of fatigue and thirst and their provisions ran out. 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. Flannigan made several unsuccessful attempts to return to the find, but he dreaded the desert and never went very far from the river. The third Indian legend is about a Yaqui Indian who lived and worked near Warner's Ranch. In one story, a miner is crossing the desert between Yuma and Warner's Ranch, when he climbs up one of three buttes to get a better sense of his location. In the early 1850s, the Colorado River crossing at Yuma became a major route for gold seekers from the East. Stars Jesse Feldman Josh Feldman Clark Moore See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Henry Wickenburg came to Arizona in 1862. Arizona Gold Mining Adventure, Phoenix. By the 1860's large discoveries of gold were occurring in the Bradshaw Mountains, especially along the Hassayampa . Research shows that spending more time on social media is associated with body image issues in boys and young men. At the time, he was living in Phoenix, reportedly on land owned by Julia Thomas, a local bakery owner. 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. 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. Mining flourished in Gila City until 1862 when a flood destroyed the town. Weekly, he fields questions from visitors who want to know where the gold is. The explanation then was given that the Indians were afraid that the white men would come in such numbers that the Indian preponderance of population would be lost. Finally, in disgust, the different parties separated at Wheatfields and returned to their homes. (Jameson, 2009). His quest was to find gold. He argued that each of these three legends contains some truth, but have become badly distorted through time. The worlds longest cave system is a gargantuan labyrinth of 420 miles of twists and turns and nooks and crannies, with limestone travertine stalactites dripping from the ceilings. The stories of lost gold mines still lure prospectors, even today. (Waltz definitely existed, and was definitely German, but his ore is not as well documented.) Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. Offers five-day prospecting lessons and mining excursions for small groups throughout the year. Digging for Gold Today The Lost Goldmine Trails winds for miles at the base of the Superstition Mountains. Click here to read the original article. Dr. DeCourcy searched for years, and was never able to find the three buttes the miner described on his death bed. What will happen to society when AI lovers fool millions of people? Ruth injured his leg so severely in the process that he developed a lifelong limp. In addition to the bank, the bandits looted the citys cathedral. - arizona gold mine stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Almost overnight, Arizona was inundated with would-be millionaires. According to legend, this was when he spotted the large quartz outcropping, which later became the Vulture Mine. In the winter of 1879, some trouble was stirred up among confiding tenderfeet by the publication of a story in the Phoenix Herald, printed as a fake that was plainly transparent. But did you know that they can all be found within Washingtons Olympic National Park? 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. Wanting to retire in 1866, he sold 80% of the mine to Benjamin Phelps and other East Coast investors. He claimed that he was the only survivor of a party that had found wonderful placer diggings somewhere near a hat-shaped hill over beyond the Tonto. 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). Governor A.P.K. Possibly connected with the Miner tale that led Safford and his party very far afield was the lost Thorne Mine. Since its early Gold Rush days, Arizona has produced in excess of 498 tons or 16 million troy ounces (ozt.) The trails are well marked. 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. Arizona Gold Adventures, Congress. I've got to have help quick. Packing their booty onto a number of mules, they fled, heading northwest toward a remote pass through the Arizona/Mexico border. Because of their superstitions, their secret remained well kept. There was a Dr Thorne who had a private practice in New Mexico, however. #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? Lost Mines & Buried Treasure of the Southwest by Thomas Penfield, Lost Cities & Ancient Mysteries of the Southwest by David Hatcher Childress, Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest by Eugene L. Conrotto, Lost Mines & Buried Treasures of Arizona by W.C. Jameson, Southwest Treasure Hunters Gem & Mineral Guide: Where & How to Dig, Where to Find Gold in the Desert by James Klein, 3 Thrillseekers wanted to travel to Sweden, Ecuador or Canada in July with World Nomads, Worldwide: Getty Images Awarding $10,000 Grants to 3 Instagram Photographers, New Creative Opps for Travelers in Switzerland, Montana, Michigan, California & Marfa, Texas, Hey Dutchman Hunters! 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. No one was ever able to follow the Indian into the desert to discover his secret gold mine. Safford commanded the recruits from Tucson and was elected commander-in-chief of the party at the camp near Grant. A medical examiner ruled that Ruth died of natural causes (i.e., that broken leg, plus starvation), but some maintain that he was murdered because he knew too much about the legendary 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. The Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix, AZ reportedly holda legendary motherlode of gold known as the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. 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. Wild beaches, snow-capped mountains, dense woods, and lush rainforests can be found across America. By Jim Bremner, More And not just crackpots: former attorney general of Arizona Bob Corbin was one of the many mine-seekers. Nearby, was a human skeleton, bleached from long exposure. Vekols Buried Silver Ingots: Just a few miles north of the old ghost town of Vekol, near Casa Grande in Pinal County, lies a legendary cache of 300 silver ingots, each weighing 25 pounds. All he could be induced to do was to toss his arms and say, Plenty gold here; go hunt. Ben did hunt for years and was outfitted several times by A.H. Peeples, who believed that he finally died of thirst on the desert. When he reached the top of the butte, he discovered free particles of gold scattered about. Common reasons for the mines being lost include: Entrance is free. Lonely humans will become infatuated with AI-fabricated personas. A passing prospector had told him to hike a half-mile up the wash to a 20-foot-high wall on the right bank. 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. 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. Stories abound of riches buried by Spanish explorers or Native Americans, as well as tales of precious ore pulled from mines whose . 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 many versions of the story, Weaver's Needle is a prominent landmark for locating the lost mine. 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. Free, no day use fee. of gold. Your email address will not be published. But to find the big gold payout, theyll put their lives on the line by diving deep beneath the raging waters of one of Alaskas wildest creeks. 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. With Arizona's wild and violent past, you can bet there are quite a few that exist in our Southwestern state. #sedona #redrocks #outhiki, Oddball vending machines, #3 in the series. While on the butte, she saw a railroad construction camp where she was given water, food and time to rest. Rich Hill was the single richest discovery of gold in one place. 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. 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. Discovery.com unpacks the mysteries and myths long surrounding the Bermuda Triangle. He sold the mining rights to a large area in southern Arizona and New Mexico to Dr George M. Willing, Jr., based on a deed originally granted by the Spanish Empire. He gathered the black pebbles thinking they were copper and carried them to Los Angeles where he later discovered they were gold. Colorado; a place we usually associate with snow-capped mountains and green grassy meadows, winter skiing, and kayaking in its clear, mirror-like lakes. Often, there is a map (sometimes called a "waybill") purportedly showing the location of the mine. He supposedly described the mine's location to Julia Thomas, a neighbor who took care of him prior to his death. So how to get started? A cryptic map of the gold mine, or just a fake? Tour the historic Mammoth Gold Mine and visit the Goldfield Museum. P.S. The gun had been there so long that even the hammer and trigger had rusted away. Lost Dutchman Mine Found ? Its hard to separate the legend and the lore from the lies, he said. Ben was taken to some water holes, about 65 miles northwest of Antelope, toward McCracken, in southern Mohave County. The story continues that after working for a while, eleven of the party started for the Pima villages for supplies. 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