The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is hidden in the United States southwest. The site is thought to be in the Superstition Mountains, which is near Apache Junction, Arizona. There are various legends about how to find the gold mine, and people search for it every year. Some have died while searching.
Individuals have been looking for the lost Dutchman’s gold mine since at least 1892, and according to one estimate, 9,000 people make some effort each year to find it.
The Legend of Superstition Mountain
When the Spanish arrived in 1540, the area was inhabited by Apache Indians, who revered Superstition Mountain as a sacred site because it housed their Thunder God. The conquistadors, led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, were unconcerned about Apache customs or beliefs, just desiring to uncover the famous “Seven Golden Cities of Cibola.”
The Spaniards were eager to explore the area after learning from the Apache that the range did contain gold. On the other hand, the Apache refused to assist them, informing them that if they dared to trespass on sacred ground, the Thunder God would retaliate, causing enormous anguish and horrible deaths. Superstition Mountain was known as the “Devil’s Playground” by the Indians.
The Spaniards, however, were unfazed and continued to explore. Men unexpectedly vanished almost instantly, to the point where warnings were issued never to wander more than a few steps away from the rest of the group. Still, more soldiers went missing, only to be discovered dead later.
Fearful, the conquistadors eventually departed, refusing to return to the mountain they christened Monte Superstition. The legends had started.
The Story of the Gold Mine
Several more people were said to have known the location of the lost Dutchman’s gold mine or perhaps worked in it. Many maps had appeared over the years, only to be lost or forgotten when interested parties sought information. Men who claimed to have discovered the Peralta mine could not return to it or died before filing a claim, leading to the legend of a “lost mine.”
Don Miguel Peralta of Sonora, a Mexican cattle baron, received the Superstitions, as well as 3,750 square miles of what is now Arizona, in a land grant in 1748.
Not only did the area have a rich gold mine, but it also had multiple silver mines. This was the mine’s first official record of its existence. Throughout the next century, the Peralta family and their workers would make sporadic journeys into Arizona, taking cargoes of ore with them. They kept these mining expeditions to a minimum because they didn’t want to risk the savage Apache’s wrath.
Enrico, Pedro, Ramon, and Manuel Peralta, four descendants of the original grant, resolved to return to Arizona in 1846, risking not only the “curse” but also the fury of the Apache.
They quickly returned to Sonora, rich with gold and plotting their next adventure. With the Mexican-American War in full swing the following year, Pedro was the only one eager to return to Arizona, anxious to extract as much gold as possible before their properties became part of the United States.
Meanwhile, the Apache were enraged at the invasion of their sacred sites. When the Peralta miners learned that the Apache were planning an attack, they packed up, covered the mine entrance, and began making their way back to Mexico during the winter of 1847-1848 with mules and wagons laden with gold.
But they weren’t going to make it. The Apache came after them. The load mules dispersed in all directions, spreading the gold everywhere.
Dr. Abraham Thorne was the next person to visit the lost Dutchman’s gold mine. Thorne worked as an army doctor at Fort McDowell, Arizona, in 1865. During this time, the Apache Indians had turned their hatred against the Arizona settlers and the US Army. As the army conquered the Indians, a reservation near Fort McDowell was established, and Thorne began to give his services.
As the army conquered the Indians, a reservation near Fort McDowell was established, and Thorne began to give his services.
Thorne gained the respect of tribal elders by caring for the sick and injured and after healing several Apache of an eye condition.
He was offered the chance to be escorted to the gold mine in the Superstition mountains in 1870. On the other hand, Thorne had to accept being blindfolded for the 20-mile journey. When the doctor approved, he was taken to a location near the mine where a pile of gold ore had been heaped near the canyon wall.
Thorne was allowed to remove his blindfold and found himself in a canyon with a massive, odd rock pinnacle to the south. The Apache let him pick up as much as possible before blindfolding the doctor again for the return trip. Thorne made a fortune when he sold the gold for $6,000.
However, legend has it that Dr. Thorne afterward decided that he would try to find the location again. The gang somehow discovered the mine’s site after gathering a handful of his buddies. They started to Phoenix after filling their saddlebags with as much gold as they could carry, but they never lived to enjoy the prosperity. The Apache discovered them and slaughtered them before they could escape with the gold.
The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine and Jacob Waltz
In the 1870s, Jacob Waltz, known as “the Dutchman” (a German native), was reported to have discovered the mine with the help of a Peralta descendant. Waltz and his colleague, Jacob Weiser, allegedly worked the mine and buried one or more gold caches in the Superstitions. Most accounts situate the gold near Weaver’s Needle, a well-known monument.
Weiser was killed by Apaches, or by Waltz himself, according to some.
Jacob Waltz migrated to Phoenix due to ill health and died there twenty years later, in 1891. He allegedly mentioned the site of the gold mine to Julia Thomas, a neighbor who cared for him before his death.
In the years that followed, neither she nor dozens of other seekers could locate the “Lost Dutchman’s Mine.” Subsequent seekers have occasionally encountered foul play or even death, adding to these mountains’ superstition and legend.
Hermann Petrasch was most likely one of the most tenacious hunters for Jacob Waltz’s gold. Hermann Petrasch could be considered the “father of all modern Dutch hunters.” In the summer of 1892, Hermann and his brother Rhinehart began their hunt with Julia Thomas.
Hermann Petrasch arrived in Arizona in October 1891, just after the death of Jacob Waltz, of Lost Dutchman Mine renown. He came to Arizona at his brother Rhinehart’s invitation. He wanted Hermann to help him, and Julia Thomas finds Waltz’s gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. Rhinehart claimed Julia, and he knew where Waltz’s gold mine was.
Rhinehart Petrasch has been in Phoenix for a while, assisting Julia Thomas with her business. Some historians believe Rhinehart became close to Jacob Waltz during his final days at Julia Thomas’ Phoenix home on West Jackson Street. During this time, Rhinehart only had a few hints. During those dying days, Waltz whispered clues to Julia but not to Rhinehart.
As the “Old Dutchman’s” demise approached, he summoned Julia and Rhinehart to his side and revealed the final details of the lost Dutchman’s gold mine. This would have been perfect, only Julia and Rinehart had been celebrating a little too much, and their heads were hazy. They would later come to regret this while traveling aimlessly in the mountains east of Phoenix.
Waltz, according to legend, left the following hints concerning the whereabouts of the lost Dutchman’s gold mine.
“From my mine, you can see the military trail, but from the military trail, you cannot see my mine. The rays of the setting sunshine into the entrance of my mine. There is a trick in the trail to my mine. My mine is in a north-trending canyon. There is a rock face on the trail to my mine.”
Did Adolph Ruth Find the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine?
Ruth’s son Erwin C. Ruth was believed to have learned about the Peralta mine from a man named Pedro Gonzales, according to one of the earlier stories (or Gonzalez). According to the narrative, in about 1912, Erwin C. Ruth provided Gonzales with legal assistance, rescuing him from almost certain jail.
Gonzales thanked Erwin by telling him about the Peralta mine in the Superstition Mountains and giving him some antique maps of the area. Erwin informed about this to his father, who had a long-standing interest in lost mines.
While searching for the lost Pegleg mine in California, the elder Ruth had fallen and badly fractured several bones. Ruth walked with the aid of a cane and metal pins in his leg.
Ruth started out in June 1931 to find the lost Peralta mine. After arriving in the area, Ruth spent several days at Tex Barkley’s ranch to gear his expedition. The terrain of the Superstition Mountains was dangerous even for experienced outdoorsmen, let alone the 66-year-old Ruth, as Barkley repeatedly persuaded Ruth to stop his search for the mine.
On the other hand, Ruth disregarded Barkley’s advice and headed out for a two-week stay in the mountains. Ruth did not return on time, and after a quick search, no trace of him could be found. The Arizona Republic reported in December 1931 on the recent finding of a human skull in the Superstition Mountains.
Dr. Ale Hrdlika, a well-known anthropologist who was given multiple images of Ruth and Ruth’s dental data, analyzed the skull to see if it was Ruth’s. As Curt Gentry put it, “Dr. Hrdlicka positively identified Adolph Ruth’s skull. After additional examination of the two holes [in the skull], he claimed that it appeared like a shotgun or high-powered rifle had been fired through the head at approximately point-blank range, creating the little hole when the bullet entered and the massive hole when it departed “.
Human remains were uncovered roughly three-quarters of a mile from where the skull was discovered in January 1932. Even though scavengers had spread the remains, they were unmistakably Ruth’s. Many of Ruth’s personal belongings were found at the site, including a revolver (complete with ammunition) and the metal pins used to repair his shattered bones. However, the map to the Peralta mine was believed to be missing.
Ruth’s checkbook was also retrieved, and it had a note written by Ruth in which he claimed to have discovered the mine and provided exact directions. Ruth concluded his letter with the words “Veni, Vidi, Vici.”
Conclusion
Various expeditions and individuals continued to seek the Superstitions for The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine into the twentieth century.
One of the most professional and serious efforts was led by Oklahoma City private detective Glen Magill, who organized multiple expeditions in the late 1960s and early 1970s and claimed to have identified the location of the mine on at least two occasions, only to admit later he was either mistaken, or the locations were “played out,” or devoid of gold. Curt Gentry’s book The Killer Mountains documented Magill’s adventures.
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