Posts
The Superstition Mountains
As he seeks shelter from the unrelenting Arizona sun
at Apache Junction, local resident, Keith, says, “There is no gold in the
Superstition Mountains. Never has been.” Despite the skepticism of some, the lure of gold
has brought thousands to the Superstition Mountains for over a hundred years,
all in search of the Lost Dutchman Mine.
This, one of the most sought after treasures in
history, is still definitely in the lost column. Legend tells of a fabulous
mine in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. So alluring is the prospect of unlimited
wealth that it said that hundreds have died searching for the lost mine. Some of the dead were so close that they may
have been murdered, but treasure hunter Walt “AZ” Guenther tells a different story,
“They’re mostly easterners. Come out
here unprepared. No hats. Not enough water.” “AZ” dismisses stories of bushwacking, and
being a seasoned outdoorsman, laughs off other desert dangers like
rattlesnakes, scorpions, gila monsters, and mountain lions, “No, the big killer
out here is the sun…and not enough water.
If somebody offers you water…you take it.”
"AZ"
The entire story began in 1748 when the Peralta family
began mining silver and gold. According to family records this wealthy family
operated eighteen silver and gold mines in the Superstition Mountains. With the
Mexican War of 1848, law and order disintegrated in the area and the Apache
Indians grew increasingly hostile, attacking the miners almost continuously.
Disaster finally overtook the Peraltas in September 1848 with a general massacre
by the Apaches. Following this massacre the Apaches controlled the Superstition
Mountains until 1865.
Stone map found in the desert.
Spanish armor found in the Superstition Mountains
Jacob Walz, the “Dutchman” enters the picture in 1871
with his partner Jacob Weiser. The two
immigrants purchased a map drawn by the original Peralta family and located the
mine “within an imaginary circle whose diameter is not more than five miles and
whose center is marked by the Weaver’s Needle.”
Weiser soon vanished...the victim of either, Indians,
desperados, or Walz. The Dutchman continued working the mine, carrying the
secret of its location to the grave with him in 1891.
Supposedly after the massacre of 1848 the Indians
filled the mine shafts and disguised the remains. That there are eighteen mines
once owned by the Peralta family in the Superstition Mountains is historical
fact; their richness is legendary; their location, still a mystery.
Looking out toward the ominous mountains, “AZ” says
knowingly, “Oh, yes. There is definitely
gold out there.”
The history of Virginia told through treasure tales about pirates,
Indians, Revolutionary War heroes and Civil War raiders. The full text of the
famous Beale Treasure cipher is included along with some sixty other
legends.
A lively history of the Civil War sprinkled with tales
of over 60 buried treasure in sixteen states. History buffs and adventure
seekers will enjoy this work.
No comments:
Post a Comment