The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine

Weaver's Needle in the Superstition Mountains where the Dutchman hid his gold.
Photo by Alan English

Of all the lost mines in America the most famous is the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine that according to its legend is hidden away in the Superstition Mountains located near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona.  Other people claim its way past the Superstitions in Mexico.  No one really knows where the mine is located.

The Superstition Mountains can be divided into three distinct groups that can be divided into (1) rock type, (2) structure and (3) process.  Most of the rock type consists of volcanic extrusives that are associated with volcanism.  The structure is consistent with the landform types found accompanying volcanic action and tectonic activity.  This is just the place where you would go looking for gold.  Erosion and mass wasting account for any placer gold that is present.  There are some small areas of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks as well as some Precambrian granite intrusions to be found.  Most of the volcanic activity is from fissure eruptions rather then volcanoes.

Another view of Weaver's Needle
Photo by Ihelewa

The Lost Dutchman Gold mine that is also known by many other similar names is the tale of a very rich gold mine hidden away in the Superstition Mountains, but because Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman, kept the secret of its location to himself.  There are several different tales about how to find the mine and each year there are people that go hunting for it.  Some of these gold seekers have even died in the process.

The mine itself was named after the German immigrant Jacob Waltz that the locals mistakenly called the “Dutchman” that was American slang for a German.  This is derived from the German word for German – “Deutsch.”  The Lost Dutchman is no doubt the most famous lost mine in American history rivaling tales of Captain Kidd’s lost treasure or the Lost Pegleg Mine in California.

Prior to Waltz’s reported discovery in the 1840s the Mexican family, the Peraltas were reported to mine gold in the Superstitions where in 1848 a large group of the Peraltas was ambushed by the Apaches with only one or two members escaping.  There is plenty of evidence of this massacre to be found in the Massacre Grounds where old mining equipment, old weapons, assorted gear and the remnants of a pack train have been found.

The legend goes on to say the Peraltas covered the mines with large rocks to hide their riches from others.  Since then many men have claimed to have found the hidden mines from the number of old maps that have surfaced.  However the men making such claims are unable to return to these mines due to any number of calamities and disasters.  These tales lend truth to the tales of the “Curse of the Superstitions.”

During the 1970’s “the Dutchman” aka Jacob Waltz supposedly found one of Peralta’s gold mines with his partner Jacob Weiser another German.  The story goes on to say they hid some of the gold they found in the area around Weaver’s Needle.  Later Weiser was killed either by the Apaches or Waltz himself.

Waltz later moved to Phoenix where he died in 1891.  Before he died he described the location of the mine to Julia Thomas his landlady.  She became one of the first treasure hunters in 1892, she or other treasure hunters have never been able to find the lost mine since.  Many of them came to a sudden end due to foul play, murder, death or the curse hanging over the Superstition Mountains.

It has been estimated that 8,000 treasure seekers a year have been looking for the Dutchman’s mine since 1892.  Many claim there is no basis to the tale and it is nothing more then a legend, although it is claimed there is some basis in fact to the tales.  Many versions of this tale claim the mine is either cursed, or protected by some kind of guards, usually the Apaches that keep the location of the mine secret.

 

The Lost Cabin Gold Mine

A canyon like the one with the Lost Cabin Gold Mine
Photo by Meckimac

There are countless stories of lost mines in all the gold producing areas of the world, but the “Lost Cabin Gold Mine” has the distinction of being the most sought after lost mine in the world.  This lost mine has been known by many names as Lost Adams, Gold Canyon, Sno-Ta-Hay, Zigzag Canyon and the Lost Cabin Mine.  There are claims that it is the richest source of gold in the world that is untouched.

The story of this lost mine started while the Civil War still raged in the East when a teamster named Adams, his first name is lost to history, along with some prospectors in Gila Bend, Arizona.  A Mexican Indian with the unlikely name of “Gotch Ear” approached them, and offered to show them a canyon filled with gold that was only 10 days ride away.  The miners took Gotch Ear at his word so together they rode away to get the gold.  On the way they crossed a road that Gotch Ear told them went to Ft. Wingate, Arizona and they should remember it in case they had to go for supplies at the fort.  True to Gotch Ear’s story at the end of 10 days they came upon a canyon having a blind entrance.  At the bottom of a “Z” shaped narrow canyon they found a creek that was rich in gold.

The men paid Gotch Ear off, and began panning the creek for gold when they were interrupted by a force of Apache warriors led by a chief Nana.  Nana told the miners they could look for gold in the creek as long as they did it below the waterfalls.  Eventually several of the miners began mining at the base of the waterfalls where they discovered two rich veins of gold.  It quickly became apparent to all of them these digging were extremely rich with some of the nuggets they found being the size of hen’s eggs.

There was so much rich gold they kept it under a stone in the hearth of the cabin they had built except one miner, a German who kept his gold separate.  Once he had collected all the gold he wanted he left the camp and was never heard from again.

After several days when the supplies started to run low a group of miners set out for Ft. Wingate to get more supplies.  After eight days when they hadn’t returned Adams and another miner named Davidson rode out to see why.  When they reached the top of the Z-shaped trail, they found five of the miners had been murdered along with three of their horses.  That was all of the party that has set out for supplies.  Adams and Davidson returned to their cabin when they discovered that in their absence the Apaches had returned, murdered the remaining miners and set fire to the cabin burning it down.

After a harrowing walk across the desert that lasted 12 days Adams and Davidson narrowly escaped when they finally stumbled on an army patrol that took them to the nearest fort where after 10 days Davidson died.  It took a decade before Adams finally lost his fear and returned to New Mexico to look for his lost mine.  Adams spent the rest of his life looking for the lost canyon that was packed with gold.