According to historians like Superstition Mountain Historical I could hear the rest of the crew talking about how beautiful the sunrise was and I didnt want to miss out. Where am I? The mine's location remains a mystery to this day. They began extracting the gold ore from the site, eventually attracting attention from the community. Named after the fabled lost gold mine,Lost Dutchman State Parkis located in the Sonoran Desert, at the base of the Superstition Mountains, only 40 miles east of Phoenix. Luckily, we had two boats out on the lake with us which helped for filming and spreading out the team so we could cover as much of the lake as possible in a shorter amount of time. They are roughly bounded by U.S. Route 60 on the south, Arizona State Route 88 on t. Superstitions, found gold or knew where the golden spots were located. A scouting trip is a way for us to cover a lot of ground and to look for evidence of many possible clues in an area of interest. Berardi, Joe. There were a few nerve-racking thoughts going through my mind about the dive because this was the first trip that Dave had dove with us with his scuba gear. It was Dave that was waking me up. Roosevelt, AZ. He would take this secret location practically to his grave, but as he lie dying from a bout of pneumonia in 1891 he allegedly told all, laying out the secret location of the lost and cursed Apache treasure, giving detailed but cryptic instructions on how to navigate the rough terrain to the entrance, as well as scrawling out a crude map to it all as he lay on his deathbed. Not specializing in any one subject, youll learn a bit about everything - the plants atyour fingertips, the geology of the rocks you see, and any wildlife that crosses our path! Over the years, many people have tried to find the Lost Dutchman's mine, and several have lost their lives searching for gold hidden in the Superstition Mountains. He had allegedly made many forays to this mine, taking gold as he pleased and boasting of its discovery, but all who tried to follow him or learn his secret were said to get hopelessly lost, or end up vanished or dead. Good job guys! Want to learn more about the stars and planets? Antonio was in Courts truck and one trailer and Shaun hooked up the other trailer to his truck and we were on our way. HOA Superstition Mountain - a great place to live and play. Registration is required! This 1-1.5 mile hike is a nature-lovers dream! And he had gold? We go to get a good idea of what we are up against for the next time. Heres our story. As a counter to Ed Piper, we have Celeste Jones, who was kind of a cult leader from California who . Out in the remote badlands of the U.S. state of Arizona, just to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area lies a sun scorched, dried up, arid moonscape of twisted peaks and sprawling expanse of badlands called the Superstition Mountains, at one time called the Sierra de la Espuma by Spanish settlers. After we packed up the gear and hiked back down to the cars we decided to go to the famous Lost Dutchman Mine restaurant. But this mountain range, less than an hour east of Phoenix, is famous for more than its beauty. After careful consideration, we agreed that we believe we have many clues, evidence, and time phases of history that go back for a very long time in this area. Try this 4.3-mile loop trail near Apache Junction, Arizona. Yet there are still all of these mysterious disappearances and death, these enigmatic decapitated corpses and their bullet-ridden heads. Today, he The shortest of the area trails at just a quarter-mile long, the Native Plant Trail in Lost Dutchman State Park is paved and wheelchair accessible. Indeed, we will keep an eye out for clues on it, but we have other things on our agenda to do and look for in our time here. The curse of the treasure would continue in the 1940s, when a 62-year-old treasure hunter by the name of James A. Carvey journeyed into the Superstition Mountains and also ended up dead and with his head separated from his shoulders. He's written articles for MU and Daily Grail and has been a guest on Coast to Coast AM and Binnal of America. Please join us as we dive into the geologic past and bring you into the future. . When I reached the spot I had left them, I noticed that they werent answering my hollering for them. Even before the Dutchman story ever came about, and these things are right down our alley. A deeper dive - Related reading from the 101. Todd,Antonio,andIwere in one truck, whileShaun, David, andRyan were in the other. Rumors of gold, silver and other minerals attracted miners to stake claims . This was a challenge and disappointing for us, but now we know what to expect so we could plan for the next trip. Cursed, blighted, tainted, whatever you want to call it. Yet the mountains and their cursed treasure would get their most well-known mystery with the arrival of a German immigrant named Jacob Walz, also often spelled Waltz, who was a gold prospector in the Phoenix valley in the late 1800s. 2,742 Sq. Superstition Mountains, Tonto National Forest In the 1930s, you might have seen Arthur Weber wandering around Peralta Canyon. Mysterious bodies turned up in the Superstition Mountains all through the 1960s and 70s, with at least five people found dead with bullet holes to the skulls, and with other bodies found minus the heads, which were never found. The thing that happened next is very common for Treasures in Americas attitude towards things. It seemed to be a man-made meadow, flat like a work area for a mine perhaps. Depending on the years rainfall, you might be treated to a carpet of desert wildflowers in the spring, but there's plenty of beautiful desert plants to see year-round! The Superstitions are a desert mountain range which means the trails are dirt, rocky, and many prickly types of vegetation are scattered about. The initial search party found no trace of him, but then, in December 1931, they found a human skull with two holes from a .44 caliber. Indeed, we will keep an eye out for clues on it, but we have other things on our agenda to do and look for in our time here. According to these legends, this treasure was almost never seen by mortal eyes, at least not by anyone who lived to tell about it, but there are some tales of outsiders stumbling across it. That night, we sat around the campfire and planned out the next day. KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College, and Maricopa Community Colleges Sign up to get adventurous offers and the latest news on Treasure Hunting! Mountains over the years. In December of 1949 a man named James Kidd vanished without a trace in the area as well. There were other weird clues found about the body, such as the presence of two bullet holes to the skull from shots fired at point blank range, and it was speculated that he had perhaps been killed for his secret knowledge or committed suicide, but there was no weapon found. Regardless of gold, the Superstition Wilderness offers a much better treasure: a stunning desert environment to explore. 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 . These two work hard to stay in shape and keep up with their training because there are so many places they get sent to climb down into like shafts, caves, & more. Next to the Grand Canyon, the Superstition Mountains are Arizona's most photographed landmark. Listen to the conductor narrating its history and pointing out spots of interest. One such person is Adolph Ruth, a person who AZ Central described as someone who had a longstanding obsession for locating the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine. He elected to head into the mountain in search for the treasure. Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the history of the Superstition Mountains and some of the inexplicable occurrences which have happened there, people generally agree on one thing: mysterious, eerie, and strange all are descriptions which adequately describe the Superstition Mountains. The easy 1.5 mile trail features some rocky, rough terrain but with little elevation gain. We hopped in the trucks and headed out as quickly as we could. We hopped in the trucks and headed out as quickly as we could. 2023 Treasures in America. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Three decades after leaving Romania, this background still helps her appreciate and connect with people of different backgrounds, which shows up in her articles, which highlight the culture, history, and legends of the places she visits. It turned out to be a very narrow and shallow canyon, but it seemed to be a great spot for Dave to make his first attempt to dive. When they finally reached me, back at the trail, Shaun pulled out his camera and said, You have to see this! Photos of the Superstition Mountains and others relating to the miner known as the "Dutchman" set to the music of Walter Brennan's rendition of "Dutchman's G. I could hear the rest of the crew talking about how beautiful the sunrise was and I didnt want to miss out. Take a stroll along the Native Plant Trail or hike the challenging Siphon Draw Trail to the top of the Flatiron. We got in the trucks and made our way back down the mountain. RODRIGUEZ: Its Pro Tip: For the best chance to see wildlife, go out in the early morning hours or right after sunset. Waltzs caregiver, a Julia Thomas, apparently listened to all of this but had no idea what to think of any of it. We stopped by the closest gas station to buy some coffee and drinks along with a few snacks for the journey. The dump station and showers are closed to anyone not camping at the park. He said the bars were all stamped with what appeared to be a crown. 6109 N. Apache Trail Take a guided tour of the gold mine, the reason the town once existed. Stayed tuned for the 4th-day blog, our last day. Legend tells of the Lost Dutchmans gold mine hidden somewhere within the 160,000 acres of brutal Arizona desert known as the Superstition Mountains. The promise of a $200 million mother lode has lured thousands of treasure hunters and continues to claim the lives of those eager to decipher the legends clues and riddles. The Mysterious Men in Black and Their Equally Weird Cars, Lab-Grown Human Mini Brains Are Being Developed for Biocomputers, Strange Accounts of Dwarf Aliens and their Apocalyptic Messages from Mexico, Unmarked Black Helicopter Above Chicago Sparks Conspiracy Theories, Shamans, Psychedelics, and One Man's mystical Journey in the Amazon to Find a Miracle Cure. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 13 min to complete. Then head to Lost Dutchman State Park for a star party! Besides writing for online travel magazines, she publishes a travel blog, teaches Hungarian as a foreign language, and works as a freelance translator. This was one of my best trips yet! It was speculated that he had fallen or even jumped, but it is still a mystery, just another casualty of the futile search for the lost treasure. The site is said to have been mined by a . RODRIGUEZ: Davis Then, in as recent as 2010, Phoenix New Times covered the story of Jesse Capen, a 35-year-old man from Denver, Colorado who vanished in the Superstition Mountains while hunting for the famous treasure. Come learn about the iconic birds of the Sonoran Desert under the shade of the Palo Verde ramada. The Superstition Mountains are a mountain range east of Phoenix and are known for their picturesque volcanic peaks and and jagged canyons. Depending on the season, you'll see not only gorgeous desert vegetation but also wildlife. looking to find one of the oldest legends: a gold mine. Gold has been found in various places, as most of the mountain range is gold-bearing. The only thing that seems to remain consistent is the location-- somewhere in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. says, those mines are buried deep within the mountains and practically Lets go, get up, its 7 a.m. I spent a minute or two getting my eyes to focus on the trailer and my surroundings. Stayed tuned for the 4th-day blog, our last day. Legend tells of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine hidden somewhere within the 160,000 acres of brutal Arizona desert known as the "Superstition Mountains." The promise of a $200 million mother. What an awesome find! According to Legends of America, the Native Americans in the area believed the Thunder God of their religion lived in the Superstition Mountains, and thus they were required to protect it with lethal force, killing any who might set foot on the mountain and disturb their deity. This was the trip that started it all! The day was over and we needed to wind down, no better way than sitting at a dinner table, talking about our day and our accomplishments. Meet in the Saguaro day use area to learn how to distinguish between birds and seek out hawks to hummingbirds all throughout the trail! Many believe the Superstition Mountains The mountain range is indeed one of the most scenic sights in the vicinity of the city. Moderate 4.6 (1800) Tonto National Forest. Therefore, they brought him to the burial site where he found a stack of gold nuggets which were worth a pretty penny. The Superstition Mountains, with a name like that you might as well give away fancy proton-backs, of the Ghostbuster variety, at the visitor's center, is a series of jagger tooth mountains in Arizona just the east of Phoenix. Theres still more, Todds interview at Goldfield, Ryans film at the Superstition Museum, and more. Superstition Mountain has an elevation of 5,024 feet. Some say the mountains are Individual/Bicycle: $3.00, Download the Commercial Filming/Photography Application. Whats touching me? We decided to abandon our search because we were losing daylight and we still had to get to the next destination where Shaun and Antonio needed to reach a peak to do some climbing. On Saturday, years after Capen's Jeep, wallet, backpack and cellphone were found by hikers, volunteers from the Superstition Search and Rescue finally located what they believe is Capen's body.. it. This comes as no surprise, especially considering that this mountain range is believed to have a pretty odd history which all centers around an alleged hidden treasure: the fabled Dutchmans mine, a treasure which has taken the lives of many who have gone in search of it. Who killed him and then separated his head from his body remains unknown. The Superstition Mountains were so beautiful and green that morning and we couldnt wait to get to the dock so we could accomplish all that we had planned to do for so long. Theres a good chance its there waiting for someone to find it, but as Ive mentioned before, this was a scouting trip and we couldnt spend any more time on it. the mine. When we reached our destination area, we found an old abandoned ranch and it remains. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. Indeed, in the decades since Waltz made his mysterious proclamation of the mine public, there have been numerous earnest attempts to try and track it down, and these have the sinister habit of meeting rather gruesome ends. A Wild West experience would not be complete without a horseback ride. Lost Dutchmans Mine, here we come! Trust at your own peril if you dare to tread into HISTORYs Legend of the Superstition Mountains. 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