Research: Treasure in the Superstitions?
Stories of fabulous gold strikes as well as those of mayhem and murder abound from the area in central Arizona known as the Superstition mountains. The history of the area contains several accounts of verified gold strikes including that of Don Miguel Peralta around 1845. Peralta soon had an extensive operation going until either 1848 or 1849 when his party was massacred to a man by the Apahes during an outbound gold shipment via burros. In later years several individuals or parties discovered processed gold near the skeletal remains of several burros. Another rich strike was that of Charles Hall and the so-called Mormon Stope occurring about the end of the nineteenth century, so near to the Peralta Massacre site that it could have been one of his mines. Hall organized an extensive operation which resulted in the founding of Goldfield, a booming helltown, that flourished for several years with the mine producing well until it was accidentally flooded after changing hands.
However, the most famous treasure tale of this area is that of the lost Dutchman's Mine. Some say that it is just legendary lore, but the facts indicate that a miner with German roots named Jacob Waltz or Waltzer did indeed exist and records indicate he periodically shopped gold for sale during the latter halkf of the nineteenth century. In "The Killer Mountains", Curt Gentry tells the story of Glenn D. Magill, a private detective who became obsessed with finding the mine, but who undoubtedly thoroughly investigated the Dutchman from about every possible angle and proved that he was a flesh and blood man, and that his gold was real. Magill found a site on Big Bluff Mountain that he claimed was the mine, but found little or no gold. His story does include several maps given to him by a murdered man's heir and said to have originated in the Peralta family. In addition, within the same source is mentioned several other possible treasures. During his investigations, Magill also heard the story of Geronimo's treasure cave and later interviewed one of Geronimo's gold band who seemed to confirm the tale. Another probable cache come to light as Magill interviewed Robert Crandall, a former newsman, who had spent ten years searching the Superstitions for the Jesuit priests treasure, a wealth of gold and silver artifacts hoarded by them-probably by design in the years prior to their expulsion by the Spanish in 1767-and very possibly hidden somewhere within the Superstitions.
In conclusion, based on the staggering number of people who have searched and continued to search for these treasures in the Superstitions, I believe that significant amounts of gold and possibly other treasures lie within this maze of near impenetrable terrain. Because the climate makes the area a near deathtrap for part of the year, several well-organized and trained teams would need to take advantage of the milder and wetter times. Searches need to begin at lower levels near the mouths of ravines and other watercourses with a general movement up to the heights. These searches must be painstakingly undertaken with sharp attention paid to any items found along these courses no matter how trivial the items may seem at first notice. Some of these so-called trivial pieces may hold clues to the big picture-Lost Treasures. Equally important, Arizona as well as most of the surrounding states contain numerous ghost towns that have only been minimally investigated if at all. These areas, notably northwest Arizona, provide additional sites for recovery teams ready and willing for desert action. Consequently, at this stage-mid-1997-I recommend that sites closer to our base in Kentucky, and the general East be pursued as they are probably more cost-effective in terms of expenses at this time; however, the Superstitions as well as the West remain an area of tremendous potential for Lost Treasures.
SOURCES
Allen, Robert Joseph. "The Story of Superstition Mountain and The lost
Dutchman Gold Mine."
Barnard, Barney. "The Truth about the Dutchman's Lost Mine."
Gentry, Burt. "The Killer Mountains."