194103-DesertMagazin.. - Desert Magazine of the Southwest
194103-DesertMagazin.. - Desert Magazine of the Southwest
194103-DesertMagazin.. - Desert Magazine of the Southwest
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Completely surprised and greatly outnumbered, <strong>the</strong> little band <strong>of</strong> miners and packers<br />
was soon almost iviped out.<br />
JLo5t Dutchman Aline<br />
With <strong>the</strong> possible exception <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> mysterious Pegleg gold, <strong>the</strong><br />
"Lost Dutchman" mine in <strong>the</strong><br />
Superstition mountains <strong>of</strong> Arizona<br />
is <strong>the</strong> best known and <strong>the</strong><br />
most persistent <strong>of</strong> all <strong>the</strong> treasure<br />
legends in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Southwest</strong>. There<br />
are many versions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dutchman's<br />
tale <strong>of</strong> a rich ledge in <strong>the</strong><br />
Superstitions—and thousands <strong>of</strong><br />
prospectors, both tenderfeet and<br />
veteran desert men, have searched<br />
for it at one time or ano<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
John Mitchell's story in this issue<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Desert</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is <strong>the</strong> most<br />
generally accepted version <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Dutchman's fabulous ledge <strong>of</strong><br />
gold.<br />
MARCH, 1941<br />
By JOHN D. MITCHELL<br />
Illustration by Frank Adams<br />
(7 ACOB WALZ has become one<br />
jl <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> legendary figures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
^7 <strong>Southwest</strong>. Unlike <strong>the</strong> mountain<br />
men who trapped <strong>the</strong> streams and traded<br />
with <strong>the</strong> Indians during <strong>the</strong> middle <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
19th century, Walz was a miner.<br />
If we are to believe <strong>the</strong> tales told about<br />
him following his arrival in Phoenix about<br />
1864, his life was a series <strong>of</strong> episodes <strong>of</strong><br />
high adventure. He is best known, however,<br />
for his asserted connection with <strong>the</strong><br />
Peralta gold mine, said to be located<br />
somewhere in <strong>the</strong> recesses <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> barren<br />
and fantastic Superstition mountains 25<br />
miles east <strong>of</strong> Phoenix.<br />
Don Miguel Peralta is said to have discovered<br />
<strong>the</strong> rich vein some time in <strong>the</strong><br />
early '50s while prospecting <strong>the</strong> rugged<br />
Superstitions. Peralta was later joined by<br />
his friend Don Francisco Ballesteros <strong>of</strong><br />
Sonora, Mexico.<br />
Beautiful ornaments fashioned from<br />
solid gold found in recent years in <strong>the</strong><br />
graves <strong>of</strong> a prehistoric Indian village in<br />
Garden valley in <strong>the</strong> Superstitions, would<br />
indicate that <strong>the</strong> rich ledge was known<br />
and worked by an ancient tribe which<br />
lived in that part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country long before<br />
<strong>the</strong> arrival <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spanish invaders.<br />
Recruiting a crew <strong>of</strong> miners and packers<br />
among <strong>the</strong> Mexicans and Indians, Peralta<br />
and Ballesteros built an arrastre and<br />
opened <strong>the</strong> vein.<br />
The ore was exceedingly rich. It was<br />
put in lea<strong>the</strong>r bags and packed on <strong>the</strong><br />
backs <strong>of</strong> mules to <strong>the</strong> arrastre where it was<br />
ground. As <strong>the</strong> gold was freed from <strong>the</strong><br />
quartz it was collected in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong><br />
amalgam which was smelted into bars in<br />
a small adobe furnace.<br />
An adobe house with a rock foundation<br />
was built along.one side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> boulder<br />
strewn canyon about one mile below <strong>the</strong><br />
mine. Near <strong>the</strong> house and camp a rock<br />
corral was built for <strong>the</strong> mules.<br />
With an abundance <strong>of</strong> rich ore, and <strong>the</strong><br />
bars <strong>of</strong> gold piling higher day by day, we<br />
have no reason to believe that <strong>the</strong> two old<br />
friends were unhappy. With <strong>the</strong> l<strong>of</strong>ty Superstitions<br />
towering high above <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong><br />
deep blue Arizona sky, it can hardly be<br />
denied that <strong>the</strong>y had found a beautiful<br />
place in which to live and work. Only one<br />
thing threatened <strong>the</strong>ir security—<strong>the</strong> fierce<br />
Apaches, whose hand was against everyone.<br />
The ore grew richer and richer as <strong>the</strong><br />
inclined shaft penetrated deeper and deeper<br />
into <strong>the</strong> mountain side. To avoid <strong>the</strong><br />
necessity <strong>of</strong> hoisting <strong>the</strong> ore up <strong>the</strong> shaft<br />
it was decided to run a tunnel into <strong>the</strong><br />
mountain from near <strong>the</strong> canyon. Accordingly<br />
<strong>the</strong> tunnel was started and had reached<br />
a distance <strong>of</strong> about 50 feet when <strong>the</strong><br />
mine was suddenly attacked by a large<br />
number <strong>of</strong> Apache warriors. Surprised<br />
and greatly outnumbered <strong>the</strong> little band<br />
<strong>of</strong> miners and packers was almost completely<br />
wiped out.<br />
Only one man escaped. This Mexican<br />
hid in <strong>the</strong> rocky canyon and <strong>the</strong>n made his<br />
way to <strong>the</strong> arrastre where Peralta,Ballesteros<br />
and <strong>the</strong> two Peralta boys were grinding<br />
ore. Taking <strong>the</strong>ir rifles and ammunition<br />
<strong>the</strong> five men hurried into <strong>the</strong> hills<br />
from where finally, after enduring many<br />
hardships, <strong>the</strong>y made <strong>the</strong>ir way back to<br />
Sonora.<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ore-laden pack mules were<br />
stampeded during <strong>the</strong> massacre and disappeared<br />
in <strong>the</strong> hills. Years later, two<br />
old prospectors, known as "Silverlocks"<br />
and "Goldenlocks," found some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
rich ore in a box canyon where it evidently<br />
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