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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 />

27

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