The Legend of The Lost Dutchman’s Mine

Arizona is NOTOURIOUS for its urban legends and supposed lost treasure. From Montezuma's riches to undiscovered gold mines, dozens of tales keep civilians and treasure hunters alike on their toes. The Tale of the Lost Dutchman's Mine in the Superstition Mountains is one of the well-recorded tales of lost treasure in the state. Where did this legend originate, and is there a chance the gold mine is actually there?

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The Gold Rush

In the 1800s Arizonas biggest mining boom began. From gold to copper, everyone was scattering the state looking for their chance to make it rich. During the gold rush, lots of gold mines were discovered, and some were even lost and never found again. A couple of people struck it rich, some started towns in their honor, and others lost their minds and their gold.

During this time, the Apache were still active in Arizona, and often killed settlers transporting or searching for gold. The tale of the Lost Dutchman's Gold is one of many, but this story has some evidence to support it. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE GOLD RUSH: The Haunting Tragedy Of Slaughterhouse Canyon In Arizona

The Dutchmans Lost Mine

The legend started with the Peralta family of northern Mexico. This family supposedly discovered an extremely rich gold mine in the Arizona Superstition Mountains. In 1848, they were carrying gold from the mine to their home in Mexico when they were ambushed by the Apache. Only two family members managed to escape and returned to Mexico empty-handed, never to return to the mine.

Since this family's exhibition, many people say they have seen or even worked those mines, but every time it matters, they are unable to locate them. In 1870, Jacob Waltz, the "Dutchman" (actually a German immigrant), said he found the mine with the help of a descendant of the Peralta family. him and his partner, Jacob Weiser, supposedly worked the mines for a few years, hiding all the gold they found in the Supersition Mountains. Some sources say the two men were the same, while others claim Weiser was killed by Apaches alongside the Peralta family.

After that, the mines were not talked about until Jacob confessed on his deathbed in 1891, and supposedly even drew a map pointing to where he buried the treasure.

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The Map

While on his deathbed, Jacob Waltz confessed to his neighbor Julia Thomas and even drew out a map for her. Upon his death, a box with roughly 50 pounds of gold was found under his bed by Dick Holmes, who took the gold to an assayer. The gold was estimated to be worth $110,000 a ton, which was an extreme amount of money in the 1890s. The hunt for the lost mines began once again, and Julia, alongside her family and prospectors like Dick Holmes, went out to the Superstition Mountains to find the gold mine Waltz had talked so highly of.

With the help of the map Waltz drew out, they went into the mountains, but left empty-handed. Since then, hundreds of people have gone searching for the mine or Waltz's stash of gold, but no one has found anything. In 1931, a man named Adolph Ruth went missing in the Superstition Mountains upon following the legend, and his body never turned up. He wasn't the only one, 4 other people were said to have gotten lost hunting this legend.

Supposedly, since exhibitions for Waltz lost gold began, lots of maps showing trails through the mountains have been discovered, but most of them go missing, or lead nowhere special.

If you thought there was a chance of discovering treasure in the Supersition Mountains, would you wander up there? Lots of people have, and many will likely continue to. Whether or not the gold mine really exists and who it belonged to is up for debate. So what do you think? Is this just a hoax started in the 1800s, or is there actually truth to the tale?

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Continue reading about the lost Arizona treasure: Is Montezuma's Treasure Hidden In The American Southwest?