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I was curious about what your guys feelings about the legend of the lost dutchman's mine were. Did it exist? Is it a hoax? Was it in the Superstitions? If so where are possible locations? I just was curious and wanted to see some other people's opinion on the mine and thought it would make an interesting topic to chat about.

I am fascinated by the history and the legend.

Way back, maybe in the late 1970's a man walking along the dry or near dry Salt River bed in Phoenix or Scottsdale found a wooden box almost totally buried in the sand. After digging it out and opening it, he found it was full of money. I don't remember the denomination of the bills but his dreams and hopes were dashed when he realized they all contained the same serial number. Counterfeit of course and had probably been dumped in the river by the counterfeiter when he realized they weren't good enough to successfully pass. The finder did turn it in to the proper authorities and the news media picked up the story and printed it.

PLC92084 wrote:

azbackpackr wrote:I want to pick and choose where I find my dope plane!

Here!Here! I second that! It should have large denomination bills (with non-sequential serial numbers) to facilitate portage (money has to fit in my pack). If it was on it's way here, there should be a 7-11 or snack shop within walking distance...

I have this fantasy that while hiking in the Eagle Tails a plane goes down full of drug money. I gather up the million plus dollars, pay off half the people I owe and go back to work the next day.

The Superstition Wilderness is my favorite hiking destination. If going out the Apache Trail, I stop by the Blue Bird mine to listen to the stories told by the guys. These are people that actually mined in the area. One of the guys hanging around wrote a short book called Dutchman's lost ledge of gold.( he sells it there) Most of the mines were near that section of 88.There is quite a bit to see in the store, some pictures, plus they sell a good jerky to take out on the trails.(the real reason for stopping comes out)
I have not been out in back to look at what ever is there yet, always spend too much time talking, and don't want to get to late of a start for that days hike.

Alston Neal wrote:go back to work the next day.

WHY????

azbackpackr wrote:

Alston Neal wrote:go back to work the next day.

WHY????

To flaunt one's new-found wealth of course!! That or an abiding sense of duty and commitment...

The whole point of this fantasy is to figure out how to never, ever work for the man again. (I hate, loathe, and despise working for wages!) So therefore, one must spin out the fantasy to include continuing to LOOK poor when you really aren't, perhaps a bit of creative money laundering, etc.

No Country For Old Men....SWITCH THE MONEY TO A DIFFERENT FRIGGING BAG JACK ASSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why wouldn't you do that? And why would you go back to give a dead guy water? Some people just ain't that smart.

PLC92084 wrote:

azbackpackr wrote:

Alston Neal wrote:go back to work the next day.

WHY????

To flaunt one's new-found wealth of course!! That or an abiding sense of duty and commitment...

Ha ha.....hardly.
We're self employed Indian art dealers and it's an old joke among us about being heavily in debt.

Btw, anyone hangout on the border and help me snag a couple of guys taking cash back to Mexico?
Does that fall under the category of stealing or finding?

So resurrecting this bad boy for a moment...I just recently rediscovered all my old Dutchman Books, the holmes books, a few books full of maps (real and fake) regarding the lost mine, other tales and legends, a book full of magazine and newspaper articles that i put together for myself in middle school...good times

When I was young(er!) my dad always told me about the Lost Dutchman's Gold and I became caught up with the lure of it, I was given books and maps and many a compass and GPS for christmas and birthdays. One day I set up on a trip that would change my life forever.

The first time I ever set foot in the Superstitions. It was a simple jaunt up Flat Iron with my Dad, he told me the old tales and I recounted the few details he left out. Toward the end or the middle, I haven't done that hike in ages, in fact that was my first and only time hiking it...but he recounted to me a tale about the hoodoos and how the native's revered the hoodoos as statues of their ancestors who took refuge atop the mountain during a great floor, i don't remember if it was specifically THOSE hoodoos...but the tale grabbed my heart (at ten years old what tale wouldn't?!) and dragged me forward.

Here I am sixteen years later and The Supes are my pride and joy when it comes to hiking/backpacking/exploring.
The Dutchman and his legend tug at me every so often...and oh how i would love to escape the daily civilized pressures of work and home and cars and just explore and hike.

Someday we need to have a huge expedition of HAZers to just...go. Gather up all the facts, the logs that cover the mine entrance, the rocks that look like a house, the old mule watering hole, weaver's needle, the dynamite pocks off the base of the needle that show where that one lady attempted to lead some other miner's off trail...hmmm, that would make quite an event!

Let's not forget Marie Celeste Jones and her fascination with Weaver's Needle.
http://www.ajpl.org/aj/superstition/sto ... Needle.pdf
Sounds like you're getting fired up to go there this evening! lol

@HippyHaley
Good for you!!!! I remember as a young boy (whew, that was a long time ago), being fascinated by the stories of the Lost Dutchman's Mine in the Superstition Mountains. I finally got my first look at the mountains when I came down to visit my Mom, who wintered in the Phoenix area, about 10 years ago.

I drove out to the First Water Trailhead, parked my rental car and went for a "little hike". I was completely inexperienced on hiking these mountains and could easily have become another unfortunate statistic, but I did posses enough common sense to not push the envelope and forced myself to return to the car after a short hike along the "Dutchman's Trail".

But that first short hike was all it took to plant the seed, I had to return and learn more about this incredible rugged mountain range. And so I did. A couple of years ago, my wife and I purchased a home in a retirement park in Apache Junction. We spend the winter months in our A.J. home where we are able to enjoy the mild weather while back home in Minnesota, it's cold and snowing.

Each morning, I'm able to wake up and, as I look out the window at the sun's first rays coming over the Ridgeline Trail, I'm presented with views of the Flat Iron. That always sets the tone for the day, and I can't wait to grab my camera, hiking gear and jump into the pickup and head into the Superstitions.

Can't wait till October when we make our return and get started on another season of enjoying the Superstitions and, certainly, finding one of those missing clues to the Dutchman's Lost Gold Mine

mnlumberjack wrote:But that first short hike was all it took to plant the seed

that's all it takes! I miss hiking out there, it was great to go out post-monsoon last weekend, will definitely be doing more dayhikes/nighthikes this fall/winter!
i have always wanted to find the logs that supposedly "cover the mine", it seems to farfetched in that area so that's a perfect legend to lead us into the deadly wilderness that is The Supes!

Those that seek gold in the Superstitions usually die looking for water.

@Nighthiker it's not the gold i seek, it's the adventure



so does anyone happen to have a copy The Holmes Manuscript "Part 1 The Golden Dream" or whatever, my dad got me part to ages ago but i have yet to dip my nose into part 1!!

HippyHaley wrote:so does anyone happen to have a copy The Holmes Manuscript "Part 1 The Golden Dream" or whatever, my dad got me part to ages ago but i have yet to dip my nose into part 1!!

I have both in my collection. First is titled "The Lost Dutchman Mine of Jacob Waltz, Part 1: The Golden Dream," by T.E. Glover.

RWStorm wrote:First is titled "The Lost Dutchman Mine of Jacob Waltz, Part 1: The Golden Dream," by T.E. Glover.

The first one is out of print so you need to find it used. I have heard Thomas Glover may be speaking at the Dutchman's Rendezvous this year.
It's on Saturday, Oct 27 at the Don's Camp near Peralta Trailhead.

I've got one for you - does anyone else own "Treasure Maps Of The Superstitions", by Amy Michelle Mosier?
It's ... interesting, and definitely different!

@cactuscat no, but sounds exciting!!!! i'll have to look that up!!
i did actually find holmes manuscript part 1 at my library, it was checked out last week so i'm waiting for it to come back in so i can get lost in the pages.

If I had a large producing mine of considerable wealth , I would say just the opposite of what I wanted people to think of its location .

Alston Neal wrote:Btw, anyone hangout on the border and help me snag a couple of guys taking cash back to Mexico?
Does that fall under the category of stealing or finding?

I would only consider that "Trash Hauled Out". ;)
And I might add, never tell a soul!