spookysouthwest: Buried and hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains–if you believe the
spookysouthwest: Buried and hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains–if you believe the legends–is the lost treasure of Jakob Waltz, known as the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. Stories of hidden treasure caches are not uncommon in the Southwest. Wealthy colonial Spanish settlers often stashed their gold and silver in these remote areas, and either forgot where they were or let the knowledge of the location die with them. Lucky and adventurous hunters still search for and often find this long-concealed riches. But it is Jakob Waltz’s treasure that is the most notorious–because it carries with it a terrible curse. The location of his alleged gold mine is still a mystery, and has been since the 1880s. Waltz wasn’t the first to find it; in fact, it was the property of the Peralta family, who was killed by Apaches as the Peraltas tried to take the gold to Mexico. When asked about it, Waltz would speak in riddles and offer maps that misled the seekers. Since his death in 1891, an uncountable number of people have gone missing or have been found dead in search of that elusive gold. Most simply disappear; others clearly suffer a gruesome end. One of these failed prospectors was Adolph Ruth, who in 1931 claimed to possess an accurate map leading to the mine. Weeks later, all that was found left of him was his skull, bearing two puncture holes. Buried in his clothing was a note stating, “veni, vidi, vici” and “about 200 feet from cave”. Sixteen years later, James Cravey met a similar fate while prospecting in the Superstitions. His decapitated skull was found at a distance from the rest of his skeleton, months later. Guy “Hematite” Frank might have located something in 1938, although he never made it out alive. A sack of gold was found beside his body. He had been shot. Joseph Kelly was found in 1952, also killed by gunshot while searching. In fact, many prospectors have been killed in this manner in the Superstitions, some from above. As recently as 2012, the body of a man obsessed with the mine was found in the mountains, three years after he went missing. His body had been stuffed into a narrow crevice. What–or who–is protecting this mine from being found? Is it a ghost, an angry god guarding the homeland of the Apache people, or the mighty mountain itself that holds its secret close? Or, perhaps more likely, is it all an elaborate hoax, and there is no treasure buried in this wilderness at all? -- source link