Most people who risk everything, even their lives, to search for the ‘lost Dutchman’s gold mine’ in the Superstition Mountains (USA) do not return, leading to its nickname as the ‘treasure of death.’
The Superstition Mountains are a rugged and treacherous mountain range located east of Phoenix, Arizona. Among them, Superstition Peak rises over 900 meters, standing majestically in front, as if to guard the rest of the mountain range.
For a long time, this mountain range was shrouded in mystique dating back to the 16th century. It was rumored that the rugged, barren mountains held many caves, which were inhabited by the Apache tribe.
They buried many sacred items and treasures, including a “lost gold mine.” The Native Americans created numerous charms to protect and keep the secrets of this area.
When Spanish missionaries came to what is now Arizona and New Mexico to evangelize, the Native Americans helped them mine gold to send back to the King of Spain. By the late 18th century, the Jesuit priests were expelled from Mexico, and it was believed that they had not yet returned, still hiding many gold mines and treasures.
In the 1840s, the Peralta family from Mexico opened several gold mines in the Superstition Mountains, and in 1848, they held a grand party… but were attacked and massacred by the Native Americans. Only one member of this family managed to escape to Mexico.
To this day, traces of the clashes between Spanish forces and the Apache tribe remain in what is now called the “Massacre Fields”: old weapons, railroad parts, and gold mining tools… Legends say that the Peralta family buried their wealth beneath the rocks.
Many maps have emerged, but those claiming to have found the Peralta gold mine have never been able to return, facing troubles, bad weather, or natural disasters, and most likely falling victim to the “Superstition Mountain curse” cast by the Native Americans.
In 1891, Jacob Waltz, an immigrant to the US nicknamed “the Dutchman,” lay on his deathbed. Jacob told his friends that he had discovered a “gold mine.” Under his bed, he hid a box containing strange gold ore.
Waltz boasted that the gold in the mine was enough to make 20 people millionaires. He then indicated the location of the gold mine to Mrs. Thomas and miner Rhinehart Petrasch, but he died without giving them the map.
They relied solely on the accounts of “the Dutchman” to search. Waltz said the sunlight shone on the entrance of the mine, causing gold bars to sparkle, leading them to believe the gold mine must be on the western slope of the mountain.
The Superstition Mountains are named as such due to legends of inexplicable supernatural events. Besides the “mountain curse,” there are stories of a reptilian species from another world hunting the locals, strange lights flashing in the night, and ghost ships drifting by…
Today, this area is a tourist destination featuring a museum and gold panning activities for visitors. Each year, the “Dutchman’s Day” festival attracts around 30,000 visitors who come to enjoy festivities, watch costume parades, and participate in cowboy rodeos… The revenue generated after expenses is donated to charities for children.
