In Arizona, a quixotic search for a fabled gold mine
APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. (CN) — As Jacob Waltz lay dying in his Phoenix home in 1891, he shared a secret with two friends.
The German immigrant told them he’d found a gold mine hidden deep in Arizona’s Superstition mountains, a massive deposit of riches that had sustained him for decades.
So goes the legend, at least. In more than a century of searching, none have found the fabled Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine — though more than 30 people have died exploring the 160,000-acre Superstition Wilderness Area in hopes of making it rich.
Even today, the search continues. Each October, members of the Dons of Arizona, keepers of Arizona legends, gather for the Dutch Hunter Rendezvous. They share stories of the mountains and keep the hunt alive.
The tradition speaks of the kind of magical thinking that has in some ways always defined the U.S. Southwest. While it may have faded since the days of prospectors and saloon shootouts, it never fully went away.
One thing’s for sure: Jacob Waltz did exist. He has a gravestone. He shows up in voting and citizenship records from Los Angeles County.
After making his way to Phoenix, Waltz apparently lived in a two-room adobe house on the edge of the young town. His name appears in local newspapers in two instances, both times as a bystander to crimes.
Still, scholars disagree on the line between fact and fiction. According to some accounts, townsfolk later recalled seeing Waltz come into town with large quantities of 18-karat gold, living off it for about a year before venturing back into the mountains.
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