Mile Marker 72: Superstition Mountains & Museum

We were nowhere in Arizona, Heading to Goldfield. We saw what looked to be a ghost town & swung the hearse around.  What we found was a museum, mock mining town, western movie sets & a mountain of mystery, literally. Here we tell ya all about it.

The superstition Mountain Museum can be found HERE.

Transcript

Key: Drifter, Male voice. Gypsie, Female voice

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another adventure. Today we are fixin to take you with us south to some lesser known areas of what was once simply known as Arizona Territory. Being as it’s literally freezing at the Rebel At Large headquarters, we thought we’d at least reminisce about warmer days. 

(Gypsie) Over our Birthday and wedding holiday we were cruising in the hearse, on our way to visit the Goldfield Ghost town in Arizona. On the way we noticed signs talking about the Superstition Mountain Museum. We figured we were close by and after we passed it, we found a spot big enough to turn around to go check it out! When we first arrived we thought it was an abandoned ghost town that had been brought back to life and then turned into a museum. As we wandered around the area we soon discovered that was not the case. 

(Drifter) In the Summer of 1979 two friends named Larry Hedrick and Tom Kolleborn got together. They came up with an idea to start a museum. They wanted to preserve the history of the area as well as the Superstition Mountains. The following year a meeting was held and the Superstition Mountain Historical Society was formed. As word got out a museum was being built several people started donating items from the area. The next task was finding the perfect spot to showcase all the items. 

(Gypsie) For several years the museum was located in Goldfield but they soon outgrew the location and needed a place of their own. A site was chosen along the western edge of the Superstition Mountains and in 2003 a new museum building was built and open to the public. The area sits on several acres and they now had room for much larger displays. In 2004 they were contacted by Joe and Vicki Jones to see if they were interested in a large piece of mining history. 

(Drifter) In 1914 the Cossak 20 Stamp mill was constructed in Bland, New Mexico. The stamp mill was used to crush ore containing gold and silver into fine sand so that metals could be easily extracted. When Joe and Vicki donated it to the museum, there was one catch, it had to be moved. It took them 28 days and 5 1,000 mile round trips to bring it to its final location. Each piece had to be disassembled, then transported and finally reassembled. Today they have been able to restore the mill into working condition. It operates from November to April generally on Thursday and the weekends. If you are going to the museum to see the mill in operation you will want to check the calendar on their website. If you go to the town when it is not running, like we did, you can see the mill in action but on a smaller scale. They have a working model of it inside the museum. 

(Gypsie) With a large stamp mill in place it only seemed fitting that a mining town was built around it. They volunteers got to work building a miniature mine with a head frame, they have an arrastra on site, and for those of you that do not know what an arrastra is, have no fear because I didn’t know what it was either until then. An Arrastra is a crusher before stamp mills were built. The men would load the material into the bottom of it. They would then hook their horse or donkey to an arm that was connected to a wheel. As the animal walked in a circle it would move the wheel and crush the material. Once all the material was removed the men would go to the assay office to get a determination of how much material was in the ore. So the volunteers got to work and built an assay office and a lab as well. 

(Drifter) On February 14, 2004 disaster struck, thankfully it was not at the Superstition Museum. Near the Gold Canyon Golf Resort stood the Apacheland Movie set. Around 6:30 pm a fire broke out on the second floor of the restaurant. People were in the restaurant during this time and thankfully everyone was able to get out safely. Unfortunately the building quickly went up into flames and spread throughout the town. Once the fire was put out they had lost the restaurant, a mercantile store, and a vintage western photography studio. 

(Gypsie) The town was purchased by Sue Birmingham in 1976 and was used as a backdrop in several Western films like Wyatt Earp, The Lawman and Maverick, and Charro which featured Elvis Presley. The restaurant held memorabilia from several of the actors that were there, people like John Wayne and of course stuff from Elvis Presley. All of that is gone now. The owners did not rebuild the movie set and decided to sell the land. In July the land was purchased by someone from California. 

(Drifter) Not everything was destroyed in the fire, located at the far edge of the movie set was the Apacheland Barn, the Gallows and the chapel Elvis used in the film Charro. Sue donated all three of these to the Museum and once again a group of volunteers were faced with the task of moving buildings. This time they didn’t have to travel as far as they did when they brought the Stamp Mill to town.

(Gypsie)  The chapel is very large and you can see it from the road. The white building has a steeple on top with a large cross. Once you walk inside you are greeted by Elivs up front playing his guitar. There are several rows of pews set up and it looks like it's ready for someone to get married. Since we were on our way to Tombstone to get married ourselves, we joked about getting married there with Elvis. The walls are lined with movie posters all the way from Charro to Blind Justice that was filmed in 1994 at the movie set. 

(Drifter) The Apacheland Barn still bears the name Apacheland on top, it has large double barn doors on the front and back. The sides of the building extend out giving off the illusion that someone could pull a stagecoach inside the building, park the stagecoach on one side, unhook the horses, and put them to rest on the other side of the barn. Inside the barn they have on display several carriages on one side and on the other they have old mining equipment, old signs from the area, and even some memorabilia from the Apacheland Ranch. 

(Gypsie) As you wander around you get to see several examples of what a booming mining town once looked like. They have an old fire hose carriage that is basically two wheels and the hose is wrapped around the axle. These men could attach the device to a horse and transport it to the fire. Next to that is the dentist/ barber office. When you look inside you are greeted by a cowboy that looks to be in a lot of pain laying back in the chair. The barber/ dentist is standing next to him trying to decide if he should pull the guy's tooth out or give him a haircut, because he needs both! The man in the chair has his mouth wide open and if you look around him on the floor it is covered in coins. They encourage you to try and throw money into his mouth. I used all the coins we had and were not successful at getting them into his mouth. 

(Drifter) Next to the barber shop is the ticket office. If this was a real location you could go inside and purchase a ticket to ride the Wells Fargo stagecoach. Outside the building are the rules to ride the carriage. These rules consist of: Abstinence from liquor is requested, if you must drink share the bottle. To do otherwise makes you appear selfish and unneighborly. If ladies are present, gentlemen are urged to forego smoking cigars and pipes as the odor is repugnant to the gentler sex. Chewing is permitted, but spit with the wind, not against it. Buffalo robes are provided for your comfort in cold weather. Hogging the robes will not be tolerated and the offender will be made to ride with the driver. Forbidden topics of conversation are stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings. And lastly, Gents guilty of unchivalrous behavior toward lady passengers will be put off the stage. It's a long walk back. 

(Gypsie) Next to the Wells Fargo building is the jail. Inside you will see the guard watching over the single prisoner behind bars. It's a small room and with barely any room to move around. It made me think of the movie Aliens vs. Cowboys when the cattle owner's son was arrested, then they show up with the man that wouldn’t give him any money and pushed his buttons on the streets of town. They placed the man next to him and the stupid boy started spitting on him. That's how small this palace is, if a man was behind bars he could easily spit on the guard. 

(Drifter) The museum also has the largest G-Scale train model exhibit we have ever seen in person. It is set up outdoors on 4,000 square feet.  They have several buildings, water towers, bridges, ranches with cattle and people either sitting on benches or riding horses. They have several steam locomotives that drive around on the 44 mm gauge track. They have done a great job showing how important trains were to a town and what they did to help keep the towns going. 

(Gypsie) And lastly no ghost town would be complete without a cemetery. The museum has built a small cemetery complete with rock mounds marking final resting places as well as headstones. Each headstone has dad joke names and sayings on them, like, Here lies bartender Bill sold rotgut whisky from a homemade still shot a fella who didn’t pay his bill. Or here lies cowboy Bob got drunk and lost his job went to steal and to rob he was hung by a mob. They even have a couple side by side with headstones that read: her cold as usual, him stiff at last. There are several signs outside of the cemetery reminding you that while you are there wandering around the cemetery to keep your eyes open for rattle snakes. 

(Gypsie) Once we finished exploring the area we went back into the main museum building. It is full of all kinds of trinkets, candy, toys, and books. I purchased several books while I was there and wish I would have gotten more. (Drifter) They have a large collection of books about the area and some of them we’ve not been able to find online. They do have a section of the museum blocked off, you have to pay to go inside I think it was only a few dollars but they show you a movie about the area and its history. We didn’t have time to watch the movie because we were heading to Goldfield just down the street. Goldfield is a super fun town that we will tell you all about in a future episode. 

(Gypsie) If you want to visit the museum the address is 4087 E. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ. They also have several really awesome events they hold there. On Saturdays they have a gunfight at Dutchman’s Gulch, the Superstition Mountain Renegades do a skit in the streets ending with a shootout. Check the website for times and dates but from what we saw they did 4 shows with the first one starting at high noon. 

(Drifter) They have several speakers come to the museum to talk about the area, the native american history, and the mining that took place around there. They also have someone coming to talk about Mexican art and blanket weaving, (Gypsie) which would be super awesome to learn how to do. (Drifter) For more information on the town and its events check out their website, we will put it in the show notes for you. https://superstitionmountainlostdutchmanmuseum.org/ 

(Gypsie) No talk about the museum would be appropriate without talking about the Superstition Mountains. Behind the museum sits this mountain range and though they offer beautiful sights these mountains are full of mystery, stories of the supernatural, lost treasure, and death. Back in the 1540’s The Apache Indians were living around the mountain range. They considered the mountains to be sacred grounds and home to their Thunder God, and that they were there to protect it. Spanish explorers led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado arrived in the area in search of the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. 

(Drifter) When the Spaniards discovered there was gold hiding up in the mountain range they tried to get the Natives to show them where it was. But this area was sacred ground to them and they refused to help the Spaniards. Coronado was determined to find gold and though he was warned that the Thunder God would take revenge upon them, causing them tremendous suffering and horrible deaths he and his men went searching for gold anyways. As Coronado and his men traveled through the mountains one by one his men were starting to disappear. He warned his men to never stray away from the team but men were still disappearing. When their bodies were discovered they were usually found mutilated and their heads cut off. Coronado finally understood the warnings, he and what was left of his team left the area. They began calling it Monte Superstition. 

(Gypsie) The area remained quiet until the 1700s when a Jesuit priest named Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived. He was on a mission to spread the word of his faith and to convert the Apache’s. While there, Kino found gold located in the mountain range. He began mining the gold and stashing it away. Stories say that his mission was located near the old Burns Ranch just off Peralta Road. Henry Burns claimed that he found the mission treasure and then buried it near his property. But we have also read that Kino never discovered gold in the area but him just being in the area was enough to upset the Apache causing them to watch over the mountains more closely. 

(Drifter) Next comes the Peralta and Gonzales family. In 1748 some 3,750 square miles was given to Don Miguel Peralta in a land grant so he could raise his cattle there. While in the area the family discovered gold. They began excavating the minerals and then transporting them out. At first they were doing it just a little at a time so the Native Americans didn’t notice.  This went on for about 100 years. Then the Mexican American War began, the family fearing their land would be lost in the war made another return trip to the mountains to get as much gold as possible. 

(Gypsie) While mining the mountains, the Peralta heard the Apache were planning an attack on them. They loaded up everything they had mined and headed back home. Before leaving, the family covered up the entrance to the mine in hopes they would be able to come back later and get more gold. They left the area in the winter of 1847-1848. Unfortunately they did not make it, they were attacked by the Apache. The men were killed and their animals carrying all the gold and supplies ran off. Prospectors headed to the area in search of the lost mine as well as any gold that may have fallen out when the animals ran off. In the 1850’s it was said that two prospectors found three dead donkeys with their saddlebags still on them, inside they found around 37,000 dollars worth of gold (Drifter) (just over $1.4M today). 

(Drifter) The Peralta family stayed away from the area after this. Then in 1864 Enrico Peralta led roughly 400 men back to the mine. This will be the last time the Peralta family returns to the mountains. On the northwest slope of the mountain the men were ambushed by the Apache. Some sources say all but one were killed, (Gypsie) because you have to leave one survivor to make it a story right! (Drifter) Others say several men escaped, this site is now referred to as the Peralta massacre ground. There are even stories that the men were ambushed while they were in a cave and there is now a haunted cave in the mountains. 

(Gypsie) The next person to have anything to do with the gold in the mountains was Dr. Abraham Thorne. He was working with the army as the doctor at Fort McDowell Arizona. In 1865 he began treating some of the sick Apache and even cured several of them for an eye disease. The Apache offered him payment in a very unique form. In 1870 he was blindfolded and taken 20 miles into the mountains. When he was directed to remove his blindfold he was surprised to see that he was in a cave with a large gold deposit. The Apache told him he could take as much gold as he could carry. He was blindfolded and taken back to town, the Dr was able to bring back with him 6,000 dollars (Drifter) (nearly $136K). (Gypsie) Years later the Dr was determined to find the gold, so he and a group of men set off to find the locations. Stories say he found the gold but the Dr and his men were ambushed by the Apache before they could make it back. 

(Drifter) Now time for the most often repeated story of the Superstition Mountains, The Lost Dutchman. Jacob Waltz was a German native who came to America sometime in the 1860’s. By the 1870’s he was living in the Arizona Territory. He got a job working at the Henry Wickenburg’s Vulture Gold Mine. During this time he made friends with an Apache girl named Ken-tee and the two of them became romantically involved. When Jacob was fired from his job the two of them moved to the Superstition Mountain rage. Some stories say that Ken-tee told Jacob where the gold was located and in retaliation for telling him the Apache cut out her tongue. Another story says that Jocob rescued a member of the Peralta family and as a reward for his help he was told the location of the mine. 

(Gypsie) Either way in 1877 he and a friend Jacob Weiser returned to the location of the gold. The two men started mining the area and soon began paying for everything with gold. The two men would not tell anyone where the gold was coming from nor did they file a mine claim. After a few years of mining Jacob Weiser disappeared. People started claiming he was killed by the Apache; others believed that Jacob Waltz killed him. Jacob Waltz continued to mine the area, appearing in town from time to time with saddlebags full of gold. 

(Drifter) In the spring of 1891 Jacob’s homestead was hit with a major flash flood. He was saved by two brothers Herman and Reinhardt Petrasch and taken to Julia Thomas to nurse him back to health. Jacob had caught a terrible cold and would never recover from it. Jacob asked the brothers to go back to the cabin and see if any of his gold was still there. Though the cabin was gone they were able to find five sacks of gold worth about 15,000 dollars (Gypsie) (around $489K today).

 (Gypsie) The gold was delivered back to Jacob and placed under his bed for safe keeping. As time went on Jacobs' condition got worse. That summer he had a stroke making it more difficult for him to communicate to his friends. On his deathbed, barely able to speak he gave them clues as to where the gold was hidden. 

(Gypsie) The clues are (Drifter) “From my mine you can see the military trail, but from the military trail you can not see my mine. The rays of the setting sun shine into the entrance of my mine. There is a trick in the trail to my mine. My mine is located in a north-trending canyon. There is a rock face on the trail to my mine.” (Gypsie) These clues are not very descriptive and with no map his friends really had no idea where to go. The tales and legends of Jacobs mine spread throughout the area and it was soon referred to as the Lost Dutchman mine. Jacob Waltz passed away on October 25, 1891, he was laid to rest in the City Loosley Cemetery in Phoenix. 

(Drifter) In 1931 Adolph Ruth died while out searching for the treasure and this brought the Lost Dutchman mine back into the light. Ruth’s son Erwin learned of the Peralta mine from a man called Pedro Gonzales. Around 1912 Erwin offered Pedro legal aid and for payment of his services Pedro gave him a map with the location of the Peralta mine. Pedro claimed his mother was a Peralta and he learned of the mine's location from her. Erwin gave this information to his father since he was extremely interested in mine exploration. In June 1931 Ruth left Washington DC and headed to the area of the Superstitions. He camped at a ranch for a few days before he was able to convince two cowboys to give him a ride to the Willow Springs area. 

(Gypsie) For 6 days no one saw or heard from Ruth. The men from the ranch went out looking for him. They discovered his campsite but noticed it had not been used for at least a day. A call went out to authorities that he was missing. Several weeks were spent looking for him until the search was finally called off on July 21st.  In December that same year a skull with two holes in it was discovered by an archaeological party. After examination of the skull it was discovered to belong to Ruth. The original coroner said he could not be positive the skull had bullet holes in it. However Erwin, Ruth’s son, believes his father was shot for the map. The following month Adolph Ruth’s body was discovered about a mile away from where the skull had been found. Many of his personal effects were still with him including his unfired gun, medicine, and emergency food. I was unable to find a definitive answer on if the map was with him. Some say the map was found at his campsite while others say he was killed for the map. Adolph’s remains were sent back to his son where he is now laid to rest in peace at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Maryland. 

(Drifter) Though thousands of people have searched for the mine, to this day it remains undiscovered. More and more stories about the treasure hunting continue to surface even still to this day. People from all over the world come to the area in search of the Lost Dutchman. Some of them leave the area with nothing but stories while others are less fortunate and they do not survive. Over 600 people have died trying to find the mine. Others have claimed to have found the mine only to have lost their minds before they were able to go back. (Gypsie) We could spend hours talking about the Lost Dutchman and the Superstition Mountains, if you want to know more about it there are several books written that get more into depth. 

(Gypsie) We couldn’t help but talk about the mountains and some of its mysteries, because we too were drawn to the beauty of them while we were in the area. If you are not interested in looking for the treasure do not let that stop you from enjoying the mountains. There are several hikes to go on as well as several places to camp out. The Superstition Museum also offers you more information on the Lost Dutchman treasure. In June 2009 they even had on display the Peralta Stones, which are believed to be a map the Peralta family made showing how to get to the mine. 

(Drifter) Alrighty folks, I think that wraps up our visit with the Superstition mountains and museum.

(Drifter) Dad joke?

(Drifter) Thank you all so much for joining us again and supporting the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. If you want to stay up to date with us we are most active on the Instagram (Gypsie) @rebelatlarge, (Drifter) we post photos of our adventures on our website (Gypsie) rebelatlarge.com where you’ll find links to our new merch store, Patreon if you want to help fuel the adventure, email if you want to get in touch with us as well as links to our other social deals.

(Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple of weeks, (Gypsie) Safe Travels, (Drifter) We’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.