October 25, 1891
On this day the illusive “Dutchman,” Jacob Waltz died in Phoenix Arizona. More than a century later, the source of his gold haunts fortune hunters and is one of the West’s most enduring mysteries.
Perhaps nothing short of King Tut’s Tomb has equaled the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. Some historians, however, question the existence of both the mine and Jacob Waltz.
According to census records there was indeed a Jacob Waltz. He was born in Oberschwandorf, Wuttenburg Germany about 1810. Immigration records indicate he came to America about 1839. His travels took him to North Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi, the center of U.S prospecting during the 1820s and 30s. (Right, believed to be young Waltz)
But Waltz discovered that immigrants were legally barred from filing claims and entered a letter of intent to become an American citizen in 1848 at the Adams County Courthouse in Natchez, Mississippi.
He next surfaced in California two years later. Still chasing gold, he worked as a miner in the San Gabriel River gold fields for more than a decade before decamping to Arizona. Apparently becoming a citizen in the meantime, his name appeared on a claim filed in Prescott in September of 1863.
Superstition Mountains, a daunting landscape
Five years later Waltz had filed a 160-acre homestead claim on the Salt River. According to contemporary accounts, he spent his winters for the next two decades prospecting in the Superstition Mountains, often appearing in Phoenix with large quantities of gold ore.
The 80-year-old Waltz was reportedly rescued during Arizona’s historic February 1891 flood. The Salt River rose 18 feet and covered more than three miles near Phoenix. He survived the epic event but became ill as a result. Never regaining his health, he retreated to a Phoenix boarding house owned by Julia Thomas. The 29-year-old Thomas may have served as nurse, land lady as well as confidant until Waltz died eight months later.
The Salt River in 1891, 18 feet deep and three miles wide
According to numerous rumors, the old prospector revealed a number of tantalizing clues about the location of his gold mine to Thomas before his death. Those suspicions were fueled by the fact his former land lady quickly hooked up with the German-immigrant Petrash brothers, Rhinehart and Hermann.
Rhinehart had been around for a time before Waltz’s death. A number of historians believe he was close to Waltz during his final days and may have or attempted to glean secrets about his gold. Hermann showed up shortly after Waltz died, supposedly at his brother’s urging.
The trio launched an intense search for the mine in 1892. But Thomas ran through all her money without finding the gold. Attempting to recoup her losses, she sold bogus maps of the area and may have been paid for an interview with freelance writer, Pierpont Bicknell. A self-styled hunter of “lost mines,” he was perhaps most responsible for the Dutchman’s legend.
So legendary was Waltz that in fact some 140 people have since claimed to have found his mine. Apparently none actually have, however, costing investors millions at the hands of shysters and con men and leading to a number of deaths and disappearances.
The first documented disappearance and arguably the most disturbing, was that of amateur explorer Adolph Ruth (right) in 1931. A human skull containing two bullet holes from a high-powered rifle was identified as Ruth’s using dental records. Reports of a sniper persisted for years after the discovery. More recently, a Colorado treasure hunter and three more from Utah went missing. The remains of the four were eventually recovered. One presumably died from a fall while it was believed the other three most likely succumbed to summer heat.
Legends not withstanding, modern technology and latter-day treasure hunters have provided possible theories about Waltz’s fortune. Some believe he simply stumbled across a rich mine abandoned in the early 
1600s by the Peralto family of Mexico. Pedro de Peralto (left) was the second Spanish governor of New Mexico and founder of Santa Fe. Claims that Peralto was granted land around the Superstition Mountains by the Spanish Crown has never been documented, however. Still others say Waltz may have found gold stashed by Apaches following the massacre of a party of Mexican miners. The two theories may actually merge at this point; Peralto’s miners being the victims of the Apaches.
Another faction of experts believe Waltz may have actually discovered a rich source of the precious metal. That theory is disputed by geologists who argue there is no scientific evidence of a gold deposit. A more recent U.S. Geological Survey, however, using the Mercury Vapor Test over the Superstition Wilderness Area reportedly did find evidence of some type of large mineral deposits deep in the rugged landscape.
More than a century later, it’s still not clear whether the Lost Dutchman Mine is fact or romantic fiction. It has furnished an irresistible plot line for popular media from the History Channel to Hannah-Barbera’s cartoon “Tom and Jerry Show. Real or imagined, it’s turned out to be pure gold for Arizona. The state’s 320-acre Lost Dutchman State Park, 40 miles east of Phoenix, has welcomed thousands of campers and hikers, attracted the park’s natural history. You can enjoy the scenery; you just can’t look for gold. There’s no prospecting allowed.
Lost Dutchman State Park, rated the best state park in Arizona in 2017, is a stone’s throw from the Dutchman’s Superstition Mountains. An easy drive from Phoenix, the park is adjacent to Tonto National Forest. It serves as a trail head for several popular routes leading into the National Forest and the Superstition Mountains and several of the park’s trails are marked “accessible” or “moderate.” They are available to hikers year round from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m..
A 138-site campground offers 68 spots with hook-ups for electric and water. Tent and RV areas are located on paved roads. There is no size limitation for RVs and leashed, well-manners pets are welcome A park store and restrooms are located in the Visitor Center and open 7 to 7. Campsite reservations can be made at 1-877-MY PARKS. and a non-refundable $5 fee applies.
Admission is $7 per vehicle for 1 to 4 adults, $10 on weekends, holidays and the months October through May. Admission for individuals and bikes, is $3. For more information go to azstateparks.com, call (480) 982-4485 or write Lost Dutchman State Park, 6109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ 85119.
© Text Only – 2019 – Headin’ West LLC – All photos – public domain or fair use.
*Head On West strives for historic accuracy and uses a number of sources considered reliable. When research differs on significant facts, the various points of view will be cited.