there are lots of different versions of this story this was the most prevalent
I used it, Bob flowers used it as the when he was a
prospector, Ben cole used it
there were lots of guys who were the prospector, the old
Dutchman in the town, used the story this is the one that we use the most and this
is the one that we used at Apacheland
We used to do it down at his
old shack that we had down there but anyway it went like this I'm your old
storyteller here to tell you the story of Jacob Waltz and his Lost Dutchman Gold
there's lots of different versions of the story but Jacob Waltz's secret
has managed to stay just that a secret down through these many years since his
passing back in 1891
our story takes place in the shadow of the majestic
Superstition Mountain pushed up as volcanic fault eons ago this mountain
range has become one of the most famous mountains in the world today
the Indians
will tell you that it is a sacred mountain and it's the home of the
powerful Thunder God and that this Thunder God is the protector against all
who would infringe upon the sacred grounds and nestled deep within her
scraggly Peaks
now Jacob Waltz, Walsh, Waltzer depending on who's expert
opinion you want to go by was born in Waardenburg Germany back in 1800 and 10
some folks will tell you it was 1808 but the most widely accepted date of his
birth is 1810
not much is known about him until his appearance here in the
Arizona Territory in the 1860s the archives of the State Capitol in Phoenix
will tell you that Jake was a miner in the old vulture mine up there to
Wickenburg
what the archives don't tell you is that
he was a high grading ore. you see wages for miners wasn't all that great in those
days and high graden was a pretty good way to supplement one's
income now though he was never caught at it it was pretty sure that that's just
what he was doing and folks high grading is just plain stealing
Jacob Waltzs life
doesn't have too much significance for anybody but himself of course
Jacob walls life about 1880 when stories are starting to circulate around the bars and saloons
down on Washington Street in the little town of Phoenix seems like this certain
old prospector is making an awful lot of trips up into the Superstition Mountain
each time returning with these burros heavily laden with rich gold or in fact
between the years of 1881 and 1889 the sly old rascal shipped off two hundred
and fifty four thousand dollars worth of that gold to the San Francisco and
Philadelphia mints we know this to be true because they're shipping orders by
way of Wells Fargo and the Butterfield stage lines
now the question pops up where did that gold come from in the first place
certainly Jake couldn't have stolen that much gold
could he? some say it was truly Indian gold taken from the sacred shrines from
within the mountain one story goes so far as to say old Jake returned to town
one time with an Apache arrow in his shoulder and an Indian squaw in tow
The story continues at the Indian girl had told Jake a white man the secrets of the
mountain but for her indiscretion the great Chiefs had cut her tongue out and
released her to die in the old man's arms
there are others who tell you that
the gold was that of Don Miguel Peralta there are records down in
Mexico to substantiate this story it is said that the Peralta's found rich
deposits of rose quartz all over the area extending from what is now Gold
field town all the way over past coffee flat however in 1847 the Apache again
played a significant part in messing up history for
the white man they attacked the helpless Mexican peon minors and only Don Miguel
would escape with his life back to Mexico
you see the Indian all he knew
was that gold belong to the Thunder God he had more use for the burros and other
livestock so he took the animals and he dumped the gold on the ground
right there on what is known as Massacre grounds
now heard tell that Jake was a
cantankerous old Buzzard and kept pretty much to himself he was known to drink
pretty heavy and could keep up with the best of them in that department but even
so not a single child would go without a pair of shoes nor anybody ever go hungry
when the grand old man was in town
nearest what fact tells us though Jake
never gave his gold on anybody well sir he might not have given his gold away
but he did leave us some clues as to the location of his fabulous gold
he said
that he could see weavers needle from his mine but he couldn't see the mine
from weavers needle personally I think the old man had a little bit of humorous
larceny in him. because he also said that at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the shadow of
weavers needle would fall directly into the entrance of his mind let's see you
know there's 365 days in the year certainly 4 o'clock is a little bit
different every day seems like that shadow is going to cover an awful lot of
real estate in a year's time he also said that he could see the military road
from his mind ironically most people who visit Apache Junction have been on or
near that old road at one time or another and they never even knew it.
It is now February 1891 it's a cold rainy February morning even so old Jake is
getting ready to make another trip into the mountain to get him yet another load
of gold as he was crossing the Salt River he was caught in a flash flood it
washed away the burros in his home
but he managed to skedaddle up a little mesquite tree he hung there in that tree
for the better part of two days until help came this 81 year old man had
called himself a bad case P-pneumonia was taken down out the tree and taken
to a friend of his a Miss. Julia Thomas now it is said that she was a nurse
sorts and event evidently a pretty good one she did the best she could for old
Jake all that spring and summer would come October 25 of 1891 Jacob Waltz
passed away taking with him the secret of his fabulous treasure
well folks now
you know the legend of Jacob Walts and his Lost Dutchman gold but the mystery
surrounding the Dutchman may never be solved you'll have to draw your own
conclusions was it Indian gold was it the gold of Don Miguel Peralta or was
or was the old man simply a very clever thief
I don't think we'll ever know for sure but
I can tell you this as long as men venture into the mountain men will die
many have already men like Adolf Ruth, Al Morrow, Jay claps and old man Piper
as long as there is that dream and that thirst for adventure men will seek out
the gold of Jacob Waltz the mighty Superstition Mountain will stand and the
Lost Dutchman legend will live in the hearts of men forever