Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
Gold Member
True Jon, but were they of the standard sized adobe bricks ?
Last edited:
True Jon, but were they of the standard sized adobe bricks ?
Hey Ryan... sounds like you're starting to want to become more of a prospector rather than a fairytale chaser. If that's the case, here's a few links to help get you started.That doesn't mean I don't believe there is gold in the range - I certainly do - and I plan to prove it with my upcoming videos and the help of some of the members here.
But..... Tell me if I'm wrong.
The "matchbox" has absolutely no evidence as being authentic. It's another piece of "lore and legend" that tries to justify countless Dutch Hunter's that have been out looking.
Judy, I am going ape, what was the question for Bill ??
Jon, I was basically nitpicking, sorry. Yes, I too have seen only a rock chimney standing.
RG1976 wrote
OK you asked, you are wrong. There is absolutely solid documentation that Dick Holmes owned the gold ore that matchbox was made from. According to his own words, he got it from Waltz. He spent the rest of his life searching for that mine, as did his son Brownie, and his partner Clay Wurst which brings us to today. It is as authentic as you are going to get, until you find the mine that gold came from.
I am not going to post what I had written because clearly, if I write too many words it is a waste of my time. However I will say this, you are attempting to judge the 1891 flood by a recent one. Floods are very different, no two are alike. One might come as a torrent and sweep everything in its path, another might come as slow rising waters that damages things by simply getting everything soaked. Here is a photo of the 1891 Phoenix flood:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QWrwuZyUBs/U6meoV7A0sI/AAAAAAAAOhU/bhQ8h184SQE/s1600/Flood_of_1891.jpg
If you take a look at it that does not resemble the flood photos posted of the modern flood. In fact it looks like it was much less violent. It is entirely possible that Waltz's home was DAMAGED enough to make it unsafe to live in, without being WIPED from the earth. Don't make too many assumptions about things.
Last bit but if you ever hope to find the lost mine, you should search with a positive attitude, not the skeptical mind that is so useful in sorting out things. It makes a real difference, and might help you NOT walk right past it. If you are filled with doubts that the mine ever existed, you might as well stay home or hike for the exercise instead of wasting your time filming something you do not believe exist.
Old - great post < http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/l...s-superstition-wilderness-12.html#post4503172 > the "like" was not a strong enough compliment.
I won't bore anyone further, since clearly most everyone here has already made up their minds so debate is not helpful. Good luck and good hunting amigos, I hope you find the treasures that you seek. Or not, as the case may be.
Oroblanco
Great post and your comments about having the right mindset are spot on. I am not sure that I agree with discouraging RG1976 from filming or trying to debunk long held beliefs. In fact, I would argue that his videos stop just short of his intended goal, debunking. That's not criticism, well, perhaps it is but it's meant to be positive. Until we see the interior, millions of Franks fans will continue to believe that there is a Jesuit treasure, marked with an odd looking cross in the Bat Cave. And there may be.
But you only know when you know.
...and you don't know until someone comes along and sets things straight.
Hal Croves wrote
 
Well I said I would not bother anyone further here but have to add some anyway. So I must ask your indulgence, thanks in advance.
 
I don't mean to discourage RG1976 from filming videos, they are great and especially for people who do not live in Apache Jct and can't trot up into the Superstitions on any afternoon. Debunking is also good, for there is or are a great deal of nonsense, error and falsehoods that have gotten mixed into the LDM legend. However at the root we have a successful German prospector, rich gold (according to the Holmes assay it had over 5000 ounces of gold per ton) that led Waltz's closest friends to spend their resources, even lifetimes searching for the mine. If someone wants to debunk that, it would take more than a video, you will need to find the place that gold we can see in the matchbox, cufflinks, tie pin etc came from as a perfect match, and that source NOT be in the Superstitions or near them. Otherwise we have solid documentation on Holmes and how the ore became jewelry, his own words that the gold came from Waltz, his own actions indicating that he certainly believed the mine was in the Superstitions, also Julia and Reiney (and later Reiney's father and brother as well) also searching for the mine, stating that Waltz had a mine, that Waltz had given Julia a sizable amount of money in the form of gold to help her out, and the accusation that Holmes had taken the remaining gold Waltz had without permission. I hold that this set of circumstances, statements and documentation would make a strong court case, to debunk it would require showing a different, proven source for the gold specimens (jewelry) than what Dick Holmes said and supported by Julia and Reiney.
 
There IS plenty to debunk too, like the various alternate names of Waltz (Walsh, Walzer etc) which we now know to have been Waltz for that is how HE spelled it. A good number of the clues are highly questionable, as for example with the Ludy/Peralta story, we have suspiciously matching description details - a huge funnel shaped pit, and no one has been able to find that? If that statement is true, and Waltz's gold mine had that huge landmark, then why is that landmark not mentioned in every version of his mine? There are two commonly known versions, the Holmes and Julia/Reiney version, but there is a third version which has no such funnel shaped pit OR tunnel below. A mine either has a pit and tunnel or it does not, it cannot both have those physical features, and not have them.
 
It might even be helpful to examine why Waltz led trailers into the Superstitions, perhaps his mine is not in the Wilderness Area portion at all? Maybe he was only leading those dry-gulchers on a wild goose chase to mislead them, for in the Superstitions it would be fairly easy to lose anyone trying to follow you.
 
I don't want to get too long winded here but will add one more thing. I see that accusation tossed around quite a lot, how some people are "keeping the myth alive" for their own profits, implying that the story of the LDM is wholly false and the people who speak up in favor of it, know it to be false. That accusation is false. Actions speak louder than words. I can speak for myself in that I have searched for that mine personally, which I would never do if I believed it did not exist. I for one do not make profits by the legend continuing, if anything it makes for more competition against my interests. If I had a cynical attitude, I might choose to mislead or discourage others from searching, rather than argue in favor of the mine being a reality. A well hidden reality but no dream.
 
On the other hand, there ARE also people on these forums whom are deliberately trying to discourage people from looking for the LDM, even though privately they believe it is true! They do not want anyone else to look for it, as they do not want any competition. In some cases they believe they are very close to finding it, and don't want others poking around there. So they post on treasure forums to discourage others from looking, and also post false and misleading information just to throw any competition off the track, or just for the laughs of sending someone on a wild goose chase. There are also a few people whom are posting discouragement because they don't want to see anyone else get lost or killed in the mountains, perhaps feeling some guilt for the loss of other treasure hunters in the past, that perhaps they had encouraged to go look, and ended up dead. Keep that in mind when reading the negative statements posted in here and other forums, some of it really has a hidden agenda.
 
Good luck and good hunting amigos, I hope you find the treasures that you seek. I look forward to future videos from RG1976!
Oroblanco
True Jon, but were they of the standard sized adobe bricks ?
The Mexicans did a lot of digging in the Supers and surrounding areas. Heck, they did a lot of digging all over AZ. The Mammoth Mine in Goldfield was originally a Mexican dig. Several other mines in the area were also.If Waltz did find an abandon mine in the Superstitions (the one common detail in many of the surviving stories) who do you believe made the initial discovery and when?
Azblackbird,The Mexicans did a lot of digging in the Supers and surrounding areas. Heck, they did a lot of digging all over AZ. The Mammoth Mine in Goldfield was originally a Mexican dig. Several other mines in the area were also.
Well you sure know how to hit the key point don't you? The mine had to be discovered by someone. I realize there are numerous stories involving Peraltas, Gonzales, Apaches, Pimas and more, but since these are all generally linked to the two popular versions of the LDM, and have been tried by many thousands of people over a century, I am convinced that the other version is the correct one of how that mine was first discovered. Jacob Waltz himself found it, by using a portable drywasher to trace the gold to the source. I don't think it was an abandoned mine at all, just a small visible outcropping not very different from the Vulture.Oroblanco,
If Waltz did find an abandon mine in the Superstitions (the one common detail in many of the surviving stories) who do you believe made the initial discovery and when?
Thank you for the input!
Well you sure know how to hit the key point don't you? The mine had to be discovered by someone. I realize there are numerous stories involving Peraltas, Gonzales, Apaches, Pimas and more, but since these are all generally linked to the two popular versions of the LDM, and have been tried by many thousands of people over a century, I am convinced that the other version is the correct one of how that mine was first discovered. Jacob Waltz himself found it, by using a portable drywasher to trace the gold to the source. I don't think it was an abandoned mine at all, just a small visible outcropping not very different from the Vulture.
As to when I sure do not know precisely but we can safely say it was not after 1889 and almost certainly not before 1868. If he had found it prior to that date, why would he have been off in the Bradshaws or even earlier in California. I will put my money on 1872 as the date when Waltz probably discovered his gold mine. That is when he hired a carpenter to build the portable drywasher, and perhaps it took him much longer to find the vein but I doubt it. I think he had seen signs or found a few colors and wanted a way to follow up, hence the need for the drywasher. I don't see the 1878 agreement with Starrar as proof that Waltz had no gold, for the gold was probably his "safety net" that he intended to keep until his death, while his farm could easily become impossible for him to maintain should his health turn bad. After all, Waltz never mentioned his gold to his closest friends Julia and Reiney, until they were in financial trouble. Had she not gotten into that trouble, Waltz might have died quietly, never trying to tell anyone where the mine is, and his secret stashes remained buried around his home, and we would have very little story to go on at all today.
Good luck and good hunting amigos, I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco
A pan is used for testing and cleanup. A dry washer or sluice is used after you find a spot testing to get the placer gold you located. If you have water a sluice works best. I use both.