Matthew Roberts
Bronze Member
deducer, somehiker, azdave35,
According to Charles Waters who lived and mined at the Cochran and other mining sites from the mid 40's through the 80's, the huge carvings (Heart and others) on both sides of the hill, appeared there in the winter of 1965.
Carl and Eva Smith were at that time working numerous mines in the Rogers, Hewitt and Millsite canyon areas. They were being financed by some rich California investors. Two of those investors, Ted Monson and Milton Hammond came to Arizona and hired a work crew. It was this work crew that scraped the Heart and other symbols into the hillsides. According to Waters, the crew used machinery to scrape the hills. He didn't specify exactly what was used. There are no Ironwood trees, especially 350 years old, anywhere on that hill. Only some scrub Mesquite and Palo Verde and very few of them so I think Tracy was being told a rumor about the 350 year old Ironwood.
On June 12, 1964 Travis Marlowe (Clarence Mitchell) and Richard Stolley published an article in Life Magazine titled, Clues Carved on Stone Lead to Mysterious Maps to Lost Gold Mines.
In March of 1965 Travis Marlowe (Clarence Mitchell) published a book titled, Superstition Treasures. Both the Life article and book centered around mysterious stone carvings and the symbols on them.
Waters recalls the hillside carvings appearing in the winter (December) 1965 with symbols from these publications.
Monson and Hammond had read the Marlowe book and article and were in Arizona hiring crews in several areas working and filing numerous claims at that time.
I have tried but couldn't find any reference of news or oral report or photo of the carvings on the hill prior to 1965.
Tom Kollenborn is right when he says there are carving / markings on South Butte on the south side of the Gila. These are not huge carvings however and could be interpreted as both Anglo, Spanish or even Native American. The carvings are right along the old trail that came up from Sonora on the East side of South Butte about where the stone cabin is located on somehiker’s map. The old crossing of the Gila was directly North of where that old stone cabin is shown.
Now it can be argued that Monson and Hammond by scraping the hillside were simply defining scrapings that were already there but partially obliterated by time, erosion and the elements.
I haven’t a definite opinion on the Heart hillside because I was only there once and didn’t have enough time to fairly judge what was on the ground.
Best,
Matthew
According to Charles Waters who lived and mined at the Cochran and other mining sites from the mid 40's through the 80's, the huge carvings (Heart and others) on both sides of the hill, appeared there in the winter of 1965.
Carl and Eva Smith were at that time working numerous mines in the Rogers, Hewitt and Millsite canyon areas. They were being financed by some rich California investors. Two of those investors, Ted Monson and Milton Hammond came to Arizona and hired a work crew. It was this work crew that scraped the Heart and other symbols into the hillsides. According to Waters, the crew used machinery to scrape the hills. He didn't specify exactly what was used. There are no Ironwood trees, especially 350 years old, anywhere on that hill. Only some scrub Mesquite and Palo Verde and very few of them so I think Tracy was being told a rumor about the 350 year old Ironwood.
On June 12, 1964 Travis Marlowe (Clarence Mitchell) and Richard Stolley published an article in Life Magazine titled, Clues Carved on Stone Lead to Mysterious Maps to Lost Gold Mines.
In March of 1965 Travis Marlowe (Clarence Mitchell) published a book titled, Superstition Treasures. Both the Life article and book centered around mysterious stone carvings and the symbols on them.
Waters recalls the hillside carvings appearing in the winter (December) 1965 with symbols from these publications.
Monson and Hammond had read the Marlowe book and article and were in Arizona hiring crews in several areas working and filing numerous claims at that time.
I have tried but couldn't find any reference of news or oral report or photo of the carvings on the hill prior to 1965.
Tom Kollenborn is right when he says there are carving / markings on South Butte on the south side of the Gila. These are not huge carvings however and could be interpreted as both Anglo, Spanish or even Native American. The carvings are right along the old trail that came up from Sonora on the East side of South Butte about where the stone cabin is located on somehiker’s map. The old crossing of the Gila was directly North of where that old stone cabin is shown.
Now it can be argued that Monson and Hammond by scraping the hillside were simply defining scrapings that were already there but partially obliterated by time, erosion and the elements.
I haven’t a definite opinion on the Heart hillside because I was only there once and didn’t have enough time to fairly judge what was on the ground.
Best,
Matthew
