Dave you don't know who or whom I have talked to, nor what I know of rocks and geology. I am still learning it, try to learn a bit more as often as I can. But just showing some nice gold ore does not seal any deal for me. That has been tried before. Ask Joe, he had quite a talk with a fellow that claimed he had the LDM on his place and had some gorgeous gold nuggets to show, which unfortunately looked like Alaskan gold rather than Arizona gold.
Rick4570 wrote
Well it is from a story, not a history book after all. There was evidence of some kind of massacre at massacre field, which is some distance from the Pit mine location, and really no way to prove it is linked. The root of this story may originate in a documented attack on two Peralta brothers NEAR the Superstition mountains in the 1870s, one brother was killed and the other seriously wounded. Not a massacre, but stories get magnified in the re-telling.
Ponchosportal wrote
Have to agree, would like to see stronger evidence to make the case than what has been presented.
Cactusjumper wrote
If the LDM were a huge open pit, requiring a huge platform of many logs, then I would agree. However the alternate description has an opening no larger than a barrel. How many logs do you suppose it would take, to make a platform in an opening that size? Not that many, and not that long. Also, logs can be dragged by mules or horses, they do not have to be carried physically. If the opening is only a couple of feet by a couple of feet, we are not talking about a large number of logs nor any great length.
As to the difficult workability of ironwood, having cut some myself I will agree it is very hard wood and very hard to cut. You can cut it with an axe, and ancient Indians were cutting ironwood with nothing but stone tools.

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