Peralta gold recovery outside of LDM

[Randy Bradford]

Seems to me some time back I read a brief mention of a bona fide gold recovery in one of the canyons in the Superstition Mountains. As memory serves me, it took place in the 1930s and was supposed to be gold the Peralta's lost when they were massacred in the canyon. Anyone familiar with this story or know where I can read more about it? Always interested in actual recoveries...

 

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[Oroblanco]

Hola amigo - you may be referring to the finding of some rich gold ore and a pack saddle by two men named Silverlock and Malm; this was reported in the papers of the day and was presumed to be gold from the Peralta massacre as the find was near Massacre Field. Quite a bit online about the men and their find. Unfortunately this led the two men to conclude that the mine was very close by and they spent the rest of their days digging in that area without any luck, ending up with one in an asylum and the other I believe committed suicide (corrections welcome, working from memory).

I hope this helps - also to all, I will be absent from here for a while (offline) so if you don't see me hanging around here it is nothing wrong, should be back some time in November. Please do continue, and wishing you all a very safe and Happy Halloween!
Oroblanco

:coffee2

 

[gollum]

Like Oro said,

Silverlocke and Malm found a whole bunch of float gold in one place at the Massacre Grounds. They didn't know about the massacre story, because they went broke and nuts digging around where they found the float, looking for the LDM. There are a few instances of people finding a nice patch of rich float ore, only to find there is no source of nearby. Just imagine the donkeys with full packs running away from all the shooting, kicking and bucking to get that load off. The packs fall off and rot away leaving some pretty ore just sitting on the surface.

One day ..................................

Mike

 

[Randy Bradford]

thanks for the feedback guys...glad I wasn't crazy...sometimes the memory plays tricks! I always found that a compelling story since, if taken at face value, it provides some concrete evidence to gold in them that hills...

 

[gollum]

thanks for the feedback guys...glad I wasn't crazy...sometimes the memory plays tricks! I always found that a compelling story since, if taken at face value, it provides some concrete evidence to gold in them that hills...

Randy,

People that know the Supers KNOW there is gold in abundance in and around the Supers. Most of it is covered over by about 40 feet of volcanic tufa. In some places that tufa was cut through by erosion (wind and water), landslides, etc. In those places can be found the sweet stuff.

Mike

 

[sgtfda]

Yes that is true

 

[gollum]

Yes that is true



View attachment 1070132

Are y'all still working out there, or are y'all done? I haven't heard from ya in a while.

Mike

 

[sgtfda]

Mike

One day next week to redo some stuff other than that done. This was not easy!

 

[gollum]

How soon before I look for it?

 

[sgtfda]

How soon before I look for it?

Jan?

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

What was the difficulty?

 

[audigger53]

Hey Randy, if you want the other story, pay the Arizona Republic to go into their back history files for when the guy from Hawaii was extradited back to Arizona for trial of the murder of his "Best Friend" in the Supes. That was the headline story, then go back about 3-4 pages for the 1948 "Filler' story. Dec '63 or Jan '64, don't remember exactly. was in HS at the time in Florence and read the two stories. Murder for a 2 Lb. nugget of Fool's Gold

 

[gollum]

AUDIGGER,

I had always thought it was the early 1960s as well, but one day, I spend several hours at Greg Davis' House going through his archives looking for this story. I searched from 1960 through 1965, and could find no trace of the story. I recently found it. The story was from 1959:



Mike

 

[gollum]

Also, you may want to check into "The Mormon Stope". During the final stages of the Mammoth Mine, they broke into an old mineshaft. When they followed it to one end, they found the original entrance sealed with logs and a large flat stone. As I recall, they got about $2.5million from that old shaft, and it was called The Mormon Stope of the Mammoth Mine. There was no record of any old mine having ever been there. Many believe that this was one of the eight or so Peralta Mines in the Superstition Area.

Mike

 

[pantaloonz]

Also, you may want to check into "The Mormon Stope". During the final stages of the Mammoth Mine, they broke into an old mineshaft. When they followed it to one end, they found the original entrance sealed with logs and a large flat stone. As I recall, they got about $2.5million from that old shaft, and it was called The Mormon Stope of the Mammoth Mine. There was no record of any old mine having ever been there. Many believe that this was one of the eight or so Peralta Mines in the Superstition Area.

Mike

So Mike, I would tend to agree that would be one of them, especially based on the size of the yield. That being assumed, that leaves seven or 8? .. I guess what I'm really driving at is, as old and well searched as this particular hunt is, do you think there are still peralta mines left that have not been discovered/emptied/empty.

I may be spending time in Arizona next year.. and if so will have time on my hands.

-Pantz

 

[gollum]

So Mike, I would tend to agree that would be one of them, especially based on the size of the yield. That being assumed, that leaves seven or 8? .. I guess what I'm really driving at is, as old and well searched as this particular hunt is, do you think there are still peralta mines left that have not been discovered/emptied/empty.

I may be spending time in Arizona next year.. and if so will have time on my hands.

-Pantz

PANTZ,

There are several places in the Supers where gold can be found. The fact that it is on a volcanic caldera indicates that gold SHOULD be found there (and in some abundance). The problem is that the Supers are also covered in about 40 feet of volcanic tuffa. Many geologists have said that the tuffitic cap makes it almost impossible for gold to be prospected like it normally would. To a point this is true, except there are many shear zones, rock upthrusts, avalanches, rain, and wind worn hills and mountains that have broken through that tuffitic cap. These are the places where there is gold. There would have been a whole lot more gold found in the Supers except that cap puts about forty feet between a prospector's pan and the gold. Just outside that cap is Goldfield and Globe. Both places rich in gold and silver. I have to think that between Goldfield and Globe, there should be ground just as rich.............just deeply buried.

All that said, I have to say that I believe maybe two or three of the Peralta/Gonzalez Mines have been found. The Mormon Stope being one. The well beaten "Pit Mine" maybe another. Supposed to have been a mine found on the SouthEastern Slope of Superstition Mountain back in the 1950s. If the story is true, the rest (except the LDM) were well hidden by the Apache.

I don't know how much desert/mountain hiking/climbing experience you have, but keep this in mind: Honestly evaluate yourself and your abilities. Think what time of the year you will be there. Even people with desert/mountain experience can get crushed by The Superstition Mountains. If you will be spending time there (more than a few days), then start off light. Start at First Water Trailhead, and do one of the connecting loops, or start from the South End at the Peralta Trailhead. This is a challenging steep hike up into the mountains. If you can easily handle those, then maybe you can do some of the more difficult spots. Without experience (or being accompanied by someone experienced), I don't recommend going off trail, boulder hopping, or brush popping. Lots of ways to get hurt or disappear. People disappear every couple of years. Just remember that everything out there wants to bite you, poke you, cut you, or eat you.

Mike

 

[pantaloonz]

Mike

That's sound advise for anyone new to an area for sure, also I'm very much in tune with my limitations, and again the entire trip is a maybe.. I live in the northeast so I'm much more experienced with cold weather, bug infested, woods issues than desert topology and climate. Its a shame there is not good gold hunts in the northeast!

I would most assuredly stick to known trails and figure out what I'm capable of prior to any trip and I never go off trail without another person, so yeah I've got some of that experience down.

I've been reviewing information of certain areas in the supers for just the type of formation/terrain you have described above and I certainly appreciate your time in responding to me.

-Pantz