The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States. The site is commonly thought to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Every year, myriads of treasure hunters try their luck to find the mine, and there have been many stories about how to find the mine. The Lost Dutchman is probably the most famous lost mine in American history. For more than 125 years, Lost Dutchman Mine has been told over and over, growing in proportions to such an extent that some claim the entire legend is nothing but a myth.
The mine and its legends are exceptionally real, hidden in the forbidding peaks of the Superstition Mountains. “Real” or not, the haunting tales endure, continuing to draw prospectors to the Superstition Mountains these days and making the story one of the most well-known lost treasure tales of all time. The Gold Mine is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz (1810–1891), who supposedly discovered it in the 19th century and kept its location very secret.
Another former Arizona Attorney General, “Bob Corbin,” is among those who have looked for the mine. Few argue that there’s little or no evidence for the mine’s existence, but many believe that the main components of the story have at least some basis in fact. According to the legends of Arizona, the Lost Dutchman’s story has been printed or cited at least six times more often than two other relevantly recognized tales. The first story is Captain Kidd’s lost treasure, and the second story is Lost Pegleg Mine in California. More than 8,000 researchers annually make efforts to find the Lost Dutchman’s Mine because the discovery of this mystery has been taking place since 1892.
Another legend, “Robert Blair,” has said that at least four legendary Lost Dutchman’s gold mines are in the American West; one Lost Dutchman’s mine is said to be in Colorado, another in California, and the other two are said to be located in Arizona. Tales of these other lost Dutchman’s mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. One of the best treasure tales in the history of the American West is well shrouded in mystery, rich in gold, but also said to have a curse upon it, leading to a number of strange deaths as well as people who mysteriously go “missing” when they try to locate the old mine.
Moreover, be careful; there have been several deaths or disappearances in the Superstition Mountains. Some searchers for the mine have disappeared in likely wilderness accidents. The Lost Dutchman could only be a figment of someone’s overactive imagination.
