cactusjumper
Gold Member
When Julia and Rhiney made their first trip to the Superstition Mountains, they tried to enter the mountains at Hog Canyon. That entry also matches the P.C. Bicknell article and thus the location that Adolph Ruth was seeking.
Since that time, we have had hundreds of stories leading us away from that
"best evidence". The reason for discounting Julia Thomas, is that she was a "city woman" and had no idea what she was looking for.....Lost before she even got started.
If that's true, why was Bicknell camping at Willow Spring.....same as Adolph Ruth? Why do the Stone Maps, as well as many other maps, lead you through the same area? Why did Tom Kollenborn (one of the most knowledgeable Dutch Hunters) spend so many years exploring that area on horseback? Why is he so sure (publicly) that the Stone Maps are a fraud?
Is it a coincidence that Harry LaFrance's cave of gold bars is on that same trail, or that Barry Storm claimed to have found a piece of rich gold ore float in Old West Boulder Canyon?
Was the arrastra found at the Massacre Grounds not related to the west end of the Superstitions? What about the other (unnamed) artifacts found in that same area?
Is it "truth" in all of the later stories (post Julia) that lead us away from the west end of the range, and farther East with each new revelation, or obfuscation?
It seems obvious, after all these years, that many Dutch Hunters may have
"lost the trail". Isn't the best course of action to return to the original tracks? Perhaps not.....after all, she was just a "city woman", all be it, a "city woman" who cleaned, fed, and consoled a dying Dutchman.
For those of you who are still searching, it might be a good idea to research where the early Dutch Hunters might have strayed off the orginal track. Here is a hint:
On many of the early maps, there is a "Picacho" that has always been assumed to be Weaver's Needle. They have all led to failure. Try replacing that idea with Superstition Peak as the "Picacho". Now take another look at the Stone Maps. Notice any similarities?
Now apply Bicknell's directions to the maps. Anyone able to find that "side canyon"? If you have.....you will find a sealed mine but it does not fit the description of the LDM, other than being "high up", in a north south trending canyon and facing the west. It helps to have a Topo on hand.
Joe Ribaudo
Since that time, we have had hundreds of stories leading us away from that
"best evidence". The reason for discounting Julia Thomas, is that she was a "city woman" and had no idea what she was looking for.....Lost before she even got started.
If that's true, why was Bicknell camping at Willow Spring.....same as Adolph Ruth? Why do the Stone Maps, as well as many other maps, lead you through the same area? Why did Tom Kollenborn (one of the most knowledgeable Dutch Hunters) spend so many years exploring that area on horseback? Why is he so sure (publicly) that the Stone Maps are a fraud?
Is it a coincidence that Harry LaFrance's cave of gold bars is on that same trail, or that Barry Storm claimed to have found a piece of rich gold ore float in Old West Boulder Canyon?
Was the arrastra found at the Massacre Grounds not related to the west end of the Superstitions? What about the other (unnamed) artifacts found in that same area?
Is it "truth" in all of the later stories (post Julia) that lead us away from the west end of the range, and farther East with each new revelation, or obfuscation?
It seems obvious, after all these years, that many Dutch Hunters may have
"lost the trail". Isn't the best course of action to return to the original tracks? Perhaps not.....after all, she was just a "city woman", all be it, a "city woman" who cleaned, fed, and consoled a dying Dutchman.
For those of you who are still searching, it might be a good idea to research where the early Dutch Hunters might have strayed off the orginal track. Here is a hint:
On many of the early maps, there is a "Picacho" that has always been assumed to be Weaver's Needle. They have all led to failure. Try replacing that idea with Superstition Peak as the "Picacho". Now take another look at the Stone Maps. Notice any similarities?
Now apply Bicknell's directions to the maps. Anyone able to find that "side canyon"? If you have.....you will find a sealed mine but it does not fit the description of the LDM, other than being "high up", in a north south trending canyon and facing the west. It helps to have a Topo on hand.
Joe Ribaudo