Per,
Your point is a good one, but Julia and Rhiney actually made their first attempt to enter the mountains at Hog Canyon.....I believe.
When Brownie Holmes started his "systematic search......by starting out at Superstition Mountain, the main mountain of the range, and gradually working north and east, thoroughly examining every canyon as I went." My guess is that Dick Holmes had followed Julia and Rhiney on their trips to the range and knew where they were trying to go.
The main mountain seems the likely area that Julia and Rhiney tried to reach with their wagon. Waltz had told them they would be going over the mountain to get to his mine. They were looking for a specific view, IMHO, and it was not something they told Bark or Ely. Either those two left that information out of their writings, or someone took it out. They would see that view from the ridge line of the main mountain.
Perhaps this is what they were told to look for:
Once they missed the correct location to enter the mountains and moved north to First Water, they could never find the correct view that would point out the location of Waltz's mine.
Anyway.......that makes for a fine story.
Don't mean to interrupt the flow here. Please continue.
Take care,
Joe
I really love the map

Thankyou Cactus