Superstition Mountain Markers

DesertUSA.com/mb3 ? View topic - Peralta/Fish Map

History lesson:
(from: http://www.thelostdutchmangoldmine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=404)

Gregory E. Davis
Post subject: The Fish Map
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 7:34 pm
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Location: Tempe, Arizona
Gentlemen, I have read with much interest the numerous recent discussions and speculations regarding the origins of Linda Peralta's copy of the so called "Fish Treasure Map" on the Lost Dutchman Goldmine Forum. This was the recent topic called "El Cerrotero de los Minas Oro Apacho." The "Fish Treasure Map" was also discussed in much detail on the Forum back in October of 2002. At that time I had meant to post a few comments. However, now may be a more opportune time. I may be able to set the record straight on this issue for I was personally acquainted with most of the parties involved in this matter, i.e. John Burbridge, Frank Peralta, Erie Schaefer, Bill Schaefer, Tom Glover, Al Reser, and Linda Peralta. I have access to the letters and correspondences of John Burbridge, Erie Schaefer, Al Reser, along with some letters of Frank Peralta, Walter Armantrout, and Myron Brun who were involved directly or indirectly with the distribution of copies of the Fish Treasure Map. Finally, I was present during a number of deliberations when Erie Schaefer and John Burbridge discussed the Fish Map and their involvement with it, its history, background, copies made, and copy distribution among their syndicate members. This is the foundation from which my forthcoming statements are based and derived.

First, I do not intend to go into the history behind the “Fish Treasure Map.” That is spelled out in Erie Schaefer's book, “Dead Men Do Tell Tales,” and an article I wrote for the “Superstition Mountain Journal,” Vol. 12, 1994, titled “The Fish Treasure Map.” The picture of the Fish Map on page 13 of that journal is a true photograph taken by Al Reser of the actual/original map that Frank Fish alleged to have obtained while in Mexico. The proof of that will surface as this story develops.

Second, this story gets a bit complicated especially when trying to explain its background history and the events that lead up to the origin of the various copies of the Fish Map and their distribution. So, please bear with me as I proceed to lay the foundation to this narrative.

The story of the “Fish Treasure Map” copies start with John Burbridge, a long time treasure hunter, prospector, and searcher for the Lost Dutchman/Peralta gold mines in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. John's search for these elusive gold mines covers a period of over thirty years. John was a member of Barry Storm’s 1938 expedition into the Superstition Mountains and later published a small book about his adventures and theories called “Arizona’s Monument to Lost Mines.” Although he located many tantalizing clues, his ultimate goal of gold discovery proved fruitless. Frustrated by his inability to locate these hidden mines, John began asking himself the question: “why?” In 1963, while on a trip to Kansas, he had a chance meeting with a Darrel Robertson of Konewa, Oklahoma, who was of Native American descent. Darrel and John hit it off right from the start and spent a number of days discussing Indian life, heritage, and beliefs. Little did John realize that this meeting, and the influence of Darrel’s stories, would have a profound influence on his thinking toward the Superstition Mountain treasures.

When John returned home from his trip he began to theorize along the following lines: “The gold mines in the Superstition Mountains are guarded by the Thunder gods and the spirits of the long departed Apache Indians. The gold is cursed to the White Man and the only way to resolve this dilemma is to approach the search with a new concept.” John hit upon an idea. If he and an assembly of searchers were to organize in a group, pool their information, resources, maps, collective knowledge, and work together as a team to search for the mines - with the expressed purpose of using part of the future profits for the good and betterment of mankind in some form - then the curse would be lifted which would ultimately lead to the discovery of the gold mine locations.

With this perception in mind, John approached a number of his “Dutch Hunter” acquaintances and eventually assembled them into a group called the “Legend of Adventure.” This took place around 1965. The Legend of Adventure consisted of six members who were to jointly seek and prove that the Peralta Mines were real and did exist. And, should they locate the mines or caches, to agree to its division among them along with the goal of setting up a trust fund for helping young people in need of higher education. This approach they felt would break the Apache curse of the Superstition Mountains. The group members were John and Rue Burbridge of Canoga Park, Calif., William and Erie Schaefer of Chino, Calif., Walter and Rose Armantrout of Torrance, Calif., Pedro Francisco Peralta of Riverside, Calif., Myron and Dorothy Brun of Young, Arizona, and Darrel and Pat Robertson of Konewa, Okla.

With the group Legend of Adventure formerly organized, John began to gather and compile from each member their contributions of clues. John provided 30 years of experience and research, Walter Armantrout and Myron Brun donated their research papers and 50 years of combined searching experience. Darrel Robertson added the tribal tales of his people as they related to the massacre of the Peraltas which had been told to him as a boy of the Warm Spring Apaches. This story was handed down by a member of that tribe who claimed to have been present at the massacre. Frank Peralta gave to John the stories of the Peralta family as passed down to him from his kin. Frank stated that his great grandfather, Pedro Peralta, and Uncle Miguel were killed by the Apaches and sealed in a cave or mine. It was Walter Armantrout who introduced John to Erie Schaefer, who at that time owned the Fish Map that had been given to Frank Fish in Mexico. This first visit with Erie Schaefer was when John first saw the Fish Map. From that point on he and the syndicate had full access to it.

During John’s next trip to the Schaefer Turkey Ranch, he made a full size tracing of the map. The “Fish Treasure Map” is 11” x 13-1/2” in size and made of what appears to be dark brown very thin parchment or animal skin. The ink is a light back brown in color. John attempted to trace the Spanish words and phrases from the original map onto his tracing. Herein lies some of the confusion. John, not being familiar with the Spanish language, added his own interpretation as to what the words were and how they were spelled. He told me that he did his best at tying to copy it. However, there were a number of words on the Fish Map that were very hard to read and make out as to their meaning. This is due to the map being terribly discolored to a dark brown caused by a chemical reaction gone wrong. Erie Schaefer had been convinced by a group of men that they could bring out some of the faded lettering on the map by using a special chemical treatment. Therefore, this would allow them to read the more faded words. Erie allowed the team to subject the map to the process, the results of which were disastrous. The map went from a light tan to a dark black brown.

Back to John’s copy, I have in the John Burbridge Collection a sample of the copy made by John of the Fish Map with the Spanish words drawn in with his own handwriting. I kwon that it is John’s handwriting from comparing it to numerous letters written in John’s own hand from his collection. They match the lettering on the tracing copy of that map made by John. The terrain tracing from John’s copy matches exactly the terrain outlines on the original Fish Map. During one of my many visits with John, he told me how he made the tracing and mentioned the trouble he was having with some of the Spanish words and how he guessed at the spelling, not being sure that it was correct.

After completing the tracing copy of the Fish Map, John made a photocopy of the tracing and he took it to each member of the Legend of Adventure, having them sign the copy. He did this as a gesture on their part to keep the map confidential for when he finished gathering all the signatures he made additional copies. These were both in the original size and reduced to size (8-1/2” x 11”), which he provided to each member of the Legends of Adventure group. Samples of these copies of both the large and small size of the map are in the Burbridge Collection in the archive collections of the Superstition Mountain Historical Society.

Frank Peralta, being a member of the Legend of Adventure, obviously received one of these copies that John provided to the members. It was Frank’s copy that eventually ended up in the possession of Linda Peralta. She, not knowing its lineage, most likely thought it was a true copy handed down through her family from previous generations. It is a picture of Linda Peralta’s Fish Map copy which she allowed Tom Glover to use in his book, “The Lost Dutchman Mine of Jacob Waltz – Part One.” See page 325 of his book. Tom Glover showed me a copy of the picture of the map Linda let him use and it matches exactly with the maps that John Burbridge gave to the members of his group - except the signatures are set differently than the original. That is because the Peralta copy was originally void of signatures. The signatures for Linda’s copy were added later by the Legend of Adventure members who had joined in on the 1966 expedition to the Superstition Mountains. They used this map on their trip and Frank Peralta had each participating member sign it prior to the start of their expedition. After the trip was over, the map was given to Frank Peralta for his files. That explains the additional expedition notations. The story of this 1966 expedition into the Superstition Mountains by the members of the Legend of Adventure was published in the “Rohr News, (Riverside, Calif.), April 4, 1966, Page 5, Col. 3-6. It’s titled “Peralta Seeks Lost Mines.”

In closing I would like to touch on the question of the “Fish Treasure Map” now in the possession of the Superstition Mountain Historical Society as being the same map Frank Fish had in his possession. Frank kept the map in his shop, the Gold Rush Museum, at Amador City, California, and his earlier museum located in Corona Del Mar, California. It was hanging on the wall. However, it was cleverly concealed behind a calendar. In 1959, Frank allowed a picture of the map to be published in the magazine “Men In Adventure,” Vol. 1, No. 2, July 1959, page 30-33. The story was titled “Meet Mr. Buried Treasure” and was by Lieutenant Harry E. Rieseberg. The photo of the map is on page 31. It matches exactly with the maap held by the Superstition Mountain Historical Society.

In John Burbridge’s collection, there are two small Browny Camera snap-shots made of the original map. The pictures were taken by John and shown to me during one of my many visits with him. He verified they were pictures taken of the original map. Those pictures, although of poor quality, do match the original Fish Map. In 1973 I visited Erie and Bill Schaefer at their turkey ranch in Chino, Californina. While there, Erie showed me the Fish Map that was hanging on the wall in her den. This was the same map that Al Reser showed me years later after he had purchased it from Bill Schaefer and subsequently gave to the Superstition Mountain Historical Society. That map is the same map I saw on Erie’s den wall and it matches all the other photographs. Even the old frame it was mounted on is the same. When Al passed the map to me to put in the archives of the historical society, I did make one change. I took it out of the old frame and remounted it between two glass plates in an archival frame to protect it from further deterioration. This should put to rest any question as to whether or not the “Fish Treasure Map” or “Peralta Fish Map” now held by the Superstition Mountain Historical Society is the same one that Frank Fish claimed he obtained in Mexico along with any other questions about the map copies made by John Burbridge and passed on to Frank Peralta.

Cordially, Gregory E. Davis
 

Last edited:
secretcanyon said:
now that is an interesting piece of paper...
somehikers has a shadow...above the needle...?
Click to expand...

Doesn't look like a shadow. Don. Different shape.
It's the only one worth working with, but still a challenge because of it's condition.
Some translations give interesting results, and make it more interesting though.
Could be some good clues there. I like the arrastra and 50 cargas notations.

Regards:SH.
 

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