Treasure Trove Permits

Hello Blindbowman and everyone,

My apologies for not getting a reply posted sooner, haven't been online the last few days - don't ask! Old age and being decrepit (out of shape!) is NOT fun when you are burying water pipes..... >:( Oh well now to get to the details...

Blindbowman wrote:
did you say there was a wagon trail in the superstitions ?

Yes there are at least TWO of them, as far as I know - one was known as the "Mormon Toll Road" but the real name was the Mesa-Globe toll road; some Mormons got the idea to build a toll road there as a shorter route, and did get some road built but ran out of funds before finishing - the date around 1880-81. The other aborted road I don't know much about but it was also not completed, the date around 1890. I have been looking for the Mormon road, but for totally un-related reasons - for one I think it would be a cool 'trail' to follow on horseback. I know, 'geez Oroblanco that doesn't have anything to do with treasure hunting' well yes, guilty as charged. :-[ Neither road was ever completed, as far as I know - so would seem to run to nowhere, literally.

the trail dosen go anywhere other than the tunnle to this other area and just vanishes by the looks of it ..

It sounds like you might have located either the Mesa-Globe toll road or the other aborted road - however it is pretty tough to estimate an exact date for old roads; I have found old ox-cart trails (Spanish or Mexican) and they look pretty much just like the same sort of dirt roads made by Americans later - narrow wheel ruts are narrow wheel ruts. Did the road seem to run east-west, generally?

i almost forgot . if the dutchman killed the 3 so called peralta and buried them near the hiden camp . we beleave we found the hiden camp and will be looking for those 3 graves as well & the large chache...

Yes, and there is the biggest little word in the English language - IF the Dutchman murdered the three Peraltas and buried them near the hidden camp. This version of events is largely dependent upon the veracity of Holmes, which (in my opinion) is highly questionable - by his version Waltz was a murderous villain and almost a coward as well - which is not in keeping with his known behavior - think about how Waltz behaved with his friends. For example, would you think that a cold-blooded murderer, a man who would kill his own "nephew" that he invited to come work with him, would be the same sort of man who would lend thousands of dollars to his friend Julia Thomas when she was about to lose her bakery/soda shop because she was unable to pay her debts? Does that seem logical to you?

Blindbowman also wrote:we found what looks like a cross and the number 81,1 we are not sure what it is yet ... dose 1881... ring any bells ...

As concerns Jacob Waltz or Peraltas or Jesuits - no - however it is the same date that the Mesa-Globe toll road was being built and abandoned.

i want to ask a few questions about this date . if this is a date . the dutchman would have retrun home in jan of 1881, he says he retrun to Phoenix,, .. in the dick holmes acount ... if so is there any record of him being in phoenix at that time .. and the other thing i wanted to know is there any record of him selling gold in jan of 1881 .. ..

Yes Jacob Waltz can be shown to have been living in Phoenix (actually outside of town, but now the site is well within the city limits) in 1881. There are records of his selling and shipping gold in 1881, but I don't have the exact dates. Waltz made quite a number of trips to the mine over the years from discovery to his being too old and physically unable to return, not just one or two as you read in some versions. If you think about this, it makes sense - with at least $240,000 being shipped to the mint, the sheer weight of the ore means his one little burro (he owned a burro for at least the last ten years of his life which he also rode, as when delivering eggs to Julia to trade for bread etc) would have had to have made more than one or two trips to the mine.

if if this date of 1881 january than we know he was working the mine at that time ...

Hmm well... wouldn't that be making a bit of an assumption? That assumes the date 81 (also see below) is somehow either carved by Waltz or his partner, which we have no record of Waltz leaving any such clues in the Superstitions.

The "81" seems a likely marker left by the builders of the Mesa-Globe toll road; now not to lend credence to the ideas of Spaniards and Jesuits in the Superstitions (this cannot be substantiated) but 1781 also coincides with a period of Spanish expansion in Pimeria Alta/northern Sonora; a whole string of forts were constructed to protect this expansion, though the forts were abandoned just a few years later. Does this prove that there were Spaniards working in the Superstitions in 1781? Of course not, it seems logical that the 81 is related to the toll road builders, but we just can't prove that at this point.

one of the reason i ask was when did his partern wiser die ...?


Weiser (also spelled Wiser, Weisner, Wisner etc) died in the 1870s, which coincides with the period that Waltz is thought to have discovered his mine, according to people who knew him personally in Florence.

he other thing that gets me is this is 10 years before he own death ...

IF (that huge word) the '81' is related to Jacob Waltz, we would be wondering about the meaning for the inscription - however there is no record of Waltz or Weiser leaving such a clue to find.

the other thing if the dick holmes acount is true or parts of it are true than if that started in 1877 that means he only work the mine for 4-5 years at the most, from 1877 to 1881 before killing his nephew and each time he killed someone he returned to phoenix to wait it out to see if anyone got word of it or saw him or missed who was shot or killed .. the reason i say that is look , he says i return the next winter , and he close the mine up the next winter ... so that mean to me that he only worked the mine no more than 5-6 year totally in the winter months ... what year was the flood ?... that would tell us he had been liveing off the small catch no more than 5-7 years at the time of his death ....IMHO

Again, we are working with a version from Holmes, which is in variance with known facts on a number of points - your questions only seem to point up the un-reliability of his account. Based on OTHER reports (excluding Holmes, for the reasons cited earlier) it seems that Waltz never worked too hard at the mine, just went in and got another 'load' and when that ran out he would go back for more. Similar in that respect to the famous Lost Ben Sublett mine, remember Sublett would make a trip to his mine, return with a load of gold and when that ran out would go back for more. Waltz seemed to have followed that pattern as well, though his remaining 'cache' of ore (that taken from beneath his death-bed) was nearly gone when he died. It seems that Waltz did not have the 'greed' we are supposed to attribute to him. According to another source, Waltz made his last trip to the mine a year or a few years at most, after the small dairy farm was built - so he would have been living off the last 'proceeds' only a couple of years by the time he passed away. The flood which resulted in Waltz getting sick (remember he was rescued by his friend Reiney Petrasch) happened in February of 1891.

they may explan why some years he showed up on the cenus and other years he did not ...?

Again we know that Waltz lived in the Bradshaws for some years prior to moving to the Phoenix area, and local residents of both Phoenix and Florence (which he seemed to have made his 'base' for several years while just prospecting) said that Waltz had started a homestead claim on the north bank of the Salt river, but the 'gold-fever' soon returned and he made frequent prospecting trips into the Superstitions.

Blindbowman you made some statements about your photos, that seemed to imply there was something alarming in them - would you care to enlighten me (and the readers)? Or if not, we will be left guessing.

I doubt that I can convince you NOT to rely on the Holmes version of events, however as you have started to find some of the errors and idiosycracies in his (Holmes) account, perhaps you will decide to examine the other versions of events? Yes the other accounts are not nearly as exciting or bloodthirsty, but many points can be proven in this 'other' version; it might change the entire direction of your search.

Oroblanco


PS - Did some looking up, as to the known whereabouts of Jacob Waltz and got this much:

Jacob Waltz is listed in the Territorial Census 1864, 3rd district (Yavapai county) age 54 (he would have been 56 actually) occupation miner, born in Prussia (Germany), resident in Arizona two years. He is also listed in US Census 1880, residing in Phoenix, age 70, occupation farmer born in Prussia (Germany) and is listed in the Great Register for Maricopa county in 1876, 1882 and 1886 as a resident of Phoenix, and that he was naturalized as a citizen on July 19, 1861 in Los Angeles in the First District court.

Senator Hayden has the death of his partner Jacob Weiser as taking place "about 1881" at the ranch of John D. Walker near Florence. Pioneer interviews have an earlier date, as in early 1870s.

I don't think it is going to be possible to "pin down" the exact dates of the movements of Waltz, records were just not kept on that level.
 

"He is also listed in US Census 1880, residing in Phoenix, age 70, occupation farmer born in Prussia (Germany) and is listed in the Great Register for Maricopa county in 1876, 1882 and 1886 as a resident of Phoenix,"

look at the fact you just posted , he was there in 1880 not in 1881 there in 1882 not there in 1883-1884-1885....

if i am right one winter killing the two soilders in 1883 , one winter killing the pospector in 1884,and one winter closeing and covering over the mine .in 1885 ..


than he shows up again ....in 1886...

if this is case than wiser could have been killed in 1877 early or late we dont know how long they worked the mine togather .. that would explan why the dutchman did not say anything about wiser to dick holmes . it happened in the same year he found the mine . that would mean wiser only work the mine with the dutchman part of one winter ...or a few winters at best between the years of 1877-1879 seeing how the dutchman shows up in 1880 cenus ...we have a more clear time line than we know we have .. IMHO ...

an no in fact the wagon trail i found is only about 240 ft long and goes from the tunnle area to a near by mt and goes to about 2/3 of the way up that mt and the dirrection it goes would leave it going off a 100 ft cliff.. i dont know about them but i would not try to build a road in that dirrection when it could have gone around the mt easyer, this is not a road . it can not go anywhere beyond where it is . in ether dirrection !

besides that i know for a fact the wagon trail it self must have been made some time between the 1500's and 1700's . why you ask, because there are tall caitus between the wheel markes . they are at lest 300 years old or older , the wheel markes are about 1 inch deep and are some what over grown to the eye as stated already . we walked right past them ... but i beleave the wagon trail could not have been in used very long at all .. what it was used for .. you got me .. it dosent make sence so far ...if they were takeing something from the tunnle to point B what and why . point B is going no where that i can tell yet . fact there is no way off that mt in sight . so it is ether going on that mt or stops for some reason ... if i was building a road this is not very smart to build it frist with out seeing where the road could go .. so no IMHO this is not ether of the roads your talking about ...

the wheel marks are worn but not sharp so i got to think they are made by donkey cart...

maybe there is some kind of cave or tailing pile up there we have not seen yet from the surounding area ...who knows a vault or an out house lol ...

i am just being honest we just dont see any reason for this wagon trail . what ever was moved was very heavy , why the trail dose not turn sharply and there are no sharp corners in the trail it self ...the trail is not overly steep ....
 

Merry Christmas everyone,

Hello Blindbowman,

Blindbowman wrote:
look at the fact you just posted , he was there in 1880 not in 1881 there in 1882 not there in 1883-1884-1885....
if i am right one winter killing the two soilders in 1883 , one winter killing the pospector in 1884,and one winter closeing and covering over the mine .in 1885 ..
than he shows up again ....in 1886...
if this is case than wiser could have been killed in 1877 early or late we dont know how long they worked the mine togather .


Blindbowman, I don't feel so confident in assuming things as you are - the "Great Register" for instance did not get made up every single year, only every few years SO how can we ASSUME that Waltz was not at home in the years in between the publication of the Register? We cannot! You have accepted that tale of Waltz killing the two soldiers, even though that tale had been "moved" (shall we say), by the "poetic license" of one Barry Storm from the Four Peaks area to the Superstitions, and "enhanced" (to put it mildly) by Sims Ely. Weiser was NOT murdered by Waltz, but was hit by Apaches and died of those wounds - though we can take from Waltz's own words that Weiser did not work with him that long before the Apaches struck. Even more doubt can come in to focus too, as Ely pointed to a local swamper with a crippled foot as the probable murderer of the "two soldiers" so...are we SO sure that Waltz was a vicious, murdering man? I have great doubts about the tales of Waltz being a murderer, with good reasons.

we have a more clear time line than we know we have

I don't see nearly as much in what can be proven as you seem to be concluding, from the info that we CAN prove, it appears that Waltz lived in Phoenix from at least 1876 until his death, with this 'base' he made numerous trips into the Superstitions; often obtaining supplies and tools at Florence. Does it prove that he was NOT living in Phoenix in the years when there was no Great Register being published? Think about it...

besides that i know for a fact the wagon trail it self must have been made some time between the 1500's and 1700's . why you ask

How can you estimate the age of cactus growing in the tracks? Cactus do not grow in "rings" like trees, and as far as I know it would be tough to get an exact age for a cactus. How large do you suppose a cactus that is only 100 years old would be, considering that there were two roads built through the Superstitions about that long ago, that were NOT completed and today would be running to nowhere? Are you that sure the 'road' CAN NOT be one of the two LATER roads?

the wheel marks are worn but not sharp so i got to think they are made by donkey cart...

Now why would this mean the wheel marks must be from a donkey cart? Could it not be from a horse-cart, or mule-wagon, or ox-cart? How can you be so certain?

I wish I had your optimism and felt sure enough to make conclusions on such evidence - personally I have made errors in the past by making such leaps of logic which proved wrong later. Good luck and good hunting to you, hope you find the treasure that you seek.
Roy ~ Oroblanco
 

i was told that the oldest one vs size and diameter of it arms and trunk vs the number of arms is how they judged .. the olest being no more than 350-400 years in age , the largest we saw was about 27 ft high and a diameter of about 26 inches circumfince ageing about 350-360 years old in our guess if the ageing was correctly done ...still makeing the wagon trail more tham med to early 1800's and most likely older than that ...judgeing the deepth and wear of the trail makeing me guess the med 1700's to late 1500's maybe even early 1500's in reality vs the weather and tempure changes of the area it self ... and yes IMHO or my closes guess ...
 

Greetings,
Blindbowman, do you know of any cactus in Arizona (or anywhere in the southwest USA) that is over 300 years old, that can be PROVEN to be that old? From what I read, no cactus in the US lives that long.

I get the impression this is a bit of a 'quest' for you personally, and don't want to discourage you from your pursuit. The case to support the whole Holmes version of events is not just thin and circumstantial, there are many parts that are just hard to swallow - like the women, children, cattle, sheep etc being in the Peralta party, when we cannot prove that ANY Peraltas were in the Superstitions prior to 1891. It is SO easy to mis-identify and mis-interpret the bits of evidence that do exist in the Superstitions too - like the roads and wheel ruts, which you have not proven NOT to be one of the two LATER roads. You saw large cactus growing in the roads, so have estimated the age as between 1700 to even 1500; is it not possible those cactus are only 100 or 120 years old? wheel-ruts-superstitions.JPG
(Wheel ruts in the Superstitions, one of the two roads built in the 1880-1890s)

I guess what I am getting at is that if you were to put your abilities to work in a different approach, I think you would have greater success. The first step would be to at least question the veracity of the whole Holmes version of events, which is at variance with some known facts (we know of several lies in that version, and doesn't that trouble you about his whole story? Why did Holmes include lies?) but if you are dead-set on believing that version, (I get that impression) it is an uphill battle to try to prove it especially when it comes to getting those necessary treasure trove permits etc. As far as the wheel ruts are concerned, I suggest that you try to find a map that shows the locations of the two later aborted roads and be sure that what you have found is NOT one of those - I suspect that it is but was not with you and don't know the location of the two roads so it is up to you to find out for certain. If it is absolutely certain that it is NOT one of the later roads, then more research work is needed to try to identify just who made it and when. I would be very surprised if it were to prove to be older than 1880, (there is virtually no evidence of Spanish in the Superstitions, those "spanish heiroglyphics" were created by an idiot who lived in the twentieth century, the same person I now believe responsible for those "Peralta stone maps") but if it is, the next step is to find exactly what the road runs TO.
("Spanish heiroglyphics" created/altered by author Barry Storm to "fit" with his stories)
spanish-heiroglyphix.JPG

There will need to be more research on other points as well, such as the legendary "nephew" of Waltz, there has to be some record of his existence and probably of his going "Missing" if the tale of his murder is actually true. There were newspapers in Arizona in the 1800s so it is possible to look it up. Finding proof of the Peraltas being involved in the Superstitions in 1847 or anytime is going to be quite a task, many a Dutch-hunter has gone searching for this proof and failed to find any! Then there is the problem of the two soldiers - perhaps there is a SECOND set of two soldiers who were murdered, and it is just a "coincidence" that there were two soldiers murdered in the Four Peaks region in the very same time period, (and yes I do have their names) which went un-reported anywhere until the treasure-hunter authors got involved but personally, I doubt that too. Even Sims Ely could not find any sort of a NAME to those "two soldiers" who were supposedly murdered by Waltz, but perhaps you will have better luck.

In short good luck and good hunting to you, I fear that you are headed for a snipe hunt with no snipes by trusting that work of fiction from Holmes but if you have a good time doing it, and can find enough evidence to satisfy yourself then who am I to try to talk you out of it! Good luck, I hope you find the treasure that you seek.
Roy ~ Oroblanco
 

Jumping in here for a second...Oroblanco I know you specifially addressed Blindbowman regarding the age of the cactus, but I wish to interject something here. Scientific evidence indicates that creosote bush is the oldest living plant on the planet. Not being familiar with the area around the Superstition Mountains, I don't know if creosote bush grows in the region, but if it did...creosote may help in dating the road that bbm talks about. Perhaps he should look for creosote bushes growing in the road, rather than cacti?

Here's a link to read all about creosote...it's not a particularly long article: http://www.friendsofsaguaro.org/creosote.html
 

Treasure Tales that is a great idea - perhaps that set of wheel ruts can be dated after all?
Oroblanco
 

thanks TT i have seen them in that area but i will check to see if they are growing between the wheel marks ...

Oro . i think you may have the wrong idea about what i doing . these leeds are only a very small part of the directions i am working . its like trying to under stand a larger puzzle that you dont know what it looks like or how large the size is . or what it is . all data is evalueated on many levels . often putting parts of data in hold untill finding any way they can add to any given direction yet not fiting them in place unless they do in fact fit ... i agree the dick Holmes was a dick ... and for most part i dont beleave a word of the acound but it dose fit what i am working on at the time ...i would much rather injoy the facts known but in the case of the LDM and the jesuits little facts or evidence remain open to the public as well as many lost in the area of the true locations of these sites ..

i am looking into investing a large amont of hard work, time and money into my research ...and even if i dont work the way most do i get evidence that is worth the time and hard work ... if i do not find evidence i will walk away .. its as simple as that .....

you want my honest insight to the dick holmes acount i could blow holes in it for days . yet i can also see some value hiden with in the words ... and yes agree there are better leeds in the legend ....

thats why i was researching the tayopa treasure trove legend ....

some things in one acount of that legend solve or given logicial reasons to why things happen in this legend that dont make much logic untill those things in that acont aline with this legend ...maybe they are just odd peices of logic .. than again they may not be .. they may fit because they are part of the same puzzle and most dont know it or relate the two legends i didnt in fact...

we are still 19 days later finding things in our photos that we did not see or know when we were in the mts at the time the photos were taken ... in fact we are haveing some real fun peiceing things back togather ...we in fact climbed down the bridge area and never knew it was a bridge at the time yet me and my brother remember climbing down the side of it ...lol ...

the wagon trail you showed is not the one i saw it is deeper and about the right size and width of the wheels is right ...

in fact we learn something we had not known from the photos , when we alined the place where the cameras did not work they in line with the tunnle area and when the camera did work the i was blocked from seeing the tunnle by a mt ....what was funny was we were able to locate the tunnle area down to a about 35ft and have a bearing line to it now because of those odd factors about the photos ...

is this a normal why i would think of pinpionting a lost site ...hell no ... but it did ...

you dont even want to know the toys i am looking at right now ...

i have 3 of the mts fully pictured in sets of photos on the wall ,and before i am done i will have about 10 of the mts fully layed out at one time ...

i think i got like photos of 17 mts so far from within 3 miles of weavers needle...

and Oro i agree the peralta have nothing to little at all to do with the LDM IMHO

i have stated i beleave Kino made the stones . what peralta knew latin and could read and write latin ? thats my piont !Kino not only knew how to read and write latin he was a teacher trained by the roman (vadicain) i dont think that was spelled right but you get the idea i hope ...

to think the peralta's made the stones Is dum IMHO ...they should have been called the Kino stones and mark my words when its all over thats who made them .. but i will keep an open mind if i find evidence to prove other wise ....

we are going to take a metal detector and check the nephew site frist before looking for any signs of human bone in the site ...

even if it is a pain in you know where i still agree the mts are beautfull and if we are to hunt and seek what we do not know ,let us see the beauty of the mts and respect it for others far into future ...

it dose always turn out the way we think it will . often the known is just that unknown till we find a way to know it fffor what it is ... can it hide from me ... good question i will have fun trying to answer that question .. maybe it can .maybe it cant !

but as far as i can tell the leeds vanish threw the years and diging them back out of the unknow of the past is like fishing when you are blind,... lol take the fish off the hook is ez . knowing what you have is the real hard part to under stand . not seeing and trying to beleave is much like beleaveing in GOD ...

dont try to under stand the unknown or jump in as i do ...i can only reach in and show you what i found ..

what is it . its what you beleave it is untill i find prof it is what i beleave it is ...


i hope we both enjoy the path ...
 

Greetings Blindbowman,

BB wrote: in fact we are haveing some real fun peiceing things back togather

Then it IS worth your while and that is the whole point of treasure hunting, to have fun!

and Oro i agree the peralta have nothing to little at all to do with the LDM IMHO

i have stated i beleave Kino made the stones . what peralta knew latin and could read and write latin ? thats my piont !


A super point - indeed what Peralta knew Latin and could read and write in that dead language? The folks who believe the so-called Peralta stones were made by Peraltas seem to ignore that fact. Father Kino was only one of a number of Jesuit priests who lived and worked in what was then Pimeria Alta/Sonora, and they had "neophytes" - native Indios who were learning to become priests (usually Pimas but also Opatas) who would likely also have learned to read and write in Latin, at least in a rudimentary way.

Having said that, I have become convinced that the Peralta stones are a fraud, and have hinted at who/whom is a good suspect for the perpetrator of this fraud. This fellow is known to have altered ancient Indian petroglyphs and added "Spanish heiroglyphics" to several sites in the Superstitions, to provide "proof" for his stories. This fellow had the support (including financial) of a well-known senator, and apparently strongly linked to a rather odd club known as the Phoenix Dons. They maintain a club camp site on the edge of the Superstitions, and "coincidentally" these "Peralta stones" were "discovered" not that far from their camp site. I would not recommend the stones to anyone as good clues to find any kind of treasure, unless it is just the "treasure" of the hunt, which is the real treasure anyway but for someone hoping to find actual valuable artifacts or lost mines, those stones are a great map to find heartbreak, anguish and disappointment.

Good luck and good hunting, hope you find the treasure that you seek.
Oroblanco
 

Oroblanco

Having said that, I have become convinced that the Peralta stones are a fraud, and have hinted at who/whom is a good suspect for the perpetrator of this fraud. This fellow is known to have altered ancient Indian petroglyphs and added "Spanish heiroglyphics" to several sites in the Superstitions, to provide "proof" for his stories. This fellow had the support (including financial) of a well-known senator, and apparently strongly linked to a rather odd club known as the Phoenix Dons. They maintain a club camp site on the edge of the Superstitions, and "coincidentally" these "Peralta stones" were "discovered" not that far from their camp site.

You don't find it odd that the "Fellow" never mentioned the stone maps in any of his writings prior to the Life Magazine article about them in 1964 or Mitchell's book about them in 1965? The only time he ever mentioned them was in the last revision of Thunder God's Gold in 1967. (Do you believe he would have let someone else have the "Scoop" on them if he had known about them first?) Did you see him alter any petroglyphs or heiroglyphics yourself? Are we to believe that you think HE was fluent in Latin?

The stones were found about 7 miles from the site of the Don's camp. Please define what you mean by "not that far from their camp site"


I would not recommend the stones to anyone as good clues to find any kind of treasure, unless it is just the "treasure" of the hunt, which is the real treasure anyway but for someone hoping to find actual valuable artifacts or lost mines, those stones are a great map to find heartbreak, anguish and disappointment.

You appear to have experienced some heartbreak, anguish and disappointment over the stones which have lead you to conclude that they are frauds. Nothing unusual about that. The grapes are always sour for those that cannot reach them, but there is no need to belittle the name of a brother treasure hunter or a fine organization like the Phoenix Don's just to be able to express your opinion.

IMHO, your own personal disappointment over your failure to solve the stones does not justify the level you stoop to in your efforts to discredit them.


Blazer
 

This is a followup post for JSCOTTWOOD concerning the low resolution photography of selected areas in the Superstition Wilderness as seen on Google Earth maps.



JSCOTTWOOD

Are you saying that the area inside the red box below is low resolution and everything outside of it is high resolution by way of accident or oversight of some kind?

The "Holes" in the high resolution photography are very curious to me.

Blazer
 

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The resolution differences are curious, aren't they? Hmmmm, makes you wonder why. Very interesting......
 

Greetings Blazer and everyone,

Blazer wrote:
You don't find it odd that the "Fellow" never mentioned the stone maps in any of his writings prior to the Life Magazine article about them in 1964 or Mitchell's book about them in 1965? The only time he ever mentioned them was in the last revision of Thunder God's Gold in 1967. (Do you believe he would have let someone else have the "Scoop" on them if he had known about them first?) Did you see him alter any petroglyphs or heiroglyphics yourself? Are we to believe that you think HE was fluent in Latin?

The stones were found about 7 miles from the site of the Don's camp. Please define what you mean by "not that far from their camp site"


Gee no coincidence that this 'fellow' mentioned them at all right? Especially if he had created them. By "not that far" I mean it is not that far - if they had been discovered say on the NORTH side of the Superstitions or at least farther away than seven miles, I would not have said "not that far". Heck I can walk seven miles in a few hours. And yes, I do believe this person would have let someone else have the "scoop" on "discovering" his work. It makes sense, compared to if he had been the first to 'announce' them, people might wonder about it. What kind of question is that, "did you see him alter any petroglyphs yourself"? My source for making that statement is Tom Kollenborn, who reported it in an article published a few years ago - in his words, several old timers who pre-dated this "person of interest" actually witnessed him adding the word "ORO" and altering ancient Indian petroglyphs. There are photos of the sunburst stone, for instance, which are older than the period when this "person" was at work, and there are NO Spanish anything on the stones. Look it up, or just go ahead and believe what that person wanted you to. As to whether he was fluent in Latin, I do not know what his level of education was, but it seems very likely that he had help, as he did with publishing his first book. You don't think that all of the petroglyphs, "hieroglyphs" etc in the Superstitions are 'virgin' - un-altered by modern jerks, do you?

As to how I view that person, well I am not sure I would even count him as a fellow treasure hunter really. He was a writer first and foremost as he said himself. Heck I enjoy a tall tale, legends and lore as much as any guy, they make for great entertainment; there is nothing wrong with being a writer or teller of such tales, and I do not think any less of such a writer for having put a story/stories to paper. What I DO have a big problem with such mixing, confabulating, embellishing of facts with fiction, is when it is put forth as if it were all truth and fact. In my opinion that is deliberately misleading the readers for the profit of the author. If that person we have referred to had written his books and articles in the belief that it was all true, it might be at least a bit forgive-able, but there is no reason to think that.

Blazer also wrote:
You appear to have experienced some heartbreak, anguish and disappointment over the stones which have lead you to conclude that they are frauds. Nothing unusual about that. The grapes are always sour for those that cannot reach them, but there is no need to belittle the name of a brother treasure hunter or a fine organization like the Phoenix Don's just to be able to express your opinion.

IMHO, your own personal disappointment over your failure to solve the stones does not justify the level you stoop to in your efforts to discredit them.


Well then your perception of the appearances are about as far off as it could possibly be. I have experienced NO disappointment, dis-illusionment, anguish, heartbreak or any kind of let-down over these stones, in ANY way. I have listed here in several threads exactly why I became convinced they were frauds, not due to any type of failure to "decipher" their "mysteries" or codes etc. What possible gain can a person make from decoding some clues from a FRAUD? Satisfaction of having figured out what the hoaxer was trying to encode in his fraud? Sorry to point this up, but really my friend I have had absolutely NO type of dis-appointment with these frauds. I have not even bothered to start working out what it is supposed to be a code or map of, for the single most important reason (for me anyway) that I am convinced they are fraudulent. Would you, Blazer, waste your time working out a secret code on a FAKE? If so, why?

I also have not intended to cast aspersions on a "brother treasure hunter" but will not encourage others to pursue what I am convinced are frauds, unless they really are out for the fun of it, because if they are serious and hope to find real treasure or lost mines, a FRAUD is NOT going to be of any help to them, and might end up causing a "brother treasure hunter" to become totally discouraged with ALL treasure hunting and quit the game altogether - it is FAR better for a treasure hunter to follow up genuine evidence and leads than to waste time and efforts trying to work out FAKES. The Phoenix Dons may well be a fine organization, they do have very nice tours etc but remember they are not necessarily DEDICATED TO TRUTH - read their own public statement of their "mission"!!! Legend and lore are great for entertainment, NOT for finding lost mines and treasures!

I have experienced disappointment in trying to discuss those stones with fellow treasure hunters; I think that most if not all treasure hunters are by nature the type of person who examines all evidence, sorts out the false from the true, checks what facts can be checked, follows up leads, but where these Peralta stones are concerned there is a level of "belief" involved that is beyond my ability to argue any kind of facts to change that belief. They are virtually an article of faith for some treasure hunters, no logic can sway them, not pointing out how unlikely they are, nor such points of evidence as the utterly wrong style of the writing can change that faith in them as genuine maps to lost treasures and mines. So yes, I have had some disappointment, but a disappointment in some of my fellow treasure hunters that seem to be un-willing to weigh out the facts versus that belief. :(

Blazer I have to ask you this - would you encourage fellow treasure hunters to follow up on a fraudulent clue? Would you want ME to do that? I cannot in good conscience encourage anyone to follow up on a fraud; not if they are in hopes of finding treasures or lost mines. I DO try to encourage fellow treasure hunters, but encourage them in pursuing genuine evidence and clues, NOT to follow up a dead end, false clue or set of false clues like these Peralta stones.

In conclusion, my own "disappointment" with Peralta stones has never occurred, I will not be bothered to try to work out the "secrets" of FRAUDS and have not spent time on that - my "stooping" to some "low level" as you perceive it, has been an effort on my part to save fellow treasure hunters from wasting time and becoming discouraged with or disillusioned with treasure hunting due to these FRAUDS. Do you really think I am trying to say "sour grapes" about fake stones? Yeesh! ::) Hey sour grapes make good wine! ;D :D I have seen more than one treasure hunter QUIT after wasting time and effort on similar fraudulent "clues" and would rather not lose any brother treasure hunters to such crap. There ARE very real and fantastically rich lost treasures and lost mines out there, just waiting for someone to find them, and there are FRAUDS made up by jerks to fool treasure hunters and attract attention. If you believe the Peralta Stones are genuine, by all means go right ahead and try to "work out the secrets" and use them as "maps" to find treasures and lost mines, I will sure NOT try to stop you - but don't be real surprised when you fail to find anything by using them. :'(
Oroblanco
 

Postscript for Blazer - here is that article written by Tom Kollenborn, 1989:
http://www.ajpl.org/aj/superstition/1icto1.htm

A direct quote:

It is tragic that men have altered the many petroglyphs of the Superstition Mountains, or at least certain ones. Many of the markings associated with the Jesuits, the Peraltas and the Lost Dutchman Mine are suspect. There is no reasonable proof in existence that supports the wanderings of Jesuits in the Superstition Wilderness Area. Furthermore it is difficult to find information to support the existence of a prospecting and mining family named Peralta who worked rich gold mines in the Superstition Wilderness Area. For the most part the Peralta scenario was developed by early and contemporary chroniclers of Superstition Mountain lore.

The Superstition Wilderness contains thousands of petroglyphs, stone markings and stone writings of which many are from an unknown source. Lets examine one of the best known sites in the Superstition Wilderness. On the south end of Black Top Mountain (Mesa) in the Superstition Wilderenss there are a set of stone writings that suggest they are Spanish in origin. The drawings are of a sunburst and the Spanish word, "ORO". These signs have been the subject of controversy for more than fifty years. Thousands of dollars have been invested in a variety of mining schemes to find gold on this mountain as a direct results of these stone markings.

Barry Storm, an early writer on the subject of the Peralta Mines and the Lost Dutchman Mine, claimed these were Spanish markings (hieroglyphics). He further claimed these Spanish markings indicated gold was buried in the vicinity. Hundreds of prospect holes in the vicinity attest to belief there was Spanish gold buried in the region. Prior to Barry Storm's writings about the Superstitions very few people were aware of the existence of these stone markings on Black Top Mountain. The markings have been examined by many people over the years and most believe the markings to be a hoax. The first published photographs of these markings were taken in the early 1930's. Storm was the first man to interpret these markings as Spanish hieroglyphics. This was definitely a misnomer. The name Spanish Hieroglyphics remained with the site on forest service maps until 1979, when this mis-interpretation was finally removed. Two old-timers, one being William A. Barkley, who predated Storm in the area claimed Storm altered the markings on Black Top. They said Storm added the two "ORO" markings. There are photographs of the sunburst prior to 1937 in which the "ORO" is obviously missing.


end quote, from Rock Writing, A Lost Language, by Tom Kollenborn, 1989

So NO, obviously, I did not witness John Clymenson altering the petroglyphs and adding things, if you care to take this up with Mr. Kollenborn for stooping so low as to cast aspersions on our friend Clymenson, please feel free to do so.

Oroblanco
 

Jumping into the fray again (I just can't help myself). Surely you cannot discount a person's credibility based largely (or solely) on his means of enrichment. The famous Earle Stanley Garner of Perry Mason fame was first an attorney, then he turned to writing fiction, and then he had enough money to search for lost and cached treasures himself. One activity did not exclude the other, merely enabled the other. Although, I do agree that much of what has been written about the treasure of the Superstition Mountains is overblown at best and outright lies at worst.

Now, bowing out again.
 

Greetings Treasure Tales!

Just think about it, we have a suspect here who was a promoter of the Superstition legends, one who was SEEN altering and creating fake Spanish inscriptions, carving this fake Spanish into stones; a person who was trying to sell as many books as possible, movie deals etc. This same person is known to have at least "embellished" the facts in his books, and to have mixed in events from other regions and myths as well. This same person is in the area prior to the discovery of the Peralta stones too, and there is no record of them prior to their discovery in 1956. He was good friends with Senator Goldwater, who financially backed his first book (at least) to the point that he adopted his first name as a pen name; this same Senator was a prominent member of the aforementioned Phoenix Dons Club, whose stated mission is the promotion and continuance of the legends and lore of the Superstition Mountains. So we have a person who is known to have created fake Spanish treasure maps carved in stone, in the Superstition mountains, in the time period just prior to the finding of the Peralta stones, this person had support from powerful and influential persons who had similar interests in promoting the Superstition mountains. The fact that Storm wrote pulp fiction has little to do with it, except that he published fiction and labeled it as absolute truth and fact. I cannot think of a stronger suspect for having created the fraudulent Peralta Stones than this person, who had motive, ability and opportunity - and is known to have created fake Spanish stone inscriptions and maps in the Superstitions in the period. Can you think of a stronger suspect?

Oroblanco
 

Hi Randy and Happy New Year!

Boy I wish I knew exactly what stone inscriptions existed before Storm and his ilk (unfortunately he is NOT the only one who has altered existing petroglyphs or made fakes in the Superstitions) did their dirty work. They really muddied the waters for everyone after them. Just my opinion here but IN MY OPINION we have to view ALL stone inscriptions/petroglyphs/heiroglyphs/carvings etc in the Superstitions as possibly the work of fakers, or at least possibly altered by fakers. It is healthy to have a skeptical view of such 'signs' anyway, look before we leap so to speak!

Roy ~ Oroblanco
 

Oroblanco and Mrs. Oroblanco, I know little about the author in question. Merely trying to state that a fiction writer can be credible. As far as this Barry Storm/Clymenson person is concerned...I know nothing about him. Still, if he is the liar/manipulator you claim, his writing might contain a grain of truth/information nonetheless, even if that grain only leads the reader/dupe to learn what is not the truth. Process of elimination, as it were.

I do know that many famous treasure stories and clues have been altered, manipulated, damaged, deleted, or ruined by unscrupulous or unwitting people. But it is up to the treasure hunter to determine what to believe and what to ignore. You can lead a horse to water.............
 

djui5 said:
Treasuretales,
The movie "Lust for Gold" is based on Barry Storms book "Thunder God's Gold". Cool movie, though historically laughable for authenticity. Julia Thomas as a white woman, having an affair with Dutchie! hahaha!!!

I didn't get a picture of it, but another rock near the picture I took above reads "Lust for Dust". Thought that was funny. :o

dj, I know very little about the Lost Dutchman Mine and all that is related to it. I find these types of treasure legends interesting, sometimes laughable, and always entertaining. I spent one week each year--for a period of 25 years--looking for a "lost mine" and finally had to call it quits. The frustration was getting to me. (Well, the frustration and my rheumatiod arthritis.) Now I prefer to read about the exploits of others in their quests for a big payoff. I'm perfectly content with small payoffs.

Happy New Year!
 

djui5 said:
Happy New Year!
What mine did you search for?
I can tell you for sure the Dutchie mine is still out there, somewhere. Some of the stuff is funny, but there is a lot of truth out there, even in public books/documents.

IF the Lost Dutchman Mine exists, it will probably be found by some 12 year old kid who goes off trail when hiking with his family. I can't count the number of discoveries made in similar accidental ways.

I searched for the Lost Mine, that was its name. In CA. I'm glad I tried, but I'd never take on such an undertaking again.

So you are one of the people actively seeking the LDM? If so, I wish you luck and good health.
 

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