Homar,
Thanks for that detailed post. You come up with a lot of good points. The clues to the legendary mine are mixed with equal amounts of drama as the entire Waltz story itself....so I am unsure which to believe in...and which are clues injected into legend to throw other would-be treasure seekers off their path.
I have done research on trying to find a good list of clues, and came across a post made by @roadrunner that lists out quite a few of them. I am unsure where Roadrunner got this list, perhaps he will chip in with some additional commentary.
I have "bold" the clues that I feel match the area - of course, take all of these clues with a grain of salt.
1. The mine is in the mountains, to the east where the Weaver's Needle is.
2. If you followed the shadow of Weaver's Needle at 4:00 o'clock, you could find the mine. (contradicts clue 1)
3. The mine lies within a five-mile radius of Weaver's Needle.
4. If I climb a little way, I can see the tip of Weaver's Needle.
5. The mine is in a north-south trending canyon in a gorge running east and west. (no gorge)
6. The mine is at the junction of two canyons.
7. It is in a gorge high up on a mountain.
8. I can see the military trail below.
9. You can see my mine from the cave but you cannot see the cave from my mine. Doubtful
10. The afternoon sun shines into my mine and illuminates the gold.
11. My mine is in a chimney formation. The mine starts as a chimney formation, but isn't part of a natural chimney formation.
12. My mine is a funnel-shaped pit with the large end up.
13. The ore is an 18-inch vein of rose quartz bearing one-third gold. (impossible to know after the people dug up the mine)
14. Below the mine is a tunnel that Don Miguel Peralta started, but he did not do any work on it. Neither did we. The ore was of a low grade. Unsure
15. You cannot find anything until you find the "Little Man". I haven't been given any photographs of a Little Man.
16. After you have located the "Little Man", continue up canyon until you find what appears to be a great cave with a two room house inside.
17. Across from this cave with the "rock house" is my mine. (The pit mine isn't "across" from the cliff dwellings, about 1.5 miles away.)
18. There is a great face that looks up to my mine. This face is in a rock formation.
19. There are three pines nearby. (perhaps in the 1800s?)
20. There is a burro's head that looks down at my mine.
21. There is a horse's head near the mine.
22. There is a stripped ironwood tree with a rock in the crotch of the branch that points to my mine. (perhaps in the 1800's)
23. I buried my mine from all miners so that no miner will ever find it. Ive read a few variants of this clue.
24. The old Spanish Trail goes right to the mine.
25. If you go beyond the three red hills, you have gone too far. (unsure on this clue)
26. My cave faces north.
27. I watered my burros at the old water hole.
28. If you find Wiser's grave, you have found my mine. I don't think anyone has found a grave out there?
29. I left the largest of three caches and removed the two smaller ones.
30. All I have to do is pick up the gold.
1. The Dutchman entered the Superstitions by way of Queen Creek or Whitlow Stage Road. (Queen Creek, no - Queen Valley, yes)
2. He always bought his supplies in Florence. ( Florence is close by)
3. He reported Wiser's death first in Florence. (unsure)
4. His partner had been a carpenter in Florence. (unsure)
5. Walz was followed by many to the vicinity of Randolph and Fraser Canyons, where he eluded them.
6. He often stayed in one of the "lugares" or a one room house located at the junction of Red tanks, Randolph and Fraser Canyons. (cliff dwellings)
7. The Dutchman and Wiser were seen coming out of the mountains by way of the Whitlow Stage Road with six heavily laden burros accompanied by two Mexicans on at least five occasions.
8. The old Spanish Trail, as well as a branch of the old military trail, comes over the Red Tanks Divide, around Randolph Canyon and then through Whitlow. (unsure)
9. Most of the old Dutchman hunters looked in the eastern part of the mountains. These people had more current data to go by.
10. The Dutchman always had a red stain on the knees of his trousers that would not come out when Julia Thomas washed them.
Homar - your clues
Is the Pit Mine within five miles from Weaver's Needle? YES
Can you see Four Peaks Mountain to the North where the peaks look like one from the Pit Mine? UNSURE
Do you have to climb a ways to see Weaver's Needle to the South from the Pit Mine? UNSURE ON DIRECTION OF TRAVEL, BUT IT IS VISABLE AS SEEN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH
Can you see the Military trail from the Pit Mine? YES
Is there a hideout cave 200 feet from the Pit Mine? UNSURE, BUT DONT BELIEVE SO.
Is the Pit mine on a 12 foot ledge? NO (how do you have a mine on a ledge that is funnel shaped?)
Can you reach the Pit mine only from the side, and not from above, or below? NO
Sorry Amigo, I only have the general area because I don't have to go there to know it's not the LDM.
