Mining Adventures: UNCOVERING the Lost Dutchman & Two Soldiers Mines

[@IowaGoldProspectors]

I wish I would've known of you 30 years ago when I was stationed at Luke Air Force Base. I was driving some of them back roads up through there messing around looking for gold back in my 20s. Drove one of them back roads by myself because nobody else that I knew on base wanted to go look for gold.

[@randomtangents5204]

Yes, that would have been great. I spent a lot of time in those mountains back in the 1990's and today more and more areas are fenced off or flash floods have taken out old mining roads making it tougher to access. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@clintxxxracerx9435]

Thank you Mr. Hawk!

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@maikailoa808]

Thanks for the education and great story. Ron

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it, more to come. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@weldenjon]

There was a rancher back in the late 1800s and early 1900s that ranched in the area of Woodbury springs. In fact a canyon is named after him “Fraser Canyon”. This canyon runs pretty much east to west and has several springs in it. There are some that last year round which made it a good place to graze cattle. This ranch called the JF Ranch is still in use today by its present owner who leases it from the Forest Service. Anyway, I personally believe Jacob Waltz’s hidden mine is somewhere off Fraser Canyon since it has been documented that he traveled this canyon on occasion. It is rugged terrain though. There is a trail that could be picked up at the location of the JF Ranch house. It is called the Coffee Flat Trail. But is has long since been neglected for only parts of the trail can be followed as it pretty much follows Fraser Canyon heading west to the Peralta Trail Head near Quarter Circle U.

[@randomtangents5204]

Thank you for the interesting information. Some of the country out there is really rough and if you go make sure you take plenty of water and let someone know where you are going. It is always an adventure and a good day exploring and hiking in the outback is better than a mediocre day in the office or setting on your bum. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@treasuretom13]

Pretty awesome scenery good luck🍀

[@randomtangents5204]

Thank You! It's tough country and being prepared is a must. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@wannahumpalot8924]

Thank you Sir!

[@johnvoelker8227]

Great story, thanks for sharing

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it! More to come. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@jerrymoore838]

Love a good tale. Subscribed

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@mikemcchesney2555]

Short answer to your thumbnail question....."I believe so". Waltz' Mine was open when he acquired it sometime in the early 1870s, and stayed open the entire time Waltz worked it until 1881. That year Waltz sealed the mine and never returned. This was evidenced by Waltz himself when he was on his death bed in Julia Thomas' Place. He told her and Reinhardt Petrasch that it had been ten years since he was last at his mine (this was in 1891). Best estimate is that the Two Soldiers Story took place in about 1878. Its likely that the club-footed swamper from Globe trailed them when they left Silver King, then bushwhacked them, but its also possible that Waltz caught them digging at his mine and shot'em (but I doubt it since:) One of the soldiers graves is on the East side of the Quarter Circle U Ranch. As far as the "Green Spring", there are only seven (IIRC) year-round water sources inside the Wilderness Area. Every spring gets kind of green if the water's not moving. The only year-round green spring that I know of is Willow Spring in Old West Boulder. But depending on the time of year, many of the springs are green.

[@randomtangents5204]

Thanks Mike, It sounds as though you have did a fair amount of searching yourself. Thanks for the information. I met another fellow back in Millsite Canyon and he pointed out some old rock corrals and fences on the ridge between Millsite and Hewitt. The old man that told me the story said he found the green spring on the Hewitt side of the ridge which would place it outside the Wilderness area. There is a lot of rough country in that particular area to be sure of. Thanks Again! Greg Hawk

[@mikemcchesney2555]

@@randomtangents5204 Thanks Greg. Know how Horse Mesa got it's name? It's the place where Apache took horses and mules for slaughter. In the 1930s, someone found a crapload of horse and mule bones. They kept them up there until they needed the meat. Just like the Spanish had two trails to the top of Bluff Springs Mt. where they kept their livestock so the Apache couldn't get to them (Tom Kollenborn's Father and a friend found 16 ounces (1.3 Troy Pounds) of gold in a little pile on the Southeast Trail up the mountain. Most of my ground pounding in the Superstitions is from the Central Supers to the West Side. The Lost Dutchman is not on the East Side. There is also another mine/ledge by LaBarge Canyon. Wagoners Lost Ledge. According to the story, it is somewhere near Whiskey Spring (just West of Upper LaBarge Box and Miners Needle). I also believe the Dutchman is somewhere near Marsh Valley. But in the Superstitions, even if you have the LDM narrowed to 1/4 mile.....it might as well be on the Moon. You could spend five lifetimes searching that quarter mile. LOL

[@billblackwell6098]

Fabulous stuff

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@legacyXplore]

Awesome content. Thanks as always

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@bobbeach1159]

great video again thanks

[@randomtangents5204]

Thanks again! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@davidmurphy619]

Genos my dad SW lot on the QV green.. he is 93 ! Say hi to Geno if you see him wandering around behind a metal dector er sumthin. Hee hee

[@randomtangents5204]

Will Do! It is a great little place to be in the winter time. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@crotalusatrox5442]

So is Rattlesnake Spring the same as the "the Green Spring" mentioned in the story?

[@randomtangents5204]

The Green Spring mentioned in the story was located on the other side of the mountain ridge or the Hewitt Canyon side. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@crotalusatrox5442]

@@randomtangents5204 Thank you for clarifying that.....much appreciated.

[@davidmurphy619]

Water in a shoe print get the eye dropper gotta water the horse ya know

[@berdan556]

Where did you get the map?

[@randomtangents5204]

I get custom maps put together at MyTopo.com You can take several quadrangle maps and put them together at different scales showing different things and have them printed out to the size they offer. If you watch the video about the Walnut Grove Dam Disaster you will see their logo on the bottom right corner of the map I am showing. Let me know if you have any other questions? Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@CaptainG23]

Great video ! Where can we get that topo map?

[@randomtangents5204]

Sorry I am a little late replying. I get custom maps made at MyTopo.com. They have changed their format and the last time I told them over the phone what I wanted and they put it together. They may be back doing it digitally now, don't know. Good Luck! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@tomhenry897]

Lot of bodies out there Even today

[@randomtangents5204]

Yes, people have disappeared out there with no trace and some have been found shot or body parts scattered. I think it has calmed down over the last 20 or 30 years as to how it used to be. Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@TheSilmarillian]

Australian opal miner here there are many bones of what we call ratters ( people who sneak into the shafts at night to clean out the opal) at the bottom of shafts not so much these days but back in the early times defiantly, how many nobody knows, nor cares ratters are ratters and deserve their fate.

[@herby375]

Do you real think they walked across all those mountains to the silver king mine. I would think they would take a more flat land route walking. Just my thoughts :)

[@randomtangents5204]

If you check out the topography of the area from the fort, crossing the Salt River, and then skirting the mountains all the way over to Apache Juunction they missed the mountains and being in the cavalry they knew the area. When they left the area around Apache Junction and went towards the Silver King Mine then they crossed through the mountains in hopes of saving some time. Cheers, Greg hawk

[@looking8030]

💯👌🏽

[@randomtangents5204]

Glad You enjoyed it! Cheers, Greg Hawk

[@Tyler.i.81]

Where's the gold I want gold

[@bertnerny]

De ja vu