Lost Dutchman Monument - Apache Junction, Arizona - German-American Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

The Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Mountains is a significant part of Arizona culture and history today. Folks still look for the lost mine, the most famous lost mine in American history. Folks for decades have searched for it and died for it. The mine is named for Jacob von Walzer the "Deutscheman", who immigrated from Germany and mined it back in the late 1800s.

There have been books written about this lost treasure and many variations about it. A bare bones version is posted here. Originally, a Spanish immigrant family named the Peraltas is said to have found gold in the Superstition Mountains only to be killed off by Apaches, to whom the area is sacred. At some point, Jacob Waltz, as he is known locally, started showing up in the Phoenix area with large amounts of gold nuggets. Like all prospectors, he kept a diligant secrecy about the location of his mine. He was cared for when he was ill by Julia Thomas to whom he supposedly gave a map to a mine in the Superstitions. He did not survive that illness. Jacob Waltz is buried in the old pioneers cemetery in Phoenix. Since his death in 1891, folks have gone searching for his lost mine.

A plaque at this monument to Jacob Waltz reads:

Dedicated October 1861 to the memory of Jacob von Walzer 1808-1891

One of America's most famed legendary figures, whose exploits have stimulated the imagination of peoples everywhere by this contribution to the heritage of his adopted country in which he found the freedom to search for his mine of gold.

In his honor, US Highway 70 which passes through the great states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California assures all men the freedom to find the scenic treasures within our borders.

1961 by National Lost Dutchman Gold Route Association.

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