Beyond Oak Island’s Episode 4 discusses The Lost Dutchman Mine.  The entire episode provides different thoughts and theories about this lost gold mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.  Is it true?  Where might it be?  Can it be found or the location confirmed?

All great questions the Beyond Oak Island team sets out to answer during the episode. The team, Rick and Marty Lagina, Matty Blake and Gary Drayton meet in the War Room on Oak Island. Gary then shares how he was contacted about the lost gold mine, and plans to learn more about it.

The legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine is retold with talk of a curse from how many people have died while searching for its location. It is a dangerous area. The story begins in the 1840’s with the Peralta family mining for gold in the area of the Superstition Mountains.  They are believed to have found gold, but the area of their find was sacred to the Apaches. The family was ambushed and killed. It’s said the Apaches buried the Peralta’s gold and hid the mine. One person made it out alive to tell the story.

Twenty years after the ambush, prospectors started looking for the gold. One of which was Jacob Waltz who is believed to have found the rich deposits of gold. No one knew where he found the gold, though. However, he had made friends with a woman named Julia Thomas who ended up living with him, along with another gentleman. 

In October 1891, Jacob Waltz died. Along side him at the time was Dick Holmes. Julia had gone for help and left him with Holmes. When she returned, Waltz had passed, Holmes had left, and the gold under his bed, kept in a wooden chest, was gone. Did waltz give the gold to Holmes?  And did he disclose the location of his mine before he died to Holmes?  That is unknown.

The legend of the lost mine continues.

Gary had first met up with Bob Schoose in Goldfield to learn more about these stories. Goldfield is Southwest of the Superstition Mountains, and as the name suggests, where gold was found in the early 1890s.  Schoose has searched for years for the lost Dutchman mine in the area, and believes it is actually the Bulldog gold mine right near Goldfield. 

The mine is now filled in, but gold may still be found in the area. After rains, tiny pieces of gold may be washed into crevices at the base of the mountains.  Dirt is collected from the crevices and can later be panned out.  Gary and Bob did just that and were successful in finding a bit of gold.

The Bulldog gold mine however is off limits. No one is allowed to go there, so that is all Gary leaves with….a tiny bit of gold.

Gary had also met up with Clay Worst during his visit. He showed him a match box made of the gold, believed to be from the actual Lost Dutchman mine.  George Holmes, son of Dick Holmes, who worked with Clay, claimed the match box was made of the gold taken by Holmes from under the bed.

Chatting with Gary, Clay would not share where he feels the mine is because the search continues for himself, even at his age of near 90.  He spent most his life looking for the gold and he said he won’t be sharing the location where he believes the mine could be- not for any amount of money.  

Gary then met up with another group searching for the mine. The Feldmans. Ron Feldman and sons, Jesse and Josh, share their theory about how they feel the mine is on the east side of the Superstitions, instead of the commonly thought west side.  With history, technology, and geology, as their support, they are convinced the Lost Dutchman Mine is actually that of the Silver Chief Mine.

They have letters and notes from Ted Cox who searched around the 1920’s.  Cox had spent his life searching and was in contact of the gentleman who lived with Julia and Jacob Waltz.  Although 20 miles from the Bulldog mine, the Silver Chief Mine is where it is believed he searched.

The Feldmans compared ore samples from gold mines around the area, to the Match box, believed made from the gold to be from the lost Dutchman mine.  The ore of the Match box matched with ore of the Silver Chief mine. It is one of the key factors why the Feldmans believe the Silver Chief is the Dutchman Mine.  They both share the same fingerprint of Mercury within their ores.

No mining is allowed in this area either, however, and so even if you found the mine, like they believe they have, you can’t mine there. It’s Government land.  And even if able, it would be an extensive operation, for the Silver Chief mine has now collapsed and is filled in as well.

The episode ends with discussion on which theory for the lost Dutchman mine is most probable.  The team seemed to believe the Silver Chief mine had a lot going for it.  The historical documents with modern technology led them to feel the Dutchman Mine could very well have been the Silver Chief mine.

But questions and mystery continues.  Complete answers have not been given to all the questions surrounding the legend of the lost Dutchman mine!  The search remains…

Best of luck with all that you seek!  Always treasure the adventure!