Adventures in Goldfield and the Superstition Mountains

Lost Dutchman State Park is named for the famous "Lost Dutchman mine". This story has been developed over several generations of treasure seekers, and began actually during the Spanish occupation of the area. It is a fact that a land grant was issued in 1872 to a man named Peralta. From there, it's hard to tell fact from fiction. The legend has evolved over 152 years to include unsolved murders, forged documents, shifting locations, Apache Indians, and anyone connected to the infamous Spanish-Mexican Peralta family as well as two (or more) German immigrants. Several books have been written either entirely on this mine and legend, or at least including it in the overview of other lost mines. One good source is the book Lost Bonanzas, by Harry Sinclair Drago (1966). The book contains the stories of lost mines in 7 western states. The Lost Dutchman mine has inspired hundreds if not thousands of treasure hunters, and historians interested not only in the mining aspect but western history. No surprise, there is a Lost Dutchman Mining Association. It's a part of a larger organization. Check out the blog at Gold Prospectors Association of America. They have educational opportunities for folks interested in learning about the hobby and an occasional "annual" rendezvous that looks like a great opportunity to meet other hobby miners.

Wed. Jan 31 - Arizona is famous not only for it's beautiful blue skies, amazing clouds and rock formations but for the many mining operations it has supported over the years. Goldfield (in Arizona, not the one in NV) was one of those mines. This settlement/attraction is only a short distance from the park so our exploration started there. 

The buildings have been maintained and restored nicely, filled with shops of various types, and offering everything from snack to full meals in the saloon where dance hall girls will deliver your your order to your table.

 

The ceiling of entrance to the saloon is adorned with hundreds of pairs of boots. 

We never found an explanation for the tradition, but it beats business cards for atmosphere!

Across the street from Goldfield is the Superstition Mountain Museum and gift shop. The small museum is a good source for local information and history, as are the many books on local topics that the gift shop has in stock. There are buildings around the grounds that relate to the local history too. One is the Elvis Chapel that was featured in an Elvis Presley movie. They offer very popular free lectures on relevant local history and other aspects of the area every Thursday. The recent one, on a local amethyst mine, included a discount on amethyst jewelry. You should have see the overflow in the parking lot!

Thursday, Feb 1 - We aren't here to look for the mine, that's for sure. But viewing the landscape that figured largely in the history of it is fascinating.

A rock formation known as "Weaver's Needle", for instance, was one of the few stable landmarks used as a clue to the mine's location whenever it was described. 

We took a day trip on the Apache Trail (Hwy 88) as far as Canyon Lake and then east to Tortilla Flat. About half way up we had a chance to view the "needle". The small peak to the right in the photo is the far-away "needle", looking like a dollop of whipped cream. 

It is a part of the larger Superstition Mountains formation (plural - as opposed to The Superstition Mountain where we are camped). From a distance it doesn't look very imposing but as a landmark it's useful as it's isolated and easily seen. The difficulty is, how far from the needle formation, and in which direction is the mine? The needle is visible from quite a distance leading searchers to wander over hundreds of miles of rocky, arid desert land. 

 

The Apache Trail (Hwy 88) was established first as a footpath/horse/stagecoach road. it is a really narrow, winding road with some pretty amazing switch-backs. It would take us past three lakes if we choose to go to the end, but that's not even possible currently, as landslides closed the whole road in 2019 when storms caused flash flooding. A post on the Watson's Wander blog from 2013 has a good map of the original road and some photos from Tortilla Flat. The half of the road closest to the park is open now, so we were able to visit the historic settlement of Tortilla Flat. (Not the related to Steinbeck's book, or the movie, which are based in California). 

The historic site was at one time a stagecoach stop, and has now been in continuous operation for over 100 years. 

Tortilla Flat has burned to the ground at least once, and been totally flooded at least once, but still it survives. At one point it served as a supply source for the development of the dams, now it serves primarily tourists and those who have boats of various sorts at the marina at the edge of town. More of the history is here in a Jan, 2024 article

Now, the town is a peaceful tourist stop. The residents of Tortilla Flat have taken good advantage of building on their history. There's an old time photography business alongside the small museum, a saloon offering meals, and of course, the largest business in town has a variety of snacks and souvenirs.

Resident Sheriff Karen and the mayor keep the peace.

A friendly, laid-back sheriff greats visitors on the sidewalk and keeps the peace with her ready sidearm (a fully loaded squirt gun!). Other period costumed cowboys and dancehall girls wander the streets, creating an atmosphere of having gone back in time. 

The nearby marina on Canyon Lake offers scenic boat tours on the Dolly Steamboat so visitors can learn more of the area's history while enjoying the scenery. 

The reunion we're headed for happens in Glendale, Arizona so we pack up in the morning and head that direction. Stay tuned!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!......Sunday morning 1/29 about 10 AM we left Rockhound State Park and headed west on hwy. 10, then north on 191 to the little town of Safford and our nearby destination, Roper Lake State Park. We stayed at Roper last year and really enjoyed it. The views are beautiful and there are some good trails available to explore with the pups.   

As we rolled down the road we remembered that several years ago Steve had seen a posting on an RV discussion board for job opportunity in the area we were passing through. It was a "help wanted ad" for someone to help with the construction work of restoring a ghost town. The posting included an opportunity for someone to organize and index documents related to the town. It would have been right up our alley, but we still had jobs at the time. Steve said he remembered hearing the man who owned the town had been murdered a few years ago. Our route took us right by the location so we stopped there for lunch and to check out the town itself. 

The town is situated on a narrow strip of land in between Hwy.10 and the railroad line, past which there are dirt roads leading out into the desert. 

The "ghost town" of Steins (or Steens) is a small collection of buildings and adobe ruins, some in their original locations and others having been moved in or reassembled in the spaces between. The Wikipedia article provides the historic background. 

The area is now fenced, and looks very neglected, so photos had to be taken from the outside of the area. The town location is actually right on the highway, and traffic is busy these days, so it's tricky to get a shot with no trucks in the background. 

Unfortunately, between the fence and my short stature I couldn't get decent photos that weren't covered just rooftops covered in sagebrush, so try an areal view on Google maps. You can click on satellite in the layers choices and then zoom in to get a better idea of what is actually in the little town. 

Legends of America has the backstory of the town's current state and the story of the attempted restoration is intriguing. It seems we have a second murder mystery on this trip!

We arrived at Roper Lake State Park about 2 PM and settled in to the same spot we'd been assigned for our last visit. We have a perfect view of the mountains and the snowy cap on the highest peaks made for beautiful contrast. 

These are the   Pinaleno Mountains.

The name of the range reflects the pine trees growing on it's slopes. They make for a very picturesque background with the shadows constantly changing with the movement of the sun, and the glistening snow on Mt. Graham. 

We enjoy this campground for many reasons. The scenery is one reason, the trails another, and it's really quiet. Though fishing is allowed here, this time of year there doesn't seem to be much of that activity, and it's still chilly so the birdwatching is at a minimum too. The lake and the picnic area on the little island that extends out into it make for a nice viewing area. The park is popular pretty much year round, and based on difficulty getting reservations it must be full every night. As with all campgrounds anymore reservations are a necessity. 

We pull out this morning, we'll be moving to Lost Dutchman State Park for our next stop. 

The three hour drive to Lost Dutchman State Park wanders through Apache land, several small towns, and some beautiful scenery. 

The rocky formations in this area are not only beautiful, they are rich in minerals. We passed several large copper mines, and then the Magma Mine, originally named the Silver Queen. 

This is the deepest mine in the state. There are 36 levels, with levels every 100 feet in the upper 2000 feet, and then every 2000 feet apart down to 4800 feet. The article linked above provides the history of the mine. 

We arrived at our site in Lost Dutchman State Park around 1:30 and wasted no time getting settled in. 

A cactus wren perched atop a cactus and welcomed us to the neighborhood with a song, and there were humming birds darting about in the shrubs. What a lovely beginning to our stay!

Our site is nestled up against the rocky slope at the base of Superstition Mountain and we have a terrific view of saguaros and other native vegetation. The site has a short path leading directly to the trail that encircles the park. 

The view out our door is perfect. Due to the way the sites are laid out we have a clear view of the mountain behind us, with no interference from other camp sites.

We spent the afternoon getting settled and trying out some of the many trails around the park. Everywhere you go there are striking scenes of giant saguaros, bushy cholla cactus and red mountains with fascinating erosion patterns. There was a bit of haze in the air, but as the sun moved and changed the shadows the effect was still fascinating. 

We'll do a little exploring in the area tomorrow, so tune in again for that report. 

Heading to Arizona

 SAY HI! BEFORE YOU DIE 

We are heading to Glendale AZ for a reunion with a bunch of guys I (Steve) worked with at Orange County Sheriffs Dept. over 50 yrs. ago. This trip will include stops at state parks in Arizona and a trip to Palm Desert to visit Daph's relatives.  We are traveling in the trailer with the dogs.

We haven't been out in the trailer since February of last year, when we met with the same crowd in Arizona, so we had some work to do. The trailer is a 2003 model and is showing some wear.  The refer died and I replaced it with a 12 volt unit.  Of course this required a upgrade of our solar system and batteries.  This hopefully will allow some limited boondocking as the sun will allow.

We left Central TX on 1/23  We normally stay at the South Llano State Park when we're headed west, but it is closed for hunting several days in January. This time we stayed stayed at North Llano RV Park in Junction, TX. The park is on the river which makes a nice place to walk the dogs and during the summer it is probably pretty scenery, but the weather for us was a cold dreary, both the drive and all day after we set up camp. We were stuck in a space in the back as we had a discount pass.  With the discount the cost was $27.50.  The normal price ranges from $50 to $70 a night. The prices have gotten out of hand!  Be warned that I will probably complain a lot about the prices of camp grounds and the need to make reservations months in advance.  This is the result of Covid and late blooming boomers coming onto the RV scene.

On the 24th we spent the night at Saddle Back Mountain RV park in Balmorhea, TX.  It is an RV adjacent to a truck stop.  Only $20 a night. Again, the state park in the area is closed during this time. The spaces here are large, and there are plantings of native cactus and small trees between each. We've stayed here before and it suits the purpose, in addition to having a lot of space for walking dogs.

The landscape here is wide open and makes for a good view of sunsets and in this case, the almost full Wolf Moon.  

Just as we were getting ready to leave in the morning we discovered a nature trail on the outer row of RV spaces. We'll check that out next time. The sign says there are maps of the trail in the "office" but we've never seen the office open! They've always had a self-check in procedure. 

1/25 - Today we're are finally out of Texas!  It takes 2 1/2 days to leave the state (We only average 250 miles a day)  We're now settled in at Rockhound State Park in New Mexico for 3 nights.  This is one of our favorite places, both for the scenery and the campground itself. Really spacious sites, lots of vegetation around each site, all carefully maintained, and a beautiful display of sunsets over the town of Deming every evening. 

This park actually has two separate units, the second being Spring Canyon. This area is more rugged and has no services, but offers interesting and challenging trails and some excellent photo opportunities. 

In the morning we took a short drive up into the canyon and did a bit of exploring, but the chilly wind discouraged further adventuring.... that would be more fun on a warmer day!

We did make a quick stop beside the road after leaving the Spring Canyon section, but before returning to the main park. 

Steve noticed a roadside memorial, so I hopped out of the truck and walked over to inspect it. 

The photo below is all we could see from the road.  When I walked to the center of the arrangement there was an amazing collection of objects, all carefully positioned and some protected by low edging, like a flowerbed might have. Some of the items were religious, some cute toy type things, the neat paths were lined with stones, and at the very end a small plaque with a photo of a young woman and a name. 

I did a little research and found a rather sketchy story, the makings of a book if one were so inclined. Lots of mystery but no real answers as to what happened, why the memorial is located here close to the park, and why there were no comments anywhere online about the husband. What little I discovered is attached to her photo in the album for this post... you'll have to go there to find out what few facts I uncovered!

The town of Deming is only about 13 miles away, so close enough to hop over for a good Mexican dinner and a little sightseeing. We planned to visit the  Deming Luna Mimbres Museum, but it seems they have closed for the time being and no details were available on the reason or when they'd open again. So we did a little shopping and then moved on to an early dinner. 

At the suggestion of the campground host we tried Irma's Restaurant, a homey little place in downtown Deming. The street itself is interesting with murals and other art objects depicting the culture and history of the area. The food at Irma's was plentiful and really good! 

We were back at camp early enough for a walk with the dogs before they had their dinner, then enjoyed the ever changing sunset. This one hit a cherry-red stage just before the sun sank over the horizon, but the photo just doesn't do it justice. 

Tomorrow we pack up and head for Roper State Park in Arizona.