Has the Lost Dutchman Mine been found?
Verdict summary
No. The Lost Dutchman Mine, said to lie in Arizona's Superstition Mountains, has never been found. The legend centres on Jacob Waltz, who died in Phoenix in 1891. Much of the range is now the Superstition Wilderness, closed to new mining claims since 1984.
The story grew after Waltz's death through retellings and maps of uncertain origin. Geologists have noted that the Superstitions are mostly volcanic rock not known for rich gold, although gold was mined at the Goldfield and Mammoth mines nearby.
People have died searching the range; it is rugged and hot.
Sources: Arizona historical records; US Forest Service, Tonto National Forest.
What famous treasures are still unfound? Famous treasures still unfound include the Amber Room (lost in 1945), the Lost Dutchman Mine in Arizona, the Beale treasure in Virginia, the Oak Island money pit in Nova Scotia, the Treasure of Lima, Paititi (the lost Inca city of gold) and the Kruger millions in South Africa. Many rest on a single late retelling, so some may never have existed.
How do you find buried treasure in real life? Real buried treasure is found through research first: old newspapers, court and land records, historic maps and LiDAR terrain show where people lived, travelled, hid and lost things. Then a metal detector, used with the landowner's permission, does the searching. Most real finds are coins, relics and small caches, not chests.
Primary sources cited
- Arizona historical records
- US Forest Service, Tonto National Forest