January 5, 2009 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
Talk to anyone who knows something about the Dutchman’s lost mine and they will tell you the role Black Top Mesa has played in the story. Black Top Mesa lies between East Boulder and Needle Canyons immediately west of the north end of Bluff Spring’s Mountain. The highest point on Black Top Mesa probably doesn’t exceed 3,800 feet above sea level. The southern end of Black Top Mesa is the highest portion of the mountain. The mountain is formed from Tertiary volcanic rocks; primarily alternating layers of ash, tuff and basalt. The basalt that caps the mountain was formed about three million years ago during the Willow Springs caldera eruption era. Near the southern end of Black Top Mesa, on the East Boulder Canyon side is a red dike that crosses the canyon and intersects the side of the mountain. Prospectors for many years believed this dike was proof of mineralization in epic portions on Black Top Mesa. Prospect holes have been drilled and dug all over the mountain and not one ounce of gold has ever been produced. Several men have gone broke investing in wild schemes associated with buried gold on this mountain.
The source of Black Mesa’s name is not known; however it’s safe to suggest early cattlemen of the region named the mountain because of its obvious cap of black basalt rock. Black Top Mesa would probably still be on an obscure page of Arizona history if it hadn’t been for a writer named Barry Storm and a prospector [named] Adolph Ruth who died there in the summer of 1931. Barry Storm’s books On the Trail of the Lost Dutchman, 1939, and Thunder God’s Mountain, 1945, made this landmark and others in the Superstition Wilderness Area prominent on a national level. The newspapers of the 1930s also raised a lot of interest about lost gold and the rugged desolate [mountain] peaks within the interior of the Superstition Wilderness Area. In those days the area was known as the Superstition Mountain range or sometimes it was referred to as the Salt River Mountains.
The easiest access to Black Top Mesa can be accomplished by hiking in on the Dutchman’s trail (FS 104), also known as the First Water-Charlebois Trail. As you drop into Boulder Basin and the Brush Corral area, Black Top Mesa looms [immediately] to the southeast. The mountain’s yellow tuff cliffs and black cap of basalt make it obvious just east of East Boulder Canyon. The distance from First Water Trailhead to this point is about 5.6 miles. A view of Black Top Mesa and a spectacular view of Weaver’s Needle can be observed from Fremont Saddle. The hike from Peralta Trailhead to Fremont Saddle is about one and a half miles. This route is a long climb uphill. From the trailhead to Fremont Saddle you gain about two thousand feet in elevation.
The cultural history of Black Top Mesa is very interesting. There are many petroglyphs on Black Top Mesa. Their cultural value depends on interpretation. On the south end of Black Top Mesa on the highest point is scratched the word “oro” in a rock. The area contains many more markings. Were these stone markings created by discouraged lost mine and treasure hunters? Or are they authentic Spanish markings? Could they be Native American in origin? Not far from the “oro” rock is a marker with the name “Fay Ward 1945.” Another question we could ask is how old do markings have to be to be historically significant? There are several other such markings on Black Top Mesa some dating as early as 1928. Many of the markings on Black Top Mesa came into being when Barry Storm published his books on the Peralta and Lost Dutchman Mines. All of these previous markings are on the south end of the mesa.
The north end of Black Top Mesa produces one of the finest preserved “oro” markings in the Superstition Wilderness Area. This marking has been visible for the past seventy years or so. It was first mentioned in a journal written sometime in the early nineteen twenties. If human history is important, and it appears to be in many circles, then the markings on Black Top Mesa have significant value as historical in our society. I am sure an archaeologist would not agree with this statement. However to archaeologists that study garbage dumps of the 1940s and 1950s they might be significant.
Black Top Mesa has many prospect holes dug in its surface. This mountain has attracted a host of Dutch hunters from around the world over the years. Their diggings bear testimony to their belief. These holes represent the dreams and hopes of prospectors and investors alike. The largest prospect is on the south end of Black Top Mesa at the base of the yellow welded tuff. This tunnel is about 60 feet long. This site over the years was worked by several different individuals hunting for gold or treasure.
Some of the more serious searchers were John Coombs and Walter Perrine. Probably every knowledgeable Dutch hunter has investigated Black Top Mesa at one time or another. Charles “Chuck” and Peggy Aylor maintained a camp in East Boulder Canyon directly below the cliffs of Black Top Mesa for more than two decades. Hank and Marion Harnish worked Black Top Mesa off and on for twenty years. They had base camps at Cowboy Camp, East Boulder and on top of Black Top Mesa. Dale Howard spent his share of time on the mountain searching for clues. Richard Peck looked at the mountain for awhile and moved on. Johnny Burbridge worked for years on the various markings he found on Black Top Mesa.
Robert E. Lee spent a lot of time and money on Black Top Mesa. He eventually produced a film and a book titled The Lost Dutchman Mine. Lee announced to the world he had found the location of the Dutchman’s lost mine on Black Top Mesa in his film. Many of these men and many more I have not named were convinced there was buried gold on Black Top Mesa and some of these men spent a lifetime searching for it.
The Forest Service has for years been filling in some of these old prospect holes. On December 31, 1983, the wilderness was withdrawn from mineral entry. This prohibited the prospectors from digging and stopped excavation operations in the Superstition Wilderness Area. The preservation of cultural history of this region is very difficult to preserve because of the policy of wilderness management. Only Native American sites and cultural materials are protected. Even hundred-year-old mining or ranching sites cannot be preserved for the future. Most non-Native American sites have been removed or destroyed because they are not conducive to the Wilderness Management Plan. There is an urgent need for many of the sites to have GPS coordinates recorded and preserved because the government does not allow plaques or any markings of the historical sites.
Black Top is certainly one of the more interesting mountains within the wilderness area. It has played a significant role in the history of the area. Adolph Ruth’s remains were found on the slopes of Black Top Mesa in January od 1932 by William A. Barkley, Jeff Adams and members of a sheriff’s search posse. Ruth had disappeared the previous summer without much of a trace. Ruth’s death in the mountains created quite a furor in national headlines making this mountain well-known.
As long as there are dreamers there will be men and women searching for the Dutchman’s Lost Mine. This is not to say the Dutchman’s mine doesn’t exist, but it does say, without dreamers there would be nobody searching for it.
