December 28, 2009 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
One of the
most colorful and controversial characters to ever play a role on Oren
Arnold’s Superstition Mountain stage was a man named Robert Simpson
Jacob. “Crazy” Jake, the name he liked to be called maintained a camp
off and on within the boundaries of the Superstition Wilderness Area
east of First Water Trail Head about seven miles. His main camp was
located in Squaw Box Canyon just off La Barge Canyon below Marsh Flats.
He used this camp for many years between 1966- 1974. After 1974 he moved
his camp to the top of Peter’s Mesa just above his camp in Squaw Box
Canyon. Jake was known to maintain quite elaborate camps in the
mountains. He often entertained his investors and the press.
First, let’s discuss his camp in Squaw
Box Canyon. This camp was located among some very large boulders at the
mouth of Squaw Box Canyon. One boulder was large enough to serve as a
shelter and protect his mining equipment. There was enough room under
the boulder for four or five cots. Jake had large tarps stretched from
boulder to boulder making a large shaded area for a kitchen and a place
to rest out of the sun. I visited this camp about 1972. Actually it was
by accident I came up on the camp with a group of Boy Scouts. Jake
immediately advised us from horseback that it was far too dangerous to
camp around his area because of blasting and etc. I lead the scout troop
on down the canyon about 500 yards. Jake invited my assistant and I to
visit his camp once we had our camp set up. My scouting assistant
declined the invitation, but I decided to walk up to his camp and see
what it was all about. The first thing I noticed when I walked into camp
was the crude stone corral they had constructed to keep their horses
in. Jake had five or six men in camp when I visited. He introduced me to
a couple men and told them we were camping just below their camp in La
Barge and he didn’t want any blasting or target practicing going on
until we left the next morning. Jake’s Camp consisted of sleeping,
storage and kitchen areas all partially under a large boulder and tarps
stretched between other boulders held up with large poles. Some of his
men slept in small tents away from the main camp. Jake’s camp was quite
elaborate when it came to camping facilities. They even had a packer
coming in every other day bringing them supplies that included ice.
I visited “Crazy” Jake’s upper camp upon
Peter’s Mesa for the first time in 1987. By then Jake had abandoned his
lower camp. This site was also quite elaborate for a mountain camp.
This camp included large cabin tents. He had a cook tent, and the rest
of the tents were used for sleeping quarters for his workers. I looked
at some of the holes he had his men dig. The holes were randomly dug
into rock that had no mineral value at all. Most of the rock in this
area was volcanic ash or basalt. One of the most interesting things
about this Peter’s Mesa Camp was the fact Jake built a trail from down
in Squaw Box Canyon up the side of Peter’s Mesa to his upper camp site. I
was amazed at the work that went into this trail. Many years later Ron
Feldman and I took a news crew over this trail on horseback. What a
challenge that was? Even my old friend Bob Corbin rode along on this
trip. An old cowboy outfitter named Bud Lane packed supplies over this
trail to Jake during the summer months when he had a crew in the
mountains. If Jake had investors, he always had a crew working in the
mountains. Many people have wondered where he hid all money he talked
people out of. I don’t think he hid the money. I really believe he spent
a lot of it in the mountains. He was certainly a man with a golden
tongue and could talk people out of their money.
If you worked for Jake in the mountains
he usually took good care of you if he had good investors. Jake’s camps
never lacked the proper supplies to keep going as long as Jake was the
ramrod them. He also spent a lot of money on frivolous things such as
cases of bottled whiskey from Canada that were labeled “Crazy” Jake’s
Whiskey. Jake maintained a headquarters at the Trails End Ranch in
Chandler located at the corner of Pecos and Alma School Roads. His
headquarters was an elaborate ranch-style home with a downstairs bar and
a walk-in Diebold safe. The interior of the house was quite ornate with
beautiful and valuable oil paintings. Jake had the ideal setting to
convince investors to invest in his rich mining operation in the
Superstition Mountains. Jake had about thirty head of horses on the
ranch when I first visited it in the early 1980’s. I later found out the
horses belonged to Jess Shumway and that Jake had worked out a deal to
use the horses in return for feeding them. He also did not own the
ranch-style home he was living in.
Robert
Simpson Jacob became a legend in his own lifetime while pursuing the
money of the wealthy with one of the biggest and must ridiculous scams
since territorial days in Arizona. Today, in Apache Junction, many old
residents have “Jake Stories” to tell if you have the time to listen. He
had many wealthy doctors and lawyers investing in his gold schemes. I
am sure someday a book or maybe a film will be made about Robert Simpson
Jacob’s adventures in the Superstition Mountains.