The "Cave of a Thousand Eyes" surely had other names, but I am not privileged with that information. However, I am amazed this semi-wet cave has survived into the 21st century with very little damage. The cave was announced to world in 1935 when a local prospector reported finding a diamond mine in the Superstition Mountains.
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| The Cave is located in the drainage of the Haunted Canyon near the old Tony (Toney) Ranch. Photo c. 1979. |
I made another visit to the cave this year and found no evidence of anyone being in the cave or any damage in the entrance area. Hopefully the cave will remain undiscovered for another couple of decades until it can properly be protected. My GPS coordinates are accurate within 10 foot. I had often wondered if anyone could find it with my GPS coordinates. The entrance is so well closed with limestone rocks and a good stand of Manzanita. The Manzanita covers the entrance of the cave making it difficult to see standing within ten feet of it. Limestone caverns are quite rare within the boundaries of the Superstition Wilderness Area because most of the wilderness is compose of intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks. Only small portions of the wilderness include sedimentary rock. The most prominent areas of sedimentary rocks are found along the Haunted Canyon drainage and its tributaries.
Early cattlemen of the area undoubtedly knew about these various lime stone caves in this region because they probably chased Mountain lions into these caves with dogs. The Mountain lions preyed on their cattle and had to be destroyed when they could be found. An old time cowboy lion hunter told me he once took over forty lions out-of this country in one year. The only way these old cowboys could be successful killing lions was using good tracking and scent hounds.
The names Moraga, and even Jose Perez (Periz) have been attached to the names of some caverns in the area. Both Frank Moraga and Jose Perez (Periz) homesteaded in the region along Pinto Creek between 1910-1916. Eventually the homesteads were proven up and they received title to their land. Frank Moraga probably was the first man to really explore the cavern. Jose Perez (Periz) also entered the cave and then several months later returned with the Gila County engineer. Perez was convinced he had discovered the Dutchman's Lost Mine. The next man to explore the cavern was Joe Modock in 1935. He claimed he had found a diamond mine in the Superstition Mountains. As it turned out, he had a sack of Calcite crystals he had broken off the wall of the cavern. The diamond mine story was short-lived when local discovered the diamonds were Calcite crystals. This is a brief history on the cavern, but it gives the reader some of the available information. Information about this cavern can be found in the Mesa Journal Tribune c. 1935, and the Arizona Republican, c. 1916.
The Haunted Canyon and Pinto Creek area has some very interesting history associated with it. Cattle, homesteading, and mining have played an important role in this slowly developing area. The large open pit mine east of the region has consumed many of the local landmarks. One of the truly interesting landmarks was Gold Rush Creek. This was site was the source of a lot of free gold prior the open pit mining in the area. Today, fine gold can still occasionally be found in Pinto Creek, however most of the creek is staked out with current claims.
The "Cave of a Thousand Eyes," Moraga Cave or Periz's Cave all are probably one in the same. As far as I know the cavern is still in pristine condition other than the damage done by Modock when he broke of the Calcite crystals on the travertine wall about 300 feet from the entrance of "Grand Chamber" and at least 200 feet from the entrance. Hopefully the entrance of this cavern will remain unknown to the general public and therefore it may survive into another century.
