Roosevelt Dam - 100 Years

Recently my wife and I were invited to attend the 100th Anniversary of Roosevelt Dam on Friday, March 18, 2011. This was a great honor because we attended the 50th Anniversary of Roosevelt Dam, March 18, 1961.  Many times over the years we had talked about whether or not we would be here for the 100th Anniversary. It was quite a celebration for about two hundred invited guest. We had an opportunity to visit with Marsh Trimble, Apache Junction City Councilman Jeff Serdy, Apache Junction City Councilman Chip Wilson, and many other guest while at the celebration.  Lunch was served on the dam and then various speakers talked about the importance of the dam to the Arizona, Phoenix and the Salt River Valley. The keynote speaker of the day was Governor Jan Brewer. Also a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator gave a speech similar to the one given in 1961, and of course the original on March 18, 1911.

My wife and I had mixed emotions about this historic event. Several of my relatives who lived in Tonto Basin worked on the dam. My Uncle Riley Brunson hauled freight over the Mesa-Roosevelt Wagon Road for the Packards at the Tonto Basin Store shortly after the roads completion. Riley Brunson required his family to walk down Fish Creek Hill on the return trip because of the danger of losing a wagon on the grade.  Yes, the celebration brought back a lot of memories for our families.

Tom Kollenborn

"LEGENDS OF THE SUPERSTITIONS"

Coming soon.

SSAR Locate the Remains of a 3rd Victim

On Thursday, January 13, 2011, Superstition Search and Rescue sent in a team to work the area between Yellow Peak and the First Water Parking Lot. On Saturday, January 15, 2011, the SSAR team located the remains of a third victim about .51 miles N of Yellow Peak and Black Mesa near Second Water Canyon just above the old concrete tanks. It is quite apparent these three skeletal remains are those of the three missing Utah prospectors who disappeared July 6, 2010. The remains found on the NNE slope of Yellow Peak were found by Rick Gwynn, a local author and prospector.  Positive ID is pending until the county medical examiner make his report.

Three Utah Missing Treasure Hunters

Rick Gwynn was hiking east of First Water Trail Head on Wednesday January 5, 2011 when he made a gruesome discovery. He found the remains of two treasure hunters missing since July 6, 2010. The remains were found on the WNW slope of Yellow Peak. The third victim was found on January 15, 2011 by Superstition Search & Rescue and immediately reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. SSAR was a certified Community Emergency Response Team doing what they do best finding the lost, injured, and missing. This tragic chapter has finally come to a close after thousands of man hours has been exerted searching for these three men. Nobody or any state, county or government can be faulted for not finding these men sooner. Treasure hunters have a tendency to leave the main trails and wander about looking for treasure signs or markers. Some times they choose extremely rugged terrain and if a mishap occurs it is extremely difficult to find them in an emergency. Often it is almost impossible. July is no time to be hiking off into the Superstition Wilderness Area looking for gold when temperatures are above 110*F.  Gold was the deadly vision that led these men to their final resting place. Lost gold can certainly be a dangerous attraction for some individuals.

Searching Tortilla Ranch for Jesse Capen

Volunteers were at the Old Tortilla Ranch's upper windmill this past week searching for clues as to what happen to Jesse Capen. Volunteer searchers continue to search the area from the upper windmill to Peter's Mesa. So far the only thing found has been a few cigarette butts and Jesse Capen was not known to smoke. As this search continues success is going to be dependent on more personal information about Jesse Capen. Who did he communicate with in the Apache Junction area prior to arriving or after he arrived in the area. As far as we know, nobody in the Apache Junction area remembers seeing Capen prior to his departure for the Tortilla Ranch's upper windmill.

The search continues for Jesse Capen...

The search continues for Jesse Capen near the old Tortilla Ranch's upper windmill. Jesse went missing December 5, 2009. Searchers continue to search for evidence or clues as to what happen to Jesse Capen. SAAR, under the direction of Commander Robert Cooper had eight search teams in the field on April 10, 2010. As of this date nothing new has been reported or found associated with the missing treasure hunter.  I will continue to update this page as information comes available...........Tom Kollenborn

Thank you, my friends...

I would like to thank all of my readers for their support. I enjoy writing about the legends and stories of the Superstition Mountains. Some of these stories are centuries old and have been handed down from family to family. Some of the tales come from the files of various periodicals. I try to find accurate sources, but like all stories about lost gold mines and other interesting events one can never be absolutely certain about their sources. I try to sort fact from the enormous amount of fiction and lies we find about the infamous Dutchman's lost mine and other stories about the region. I started writing columns in 1976 and I still continue to research the material I use, looking for as much authentic material as possible. Researching periodicals does produce some very uncertain sources with little or no documentation. Always remember these are stories that are often parts of a legend. Take care and enjoy............Tom Kollenborn