March 22, 2010 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
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Monday, March 29, 2010
Monument Smith's Gold
March 29, 2010 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
Tortilla Flat, 17 miles northeast of Apache Junction on the Apache Trail, has long served as a base camp for prospectors, treasure hunters and writers. This interesting stop along the Apache Trail primarily serves tourists today. Visitors come from all over the world for a little taste of the Wild West. This pseudo-Western road stop has acquired quite a reputation over the past thirty years for its food and novelties. The wall of the cafe is plastered with dollars bills and other currency from around the world.
Prior to 1950, Tortilla Flat served as a base camp for many prospectors and treasure hunters who believed the Lost Dutchman's mine was located in the mountains immediately south of the road stop. John Chuning and "Monument" Smith were two such men who spent a considerable amount of time at the old stage stop.
John Chuning arrived in the area about 1905, while working as a driver for one of the stage lines that operated on the Apache Trail delivering mail to Roosevelt. Chuning had a keen interest in the area south of Tortilla Flat that included Tortilla Mountain, Malapai Mountain and Peter's Mesa. He believed Jacob Waltz had worked a rich gold mine a short distance from the road stop. The topography south of Tortilla Flat is some of the roughest terrain in the Superstition Wilderness Area.
Monument Smith lived in a small crude stone cabin a short distance up Tortilla Creek from the road stop. Smith had one important clue as to the location of the Lost Dutchman's mine. That involved what he believed was a Mexican trail up Tortilla Creek, over a trick and into Peter's Canyon, then on up the east side of Geronimo Head Mountain. Smith was convinced this was the trail Jacob Waltz used to travel back and forth from his mine in the Superstition Mountains. Smith walked this trail many times searching for and pointing rock cairns that were trail markers in his opinion.
The spring of 1944 temporarily changed things around Tortilla Flat. The rain had been extremely heavy that year resulting in a lot of flooding along Tortilla Creek. A massive flash flood washed away most of Tortilla Flat, including Monument Smith's crude stone cabin near the confluence of Tortilla and Mesquite Creek. Smith recovered nothing from his cabin. Russell Perkins, the owner of Tortilla Flat at the time, gave Monument Smith a few things so he could keep up his prospecting activities.
You might say Perkins grub-staked old Monument Smith. With a small pick and a gold pan Smith began to work Tortilla Creek and many of its small tributaries. Smith told Russell he had been panning in a small tributary of Tortilla Creek, somewhere above its confluence with Peter's Canyon, when found a considerable amount of color. Russell Perkins was not too impressed with Monument Smith's' discovery, but another man in the store was. He was none other than Barry Storm. Storm believed the Lost Dutchman mine and the Peralta Mines were one in the same.
Storm was so impressed with the fine flakes of gold Smith had found he tried to encourage him to take him to the source of the gold. Smith refused to share his secret with Storm and told him Russell Perkins was his partner. All Smith ever told Storm was the source of the placer was near Hell's Hole in Tortilla Creek. Smith probably told Storm this story to keep him out of the area he was working in. Storm walked up and down Tortilla Creek several times trying to find Smith's source for the placer gold.
Who was Monument Smith? There are few if any existing records as to who Monument Smith was. One source claimed Smith was an ex-con that had served time in Florence. Another source claimed he was a poet. Some research indicates Smith may have worked for Dr. Robert A. Aiton at the Miller Mines in the 1920's. When the promotion of the Miller Mines failed in 1933, Smith moved on. Smith allegedly arrived in Tortilla Flat around 1934. He built his crude stone cabin along Tortilla Creek about 1936. Smith might have worked on the Horse Mesa Dam construction in 1926-27. He received a small check of some kind he picked up at the Tortilla Flat post office monthly. Most of the sources claimed Smith never strayed far from Tortilla Creek all the years he lived in the area. I am sure some day a researcher will find adequate documents to prove old Monument Smith's existence. Did he really discover placer gold or was it just shiny Biotite flakes?
During the past one hundred and five years Tortilla Flat has served as a jumping-off place for many prospecting ventures into the Superstition Mountains. The exact role Monument Smith played in the legend of the Dutchman's Lost mine is not clear, but he did spend a considerable amount of time in the area telling stories about finding placer gold along Tortilla Creek somewhere. His tale fired the imagination of Barry Storm and probably convinced the author-treasure hunter there was a rich gold mine in the Superstition Mountains.
Tortilla Flat, 17 miles northeast of Apache Junction on the Apache Trail, has long served as a base camp for prospectors, treasure hunters and writers. This interesting stop along the Apache Trail primarily serves tourists today. Visitors come from all over the world for a little taste of the Wild West. This pseudo-Western road stop has acquired quite a reputation over the past thirty years for its food and novelties. The wall of the cafe is plastered with dollars bills and other currency from around the world.
 |
| Tortilla Flat at the turn of the 20th century. |
Prior to 1950, Tortilla Flat served as a base camp for many prospectors and treasure hunters who believed the Lost Dutchman's mine was located in the mountains immediately south of the road stop. John Chuning and "Monument" Smith were two such men who spent a considerable amount of time at the old stage stop.
John Chuning arrived in the area about 1905, while working as a driver for one of the stage lines that operated on the Apache Trail delivering mail to Roosevelt. Chuning had a keen interest in the area south of Tortilla Flat that included Tortilla Mountain, Malapai Mountain and Peter's Mesa. He believed Jacob Waltz had worked a rich gold mine a short distance from the road stop. The topography south of Tortilla Flat is some of the roughest terrain in the Superstition Wilderness Area.
Monument Smith lived in a small crude stone cabin a short distance up Tortilla Creek from the road stop. Smith had one important clue as to the location of the Lost Dutchman's mine. That involved what he believed was a Mexican trail up Tortilla Creek, over a trick and into Peter's Canyon, then on up the east side of Geronimo Head Mountain. Smith was convinced this was the trail Jacob Waltz used to travel back and forth from his mine in the Superstition Mountains. Smith walked this trail many times searching for and pointing rock cairns that were trail markers in his opinion.
The spring of 1944 temporarily changed things around Tortilla Flat. The rain had been extremely heavy that year resulting in a lot of flooding along Tortilla Creek. A massive flash flood washed away most of Tortilla Flat, including Monument Smith's crude stone cabin near the confluence of Tortilla and Mesquite Creek. Smith recovered nothing from his cabin. Russell Perkins, the owner of Tortilla Flat at the time, gave Monument Smith a few things so he could keep up his prospecting activities.
You might say Perkins grub-staked old Monument Smith. With a small pick and a gold pan Smith began to work Tortilla Creek and many of its small tributaries. Smith told Russell he had been panning in a small tributary of Tortilla Creek, somewhere above its confluence with Peter's Canyon, when found a considerable amount of color. Russell Perkins was not too impressed with Monument Smith's' discovery, but another man in the store was. He was none other than Barry Storm. Storm believed the Lost Dutchman mine and the Peralta Mines were one in the same.
Storm was so impressed with the fine flakes of gold Smith had found he tried to encourage him to take him to the source of the gold. Smith refused to share his secret with Storm and told him Russell Perkins was his partner. All Smith ever told Storm was the source of the placer was near Hell's Hole in Tortilla Creek. Smith probably told Storm this story to keep him out of the area he was working in. Storm walked up and down Tortilla Creek several times trying to find Smith's source for the placer gold.
Who was Monument Smith? There are few if any existing records as to who Monument Smith was. One source claimed Smith was an ex-con that had served time in Florence. Another source claimed he was a poet. Some research indicates Smith may have worked for Dr. Robert A. Aiton at the Miller Mines in the 1920's. When the promotion of the Miller Mines failed in 1933, Smith moved on. Smith allegedly arrived in Tortilla Flat around 1934. He built his crude stone cabin along Tortilla Creek about 1936. Smith might have worked on the Horse Mesa Dam construction in 1926-27. He received a small check of some kind he picked up at the Tortilla Flat post office monthly. Most of the sources claimed Smith never strayed far from Tortilla Creek all the years he lived in the area. I am sure some day a researcher will find adequate documents to prove old Monument Smith's existence. Did he really discover placer gold or was it just shiny Biotite flakes?
During the past one hundred and five years Tortilla Flat has served as a jumping-off place for many prospecting ventures into the Superstition Mountains. The exact role Monument Smith played in the legend of the Dutchman's Lost mine is not clear, but he did spend a considerable amount of time in the area telling stories about finding placer gold along Tortilla Creek somewhere. His tale fired the imagination of Barry Storm and probably convinced the author-treasure hunter there was a rich gold mine in the Superstition Mountains.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Apache Junction Landmarks
March 8, 2010 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
The other day someone asked me about old landmarks in Apache Junction. At first I responded with landmarks such as the Apache Junction Zoo, Superstition Mountain Shell Station, Cowboy Service Station, and the Apache Junction Inn. All of these services had disappeared by 1958 and very few people remember them.
Then I thought about more contemporary landmarks that many people might recall. These included Superstition Ho Hotel, The Lucky Nugget, Traynor's Texaco, Blakely's Service Station, Yucca Cafe, Hacienda Cafe, The Superstition Skies, Pappy Russell's Garage, Slim Fogle's Moonlight Ranch, Norman Teason's Palo Verde Lodge, George's Steak House, Jordan's Chevron, Henry's Tasty Freeze, Arnold's Auto Center, Bill Bemo's Plaza Barber Shop, C.L. King Towing, Lake Realty, Copper State Bank, Ray's Western Wear and many, many more.
Someone else asked are these the only landmarks in Apache Junction and I replied, "By no means." I thought for a moment and talked to a couple of old friends. This talk resulted in old names such as the fire station on Ocotillo Drive, Vineyard Road, Wilson Road, Mouer Road, and of course the legendary Rattlesnake Drive.
It is stories like the following that have always gathered my attention. Thirty years ago an old lady called from Texas was inquiring about a road or street in Apache Junction called Rattlesnake or Sidewinder Lane. She had a bizarre story to tell, but didn't know exactly how to begin. She said her father once lived in the desert near Apache Junction on a roadcalled Rattlesnake Lane. She believed her father named the road because of all the rattlesnakes in the area. She remembered her father mentioning that Barney Barnard didn't live to far from her, but she also said you drove east of the Junction "Y" about a mile or so. That is all she could remember about her father and mother's abode in the desert. Her father had emphysema and he found living in the desert better for his health.
She continued her story and talked about how her father did not trust banks. He was a "Depression Era" man. He also placed his entire savings in gold coins and kept it buried in a small steel box on his property. She said she had seen her father's gold coins on several occasions over the years. Most of the coins were twenty dollar double eagles, but he also had a large selection of five and ten dollar gold pieces.
She claimed his coins would have filled two or maybe three quart jars. Her father had been gathering gold coinage since 1890. She also mentioned that her father had ignored the Gold Act in 1933 that limited the amount of gold to five ounces an American citizen could hold. She estimated her father may have had 200 or more ounces of gold coinage. Not knowing where Rattlesnake Lane was or anything about it created quite a mystery. I inquired with local old timers if they had ever heard of a Rattlesnake Lane. Several said no and a couple said yes, but they didn't recall where it was located exactly. The road could have been a dirt trail he named on private property to his abode.
For several months the search for Rattlesnake Lane was one of my research projects. The more I inquired about Rattle-snake Lane the more stories I heard. These stories ranged from; I don't know if that was ever an officially names street in Apache Junction; Well, I knew there were no officially named streets in Apache Junction prior to 1975.
I believe Clay Worst chaired a street naming committee just prior to incorporation of Apache Junction in November of 1978. As far as I know Clay Worst or Jeannette Lake didn't know of any Rattlesnake Lane in Apache Junction. Many early property owners in Apache Junction had 1.5 to 5 acres of land in the late 1960s. Many of these properties were part of the old Veteran's Homestead Act of the early 1950's. Many of these property owners named small road tracks on their private property that did not have a public easement. It is for this reason I believe Rattlesnake Lane has become lost and gone the way of the Dodo bird. Locating Rattlesnake Lane today is an impossible task. However, there is always the possibility someone might come forward with the precise location of Rattlesnake Lane one of these days.
Many of the old landmarks around Apache Junction are gone and few people today remember them. These landmarks were often colorful and different, but for some it is probably better that they have vanished.
I remember the old Lost Dutchman Cafe, McKinney's, Yucca Cafe, Sand Tanks Cafe, The Rib Eye, and of course Elvira's Cafe on Apache Trail which is still there today. I recall the old fire station and sheriff's office on Ocotillo Street. Yes, Apache Junction has really changed. Many old timers fought a valiant battle to preserve old Apache Junction, but progress became reality. There is nothing more evident concerning change then the rise and fall of the Superstition Ho Hotel (later named the Grand Hotel) in the center of Apache Junction at the "Y" between 1959- 2008.
A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus once said something like this, "There will always be change."
The other day someone asked me about old landmarks in Apache Junction. At first I responded with landmarks such as the Apache Junction Zoo, Superstition Mountain Shell Station, Cowboy Service Station, and the Apache Junction Inn. All of these services had disappeared by 1958 and very few people remember them.
Then I thought about more contemporary landmarks that many people might recall. These included Superstition Ho Hotel, The Lucky Nugget, Traynor's Texaco, Blakely's Service Station, Yucca Cafe, Hacienda Cafe, The Superstition Skies, Pappy Russell's Garage, Slim Fogle's Moonlight Ranch, Norman Teason's Palo Verde Lodge, George's Steak House, Jordan's Chevron, Henry's Tasty Freeze, Arnold's Auto Center, Bill Bemo's Plaza Barber Shop, C.L. King Towing, Lake Realty, Copper State Bank, Ray's Western Wear and many, many more.
Someone else asked are these the only landmarks in Apache Junction and I replied, "By no means." I thought for a moment and talked to a couple of old friends. This talk resulted in old names such as the fire station on Ocotillo Drive, Vineyard Road, Wilson Road, Mouer Road, and of course the legendary Rattlesnake Drive.
It is stories like the following that have always gathered my attention. Thirty years ago an old lady called from Texas was inquiring about a road or street in Apache Junction called Rattlesnake or Sidewinder Lane. She had a bizarre story to tell, but didn't know exactly how to begin. She said her father once lived in the desert near Apache Junction on a roadcalled Rattlesnake Lane. She believed her father named the road because of all the rattlesnakes in the area. She remembered her father mentioning that Barney Barnard didn't live to far from her, but she also said you drove east of the Junction "Y" about a mile or so. That is all she could remember about her father and mother's abode in the desert. Her father had emphysema and he found living in the desert better for his health.
She continued her story and talked about how her father did not trust banks. He was a "Depression Era" man. He also placed his entire savings in gold coins and kept it buried in a small steel box on his property. She said she had seen her father's gold coins on several occasions over the years. Most of the coins were twenty dollar double eagles, but he also had a large selection of five and ten dollar gold pieces.
She claimed his coins would have filled two or maybe three quart jars. Her father had been gathering gold coinage since 1890. She also mentioned that her father had ignored the Gold Act in 1933 that limited the amount of gold to five ounces an American citizen could hold. She estimated her father may have had 200 or more ounces of gold coinage. Not knowing where Rattlesnake Lane was or anything about it created quite a mystery. I inquired with local old timers if they had ever heard of a Rattlesnake Lane. Several said no and a couple said yes, but they didn't recall where it was located exactly. The road could have been a dirt trail he named on private property to his abode.
For several months the search for Rattlesnake Lane was one of my research projects. The more I inquired about Rattle-snake Lane the more stories I heard. These stories ranged from; I don't know if that was ever an officially names street in Apache Junction; Well, I knew there were no officially named streets in Apache Junction prior to 1975.
 |
| This is an August 2007 photo of the Lost Dutchman Monument after the Grand Hotel was demolished. The clear view of Superstition Mountain is in the background, and it was almost 50 years since you could get a shot like this. |
Many of the old landmarks around Apache Junction are gone and few people today remember them. These landmarks were often colorful and different, but for some it is probably better that they have vanished.
I remember the old Lost Dutchman Cafe, McKinney's, Yucca Cafe, Sand Tanks Cafe, The Rib Eye, and of course Elvira's Cafe on Apache Trail which is still there today. I recall the old fire station and sheriff's office on Ocotillo Street. Yes, Apache Junction has really changed. Many old timers fought a valiant battle to preserve old Apache Junction, but progress became reality. There is nothing more evident concerning change then the rise and fall of the Superstition Ho Hotel (later named the Grand Hotel) in the center of Apache Junction at the "Y" between 1959- 2008.
A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus once said something like this, "There will always be change."
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