|
 The
majestic Superstition Mountain rises some 3,000 feet
above the desert floor east of Apache Junction. This
giant monolith was formed by volcanic action more
than 29 million years ago during the Tertiary Period
of geologic time.
The mountain is the remnant of an uplifted caldera
formed by the deposition of alternating layers of
ash and basalt. The facade of the mountain we see
today was carved by the action of running water for
four to five million years.
There are many legends and tales about this
mountain, the mountain that thunders. Cowboys,
horsemen, hikers and prospector have told stories
about how the mountain rumbles deeply. Some wonder
if it generates its own thunder. Some researchers
have cited the Native Americans as the first ones to
call it Thunder Mountain. Researchers have
attributed the rumbling of the mountain on cloudless
days to earth tremors deep beneath the mountain or
blasting at the Pinto Valley Mines west of Miami,
Arizona.
The mountain was named by local Anglo and Mexican
farmers of the Salt River who thought the Native
Americans were very superstitious about the
mountains to the east, hence the name Superstition
Mountain. The U.S. Army called the mountain several
names, however the two most common were “the Salt
River Mountains” and the “Sierra de Superstitions”.
The U.S. Army, including elements of the 14th
Infantry, 32nd Infantry and members of the 1st
Arizona Volunteers campaigned against the Apaches
and Yavapais in the Superstition Mountains from 1864
to1868. The purpose of this campaign was to
eradicate the Apaches and Yavapais who lived freely
in the Superstition and Pinal Mountain areas. The
Apaches and Yavapais were constantly accused of
raiding the farmers in the Salt River Valley.
The Pima Indians called Superstition Mountain
“Crooked Top Mountain” or in their tongue Ka-Katak-Tami,
according to Dr. Charles F. Skinner. At sunrise you
can see why the Native Americans called the mountain
“Crooked Top.” Each Native American group had a
different name for Superstition Mountain. The
Apaches consider all large mountains to be sacred.
 There
is a legend about a German prospector by the name of
Jacob Waltz who supposedly found a rich gold mine
somewhere east of Superstition Mountain. Men and
women have come from around the world to search for
this legendary lost gold mine since Waltz’s death on
October 25, 1891. The mine remains lost to this day
even though many have claimed they found it, none
have produced any gold. This legendary mine was
called the Lost Dutchman mine.
Gold was discovered in the foothills of Superstition
Mountain in 1892. The sound of stamp mills crushing
rich gold ore rang across the desert from 1893
to1897. According to the records approximately $3
million in gold was removed from the old Mammoth
Mine. The Peralta brothers discovered the first gold
prospects found in the area in 1879. The first gold
claim was staked at the Lucky Boy in 1881. Another
discovery was recorded at the Black Queen in
November of 1892, however the richest and most
famous mine, the Mammoth, was discovered in April of
1893, after a raging flash flood exposed a rich vein
of gold ore. Prospectors had been searching the
Goldfield area since 1864. They came down from the
Bradshaw Mountains during the winter months to get
away from the severe cold.
Superstition Mountain is part of the Superstition
Wilderness Area and the Tonto National Forest. The
Tonto National Forest was setup to preserve and
protect the watershed of Roosevelt Lake and the Salt
River lakes.
This wilderness area was set aside in 1939 to
preserve the fauna and flora of the Sonoran Desert
for future generations of Americans to enjoy. The
wilderness encompasses some 159,780 acres or 242
square miles of the Tonto National Forest. The
diversity of flora in this wilderness ranges from
the giant Saguaro to the stately Ponderosa pine. It
is certainly a land of extremes in plant life,
animal life, climate and topography.
Superstition Mountain’s highest point is only 5,074
feet above sea level, while the highest point in the
wilderness is some 6,242 feet above sea level at
Mound Mountain. These mountains are part of the
transitional mountain zone of Arizona.
Superstition Mountain is the second most painted and
photographed landmark in Arizona second only to the
famous Grand Canyon. Artists have painted
Superstition Mountain since 1870 and photographers
have photographed the mountain since 1893. Today
more than 100 books have been written about
Superstition Mountain and most of them are filled
with photographs of this famous Arizona landmark.
The Superstition Wilderness contains some 240 miles
of hiking and riding trails. The most popular
trailheads are First Water, Peralta, and the
trailheads in Lost Dutchman State Park. There are
some 17 trailheads that provide access to the
wilderness area.
The Superstition Wilderness Area is now a very
crowded wilderness. It is one area that will
experience controlled access in the very near future
if the forest district plans on keeping the region
pristine. It is estimated some 70,000 people visited
the western end of the Superstition Wilderness last
year. Most of these visitors hiked into the
mountains less than a mile. These kinds of numbers
have changed the meaning of the word “wilderness.” A
wilderness area was envisioned to be a place of
pristine and tranquil beauty, a place where
contemporary man’s things are left behind and only
nature can be experienced. Men like Leopold, Muir
and Pinchot had a vision of protecting some of
America’s outdoors for future generations to enjoy
when they advocated wilderness areas in America.
Today, some of the most beautiful pristine areas in
American are wilderness areas set aside by Americans
with a vision for the future. The most valuable real
estate in the Apache Junction area or Gold Canyon
area borders the wilderness area. Just alone should
speak for how valuable wilderness is to Americans.
Some of the individuals, who criticize the
wilderness concept most, build their homes on the
wilderness fence line and pay the highest price for
their property.
We Americans are fortunate to have these special
areas to retreat to when we have been overwhelmed by
urban America. The fast lane society and stress kill
more Americans then anything else. If only these
people could just share a few moments of tranquility
and solitude afforded by one of America’s wilderness
areas they might increase their survival chances
threefold. A famous American once said, “Slow life’s
pace and enjoy being alive.” |
