This monument is to Jacob Waltz, as he is known today. His life and legend plays a large role in the culture of this Arizona city. Which is why there is a monument in his honor.
The area around the monument has changed significantly since the original inventory. The nearby buildings are gone and the parking lot reverted to an empty dirt lot. The monument itself is preserved and looks to remain that way. The stone work has been repaired recently. In addition, a stolen original plaque has been restored on a nearby monument on the 100th anniversary of his death, in 1991.
The Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Mountains is a significant part of Arizona culture and history today. Folks still look for the lost mine, the most famous lost mine in American history. Folks for decades have searched for it and died for it. The mine is named for Jacob von Walzer the "Deutscheman", who immigrated from Germany and mined it back in the late 1800s.
There have been books written about this lost treasure and many variations about it. A bare bones version is posted here. Originally, a Spanish immigrant family named the Peraltas is said to have found gold in the Superstition Mountains only to be killed off by Apaches, to whom the area is sacred. At some point, Jacob Waltz, as he is known locally, started showing up in the Phoenix area with large amounts of gold nuggets. Like all prospectors, he kept a diligant secrecy about the location of his mine. He was cared for when he was ill by Julia Thomas to whom he supposedly gave a map to a mine in the Superstitions. He did not survive that illness. Jacob Waltz is buried in the old pioneers cemetery in Phoenix. Since his death in 1891, folks have gone searching for his lost mine.
A concrete plaque on the monument itself reads:
Erected by the Dons Club of Phoenix to commemorate the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine 1938
The original bronze plaque from 1961, located nearby, reads:
Dedicated October 1861 to the memory of Jacob von Walzer 1808-1891
One of America's most famed legendary figures, whose exploits have stimulated the imagination of peoples everywhere by this contribution to the heritage of his adopted country in which he found the freedom to search for his mine of gold.
In his honor, US Highway 70 which passes through the great states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California assures all men the freedom to find the scenic treasures within our borders.
1961 by National Lost Dutchman Gold Route Association.
A second nearby plaque reads:
The accompanying plaque was stolen in 1964 and later recovered. It has been rededicated on the 100th anniversary of the death of Jacob von Walzer this 25th day of Oct 1991.
Ron Feildman
Superstition Mt Museum
Dons Club
E Clampus Vitus
Cashway Concrete