LOST DUTCHMAN MINE
Yuma Sentinel
May 8, 1914

Hank Hankins, for many years a prospector and miner of the 
quartzite country, in Yuma County, claims to have found the 
Lost Dutchman Mine.

Phoenix Z. April 40, 1914

I have resided for years in Yuma County Arizona and am well 
known there. I have made the biggest gold, silver, lead and 
tellurium strike ever made in that state. The mine which I have 
found is back of the Four Peaks country and is in Maricopa 
County.  Sorry I am that it is not in our country. I was told 
thirty years ago by an old Mexican who is now dead, but who was 
a good scout, named Martinez, about this mine. This Mexican 
lived at Quartzite and had several children and the old lady 
lives there yet.  She told me last year," Hank, look for that 
old mine. I know of Mexicans who used to leave Yuma with a 
big band to stand off the Apache Indians and come back with 
rich gold ore, which they used to arasta on the Gila River.  
Lots of the told timers in town will tell you the same thing."

When they found the cinnabar ore at Saddle Mountains, 12 
miles west of the Four Peaks, I left my camp at the Desert 
Hank Camp, 14 miles west of Vicksburg and came, like some 
more fools. I made a few locations but it was no good.  We 
have better rock at Quartzsite. It is rich but lays in 
kidneys and it is red but small and streaky and I am afraid 
it will not go down.  One company has spent $40,000 and put 
up six retorts and has turned out one flask to date. So you 
see we have a better showing in Yuma County.  Tow other 
companies lasted one sixty and the other twenty days.

Tell my friends that I have made the ten strike and it agrees 
with the Lost Dutchman Mine. I was told the story about him 
by an old cowman from Yuma County who was going to Tonto Creek 
through Reno Pass.  He lived at the foot of a round valley 
where he had a little garden patch. He dug a well and it 
caved in on him.  Some cowboys near by heard him holler for 
help.  Their boss told them, "oh, let the Dutchman stay."  
He told them that if they would get him out he would show 
them the richest gold mine in Arizona, but they were sore 
at him for being a prospector.  They wanted the whole country 
and they had it for years and even now the new bunch don't 
want any prospectors around.  The Dutchman died in the well 
and a cowboy told me he covered him by shoveling some dirt 
into the well.  He is there today because I was there last 
week where he is buried.  I found the mine two miles north. 
He had dug drift and I cleaned it out.  The drift is twenty 
feet wide and runs in an ore than runs $1000 to the ton. It 
ain't 300 yards from the main road. You can walk on the lead 
for four miles. It is about one mile wide and all 
mineralized.  Lots of old holes where the Indians have taken 
out the ore. There are some placer diggings also that were 
worked years ago.

I wish a few good prospectors would come and see me as I now 
of lots of chances for someone to make a raise.  This is the 
biggest country unexplored that I ever saw. I am writing 
Colonel Eps Randolph to see if he wants in on the biggest 
gold prospect in Arizona. Tell the boys to come soon as I 
have told no one yet, but have the stuff to show and I would 
like for some of my friends to get in.  I will bond, lease 
or sell some of my holdings. You are the first to hear about 
this strike.  I have no use for those phoenix guys. If you 
think best you can publish it or leave it alone.

It is 68 miles from Phoenix to this place.  Get wagons or 
burros at Van Burons' corral, Mr. Pace in charge. He has 
some of the ore. It is sixteen miles from Van Burons but 
there is a lot of grass.  Give my regards to C. Chamberlain 
and tell him that old Hank is on easy street now.

Yours very truly, Hank Hankins.

******************************************
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Dec 7, 1895


Nearly everybody in the west has heard of the Lost Dutchman 
mine which is popularly supposed to lie somewhere in the 
Superstition mountains. Many there are who suppose the mine 
of fabulous wealth is only a myth but others remains to the 
belief that the mine exists in reality and several times have 
prospectors scoured the mountains for the lost mine; starting 
out with visions of wealth, returning unsuccessful but with 
the determination to again seek the spot where gold glistened 
on the ground in the sunlight.

Many old time Arizonans have heard of the Nigger Ben Mine 
but the story of the mine has heretofore never appeared in 
print and the secret of the location of the mine is supposed 
to be known by Yuma Indians, who , however, keep the secret 
locked safety within the tribe.  That the existence of the 
mine is a reality there is no doubt to the few who know of 
the story which gave birth to the belief.  To get the 
thread of the tale it is necessary to go back twenty two 
years in the dim past.

Known to all old timers was H.E. Peeples, of Peeples Valley 
who a couple of years ago on his deathbed related to a 
friend who sat by his bedside the supposed existence of a 
mine that in richness would equal the King Solomon Mine of 
old.  "For years and years," said old man Peeples, "I have 
sought for the spot where riches lie unconcealed and in 
abundance. I am now about to die but if you can locate the 
spot the fortune is yours.

Years ago Peepes and a party of four prospectors were placer 
mining on Rich Hill in the Bradshaw Mountains. Among the 
party was a Negro named Ben, a slave, whom Peeples brought 
with him from Alabama before slavery was entirely abolished.

While the small party was delving for the yellow metal a Yuma 
Indian appeared at their camp.  They had met the Indian a 
few months previous and a friendship had sprung up between 
he Indian and Negro Ben.  The Indian and Ben started out 
but they did not return.

After three weeks of waiting Peeples became anxious and 
striking camp the party started on the trial. They tracked 
the pair up the Arroyo de los Alamos to the Junction with 
the Rio Santa Maria. At this point the party saw a conical 
shaped mountain surmounted by a peak that cowered forty 
feet in the air. This strange peak was only about two miles 
ahead of them across the Santa Maria and to it the party 
started with the hope of obtaining a good view of the 
surrounding country from the sentinel like dome.

While carefully making their way to the mountain up an 
arroyo strewn with large boulders, they came suddenly upon 
the remains of a human being.  A superficial examination 
was all that was necessary to recognize the remains all 
that was left of Negro Ben.

The coyotes and other carnivorous animals that abound in 
that region had entirely denuded the body of flesh but 
from the portions of clothing that lay scattered on the 
ground it was easy to see that they were the clothes worn 
by Ben.  One of the party picked up a garment and saw that 
the pockets bulged out. An examination was maid with the 
result that several nuggets were exposed to view, 
aggregating in size of a pea to a pigeon's egg.  The 
rest of the clothes were examined and more nuggets 
found.  The gold amounted to about $5,000.

After many conjectures they came to the conclusion that 
the Indian after conducting Ben to the place of riches 
had relented of doing so and on the way back had killed 
him, probably through the fear that his tribe would become 
cognizant that he had divulged the secret of the mine and 
his life would pay the forfeit.

For several weeks the party remained in the vicinity of the 
mountain which they named "Nigger Ben Peak."  After days and 
days of fruitless search the gold found in the garments 
of the Negro was divided and the small band separated.

Peeples took up his permanent residence the Big Sandy near 
Signal in order to be near the locality that he might 
prosecute the search for that mine of gold.

It is supposed that the locations of the spot is within 
a radius of twenty miles of Nigger Ben's Peak and the 
hypothesis is based on several facts, one of which is 
that a few years after the discovery of Negro Ben's remains, 
a Mexican who was prospecting in that locality met an 
Indian of the Yuma tribe.  The Mexican had in his 
possession a saddle that the Indian tried to barter 
for.  The Mexican told him that if he would get him a 
double handful of gold the saddle was his.  The Mexican 
was no serious but was surprised when the Indian 
assented with the rejoinder for the Mexican to remain 
there until he returned.  It was then nearing dusk and 
the Mexican watched the Indian until he disappeared on 
the trail over Nigger Ben's Peak.  The next day shortly 
before noon the Indian reappeared and silently handed 
the Mexican a nugget of pure gold much larger than a 
hen's egg.  The trade was at once made but though the 
Mexican's query as to where the nugget came from the 
Indian only shook his head.

Strangely enough there is now living in the neighborhood of 
the peak a Negro who is working a claim with an arastra and 
is getting wealthy fast, and to those who are cognizant of 
the existence of the mine spoken of in that district are of 
the opinion that the spot is not far from there the colored 
man is working.

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