sworn to secrecy, I found the LDM accidentally TRUE STORY

[theiceman226]

Moderator Note: This post was originally posted Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:06 pm. Because of some of the language used in it, it was removed until it could be edited.

To someone that is experienced in the mountains. this story is obviously NOT TRUE. It contains so many errors and impossibilities that it is not even close to being believable.

I have replaced the unacceptable words with XXX’s. The rest of the story is exactly as written by the author. I am letting it remain online for 3 reasons.

1 - To give everyone a Heads-Up about the credibility of theiceman226

2 - To provide an example of why this forum is so closely moderated

3 - To let the more knowledgeable members of the forum enjoy taking this story apart and exposing all the errors and untruths in it.

ie: The lights of Phoenix cannot be seen from the area where he said he made his camp. They cannot even be seen from the top of the mountain above where he said he made camp.

ie: There was no Full Moon on the night he claims to have been there.

It could be fun for some, and educational for others to see how poorly planned this story was in the authors attempt deceive.

Jim Hatt





Post subject: sworn to secrecy, I found the LDM accidentally TRUE STORY
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:06 pm


I write this post only because what i found could very well be the true LDM! I will only go by the name bubba because of the chaos i will put myself in with various government sources........
I am an avid dutch hunter and I have done my homework enough to find the mine..
im a truck driver and had a load in phoenix on friday and reloaded on monday, so i had a chance to search for the lost mine a whole weekend. i left tuesday and got to phoenix thursday at 3 pm and got unloaded and went to the truck stop to drop my trailer and bobtail to the peralta trailhead, i had packed camping equipment and everything i needed for a 3 day stay in the sups. i checked in and packedup all i needed then headed north up the barks draw, yes i had copy of the bark notes,the holmes manuscript,and clues including maps, topo and aerial of the whole range, well i got up past miners needle and had to stop and take it all in that i had a chance to walk amongst the history and beutiful landscape,plus a painful a$$ climb i had in front of me. My spot and destination was just north of tortilla mtn, following the landmarks i have studied based on everything ive read about the mine. it was slow going cause i was going up above labarge canyon as described in the bark notes, I finnally made my camp for the weekend on top of,,i will not diclose the canyon because of others that could find the location,,i ate dinner and could not sleep all night the next morning i started my search for the so called tunnel the two solders spoke and the docter that the indians took to the secret place..I started at dawn and about 10am. After searching high and low i found the legendary tunnel, and they were right, you cannot ride a horSe through it,and took the trail backwards and ended up at a cave just south of the salt river,,went back to the tunnel which was the key to the whole damn thing in the first place,,walked about almost a mile and ended up on the famous ridge ole jake spoke of,,,looked at the maps i had, pinpointed the location on my gps, then looked north and was shocked to see four peaks in the distance and they were as of one peak, Ithen turned 180degrees and there was the needle to the south about 4 to 5 miles,,I will not say what needle,,,then kept south above the panoramic view to my right and high mts to my left..walked a little further about a few hundred yds and came to a big flat with a wall of rock following the flat for some distance, but a certain spot caught my eye and opon looking it was a walled up 7 by 4 door like on the side of the cliff..I knew i had found the tunnel,,Now i had to not clinb but like it was a steep incline i had to go up, And just above the doorlike wall that looked out of place from the rest of the wall which ran a long way, I was in a cayon overlooking all of blacktop mesa,weavers needle and other cayons in the distance, by this time it was late, I was on top looking at the setting sun and used binaculars to see where my tent (camp) was and it was not a mile from where i was, I looked at my notes and read the setting sun would shine on my gold,,,I knew it was covered up with sand and rock and had brought a piece of rebar with me and used it for a walking stick, while the shadows started closing in around my location i started back down toward the funny looking wall while jabbing the bar in the sand like dirt until i hit someting solidlike,so i jabbed it down again and it did not sound like i was hitting rock,,,so i loosened the dirt the best i could and yes i marked the spot and headed back to camp where my army shovel was,i fixed dinner and anxiosly waited ,and could not sleep at all while staring at the phenix lights to the west all night,all day i did not see nobody until about 2am, sitting by the fire, I saw an upright figure coming towards me,,the moon was full and i could see pretty good in the dark,,and it was spooky the whole time i was there, well the figure scared the sXXX out of me for a second, then it stopped and stood just out of the fire light,,i started to light a smoke when the figure started moving and my hunch was right cause i said aloud I SEE YOU’RE A$$ SO COMERE, It stopped the instant i said that,I knew then i was being followed,but by whome?? Well it stood there when i said ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE ALL XXX NIGHT,,I SAID COME HERE,Finnally it started walking toward me when i said walk slow so i don't kill you accidentally while reaching under the sleeping bag as if i had a rifle but was the rebar acting like one, and low and behold it was a damn park ranger that came stumbling in my campsite at this time of the night...He started to be a smarta$$ by demanding that was i the one that was lost, I replied,,DOES IT LOOK LIKE IM LOST, he said then if that was my truck back at the trailhead and i said yea it is. then he remarked i seen your fire from below and thought you was lost.. wher you from boy,,OH I GOT XXXXXX when this XXXXX said that,,so i pulled out the rebar and tossed it aside, stood up and said georgia, he said we don't let outsiders come up here without a guide and camping is for locals only, this ranger looked to be about in his 20's,,he said i needed to packup and come out with him cause he has been watching me all day and night,right then i knew he was not looking for a lost person. i said i knew you were out there following me today cause when i backtracked from the cave i saw two sets of footprints, and they did not match, by this time it was ???say 3:30am...then he said that i looked like i did not belong out here..I started to throw his sorry a$$ off the cliff i was on,,,I told him I'll come out when i was XXXX good n ready..that was tomorrow,,sunday.... I sat back down by my fire and told him that i was the last thing to deal with in this type of terrain and to get the XXXX out of my camp before or else, and looking him over he had no radio,no water,no weapon, just a flashlight, i thought to myself as of this kid will be dead from something before he gets out of these mts. I know we were 3,4 miles at least from the trailhead..So i told him my business for being there and(I LIED) I needed to get away from it all for a day or two..he said theres no gold up here,, I said i was not looking for it...a few remarks later and he bid me a good night. I knew he was up to no good, so i kicked back and relaxed till the sun came up,, When it was about good enough to see i started for my markers, and getting there was a XXXXX, So i started poking again hitting that same spot that made a thump knowing i was not hitting rock and going in circles until thumping stopped until i made out a circle,,ok,, I wanted to see what was down there so i started digging down with the shovel until two feet down i seen wood?? I remember waltz said he buried the shaft with wood or timbers all the way up to two feet from the top of the entrance,, I franticly looked around to make XXX sure i was up here alone!!! ok no ones around so back to uncovering what seemed to be logs about 8 TO 10 inches in diameter, I uncovered as much as i could to remove the logs but some were to brittle, But i wanted too see the next layer to make sure that waltz crisscrossed them as fortold,,and they were,,,looked around to see any piles of diggings but was none,,,so i took a rock and lightly banged on the logs, and it sounded like ?? You know the sound a water well sounds like,its sounded hollow, by the evidence that i uncovered cause it looked like it was there and undisturbed forever,,, I said to myself THE LOST DUTCHMANS MINE,,I JUST FOUND THE MINE LEGEDARY MINE,, I quickly took photo's of the shaft with the logs still in place and can plainly see the crisscross pattern the way jAKE DESCRIBED HE BURIED IT!!!! I looked around again then quickly reset the other logs back in place and covered it back the way i found it fearing if i announced this finding i would surely die,go to prison for i was inside the damn parks boundary... I took more photo'sof the spot and surronding area...so i know where it is for next time i will go all the way down just to see what down there,,,all the work,all the landmarks,all the dreaming had paid off,,ACCEDINTALLY!!!! I hurried to the cave took more photo's of it and the walk through tunnel, and now i have proof, verifiable proof that the mine exists. and it was saturday, 11.00am
oct 24,2009 I think i just recovered.more like uncovered HISTORY!!!!
i went back to camp and sat there thinking what to do,, Thinking of what would happen if i did this did that and what the outcome would be,,,so i decided to leave it for now cause i now know where it is and can come back very soon to see whats at the bottom of that hole,,,its not a straightdown shaft but at a 60degree angle,,,and what about the tunnel??? Its covered up with brush!!
i was getting very scared as it all sank in, No other mine out here thats covered the way jake waltz decribed his mine was coveredup,, I need to get the XXXX out of here,,so i started franticly packing up and got started back down the way i came watching every detail,not even caring about the splenderto my right, and then thare it was,,,the needle,kept walking and did not stop until i got to the traihead where i was greeted by another person but this time it was a??? He looked like he was looking for gold and when our eyes met he stared at me for a long time and said bluntly YOU FOUND SOMETHIN, the look i gave him was unmistakable,,he knew that i knew,,hey i was scared to death OK!!! Walking to the truck i turned back to see and there he was and also others standing staring at me, He shouted saying I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES SON, YOU'VE FOUND SOMETHING OUT THERE, I JUMPED IN THE TRUCK and started pulling off and he was still staring so i stopped,Rolled down the window and said its not lost any more,,,never was, i did my homework and I knew where to dig.............then pulled off and went back to phoenix, got my load monday and could not wait to get home to develope the photo's i had taken,, When there ready i will post them on here for all to see that it exists,, I have proof it does, but only the photo's of the logs,the cave, and the actual spot uncovered and recovered.. I will post them IMEDIATLLY, But to protect the mine some photo's will be withheld cause they show certain features that one can use to find or get really close to the actual spot. If any one has any advise what i should do at this point,please let me know...SINCERILY BUBBA.

[Jim Hatt]

If any one has any advise what i should do at this point,please let me know...SINCERILY BUBBA.

The only advice I have for you Bubba, is "Wake Up"... It was all a dream!

[djui5]

Couple of questions. Why would you go in the South side of the range if you wanted to get to Tortilla Mtn? Also if your truck was parked 3-4 miles from the trailhead, then you either didn't go in the South side, or you didn't go to Tortilla Mtn. Which one is it?

I can't wait to see these photos.

[cubfan64]

Couple of questions. Why would you go in the South side of the range if you wanted to get to Tortilla Mtn? Also if your truck was parked 3-4 miles from the trailhead, then you either didn't go in the South side, or you didn't go to Tortilla Mtn. Which one is it?

I can't wait to see these photos.

I was wondering the same thing about the N/S thing as well. One of just many questions

[Zen]

Gee, You think someone would have noticed his truck? Only around 50 Dutch Hunters hanging around!

[Rex Western]

I just hope this guy drives a truck better than he tells a story. Especially if he's driving around the Phoenix (sic) area. I couldn't make it half way through before I gave up on the B.S.
It wasn't even good efiction.

[Jim Hatt]

Hey Rex!!!

Good to see you can sit up and pound the keyboard again.
This years Flu Bug is an a-kicker eh?

Glad you're feeling better!

Jim

[Jim Hatt]

Gee, You think someone would have noticed his truck? Only around 50 Dutch Hunters hanging around!

Good "catch" Zen!

I never even thought about all you guys being out there during that time period.

A semi tractor would have looked rather strange, and stood out like a sore thumb at the trailhead wouldn't it?

[djui5]

A semi tractor would have looked rather strange, and stood out like a sore thumb at the trailhead wouldn't it?

[stewed03064]

i dont believe it this guy says he looked one way and saw four peaks that looked like one turned 180 degrees and saw the needle then he had to climb up to a flat where the shaft is burried yet i thuoght i read before that the only way to see the needle from the mine was to climb up a hill to see it behind you if that is the case this guys got it backwards