Sitting at the foothills of the Superstition Mountains, Goldfield is a well-known attraction in the vicinity of Phoenix, Arizona, a perfect day trip destination from the city. One of the few ghost towns in the Southwest, it showcases buildings and a main street that would fit in the old Wild West.
But is it a real ghost town or an artificial attraction, a town re-built as a tourist trap? I’ll just tell you its story, then let you decide.
The Story of Goldfield, a Mining Town in the Wild West
Back when the area was still the Wild West, a prospector found gold in the Superstition Mountains. It was a high-grade ore, worth a lot. Word spread about it, attracting more miners. Soon, they opened Mammoth Mine. Around the mine, a new settlement was born.
The new mine added to the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s gold mine that had been circulating in the media. The story brought more miners, more settlers. Goldfield soon grew to a town with a population of over a thousand.
This mining settlement eventually got its own post office, in 1893, which marked it as an official town. Around this time, the settlers built a church, a schoolhouse, a general store, and a meat market. A blacksmith came to town and opened shop. A brewery, a few saloons, a boarding house, and even a hotel followed. The town and population continued growing and growing. But eventually, the gold vein dried up.
Goldfield Becomes a Ghost Town
As the mines closed, the town declined, until the last of its population left. In 1898, just five years after its inauguration as a town, Goldfield was abandoned. It became a ghost town, with the wind blowing through its buildings.
Youngsberg
But the legend of the lost Dutchman’s gold mine continued circulating.
Some prospectors stayed, trying to find it. Others tried to reopen the old Mammoth Mine. Although they found gold, it wasn’t enough to live off of.
Then, in the early 1900s, a wealthy prospector named George Young brought in modern mining equipment and reopened the mines. Attracting settlers once again, he revived the town in 1921 and renamed it Youngsberg.
However, Youngsberg lasted no longer than Goldfield, and five years later it became a ghost town once more.
Goldfield Today
Many years later, Goldfield reopened as a tourist attraction.
A Ghost Town and Mine Enthusiast Buys and Rebuilds Goldfield
In 1966, a ghost town and mining enthusiast, Robert Schoose, moved into the area with his wife.
When they heard about the stories of the lost gold mine and the town built around it, they went out into the area to investigate. Visiting the remains of Goldfield, they came across a few foundations and some shacks that were left of the town.
After more searches, they also found the Goldfield Mill’s location. They bought the mill and the surrounding area and set off to rebuild the town.
It was a lot of work and they took over twenty years to do it, but they succeeded.
First, they reconstructed the mining tunnel, then the buildings in town, and they opened it all up for business as a ghost town attraction in 1988.
Historical Site or Tourist Trap? Maybe Both
Today, Goldfield is one of the main tourist attractions around Phoenix.
Some of the old buildings host tourist shops, a few cafés, and an ice cream shop.
Visitors can pan for gold, take a narrow-gauge train ride to the mines, and even take a zip-line ride.
One of the main attractions is a show, repeated every hour on weekends. Actors dressed in old Western clothes replay a gunfight in the center of Main Street.
During the days on weekends, the town seems as busy as it must have been in its heyday. Parking lots are full, families stroll through the town and stop at the various shops. The train is full as it leaves the station; people are standing in line to pan for gold.
The recreated brothel, the Bordello, houses various shops that sell tourist souvenirs.
Another old building is home to a bakery and cafe.
You can stop at a leather works shop, a jail, livery, and other stores that cater to tourists.
The newest attraction in town is the zip-line. You take a ride overlooking the Superstitions and the town.
Goldfield mine tours are also popular. The underground guided tour takes about 25 minutes.
The Superstition Narrow-Gauge Railroad takes about 20 minutes to circle the town. While on board, the conductor entertains visitors by talking about Goldfield and the surrounding area.
Horseback rides, and carriage rides, are available through the livery.
The reptile museum behind the bordello is also worth a quick stop.
Those interested in the town’s history would enjoy a visit to the Goldfield Superstition Museum.
The exhibits relate to the mines, the town, and the surrounding mountains nearby.
But the most popular one is about the Lost Dutchman gold mine.
The Legend of the Lost Dutchman and His Gold Mine
Most locals of Arizona know the legend of the Lost Dutchman well. How much of it is fiction, as opposed to reality, is hard to tell.
Though the Dutchman was a real person, he wasn’t Dutch at all. A German prospector, he came to the Superstitions to search for gold, like many others. According to the legend, he found an ore but kept its location a secret. Did he? Or was it wishful thinking from those who heard of him? Or an opportunity for a good story?
Living in the area, I heard a few different versions of this legend. Which one I like best? I don’t know, but I’ll tell you a few.
Jacob Waltz Lives Off His Gold Mine but Keeps It Secret
Jacob Waltz, the German known as the “Dutchman” immigrated to America in the 1830s. A plausible explanation of people thinking him as Dutch might come from linguistics. Germans call themselves Deutsch. With the wrong pronunciation, this could sound like “Dutch”.
Once in America, this Deutsch-man dedicated his life to searching gold. He traveled through the country, staying for short times in different places. But he didn’t find enough gold anywhere to live off of. So he kept moving on.
Then, in the 1860s he came to Arizona. Here, he found enough gold in the Superstition Mountains to realize his dream. He opened a small mine and lived off of it for the rest of his life. All alone, as this story goes.
But he kept the mine’s location hidden. As he got old, he needed a caregiver. Still, he kept the his mine’s location hidden even from her until his deathbed. When he finally told her about it, he left clues of how to find it, but they proved unreliable time after time.
Believe it or not, some hikers still hope to find the mine in the mountains.
The Lost Apache Gold
Another version of this legend includes Apaches. They lived in the area and knew about a place with a lot of gold. But since they considered it a sacred place, they kept it a secret. Not only that, but they prevented anyone who traveled in the area from finding it.
More Versions of the Story
Some versions of this legend place another German in the story as Waltz’s partner. He helps Waltz mine gold, but later gets killed either by the Apaches or by Waltz himself. On his deathbed, Waltz tells his caretaker about his mine and its location. Since he can’t go there himself, he leaves clues or a map, but nothing leads to a gold mine.
All versions agree that no one ever found the lost mine again. It is supposed to be cursed or protected by guardians who keep its location a secret. Only one person, this Dutchman ever found it. He was allowed to use it as long as he kept its location a secret.
What is true and what is fiction in this story is hard to tell. In fact, the making of the legend was most likely due to the media.
The Making of a Legend
Rumors of “lost gold mines” used to abound through the Wild West. This was one of them and it would have remained an anecdote, like the rest, if it wasn‘t for the media. It started with the death of another prospector, Adolph Ruth, during his search for this “lost mine”.
The story of his death got picked up by the media of the time. The media, being what it still is, made it a huge deal, a murder mystery. Though no one ever proved that someone killed Ruth, his story became a sensation. This started a new flood of adventurers and gold seekers.
None of the prospectors who went off into the Superstition Mountains in search of the mine ever returned, and no one ever heard from them again. Some of them turned up dead, others just disappeared.
Is the Apache Thunder God Protecting the Gold? Or simply Mother Nature?
Is someone or something protecting the gold? Some think the Apache Thunder God does. Or maybe the gold fever drives people mad and gets them to kill each other.
But living in the desert, and understanding its dangers, I think the explanation is much more mundane. It is easy to get lost in the wilderness of a desert mountain. And even easier to get dehydrated, and dying of heat exhaustion. To this day we have hikers getting lost, dehydrated and in the hospital while hiking in the Superstitions. Hiking alone in the desert might still get you killed if you run out of water.
So, my guess is, these gold seekers simply didn’t understand the desert wilderness, and died of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Coyotes and other predators might have finish those who were never found.
Whatever it may be, to this day, some people believe the story about a hidden gold mine that surpasses anyone’s expectation. Never mind that geologists proved that there is no gold in the Superstitions. What do they know?
Some historians believe the Lost Dutchman’s mine is the Mammoth Mine in Goldfield, the one that brought the town to life.
How much of these stories is true, we might never know. But the legend still lives, and it is a great addition to the Arizona lore.
Should You Visit Goldfield?
If you are in the area, why not? Though it is a bit of a tourist trap, it’s a fun one. Besides, if you care at all about the Wild West and gold prospectors, or ghost towns, and the history of that era, chances are, you’ll learn some more.
One might argue that isn’t not a true ghost town, since most of the buildings are reconstructed, not standing as they were built. Still, the town existed in the same place. Twice, in fact. And the buildings are historically accurate, even if they are not used for the same purpose.
Just don’t go off into the Superstitions in search for the Lost Dutchman’s gold mine. Instead, pan for gold in town to live the experience.
But if you want to hike the Superstitions, it is worth the hike. Just make sure you go with a friend, carry enough water, and stay on a trail. And, whatever you do, don’t hike there in the middle of the summer. Instead, go in the winter, or the shoulder seasons.
How to Get to Goldfield
Goldfield is on the Apache Trail, in the town of Apache Junction, off the US I-60 Superstition Freeway.
From Phoenix, either take US 101 to I-60, or 51 to 202 to I-60.
Once on the Superstition Freeway (I-60) East, go to Exit #196- Idaho Road/AZ-88 East
Turn left on Idaho Road and drive 2.3 miles
Turn right at North Apache Trail, and drive 4 miles.
Goldfield Ghost Town is on your left.
