Don Joaquin and his lost gold

Sources

Mitchell, J.D. Lost Mines & Buried Treasures. New Mexico: The Rio Grande Press, 1954.

Conrotto, E. Lost Gold and Silver Mines of the Southwest: Dover Publications, 1963

South of Phoenix, Arizona lies a wilderness mountain range that is full of danger, history and treasure. The dangerous Sierra Estrella Mountain Range has no water anywhere in the range and there are only a couple of sparely used trails that can challenge even the most experienced hiker. There is one trail that is still covered in mystery. That trail is the lost zigzag trail.

According to John D. Mitchell, in 1847 a band of Spanairds lead by Don Joaquin had enslaved Indians from St. Catherine's Mission to mine for gold. They worked for many years and built a rock house, mine and a zig zag trail. One day, a local Indian scout stopped by and told Don Joaquin that the American Army was coming. This scared Don Joaquin and he decided to stop all mining operations and head back to Mexico. Don Joaquin released all but one of the Indian slaves and told the rest of the miners to meet him at a small butte on the other side of the mountains. That day Don Joaquin loaded 3,000 pounds of gold on to the backs of 15 mules and headed up a zig zag trail towards butterfly peak. Once at butterfly peak, they continued on the trail towards Montezuma's Head. Halfway down the trail they turned into a short box canyon where there was a cave. They buried the gold at the back of the

cave and then Don Joaquin killed the Indian helper and put him on top of the gold. Don Joaquin then headed to the small butte where his fellow miners where. That night the miners killed Don Joaquin in his sleep and stole his treasure map. They then headed to Mexico with the treasure map in their hands.
Thirtyfive years later an old man stumbled into Phoenix with the original treasure map in his hand. He went out looking, but hostile

Indians and his old age worked against him. He returned to Mexico without his gold. No one knows what happened to the map but the gold lies somewhere in the Sierra Estrella Mountains.