The Gold Rush in American started in 1849, when James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. News of the discovery swept the Nation like a fever. Nearly 300,000 men headed west to stake their claim. Sadly, very few actually struck in rich. Many gave up and began prospecting in other western states, [...]

Life in the Southwest in the pioneering days was tough and often filled with new and frightening experiences. Strange and spooky rock formations abound throughout the area. The land in some places is a desolate as the moon, and in others, the vastness of the open spaces is intimidating. Spanish and Native American legends and [...]

Legends of gold and treasure played a large and dynamic role in shaping the history of the southwestern U.S. Nothing in the history of man has inspired more acts of mayhem than the promise of wealth for the taking. In the case of the Seven Cities of Cibola (the Seven cities of Gold), the search [...]

Another Arizona Lost Gold legend, is the legend of Sanders Lost Gold.

In Gila County, the Salt River, before it dumps into Roosevelt Lake passes through the wild country of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. The Tonto Apaches who inhabited the country were not as hostile as their brethern to the north and south but they weren’t [...]

The Superstition Mountains have always been shrouded in mystery. The Native Americans who inhabited the area said the mountains were the home of the Thunder God, who was said to protect a great treasure. Since the 4,000 foot cliffs of the Superstitions rise up out a flat plain and seem to breed thunderstorms, it is [...]

Located on the Utah-Idaho border, beautiful Bear Lake is a popular destination for boaters, fishermen and skiers, but according to legend, it is also the home of the Bear Lake Monster. Said to be a huge snake, nearly 90 feet long, it has ears that stick out for its skinny head and a mouth big [...]

Sightings of a giant bird, as recent as 2008, have been part of the history of the Southwest for thousands of years. The Native American peoples have always referred to this giant creature as the Thunderbird, a magical animal sent by their gods to protect them from the powers of evil. Riding on the wings [...]

A Hard Rock Miners Guide to Staying Alive

The history of the Southwest is littered with stories of miners, gold and silver, mines and mining towns. The pursuit and acquisition of gold, silver, tin, copper, lead and more shaped this part of the nation like nothing else. A huge percentage of the towns in the [...]

Relics of days gone by are easily found all over Arizona, from Native American ruins to a weathered and rusty pick stuck into an outcropping of quartz. Each of these relics holds within a story, and many times a treasure of archeological and historical significance.

And sometimes… these relics hold a treasure of Gold!

In the late [...]

Hostile indians were never much of a threat in the Salt River Valley in the early days. The agressive tribes – Yavapai and Apache – kept to their mountian fortresses to the north and east of modern Phoenix.

In 1865, the Army established Fort McDowell on the Verde River to make sure that the Yavapai and [...]