The Maps of Adolph Ruth

[zentull]

While I could not piece together Randys article from a few years back, I did my research on what I remembered and with a few conversations with Randy pulled it together best I can until he can find his notes.

The gist of the original piece was to look at the available maps that supposedly came from Erwin Ruth in relationship to the map or maps Adolph may have been carrying.

First we have the topo map as per Jeff Adams which exists only in a letter he wrote. It isn't a Gonzalez map so we can dismiss it as it seemed of little or no importance to Adams and Barkley( though I would still like a look at that one)

Next are the Map or Maps that have been passed along by Erwin Ruth. The most well known are the 3 maps passed along to Glenn Magill in 1966. Erwin claimed there were 3 maps and these were the ones Adolph took with him into the mountains. One obviously is the Walker Weedin map which Erwin received from Sims Ely in 1946. It is odd that Magill refers to this map in name and claims he believes it was a hoax. While Adolph may have got a copy from Ely and taken it into the mountains, it can not be part of the original map or maps passed along to Erwin by the Gonzalez family.

In that case we are left with 2 possibilities and the most popular has been the profile map. In fact I had always believed it was the map that Adolph Ruth carried into the mountains. Erwin himself said that one map didn't fit with the others. It was smaller and they couldn't place it with the other California maps. It was this map that they were told was of mines in Arizona. The general story changed on whther it was the Gonzalez family or their cousins the Peraltas, but it was of claims in Arizona.

[zentull]

Research on the profile map isn't easy since Erwin seemed to hand this map out on more than one occasion. We do know Magill popularized the map in The Killer Mountains, but Fred Guirey obtained the same copy from Erwin in 1946. While there are occasional slight changes in the map but it is generally the same from decade to decade.

However there is a slight problem. Supposedly a guy named Jim Crow was able to get the original Ruth map from either Keenan and Purnell. They made a copy for themselves and shortly there after Crow ends up in Alaska. Crow knew Noble Dwyer and let him know he would send him the map and other information. Dwyer was living with a guy named John Williams who picked up the mail and was aware of what the package consisted of. Williams held on to it and passed it along to his nephew Dave who passed it along to Bill Hidden. It was Bill Hidden who passed off a copy to Richard Peck and later sold it to Hank Harnish. After Harnish died his family held this map and two individuals tried to broker deals for it: Guss Tennyson and Jake Cruzen.

Cruzen passed along the Williams letter, other notes and 2 maps: the leather profile map and the rice paper map.

I believe Crazy Jake obtained a copy of the rice paper map as well, since I saw one version that had come through him.

The map however resembles the map Barry Storm published as a composite of Ruths map more than the current profile map. If it was'nt for that I would believe the leather map was a fake, but it fits Erwins descriptions to a T. It is smaller only being 8 1/2 by 11 1/2 and is on leather. However the map has bigger issues than its lineage........

It is in English and barely resembles the modern profile map beyond some initial landmarks.

[zentull]

Hopefully the photo of the leather map will post...

[Oroblanco]

I can't see the photo amigo, may be my computer but perhaps it did not work when you posted it?

I believe the leather map was created by Storm himself, for publication - just a personal opinion. The way he altered the Weiser map to make it fit his theory was the first red flag with his work (for me).

Please do continue, thank you in advance,
Oroblanco

[Somehiker]

Bill Hidden's name also is associated with the Latin Heart.In correspondence dated Apr.16,1965,Bert Love quotes Elgin Kriewald as being aware of the existence of a second heart associated with the Stone Maps.He also mentions Rick Peck's knowledge of the second heart by virtue of drawings of same and wish to obtain,perhaps by purchase,this fifth stone sometime prior to the date of the correspondence.The confusion over what area the Stones represent,based on inscriptions on the second heart is also discussed in this letter.

Regards:SH.

[zentull]

[zentull]

Sorry guys, I worked through the weekend as usual and clicked submit and went off to bed. Another 14 hours today..........Fun to read stuff you barely remember posting!

The map is actually a dark brown, but I usually lighten a lot of materials to this blue hue which is easier on the eyes and brings out the relief pretty nice.

There is a lot that bothers me about this map: the fact it is in english, it has passed through so many hands, it was treated like the Fish map and became obviously darker and obscured the details rather than enhanced them, and I can't find Joe Crow anywhere........not to mention the Alaska story is pretty odd.

On the other hand, we don't get crappy white guy spanish trying to make it authentic and everything about Erwins description fits this map more than any other from its size to its vagueness.. Why make a fake not using the modern profile as more of a template? Some of what screams fake almost goes against the grain to the point that I have to keep looking back and try to figure it out. It is puzzling.

Anyone have an idea of what the word is center far right, parallel to the word MINE?

One thing I was hoping from Garrys research on the Ruth family was finally one of the Borrego maps could come to light for a comparison. Since Magill was interested in the Borrego story as well perhaps one may have passed along to him and the individual with that material may provide a glimpse someday.

I don't think Storm had anything to do with this map and obviously Erwin did not share the profile map with him before the first edition of Thunder Gods Gold was published. It is odd that this map resembles Storms composite more than the paper map? I let my boys have a glance of the map and had each draw what they remembered and it was vaguely similar to the Storm composite. Not a real scientific approach, but I was curious.

Hope everyones patient, Randy agreed to sit down at Gregs soon with me as we rehash further and go after the rice paper map next.