Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

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Roger
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Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

Post by Roger »

A number of Dutch Hunters have either met Chuck Kenworthy around Apache Junction or have read his books on treasure maps, signs, and secrets. I corresponded with, talked to, and met with Chuck over a 2 year period and found him to be very knowledgeable on treasure hunting - one of the few to make a living at it. He was a little quirky on some points such as every rock in the Supestititions was a treasure sign, but I think he intentionally inflated that for his books. However, many of his treasure markers and signs he found in the field do correspond to the treasure marker signs he claimed were documented in Spanish archieves- I have found a few of them myself in the Supers.

His last book before he died on the Lost Dutchman very graphically showed where he believed the mine was located on the north end of Bluff Springs Mtn. The infrared photo does depict an old trail up the mtn and the X marker above the mine is there and the weedhook and "Big D" markers are on the rock face to the south.

My question - has anyone gone up on this area of Bluff Spring Mtn to see if Chuck was correct or if there was further evidence at the site to support a mine being there? Also, has anyone looked across LaBarge Canyon up on the mountain top area for the Peralta cave Chuck claimed to have found there?

Roger
Fritzski
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Post by Fritzski »

What was his last book, and is it possible to still get a copy?
Wiz
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Post by Wiz »

Kenworthy's last book was "Treasure Secrets of the Lost Dutchman", available from the SMHS.
I have been up to the area of Kenworthy's "X". It looked natural to me. If you look you'll notice he "enhanced" several of his photos with magic marker to make natural formations look artificial.
S.C.
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Post by S.C. »

Kenworthy was an interesting individual. However, I think that he did better looking for sunken treasure than land based ones.

His book on the LDM mentioned looks impressive but is filled with Kenworthy's habit of reading more into the terrain than what is there. (Ref. his other books on treasure signs... I saw his books as ink blotter test... What do YOU see in this picture???...) His LDM book also heavily relies on a map (The Walker-Weedin Map) and that map is very questionable.

Kenwworthy took the map at face value. That it was "authentic" and was something "important" that was given to Glen Magill. He then "reads" all sorts of things into the map... The way the letters were... The way things pointed to other things on the map, etc. From that he based his whole "where it is on the ground" theory. The thing is, the map in question was copied so many times and manipulated so many times that there is no way the speculation Kenworthy used could work. Besides that, the map is not even based on an original... It was drawn from memory. Thus, there is no way any of the things Kenworthy theorizes about could be very valid.

This leads me to mentioning a very significant article on the map and its history. If you want to know more about the map, read this article! It is in the new SM Jounal No. 18 (for year 2000) that has just been mailed out. It is by Greg Davis and presents significant new information. (If you don't belong to the SMHS, join.) You can probably buy the issue as a "back issue" from the SM Museum Bookstore. The article shows a blue-print copy of what is probably as close as we are ever going to get to the memory map Thomas Weedin drew. The thing is, it is different than what we are used to seeing - the one Erwin Ruth gave to Glen Magill and others.
Peter
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Post by Peter »

I'd like to chime in on the Walker-Weedin Map. I agree with SC..any work that Kenworthy or anyone else did on one of the COPIES of the Walker -Weedin map is simply useless. Kenworthy went into great depth and detail on the Walker-Weedin map, putting stock in the various angles of hills drawn on the map, on whether or not a certain hill was really misplaced because it was encoded blah blah blah. It real left me shaking my head, as I knew a little bit about the map's true origin.

Greg Davis did an EXCELLENT job unraveling the Walker-Weedin puzzle in SMHS #18. Clearly the best article in the issue. And as with most things LDM, it seems that a simpler, more concise explanation always seems to fit the puzzle.

The fun, of course, is trying to figure out just what location the map points to. Is the north trending canyon leading to the Salt River Labarge? Peters? Tortilla Creek? Fish Creek? Is the "mino" area up above Charlebois Spring? on Tortilla Mtn? near the Miller workings in the Tortilla country? over towards the Iron Mtn area? Who knows...but it makes for an interesting discussion.

I think all Dutch Hunters have their favorite maps (I have 2-3 that fit my understanding of the clues) . The Walker-Weedin is an interesting one, but not one that will lead anybody to a mine ...IMHO
NeedleMan
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Post by NeedleMan »

Rumor has it Chuck Kenworthy Jr is releasing a new book about treasure signs and symbols.

Does anyone know anything about it?

Needleman
padutchman
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Re:

Post by padutchman »

Wiz wrote:Kenworthy's last book was "Treasure Secrets of the Lost Dutchman", available from the SMHS.
I have been up to the area of Kenworthy's "X". It looked natural to me. If you look you'll notice he "enhanced" several of his photos with magic marker to make natural formations look artificial.
Did you climb out to the end of the "ramp" area to inspect the feature up close? The fact that Kenworthy may have "enhanced" the published image does not necessarily mean that the feature was a fake. Attached is an image from above using GoogleEarth which rather clearly displays the "X".

I also wanted to make an on site inspection. A buddy and I were hoping to get to the site in 2008, but our 68 year old legs cramped up so bad after passing Miner's Needle inbound, we spent the next two days recuperating at Bluff Spring before heading back. Next time we plan to pack in with Ron Feldman from the west end.

Bill Bear
Wasilla, Alaska
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Bill Bear
Wasilla, Alaska
brandon
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Re: Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

Post by brandon »

Roger wrote:A number of Dutch Hunters have either met Chuck Kenworthy around Apache Junction or have read his books on treasure maps, signs, and secrets. I corresponded with, talked to, and met with Chuck over a 2 year period and found him to be very knowledgeable on treasure hunting - one of the few to make a living at it. He was a little quirky on some points such as every rock in the Supestititions was a treasure sign, but I think he intentionally inflated that for his books. However, many of his treasure markers and signs he found in the field do correspond to the treasure marker signs he claimed were documented in Spanish archieves- I have found a few of them myself in the Supers.

His last book before he died on the Lost Dutchman very graphically showed where he believed the mine was located on the north end of Bluff Springs Mtn. The infrared photo does depict an old trail up the mtn and the X marker above the mine is there and the weedhook and "Big D" markers are on the rock face to the south.

My question - has anyone gone up on this area of Bluff Spring Mtn to see if Chuck was correct or if there was further evidence at the site to support a mine being there? Also, has anyone looked across LaBarge Canyon up on the mountain top area for the Peralta cave Chuck claimed to have found there?

Roger
padutchman
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Location: Alaska

Re: Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

Post by padutchman »

Roger wrote: My question - has anyone gone up on this area of Bluff Spring Mtn to see if Chuck was correct or if there was further evidence at the site to support a mine being there? Also, has anyone looked across LaBarge Canyon up on the mountain top area for the Peralta cave Chuck claimed to have found there?

Roger
WIZ in a previous post sez he has been up to the "X" described by Kenworthy. Maybe he can answer your question....

WIZ, how much time did you spend checking out K's findings while you were on site?

Bill
Bill Bear
Wasilla, Alaska
Roger
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Re: Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

Post by Roger »

The closest I got to the area of Kenworthy's "X" is the below photo taken in 2003 when coming down off Black Top Mesa and looking back toward Bluff Spring Mtn. This photo is close to the one Chuck put on the back cover of his book, "Treasure Secrets of the Lost Dutchman". The "X" is very visible on the south end of the knob that forms the north end of Bluff Springs Mtn. Man made or natural??? Have never been back to that area since.

Roger
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Jack Carlson
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Re: Chuck Kenworthy and The Lost Dutchman

Post by Jack Carlson »

I hiked up to the "X" on Kenworthy's Bluff in 1999. The "X" looked like a natural crack in the rock to me. I took a long nap on top of the "X," so I had a chance to check it out, off and on, for about an hour. Also, the "Ramp" leading up to the "X" looked like a natural formation.

The cliff on the southeast end of the bluff had been blasted away (or maybe just fell off). I did not see any mineralization. I looked for the "Mine" down below as marked on Kenworthy's map (back cover of Treasure Secrets) and did not find anything, although I did not spend much time looking.

In 1999, the "Weed Hook" on top of the northeast end of the bluff was easy to see from the Dutchman's Trail as I walked away from the bluff heading west (and then looked back). Earlier this year I looked for the Weed Hook as we rode down the Dutchman's Trail, but I don't recall seeing it.
Jack
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Re:

Post by goldieminer »

Fritzski wrote:What was his last book, and is it possible to still get a copy?
You can always find at amazon or barnes

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