Page "Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine" Paragraph 24

In a story that echoes some of the earlier tales, Ruth's son Erwin C. Ruth was said to have learned of the Peralta mine from a man called Pedro Gonzales ( or Gonzalez ).

According to the story, in about 1912, Erwin C. Ruth gave some legal aid to Gonzales, saving him from almost certain imprisonment ; in gratitude, Gonzales told Erwin about the Peralta mine in the Superstition Mountains, even reportedly passing on some antique maps of the site ( Gonzales claimed to be descended from the Peralta family on his mother's side ).

Erwin passed the information to his father Adolph, who had a long-standing interest in lost mines and amateur exploration.

In fact, the elder Ruth had fallen and badly broken several bones while seeking the lost Pegleg mine in California ; he had metal pins in his leg, and used a cane to help him walk.