There are several stories as to who found the Peralta Stone Maps. Some of the claimants to finding the maps are Bob Ward, Nobel Dwyer, and several others. However, the most likely story is that the maps were found by Robert Tumlinson in 1949 when he was returning to Oregon from a prospecting trip in the Superstition Mountains. He states that he had stopped for a bush break at a little rest area near where Queen Creek passes under the US 60 (the old US 60 not the present divided Highway). He had climbed to a rise and while on top, he tripped over a rock. Upon closer inspection he could see that it had inscriptions written on it. This led him to the discovery other three maps. He put them in his vehicle and went to Apache Junction where he cleaned off the maps with a hose at a local gas station.
Robert took on two partners during his searches in the Superstition Mountains—Gene Davis and Charlie Mitchell. Eventually, they gave up the searches due to bad health and deaths. Eventually, a Clarence Mitchell (also known as Charlie Mitchell and Travis Marlowe) became interested in the maps. He ended up with the maps for quite some time. And this is when Life Magazine did the article on the mysterious maps in the 1960’s. Eventually, the maps ended up with the Flag Foundation and replicas were displayed in the Mesa Southwest Museum.
Besides the Priest and Horse maps, the Peralta Trail Maps consist of two separate stone tablets and a heart insert. When one is placed on top of the other a trail is completed with the exception of the inserted heart. The heart on the upper Trail Map is removable. Without the heart stone, you have no complete map. The Heart was found much later in a cave on Black Mountain in the Superstition Mountains. This Cave was one of the 18 places referred to on the Priest map.
In order to read the maps, you must understand the logic behind them. Today we use maps that were drawn as you would see from looking down from outer space. Spanish/Mexican Treasure maps are quite different. They are drawn as they appear from certain vantage points on the ground. These points are usually fixed by triangulation of several land marks.
References
True Story of Superstition Mountains, Ripples of Lost Echos, Bob Ward, Tract Evangelistic Crusade, (copyright pending)
The Sterling Legend, the Facts Behind the Lost Dutchman Mine, Estee Conatser, Gem Guides Book Co, 2002
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