If you love Arizona, you’ve no doubt heard the legend of the lost gold in the Superstition Mountains.

In the 1840s, the Peralta family developed a gold mine in the mountains, and on their last expedition back to northern Mexico in 1848 were ambushed by Apaches. All were killed but one.

Since then, there has been an ongoing quest to locate the mine. In the 1870s, Jacob Waltz, “the Dutchman” (he was German) was supposedly aided by a Peralta descendant and found the mine. Waltz and his partner, Jacob Weiser, worked the mine and allegedly hid one or more caches of gold in the Superstitions.

Adventure-seekers have been looking for the treasure ever since. Some have been victims of foul play and death. Adding to the lore is the idea that Weaver’s Needle, the geological remains of a volcanic eruption, makes a shadow that points to the location on certain days of the year.

For me, the true treasure of this rugged area is found while hiking and exploring. In certain years, with the appropriate rain, slopes are covered with blue dicks, owl’s clover and mariposa lilies*.

In this composition I positioned a leaf of the lily so it points to the base of Weaver’s Needle, to pay homage to the legend.

Gold or not, this region is special. It’s a peaceful place, where lilies wave in the breeze, cerulean skies yield to golden sunsets, and indigo blankets the nights.

*Not to be confused with poppies, Mariposa lilies (Calochortus) are indeed lilies! The word Calochortus is derived from Greek and means “beautiful grass”.

Cotton Bloom and Mount Graham, Pima, AZ 22×28 oil on canvas

$4000

This summer, we took the long way to the White Mountains, traveling through Safford and Morenci en route to the Coronado Trail. As we passed through the farming town of Pima, Arizona, I noticed fields of greenish-white flowers waving to me in the breeze. It was time to pull over and pay homage to a very important C of Arizona, Cotton.

Stretching out as far as the eye could see along the Gila River to the north and Mount Graham to the south, were healthy fields of these beautiful plants. Cotton has a rich and important history in Arizona.  It has been cultivated in our desert for over 3000 years, originally by the Hohokam, who dug canals to irrigate their crops. And it was the Pima tribe who helped scientists develop the variety we know today as Pima Cotton.

And cotton, by the way, is not just for soft sheets.

In 1917, Paul Litchfield purchased 16,000 acres in the valley as part of the Goodyear Tire Company, and cotton was used to help make rubber tires for airplanes during World War I; the cultivated cotton went into the tire threads. Like a good steak? Cotton seed is used to feed dairy and feedlot cattle. Thanks to a long growing season, fertile soil, and precious water, Arizona cotton continues to bring millions and millions into our Arizona economy.

It’s also wonderful that this useful plant has such a beautiful, showy flower.

So, when you sink your tired bones into your Pima Cotton sheets tonight, thank the Native American and modern farmers who have worked hard in our Arizona soil, creating a soft place for you to land.

For more facts about Cotton: Arizona Farm Bureau 2016

https://www.azfb.org/Article/Why-in-Gods-Name-Are-We-Growing-Cotton-in-the-Desert