Discover the Legend Behind the Lost Dutchman
A Four-Book Western Historical-Fiction Series
Follow the people, places, betrayals, and secrets behind one of the American Southwest’s most enduring legends. This four-book series traces Jacob Waltz’s journey from Germany to the Arizona Territory and explores the lives of the historical figures whose ambitions, courage, greed, and sacrifices helped shape the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine.
Book 1: “MASSACRE!”
Before there was the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, there was blood in the sand. In 1847, Commander Miguel Peralta led four hundred men into Arizona’s Superstition Mountains on a doomed quest for gold that became an epic of betrayal, revenge, and survival. From the ashes of that massacre rose a legend—a blood oath, a hidden map, and a secret that would echo through generations in the faith that turned gold to God.
Book 2: “Love, Lust, Death”
In a nation torn between freedom and fear, Julia Heady’s fight for survival becomes the heartbeat of a legend. Stolen from bondage and thrust into a world of peril—from Pennsylvania’s coal mines to the burning deserts of Arizona—every mile tests her faith, courage, and heart. Haunted by love, loss, and the blood she’s spilled, Julia’s reckoning at Geronimo Pass will forge a destiny not written in gold, but in fire, faith, and freedom.
Book 3: “Secret Of The Lost Dutchman”
In the brutal silence of the Arizona frontier, where justice bleeds into vengeance, Marshal Caleb Ransom’s final ride becomes a reckoning of the soul. Haunted by the ghosts of men he’s killed—and those he couldn’t save—Ransom follows a dying outlaw’s confession into the Superstition Mountains, where gold, guilt, and betrayal wait in the dust. As the desert closes in and the past refuses to stay buried, one question remains: is justice worth the soul of the man who delivers it?
Book #4 “Gold To Good”
In the unforgiving deserts of the Arizona Territory, Jacob Waltz—“The Dutchman”—chases the dream of streets paved with gold, only to discover that the richest veins run through the human heart. From love and betrayal to a dying miner’s covenant with a preacher named J.S., his fortune sparks a secret that will shape faith, cities, and generations to come. Gold to Good is a sweeping revelation of greed, guilt, and grace—where one man’s curse becomes another man’s calling.
Coming Soon!
BONUS CONTENT!
Historic Fiction
What sets these books apart is their foundation in history. Each story draws from the lives of Jacob Waltz, the German-born miner; Miguel Peralta, a general in the Mexican Army; and Julia Thomas, a Phoenix mercantile owner. Many scenes also draw from my own personal and sometimes life-threatening experiences while searching for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold in the American Southwest. Many photographs in the books and on this website are original images taken while documenting that search.
Build Your Own Free Western Town! Download, print, and construct the historic town of Swilling’s Mill, the settlement that became Phoenix, as depicted in the books. Select Models from the main menu to begin.
Additional Resources
Characters introduces the historical figures and fictional characters featured throughout the four-book series.
Maps presents period maps of the locations featured in the books, including a nineteenth-century Spanish map of the Arizona Territory and material related to the Peralta Stones.
Author tells the story of bestselling author Lon Safko and the personal search experiences that helped inspire the series.
Models lets you download, print, and build a free scale model of Swilling’s Mill, the early settlement that became Phoenix. The collection includes Julia Thomas’s Mercantile Store, the Sheriff’s Office, Assay Office, Saloon, miner’s cabin, and many additional structures.
I hope you enjoy exploring the history, characters, places, and mysteries behind this unique Western historical-fiction series.