Expedition Skull Cave

Evidently we have a pretty good following down  at the Maricopa County Sheriff's office because   deputy officer Clint Bradshaw called me on the  phone and wanted to come out and talk to me and   he came out and told me that other officers were  following what we were doing and I was pleased   about that because I used to be a detention  officer with the Maricopa County sheriff's office   and he was very interested in going to Skull cave  which is on a Canyon lake he organized the entire   thing and got a pontoon boat and invited several  people and 12 of us showed up to go on this trip   and we went all the way up the canyon to where  the the cave was located which was 975 feet   for all intents and purposes it was a thousand  feet up to the top of the cave of course i had   to stay in the boat and another fella stayed in  the boat with me with the drone Scott Gilles and   our cameraman there Dave and the rest of the  guys all went up to the top and we managed to   get the drone up there and find them and  get some drone shots and stuff like that   but this is an episode that I think is just really  unusual and the story will really be told by   Marshall Trimble Arizona's uh official historian  but Clint will do some introduction work on on   the story and but we'll hear it from from a man  who's been there and knows the entire history   and I've always just been kind of interested in  history and you know I've always loved the old   west uh you know the old cowboy the old movies  and stuff always just really been fascinated   with that stuff and then of course you know  the superstitions and uh working there and   learning about you know the Lost Dutchman and  um just all all the amazing history and story   that are that go on there so we we had heard  of this skull cave uh it's called skull cave or   skeleton cave I'd seen it on maps I'd heard about  we'd heard about it i did a little research on it   about five six years ago me and uh one of our  sergeants who also went on this last trip with us   um attempted to find the cave we went to the  wrong place we hiked way up on top of a mountain   um you know found what a cave but we weren't quite  sure so I went back I did a lot of research on the   internet and found some old pictures found an  old uh news article from um Arizona Highways   where I think back in the 60s 70s they had done  an uh magazine article about um about the skeleton   cave and had pictures of it and and the area  and from that and from a couple other websites   I was able to figure out we were in the total  wrong area and kind of was able to narrow down   really where I believe the the actual cave  where it was that the the actual battle occurred   um back about three years ago I actually saw some  people hiking in that area you know and I was down   on the lake in our patrol boat and these people  looked like they were about this tall up there   but I saw them in that area and so I that also  kind of confirmed to me that that's the right   area so I'd always want to go there when I went  back there this winter I you know i the first   thing when I got up there is all like I am going  to do that skull cave hike I knew that there were   several people that might be interested in going  you know hadn't hadn't planned on taking a large   group but I figured if people wanted to go you  know I'd be happy to go up there with them um   you know i kind of went out of my way to introduce  myself to Larry and also to Jesse and just then   the idea just kind of came up to just invite him  you know and just say hey if you want to I'm going   to I'm going to do this if you want to come along  I really honestly didn't think anyone would come   including some of my old friends that I've done  some hikes with in the past including one of our   sergeants who uh who went with us that day and  I just called everyone up and said hey I'm doing   this and and then everyone showed up uh for one I  call it the skeleton cave because that's what the   old history books say that I've read skull cave,  skeleton cave oranges apples one or the other   I like to call it the skeleton cave because  literally there were 76 skeletons there not   just skulls I mean it was a cave of bones and I'd  been wanting to get up there for years and years   and the opportunity never existed until I met  Clint and he invited me on a trip up there and so   of course I jumped on it I got to say skull  cave has been an interest of mine or skeleton   cave whatever way you want to say it is it it's  something that I've wanted to find for a long time   over 20 years ago when I had a boat charlie the  square and I went up to canyon lake a couple times   looking for it we found some pretty neat  caves but we didn't find the right place   that's why when last year when Marshall  Trimble told the story of skull cave it   burned that fire even more to go find that place  it's just one of those mysteries that I wanted   to to go there and feel the experience and see  that part of history they're going through some   scary country because they're in a sharp steep  sided canyon there they they take off their boots   and they're wearing moccasins now so they won't  make noise and to move quietly through there   they're creeping up and they still don't know what  they're going to run into and it's dark and uh if   it's probably better if it's dark as if you're if  you're looking you're gonna see it's a thousand   foot down to the river if I if I make a bad step  so they're going along just creeping along and um   and they know they're getting close and then they  see some animals and then they hear some noise   uh they they might have been out Burke thought  they might have been out on a raid and come back   uh whatever whatever they were they were  they were they were not posting sentries   they were just having a good time and um they're  they're ready to go so they get they get them all   they move they move the troops up and the scouts  are all there and they close in on that cave that   cave is really it's not a cave it's just more of  a dome of some kind impervious dome uh it it just   cut out of a hollow out of a mountain but it's  pretty good sized and uh I've been in there when   I went in there was by boat uh we came in a couple  of us and came in there and climbed up some steep   cliffs and then it was a long long slope um and up  to the cave itself so there's open areas well that   was that was the way we came in from down below  from the river but uh the troops came in from over   the top they were they were up here coming down  and they got they got down to this area and then   they they were able to form in front of the cave  and they were ready for action but first major   brown um calls them calls on them to surrender  well there were just a bunch of defiant cries   coming from inside the cave of they were they'd  never been beaten there's no reason to think they   were going to get beaten this time but firepower  is going to be important here so uh brown brown   brown opens fire and there at one point in the in  this fight they have a a little boy wanders out   they were shooting and they actually they  were shooting at the roof of the cave and the   bullets were ricocheting down coming down you  know just ricocheting bullets flying all over   so they were taking casualties and then the  little boy comes out he has a little minor wound   and um he's uh uh he's poor thing is but crying  you know he's scared and uh not he uh uh the scout   he runs up and he grabs the kid and takes him back  uh to safety and for that he would later be uh   awarded the medal of honor his name is down at the  State Capitol with the heroes that he will play uh   his uh engraved on that on that uh monument so um  anyway there uh it's here comes Captain Burns he'd   been out on patrol gone up another way and he was  up above and he he comes up with his troops now   and um they're looking right down on the battles  down below them they're up here on a high cliff   looking down and he decide comes up with an  ingenious plan I call it hanging chads I guess   they take their suspenders off and they make  little harnesses they come up with two harnesses   and they lower these guys over the edge of the  cliff in a harness you get great visuals on this   and uh and so they they they've got pistols and  so they just start shooting they start shooting   and then and then they get carried away when  the pistols are empty they start they threw him   he said he hauls hauling back  up but he that gave him an idea   let's roll boulders down on them now and they  started young avalanche avalanche uh and um and   it just raises havoc it is it has just gone  crazy inside that cave and people are hollering   and screaming but still defiant the old history  books talk about a death chant that the Yavapais   were doing they would try to escape and when  that wouldn't work they would get pushed back   into the cave by the um the us army firing their  weapons upon them and then they would go back to   a death chant and when you're there and you yell  out yourself you can hear your own echo in those   canyons so you can really imagine this death chant  that was going on by those Yavapais and it is a   a kind of a haunting feeling there brown had said  bring let your women out and they'll be safe and   no way they would defy it too so these people  were not gonna you know they were they were not   gonna give in they were brave they were they  were fighters and so um the um but after the   avalanche there's just nothing but chaos inside  and um there are i think they counted the dead   when they when soldiers went in they counted  the dead and there they had been about of 76   in there and about 57 of them were warriors so  there were several women and children among the   dead and they captured they had eight uh 18 women  and children captives was all they wound up with   the battle had started uh probably about  daybreak uh when you could see where you were   and it lasted so it lasted for several hours  and um by that time one of the captives said   there are there are people all over this  canyon and they're going to be coming   and they're going to be coming for you so um uh  brown and burns decided we don't even have time   to bury the dead here they just buried the one one  one scout was killed that we got we got to get out   of here and they went back over the top with the  captives it's basically the last battle of the   Apache wars in Arizona this is and this is really  not even a battle this was a massacre uh where the   army came up there uh they had been looking  for these Yavapais uh for a long time and um   surrounded them the Yavapais would not give  up they would not uh come out of that cave   and they knew that they would be arrested and  taken to a reservation that's not the life that   they wanted we have to always remember that the  Yavapais the Apaches they were here first and   so when let's say we came in when the first  frontiersmen when the prospectors the miners   when all of these people came in they displaced  the Yavapais and the patches and so these Yavapais   these particular Yavapais got displaced from  their homes and so they resorted to raiding so   you know what was their culture what was their  way of life what was their way of gathering   food and trade and all that completely  disappeared when the prospectors came in   they had no resources anymore they had  no home anymore their life was on the run   and this cave is where the the last place that  they could actually hide that was the only place   that they had left and finally of course the  u.s army found them and descended upon them   and they were not going to give up and  so this of course turned into the army um   uh firing their weapons big caliber lead  slugs into that cave those bullets were   ricocheting down off the ceiling and everywhere  and hitting the people that were in this cave   um and it turned out that it was just a  massacre the Yavapais did try to escape   that did not work casually 76  casualties are dead that was the most   costly to the Indian battle in the entire history  of the indian war of the Arizona because never   not even the battle of Apache pass did the Apaches  have any kind or I say Apache every Yavapai Apache   uh and have have that many casualties as  they did there at cell river canyon that day I chose a day I you know tried to obviously we  were going to do it in the winter time when the   weather was good and I just and we were going to  rent a boat and and go out there by boat and I had   scouted it out uh a day or two before on where we  could park the boat where would be the best place   to go I'd looked at the terrain I'd looked at it  on google earth kind of had you know because I   didn't know exactly how to get the best way to get  to the cave you could get to it from the left or   from the right I just assumed that the best way  was from the right just from looking up there   at the cliffs and scouting it out a few weeks  prior I had walked up a little bit I walked about   a third of the way up just to kind of scout it out  and to see how difficult it was going to be and   so I kind of had an idea the path I wanted  to take so we showed up that day um we got   on the boat um two of my friends two of my sons  Shane and Weston um came with us there was Larry   yourself and uh Dave and your son and and Jesse  and we just went out there and and parked the boat   and started making our way up and you know it it  was difficult it's a difficult climb it's steep   there's no trail you know we didn't know the exact  path we were constantly kind of on the way up   saying do you think this is the best way or trying  to read the terrain you know and then and and then   just having an amazing amount of respect for  the Native Americans that lived in that country   to think that they went up and down that  constantly and that they lived there was just   amazing because it is difficult to walk and it is  steep and it's and it's rugged and there's cactus   and there's slick shale rock and and so so it was  difficult so we just made our way back up there it   took us about an hour and a half uh to get to get  to the cave I was kind of in the head of the group   you know and i was trying to kind of make weight  and make sure everyone you know I didn't want to   leave anyone behind and and you know we were all  kind of going at our own pace apparently based on   what I've been told it was about a mile uh like a  mile and a half but you know that sounds not like   a that bad of a hike but when you're like no trail  and you're going up like rock base it was rough uh   my brother totally like tore up his  like the bottom side of his pants um   I was wearing like jeans or something like that  so I was fine but um we definitely there was a   few times where you know you slept there was a  lot of slippings like that a lot of loose rocks   uh there was one point where I fell on my  side which kind of hurt but I was all right um   but yeah it was it was hard but I mean it's yeah  it was it was hard but it was worth it I would say   from the lake to the cave is 900 feet in elevation  up there's no trail it's straight up there's   cactus um everybody on that trip uh fell multiple  times we got cactus in it and it's this is not a   beginner hike to get up there uh and that's kind  of good in a way because it keeps it away from   the masses of people visiting there I think that  that's an important thing about it it's the in the   the Yavapais were there to stay hidden that was  their fortress away from the united states army   uh and it's still today it's kind of that way  where it's still hidden it's very hard to get to   you cannot see this cave from the lake you  can't see it from anywhere you just gotta   know that it's there and it's an hour and  a half hike up there 900 feet in elevation   straight up and you don't see it until you  get there the number one thing I remember   about the hike was how hard it was I  was impressed that anyone in any time   would take the trouble to go over that rugged  terrain the steepness of the terrain the brush   that covered the ground almost every inch of  it made it seem an unreasonable trip to make   it was worth the trip though the hike was  difficult but being there in the cave was   a pretty neat feeling just knowing the history  behind that particular location if I had been   holed up in that cave I would have felt pretty  safe after the trouble it took to get there but not so and I knew that it was difficult  I knew it there's no trail that it's just   pretty much bushwhacking you know up the  side of a mountain and um but you know   just based on the history and the story of it  uh and then of course I you know i watched um   i had become a fan of of this channel and  had watched I've watched all your videos   and I had watched the one about the skull  cave and that just increased my curiosity   and my desire to want to do it even more but when  I got close to the cave I couldn't help it I just   I just couldn't help but kind of jump ahead and  and as I came around that bend and kind of came to   that cave man the hair just stood up on the back  of my neck and you knew you were some place that   something significantly had happened and you kind  of felt definitely a surreal kind of sacred thing   or feeling about being there and so we all we  all got up to the cave and we all kind of looked   around a little bit we saw some bone fragments  there are there is some graffiti up there   uh from people from a long time ago and not  so long ago that have you know kind of put   their name on the cave we saw some spots uh  actually in some of the smooth rock where you   you've kind of uh felt or looked or appeared  to be like that could have been a bullet strike   where one of the army's bullets would have  hit as they were hailing the the cave with   bullets and ricocheting the bullets down on  the native Americans so uh yeah and it was   it was just it was a fun experience I was amazed  because Clint was you know walking around and   he saw something sticking out of the sand and  he picked it up and lo and behold there was a   a vertebrae as we quickly quickly covered  it back up and put it back into place didn't   want to disturb it but that is the place  we knew we were there and on top of that   Jesse and and Clint we recreated the  original photos from way back in the early in the 1900s and the magazines about it on  the hike i took uh some old historic photos   that were taken in the early 1900s of this cave  and these photos the skeletons are still there   in early 1900s and the men that were  there at that time that took those photos   they staged these photos um and from that  you can see exactly the way the cave is you   can see all the ledges and the the different  shapes of the rocks and how the lighting is   and so by taking those old photos uh and and  looking at it today and photographing it today   you can 100 without a doubt know that you're  in the same exact spot and standing exactly   where those guys were that took  those photos in the early 1900s   and that really let us know that we were in the  actual skeleton cave we were in the place where   the actual battle had taken place and that was  that was uh it was a neat feeling to know that   you know we had we had found the right place um  but also it was it was very kind of surreal to   realize that so many people had died in that  location we had also found a news article   that said in around the 1930s i think it was  1933 that the Maricopa sheriff had assisted   several um some some native Americans from the  Yavapai tribe uh to collect the bones that were   still in the cave and then they interned  them on the fort McDowell in reservation   and and so you know that kind of incorporated some  history with with Maricopa county sheriff's office   you know for me it was it was an amazing  experience because number one you it's difficult   and you know not a whole lot of people have  been up there um enough but you know that   but it's kind of like to see it you have to make  a sacrifice to literally climb up a super steep   mountain and yeah my two sons came along with  me that that was that was very significant um   you know and they both their their their  takeaway from it was yeah it was extremely   hard and and difficult but you know it was  uh I think they would say it was worth it um   for me it's just it's fun to say I've you know  been to a historically significant place um and   you know that that not a lot of people have  had the the privilege to be at and in a way I   hope that this honors the memory of the the people  that died there it definitely felt like I was in a   very important place um I didn't want it like very  much like you know don't do anything disrespectful   it's very like you know sensitive place and  you know you've got to treat with respect   uh there are about eight of us together and uh  hike up and most of us didn't know each other it   was eight complete strangers that either had one  mutual friend or mutual friend of a friend that we   went up together with and that kind of made the  hike even more memorable to come together with   these complete strangers and do something that  we all recognize pretty quickly like wow this is   really difficult making sure we didn't lose track  of anyone and just coming together because we all   wanted to make it we all wanted to see the  cave for ourselves and that was pretty cool   so you know Marshall Trimble tells a really  amazing story but then to actually hear that story   in person when we recorded it and then to actually  be in that cave brought me a sense of reverence   that's hard to imagine without being there that it  that is a sacred place I don't care what anybody   says that was the last battle of the Apache wars  according to Marshall Trimble and you can feel   something there and for all of us to be there a  lot of us didn't know each other very well we got   to know each other real well because that is one  of the most difficult hikes I think I've ever done   and we got to know each other we watched over each  other to climb up that hill and okay we kept over   the next ridge over the next ridge you know how  that goes finally we got there and just to see   that cave was was amazing yeah and I remember  thinking um this is really hard old ground   and I knew it would be to the Yavapai and it  should be to really should be to anybody because   of what happened there and people trash with trash  you know drop it just trashing the place and so   maddening to go out there and see that and just  think you know you should you should take your   hat off when you come here like you do the Alamo  you know in Arizona there is only so many places   like this that are that important to Arizona  history this is one of them and so there are still remnants of those Yavapais in that cave and you  can see that for yourself and it is something that   it's nice to visit uh during the daytime it  would never go there at night myself of course   just out of respect just go there spend a little  bit of time and get out of there and for myself   I would not want to see that cave getting run  over with people it is still today even though   the Yavapai skeletons their bones have  mostly been taken out of there and re-buried   at fort McDowell there's still   lots of artifacts on the ground there there's not  been an archaeological study or dig there done   and it is a very sensitive place let's put it that  way uh archaeologically wise and historically wise   and also to the Yavapais today yes indeed skull  cave just another history and mystery of the   superstition mountains thank you for watching  this episode of Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains

Channel: Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains

Views: 14,684

Keywords: Charlie LeSueur, Superstition Mountains, The Lost Dutchman Mine, Superstition Mountain Museum, Opal Images, Arizona, History, Gold, Treasure, Clint Bradshaw, Skull Cave, Skeleton Cave, Canyon Lake, Larry Hedrick, Marshall Trimble, MCSO, Peyton Jones, David W Jones, Apache, Fort Mcdowell, massacre, apache wars

Id: UfZhaUsyRXo

Length: 29min 25sec (1765 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 19 2021