January 2018 46 Superstition Mountain Museum’s Heritage Celebration is Jan. 13th-14th Superstition Mountain Heritage Days and Apacheland Reunion will take place this year the weekend of January 13th and 14th at the Superstition Mountain Museum. Each year, this spectacular two-day shindig celebrates the history, lore, and culture of the Superstition Mountains and Central Arizona, including the story of Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman, and his Lost Gold Mine. Admission is $5 per person, with youngsters 10 and under admitted free. The featured performers during the two-day event are the world-famous Yellowbird Indian Dancers, award-winning superstars of Native American dance. The Yellow Bird Indian Dancers are comprised of the talented Native American Duncan family from Mesa, AZ. The group travels around the world as ambassadors of America sharing the music, dance, and lore of the Native American culture with viewers. At this event, they will be performing a repertoire of authentic dances, from both the Southwest and Midwest native cultures. These dances, the narrative, and music that accompany them are both colorful and educational. Performances will be at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. With history taking the spotlight at this event, the background of the area isn’t complete without the history and memories of Apacheland Movie Ranch. Apacheland Movie Ranch laid its claim to being “the Western Movie Capital of the World” in 1959 when it opened with a single row of three-sided roofless small buildings on a site just off Highway 60 on Kings Ranch Rd. in what is known today as Gold Canyon. By the end of 1960, developers of Superstition Mountain Enterprises had constructed both sides of its Old West main street and turned the site into a full-blown movie set. Hopes were high that the popularity of television and feature film Westerns would indeed propel this Arizona site into being “the Capital” and that Hollywood would beat a path to its door. Although Apacheland never reached this lofty goal, it did become a Western movie mecca hosting the shooting of more than 17 television series, 29 full-length feature films and hundreds of commercials during its history. Some of the commercials were made as recently as a few weeks before the second, and last, fire on Valentine’s Day, 2004, which destroyed Apacheland Movie Ranch. The Elvis Chapel, now an iconic landmark on the Superstition Mountain Museum grounds, is so named because it figured prominently in the Elvis Presley movie “Charro!” that was filmed at Apacheland. The big barn on the side of the hill at the museum is also an Apacheland Movie Ranch survivor, and is now known as the Apacheland Audie Murphy Barn because of the lengthy gun battle that was staged in the Audie Murphy film “Arizona Raiders.” Also entertaining each day of the Heritage Days event will be John Wayne impersonator Ermal Williamson and Champion yodeler Paula Williamson, as well as trick roper Cowboy Steve, and a special appearance by the Buffalo Soldiers of the Arizona Territory – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Regiment. There will also be Native American and Western vendors, food and family fun in the way of gold panning and other activities. Superstition Mountain Museum is located at 4087 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ. For more information, go to superstitionmountainmuseum.org or call 480-983-4888. Top Left and Middle: The Yellowbird Indian Dancers are the featured performers for Heritage Days, Jan. 13-14, 2018. Top Right: The museum’s own Dutchman offers burro rides and tells the story of Jacob Waltz. Bottom: Superstition Mountains. Top left photo by LeoProPhoto.com Bottom photo by Mike Sanchez