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In May 1976, a year and a half before the land 40 miles east of Phoenix became Lost Dutchman State Park, artist Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia led a group of journalists, a film crew, and Yaqui and Apache friends into the Superstition Mountains. Pack horses accompanied them, carrying camping gear and the cameras necessary to record what DeGrazia planned to do. After all, he’d need proof.
They rode most of the day past Saguaro cactus and through canyons with walls stretching hundreds of feet high. When they arrived at Angel Springs, they made camp among the scrub and settled in for the night. The next morning, everyone took their places, giving DeGrazia plenty of space. He made a rock fire ring, fashioned a teepee-shaped frame, and began leaning his canvases against it…