Please do not park on Interstate - there are parking coordinates provided.
Spearfish Creek, which originates in two big springs in Lawrence County, has supplied many irrigation systems with water. It has a fall on its upper course of about 100 feet to the mile and is remarkably uniform in its monthly and annual flow. Near the end of the valley gthe fall is about 60 feet to the mile. The average flow is about 50 cubic feet per second. In 1909 there were twelve ditches taking water from this stream for irrigation purposes, and five for power purposes. The area irrigated was 4,810 acres. In more recent history, there were struggles for routing the new Interstate Highway through Spearfish. Early plans had called for routing the superhighway to the east of Lookout Mountain – headed for Belle Fourche – before swinging back to the west toward Wyoming. After much local advocacy, highway officials changed the route to the west, but taking a route through the heart of the valley, near the site of the hospital today. Homestake Mine intervened, reminding officials that they’d have to guarantee safe delivery of all water in some 87 irrigation ditches that snaked through town. Government officials relented and moved the highway back up to its present track on the west side of Lookout Mountain. At the site of this cache, you can see where the interstate crosses this irrigation ditch. This ditch is still functional.
The cache is a small lock-n-lock type container and has room for small tradable items.
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