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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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A 13-stage walking tour of historic Chaska, “Minnesota’s Brick
City.”
Chaska was settled by Europeans and Americans from the east coast
beginning around the 1850s. It developed into a trade, service and
governmental center, as well as the county seat of Carver County.
Among the Dakota, “Chaska” was a name often given to the first-born
male child.
Blessed with multiple deposits of quality clay, Chaska soon became
known for its quality “Chaska Brick,” which can still be seen in
buildings all around Chaska and for miles around the countryside.
It was shipped to St. Paul on barges and later by railroad, and
Chaska Brick was used to build part of the Minnesota State Capitol
Building in St. Paul. In 1910, at the height of the industry, 200
laborers produced 51 million bricks. The brick industry in Chaska
declined after about a century, due both to the depletion of the
local clay supply and the mechanization of brick-making developing
elsewhere. The unsightly pits from which the clay was mined have
become wonderful lakes in Chaska’s parks.
The entire loop of this walking tour is about 2 miles, so expect
to spend a few hours exploring the city. There are several good
restaurants, cozy markets, and quaint antique shops to visit if you
have extra time. Street parking is abundant, and there is a Park
& Ride lot near the first stage. As with all city caches, use
caution when crossing busy streets and at railroad crossings. At
several stages throughout the tour you will gather information that
you will need to find the final stage.
Tip: The final location is a good place for a picnic lunch!
Stage 1: Find the signpost titled Ports of My World.
Proceed 325 feet in the direction of “NAF BARRENQUE, COL” to stage
2.
Stage 2: Find four words in large green letters on a wall:
Convert all of the letters in the first word (W _ _ _ _ _) to their
numerical equivalent (A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.) and add them together.
Call the total SUM2. Subtract 64 from SUM2 and insert the remainder
into the north coordinates. Subtract 82 from SUM2 and insert the
remainder into the west coordinates to find stage 3.
N 44°47._ _3
W 093°35._62
Stage 3: In front of you is the C. P. Klein Mansion, built
by Christian P. Klein in 1911. The building served as City Hall
from 1967 to 1988. Now it is home to the Chaska History Center and
an office of the Second District congressman. There are two styles
of columns around the exterior of the building. How many of the
columns are Ionic? (Hint: Ionic columns are characterized by
scrolls on the capital.) Call this number COL3 and insert it into
the north coordinates. Subtract 1 from COL3 and call this number
B. Add 63 to B and insert the total into the west coordinates
to find stage 4.
N 44°47._34
W 093°35.9_ _
Stage 4: This building was once the home of one of Chaska’s
more prominent citizens, Charles H. Klein, who built it in 1910.
Klein was well established in the brick and banking businesses, he
served as a legislator from 1903 to 1912, and he was chairman of
the school board for 20 years. From 1967 to 1988 the C. H. Klein
Mansion served as a public library, and it is now a bed and
breakfast. What kind of animal is the business now named for? _ _ _
_ _ _ _. Convert the third letter of the word to its numerical
equivalent and insert its value into the north coordinates. Insert
the value of the sixth letter into the west coordinates to find
stage 5.
N 44°47._22
W 093°35.9_7
Stage 5: This is the Linenfelser & Faber Building, the
oldest business building in Chaska. In 1852 Florian Linenfelser and
George Faber traveled to California to prospect for gold. They were
successful, and returned to Chaska in 1857 to build this brick
general store across from their home. What is the numerical address
given on the side of the building? _ _ _. Call this number SUM5.
Multiply SUM5 by 8 and add 9, then insert the total into the north
coordinates and call it NUM5. Subtract 8 from NUM5 and insert the
remainder into the west coordinates to find stage 6.
N 44°46._ _ _
W 093°35._ _ _
Stage 6: At the time we placed this cache, there was some
construction in the area. However, to get to and from this stage we
recommend that you follow the sidewalk along Chestnut Street/Hwy.
41 to avoid walking through private property. From this vantage
point you can gaze upon the mighty Minnesota River, once called St.
Peter’s River. From here, the river flows up to Fort Snelling,
where it meets the Mississippi. Facing the river, what letter of
the alphabet do you see in front of you? Convert the letter to its
numerical equivalent. Call this number A. Multiply A by 3
and insert the product into each of the blanks in the north and
west coordinates to find stage 7.
N 44°47.0_9
W 093°36.0_4
Stage 7: This building houses the oldest operating business
in the city. According to the sign, what year was it established? _
_ _ _. Subtract 1717 from the year for the north coordinates, and
subtract 1745 from the year for the west coordinates to find stage
8. Convert the last letter of the business name to its numerical
equivalent and call this number C.
N 44°47._ _ _
W 093°36._ _ _
Stage 8: This building is called Simons Livery Stable. It
is currently used for office space, but back in the day it was the
equivalent of today’s parking garage. What is the building’s
numerical address? _ _ _. Call this number NUM8. Add 7 to NUM8 and
insert the total into the north coordinates. Add 770 to NUM8 and
insert the total into the west coordinates to find stage 9.
N 44°47._ _ _
W 093°35._ _ _
Stage 9: This area of land has been designated as a public
park since 1857. There is a six-sided plaque here with a lot of
interesting information about the city. According to the plaque,
who built the mounds? THE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Convert the
letters of all three words to their numerical equivalent and add
them together. Call this number SUM9. Add 51 to SUM9 and insert the
total into the north coordinates. Subtract 88 from SUM9 and insert
the remainder into the west coordinates. How many mounds were here
originally? Call this number D.
N 44°47._ _ _
W 093°36._ _ _
Stage 10: This building, on the National Register of
Historic Places, was once the Brinkhaus Livery Stable. Today it
houses the Chamber of Commerce and the Chaska Historical Society.
What year was it built? _ _ _ _. Subtract 1590 from the year and
insert the remainder into the north coordinates to find stage 11.
How many exterior lights are on the front of the building? Add 5
to this number and call the total E.
N 44°47._ _ _
W 093°36.158
Stage 11: This building was once a steam-operated flour
mill. This was in contrast to the other mills in the city, which
were powered by Chaska Creek. The oldest brick part of the building
(right) was built in 1897, and the addition on the left was built
in 1903. Today it houses office space, shops and a restaurant. How
many small brick columns hold up the length of the porch? _ _. Call
this number COL11. Multiply COL11 by 26 and add 3. Insert the total
into the north coordinates. Multiply COL11 by 8 and insert the
product into the west coordinates to find stage 12.
N 44°47._ _ _
W 093°36._ _ _
Stage 12: The “lake” here is actually two of Chaska’s
original six clayholes, the result of many tons of clay being
excavated to be used in the brick industry. Here you can find the
sculpture Break’s Over, a public art tribute to Chaska’s brick
legacy. What year was the sculpture erected? _ _ _ _. Take the
last digit of the year and call this number F.
A=__ B=__ C=__ D=__ E=__ F=__
For the coordinates to the final stage, insert the values of the
letters A-F gathered from previous stages into the coordinates
below. Terrain will be most friendly by first heading west.
N 44°47.FDE
W 093°36.ABC
The final stage has a higher terrain rating than the rest of the
stages, but should not be too difficult unless conditions are
particularly wet. Please rehide the cache so that it is not visible
from any direction.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
N fznyy pbyyrpgvba bs gerr gehaxf