APEX MINE: The old tram station relics! Traditional Cache
APEX MINE: The old tram station relics!
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Size: 
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The oldest and largest mine site in the area, this area supported the mine (which is above and across the creek from the cache site, a heck of a hike and not recommended) which dates from 1892. You will know you are in the correct spot when you have arrived at a very wide spot in the road on the left (as you go up the road) which recently functioned as a county repository for large downed trees and boulders
Take Hwy 2, turn on to Money Creek Road. East bound this turnoff it is right before the Hwy 2 tunnel, west bound Money Creek is right after the tunnel. Turn right onto Money Creek Rd/ Miller Rd but make certain you take MONEY CREEK Rd up. This dirt/rock/gravel road is passable by most vehicles, but I wouldn't take anything that is low to the ground and /or long and low. I saw a Ford Focus that made it up just fine. Your car will get dusty/dirty but not too big of a deal. You will pass over some crowned water control portions that may make you cringe just a bit. No worries. Cache is accessible probably from June through October...past October the snows are VERY deep. You are looking for a 35mm film container with several log pages and room for a few trinkets. Post a picture of you next to the general cache location doing your best grizzled miner imitation! This cache is on a modest 5 minute somewhat steep but safe and uneven ground hike which leads to the site which provided the power for the aerial cable tram which hauled ore from way up across the creek, from up high on the cliff sides above. **Look for the spot in the center of the trees on the periphery of the bouldered wide spot edge ...using your geosense you will see a small gap after scrambling over about 10 feet of modest boulders...this is the path which leads downhill** This modest 5 minute somewhat steep but safe hike leads to the site which provided the power for the aerial cable tram which hauled ore from way up across the creek, from up high on the cliff sides above. Take your time to explore the area and notice the water wheel (which weighs several hundred pounds), the MASSIVE 1934 diesel engine, the huge timbers, the hardware lying about, the wood which formed the road...many things to see. ***PLEASE do not move or remove anything from here, no matter how tempting *** Scroll up slightly to see what this looked like in the 1930s: http://books.google.com/books?id=pNm6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA302&lpg=PA302&dq=apex+mine+lower+tram+station&source=bl&ots=6Kn1wPCXDZ&sig=4UJz57Upod9xmWE2pWyPj8PSqIs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=90wMUKXeOsbcqAHy-Y3WCg&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=apex%20mine%20lower%20tram%20station&f=false Check out my other cache placement about 1 mile up Money Creek road for the incredible Damon & Pythias mine. The D&P mine is fairly easily accessible via a very short walk and quite possibly the most interesting and relatively safe mine you will ever explore. Long business-like description of the mine history: The Apex was located in 1892 by Alex McCartney who cut a trail to the mine and managed to pack out 400 tons of ore over the next couple of years. In 1897 McCartney sold out to John F. Stevens (of Stevens Pass and Panama Canal fame) and John Maloney, both civil engineers with the Great Northern Railroad. Under their ownership 2000' of tunnel was driven and enough ore was extracted to keep interest up. In June 1903 the mine was sold again to Abner Griffin, A. L. Chambers, and Alex McCartney for the sum of $25,000. These men managed to talk King County into starting construction on six miles of wagon road to their mine. After expending $2900 the county put a halt to work on the road and left $8000 owing to the 95 workers. This debt was shouldered by the mining company and as they had no money to pay the men off they had to keep them employed. At this point Chambers and McCartney sold their shares to Griffin who was left holding the bag. By the end of 1906 a Pelton wheel had been installed on Money Creek to power an ore concentrator, electric light plant, and saw mill. The wagon road had been completed to the mine and two miles of 36" gauge railroad was in place with enough rail on hand to build another three miles. A cable tram carried the ore from the mine to the end of the wagon road 1000 feet below. The ore bunker on the Great Northern RR had burned with a loss of $7000 but was rebuilt and shipments to the smelter continued by January of 1907. The total expenditure to this time was about $150,000. **Visit my other cache up the hill - spectacular!* http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=49cebda5-c140-4f75-9206-da35f36ac961 As of June 2014 NO SNOW and ready to find
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gbc vafvqr gur...
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