This is a two part multicache. Coordinates to treasure and log container are in the pill bottle sized container at the coordinates listed on this page. The containers are located very close to each other to help speed up the fun.
This cache overlooks the Eagle #5 Empire Mine site. It also overlooks the Williams Fork River and a grassy meadow that was at one time a horse racetrack for the once indigenous Ute Indians. There are petroglyphs on the mine site that portray this favorite Native American pastime.
Although this underground mine is now abandoned it is still owned by Peabody Coal and will one day be an active mine again. I spent 21 years of my life working the surface portion of this mine. The large tall round structure is a silo that holds 10,000 tons of high quality steam coal to be loaded into railcars. It was shipped all over the United States to power steam turbine electric power plants. There are still millions of tons of coal to be mined from underground reserves here.
Please use care in replacing the containers to keep the fun intact. Also use common sense and caution when parking and exiting your vehicle along the highway, and also be careful in your search for the treasure cache as there is a cliff close by. North bound travelers can find a convenient turnaround spot approx. a quarter mile north so you can park on the same side of the highway the cache is located on. Cache should be available from mid spring to late fall.
cocoalminer and utwildflower
Update 2025 rockymtn8iv
First some history.
Empire Mine was once a major employer for Moffat County, with a staff of more than 200 before it ceased operations in 1995.
Mining on the Williams Fork property is thought to have occurred as early as the 1890s and continued intermittently through 1995.
Formerly owned by the Silengo brothers, Empire Energy was formed in 1969 to purchase the brothers’ namesake operation.
The years that followed were marked by strikes and market volatility.
When the mine shut down, it was owned by Cyprus/Amax Mining corporation.
After 1995, the property remained on care and maintenance status, with ongoing site maintenance and environmental monitoring under the approved mining and reclamation permit.
In 2004, Peabody Coal Company purchased the shuttered mine which had been acquired by RAG Coal International. After purchasing the mine as part of a package of properties, Peabody considered re-opening it, but those plans never materialized.
Peabody made a decision to initiate final reclamation and closure activities in late 2016.
And a personal note:
One of my first jobs out of High School was driving a delivery truck for an industrial supply company in Craig. I made deliveries to The Craig Station power plant,which was still under construction at the time, as well as the various power plants and coal mines of NW Colorado, NE Utah, and W Wyoming. Twice a week I made deliveries to Empire Energy's Eagle mine. While I delivered all kinds of tools and materials to the mine the one thing that sticks out in my mind all these years later is the HUNDREDS of sledge hammers that I delivered. From what I understand they are still there, underground scattered throughout.
I would like to thank cocoalminer and utwildflower for creating this historic cache and giving me the honor of adopting it.