GC12XFK Was "Mine" now it's "our" wetlands (Earthcache) in Oregon, United States created by Tripod Fishboy

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GC12XFK ▼

A cache by Tripod Fishboy Message this owner

Hidden : 5/14/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Explore the destruction of stunning geology from back in the gold mining days. Explore the wetlands being restored to the area!

This 60+ acre wetlands is a reclaimed wetlands. It once was pristine forest and river with a healthy ecosystem. In the mid 1850's gold was discovered and the land was ravaged and destroyed over a long period of time. At first it was simple mining, gold panning and other 'less destructive' modes. It was sluice box mined until the late 1870's when the first hydraulic giant was introduced. By the mid 1880's William Ruble had purchased nearly all of the mining claims east and west of Golden. William's sons, Schuyler and William, mined the shallow ground and leased the deeper ground to other miners.

Walking through the wetlands you will observe the extreme damage to the wetlands:
(1) The hill was cut into, now it is eroding and must be shored up to prevent the land above from crumbling down.
(2) The oils and other poisons used to lubricate the machinery got into the soil and water.
(3) Rock was dug up, gold extracted, and the rubble was dumped to the side.
(4) Water was removed from the creek in order to power the hydraulic water pump that was used in the sluice mining

While the rocks around the area are mostly basalt, there is a variety of size, shape, and amount of "processing" as they were moved during the mining process. As its name implies, Golden was established due to the placer gold mining. William and Schuyler Ruble invented the Ruble elevator and patented it in 1890, increasing gold recovery.

Coyote Creek was continuously mined will into the mid 20th Century. The activity was so great in the late 1870's the Oregon-California Stage Company detoured to what is now Golden to deliver mail, passengers and goods--a fact established by William Ruble's deed records.

Golden is one of the few mining camps in Josephine County at which original buildings are still standing: the Golden Church built in 1892, a general store built in 1904 and part of the William Ruble residence built in 1892.

TO LOG THIS CACHE:
Visit this location FIRST: 42 40 856 W 123 19 941

(1) Email the owner with your answer to: Look at the man-made cliff, identify at least one thing that is preventing it from completely eroding.

(2) Email the owner with your answer to: Use the sign at the entrance to the location and your own powers of observation, share one thing humans have done recently to reinstate the wetlands at this location.

(3) Post in your log: A picture of yourself or your GPS at the location. Without the picture and email you're post is likely to be deleted.

Visit this location NEXT: N 42 40 830 W 123 19 961

(1) Email the owner with what the water has eroded at this location

(2) Post in your log: Watch for 5 minutes and list at least 2 forms of animal life that you noticed.

Resources: (visit link) (visit link)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Oevat tbbq fubrf, n pnzren, naq gur dhrfgvbaf!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

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Was "Mine" now it's "our" wetlands EarthCache

This cache is temporarily unavailable.

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Geocache Description:

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