Dam(n) Waterfall (yup, dams, water and falling) Traditional Geocache
mag-man: Do not have time to maintain
Dam(n) Waterfall (yup, dams, water and falling)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Small lock n' lock cache located in the West Oxford Mountain Natural Resource Area. Please be carefall as the rocks can be slippery or give away. Please place the cache back as you found it.
West Oxford Mountain Natural Resource Area
Located just south of Oxford, between Route 31 and Mine Hill Road, finding the main trail at West Oxford Mountain can be a bit tricky. It starts a short distance into the woods across Academy Street from the Oxford Rescue Squad building.
While West Oxford Mountain offers features for nature watchers, photographers, and hikers, its most intriguing feature is its involvement in the history of the local iron industry. As you wander into the woods from the parking area, you will notice various remains of the mining that once took place on this tract. An old railroad bed, wooden cistern, and small brick structure with a rusty bolted door are all that is left of the operation that took place well over a hundred years ago. Old maps show that the Staley mine operated on this tract, opened and closed before 1868, according to one internet source.
From here a narrow old lane heads up the mountain in a southeasterly direction, probably also a remnant of the mining operation. In fact, the old map shows that the Staley mine followed the same line as this old road does for about 1700 feet. Look around and you will notice much evidence of how the ground was disturbed by the mining. A few hundred feet off to the east is an old reservoir, possibly also part of the mining operation, surrounded by a low concrete wall, fed by a spring enclosed in an old rock-lined wall.
Further up, you will come upon an intersection of mountain lanes. In the northeast corner of the intersection a couple of old depressions or shafts are completely fenced off, warning you to stay back. Although the old map shows no indication of these depressions or shafts, they are located above the Staley mine which continued another 400 feet or so southeasterly. The map gives no indication of the depth of the mine below the lane here.
Near the fence you might notice a talus pile, the rocky remains that were deposited here after blasting them out of a shaft. That this talus came from an iron mine is clearly indicated by the rusty appearance of much of the broken rock in the area. Extreme care must be taken here and absolutely no attempt should be made to enter the fenced off area.
Continuing up the old lane will lead you to the top of the mountain and the borders of the NRA. This route and a couple of others add up to just over a mile of trails. The trails are fairly wide and are appropriate for family use, the elevation gain being about 360 feet. The entire area is reforested with hardwoods.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)