ANCIENT MINE SITE EarthCache
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Flint Ridge State Memorial is operated by the Ohio Historical Society and is located 3 miles North of Brownsville, Ohio east of the intersection of Brownsville (Rt. 668) and Flint Ridge (Rt. 312) Roads.
Hours of Operation:
Park Grounds = Year-Round Dawn to Dusk (Even when the Museum is Closed)
Museum Hours:
Monday - Friday: Closed
Saturday: 9am – 5pm
Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Holidays: Closed
November - April: Closed
Admission fees to the museum are as follows: (as of 11 March, 2013)
Adults = $3.00
AAA & Seniors (60+) = $2.00
Students K-12 (Participating as a School Function) = $1.00
Ohio Historical Society Members = Free
Children Under 6 = Free
Active Military Personel (with ID) = Free
DO NOT TAKE ANY OF THE FLINT
This is an archeological site and it is illegal to take flint or any artifacts you may find.
Here is what you will need:
GPSr, Camera and Tape Measurer
What makes Flint Ridge unique is the geology of the area. Approximately 320 million years ago during the Pennsylvanian Period, this area was part of a shallow sea that transgressed (advanced) and regressed (retreated). Flint Ridge Flint, which is part of the upper member of the Vanport Limestone of the Allegheny Group, forms the caprock, a layer of rock more resistant to erosion, of what is known today as Flint Ridge.
The flint, a variety of the mineral quartz, formed in brackish near shore waters in front of a delta. This shallow depositional environment received silica rich detritus, tiny silica fragments from dead organisms. These fragments settled into depressions. forming a depositional bed. Through a complicated process, the silica is then dissolved and deposited forming a layer.
Approximately 200 million years ago, this area was uplifted and the erosion of the softer rock layers above exposed the high quality flint deposits. Today the ridge top area known as Flint Ridge covers approximately 6 square miles and ranges about 1 to 12 feet in thickness.
The Silica makes flint hard, and allows for the creation of a razor shape edge. Prehistoric Native Americans began quarrying, a form of open pit mining, the local outcrops of multi-colored flint in this area some 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. Flint has been essential in Native American cultures. It provided many tools such as knives, scrapers, drills and weapons. The importance of flint in these cultures gave this area a status of neutrality. Artifacts made from this flint have been found as far east as the Atlantic Coast, as far south as Louisiana, and as far west as Kansas City. Early pioneers of the Northwest Territories also utilized the local flint in their flintlock firearms, fire starters and buhr stones or grindstones for their grain mills.
Enter the Park from the entryway closest to the intersection of Brownsville (Rt. 668) and Flint Ridge (Rt. 312) an head straight into the parking lot. From the parking lot, follow the paved pathway past the Handicapped Trail to the museum.
Logging Requirements:
Guidelines for Submittal
(Updated 1 January 2011)
Requests for photographs must be optional. Exceptions to this guideline will only be considered if the requested photograph is related to an Earth Science logging activity such as recording a phenomenon. This particular guidelines was updated on 1 January 2011. All EarthCaches must conform to this guideline as photo requests are considered "additional logging requirements" (ALRs) and follow the guidelines set forth by Geocaching.com.
Existing EarthCaches that do not meet this guideline must be updated to comply. Cache owners may not delete the cacher's log based solely on optional tasks.
As of 1/1/11 the photo becomes an option…
1. Submit a picture of yourself in front of the museum holding your GPSr with your log entry.
2. Take a measurement [height, width and depth] of Flint Boulder, at N 39° 59.246’ W 082° 15.738’], on the ground across from the museum entrance on the other side of the path.
3. Take a measurement [height width and depth] of Flint Boulder, at N 39° 59.252’ W 082° 15.736’, which sits on a pedestal near the museum entrance.
4. Submit the measurements to me to gain credit for this Earthcache.
5. Continue past the museum and take the Quarry Trail or head back toward the parking lot and take the Handicapped Trail to get an idea of the number and size of the quarry pits.
Optional, to gain a better understanding of Flint Ridge tour the museum, which happens to be built over a quarry pit: Walk the Creek Trail. There are 2 geocaches in the park: Gem of a Geocache, GCWBCV and Desert in the Midwest, GCFB8.
I would like to thank the Ohio Historical Society and the staff of Flint Ridge Memorial Park for making this Earthcache possible.
OHS Permit # FLIN E0107
ENJOY!
DEVELOPED BY A PLATINUM EARTHCACHE MASTER
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)