Red
Oak Trail and Cabin Cache___
___
This is
the January featured cache for the Linn County Conservation's 50th
Anniversary activities
In 2008, the Linn County Conservation
Board will celebrate 50 years of service to Linn County residents.
A yearlong celebration is planned to highlight all the outdoor
recreation opportunities available right here in Linn County. In
celebration of Linn County Conservation's 50th Anniversary there
will be 50 GeoCaches placed within various parks and recreation
areas in the next year.
Some of the caches will reveal a
"clue" that will enable you to be eligible for a special prize
drawing at the end of the season (December 2008).There is one
featured cache each month. Check the lid of the featured cache for
a two digit number between 1 and 50. Record this number along with
the cache identity. When you have all twelve numbers associated
with the 12 featured caches, you will be able to solve the puzzle
and find the final prize cache.
Additional information can be
obtained from the Linn
County Parks Website and the Iowa Geocachers
Website.
This cache is the January featured
cache and coincides with the Hike_A_Trail #1-Red Oak Trail which is
part of the 2008 Hike-A-Trail program. The trail hike is scheduled
for Saturday , January 26th at 10:00 a.m. The featured trail is the
1.25 mile Red Oak Trail in the Matsell Bridge Area. This timbered
hike includes scenic Wapsipinicon River valley vistas from the Red
Oak cabin area. The cache is located along the Red Oak trail. This
is a regular size container and should not be difficult to locate.
Parking is located east of the ranger residence in the gun range
parking lot.
Red Oak Cabin History.....
In 1925, Col. C.B. Robbins (former
Asst. Secretary of War) purchased the estate from the Matsell
family. He constructed the original lodge in 1925 - mostly from
native materials (timber, stone, etc.) that was harvested from the
land. Col. Robbins utilized the building as a retreat and hunting
lodge. In 1947, the property and buildings were purchased from the
Robbins Estate by Fred Witousek. Witousek allowed a local Anamosa
bow hunting club to utilize the lodge as a club house for 20 years
until the property and all of the buildings were acquired by the
Linn County Conservation Department in 1967. The original lodge was
renovated, and in 1973 - put into service as the RED OAK LODGE
rental facility. The 70 year old aging structure was replaced by
the current Red Oak Cabin in 1995.
Red Oak Cabin, in our Matsell Bridge
Natural Area, is managed on a hike-in-only basis. (Special
arrangements may be made for handicapped accessibility) This
one-room, rustic facility has few amenities and no electricity or
running water. Heat is provided by a wood-burning stove (some
firewood provided), and furnishings are limited to a couple of
picnic tables and fold-down shelves on the north wall.
Red Oak
Cabin
Parking Lot to the Trail