!! Exciting New Cache Series!!
“COLORADO SPIRIT QUEST”
The Colorado Spirit Quest is a series of Caches placed by many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors who have ‘walked’ before us.
There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural and mountain communities across Colorado. This series will introduce you to many of them.
The cache pages will provide a virtual history tour of the cemeteries and tombstones.
COLORADO SPIRIT QUEST is not affiliated with any other ‘Spirit Quest’ group. Special thanks and credit are given to SixDogTeam who started the Indiana Spirit Quest in 2004. The idea has rapidly spread into many states.
The CSQ endeavor is an enormous and relentless task. It cannot be accomplished by just one or two people. This project will only flourish if there is a multitude of volunteer cachers willing to place these caches.
After locating the cache container, take some time to reflect back on the lives of those pioneers and the effort it took to make Colorado such a great state.
If you are interested in joining the “Walking Through History Clan” contact may be made by sending an e-mail to the owner of “Colorado Spirit Quest #1 – Mountain Passage”. Use the ‘Send Message’ link at the center of the page of their profile.
Each person who places a CSQ cache is responsible for its maintenance.
REMEMBER:
If you are APPREHENSIVE about cemeteries – AVOID this series.
Thanks to Clan Members: Greasepot, Taylorgeotracker, Ivy Dog Parents, Team Boogity3, Grand High Pobah, Boborr 80909,Imusttravel2000, Buzz Lightyear I, Sandhill 49er, MrVolkswagen, Isisfan, LadyCoots, Rockymtn8iv, Fork-L-Man, *Sparky*, TwoCs, Outdrlvr201, Condor1, 2Cachedivers, arthurat, smilz787, Kyotmoon and Mountain Roamer.
New Clan members are always Welcome
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The Virginia Dale Community Church Cemetery is located north of Fort Collins along along Hwy 287 next to the Virginia Dale Community Church. The oldest grave I found was J.M. McCain who died July 4, 1885. He was only 41 years old.
The church was moved to this site in 1885. The original church was built of hand-hewn logs and was erected in 1880 near Deadman Creek. White clapboard siding and a vestibule were added later. On November 15, 2003, an arsonist fire destroyed the historic church. Volunteers from the community built the church that stands today. Services are still held on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
When I visited the cemetery, the church was open to visitors. Inside are several displays of artifacts from the original church.
The Virginia Dale State Station is located on private land at the end of CR 43F (Note: CR 43F is a dead end road). If you’re interested in visiting the station, the link above to the Overland Trail provides directions. There’s also an interesting bit of information about Lover’s Leap, a cliff along the county road. If you’re a romantic, take the few minutes to read it.
The cache is hidden near the cemetery, but you do not need to enter the cemetery to find it. If you take the time to wander around, please be respectful of this historic site.
There is plenty of parking and a primitive “rest room.” There is a gate at the enterance so it is possible for the parking area to be unavailable, but you can still park near the enterence and walk to the cache.
No hints are needed. This one is way too easy.
Enjoy this amazing historic place!