To get to the parking area near the first cache
find the intersection of Apple and
120th. Head
west on the gravel road about a quarter mile towards the farm
buildings – just before the buildings turn south following the
gravel to the parking
area.
The cache is a larger size bison tube that should be fairly easy to
find. It only contains
the log so you will need to bring your own writing
instrument. You do not
have to dismantle anything, tear anything up or remove
anything.
The sign will say that you have to have written permission to enter
– we have permission as long as we respect the
area. The dates on the
sign have been relaxed – we can enter the area except during
hunting season.
Now that you are here, go for a long hike and see the
area. Don’t cross any
fences for that will put you onto private
property. There is a
good chance that you will see deer, turkeys, pheasants, geese and
who knows
what.
ABOUT THE BLOOD RUN
SITE: “The
Blood Run [- Rock Island] site . . . straddles the Big Sioux River
encompassing a total of about 1,200 acres in northwestern Iowa and
southeastern South Dakota . . . The
Oneota occupation of the site, believed
to date to approximately A.D. 1200-1750, has received considerable
attention over the years. Recently, the site has been evaluated as
an important archeological resource worthy of preservation and
possible development as a tourist attraction . . . The site once
contained an extensive complex of burial mounds, stone circles,
village areas, and an enclosure. Some of the archaeological remains
at the site appear to represent
protohistoric Omaha,
Ioway, and
Oto occupation (Henning 1970:150;
Wedel 1974: 168, 1976:30, 1981:9-10).
Farming, gravel quarrying, and artifact scavenging have disturbed
or destroyed much of the site, but important features remain. A
large portion of the site was designated the Blood Run-Rock Island
National Historic Landmark in 1970. This designation recognized the
site’s considerable importance as a cultural resource, but afforded
it little actual protection since all of
the site, until recently, was located on private land.
In 1987, the State of Iowa purchased
approximately 170 acres of the site area”
(Lueck et al.:1995:21).
This
site is a National Historic
Landmark:
DO NOT disturb anything – stay on the moved trails as much as
possible – stay off the burial mounds!
DO NOT collect anything – removing artifacts will result in a jail
sentence – don’t risk it.
DO NOT attempt to enter the area during local hunting seasons – all
caches will be disabled during those
periods.
KEEP
YOUR EYES OPEN – report any suspicious
activities. If you see
anyone digging in the area or any signs that someone has been
digging – call the authorities.