Blanchard's White Gold Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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You are looking for a small non-traditional container located near the junction of US-50 and K-96 in South Hutchinson, Ks.
The salt extraction industry has had been an influence and benefit for the Hutchinson/Reno County area for over a century.
In 1887, Ben Blanchard was drilling south of Hutchinson hoping to find oil. As the days went by and no
oil was found, Blanchard became worried. To ensure a discovery, he dumped a few barrels into the hole
when the drilling reached the appropriate depth. In the meantime, his well produced a vein of salt.
He had no interest in salt and skipped town on the eve of being discovered as a real estate schemer. A boom occurred in the following years - nearly 20
companies started to extract salt using pumps to force water down a pipe into the deposit.
Once the water evaporated, the remaining salt was sold for table salt or industrial uses.
By the turn of the century, most of the salt companies had consolidated to become more efficient.
Carey Salt, founded by Emerson Carey, was the first salt mine in Reno County. Rather than using
the evaporation method, Carey sent men down to cut blocks of salt from the deposit. The mine is
still in operation today.
The important role of salt in Kansas history is captured in the Kansas Underground Salt Museum
(www.undergroundmuseum.org) located on the East side of Hutchinson.
Congrats to SUZEEQU for FTF!!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guvf "fperjl" pnpur vf ybpngrq evtug jurer Oynapuneq'f funql qrnyf znl unir gnxra cynpr...
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