The cache container is NOT at the listed
coordinates!
The listed coordintates will take you to the south shore of Big
Roche-A-Cri Lake, commonly known as Cottonville Lake, and to the
grave of E. P. Cotton. The area around the mill here was platted to
be developed as a community in the the mid-nineteenth century, but
economic times led to the failure of that project. Take a visit
with us to the cemetery where the founder of this area now rests .
. .
We had seen this
spot from the lake while we were canoeing. All along the shore we
saw places of residence, permanent or seasonal, but there were no
homes at this spot, just markers of permanent places of rest. Now
we wanted to see this small cemetery up close.
It was early on a
foggy autumn morning when we drove down the dead end road and
parked in a wide spot across from the southeast corner of the
fenced in area. As we made our way to the gate to the west, we saw
a figure standing in front of one of the graves, head bowed. We
thought better of our inspectional foray on this day, and we were
about to turn back to the car when we saw the woman move off
towards the northeast.
The fog wasn't
that thick nor the cemetery that large that we would lose sight of
her, so we held back as she bent low about 75 feet from where she
had been. Curious, we slowly opened the gate and watched as the
woman, wearing a longish dress and pulling a knit shawl tightly
around her, stood and looked towards the lake. After she took a few
steps, she was no longer visible. We had heard nothing, no splash
of water, no cries, nothing. There were no tracks in the
dew-covered grass, no sign that anyone had been there.
We found the grave
where we had first spotted her, that of the founder of this area
known as Cottonville. Was the woman a relative? Was she Anna or
Caroline, or a grown daughter? No clue, although we did search the
spot where we had seen her bend and perhaps place something. Was
she real, or had we imagined this lady at the lake? Look and decide
for yourself.
This cache is located in a cemetery, so be respectful of the
location and your surroundings. It is not necessary to come in
contact with any of the stones to find this cache. If a service is
in progress or friends and family are visiting loved ones buried
here, respect their privacy and come back at a later time.