A 'Lark in the Woods Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is our first hide. You are looking for a small camoed lock/lock container with a log, a pencil and some small toys. check and see if the shelf fungi are still thriving!
After the glacial action of the last ice age, much of Illinois was flat, and covered by prairie grasses. Cutting through this ocean of grass from northwest to southeast was a peninsula of woodlands. When the area now known as Champaign County was first settled around 1822 the original settlers found large areas of prairie with dense oak/hickory forests growing along the watercourses. Busey woods are part of what was originally known as the "Big woods" or "Big grove". Busey is one of 3 surviving parcels of this big grove. Another example of primeval Illinois is located a few miles north of Busey at the NW corner of the intersection of E. Airport road and N Highcross. The third example is Meadowbrook Park to the south/southwest at the intersection of Windsor and Vine. In 1909 the Saline branch which originally flowed through the woods was channeled to its current location at the east of the woods. This is the river you walk over to get to the cache. The ephemeral ponds that you see on the boardwalks are part of the original watercourse of the river. if you are so inclined, check Google earth and look at the area, you can see what appears to be the old riverbed.
In the years between 1910-70 the south half of the woods was used as pasture, and at this time is a horse track and the county fairgrounds. When Lincoln square mall was built in 1963-64 (one of the first centrally located, enclosed malls in the US) the rubble from the existing buildings at that location had to go somewhere; this is most evident in the fall/winter along the powerline cut down the median of the woods. The owners had made plans to develop the woods; consequently large amounts of brick/cement were dumped in low points in the woods. The local citizens were not happy with this, and ultimately the woods were donated to the U of I in 1971. 20 years later, this property became property of the Urbana park district. Since then the woods have been inhabited by brave deer, grey squirrels, red foxes, groundhogs, birds of all sorts; I personally have seen Koi and pumpkineed in the river.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
trg gb gur cbvag