Arrastra - 1800's Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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History Happened Here – “Arrastra – 1800’s” Another cache celebrating a historical site that contributes to the richness of our journey in the 21st century.
The Swasey BLM trails follow miles of water ditches that were built during the gold Rush of the 1850’s. Alongside one of these ditches is the remnant of a crude "machine" formerly used for ore crushing. The word comes from Spanish “arrastrar” which means to drag across the ground.
The cache is near the Arrastra. See additional coordinates for the actual historical site of the Arrastra. The following describes the area listed in the waypoints as The Arrastra.
In the 1800's, gold was extracted from many mines in this BLM area. Most pits and tunnels have been filled in; see “West Point – Salute.” Some exploratory trenches remain as signs of digs that didn’t pay out, evidenced at “Triple Scoop.” While larger mining operations crushed ore at stamp mills, smaller operations created a smaller crushing device. This technique was called Arrastra Mining. The “Vista Ridge” cache was named so because this trail, later named the Wintu Trail, crossed over the Vista Mine, a vertical shaft that is now filled. There are likely many more mines that dot this rich historical area.
Think of a mortar and pestle, a crude grinding device. Make the mortar a flat stone and the pestle another stone that is dragged over the flat rocks that have quartz ore over them. The grinding area makes up the Arrastra. The ditch adjacent this Arrastra may have powered the grinding stone but it is also possible that animals turned the grinder that was centered around a small wooden post, that still remains.
Today you see the circle of rocks outlining the Arrastra, a center post and some of the milled smooth stones that formed the base. The cache is NOT at the actual Arrastra, but about 90 feet distant, across a draw. Between the cache and the Arrastra is a stone fireplace-like rock formation. East, you will come across many cobbles, remnants of past mining excavations.
Metal cylinder used only once in this area. Larger than an ammo can contains FTF bandana and a well traveled trackable. A big thanks to Max Walters for showing me this historical artifact during Redding Mountain Biking's "Take A Kid Mountainbiking Day" event.
Carpe Diem, Carpe Geocachiem. . .MtnMike
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Rnfgjbbq syvpx, "Unat 'rz ????"
Treasures
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