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Historic Rock-Cut Canal Traditional Cache

Hidden : 4/18/2010
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Historic rock-cut canal
Before the present-day Cal-Sag Channel, there were other canals in the Sag Valley. Visit the most interesting section of one of these ancient canals where it was cut through the bedrock. A 300 million year old cephalopod is your guide to the cache.

In the early 1900’s, farmers cut a channel through the Sag Valley in order to drain the marshland to enable farming. The current 1.7 mile long Saganashkee Slough was cropland!

In the 1940’s the Cook County Forest Preserve District completed acquisition of the land. In 1955, the enlargement of the Cal-Sag Channel set the stage for the current size of Saganashkee Slough. The historic canal extends from Rt 83 to Willow Springs Road. (historic photos/maps in cache)

Look for a 4”pipe 12”long hidden in one of the crevices.

PARK on 107th Street, 2.4 miles west of Willow Spring Rd at Dynamite Road bike path (N41 41.788 W87 55.283).
You can walk down 107th Street sucking exhaust fumes and dodging cars,
OR follow the bike path 300 ft south and bushwhack down the old canal,
OR continue south on the bike path and enjoy an easy, scenic hike

2013: the bike path along the south side of the rock cut canal was completed — it's a great hiking path and comes with in 20 feet of the cache. The bad news is much of the south side of the rockcut has been buried and it's almost impossible to walk through the old canal because of the rocks and brush dumped into it. The good news is the cache is in the least damaged area.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Explore until you tire – then follow the fossil] Qhfg gur yrnirf bss bs n syng ebpx nobir gur byq pne gver

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)