Turn your answers into the Scout Office for a free "Caching To
Eagle" patch.
This Earth cache is in the Holmboe Conifer Forest just out side
of Rhinelander. The property was dedicated as a State Natural Area
in 1969. Because it is a natural area there can't be a physical
cache placed on the property. This property is owned and managed by
the
Northwoods Land Trust
P.O. Box 321
Eagle River, WI 54521
Preserve Rules
While you are in a State Natural Area, the following are
prohibited:
*Picking flowers, berries,nuts, mushrooms, rocks, shells, plants
or other parts of the natural landscape.
*Pets, even on a leash (except seeing eye dogs)
*Bicycles or other wheeled or motorized vehicles.
*Camping or picnic fires.
*Hunting, trapping or fishing except by express permission of the
Northwoods Land Trust.
There is a beautiful trail head sign as you enter the
property.
A unique geological feature of the Holomboe Conifer
Forest is an esker that runs along the southern boundary of the
property.
Definition: Esker
A ridge caused by glacial stream: a long narrow winding ridge of
sand or gravel, deposited by a stream flowing under a glacier.
By staying on the trail you can hike to the Esker, Follow your
GPSr to waypoint 4. Once you are there you can see the Esker and
the Valleys that make up some of the unique geological feautures of
the Holomboe Conifer Forest.
To learn more about the physical geography and how it relates
to the Holomboe Conifer Forest continue to read,
The Physical Geography of
Wisconsin
The Holomboe Conifer Forest is located in the Northern Highland
Geographical Provinces of Wisconsin that includes a large area of
the oldest rocks, called pre-Cambrian, and a still larger area of
rocks of later, though very ancient, formation, called Paleozoic.
The rocks of middle age, called Mesozoic, are not represented here
but the state includes rocks of Cenozoic age. The latter is
represented by widespread, unconsolidated surface deposits made (a)
by the decay, or weathering, of older rocks, (b) by river, wind and
wave deposition, and (c) by the ice sheet of the Glacial
Period.
The Northern Highland — The Lost Mountains of
Wisconsin
Far back in the geological past, perhaps six or seven hundred
million years ago, Wisconsin was part of a mountainous region which
covered all this state and much territory outside it. It had peaks
and ridges similar to those in the Alps. We know of this former
mountainous condition from a study of the rocks and the topography
of today.
Remnants of rock folds reveal that there were once lofty ridges
and deep valleys in northern Wisconsin. The types of the folds tell
us that the ridges were parts of a mountain range more like the
Alps or the Rockies than the Appalachians. The granites show that
erosion has cut down to igneous rocks such as are formed only by
deep- seated cooling of molten intrusives, often beneath the arch
of a lofty mountain range. The gneisses and schists suggest the
former presence of tremendous pressure and some heat. The trap
rocks indicate that lava flows emerged at the surface in the later
stages of the mountain history. The fossils in the overlying
sedimentary rocks show that these mountains are among the oldest in
the world.
These lofty mountains were attacked by weather, wind, and
streams, by solution underground, by plants and animals at the
surface, as mountains are being attacked today. They were gradually
worn down, till nothing remained but a low, undulating plain with
occasional hills. This we call a peneplain.
The destruction of the mountains took a long time, of course,
but time enough was available. The rivers carried sand and mud and
dissolved mineral matter from the mountains into the sea. There it
was deposited as sandstone, shale and limestone. The mountains were
uplifted again and worn down again, repeating this history several
times.
Eventually, Wisconsin and the adjacent region sank beneath the
ocean, probably remaining submerged for long ages. While it was
sinking, the hills that rose above the surface of the peneplain may
have been little islands in the sea for a short time. Waves may
have beaten against their shores, making beaches. Subsequently it
was uplifted and submerged several times.
Two hundred million years or so ago this part of the United
States was uplifted for the last time, and has since remained dry
land. The peneplain on the site of the ancient lofty mountains of
Wisconsin was completely hidden beneath the limestones and
sandstones.
The work of weather and streams recommenced, and continued till
the state was fashioned into something similar to its present form.
Throughout all parts of Wisconsin except the Northern Highland, the
Baraboo Range, the Barron Hills and such places, the worn- down
pre- Cambrian mountains lie deep beneath the present surface. In
the northern part of Wisconsin the worn down mountains have been
revealed. We know the visible portion of these worn- down, buried
and exhumed mountains as the Northern Highland of Wisconsin.
Glaciation of the Northern
Highland
The portion of the Northern Highland in the area of Wisconsin
glaciation forms a striking contract with the Driftless Area. There
is no residual soil. Instead, there is a transported, glacial soil.
Rapids and waterfalls are abundant in the streams. there are large
undrained inter- stream areas. Lakes and swamps are found
everywhere. The drainage pattern is most irregular, resembling
nothing systematic, as is perfectly normal for so youthful a
drainage system.
It is interesting to note that the second highest point in
Wisconsin, so far as now known, is not a conspicuous rocky peak but
a morainic hill. It is about 1891 feet high and is situated east of
Ogema, Price County.
The form of the peneplain surface has been slightly modified by
the glacial deposits. Three principal sorts of topographic forms
are found, (a) the terminal or recessional moraines, (b) the ground
moraine, and (c) the outwash deposits.
In various parts of the Northern Highland the thickness of the
glacial material in terminal moraines varies from 75 to 100 feet.
It has a probable maximum of 350 feet, in the Wisconsin Valley
moraine north of Merrill, Lincoln County, and perhaps as much as
500 or 600 feet west of Ashland.
The material is, variably, unassorted till or stratified sand
and gravel. The till, or boulder clay, is made up of find clay,
sand and subangular, striated boulders of various sorts. It is un-
assorted because deposited directly by the melting ice. The
stratified sand and gravel is material carried by streams from the
melting glacier and is, therefore, assorted. The surface form of
the terminal and recessional moraines is sometimes a smooth, broad-
topped ridge, sometimes a hilly mass of knobs and kettles, the
latter often containing lakes and small swamps.
The ground moraine covers a wide area, in contrast with the
terminal moraine which is found in narrow strips. Its thickness is
from a few inches to 100 feet or more, and the material throughout
much of the area is unassorted till. There is apt to be a rolling
surface, sometimes with broad swells and shallow sags, the latter
often containing enormous swamps.
Outwash deposits cover vast areas in the Northern Highland. the
thickness of the sand and gravel deposited by streams from the
melting ice often exceeds 30 or 40 feet. In one case in the
Namakagon valley in Washburn County it is more than 160 feet. Some
of these outwash deposits cross the Driftless Area.
Another type of glacial stream deposits are eskers, formed in
tunnels beneath the ice. They are sinuous ridge of rounded gravel
and may be found, among other places, in northern Florence
County.
[As a result of the profound affects of glacial occupation,]
vast areas of the Northern Highland are better suited to forest
than to crops, especially as large areas are swampy. The lakes are
a source of steady water supply for the rivers that flow from this
highest part of the state, as well as an asset in the lumbering
industry and an attraction to fishermen and summer visitors. The
rapids and waterfalls furnish invaluable water power. The iron
deposits . . . are more difficult to find than in a region of
residual soil, being often deeply buried.
Holmboe Conifer Forest History
At the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, the terrain of
the Holmboe Conifer Forest was created. A glacial esker, or gravel
ridge, runs along the southern boundary of the property and creates
the steep sloping contours.
Various Native American tribes long before the arrival of
Europeans used the steep uplands and swampy areas along the Pelican
and Wisconsin rivers. Eventually a foot trail was developed called
the Ontonagon Trail. Many of these tribes did not have amicable
relations with each other, and violence sometimes occurred between
the conflicting tribes at this site due to the strategic location
at the crossing of two rivers. A few Native American graves are
said to be located within the preserve. One well-known tale is
about a battle between the Sioux and Ojibwas where the river turned
red as a result of the bloodshed.
The first European settlers in the area known as Wisconsin,
often fur traders, were those willing to adapt native ways. These
early settlers fully interacted with the Native Americans, some
marrying into Native American families, and they had very little
impact on the natural environment.
During the 1840s and 1850s, there was a mass influx of European
settlers throughout the entire state. This new settlement resulted
in a push northward and increased demand for lumber to build homes.
The demand for lumber in the new state and beyond helped stimulate
the beginning of the logging industry in Wisconsin.
Rhinelander became a mill town on the Wisconsin River, and was
an important stop over area for the logging industry. The entire
region was heavily logged over, including some of the Holmboe
property. However, the size of the hemlocks, pines and other large
trees indicates that this site was relatively little impacted by
the logging activities. Some speculate that the steep terrain and
wet soil may have protected this area from further logging by
making accessibility difficult.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, squatters used the
preserve and set up a shanty town or "hobo jungle." The site was
close to railroad tracks, but outside the city limits of
Rhinelander. Remnant depressions from the former shanty town can
still be seen on the property above the Pelican River.
The last of only a few landowners, the Holmboe family used this
site for nature appreciation. Frithjof Holmboe was a professional
photographer and had a studio in downtown Rhinelander. His family
lived in the city, but took regular walks to exercise their pets
and look for Mr. Holmboe's favorite plants. Three of the pets are
buried in the preserve with stone markers.
Frithjof and his son Thorvald (Ted) holmboe donated the land to
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1965 with the stipulation that it
only be used for a nature preserve. The site was one of the first
properties donated in Wisconsin to TNC for conservation
purposes.
In 1969, the forest was designated as a State Natural Area with
Articles of Dedication. These Articles were updated in 2007 with
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. TNC transferred
ownership and management of the preserve to the Northwoods Land
Trust in July, 2007, to foster local management and education
opportunities. The Northwoods Land Trust is a local conservation
partner with TNC in helping to protect and conserve private
shorelands, woodlands, and wetlands in Wisconsin's northwoods.
Because of the sensitive vegitation Please stay on
the well developed trail.
The trail is mapped; there is a copy of the map in the information
box at the Kiosk.
Eagle Project
The Eagle Project done at the cache coordinates was to build a
fence to protect some of the rare Yew's. These are the evergreens
that the Deer graze and because of that they are almost all gone
from this preserve. The fence is 150 feet long and 8 feet tall. The
shape of the fenced in area is not square, the total length of the
fence is 150 feet. The bottom 2 feet of the fence is doubled up
with a fine mesh fence to keep the rabbits out. This Eagle Project
was completed in 2008.
For more info on Scouting Click
Here
Permission
Permission for this cache was given by Mr. Brian Pierce of the
Northwoods Land Trust. Eagle River, WI 54521
Permission also given by
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Thomas
Meyer of the Wisconsin DNR. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by
means of a notification form. Please print out a paper copy of the
notification form, fill in all required information, then submit it
to the land manager. The DNR Notification form and land manager
information can be obtained at:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/other/geocache.html
Your proposal to post EarthCache coordinates (but not a physical
cache) at the Holmboe Conifer Forest State Natural Area is hereby
approved.
Nothing more needs to be done for DNR approval.
Thomas Meyer
State Natural Areas Program
Bureau of Endangered Resources
Wisconsin DNR
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
Logging Requirements:
In order to get credit for a find you must e-mail the Cache
owner with the answers of the following three questions. Please do
not include the answers in your log.
1) At waypoint 4 (W4) you will be standing on an Esker,
Approximately how many feet across is it from low land to low
land?
2)What is the elevation at waypoint 4 (W4), the Esker?
3)On the boardwalk at waypoint 5 (W5) you will be above a small
creek, What color is the water and why? This info can be found at
the kiosk at waypoint 3(W3).
Once I receive your e-mail I will reply with the Scout Law word
associated with this cache so you can apply for the Caching to
Eagle patch.
A picture of you with your GPS'r at the trail head sign would be
a great addition to you log, but not necessary for you to get
credit as a find at this Earth Geocache