Cache Cave Cache Traditional Cache
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Size: 
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Cache Cave Cache is part of my series of Mormon Trail Caches. The cave is midway between the Pony Express stops at Needles and Castle Rock. It was a popular stopping place along the trail since the valley below the cave is good for camping and there are a number of good natural springs nearby watering good forage. It is mentioned in many of the pioneer journals and travel guides. At one time this bedroom sized room in the hill side had hundreds of names on its walls but now, with the passage of time and animals, there are only a small fraction of the original names which are readable, and there is a large hole in the ceiling.
During the Utah War,1857-58, Daniel H. Wells commanded the Nauvoo Legion and had his headquarters here from whence he coordinated and sent out parties led by Porter Rockwell, Lot Smith, Philo Dibble and others to harass and retard Johnson’s army as they were approaching the Salt Lake Valley. They accomplished this by stealing livestock and burning supply trains, and setting the prairie ablaze. Other forces worked in Echo canyon building breastworks for defense and dams to obstruct the progress of the army.
Another interesting historical event which occurred at Cache Cave was the killing of an itinerant school teacher named James Monroe by Howard Egan, a member of the Vanguard Company led by Brigham Young. Egan was a skilled outdoorsman and was sent by church leaders to assist travelers both from California as well as a number of groups from Winter Quarters. Having been gone for a lengthy time on these assignments, he returned home to find his wife had delivered an unexpected baby fathered by Mr. Monroe who had taken advantage of his wife. Considering it his duty to avenge this outrageous dishonoring of his family, he caught up with the villain below the cave, confronted him, and shot him in the head, with his revolver. He was tried for premeditated murder and was successfully defended by a young lawyer named George Albert Smith, later to become President of the Church. He contended that the laws of the federal government taken from the corrupt old laws of England did not apply to a young growing vigorous mountain people. In this territory, “The man who seduces his neighbor’s wife must die, and her nearest relative must kill him.” He referred to precedents of cases in the States in which others who avenged the dishonor of wives or sisters by killing the seducers and were justified. He appealed for a “righteous verdict which will acquit Mr. Egan, that it may be known that the man who shall insinuate himself into the community and seduce his neighbor’s wife, or seduce or prostitute any female, may expect to find no more protection than the wolf would find, or the dog that the shepherd finds killing the sheep: that he may be made aware that he cannot escape for a moment. … that the chastity of our women, our wives and daughters, may be preserved.” ( Interesting, isn’t it, that nowadays wolves are protected and the chastity of women is not.)
The site of the Cache cave is about a half mile from this site on private land closed to the public due to the owner’s concerns about liability and vandalism. He does, however, open the site to the public on the 3rd Saturday in June for a few hours in the morning and he is quite expert in answering questions about the site, its history and the pioneer trail in this area.
Have fun finding the cache and enjoying the local history.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
pbeare guvf anab
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